The legends that mares and stallions from across the globe have told their fillies and colts are more than folk tales. Titans from millions of years ago have returned in the form of spirits that inhabit the same beings that walk across Equestria.
When three brothers are given the powers of the titans, they must use these powers on any threats that dare to attack them or those they care about. All the while keeping these powers hidden from the public eye and trying to live normal lives. But when the kingdom and more is at risk, these stallions will show they won't just risk their lives for others, but their very identity. Whether it be as a five foot pony or a thirty foot beast, the fate of Equestria and all that inhabit it rest on their shoulders.
The night had fallen across the land. The wind howled as it flew through the trees before brushing up against the mountains that stood on the earth. The river was calmly feeding water into the lakes of the valley which reflected the many lights and colors of the moonlit night. The moon shined brightly as it cast its lunar rays, lighting up the world while the sun had lowered to rest. Every star in the sky twinkled and sparkled as each one had their own story to tell, whether it be of warriors, kings, or even gods. It was a beautiful sight for anypony to see.
A village deep in the valley was gearing up after another long day. Through all the work of chopping down trees, farming the freshly grown crops, or fishing near the creak, everypony had earned a night of rest and reconciliation with the ones they loved. As each mare and stallion started to head for their homes, one certain pony slowly trotted through the busy streets. His body was covered with a cloak that kept most of his figure hidden as he carried a small bag filled with certain foods and other groceries that swayed side to side as he walked.
He looked around the village as he walked and took in the looks of the fellow mares and stallions. There was one thing they all had in common, they looked so happy. Everypony that he walked past seemed so full of positivity, whether from the younglings or even the fully-grown. It gave him this certain sense of warmness as he watched them go about saying goodbye to their fellow companions after a long day of work or tell their fillies and colts to come inside else their dinner would get cold. He walked past the brightly lit houses until he reached one of the houses that stood on the outskirts of the village. It looked to be a bit older than some of the other buildings, but it shined just as bright as the others.
Inside of the house were two colts running past chasing each other. They wore pretend armor and held fake wooden swords as they laughed and taunted each other.
“You can run for only so long, little equine, for I, Rodeias the grand, the greatest warrior in all of Equestria will have you bow to me”, he said as he flew after his brother who was a normal pony. The pegasus had a light red color scheme along his body, wings, and tail while his mane and eyes were a maroonish and greenish color respectively.
“Hahaha, you’re all talk and no tell, come down from there and I’ll show you who to bow down to”, laughed the young pony as he rounded a corner and stopped in the living room. His skin color was a darkish gray while his mane was a light gray and he had amber eyes. Although the pegasus was in the air, it was clear that the colt was taller with his bigger limbs. The pegasus merely scoffed as he stayed in the air.
“Why would I do that when I can have my servant do all my dirty work”, he said as he called out to his ‘servant’ in a cocky tone of voice. “Oh dear loyal servant of mine!”
The two waited for him, but he never arrived so the pegasus called out again. “He’s just a little shy, oh servant!”
Once again, there was nothing which caused the young pegasus to become upset as he called out once more with annoyance in his voice. “Hey, servant, what’s taking you so long?”
The young colt, who was also getting impatient, looked behind the doorway to the living room, “Psst, Aang, that’s your cue”, he said.
With that said, another pony, this one even younger, slowly stepped out from behind the doorway. He wore a helmet that was way too big for him as it covered his eyes and rested on his nose and he wielded another fake wooden sword that was just as big as he was. His skin color was light brown, he had a chocolate brown mane which was noticeable spikey, and his eyes were similar to his pony brother with them having an amber color. He looked to be confused as he lifted his helmet over his eyes with his hoof.
“But I don’t want to be the servant”, he said in a high pitched voice. His two older siblings both groaned.
“We told you, you have to be his servant since he’s the only other character in the story”, said the colt.
“Unless you want to be the princess”, mocked the pegasus which caused Aang to stick out his tongue.
“Eww, no way, that’s a girl's role. I want to be a knight.”
“You can’t, I’m already filling the role”, said the gray colt. This caused Aang to cross his forelimbs as he sat on his rear.
“Fine, I’ll be the servant”, he pouted. His helmet slipped and covered his eyes, causing him to be unable to see. This caused his siblings to laugh as they resumed their play.
“You could have a thousand servants and it still wouldn’t matter, I have been fighting for many years”,said the colt triumphantly.
“We’ll just see about that”,said the pegasus as he flew down with his sword in the air.
The colt and pegasus charged toward each other and clashed their swords together, causing a hard knocking sound from the wooden material of their swords. They banged their swords against each other a couple of times, adding in swooshing and slashing noises as they pretended to sword fight.
Aang tried to join in, but with his small size and lack of sight due to his helmet, he ended up knocking into the back of his older pony brother causing them both to fall over. The pegasus merely flew up as the two tripped over themselves.
When the older colt tried to stand up, he was met with the pegasus standing over him with his sword out and a cocky smile on his face. “Told you that I would make you bow to me”, he said confidently.
“No fair”, said the colt as he stood up. “Aang knocked me over, I want a due over.”
Aang, the youngest of the three, was still on the floor trying to stand while also fixing his helmet at the same time. “I was just trying to help Rodey.”
“Yeah, and Aang is my servant, which means he helps me, which means that I won”, said the pegasus triumphantly and with a hint of arrogance.
The oldest filly got upset and clenched his teeth. “You just needed his help because you know that I could easily beat you in knights”, he said with a bit of anger.
“You wanna bet”, said the pegasus, flaring his wings up and getting in the face of his colt brother. The colt stood to his full height. He was obviously taller than the pegasus, but that didn’t cause either of them to back away.
“I would, but unfortunately with how poor you are, you don’t have anything that I would want, so I won’t.” The colt gave his brother a cocky smile of his own which he did not appreciate.
“Why you little-“, the pegasus tackled his brother and the two of them started to wrestle.
Aang laughed at his brothers as they tumbled and rolled on the wooden floor, trying to gain the upper hand. The colt managed to get on top of his brother and pinned him down. However, he used his wings to smack the colt in the head, causing him to lose his grip and back away. The pegasus got up and managed to knock his brother to the ground, pinning him instead.
“Guess it was a good thing we didn’t bet”, laughed the pegasus. Before his brother could say anything, their play was interrupted by a loud, stern voice from behind them.
“Rodan, stop messing with your brother and get off of him”, exclaimed a deep voice.
The pegasus, named Rodan, looked up and was met with an older pony looking down at him. He stood tall with Rodan only reaching below the height of his forelimbs. He had a similar color scheme to the young colt with a dark gray body color, while his mane and tail were black with gray streaks going along it. His hoofs each had black highlights on the end of them. His eyes were similar in that they were amber colored, but more pronounced with red irises. The biggest difference was that on his hind leg was a special symbol, a cutie mark. This one was in the pattern of a dragon with its back covered in blue flames.
Rodan stepped off his brother while his wings lowered and folded behind him.
“Sorry, dad. We were just playing”, said Rodan in a soft tone of voice.
His father gave him a stern look. “I know, but you two need to be less rough when you play. One of you two could’ve been hurt”, he said sternly.
The two colts stood next to each other with their ears lowered. “We’re sorry”, they both said.
The father, seeing as though they were apologetic, got a cheeky idea. “And besides, when trying to catch someone off guard, you need the element of-“, he lowered his head and grabbed the older colt with his maw and lifted him in the air.
“Surprise!”
“Hey, put me down!”, laughed the colt as he kicked his legs in the air while trying to break free from his fathers grip. Rodan laughed and spread his wings before flying in the air and landing on his father’s back.
“I got you, bro”, he said.
Their father stumbled into the living room as he held the weight of two colts which would soon become three. Aang watched his brothers climb on their father and wanted to join in. So he took off his fake helmet and ran over. As their father was distracted, he jumped and grabbed one of his hind legs which were much larger than him.
“Surprise!”, he yelled out.
The three brother’s father pretended to fall over on his side, letting go of the oldest of the three colts as the three climbed on top of him.
“Make sure he can’t get up”, called out Rodan as he hugged his father’s legs.
The three of them laughed which was contagious enough for their father to join in. As they played, another pegasus walked in on them playing. Her body was of a white color scheme but with red highlights on her hooves and the ends of her wings. Her mane and tail were a golden brown color which gave a natural beauty that called for attention. She smiled as she watched her spouse play with their children.
“Hehe, okay boys, get off your father before you feel his wraith”, she called out in a playful tone. The three colts stopped playing but Rodan let out a snort.
“We have him pinned, there’s no way he can get up with all three of us…”, before Rodan could finish his sentence, his father managed to slowly stand up with all three of them still on him. Now it was his mother who let out a small laugh.
“You were saying”, she said with an eyebrow raised.
Rodan didn’t say anything as his father walked over to his spouse with the three brothers still on him. She stood a bit shorter than him which she took advantage of by nuzzling into his neck.
“How was work today, honey”, she asked.
“Better now that I’m here with you, Velvet”, he said while looking into her green eyes. Their romantic moment was cut short when they heard a series of groans and disgust sounds.
“Eww”, said the oldest colt.
“This is so gross”, exclaimed Rodan.
Aang stuck out his tongue to show he too was grossed out. Their father merely rolled his eyes as a response while Velvet laughed. “Oh pipe down, someday when you're older you’ll be acting the same way with your own loved ones”, he said.
“Not me, I’m never gonna get married”, said the oldest colt who hugged his father’s back. Velvet couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Alright you three, how about you climb off your father and come into the kitchen, dinner’s almost ready”, said Velvet in a motherly tone. After hearing that, the three climbed off their father and ran into the kitchen.
When they were gone, the father stretched his limbs, especially his back, until he heard a popping sound. “Whew, thought they would never get off. I’m getting too old for this”, he said extracting a chuckle from Velvet.
“Well, that’s what happens when you have three boys that love to play knights with their father”, she then gave him half opened eye lids and spoke in his ear. “Besides, I know how much you like to play rough”, the father stuttered as his pupils slightly shrunk. Velvet let out a laugh from this reaction.
“I’m sorry, was that a bit much? This headache must be messing with my brain”, she said with a small blush. Her spouse couldn’t help but smile from his wife’s positive attitude.
“It was definitely surprising, I’ll give you that”, he said. Velvet chuckled, however it didn’t last long as it was then followed by a series of coughs that got progressively worse. Her husband even showed concern for his wife as she coughed.
“That cough is sounding worse”, he said with a look of worry. “We’re gonna have to take you to the hospital someday.” After she finished coughing, Velvet still managed to put a smile on her face.
“I’m fine honey, it’s just a cold, it’ll blow over in a few days”, she said. Her husband didn’t seem to agree with this.
“That’s what you said a few days ago and nothing much has changed”, he said, showing more worry in his voice. This caused Velvet’s smile to slightly dwindle as she listened to her husband. “I bought some more medicine and fruits to help with your sickness.”
“You didn’t need to do that, honey”, said Velvet, trying to play off the situation, but her husband didn’t listen.
“It doesn’t matter if I needed to or not, it’s my responsibility. For as long as I live, my family is my number one priority, and that includes taking care of the ones I love”, he said with pride. He stared into her eyes as he said this. Velvet couldn’t help but smile as she again nuzzled into her husband.
“Thank you, Dagon”, she said quietly. Her husband smiled.
“You’re welcome, Velvet.”
Neither of them noticed this, but the oldest colt had been watching them throughout most of their conversation. Although he didn’t entirely understand what was happening, he knew just enough to show concern over his mother, as well as take in what his father had said. Before either of them noticed, he ran back into the kitchen to wait at the table for them.
When dinner was finished and the dishes had been cleaned, the three brothers went back to playing with their pretend armor and swords, until their father walked in on them.
“Okay you three, it’s time for bed”, he said. He was met with a flurry of disappointed groans.
“But dad, can we please have a few more minutes”, asked Rodan.
“No, your mother is very tired and it’s more than ten minutes past your bedtime. So come on, put your toys away and get ready for bed”, said Dagon.
Sad that they couldn’t play anymore, the three brothers slowly trotted to their bedroom. Their bedroom wasn’t very large with one side having a single bed while the other side had a bunk bed. When they got there, they all jumped on to the lower part of the bunk bed and looked at Dagon in anticipation. He looked in confusion.
“Come on boys, get into each one of your beds”, said Dagon.
“But we wanna hear a story”, said Rodan with his brothers nodding in agreement. Dagonsighed but decided to roll with it hoping it would get them to sleep sooner. So he sat on his rear in front of the bed.
“Alright then, what would you all want to hear”, he asked. The three brothers then started to talk over each other.
“Oh, oh, I wanna listen to the story of the Wondercolts”, exclaimed Rodan.
“What, no, I wanna listen to stories about warriors”, said the oldest colt.
“I wanna hear the three little fillies”, said Aang.
With each one of them talking over each other, naming different stories left and right, it didn’t take long for Dagon to get overwhelmed, though he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Okay, calm down boys, one at a time”, he said.
As Dagon spoke however, a certain thought came into his mind, one that caused his smile to fade as he thought about it. It wasn’t a pleasant thing to think about, but what made it even worse was who he was gonna have to share it with. He looked at his children, noticed the smiles and laughter across all three of them. He took a deep breath, he had thought of a story to tell them.
“Hey, boys, why not I tell you a story of my own.” The three colts stopped talking over each other and looked at their father.
“What kind of story”, asked Rodan.
“Well, it’s less of a story and more so a legend. A legend that I think is about time you three learned”, said Dagon. The brothers stared at their father with intrigue and curiosity. “It’s time I tell you the legend of the kaiju.”
The three brothers looked at each other with puzzled expressions. “What’s a…a Kai-chu”, asked the oldest brother.
“It’s pronounced kaiju, and legend has it that millions upon millions of years ago, large creatures walked along what would soon be known as Equestria”, Dagon stated.
The three colts looked with awe at what they heard. “You mean like dragons”, asked Aang. His father merely laughed.
“These creatures were much larger than dragons, some could stand as tall as skyscrapers or even entire mountains”, said Dagon. Each one of the brothers’ jaws dropped to the floor when they heard that, this caused their father to smile as he continued. “They came in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. They could live on the land, in the sky, and even under the sea. Some were even capable of swimming in lava and tunneling through solid ground.”
“What did they look like”, asked Rodan who was loving this story.
“Well it’s hard to explain, but many resembled animals we have nowadays, such as birds, reptiles, and fish, as well as many creatures you would see here in Equestria such as dragons or griffons”, said Dagon as he continued.
The three brothers were each fantasizing about what these creatures looked like, how big they were, how they would interact with other kaiju, or in the case of the oldest brother, what happened to them. Their thoughts were halted when their father started speaking again.
“But it didn’t really matter, since their size alone made them be considered gods amongst natives or any species that existed back then”, said Dagon. The brother’s eyes were practically begging their father to continue. “Back then, they were credited for creating this planet which is what gave many of them their names, god of the mountains, god of the sky, and god of the sea. However, there was one kaiju that was the biggest and strongest of them all.”
“Who”, asked Aang.
“He was given the name, the god of destruction, however he’s mostly known for his nickname, the Alpha”, Dagon stated. The three brothers looked in awe from what they were told.
“What did Alpha look like”, asked the oldest colt. His father replied with a shrug.
“I’m not certain but he was described as a dragon without any wings, large spikes along his back, and had strong, muscular legs and tail”, Dagon explained. The three brothers tried to come up with a picture of what Alpha looked like, but they each had different images. Their father continued with his story.
“As the world evolved, so did the kaiju. As each one of their species started to grow in numbers; the world had to adapt, shrouding most of the planet with luscious forests and large mountain ranges. As you can guess, the world back then was a lot different than what we have nowadays. However, as the planet grew stronger, so did the evil force within the crust that would soon break free of its rocky prison”, he said.
The three leaned in as their father paused for dramatic effect. “This creature stood taller than any other titan, had a pair of wings that measured nearly a mile long, and had three long heads that had the combined strength to tear any smaller titan down a size. This monster’s name was Monster Zero”, said Dagon. Though he was whispering, he made sure to emphasize how scary Monster Zero was. Aang started to tremble in fear just thinking about what Monster Zero looked like. His brothers meanwhile were astonished with what they were hearing and practically begged their father to continue.
“It seemed as though Monster Zero was unstoppable, with his superior size and power, no other titan could even compete with him. All except for one”, said Dagon.
“Oh, oh, was it Alpha?”, interrupted Rodan who hoped in his spot with excitement.
“You bet it was. It was stated that Alpha and Monster Zero were destined to fight and the winner would determine the fate of the world. If Alpha won, a new era of life would begin, but if Monster Zero won…” Their father paused as he tried to come up with a light hearted answer. “Let’s just say you wouldn’t want to live on that planet.” The oldest colt looked in awe and astonishment, Rodan looked with excitement with a big grin on his face, and Aang looked with fear after hearing how scary Monster Zero was.
“Then what happened, then what happened”, asked Rodan with excitement.
“It’s not entirely known but it’s believed that their battle was legendary. Mountains shattered, tidal waves hundreds of feet high, earthquakes powerful enough to cause entire continents to move or even sink into the ocean, the weather was filled with nonstop thunderstorms and hurricanes, the once green and lively land became completely flooded, the whole planet was tearing itself apart from the combined strength of these two titans”, exclaimed Dagon who was speaking a bit louder than normal.
“It seemed their battle would last forever, until Alpha, despite being outmatched in terms of power and size, managed to defeat Monster Zero through his determination and way of life which taught him to never stop fighting. He forced Monster Zero back into the center of the planet where he stayed for the rest of his days, never to be seen or heard from again.” Dagon looked back at his children who looked absolutely flabbergasted at what they just heard. Aang especially was fully shaking while Rodan who looked so thrilled from the story.
“That. Was. Awesome! What happened next? What happened next”, he said while practically flying in the air from his excitement.
“Well… I don’t exactly know”, Dagon stated. The three brothers looked incredibly disappointed and confused after hearing that. Especially Rodan who had landed back on the bed with his wings folded behind him.
“What, really”, asked the oldest brother who had stayed mostly silent throughout the story.
“No one really knows what happened. Some believe that the battle between Alpha and Monster Zero had caused the extinction of the titans with how much they damaged the planet while others say that they never existed to begin with and that they were nothing more than myths that would be told as an excuse to explain why we’re here in the first place”, said Dagon who seemed a bit upset over that last thought.
The three colts were in awe about what they were told, each one of them had different thoughts traveling through their minds. Aang was still mesmerized by the size and scale of the titans, Rodan was imagining just how epic of a fight it must’ve been between Alpha and Monster Zero, the oldest brother however was trying to think of a reasoning as to what caused the disappearance of the kaiju.
“That’s the best story I’ve ever heard!”, exclaimed Rodan with excitement.
“Yeah, that was an awesome story, and I’m happy that Alpha managed to beat Monster Zero. I don’t think I could’ve slept knowing something like that existed”, said Aang who looked just as excited as his brother.
“So they just vanished”, asked the oldest brother who was noticeably confused . His father replied with a nod.
“It’s unknown whether they even existed at all. There’s not much evidence to prove their existence since they lived so long ago”, said Dagon. The oldest colt then asked a question that the father wasn’t prepared to answer.
“Do you think they existed?”, he asked with genuine curiosity.
The father looked his son in the eyes. He had an answer but he didn’t know how to say it, he didn’t even know if it was right or not. He looked at all three of his children, they were waiting in anticipation for his answer.
“Some ponies have different beliefs, some may consider the titans as mere legends while others chose to think that they still live even to this very day.” Dagon then gave each of his children a gentle smile. “But I believe in them as much as I believe that it’s time for you three to hit the haystack.”
Dagon grabbed Aang and carried him to his own bed which was smaller than his brothers. Rodan meanwhile flew up to the top bunk.
“I can’t believe that monsters used to live in Equestria”, said Rodan as he tucked himself into bed.
“The kaiju aren’t monsters, Rodan. Just giant creatures that helped with the creation of this planet”, corrected Dagon.
“Still though, we’re gonna have to come up with a new game where we act as kaiju and stomp around”, said Aang. His father couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Well, you can come up with a game tomorrow, now go to sleep”, he said while tucking Aang into bed. As he started to walk away, the oldest brother spoke up.
“Hey dad”, he said. “Do you think there’s ever a chance that the kaiju may return?” Once again, Dagon didn’t know how to answer.
“There’s always a possibility that they may rise again, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on it.” He nuzzled the cheek of the oldest brother which caused him to laugh.
“Hehe, ok, goodnight dad”, said the oldest brother. His father smiled.
“Goodnight, Gojira.”
With sleep finally taking the three colts over, their father turned off the lights and slowly closed the door. He wanted to make sure that they each fell asleep before heading back to his room. As he entered, Velvet was already in bed waiting for him.
“Are the kids asleep,” she asked. Dagon nodded. “Did you tell them the story?” Reluctantly, he nodded.
“It was best to tell them now than have to wait till they were older”, he said while crawling into bed until he was next to his wife.
“Still, I’m not sure we should be doing this, they’re still children after all”, said Velvet.
“I know, I’m not a big fan of it either, but if what Caesar says is true, then this will not only ensure the safety of our children, but for all of Equestria”, said Dagon. There was still that sense of fear that Velvet felt, and admittedly, so did Dagon.
“But what if he’s not telling the truth, what if he’s wrong about what he says? What would happen then?”, she asked with a bit of anxiety in her voice. Velvet started to cough again which lasted for only a few seconds but forced her to lay her head against her pillow. “I just don’t want to see them get hurt”, said Velvet. Dagon couldn’t help but agree. He scooted over and lifted her head with his hoof until she was looking him right in the eyes.
“There’s not a single day that passes where they’re not on my mind. Their priority is only rivaled by your own. But I’ve seen the vision. I’ve known Caesar for several years, and we can’t take the risk of him being wrong. As long as the three stay together, they will be fine. We just have to trust them”, said Dagon trying to comfort his wife.
Velvet still didn’t seem convinced. She wanted to trust her husband, but the sense of fear that was ever prevalent kept her from fully believing. She laid her head against the pillow.
“I just hope you’re right”, said Velvet.
Dagon laid his own head against his pillow. Although his story of the titans went over well with his children, it was only grazing the surface for what was to come. As Velvet started to doze off, so did Dagon as he thought over how he told his story. He had been forced to let out a certain important detail.
As the three brothers slept, the story of the kaiju stayed in the minds of all three of them, especially Gojira. He thought about what the titans looked like, where they lived, and what they did. And before he realized it, he was dreaming. He started to visualize the large scale of them, their heavy footsteps pounding against the ground, their loud commanding roars that were louder than any siren. It was astonishing. He then thought of Alpha, he could practically see him perfectly. Gojira saw him looking over the other titans, keeping each one of them in check. He looked to be such a grand and commanding figure, it was beautiful.
But then it started to shift. The once blue sky turned dark and gloomy, blocking out the sun. Lighting struck the ground, causing entire trees to incinerate. Every titan that Gojira once saw suddenly vanished into thin air, this happened until only Alpha was standing. And then, he saw it. The dream he had come to be intrigued by had quickly turned into a nightmare. Loud ear-piercing roars could be heard as a large winged figure with three heads appeared out of nowhere. There was no doubt about it, this was Monster Zero. Gojira could see just how terrifying of a creature he was, and he could do nothing.
He started to shift and turn in his bed to try and block out his dream. He tried to make himself wake up, but no matter how hard he tried, his eyes stayed closed. He started breathing heavier as the horrible image of Monster Zero was seemingly trapped in his mind and refused to leave. And before he knew it, his mind went blank. The sky returned to normal, the trees and forest had regrown, and any trace of Monster Zero had vanished.
Unbeknownst to him, a figure was standing beside his bed. The figure was partially shrouded in a blue mist, however it was clear it wasn’t a pony. It stood in a slouched position with pale eyes, a snout, rows of what appeared to be fins on its back, and what looked like a tail. One of its hands was resting on top of Gojira’s head, rubbing its fingers against his temple and mane. It created a soft, warm feeling that helped calm Gojira down and finally allow him to rest. The figure watched as Gojira finally stopped tossing and turning and his normal breathing pattern returned.
It reared its head up at the top bunk where another figure stood, or rather perched. It was in the shape of a bird with a pair of large wings, talons, and had a noticeable beak. It too was covered in mist but this time it was a dark red. Using its beak, it pulled the covers over Rodan who was oblivious to it all. The figures stared at each other and nodded before turning towards the other bed.
There was another figure, but this one was covered in a light brown mist and was obviously a quadruped as it stood on four legs. It had a shell on its back, a spiked crest on its head, a tail, and a horn on the end of its snout. It looked over Aang who was fast asleep. It looked at the other two figures and nodded.
The three met in the center of the room, blinked, and vanished, with not a single noise made or colt woken. It was almost as if they weren’t even there.
A streak of light that managed to shine through the crevice of the curtains managed to wake Gojira up. He stumbled out of bed and slowly walked to the door of his room. His dark gray skin made him almost completely black in pure darkness, but shined in the sun’s light. His mane and tail were black with gray highlights and his hoofs were a light gray in comparison to his skin color. On one of his hind legs was an emblem that depicted a circular outline of a creature with a long tail, spikes on his back, and sharp claws on its hand. His most prominent feature was his height as he stood just at six feet tall. He stepped out of his room and into a hallway that connected to the living room and kitchen.
The house was mostly empty with only a few bags and a couple boxes with labels. Gojira looked around their house, making sure that they hadn’t left anything. He then went into the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal before eating breakfast. As he ate his meal, he heard hoofsteps coming from the hall and was met by his brother, Rodan. He blinked rapidly to adjust to the bright sunlight.
“Morning Gojira, you're up pretty early”, he said as he stretched his wings.
Similar to Gojira, Rodan was also pretty tall, though not quite at the same height of his brother who was a few inches taller. But what was bigger was his wings which were colored in a similar maroon color to his mane and tail which was shorter than his brothers. His body was a light red color but his chest had a white crest that went all the way to his underbelly. On one of his hind legs was the circular outline of a bird-like creature with large wings and a prominent beak.
“You know why we have to be up this late, Caesar told us to and we know just how strict he can be'', said Gojira. He gestured over to the cereal box on the table.
“Do you want some?”
“Thanks bro, but I don’t think I’m hungry”, said Rodan.
“Suit yourself”, said Gojira as he put another spoonful in his mouth. “Is Anguirus awake?”
His question was answered when a third pony walked out from the hallway. He stood at a similar height to Rodan but was only off by a few inches. His body color was of a light brown with a dark brown mane and tail, which wasn’t as long as Gojiras but spikier and bushier. His eyes were similar to Gojira’s with the amber color scheme but different to Rodans which were green. There was a mark on one of his hind legs that was in the outline of a creature that was curled into a ball with spikes all across its back and horn on the end of its snout.
“Yep, Anguirus is up, but he wishes he wasn’t”, yawned Anguirus.
“You know why we have to be up so early”, said Gojira.
“Yeah we do, and boy could I not be anymore excited”, said Rodan. “I’ve heard so many great things about Ponyville. They’ve got all kinds of stuff there plus the Summer Sun celebration is being held there today.”
Gojira let out a groan. “That just means there’s gonna be a large crowd for our first day, just what I wanted”, he said.
“Oh come on, lighten up a little Goji. We no longer have to live in this crappy shack and finally get to live in a place that has enough room for each of us”, said Rodan trying to cheer his brother up.
“I agree with Rodan, though I’m pretty sure he’s just excited cause a certain somepony lives in Ponyville”, said Anguirus as he met his brother with a smug smile. Rodan rolled his eyes as a bead of sweat formed on his head.
“Me and Lisa have only been together for a few months now and it seems that it’s the only thing you two will talk about”, said Rodan who was a bit flustered.
Gojira merely chuckled. “We’re just teasing you Rodey, you make it way too easy”, he said as he finished his bowl.
Rodan had an annoyed look on his face which quickly turned into a cheeky grin. “You know, speaking of, this might finally be my chance to get you two some mares cause boy do you both need some, especially you Goji”, he said. Gojira nearly spat out his cereal after hearing that.
“I think a relationship is one of the last things that I need. Though I think you definitely need one Gojira”, said Anguirus as he joined Rodan with his statement.
“Well I think you would be wasting your time trying to find a mare for me. I mean, you realize who you’re talking to, right”, said Gojira. Rodan waved his hoof in disagreement.
“Eh, that doesn’t mean I won’t try”, he said. Gojira rolled his eyes at his brother’s naivety.
Although he didn’t hate the idea of moving, he wasn’t entirely sure about it. They had constantly been moving to small town after small town, living in houses that weren’t well taken care of and far from other residents. Ponyville would be their first time living in a more populated area and he didn’t know how to feel.
‘I believe we have more important things than mares to discuss about.’ Gojira let out a sigh after hearing that.
“I know, I know”, he said. His brothers at first looked at him weirdly until they realized what, or rather who he was talking to.
“Is your spirit bugging you”, asked Rodan. Gojira simply nodded. “Yeah, so was mine. I almost couldn’t sleep with how much it was nagging at my ear.”
‘I can hear you, ya know.’ Rodan’s wings slightly flared up as he was caught off guard.
Almost like magic, the symbol on Rodan’s leg flashed red for a few seconds and a being that was shrouded in mist sprouted out of his back. It was red in color and had the shape of a winged creature with wings and a beak. Despite how unnatural this was, both Gojira and Anguirus didn’t look surprised in the slightest. Its eyes were completely white but it was obvious that it looked annoyed.
‘I swear, it’s been several years since we first met and yet it feels like nothing has changed.’ Rodan had to stifle a laugh.
“I’m just yanking your chain. You make it way too fun.” His spirit gave him a glare.
‘I don’t find it funny. Why can’t you be like Anguirus, at least he’s quiet.’
Before Anguirus could retort, another mist covered being sprouted from his mane. This being was shrouded in a light brown mist, had a horn on its snout, a spiked crest on his head, and what looked to be multiple spikes on its back. Similar to Rodan’s spirit, Anguirus’ also had pale eyes but they were more in a deadpan expression.
‘It’s not as relaxing as you may think’, it said. Anguirus rubbed the back of his head.
“Hehe, yeah. I’m just not completely used to these powers that you guys gave us”, said Anguirus.
‘Which is part of the reason why we’re moving. This new place should have more space for training each one of you.’
“Great, training, my favorite”, said Rodan with not so subtle hints of sarcasm.
“Rodan, you know exactly why we have to”, said Gojira.
“I know, I’m just happy that we may finally get a chance to have a normal life, even if we’re gonna have some unexpected roommates”, said Rodan, gesturing towards the spirit right next to him. If his spirit had pupils, they would’ve been able to cut through metal with its hard glare.
Although Anguirus seemed to agree with his brother, Gojira didn’t seem as convinced. Before any of them could say anything, there was a knock heard on their door. Immediately, both Rodan and Anguirus’ spirits disappeared, causing their emblems to flash again. Gojira went over to the door and opened it, he was met with a unicorn.
The unicorn had a brown skin color apart from beige colored hoofs. He had a light yellow mane and tail as well as patches of hair surrounding his chest and hind legs. His eyes were entirely red with white pupils, his ears resembled that of a dog with how fluffy they were, he had a noticeable beard growing, and his horn was mostly regular apart from the color which went from beige to orange. He was clad in golden armor which covered the upper part of his body, had a blue star on his chest, and the mid section featured the emblem of the burning morning sun. One simple look at him and Gojira immediately knew who it was.
“Hello, Caesar”, he said as he greeted him with a bow, which Caesar returned.
“Greetings, Gojira. Are the others up”, he asked.
“Yeah, they’re up”, said Gojira as he gestured to his brothers.
“Good, bring everything to the chariot, we’ll be leaving in a couple of minutes.”
“Wait, chariot, I thought we were taking the train. What do you mean by…”, before Anguirus could finish his sentence, he saw what Caesar was talking about.
The chariot in question was mostly a silk white with golden trim along the sides. There was a pair of large wheels on the back and a smaller pair at the front. The rear had a spot for luggage which, along with the wheels, made the chariot fairly large with four pegasus being needed to pull it, all clad in armor. The symbol that depicted the sun was depicted on the chariot which confirmed what Anguirus was wondering.
“That’s from Canterlot”, he said.
“Indeed it is”, said Caesar with a small grin.
“So, wait, does that mean we’re going to…”, Rodan couldn’t finish his question before being answered by Caesar with a nod. The three brothers looked at each other with surprised looks.
“That’s awesome, I can’t believe we’re going to the home of the princess of Equestria”, said Rodan with excitement.
“But why are we going to Canterlot instead of heading to Ponyville? I thought that’s why you wanted us to wake up early since Ponyville would be busy because of the Summer Sun celebration”, said Gojira.
“I’ll tell you three when we get there. So quickly gather your things and put it on the chariot, don’t want to keep your majesty waiting”, said Caesar as he walked away, leaving the three looking confused and baffled.
“If I had known we were gonna see the princess then I probably would’ve tried looking nice”, said Rodan as he grabbed a satchel and a pair of sunglasses.
“Yeah, especially with the Summer Sun Celebration today, we might be able to see her twice”, said Aguirus before looking towards his oldest brother who was looking conflicted. “Aren’t you excited, Goji?”
“I am excited, I’m just concerned about the whole, you know”, he said while referring to the symbol on his hind leg. Although Anguirus understood where he was coming from, Rodan rolled his eyes at this.
“You worry too much, Gojira. Besides, this could finally be our chance at trying to live normal lives. I mean, yeah we would still have to deal with our mystical friends and all, but if it means spending more time with my bros”, he put his hoof on his brother’s shoulder. “Then I wouldn’t mind. So, why not lighten up a bit?”
Although Gojira appreciated Rodan’s attempt at reassurance, that feeling of uneasiness was still prevalent. Though he managed to mask it with a smile.
“Okay, you’re right Rodan, this could be quite the experience for us and I don’t want to ruin either of you two’s excitement. Let’s just grab everything and bring it to the chariot, before Caesar gets impatient with us”, said Gojira.
“There we go, that’s more like it”, said Rodan as he grabbed his own bag and put his shades over his eyes. “Well, what are we waiting for, our new lives await!” He said with courage as he ran out the door with Anguirus in tow. Before Gojira could join them, he heard something.
‘Why won’t you tell them how you truly feel about this?’ Gojira let out a sigh.
“And what good would that do? That would just ruin their hope”, said Gojira.
‘It’s better to ruin their hope, rather than their lives.’
Gojira was left silent after that. Instead, he grabbed his satchel, took one last look at what they used to call home, and walked out.
(Canterlot)
On the largest mountain with the most beautiful scenery, where the sun is first to cast its everlasting glow, and the waterfalls and landscape are nothing short of magical, Canterlot stands as the gleaming heart of Equestria. A large kingdom built into the mountain allows it to stand high and proud above the rest of the land. Its awe inspiring presence has made it a beholding sight that demands respect from anypony.
And respect that it received when it came in sight of Caesar and the three brothers as the chariot flew closer. Caesar was the only one whose jaw wasn’t on the floor. Apart from photos and drawings, none of the three had ever seen Canterlot in the flash. It was quite the sight to say the least. Anguirus was amazed, Rodan was ecstatic, Gojira was astonished, and Caesar was trying his hardest not to laugh at their reactions.
“I imagine none of you have seen it up close, huh”, asked Caesar with a grin on his face. He received a nod from each one of them. “Just wait until you see the inside.”
“It’s…amazing”, said Anguirus as he couldn’t take his eyes off of the incredible sight. “Never thought I would actually see it.”
“See, I told you guys we had nothing to worry about”, said Rodan with his pair of sunglasses covering his eyes as he gave his brother a playful bump. “We’re finally moving up in the world.” He then looked toward Gojira. “Am I right, Goji?”
Gojira was mostly quiet throughout the trip as he had been mainly deep in thought. While the others looked at Canterlot with awe and astonishment, he looked at it with anxiousness. There were many things on his mind and as a result he couldn’t fully enjoy this experience that other ponies would kill to have. Whenever he tried to be optimistic, the spirit inside of him would bring him down to reality. He was brought out of his thoughts when Rodan put a hoof on his shoulder.
“You good bro”, he asked. Gojira quickly hid his concern with a small, reassuring smile.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a bit nervous, that’s all”, he said, even though it was more than just him being nervous.
“I know, it can be very intimidating at first. I had a similar reaction when I first came here”, said Caesar. Not wanting to say anything, Gojira nodded.
As the chariot flew closer, they managed to get a closer look at the kingdom and the several different buildings and shops that lay. They saw several ponies, pegasus, and unicorns going about their day. They saw the large majestic waterfall that formed from the mountain side feed the river that surrounded the entrance to the kingdom before forming into another waterfall. Not to mention the castle itself with its several towers that looked to almost touch the sky. The chariot soon landed in front of the entrance where other guards greeted them, including a unicorn with a dark brown body color and horn, a straightened light gray mane, and blue eyes. His cutie mark resembled two arrows crossing each other in an x shape.
“Hello Caesar, and I’m guessing these are your friends that I hear much about”, he said. His sentence caused the three brothers to look puzzled.
“That’s right, Sharp Shot”, said Caesar as he exited the chariot with the others behind him.
“You’ve told others about us”, asked Angurius.
“Well yes, at times you three pop up in conversation”, said Caesar before turning back towards Sharp Shot. “Sharp Shot, these are Gojira, Rodan, and Anguirus Zawa, the three that I’ve told you and the others about.”
“Others?”, Gojira said to himself.
“Greetings you three, my name’s Sharp Shot”, he said. Although he was Anguirus’ height, he had to crane his neck back to look at Rodan and especially Gojira. “Dang, he wasn’t kidding when he mentioned you were tall fellas.”
“You know what they say about late growth spurts’, joked Caesar, who received a playful eye roll from his friend.
“From what I’ve heard, you three and Caesar have been friends for quite some time”, said Sharp Shot.
“Well, that’s mainly because he was friends with our father”, said Rodan.
“Really, must be one hay of a stallion”, said Sharp Shot. Rodan and Angurius laughed it off, Gojira however remained respectfully silent.
“Anyways, I believe it’s now the moment you three have been waiting for”, said Caesar as he led the three brothers and Sharp Shot inside the castle.
He wasn’t kidding when he said that it looked better on the inside. The inside of the castle had a color palette which contained several different shades of purple, gold, white, and blue. There was a double decker staircase with golden handrails on the side. They led to two separate hallways with a red carpet that traveled across the floor and up the stairs. The walls were draped with long, purple banners. The floor had a checkerboard pattern to it and in the center was the same burning symbol seen on the chariot and armor. The most striking feature however was the large stained glass window that depicted the two different times of day. It was the icing on top of this grand and royal cake that the three brothers couldn’t help but gawk at.
“Gentlemares, welcome to Canterlot”, said Sharp Shot. The three’s eyes wandered all along the walls, floor, and ceiling.
“It’s better than I thought it would be”, said Anguirus. Rodan put a hoof on his and Gojira’s shoulders.
“Bros, you do realize that we are currently standing in the middle of the center of Equestria”, he said. “It’s more than just amazing it’s…it’s…”
“Pretty neat”, said Gojira.
“Yeah exac-… What?!”, exclaimed Rodan as he turned to face his brother with a dumbfounded expression while his wings flared up. “This is the home of the princess of Equestria and all you have to say about it is that it's pretty neat?”
“I’m still wondering why we’re even here in the first place when we were supposed to be heading to Ponyville since the Summer Sun Celebration is today which means the whole town will be busy”, said Gojira. Caesar overheard and turned to face them.
“Well you see, that was the original plan, but then somepony wanted to see you three”, said Caesar. Sharp Shot gave him a look as he knew what he was talking about while the three brothers looked confused.
“Who would want to see-…wait, you don’t mean”, Caesar nodded at Gojira, although it wasn’t a real answer, that mere motion of the head spoke volumes louder than any voice. Their jaws dropped so fast and so hard that it sounded more like an anvil.
“T-The p-p-princess…wants…to see…us”, stuttered Anguirus while Rodan looked elated and Gojira looked in disbelief.
“Through her own request, yes. She wanted to meet you three”, said Caesar.
“B-but, why”, asked Gojira. Caesar could only shrug.
“Perhaps she overheard me talking about you three, I’m not sure. But how could I say no to the princess herself”, he said.
“You three should be excited, it’s not everyday you get to meet somepony of royalty”, said Sharp Shot.
The three brothers were all thinking differently during that moment. Anguirus was completely stunned. He was excited to move to Ponyville, but he had no idea that he would also be able to go to Canterlot, let alone meet the princess. It was all so overwhelming for him. On the other hand, Rodan was completely ecstatic. He was the most excited about them moving, finally being able to not have to deal with houses of poor infrastructure or having to avoid other ponies. And meeting the princess reinforced that feeling of ecstasy.
Gojira meanwhile didn’t know how to feel. His brothers seemed incredibly happy and he couldn’t lie he was happy too, but that happiness was underneath several layers of anxiousness. He was also a bit upset at Caesar for telling other ponies about them. He thought the whole point of constantly moving was to make sure no one would find out about their secret. So why was he now fine with letting other ponies know about them, let alone the princess herself.
“Well, what are we waiting for, don’t want to keep her majesty waiting”, said Sharp Shot as he led the three brothers towards her throne room. Before Caesar could join them, he was stopped by Gojira.
“Why did you tell other ponies about us, I thought you wanted to keep us a secret”, he asked.
“I wanted to keep the spirits a secret and I haven’t told anypony about them. To the outside world, you three are just abnormally tall stallions”, replied Caesar. Gojira still wasn’t happy.
“It would’ve been fine if you told a few, but the princess”, he exclaimed while growing agitated.
“I didn’t tell her anything. I don’t know why she wants to see you three, but I do believe that this could lead to something good”, replied Caesar as he put a hoof on Gojira’s shoulder. “Celestia is one of the kindest, most selfless mares I have ever had the fortune to meet. She loves and appreciates every pony she meets and as long as you keep a mental state, she’ll treat you no differently.”
Gojira let his words sink in as he let out an exasperated sigh, what seemed to be a small puff of smoke came out of his mouth. Caesar gave him a comforting smile before removing his hoof from his shoulder.
“Now come on, her majesty awaits”, he said as he walked after the others. Before Gojira could join him however.
‘Be careful, I can tell you’re still tense and so can others.’
Gojira breathed in and out to try and calm himself down. He lifted his front leg and noticed the imperfection. A small patch of his skin had been replaced with what appeared to be rough, dark gray scales that were embedded into his skin. He looked around to make sure no one was watching him before taking a small breath. The scales retracted back into his leg with no sound, leaving no imprint or anything to signify they were even there in the first place.
‘Calm yourself, although Caesar didn’t tell anyone about us, we don’t want you to show anyone.’
Gojira understood what he meant and when he found that mental state Caesar wanted him to find, he ran after the others. As Caesar put it, her majesty was waiting.
(Meanwhile)
Twilight grumbled throughout her quarters as she kept rereading a certain part of a book over and over again. She was a light purple unicorn with a dark purple mane that had a streak of pink going along it and her ponytail. Her cutie mark looked similar to that of a four edged, pink star with several small, white stars surrounding it. Her purple eyes were deep in analyzing the text that she had worked so hard to understand. It was the story of the mare in the moon and how after the day that marked the end of a thousand years, she would return to Equestria. Although others had put it off as legends, she saw it as a prophecy.
She had recently been obsessed with this so-called legend after finding out that today marked the end of the thousand year wait. She felt that now was the time to finally inform her teacher and mentor, Celestia. She had known Celestia for many years and was hoping that she would understand this serious event, but after sending a letter, she was given a disappointing response. Not even she believed her, however that wasn’t the worst part. As she continued analyzing her book, she heard a knock at her door.
“Come in”, she answered.
The door opened to reveal what looked to be a small light purple dragon. He had a short tail with a sharp tip at the end. His underbelly consisted of faded green scales while he had a short crest of dull spikes going across the top of his head and a smaller row traveling along his tail. He had small puffs of green hair on each side of his head and he had large green eyes with thin slits for pupils. He had a very innocent look to him as he walked up to his closest friend.
“Hey, Twilight”, he said in a childish voice.
“Hi Spike”, replied Twilight with a nonchalant tone. It gave Spike a somewhat downbeat feel.
“I’m guessing you aren’t very happy about the letter, huh”, he asked.
“Of course I’m not happy”, retorted Twilight. “We are on the verge of what could be the beginning of an endless darkness and no pony seems to care. Not even Celestia, who seems more concerned with me having to go to Ponyville, for some reason.”
Spike couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “I think she gave a good reason actually”, he said as he pulled out a letter and started reading it. “My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony's life other than studying. So I am sending you to supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year’s location: Ponyville. I also have an even more essential task for you to complete”, he then made the letter face her while pointing at a specific line of text and speaking a bit louder, “make some friends.”
Twilight let out a groan before dropping her head into her book. Everything about that letter was everything that she didn’t want to hear. “There’s a million things that are more important than making friends”, she said. “Why would I waste my time with that when I could be putting all my attention towards other more important things.” She motioned her hoof towards the book she was reading which depicted the outline of a dark colored alicorn with the moon in the background.
“Come on Twilight, she is right after all. You’ve been spending so much of your time reading books and learning spells that you don’t leave any spare time to do fun stuff”, said Spike. “Perhaps treat this visit as less like a punishment and more like a vacation, and besides.” Spike pointed at another part of the letter. “We’ll be staying in a library, doesn’t that make you happy?”
Twilight appreciated Spike trying to make her feel better, but it still didn’t change her mind on how she felt and it especially didn’t do much to calm her growing anxiety. However, if there was one upside, a library did sound nice and perhaps it had some kind of information on this “legend”.
“Yes, yes it does”, she said as her head shot out of her book. “And you know why, because I’m right. I’ll supervise the preparations as fast as I can, then get to the library to find proof of Nightmare Moon's return”, she said with a confident look on her face.
“And then you’ll make friends like Celestia said, right”, asked Spike with a confused expression.
“She said to check on preparations. I am her student and I'll do my royal duty. But the fate of Equestria doesn’t rely on me making friends”, replied Twilight with an upfront tone.
Spike sighed in disappointment at her response. He could see where the princess was coming from, why couldn’t she? Just then, they heard a knock on their door and Spike went to answer it. When he opened the door, he was met with a blue stallion clad in golden armor.
“Is Ms. Sparkle here”, he asked. Twilight walked over to the door.
“Yes I am”, she said.
“I’m here to ask if you’re ready for your departure, your chariot awaits”, he said.
Twilight let out a sigh. “Yes, we’re ready, just making some…last minute checkups.”
“Good, then come along, I’ll escort you”, he said as he motioned for the two to follow.
The two followed him, however Twilight was slightly trailing behind. Her mind was on other things. She was thinking about Ponyville and the Summer Sun celebration. She thought about why Celestia wanted her to make friends so badly, Spike was already enough. She thought about all the things she could be doing instead. But above all else, she was thinking about Nightmare Moon. She was brought out of her thought bubble when they passed some other ponies.
“Hey Sharp Shot. Hey Caesar”, said their guard.
“Hi Vincent”, said Sharp Shot as they passed.
What managed both Twilights and especially Spike’s eyes was who were following them. Three stallions trailed behind them, two were normal ponies while the other was a pegasus. They seemed to be a bit bulkier than some of the guards at Canterlot with dark skin and mane colors and, what Twilight thought to be weird looking cutie marks on their hind legs. But that wasn’t what caught their attention. It was their height because they were tall. The shortest one was still a few inches taller than Twilight while the tallest one at the rear of the group stood more than a foot taller than her. Although she managed to only give brief side glances, Spike on the other hand couldn’t help but gawk at them, especially the tallest one. And unfortunately for him, he noticed.
“Ahem”, coughed Gojira.
Spike broke into a sweat when he realized he’d been staring. “O-oh…s-sorry, I-I didn’t mean to be rude. I-It’s just that…”
He couldn’t finish his sentence when Twilight came over and scooted him away. She then faced Gojira with at first a slightly fearful expression before switching to a nervous smile.
“Sorry, hehe. It’s just he can get really curious at times. He just hasn’t seen a pony like you before…I-I mean, a pony of your size…ahem, height, I meant height. And not in a disrespectful way, I-I’m sorry if I offended you, but…umm.”
She stopped talking when she saw Gojira giving her a nonchalant look. The two stood there awkwardly, or at least one of them did, until somepony called out to them.
“Hey Goji, what are you waiting for? We don’t want the princess to wait”, said Rodan. He then noticed Twilight and Spike and stopped with confusion on his face. “Are you busy with something?”
Before Twilight could say anything, Gojira spoke up. “No, I’m not”, he said in a monotone voice. He then turned to face the two.
“Have a nice day”, he said before walking over to his own group, leaving a very confused Twilight.
She had met several different ponies in her life, but she never acted this strangely to any of them. Also, did one of them mention how the princess wanted to see them? She turned to walk away, her mind now had even more questions and thoughts traveling through it. As they did so, Spike turned and waved at the one they talked to.
“Bye”, he said nervously before catching up with Twilight.
Meanwhile, Rodan was giving Gojira a cocky grin. “Seems like somepony is already attracting some attention with the mares”, he said while giving Gojira a playful nudge.
“Lucky me”, replied Gojira sarcastically.
The group walked throughout the halls of the castle, taking in the scenery until they made it to large golden doors with two guards on each side with spears on each side of them. The group stopped right in front of the door as Caesar and Sharp Shot approached the guards.
“We’ve come here on the princess’s request. She would like to speak with these three”, said Sharp Shot as he gestured to the three brothers behind. One of the guards nodded before entering the door and a few seconds later walked back out.
“She’s ready to see you now”, he said.
Caesar turned to face the three and their different expressions. “Remember, she loves all her ponies, and you three are no different. Just stay calm and speak when necessary”, he said and received a nod from each of them.
With that, there was no going back. The doors slowly opened to reveal a large room. The room was fairly bare with a few pillars on the side of the light pink walls holding up a checkered style ceiling while the floor seemed to be mostly made of a reflective crystal apart from certain parts which retained that checkered pattern. Large stained glass windows were on each side of the room depicting moments throughout the history of Canterlot and Equestria as a whole. But the centerpiece of the room was the long red carpet that went from the doors all the way to a golden arched throne which was where the reason why they came here stood.
“Greetings, my little ponies”, she said.
The mare in question was an alicorn, a rare species in Equestria, that stood at around seven feet in height from her hooves to her long horn. It well accommodated her large wings which helped in signifying her status of royalty. Her body and wings were a vanilla white color with her hoofs having a golden pattern that made it look like she was wearing high heels. However the most awestrucking part of her was her beautiful mane and tail which flowed and glistened due to her magic. They consisted of light colors of blue, pink, purple, and green. She wore a golden necklace with a purple jewel in the center around her neck, a golden crown with the same jewel, and her hind leg housed her cutie mark which was that of a burning sun, a similar symbol to the ones on the guard’s armor and the chariots. Her calm, welcoming demeanor was attributed to her violet eyes which seemed so bright and peaceful. Indeed, this was none other than the ruler of Equestria herself…
“Princess Celestia”, said Anguirus.
“Or, perhaps that phrase doesn’t really apply to you three”, said Celestia with a small giggle.
Immediately Anguirus bowed in front of her, which caught both Gojira and Rodan off guard. They both looked at each other and then faced Caesar. He was giving them both a stern look and motioned his head to do the same thing Anguirus was doing. With a sigh from Gojira, he and Rodan both bowed in front of Celestia.
“Your majesty”, said Anguirus, “it’s an honor to meet you.”
Celestia smiled. “Oh please, the pleasure is all mine”, she said. “I hope your trip wasn’t too much of a burden.”
“Oh no, not at all your highness. We were already heading to Ponyville, so this wasn’t any trouble”, said Rodan. Even with sunglasses on, his eyes were absolutely beaming. He couldn’t believe who he was talking to.
“Well that’s nice to hear. I hope you enjoy your time in Ponyville, especially with the Summer Sun celebration being today. We may even meet again during the celebration”, said Celestia. Gojira let out a slight cough which caught everyone’s attention.
“Your majesty, I do speak for my brothers when I say that we are very grateful for meeting you. However, I must ask for what reason did you want to see us particularly”, asked Gojira.
Caesar breathed heavily, he knew Gojira was going to ask that question. However, Celestia’s smile didn’t fade.
“No important reason, other than that it was Caesar who asked if you three could visit me. And for his years of service, it was the least I could do”, said Celestia.
The three brother’s eyes widened and they turned to face Caesar. “You wanted us to come here”, asked Rodan. Caesar nodded.
“I thought you said you didn’t know why the princess wanted to see us”, asked Anguirus.
Caesar rubbed the back of his head with his hoof as he looked at both Sharp Shot and Celestia, who gave him a nod. “Well, that would ruin the whole point of a surprise”, he said. “Also, I thought it would lighten your moods since I know how much you three weren’t completely on board with the idea of moving, especially you Gojira.”
Rodan and Anguirus both looked at Gojira who stood puzzled. “I suppose that makes sense”, he said. Everyone seemed to understand, except for one.
‘I can tell you don’t mean that.’
Gojira pretended to not hear his spirit and kept on his smile. He didn’t think Caesar was lying, but some part of him felt he wasn’t being truthful either. He choked it up to Caesar wanting to keep the spirits a secret, but still felt it was for something else.
“I hoped that cleared any confusion you three may have had”, said Celestia. “And I must say it was very nice meeting you three, I hope someday our paths may cross again.”
The three brothers bowed their heads. “We hope so too, your majesty”, said Anguirus.
“Please, call me Celestia”, said Celestia. “I’ll see to it that a chariot takes you three to Ponyville so you may become well acquainted for the Summer Sun celebration.”
She then turned to face Sharp Shot. “Will you please escort them back to their chariot”, she asked. Sharp Shot nodded.
“Of course, your highness”, he said and motioned for the three to follow him.
As the three walked out, Gojira gave one last glance back at Caesar who stared back. Caesar gave him a reassuring smile before the doors to the throne room closed, leaving Celestia and Caesar.
“I can’t thank you enough, your majesty”, said Caesar. “I’ve been working so hard to find them somewhere to live and having to deal with the royal guard at the same time can be so time consuming that I…”
He stopped talking when Celestia leaned down to his eye level. “Don’t worry Caesar, it was truly the least that I could’ve done. If there’s anything that you may need my assistance with, I’ll gladly oblige”, she said in her motherly tone of voice.
Caesar couldn’t help but smile. He felt blessed for befriending one of the most kind and selfless mares he’d ever seen. From the day he first met her, she always treated him with kindness. From joining the royal guard, to helping him find a home for the three brothers, she never faltered and was always willing to provide assistance. And yet, she never asked for anything in return. He didn’t know what to say or do to repay her other than bowing his head in respect. To him, a bow seemed so small and meaningless when compared to everything she had done for him, but it was all he could give.
“Thank you, Celestia”, said Caesar. And yet, she still smiled.
“Anything for a friend”, said Celestia.
Caesar rose up and walked towards the doors of the throne room. Looking back at Celestia before leaving, her smile didn’t seem to leave her, but when the doors closed, it slightly faded. She looked at one of the stained glass windows of the throne room depicting an alicorn like her flying through the night sky, but with a dark blue skin tone and mane with the moon rising in the background. A moment in history that others thought they knew the story of, but Celestia knew it all too well.
She sighed before turning away and leaving the throne room, after all, it would be dark soon.
The sun had slowly begun to set when the three brothers had left Canterlot. Rodan flapped his wings as he flew through the air, making large sweeping movements as he flew high into the clouds before plummeting back down. His wide array of movement helped convey his excitement. The chariot that his brothers and Caesar were in managed to keep pace with him, but wasn’t nearly as sporadic.
“YAA-WHOO”, he yelled as raced across the sky.
At one point he managed to do a full loop in the air and flew to the back of the chariot. His speed was so extreme that it created a large gust of wind when he flew by the chariot, which caused the armored pegasuses to stumble in the air causing the chariot to shake violently. Gojira, Anguirus, and Caesar had to hold on to the sides to keep themselves and the chariot level.
“Stop flying so fast! You’ll cause the chariot to tip”, yelled Gojira. Rodan flew back around and right over top of the chariot before stopping.
“Oh come on, I’m just having some fun”, exclaimed Rodan as he flew upside down in front of his brother’s face. “I know that might be hard for you to understand.”
Rodan laughed at his joke, but Gojira didn’t reciprocate the same feeling. He gave him a glare and let out a growl before waving his hoof in his face which Rodan avoided. He then flipped over and flew back into the air, leaving a very annoyed Gojira behind.
“Sweet Celestia, he can be such a pain at times”, he groaned which caused his brother to laugh.
“He’s just excited, so am I”, said Anguirus as he imagined the house they would be living in.
“I know, but if he keeps flying like that then this thing is going to tip and no one is going to Ponyville”, said Gojira. Anguirus waved his hoof in disagreement.
“Ehh, I don’t think that’ll happen”, he said. As he said that, however, Rodan flew overhead once more, flying sideways right in between the two’s conversation, nearly hitting them. Gojira gave Anguirus a deadpan look. “Ok, maybe he should be a bit more careful.”
“That’s true”, said Caesar. He then looked at the pegasuses pulling the chariot to make sure they weren’t looking at them. He then signaled for the two brothers to come closer. “Although, don’t be surprised if he does more of that. He needs to adjust his body to handle his kaiju spirit, something you two should also do when we get to Ponyville. That’s why your residence is near the outskirts of the town and close to the forest, it should give you plenty of space to improve your bodies.”
Both Gojira and Anguirus understood, though Anguirus was more anxious than his brother. Rodan soon flew back towards and landed on the chariot a bit roughly causing it to shake.
“Sorry, perhaps I need more work on my landing skills”, said Rodan with a cheeky smile.
“That’s one thing”, joked Anguirus.
“Are you trying to make us crash, cause you’re doing one hay of a job”, said Gojira with annoyance. Rodan rubbed the back of his head as a bead of sweat fell from the side of his face.
“Sorry bro, but when you’re made to fly, you kind of do it by instinct”, said Rodan. Gojira let out a sigh.
“That’s fine, just wait until we get to Ponyville to start doing a happy dance”, said Gojira.
“Funny you should say that”, said Caesar as he stood at the front of the chariot.
He gestured to where he was looking, causing the three brothers to look too. The clouds that they flew through started to become thinner allowing them to see better and soon a town came into view being surrounded by a large forest and mountains. Its circumference was fairly large with several wooden buildings and huts making up most of the space with a tower at the center representing the town hall. Consisting of a school, a library in the shape of a tree, several cozy-looking cottages, a windmill, and near the outskirts was a red barn that connected to a large acre of trees and farmland. Along with the setting sun, the town seemed so inviting to anyone that wanted to visit or even live there. There was no doubt in any of their minds, they had finally arrived at Ponyville.
“I believe we’ve arrived at our destination”, said Caesar.
The three brothers all wore expressions of awe and wonder. They had heard of Ponyville a couple of times, but similar to Canterlot, had never seen it in the flash. And also similar to Canterlot, it did not disappoint.
“It looks fantastic!”, exclaimed Rodan as his wings shot upwards. “It beats that old, run-down, crap house that we used to live in by a thousand.”
“Yeah, it’s a lot bigger than I anticipated”, said Gojira with some apprehension.
“You can say that again”, said Anguirus as the chariot flew overhead of the town. He took notice of the number of ponies, pegasus, and unicorns that made up Ponyville. “It also has quite a large population.”
Caesar nodded. “Well of course, it is a very famous tourist destination after all. Especially for today”, he said.
Both Gojira and Anguirus shared similar looks. They both knew Ponyville was going to be large but they severely underestimated how large. As a result, they were feeling fairly overwhelmed, especially Gojira. He knew how important it was that they keep the spirits hidden from the public, but it was easier when they lived in small villages, rather than large communities like Ponyville.
Many pegasus were flying in the air and noticed the chariot, they each gave surprised looks and moved out of the path of the chariot. They were both stunned at the chariot and what it was carrying. Rodan didn’t mind the attention, Anguirus more than noticed, and Gojira just tried to not look at them. Soon the chariot landed at the entrance of Ponyville and came to a stop, allowing the three brothers and Caesar to step off. They grabbed their satchels from the luggage compartment at the back, Rodan put on a pair of sunglasses, and when they had everything the chariot took off back to Canterlot. When it was several hundreds of feet in the air, the group looked toward the small bridge that separated them from their new home.
“Well, this is it”, said Gojira as he forced a smile.
“Yep, a brand new town, brand new neighbors, brand new community, and brand new life”, said Anguirus. He could see several other ponies going about their lives with not a care in the world, it made it seem so great. He then looked at Caesar. “Why did you stay?”
“Well to stay for the celebration of course”, said Caesar. “That and to also escort you three to your house, just to make sure you three don’t get into any trouble.”
Gojira rolled his eyes. “I don't think that'll be necessary. We’re grown stallions now, I believe we can do something as simple as walk”, he said.
“That won’t be smart, the streets of Ponyville are going to be packed because of the celebration, so I’ll tag along with you three just to be safe. Also, I know where your residence is so I’ll show you where to go”, said Caesar. It seemed like a logical reason, but it felt more like an excuse to Gojira.
‘More like you don’t trust us enough’, he thought to himself.
“Ok, sure, you can join us and show where we live, but can we talk more until after we're actually in Ponyville? I don't know about any of you, but that bridge seems mighty tempting”, said Rodan as he motioned for his brothers to follow him over the bridge. “Come on bros.”
He trotted over the bridge along with Anguirus as he followed closely behind. Caesar smiled as he too walked over the bridge. Gojira looked at the bridge and slowly walked up to it until he was a single hoof step away from it.
He looked at the town that it connected to. The several buildings and ponies that inhabited them, the lushest scenery that looked out of a painting, and the sheer amount of positivity he felt would uplift anyone. And yet, he was more nervous than ever before, even more so than when they were at Canterlot. Meeting Celestia was a major high point in their lives, but this would be the start of their lives. One where if they, or even he, were to make a single mistake, the loop they had been trapped in for several years would start again. He hated that thought and wished he could wipe it from his memory. And soon, it did. His emblem flashed bright blue and his mind slowly started to calm itself down as it had some assistance.
‘Whenever you feel the slightest bit anxious, you immediately think of the worst possible outcome, why is that?’ Gojira let out a deep sigh.
“I don’t think of this stuff on my own”, said Gojira quietly. “I still haven’t forgotten what you told me before we left for Canterlot.” His spirit was silent for a moment until.
‘I wasn’t wrong, but that doesn’t apply to only you. Your brothers still haven’t fully adapted to their spirits and they’re dealing with a similar fear that you are.’
“No they aren’t, Rodan was literally flying circles because of his excitement”, retorted Gojira.
‘You hide your fears, who’s saying they aren’t.’ Gojira stayed silent as his face dropped. If there was one thing his spirit was, it was honest.
“Gojira?”
He looked back up to see Anguirus standing on the bridge in front of him.
“Are you alright, you’ve been standing there for a while”, said Anguirus.
‘Show them they have nothing to fear. Your father would’ve done the same.’
Gojira was silent until he took in a deep breath and let it out. He took one step forward, then another, and another. He walked across the bridge and approached Anguirus with a smile.
“Never better, now come on before Rodan’s head explodes or something like that”, he joked as he gave his brother a playful bump on the shoulder, causing him to smile.
They both crossed the bridge and entered Ponyville, a new life awaited them.
The group walked through the bustling streets of Ponyville. With the sun slowly disappearing behind the mountains, several ponies, pegasus, and unicorns were out getting ready for the special event by setting up decorations or cleaning their homes and shops for the princess’s arrival. It was a busy community to say the least. Caesar led them through the crowd with not much effort as many ponies moved out of their way when they saw his golden armor and who was behind him.
Rodan was constantly looking throughout the town not just at all the different shops and restaurants, but also hoping to see a certain someone. Despite him wearing sunglasses and the sky becoming darker, he could see almost perfectly. Anguirus and Gojira couldn’t help but snicker as they saw him.
“Are you looking for somepony, Rodey”, teased Gojira.
Rodan rolled his eyes in a playful way. “What do you think”, he said.
“We know, we know”, said Anguirus. “You’re obviously looking for Li-…” Rodan quickly covered his mouth and made a shushing sound. He looked towards Caesar, he didn’t seem to notice.
“Don’t say her name when he’s around”, whispered Rodan as he pointed at Caesar with his wing. Anguirus pushed his hoof away from his face.
“You could’ve just told me”, he said.
“Rodan, you still haven’t told him”, asked Gojira, Rodan let out a sigh and shook his head.
“No, I haven’t, but I promise I will”, he reassured, only to be met with a deadpan look from Gojira.
“You mean like how you did the last time you told us that”, said Gojira.
Rodan’s wings slightly lowered. “I know, the problem is that there’s never been a good time with us moving and everything”, he said. “Also, if I were to tell him about Lisa, she may find out about the whole…you know.” He gestured to the emblem on his hind leg.
Gojira and Anguirus both looked at each other and then back at Rodan. “You don’t want to lose her, right”, asked Anguirus, receiving a nod from his brother.
“I would hate for that to happen”, replied Rodan with his head facing down.
Gojira looked at his brother. Although Rodan’s sunglasses covered his eyes, they were obviously downcasted. He remembered what his spirit had said and slowly approached him. “I suppose you should probably wait to tell Caesar until he’s more comfortable with us living with our spirits, or at least until you’ve learned to control yours”, he said.
“And how long will that take”, asked Rodan.
Gojira thought about it. “I don’t know, but that time will come someday in the future. And why look towards there when we’re still living in the present”, he said.
Rodan thought about what his brother said. He lifted his head and was met with a smile from Gojira. He responded by putting his hoof around his brother, before pulling his head down and giving him a nuggy by rubbing his hoof roughly against Gojira’s scalp.
“I have no idea what that means”, he said before letting go of his brother’s head. “But I still appreciate it.” Gojira rubbed his head while Anguirus was laughing his behind off, receiving a glare from Gojira causing him to look away.
“Heh, sorry bro, you know I can’t miss an opportunity to tease you”, joked Rodan. Gojira rolled his eyes. They then heard someone clear their throat, catching their attention.
“I believe we should continue walking before the streets get anymore packed”, said Caesar with a stern expression.
“Sure thing, Caesar. Just having a good chat, that’s all”, said Rodan as put both of his hooves around his brother's heads.
“You can save good chats for later, or at least until you get to your new home”, said Caesar as he started walking.
The brothers started to follow him, but only managed to take a few steps until a streak of pink went racing in front of them, causing them to stop in their tracks.
“What the hay was that!”, exclaimed Anguirus.
As soon as he said that, the same streak of pink seemingly played in reverse as the one who caused it stood in front of them. She was a bright pink pony with a very fluffy, hot pink mane. Her cutie mark depicted three party balloons of different colors. But easily the most glaring aspect about her was her large blue eyes that accommodated her wide agape jaw that appeared to be dumbfounded. The three brothers looked at each other with confusion and even concern.
“Umm…hello”, asked Gojira.
As soon as he said that, the pink pony started laughing and grabbed Gojira by the neck, bringing him in for a hug. Even despite his large build, Gojira was caught off guard by the surprising strength of this mare. Both Rodan and Anguirus were even taken aback by this.
“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!”, she exclaimed before letting go of Gojira, allowing him to breathe. With the same speed she showed before, she raced over to Anguirus and wrapped him in a hug.
“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!”, she exclaimed again. Her voice was so incredibly high-pitched, fast-paced, and hyper-positive that Anguirus wondered if he was being hugged by a mare or a young filly that had just devoured the world’s largest candy store. She then zoomed at Rodan and he too was wrapped into a tight embrace.
“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!” Her voice didn’t falter for a second. The amount of energy and happiness that radiated from her was almost unbelievable. Rodan felt that if she were to hug him for any longer, his teeth would’ve rotten from the large amount of sweetness he felt. She soon let go of him and zoomed back to the front of the group.
“I’ve never seen you three around here in Ponyville”, said Pinkie before letting out a gasp. “You must be new. Which means you three are all welcomed to my ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party! There’s gonna be balloons, cake, sweets, streamers, music, dancing…”, Pinkie continued to name a bunch of stuff that would be at her party. All the while the three brothers looked completely dumbfounded and didn’t know how to react. Finally, Gojira spoke up.
“L-listen, Pinkie, right”, asked Gojira. She replied by nodding her head cartoonishly. “Look, we’re a bit busy right now, we just got here, so I don’t think any of us are ready for a party right now.”
“Don’t worry, it’s later tonight at the Golden Oaks Library, it says it on your invitations”, she said. The three brothers looked confused.
“What invitations”, asked Anguirus.
“The ones I gave you, silly”, said Pinkie.
Almost like magic, Rodan felt something on the back of his neck and found a bright blue envelope with a pink balloon sticker holding it close. He was absolutely astonished. So was Anguirus, who reached behind him and found one as well. Gojira did the same and found the same cotton candy blue envelope.
“H-how did you…?”
“Hope you can make it! We’ll be playing all kinds of games like pin the tail on the donkey, oh and also charades, and we’re gonna eat all kinds of sweets and…”, Pinkie then started to stamp her hooves into the ground before throwing them in the air. “It’s gonna be the best welcome party ever! I’m making it extra special with that one unicorn that just moved here.”All three of the brothers didn’t give much attention to what Pinkie was saying as they were still hung up on how they even received these gifts invites.
‘And I thought you could be pretty hyper.’ Rodan merely nodded.
“Anyways, I’ll see you three later tonight, I’ve got a lot of fun party planning to do, see ya”, said Pinkie before racing away in the same pink streak that she appeared in, leaving the three brothers dumbfounded with incredulous looks.
“Does anybody know what just happened”, asked Anguirus. His brothers shook their heads. Soon Caesar approached them.
“Having a talk with some of the locals?”, he asked. He then noticed the confounded looks in each of the brothers. “What happened?” Gojira didn’t say anything while Rodan could only shrug. Anguirus then piped in.
“I think we just got invited to a party”, he said as he showed Caesar his invitation.
“Who gave you that?”, he asked. Anguirus didn’t really know. Gojira finally broke from his daze.
“That’s not important, let’s just get to the house, and settle down before the celebration begins”, said Gojira.
“Agreed, now come on, before anything else distracts you”, said Caesar before stepping to the side. “And just to make sure of it, you three will be in front of me.” With that, the three brothers walked ahead of Caesar who trailed behind them.
‘If that was how one pony acts in this town, then I would be more cautious of some of the other ponies. Who knows what other kinds of characters live here in Ponyville.’ Anguirus couldn’t help but agree.
Caesar looked around, he saw a few ponies giving them curious, to surprised, to even concerned looks that he had hoped he wouldn’t see. He could only wish that they wouldn’t be common.
As Caesar followed them, he felt something against the back of his neck. He reached his hoof back there and pulled out the same blue envelope Anguirus showed him. He looked around in confusion, doing a few full circles only to find nothing. He then looked at the envelope.
“Welcome party, huh”, he said to himself. “Just what they needed.” With that, he trotted after the three brothers to show them where their new residence was.
The sun had now fully set as the group walked through the streets. It slowly started to get less crowded as they were nearing the outskirts of the town. This made it easier to see where they were going, but it also made them stick out even more. They were receiving even more stares from other ponies, pegasus, and unicorns, Although Gojira and Rodan managed to ignore them, Anguirus couldn’t help but stare back at a few, which caused them to immediately look away and pretend they didn’t see them. At one point, he could’ve sworn that someone had glared at them. But this slowly fizzled out as they finally reached their destination. A two story wooden, concrete house with a hay roof, large glass windows, and large amounts of flora that was on the outskirts of town near the large forest. The three brothers looked at it with satisfaction.
“You gotta admit, it does look nice”, said Gojira.
“It looks awesome!”, exclaimed Rodan. “It’s ten thousand times better than the last few places we stayed at.” Anguirus nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, though I wish it wasn’t so far out”, he said.
“I know you do”, replied Caesar as he walked to the front door. “This place is closer to the wilderness so that way you can have a large amount of space to learn how to use your spirits.” Turning the handle, he opened the door to reveal the house’s interior.
On the inside, the bottom story looked fairly nice, though it was a bit bare with a couch, some potted flowers, a fireplace, a bookshelf, a clock on the wall, and a staircase that led to the upper story. The walls and ceiling looked nice with noticeable wooden framing, ceiling lights, a nice bright red rug, and lemon painted walls. Caesar moved to the side, allowing the three brothers to be the first to walk and take in the inside of their new home.
“It looks even better from the inside”, said Rodan.
“Yeah, this room alone has more space than our last house”, said Anguirus.
Gojira, meanwhile, went on to look at one of the other rooms in the house which depicted a kitchen and a table. The kitchen had what you would expect with a refrigerator, stove, sink, and plenty of counter space. To him, the most interesting part about the room was the wooden door that led to the backside of the house and presumably out to the forest that the house stood next to. Soon his brothers met up with him.
“Look at this, an actual place where we can actually eat and cook”, Rodan said with enthusiasm.
“Thank Celestia for that”, exclaimed Anguirus. “I don’t think I could’ve gone another day without substantial food.” He then turned to his brother. “What do you think l, Goji?”
“It is very nice, though I’m more interested in the sleeping quarters upstairs”, he said. Rodan then stopped dead in his tracks before turning around.
“I call dibs on the best one!”, he yelled out before trying to run upstairs.
“What, no way”, exclaimed Anguirus as he pushed Rodan out of the path of the stairs. His push was a bit harder than he expected as it sent Rodan tumbling to the ground. Rodan was a bit stunned while Gojira was trying not to laugh.
“Oh, you're gonna get it now”, said Rodan as he stood up and ran towards Anguirus, but was intercepted by Gojira.
“Fellas, fellas, we’re adults now, we should be more reasonable than this”, said Gojira. “And besides”, he put both his front hooves around his brothers and leaned into their ears. “I’m closer to the stairs.”
With that he pushed both of them out of the way and ran up, leaving both Rodan and Anguirus absolutely stunned.
“You jerk! Get back here”, exclaimed Rodan as he chased his brother up the stairs, followed by Anguirus.
Caesar watched as the three brothers messed around while also checking out the upstairs. It reminded him of when he first met them. Young colts with soft voices, messy manes and large amounts of stamina to where they could play for hours. And yet, despite them growing older, that stamina and love for each other never went away. They had lived with each other for several years and he had been there to look after them ever since…unfortunate events. Soon the three brothers came running down the stairs.
“We each get our own rooms and beds”, said Rodan. “Thank Celestia cause I don’t think I could stand sharing another room with Anguirus”, he looked at his younger brother, “No offense.”
“None taken”, he said.
“I’m glad you three like it”, said Caesar. “From what I’ve been told, it’s one of the older buildings here in Ponyville.”
“Well, that explains all the flora and plants”, said Anguirus as he looked at the surprising amounts of potted flowers. Some of them appeared to be wilting. “Though I wished we had some fresh ones.”
‘Say no more.’
Anguirus’ emblem flashed and his spirit, in a light brown mist, formed out of his mane and flowed to the wilting flowers. Its hands hovered over the flowers where it closed its eyes. A scaly pattern then started to form across its arm with a reminiscent light. Anguirus slightly tensed up and almost like magic, the flowers slowly started to regrow with their colors returning and the stem regaining its strength. The three brothers and Caesar didn’t seem shocked or surprised with what Anguirus’ spirit was doing, they seemed more impressed than anything else.
“It still never gets old”, said Rodan.
The spirit then retracted back into Anguirus’ mane before disappearing. His emblem flashed and he let out a sigh.
“Whew, I know they do most of the work, but I’m the one that pays for it”, said Anguirus as he wiped some sweat from his forehead.
“Which makes it important that you three train to not only control your spirits, but to also handle them”, said Caesar. “Abilities like those can drain your energy faster than you may think. Which is why you’re closer to the forest. The extra space should allow you to train with each other easier.” The three brothers looked at each other as if they had heard this same thing before.
“We know Caesar, it was part of the reason we even came here”, said Rodan.
“I’m aware of that, I just want to emphasize the importance of learning to live with your spirits”, said Caesar with a fairly strict tone. “They’ll be much more vital than you’ll realize.”
The brothers looked at each other. They had been told about this supposed future for Equestria and the kaiju spirits would be needed to prevent it. They weren’t given much else information about it since either they weren’t aware or even Caesar didn’t know. But this future hadn’t affected their brotherhood, if anything it strengthened it.
“Don’t worry, as long as we stay together, then we can take on a mountain”, said Rodan with confidence as he put his hoofs around his brother's necks. Caesar nodded in agreement.
“That’s all that I want to hear”, he said.
“Great, now wasn’t there a certain celebration that’s happening today”, asked Anguirus. Caesar’s red eyes widened in realization.
“Sweet Celestia I almost forgot, the celebration is gonna start soon”, he said as he looked at the clock on the wall. “Leave your stuff in each of your rooms, don’t want to keep her majesty waiting.”
The three brothers nodded as they each went up the stairs to each of their rooms. The rooms themselves were fairly sizable with a full sized bed, a closet, a desk with a light, and a window in one of the walls. The rooms weren’t massive, but for the brothers they were the perfect size for each of them. They put each of their satchels in their rooms and they, along with Caesar, left their new home.
The group walked through town, heading to the town hall where the celebration was being held. There were also several other ponies that had formed into a large crowd that stood in front of a wooden stage which was built in front of the town hall. Once again, they received a few stares from ponies, but they either didn’t pay them any mind, or in the case of Anguirus, stared back only for them to look away.
“Quite the crowd”, said Anguirus.
“I know, it’s just the thing I wanted”, said Gojira with hints of sarcasm.
“Remember you three, remain in a calm mental state. We don’t want anyone knowing about the spirits”, said Caesar.
“Don’t worry, Caesar, we’ve dealt with stuff like this before”, said Rodan. “There’s just a few more ponies than normal, nothing that we can’t-”
“Rodan?”
He immediately froze when he heard a certain voice. Even Gojira and Anguirus’ eyes widened when they realized who had spoken up. He turned around and was met with a Pegasus with white skin color that had a light orange tint that also spread to her wings. Her mane and tail were orange in color and her eyes were bright blue with long eyelashes. She had a natural beauty to her that made her quite attractive. She and Rodan looked each other in the eyes, which for others was for a few seconds, but for them was several hours that passed as soon as they blinked. And when they did, Rodan ran up to her and embraced her in a hug, which she returned.
“I can’t believe it’s you, Lisa”, said Rodan with exhilaration and glee as he hugged her.
“I know, it’s felt like forever, Rodey”, said Lisa as she reciprocated his feelings. “I didn’t even know you were gonna be here.”
“What do you think the whole point of a surprise is”, said Rodan as he ended their embrace. Lisa then looked over towards his brothers.
“Hey Gojira, hey Anguirus”, she said as she approached them. “Looks like you guys haven’t changed a bit.”
“Hehe, it’s nice to see you again, Lisa”, said Anguirus. “Though one of us missed you more than the others.”
Lisa let out a small laugh. “Oh, is that so”, she said as she turned to face Rodan.
Rodan’s wings flared up and a small blush appeared on his face. “W-Well, I mean, of course, a-after all, wouldn’t anypony miss a great friend like you”, he said as he gave his brother a glare. Lisa let out a laugh.
“Don’t worry, I missed you three too”, said Lisa. The three brothers couldn’t help but smile, they were glad to be reunited with their friend.
“Excuse me”, said Caesar as he approached Lisa. It was then when Rodan realized that he hadn’t told Caesar about a certain thing he’d been keeping from him. “Miss Lisa, is that correct?”
“Yes, though my full name is Lisa Tulip”, said Lisa.
Caesar stayed silent for a bit before looking toward Rodan who stood beside her. He gave Caesar a half baked smile. Gojira and Anguirus waited in anticipation to see what he would do. Caesar looked back at Lisa and gave her a smile.
“I assume you’ve met these three before they came here, correct”, he asked.
“Yes, we actually met a few months ago before I moved here to Ponyville”, said Lisa who was a bit confused as to why Rodan and his brothers were acting as they were.
“And how have you been, living here in Ponyville”, asked Caesar as his smile remained constant.
“Oh it’s been really nice”, replied Lisa. “Everypony here is very kind and supportive of each other. I even managed to obtain a job at Sugarcube Corner.”
“How’s that”, asked Caesar.
“It’s nice, the owners are very friendly, though one of their workers can be a bit of a hoof full”, said Lisa. “But she’s very nice and she can be a joy to work with for the most part, so I don’t mind.”
The brothers looked at each other with puzzled looks. They didn’t know what to say in fear that Caesar would find out about Rodan’s secret. Caesar then looked at the three brothers. First Gojira and Anguirus, then at Rodan before looking back at Lisa.
“I must say Miss Tulip, I believe I speak for us all when I say”, Caesar then bowed his head and moved his hoof over his chest. “It’s a pleasure seeing you again.”
Lisa smiled and returned the courtesy. The three brothers, especially Rodan, let out a sigh of relief. Caesar had met Lisa before, around the same time the brothers had met her. However, he would never, or at least very rarely, have full conversations with her since she didn’t stay in their old village for very long before moving to Ponyville. What especially made this strange were what they were talking about. But seeing how Caesar didn’t seem to think of anything suspicious, their fears weren’t dashed but definitely weakened.
“Thank you, Caesar”, said Lisa. Caesar stood back up and turned to the stage. When he did, Lisa turned to face Rodan. “I'm guessing you missed me the most”, she asked. Rodan formed a small blush on his face. He could barely look her in the eyes as he slightly nodded his head. His flustered state ended when he heard Lisa let out a soft giggle which was followed with a smile and a hint of a blush of her own.
“I thought so because”, she said as she lifted Rodan’s head to face her. “I missed you too.” Rodan’s smile finally returned.
Just then, trumpets started to blare as the sun began to set in the background. The crowd of ponies, pegasus, and unicorns all began to stomp their hooves in the ground to stimulate clapping. A few birds were perched atop a wooden stand where they began to tweet and whistle to a beat that was being conducted by a yellow pegasus. She had a butter yellow skin color that spread to her wings. She had a long smooth mane that was a bright pink color which was the same on her tail. She had a cutie mark on her hind leg that depicted a few butterflies of different colors. Her cyan eyes managed to stay composed as she conducted the birds to stay in rhythm with the trumpets.
When the birds and trumpets finished playing, a dark beige colored mare walked on to the stage and approached a stand that was built into it. Her mane and tail were light gray while her eyes were dark blue. She wore a white color around her neck with a teal bushy feather sticking out from it. She adjusted her glasses as she cleared her throat, catching the attention of everyone.
“Fillies and gentle colts”, she said loudly. “As mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun celebration!” Several ponies cheered and clapped as the mayor continued her speech. “In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise and celebrate the longest day of the year.”
Several ponies waited in anticipation as they knew what was soon to come next. Little did they know, what they had been waiting for was not something they would expect. For at least everypony, except one.
‘Gojira…Gojira!’ Gojira sighed as the mayor continued to speak.
“And now, it is my great honor-”
‘Gojira!’
He let out a groan. “What! What is so important? Celestia is soon gonna be here”, Gojira whispered.
“-to introduce the ruler of our land-”
‘Something isn’t right. I can sense it.’
Gojira then looked both confused and concerned. “Wait, what? What do you mean, what’s wrong?”
“-the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day-”
‘Someone is here.’
“Who is”, asked Gojira, catching the attention of Caesar.
“-the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria-”
“Gojira, is there something wrong”, asked Caesar before the mayor finished her speech.
“-Princess Celestia!”
The trumpets blared, the birds began to sing, and the curtains were pulled wide open by a white unicorn with an indigo mane. The crowd watched in excitement and awe when they were met with…nothing.
Everyone gasped and shared looks of shock, confusion, and even fear. The three brothers, Caesar, and Lisa shared similar expressions, though Caesar seemed to be the most concerned out of them all. So was Gojira as he tried to get back into contact with his spirit.
“Alpha, what the hay happened”, he said a bit louder than normal.
“She’s gone”, said the mare on the stage as she looked behind the curtain. The crowd started to become more and more anxious when they heard that.
“Please, everypony, remain calm”, said the mayor as she tried to defuse the situation.
As the commotion continued, a large amount of wind slowly began to flow through the air before it started to increase in strength and speed. Now several members of the crowd started to scream and freak out as the wind picked up. Several pegasus that had been flying were forced to land on the ground in fear that they would be blown away along with the several leaves, sticks, and even trees. Lisa held on to Rodan, Anguirus and Caesar were trying their hardest to combat the wind, and Gojira was given an unnerving answer to his question.
‘The legend was true.’
Just then, Gojira saw a purple, sparkling mist flow through the wind. More mist started to appear as now several ponies noticed and started to run away. The mist flowed toward the stage, forcing the mayor and the white unicorn to jump off as soon the whole stage was enveloped in the mist. The mist then formed into a miniature twister as it picked up in speed. Several ponies who were close to the stage started to back away as the mist began to disappear, slowly revealing what looked to be a unicorn. However, when the mist had fully diminished, it revealed that this wasn’t a unicorn, the large pair of wings confirmed it.
The alicorn stood at a similar height to Celestia, though she was closer to Gojira’s height. Her skin and wings were almost completely black, causing her to almost blend perfectly in with shadows or even the night sky. The purple mist they saw earlier had formed into her mane and tail which was flowing in a similar pattern to when they first saw it. She wore purple armor on her chest and hooves and a helmet on her head with an opening for her ears and her black horn which was more than a foot in length. Her eyes were a saturated teal color with thin black irises that seemed to be filled with malicious joy. Her maw revealed a pair of fangs that appeared to be in a toothy grin as she let out a laugh.
Gojira along with his brothers, Caesar, and Lisa starred in awe and shock, and in the case of Caesar, fear.
“Oh, it has been so long since I’ve seen your precious, little, sun loving faces, my beloved subjects”, exclaimed the alicorn as she continued to laugh.
“Who is that?”, whispered Anguirus.
“What did you do to our princess?”, cried out one of the pegasus. She had a rainbow mane and tail with a cyan body color. She tried flying at her but an orange pony with a blonde mane and farmers hat managed to hold her back.
The alicorn merely chuckled. “What? Am I not royal for you? Don’t you know who I am”, she asked the crowd, but no one wanted to give her an answer. She then turned towards the yellow pegasus that conducted the birds from earlier. “Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years”, she demanded as she moved closer to the pegasus who shrank back out of fear.
The closer Caesar looked at the alicorn, the more he wanted to look away. She mentioned how she had been imprisoned for a thousand years, her appearance, her voice, the fact she was royalty, the fact she was an alicorn. Caesar realized who she was.
“T-The mare…in the moon”, he whispered. The alicorn’s ear twitched as she looked toward the crowd, laying eyes on Caesar. She then smiled.
“That’s right”, she said before vanishing into her purple mist. She reappeared in front of Caesar. “At least you’ve heard of the legend.” Her reappearance caused the crowd to back away as none of them wanted to be close to her. “Now, does anypony else know the legend? Have none of you seen the signs”, she demanded as she called out to the crowd. No one spoke up, more so out of fear. That is, apart from one.
“I did”, shouted someone from the crowd. “And I know who you are, mare in the moon. Or should I say, Nightmare Moon.”
Everyone, even Nightmare Moon, turned their attention to who had spoken up. For most they didn’t recognize the purple unicorn with a violet mane, for others, they were astounded that Twilight decided to step forward with an answer, including Gojira.
‘What is she doing, she’ll get herself killed’, he thought.
“Well, well, well, looks like somepony truly knows who I am”, said Nightmare Moon as she disappeared again and reappeared in front of Twilight with a cocky grin. “Then you also must know why I’m here”, she said as she leaned into her face.
“You’re here to…to”, Twilight couldn’t finish her sentence. It was as if all of Ponyville was staring at her with fear and concern in their eyes. Her confidence dwindled the closer Nightmare Moon came. She knew what Nightmare Moon had planned and it wasn’t a future that many ponies would want to hear.
Before she could finish her sentence, a streak of light magic was aimed at the back of Nightmare Moon’s head, but her helmet managed to deflect it leaving nothing but a small trail of smoke. Her pupils went even thinner as she turned to face who had attempted to shoot her. It was there she laid eyes on Caesar whose horn was ignited in a yellow glow. The three brothers looked at him as if he had shot at the devil itself.
“What did you do to Celestia!? As part of the royal guard, I demand you answer me!”, he yelled out. Nightmare Moon barely seemed fazed as she slowly approached Caesar.
“Ohh, looks like the knight in shining armor has lost his princess”, she said as she continued to approach Caesar. “I’ll give you a hint, member of the royal guard”, she leaned into Caesar’s ear, “we all get a little homesick.”
Caesar looked at her with confusion but refused to let his glare falter. Nightmare Moon pulled back in an instant and started to laugh before filling the air with her voice.
“Remember this day, my little ponies. From this moment forth, the night will last…FOREVER!”
She started to laugh maniacally as the wind picked up once again. Her mane started to form a twister around her, blocking her out from the public eye. The mist then started to flow away in the wind, revealing Nightmare Moon to have disappeared. It flowed into a ball shape before glowing a bright dark purple and rocketing in the direction of the forest, completely out of sight of anyone, leaving little to nothing other than her laughter which slowly faded until it was a mere echo.
As the wind died down, several ponies from the crowd were terrified from what they had just witnessed. Caesar looked in the direction of where Nightmare Moon was last seen. He cursed himself for not being there with Celestia when Nightmare Moon had attacked. He heard stomping as Gojira approached him.
“What the hay were you thinking!”, yelled Gojira, receiving no answer from Caesar. “Do you have any idea what she could’ve done to you?!”
He still got no answer as Caesar continued to stare at the forest. Gojira became more agitated the more he stared at him. He turned back toward his brothers who were looking around the crowd.
“Night, forever?”, asked Anguirus.
“I always thought that Celestia was the only Alicorn in Equestria”, said Rodan. “And if that bitch is on a similar scale to her, then who the hay knows what she’s capable of.”
“There’s gotta be something that can be done”, said Lisa as she turned to face Gojira. “What did she say to Caesar, that has to be something important.”
Gojira, though still a bit steamed from Caesar, took in a breather before turning to face him. “Let’s just hope whatever she said can be use-”, his sentence was cut short when he turned to see that there was no Caesar to talk to. “What the!?”
His brothers and Lisa looked at him as they were also confused and surprised at Caesar’s disappearance.
“Where did he go”, asked Rodan. “Weren’t you just talking with him”, he asked his older brother.
“I-I did, I asked him why he tried to shoot Nightmare Moon, but he seemed more focused with-”, Gojira’s sentence trailed off as he turned to where Caesar had last been looking, the forest that Nightmare Moon had flown towards. His brothers followed his gaze, looking just as befuddled as he was.
“He didn’t”, denied Rodan, but a trail of hoof prints proved him otherwise. “He did.”
“What does he think he’s gonna do”, asked Anguirus. “His magic couldn’t even scratch Nightmare Moon, why did he go after her by himself?”
‘He’s part of the royal guard, and as a member, it’s his duty to protect the princess and Equestria as a whole.’ Anguirus still looked confused.
“But we don’t even know what she’s capable of”, he said to his spirit, catching the attention of Lisa who looked at him with confusion.
‘He probably knows that, but wherever Nightmare Moon goes, Celestia is probably there with her.’
“I’m going after him”, said Gojira as he started to walk forward, only to be stopped by his winged brother.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa”, said Rodan. “What, you think going by yourself to fight a goddess is a good idea? Because if that’s the case, then count us in.” He struck a confident pose with his wings flared up.
“No way, I’m not putting you two in danger because of Caesar’s dumb actions”, said Gojira as he tried walking past his brother, but was blocked by him.
“Goji, we’re not your average pegasus or stallion, we can handle ourselves”, said Rodan.
“No, you two aren’t ready”, replied Gojira, trying to get past Rodan. He then felt a hoof on his shoulder, causing him to pause.
“Gojira”, he turned his attention towards his youngest brother. “This is our first day moving to a brand town and it might just be our last day. But, we’ve been through so much together, even when we were mere colts, and yet we’ve always managed to come out on top. And if there’s a chance to end this and take down Nightmare Moon. Then,as the old saying goes, three heads are better than one.”
Gojira looked at both his younger brothers. He hated the idea of putting them in danger. If they did find Nightmare Moon, the number of things she could possibly do to them was frightening. But even he knew that they had a point. He let out a heavy sigh before looking at both of them.
“Alright fine, you got me”, he said, admitting defeat. “Now let’s quickly get going. The longer we wait out here, the longer the night goes on.”
With confident eyes and nods, the three brothers ran toward the forest, not before Rodan quickly ran back to Lisa.
“Stay here, we’ll be back before you know it”, said Rodan as he gave her a quick hug before running back towards his brother.
“I will”, said Lisa, though her next line went completely unheard by anyone. “Please be careful.”
The forest was dense as the three brothers trotted through it. Gojira and Anguirus looked around, sniffing the air, hoping to get some kind of scent of Caesar. Gojira looked around, all he saw were trees, shrubbery, vines, plants, and above all else, darkness. Similar to Ponyville, he had severely underestimated the size of the forest. The variety of smells he sensed from flowers to tree sap was conflicting with his enhanced sense of smell, making it almost impossible to get some kind of trace of Caesar. He looked toward his brother.
“I’m not getting anything, how about you?”, asked Gojira. Anguirus turned to him and shook his head.
“Nothing, I’m still not used to my enhanced senses, so I can’t get a clear track of where Caesar is”, said Anguirus.
“It’s not that, this forest is…weird”, said Gojira as struggled to find a better word. “It’s much bigger than I thought it would be. Let’s hope Rodan managed to find something at least.”
“He did”, yelled Rodan as he flew down to his brother. “But it’s not what I expected.”
“What do you mean”, asked Anguirus.
Rodan gestured for them to follow him. He pushed past some bushes before pointing at what he found. What he saw was a large winged beast that the others couldn’t believe what they were looking at. The creature resembled a lion with dark red hair. It had bat-like wings and its tail was that of a scorpion. The creature hadn’t noticed them as it was drinking out of a small pond, but it was clear as day to the three brothers what they were looking at.
“Is that a manticore”, whispered Anguirus.
“I thought they lived in the mountains or something like that, not large forests like this”, replied Rodan.
“Whatever it’s doing out here, it hasn’t noticed us, and I would like to keep it that way”, whispered Gojira as he signaled for his siblings to follow him.
They only took a few steps when they heard something. The noise sounded like someone was talking, in fact it sounded like several voices talking at once. They looked at each other with confusion and disbelief, but they weren’t the only ones that heard it. The manticore’s ear twitched as it looked in the direction of where the noise was coming from. The brothers walked back to where they saw the manticore, and it was gone.
“Rodan, fly up to see who the hay is attracting it”, whispered Gojira to his brother.
Rodan flapped his wings and flew into the air. When he was just above some of the trees, his emblem flashed red and his eyesight nearly tripled in strength. This allowed him to see what pony was making the sound, or rather ponies. What he saw made him dumbfounded.
“You have got to be kidding me”, he said to himself. He flew back down to his brothers.
“What did you see?”, asked Anguirus. Rodan turned to face Gojira.
“So, remember that purple unicorn you talked to at Canterlot and spoke at Nightmare Moon”, asked Rodan. Gojira looked confused.
“Yes, but why does that-”, his voice trailed off and he turned toward the direction the manticore was walking in. “Oh hay.”
He slowly walked from behind the shrub, followed by his brothers. They crept behind the manticore, but kept a safe distance from it. They looked at where it was facing and saw a group of six ponies including Twilight and a few other mares that they saw earlier such as the yellow pegasus with a light pink mane, the white unicorn with the purple mane, and the incredibly hyper-positive, pink pony that they ran into. None of the three brothers were expecting them to be here, let alone anypony out in the middle of this forest. But that shock turned into stress as the manticore raised its hind legs and its tail started to wag. It was a sign that Gojira and his brothers knew.
“Shit, it’s gonna pounce”, whispered Anguirus.
“Not if we pounce first”, replied Gojira. “Rodan, you distract it from the sky while I’ll keep it busy on the ground.” Rodan nodded his head as he flared his wings. “Anguirus, keep those mares away from this thing, a creature of this size is not meant to be taken lightly.” Anguirus also nodded before copying his brother’s position.
The three slowly approached the beast from behind. When they were a few feet away from it, Gojira motioned for them to stop. He then kicked a nearby stone which caught the attention of the manticore. This brief moment of vulnerability was a moment plenty.
“Now!”, cried Gojira.
Rodan took to the air while Gojira and Anguirus charged forward. Gojira’s emblem flashed before certain parts of his body, his head and forelimbs, formed several scales and caused his pupils to turn into thin slits. The manticore turned when it heard the yell, only to be met with a hard ram in the side by Gojira, causing it to stumble and nearly collapse. He jumped onto the creature and managed to keep a steady grip even as it started to thrash and roar.
The jerky movement caused the manticore to crash through the trees that it stalked behind, revealing itself to the mares that just a few seconds earlier were in its parenthinal vision. Some of them screamed as they moved clear of it.
“What in tarnation!”, yelled an orange pony with a blond mane and tail, a farmer’s hat, and freckles cheeks.
“It’s a manticore”, cried Twilight. “We have to get past it.”
The beast continued to thrash as it roared and flapped its wings. In doing so, it showed Gojira to the mares, causing them to gasp.
“There’s a stallion on that thing”, exclaimed the white unicorn. “He’ll get himself killed.”
“Not on my watch”, said a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane as she flapped her wings and was about to fly toward Gojira before being stopped by Anguirus.
“No, stand back, no one else is getting involved”, he said as he stood in front of the pegasus.
“Are you crazy?”, she replied. “Somepony is fighting that thing alone and you want us to stay behind and watch him struggle.”
Anguirus shook his head. “He’s not alone.”
With that said, Rodan came swooping down from the sky toward the manticore. He grabbed hold of the creature’s tail when it tried to stab Gojira with it. This ended badly for him however, when the manticore flung its tail toward and as a result, it did the same to Rodan who crashed into his brother’s back, making him lose his grip and the two landed in some shrubbery. With the pair off it, the manticore turned its attention back toward Anguirus and the mares before letting out a roar.
“Gain way”, yelled Anguirus as he and the mares ran out of the path of the manticore. He turned his head to see the beast approaching the yellow pegasus who looked to be absolutely horrified.
“Look out”, he cried as he ran toward her and shoved the yellow pegasus out of the path of the manticore, just in time.
The beast stopped in its tracks and was about to turn to face the two, but a vine in the shape of a lasso wrapped around its tail causing it to get distracted. The vine came from the orange mare as she pulled with all her might. The manticore slightly stumbled at first before it flicked its tail forward, pulling the vine and the mare onto its back. Instead of falling off, however, the mare managed to stay on the creature as she started to ride it like some kind of rodeo.
“Yee-haw”, she cried as the creature threw its body around. However, her grip wasn’t as strong as Gojiras, and so after a few seconds, was thrown off the beast, but was caught by the cyan pegasus.
“All yours partner” she said to the pegasus.
“I’m on it”, said the pegasus confidently as she set the mare down and flew toward the manticore.
Before she could get close to the manticore, Rodan came flying in at a similar speed. His emblem flashed a bright red as his hoof formed brick red scales. He managed to reach the creature first as he delivered a sucker punch to the beast’s jaw, causing it to stumble and fall to the ground.
“What the hay”, was all the pegasus could before she was met with the tail of the manticore which smacked into her, sending her to the ground.
“Rainbow”, cried Twilight.
Before she could hit the ground however, she was caught by Gojira as he stood on his hind legs. He set her down and got back on all fours.
“You alright”, he asked.
“Oh yeah, absolutely dandy”, she said with obvious hints of sarcasm.
Gojira didn’t pay it any mind as the manticore slowly stood up, showing pain from the previous attack. Gojira walked forward and was met with both Rodan and Anguirus.
“Nice move you pulled there”, Gojira said to Rodan who gave him a cocky smirk.
“Trust me, that was nothing”, he said. “That thing’s just lucky I didn’t put my back into it.”
“So what’s the plan now”, asked Anguirus as the manticore faced towards them with anger in its eyes.
“Well, it looks to be hurt, so it won’t be as aggressive as it originally was”, said Gojira. “So we might be able to-”
“Wait”, yelled one of the mares.
The three brothers turned to see the yellow pegasus looking slowly walking forward. The other mares looked to be just as confused and shocked as they were. She walked past the three with caution and slowly walked toward manticore. The creature growled at her as it showed its sharp teeth and waved its scorpion tail.
“It’s ok”, she said in a small, calm voice as she approached the beast, as its anger slowly declined as it felt less threatened by the small, gentle pegasus that approached it. When she was only a few feet from it, the manticore showed the pegasus its paw, revealing a sharp thorn sticking out of it.
“Oh you poor little thing”, said the pegasus in a motherly tone.
“Little?”, questioned the cyan pegasus.
The three brothers didn’t know what was happening, but they decided to not engage in concern that the beast would become aggressive again and attack the yellow pegasus.
“Now this might hurt for just a second”, she said as she grabbed the tip of the thorn and pulled it out. The manticore roared and grabbed the pegasus with its paw.
“Fluttershy!”, cried the other mares in horror. The three brothers were just about to charge in, when they heard laughter coming from the pegasus, apparently named Fluttershy.
The manticore had Fluttershy in a tight hug as it licked her mane, causing her to giggle. This relieved the group as the three brothers became less tense and finally relaxed.
“Well, that’s a relief”, said Rodan.
“You can say that again”, added on Anguirus.
“Umm, excuse me”, said someone behind them. The three brothers turned to see the five other mares looking at them with confused, curious, and even suspicious faces.
The three brothers looked at them with stoic expressions, apart from Gojira who put on a relatively flat look. “I believe there are some things that you each are wondering about”, said Gojira.
“You got that right”, said the orange mare with a western accent. She was then talked over by the pink mare who let out a gasp.
“Holy moly, it’s you three”, said Pinkie with a big smile. The three brothers, remembering their previous encounter with her, put on small smiles.
“Wait a minute, Pinkie, you know these three”, asked the white unicorn.
“Well of course, Rarity. These three were new to town, and I give every newcomer to Ponyville the same treatment”, said Pinkie proudly. “Though, you three didn’t show up to the welcome party I had planned for you.”
“Oh, uhh, we were busy moving all our stuff into our new place. So we kinda forgot”, said Anguirus. Though the real reason why they didn’t go was mostly because they didn’t want to. Pinkie seemed to understand before her face immediately lit up.
“Then let’s have one right now”, she exclaimed. Almost like magic, she managed to pull a party cart with balloons, streamers, confetti, several gifts, and even an entire cake out from behind a rock. The three brothers stared in disbelief at what they witnessed.
“H-How…what is…where did”, Rodan could barely come up with a cohesive sentence.
“Perhaps save the celebration for later, Pinkie”, said the orange mare.
“Okey dokey”, replied Pinkie as she pushed the cart back behind the rock where it vanished. The mares seemed almost used to it, while the three brothers couldn’t say the same.
“How does she even do that?”, asked Anguirus.
“That’s not important right now, what’s important is…”, Twilight’s voice trailed off the closer she looked at the three. With their large build, dark colors, and strange looking cutie marks, she recognized them almost instantly.
“Wait a minute, didn’t I see you three at Canterlot”, she asked with a curious expression.
“Yes we are, and I remember the nice chat we had”, replied Gojira with hints of him teasing. Twilight got flustered from embarrassment as she remembered when they first interacted.
“And what exactly are ponies that apparently are from Canterlot doing this far out in the Everfree forest”, asked the cyan pegasus, who they remembered was named Rainbow, as she had a suspicious look.
“We’re looking for a friend of ours who ran into this forest”, replied Rodan. Rainbow didn’t seem to believe it.
“A likely story, especially when you consider that you sent a manticore to attack us”, she said as she pointed to the manticore that was now flying away with Fluttershy waving goodbye to it.
“We didn’t even know there were manticores in this forest”, said Rodan as he started to raise his voice. “Plus, if it wasn’t for us then you would’ve been that thing’s prey.”
“We could’ve handled ourselves”, retorted Rainbow. “Plus, it’s a bit too convenient that the day when Nightmare Moon returns is the day that three rugged looking ponies move to Ponyville, the exact location Nightmare Moon was first seen.” Rainbow’s wings started to flare up, as did Rodan’s.
“Yes it is quite the coincidence, but that doesn’t prove that we’re working for Nightmare Moon. Hay, we’ve never even heard of this so-called legend until after she mentioned it”, said Rodan. It was taking a lot of effort to not let his spirit lose.
‘Rodan, control yourself.’
“Ok, break it up you two”, said the orange mare as she got in between the two of them. “The last thing we need is for you both to start fighting after the previous incident.”
“If it helps anything”, said Fluttershy as she slowly walked beside the three brothers. “He saved my life.” She pointed at Anguirus. The other mares looked shocked after hearing that while Gojira and Rodan were fairly surprised.
“Is that true”, asked Rarity. Everyone’s eyes were on Anguirus as he scratched the back of his head.
“Well, yes. The manticore was charging at her and I pushed her out of the way”, he said as turned towards Fluttershy. “I’m sorry if I hurt you from doing that.”
“O-Oh, not at all, I’m fine”, said Fluttershy in a small, timid voice.
“And by the way”, continued Gojira as he turned to face Rainbow. “Didn’t I catch you when you were about to hit the ground. I’d imagine that would’ve hurt.”
“W-Well, I mean yeah it probably would’ve, but-”, Rainbow was cut off by Gojira.
“Now would helpers of Nightmare Moon be willing to not only fight a manticore for you six, but also put their own wellbeing at risk in order to assure your safety”, asked Gojira with an eyebrow raised. Rainbow looked puzzled as she looked back at Rodan, trying to come up with a response. He only gave her a deadpanned look. She then let out a sigh.
“No”, she said. “No they probably wouldn’t.”
Gojira let out a smile. “Good, now that we have that cleared out”, he turned to face the other mares before putting a hoof to his chest. “My name is Gojira Zawa, and these are my brothers Rodan Zawa and Anguirus Zawa”, he said as he motioned towards each of his brothers respectively. “And you all are?”
“My name is Twilight Sparkle”, said Twilight.
“Rarity, darlings”, said Rarity as she fixed her mane.
“The names Applejack, partner”, said the orange mare as she tipped her hat.
“Rainbow Dash”, said the cyan pegasus as her eyebrows slightly lowered.
“Hello, my name’s Pinkie Diane Pie, though you can call me Pinkie Pie”, said Pinkie Pie.
“We already met” said Rodan. Pinkie simply giggled.
“I know, I just wanted to be included.”
“M-My name’s Fluttershy”, said Fluttershy in her small tone of voice which Anguirus couldn’t help but smile at.
“Well it’s nice to meet all of you”, said Anguirus before he bore a puzzled look. “Though I still have to ask, why are you six in the middle of the forest?”
“We’re looking for the elements of harmony”, replied Twilight. Now all three brothers looked confused.
“The what of what?”, asked Rodan.
“The elements of harmony”, answered Twilight. “It’s stated that they were used to banish Nightmare Moon for a thousand years. It’s also stated that they’re out here in these woods in some kind of ruined temple. They could be our only hope in defeating Nightmare Moon and ending the eternal darkness.”
“And do you know where this ruined temple is”, asked Gojira.
“Of course”, replied Twilight with confidence. That was until she thought about it more. “Well, kinda.”
Gojira nodded, he found her optimism to be almost cute. “Well, we wish you luck on your journey, we’ll be off finding our friend”, said Gojira as he began to walk past them. His brothers looked surprised to see him leave.
“See ya later”, muttered Rainbow Dash. Applejack sent her a glare.
Hold on a second”, said Rarity. “Do you have any idea where you're going? You said you and your brothers are new to Ponyville, so I imagine that you don’t have as great a sense of direction as we do.”
Gojira turned around with a nonchalant expression. “I at least trust my sense of direction”, he said. “Also if these woods are big enough to house a manticore in them, then who knows what other kinds of creatures are roaming around.”
“So, wouldn’t you want to stay in a large group to avoid those monsters”, asked Applejack.
“No, what I mean is that our friend could run into those creatures and could possibly be injured or even killed”, said Gojira.
“Who is your friend, by the way”, asked Twilight.
“He’s a member of the royal guard”, answered Rodan. “He came with us to show where we would be living and when Nightmare Moon flew into this forest, he followed her.”
“Which was a foolish thing to do”, muttered Gojira under his breath, though Rodan heard it.
“Perhaps we could help, darling”, said Rarity. “We could help you search for your friend while we’re looking for the elements.”
“Yeah, we could have a search party”, added Pinkie as she was about to pull the cart from behind the rock again, but was stopped when Gojira spoke up.
“No! No more party talk”, he exclaimed. Pinkie stared at him with widened eyes before pushing the cart back behind the rock. All the mares seemed taken aback by his loud voice. Rodan and Anguirus looked at each other.
“Hey bro, can we talk in private”, said Rodan as he and Anguirus walked over to him and faced away from the mane six. “They’re just trying to help us.”
“We don’t need it”, said Gojira. “We can move faster by ourselves and we can handle any problems that we may encounter.”
“That’s true, but can they”, said Anguirus. “If it wasn’t for Fluttershy calming it down, I don’t think that manticore would’ve been kind to them.”
“Also they could help us search for Caesar by covering more ground and air”, added Rodan, though Gojira still didn’t seem convinced.
“We shouldn’t get involved with whatever they’re doing, we’ll slow them down as much as they’ll slow us”, retorted Gojira. Rodan let out a sigh.
“Sweet Celestia you are thick headed”, said Rodan with annoyance in his voice. Gojira gave him a deadpanned look.
“You have no idea.”
“Look, Goji, we should at the very least ensure their safety”, said Anguirus. “That Twilight mare seems to know a lot about Nightmare Moon and her legend, so maybe that can be used to help us find Caesar. After all, wherever she is, Celestia is probably with her, and what’s the main purpose of the royal guard?”
Gojira let out a sigh. “To protect the princess”, he said with small trails of smoke coming out of his maw.
“Goji, I know you want to find Caesar as fast as possible, but I genuinely have no idea where we even are in these woods. Hay, I found that manticore by accident”, said Rodan. “So, if we help them find these elements or whatever they are, they could also help us find Caesar. He seemed to know something about Nightmare Moon, so he probably also knows something about these elements.” He and Anguirus put their hooves on their older brother’s shoulders. “At the very least, let us protect them, wouldn’t father do something like that?”
Gojira was taken aback when Rodan mentioned their father. He looked back at the mane six and their curious eyes waiting in anticipation. They were willing to help them when they found out that Caesar was missing, while he wanted nothing to do with their journey for these elements. And in woods that had dangerous creatures in it, splitting up seemed like a terrible choice. Also, he hated to admit it, but they were lost. Their senses hadn’t been as effective as he hoped and they also hadn’t expected there to be creatures such as manticores roaming in this forest.
These mares seemed to be more experienced with this forest, so despite what he had said earlier, they had a better understanding of where they were. And above all else, Rodan was right. It wouldn’t be smart to abandon other ponies in the middle of these dangerous woods. After their previous skirmish, they proved they could hold their own against some of the large creatures in this forest, providing that same sense of security for these mares wouldn’t be too difficult. After all, their father would’ve.
He let out a heavy sigh before turning back to his brothers with a small smile. “Boy, I’ve been on a losing streak”, he joked, his brothers smiled. They turned around to face the mane six who all had curious looks on their faces.
Gojira breathed in. “If you are willing to help us”, he then breathed out. “Then we are willing to help you.”
The mane six all looked pleased, apart from Rainbow Dash who still seemed to be apprehensive.
“That’s great to hear”, said Twilight as she then put on a determined look. “Now then, let’s continue our journey as she motioned for everyone to follow her. As she walked up front, Gojira walked alongside her, which caught her by surprise as he stood a bit closer than she would’ve liked. “Umm, excuse me, ever heard of personal space”, she said as she scooted to the left a bit.
“With what we just went through, somepony has to keep an eye out for whatever kind of dangers may be lurking around”, said Gojira as he looked around their area as they walked. “I’m up front, Anguirus is in the middle, and Rodan’s at the back.”
“Ok, just”, Twilight had to crane her head up just to look him in the eyes. She had to admit, similar to when they first met, she was a little apprehensive too. Especially when he abruptly looked down at her which caused her heart to jump. “J-Just, keep doing what you’re doing”, she said as she looked away.
Gojira did so, but not after suppressing a giggle from her reaction. “You got it, ma’am.”
With the three brothers now with a new objective, they continued looking around the forest as they followed the mane six for any large beasts, but more importantly, Caesar. As they did so however, no one seemed to notice the pair of glowing orange eyes that watched them continue their journey until they were out of sight.
These eyes were accompanied with a feminine chuckle and a small smile.
It had felt as if several hours had gone by as the group continued their journey through the Everfree forest. Gojira stayed near the front of the group alongside Twilight as he continued to look for any dangerous creatures while also trying to look for Caesar. Though, after all the weird and unexpected events they went through, he was way more cautious than usual. The manticore they encountered was nothing more but a small fraction of what this forest had to offer.
“A manticore attack that was caused because of a thorn, evil living trees that stop after Pinkie sings, and a water serpent with a mustache that allows us to cross a river when Rarity gives it half of her tail”, said Gojira as he was keeping track of all the random creatures they had come across and the…unique ways they avoided conflict with them.
“Did I leave anything out”, he asked.
“Nope, I believe you got most of it”, answered Twilight.
“What kind of a forest is this”, said Anguirus who was in the middle of the group. “I’ve never seen a forest that’s so abstract.” This caught the attention of Applejack.
”Welcome to Ponyville”, she said. “We mostly choose to avoid the Everfree, as ya’ can tell it can be quite…adventurous.” She didn’t want to use the word dangerous as it had been said plenty enough.
“Still though, we’ve lived in multiple rural areas, and none of them were this inhabited, let alone with stuff like manticores or living trees”, said Anguirus, recalling their previous encounters. Applejack looked a bit puzzled.
“Wait, you fellers lived in a forest”, she asked.
“What, no. We didn’t live in a forest, but we would usually live close to them”, Anguirus answered. Rodan, who was hovering above the group with his wings, overheard Anguirus’ answer and got nervous.
“Why is that”, asked Applejack.
“Because we-”, before he could finish, Rodan flew down in between the two.
“Because”, Rodan cut him off, “we weren’t exactly the most wealthy stallions that you’d see. So we’d have to settle with cheap houses and many of them were stationed near forests.” Rodan formed a smile as he hoped his lie was good enough. It seemed to be since, despite her confused look, Applejack seemed to believe him as she turned away.
“O-K, just wondering”, she said as she walked ahead of them. When she was a good distance away, Rodan leaned into Anguirus’ ear.
“Be careful how you answer their questions, they still don’t know about our secret”, Rodan whispered.
“Yeah, I know”, replied Anguirus as he stepped to the side a bit. “I wasn’t gonna tell her anything too personal.” Rodan shrugged.
“Just wanted to remind you”, he said before flying back up with Rainbow Dash.
Anguirus shook his head, he couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated. Yes, he was the youngest of his three brothers and needed the most help when it came to controlling his spirit. However, he knew just how important it was to keep them secret than they did, but at times it seemed they didn’t. He looked over at some of the mares. Applejack had joined with Pinkie and Rarity, who had part of her ponytail cut off since she gave it to the serpent. Rainbow Dash was hovering over the group with Rodan, though she stayed a good distance from him, and Twilight was up front leading the group with Gojira close behind her.
That left Fluttershy who he noticed had been mostly quiet in-between their moments of action. She was a quiet mare who mainly seemed to keep to herself. But there was this caring side to her that she seemed to mostly show towards animals from the birds at the Summer Sun celebration to even the manticore they encountered. There was also that incredibly kind side to her that she had shown several times throughout their journey. But, as her name implied, she was very, very shy. This was apparent when he slowly walked close to her and she seemed to hide behind her long, light pink mane.
“Quite the experience this has been, huh”, said Anguirus trying to be friendly.
“Umm, y-yeah”, replied Fluttershy. She was very timid, even when talking to other ponies. The two were silent for a few seconds as Anguirus tried to think of other things to say. He looked over at some of the other members of the group. Looking at Pinkie reminded him of something.
“So, did you also hear music”, he asked.
“What do you mean”, asked Fluttershy.
“When Pinkie started singing in front of those trees”, replied Anguirus. “I could’ve sworn I heard music coming from somewhere and I want to know if you heard it too.”
“Oh, yes I did”, said Fluttershy in a small, causal tone of voice which Anguirus didn’t expect.
“Is that normal for you”, he asked, genuinely curious.
“A little bit”, answered Fluttershy. “It’s not too abnormal in Ponyville. I’m sorry if you’re disturbed by it.”
Anguirus waved his hoof dismissively. “No, no, not at all. I was just wondering”, he said, though in actuality he found the idea of music anonymously playing whenever someone would sing to be more frightening than interesting.
The two were in silence once again. Anguirus looked around as he took in their surroundings. “You know”, he said, “despite all the monsters, this is a very nice place.”
Fluttershy looked up at him. “You think so, even after everything we’ve seen”, she asked.
“Well yes, with all the flowers, animals, and rivers, it’s a fairly nice looking place”, said Anguirus. “Though, it’s a shame that its beauty can be so deadly.”
Fluttershy nodded in agreement. Once more, they were back to silence and Anguirus tried to come up with another way to start another conversation. He didn’t want her to feel awkward or, even worse, afraid when around him, so he tried talking to her to make her feel comfortable. This time though, he wasn’t the first to speak.
“Thank you”, said Fluttershy. Anguirus looked at her with a slight eyebrow raised.
“What was that”, he asked.
“I-I’m sorry for not saying this earlier, but”, Fluttershy looked at Anguirus in the eyes, “thank you for saving me.” In an ironic way, Anguirus was now the shy one. He didn’t know what to say. What started as him trying to be nice was now him struggling to come up with a response.
“Well, umm, thank you…I-I mean, you’re welcome”, stuttered Anguirus as he felt very flustered. His response forced a small smile on Fluttershy. “Th-Though I can’t take all the credit, I mean, you were the one to call the manticore down.
“O-Oh, I didn’t”, said Fluttershy as she slowly started to come out from behind her mane. “Even something as big as it deserves to be shown kindness.” Her words stayed in Anguirus’ mind longer than his own. He could only hope that terminology stayed true.
After more walking and searching, the group stumbled across a pleasant sight. Through the trees, bushes, and mist, the slightest glimpse of an old, ruined temple had finally come into view. The site filled the three brothers and the mane six with satisfaction, but for Twilight, she felt ecstatic.
“Finally we made it”, she exclaimed before galloping down the path that led to it.
“Twilight, wait for us”, shouted Applejack as she and the rest of the group followed after her.
“We’re almost there, we’re almost at the-”, her sentence was cut short when she screeched to a stop, leaving a small trench of dirt from her hooves. The rest of the group soon caught up to her and they too were forced to stop. Gojira, being right behind Twilight, was the first to see what stopped her. To say the least, it wasn’t a what but rather a who?
“Caesar?”, exclaimed Gojira.
Gojira was joined by Rodan and Anguirus at the front of the group and they too had the same reaction. Standing in front of the mist that stood between them and their goal was a unicorn with a lighter shade of brown than Anguirus with beige color set hoofs, yellow mane and tail, puffs of hair along his neck and legs, and red eyes with white pupils. And if that wasn’t clear enough, the golden armor with the symbol of a burning sun was.
Caesar turned around when he heard his name called. The one thing he didn’t expect to see in a forest filled with mythical creatures, were the three brothers that he had hoped stayed at Ponyville. He first felt shock from seeing them, but that shock turned to frustration.
“What the? What are you three doing?”,said Caesar. He then noticed Twilight and the mane six. “And who are they and what are they doing here?” Gojira practically growled through his clenched teeth.
“What are we doing? What, you expected us to stay still while you run off to chase after some she-demon and believe that we wouldn’t go after you”, shouted Gojira as small patches of scales started to form on the inside of his legs, though none of the mane six saw them.
‘Gojira, remember to keep a level head.’
“Nightmare Moon has the princess, and as a member of her royal guard, it’s my duty to protect her majesty”, replied Caesar.
“So you thought chasing after her by yourself would be the smartest thing to do”, asked Rodan feeling just as upset as his older brother. “Even though your own magic did little to nothing against her.”
“It wouldn’t be my magic I would be using”, replied Caesar as gestured to the ruined temple.
“Wait, you were also searching for the elements of harmony”, said Twilight. Her intervention managed to break Caesar and the three brother’s conversation. Caesar squinted his eyes slightly as he recognized who she was.
“You’re the one who confronted Nightmare Moon at the Summer Sun celebration”, he said looking at her with wide eyes. “So you also know about the legend.”
Twilight nodded. “It’s basically the one thing I’ve been reading about for the past week”, she said. “And I know for a fact that inside that temple is the only way to defeat her.” She motioned toward the temple with confidence.
“How do you exactly know that this is where they’re being hidden?”, wondered Rodan. “It just looks like some destroyed tower.”
“No, no, she’s right”, said Caesar as he too looked toward the ruined temple with several vines, trees, and dirt growing around it. “This is where they’re being hidden.”
“And how exactly do you know that?”, asked Applejack. Caesar looked her directly in the eyes.
“She told me”, he replied.
“Ok, if that’s where they’re being held then let’s quickly grab them and find her”, said Anguirus as he tried walking towards the temple but was stopped by Caesar.
“We can’t”, said Caesar.
“Why not”, asked Anguirus.
Caesar turned around and faced the fog. His horn flickered before emulating a golden aura, lighting up their surroundings. This glow allowed them to see that between them and the temple was a wooden bridge that seemed to have long since given away. It looked to be just as old as the temple itself with the ropes that held the bridge having snapped causing half the bridge to be draped across their half of the ravine. Caesar’s horn ceased its aura and turned back to normal. He turned to face the group.
“If I could, I would’ve obtained the elements of harmony before you all arrived”, he said before feeling a bit downcast. “But alas, it appears that I can only travel so far.”
“Now what do we do”, said Pinkie as they looked across the broken bridge.
“Uh, duh”, said Rainbow Dash as she flapped her wings.
“Oh yeah”, said Pinkie.
She took into the air and flew down into the chasm to grab the end of the bridge. However, as she did so, the fog started to thicken at an accelerated rate, to the point where Rainbow Dash had seemingly vanished. The group waited in anticipation for any kind of sign or noise to signify that Rainbow had made it to the other side. Gojira leaned down towards Rodan.
“Do you think you can see her through the fog?”, he whispered.
Rodan shrugged. “I’ll try, though I can’t promise it”, he said. His emblem flashed and his pupils shrank as his eyes glowed for a few seconds. As they did so, Caesar turned to face the mane six.
“I must thank you all for looking after these three”, he said while gesturing to the three brothers. Gojira wanted to retort, but decided to keep silent.
“Oh, it’s nothing”, said Twilight. “In fact, they helped us on several occasions.”
Caesar glanced at the three, “did they now?”
“You bet”, said Pinkie as she appeared on the other side of Caesar, catching him off guard. “Especially when they took on that big, scary manticore.”
Caesar looked surprised as he turned to face the three brothers. “You encountered a manticore”, he said quizzically.
Gojira and Anguirus faced him while Rodan continued to stare intently through the fog. “Well, of course we did”, said Anguirus. “We couldn’t just stand there and wait for them to be attacked.” Gojira nodded in agreement.
Caesar, however, didn’t seem to kindly after hearing this. He quickly approached the two. “Did they see them?”, he whispered. “Do they know about them?”
Gojira and Anguirus looked at each other. Gojira took a quick glance at the mane six, he could see the confused faces they wore. He leaned toward Caesar.
“No, we barely used them”, he said. “To them, we’re just abnormally tall stallions.”
Caesar still didn’t seem too happy. Even though Gojira said that they didn’t use the kaiju spirits much, they still used them. Even the physical enhancements that the spirits provided would be more than enough to give away their existence. However, Caesar took a deep breath and backed away.
“Although I applaud your bravery, your actions contained large amounts of risk”, he said. “You could’ve been badly injured or you could’ve hurt one of them”, he gestured at the mane six, “though, looking at you three, it seems that your ambition had paid off. And for that, I congratulate you.”
Gojira and Anguirus looked at each other. “Well, that’s one way to say good job”, joked Gojira, causing Anguirus to lightly chuckle.
“What the hay.” Rodan’s sudden remark caught everyone’s attention. He was still trying to look through the fog to find Rainbow Dash. Although he found her, that wasn’t the only mare he saw.
A small gap appeared in the fog, allowing the group to see what was taking the rainbow haired pegasus so long. The reason was that Rainbow Dash wasn’t the only pegasus on the other side of the bridge. There were three other pegasus with long blue manes wearing tight, black flight suits that had a purple lightning bolt going across it. They also wore a mask that encompassed their entire head apart from their manes and maw that also had orange goggles for the eyes. They seemed to be talking to Rainbow Dash, who was talking with seemingly hints of excitement.
“Who in the world are they”, asked Rodan. One of the pegasus noticed the group through the fog. Almost immediately the fog thickened and the hole was filled in.
“Oh no”, said Twilight with dread in her voice. She ran up to the edge of the cliff. “Rainbow! Don’t listen to them!” She received no response. With the whole group now starting to panic, Gojira looked at his younger brother.
“Rodan!”
“On it”, exclaimed Rodan as he flapped his wings and flew through the fog. However, not even a second later, he flew back out facing the opposite direction.
“What the?” He flew back into the fog, but was again forced out of it. “I can’t get to her”, he shouted. “The fog just spits me back out.”
This brought more fear and anxiety to the already nervous Twilight. She stood closer to the edge of the ravine. “Rainbow! They aren’t real!”, she shouted, but again, received no response. She was so focused on trying to reach Rainbow Dash, that she didn’t notice how close to the edge she was.
The wooden plank that she stood on started to crack before splitting in the middle. Twilight yelped as she almost fell, but luckily, she didn’t fall very far. She fell only a foot before stopping with half her hooves dangling over the edge. She wanted to scream from seeing how far she would’ve fallen if whoever hadn’t grabbed her. She was pulled back on to the ravine by her tail unharmed, apart from her pounding heart and fast-paced panting.
“Are you alright”, asked her savior.
Twilight expected them to be Applejack or Fluttershy, who had saved her before, but the deep, gruff voice dashed that idea away. She looked up to see the face of Gojira looking concerned and worried. As well as, how close he had gotten. Her voice got caught in her throat as she tried to say a response.
They both turned to face the rest of the group. Although most looked surprised and concerned over Twilight, a few, mainly Rodan and Pinkie, couldn’t help but show cheeky smiles. Gojira merely rolled his eyes while Twilight couldn’t help but feel a bit flustered.
“You’re welcome”, said Gojira as he turned toward his brothers. “Now, can we focus on the bigger issue here?”
“Already fixed it”, said a familiar voice. The group looked at the fog. In large relief, Rainbow flew out of it, causing the fog to slowly evaporate until it showed the now repaired bridge with Rainbow having re-tied the snapped ropes to their ends.
She sported a triumphant grin. “Like I say, I never leave my friends hanging.”
The mane six congratulated Rainbow Dash as they crossed the bridge. As they did so, Rodan ran up to Gojira with a grin on his face.
“Sooo”, said Rodan with a coy tone, “you sure you’re not interested in any mares?” His eyebrows went up and down to emphasize his tone. Gojira would have replied with a hoof to his face, a growl, or something else, but he could only give his brother a death glare.
After crossing the bridge, they stood only a few feet away from the temple that laid in ruin. A pair of large wooden doors was embedded in the stone as the wood seemed to have long rotted many years ago. Twilight slowly opened the doors, causing dust to scatter and extracting a groan from them as they opened. The inside of the temple was what you’d expect. Stone pillars with vines wrapped around them were along the sides of the walls with a few holding what little remained of the roof. Large glass windows were either missing or shattered. And plants, vines, and trees were spread all throughout the temple, essentially reclaiming it to the forest. But at the center of it all was a large stone structure containing stone capsules which held what the group had been searching for.
“I don’t believe it”, said Caesar with an incredulous look.
“Well Twilight”, said Applejack with an accomplished smile. “Isn’t this what you’ve been waiting for?”
Twilight was speechless for a little while. What had been told as legends were now resting right in front of her very eyes. “The Elements of Harmony”, she said before forming a large smile, “we found them!”
One at a time with extreme care, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rodan started bringing each one of the stone capsules off the structure and in front of Twilight. They were a bit heavy for the two flying members of the mane six, but Rodan didn’t seem to struggle much. Caesar was still looking around the temple. He remembered what Nightmare Moon had told him, but what did it mean? Was there something he didn’t know? Did this building have deeper meaning to it? Whatever the case, the last of the capsules had been taken off the structure and set delicately in front of the group.
“Well, that’s it right”, asked Anguirus. “We can now use them to defeat Nightmare Moon and end this everlasting darkness.” The mane six didn’t seem to share the same thought.
“One, two, three, four…five? There’s only five”, exclaimed Pinkie.
“Where’s the sixth one”, asked Rainbow Dash.
“Wait, there’s a sixth one”, exclaimed Rodan. “Don’t tell me we’re gonna have to go on another journey to find…whatever these things are.”
“No that’s not necessary”, replied Twilight. “The book says that when all five are present, a spark will cause the sixth element to appear.”
“What the hay is that supposed to mean”, asked Applejack.
“I’m not sure”, answered Twilight, “but I have an idea. Stand back, I don’t know what will happen.” She got on her knees, closed her eyes, and her horn started to lit up in a light purple aura. The group slowly started to back away. Everyone except Caesar.
“Caesar, come on, let’s give her some room to concentrate”, said Anguirus. Yet Caesar stayed still, only turning to face the rest of the group.
“You all head outside, I’ll stay in here to guard Twilight until the sixth element appears”, said Caesar with sternness in his voice.
“What could possibly come in here to attack her”, said Rodan with an eyebrow raised. Caesar didn’t reply, he felt a small shrill run down his back. He turned towards the stone structure.
“Who knows”, Caesar answered, “and that’s the scariest part.” He turned to face the three brothers. “If these elements are the only way to find the princess, then they must be protected at all costs. And as a member of the royal guard, I intend on doing so.”
Even though he meant to direct this at all three of them, he had mainly faced Gojira when he said that. Anguirus and Rodan both looked toward their oldest brother, who held his signature neutral expression. Truth be told, he hated it. The only reason they came into this forest was to find Caesar when he chased after Nightmare Moon, running into the mane six by accident. And now once again, he was putting himself in danger since he was part of the royal guard. However, he looked around, noticing how the others were waiting in anticipation. He knew the real reason why Caesar wanted to stay in guard. To keep the secret of the spirits hidden. With a reluctant sigh, Gojira nodded.
“Alright”, he said begrudgingly , “we’ll wait outside for you both. Just, stay safe.” He and his brothers walked out the door as Applejack held it open. He was the last to leave as he exited.
The doors shut behind him as he, his brothers, and the rest of the mane six waited for when they could come back in. However, only after taking a few steps away from the doors when they closed, Gojira’s mind started racing.
‘Something’s wrong.’
Gojira abruptly stopped in his tracks. His sudden stiffness caught the attention of the rest of the group. While they were at first confused, his brothers soon sported similar looks of fear.
“What’s wrong”, asked Rarity as she approached them.
‘She’s here.’
Gojira’s eyes widened as his pupils shrank. He quickly turned towards the doors and shoved the open while shouting.
“Caesar! Twilight!”, he yelled. “Get out of there, Nightmare Moon is-”, he couldn’t get the words out of his mouth in time. He was too late.
The purple mist that they saw back in Ponyville had finally caught up with them. It made its way around the perimeter of the temple before starting to circle around the elements like a flock of vultures. It started to pick up speed, causing dust and leaves to fly in the air and even shake the walls of the temple. The doors behind Gojira violently closed, keeping the rest of the group out as they vigorously tried opening it. He looked astonishingly at the sight before laying eyes on the two who were still in the temple. Caesar had his horn ignited and was in a battle stance while Twilight was still on her knees, trying to speed up the process of forming the sixth element. However, her concentration was broken when the cyclone soon started to circle around the stone capsules. She was forced to back away as the cyclone rapidly increased in speed, to the point where the heavy stone capsules started to float in the air.
“The elements”, shouted Twilight. The capsules floated higher and higher into what was now a twister with its speed. Seeing them fly up and practically disappear from eyesight triggered some kind of nerve in her since before she could question what to do, she jumped in.
“Twilight”, shouted Caesar as he too jumped in after her.
“Caesar!”, cried Gojira. As if all three of them were attached together, Gojira galloped toward the twister.
One second the twister was at its most violent, the next it had disappeared. The dust soon settled and the walls quit shaking. The doors finally opened as Rodan and Anguirus practically fell through them, fearful for what may have happened to their brother, friend, and guardian. Just as they feared, they saw none of them.
“What the hay happened”, said Anguirus as they looked around the now still and silent area. At least silent for everyone, except him.
‘We can only hope that he was ready.’
Gojira stirred awake as he laid on the stone tiled floor. He was covered in dust, leaves, and small pieces of stone. He slowly managed to stand up, wiping himself off from all the debris as he looked around. He appeared to be in some kind of hallway, but it was far from the ones he saw at Canterlot in terms of quality. Each window was smashed in as glass was scattered across the floor with only a couple still intact. The ceiling was also made of stone but with several holes in it allowing the moonlight to shine through. The floor had a long rug similar to Canterlot, but it had been all kinds of torn up with holes, stains, and stretched fabric littering it. The whole place was practically Canterlot, except the complete opposite of what that castle stood for. But that wasn’t what Gojira was mostly focused on. He was about to call out the names of the two that had been transported here with him, but was stopped by someone.
‘Don’t speak. She knows we’re here.’
With that, he didn’t. He slowly began to make his way through the hall, trying to make as little noise as possible. He also kept on guard, looking around his surroundings as often as he could. He eventually made it to the end of the hallway which led to a fork. Before he could choose which way to go, he heard what sounded like hoofsteps coming from the left hall. Fearing for the worst, he went up against the left wall and got into a fighting stance. Patches of scales started to form along his body, he bared his teeth which looked sharper than normal, and most intriguing of all though it was faint, his mane flashed and tail flashed a bright blue. As the steps got louder, Gojira could see the shadow which allowed him to get a better idea of who this being was. The silhouette of a unicorn managed to ease his tension.
“Twilight”, he said. Twilight yelped as she abruptly stopped from hearing his voice.
“Gojira?”, she called out.
Gojira walked out from behind the corner, the patches of scales formed back into his dark gray skin. Twilight seemed relieved to see him.
“How did you get here?”, Twilight asked, looking very confused.
“I followed you and Caesar when you both got sucked into the mist”, Gojira answered.
“Wait, Caesar’s here too”, she said, looking a bit more anxious.
“Probably”, replied Gojira. “Since we were each transported to different locations in this temple, I imagine he’s also wandering around like we were.” He looked back at Twilight, she was no longer facing his direction. “What are you looking-”
“Behind you”, yelled Twilight.
Gojira barely got a glimpse as to what was coming at him. He was pushed out of the way by Twilight before a large piece of rock went flying past them, smashing through the wall on the other side. Gojira landed on his back with Twilight on top of him.
“Talk about a welcome gift”, said Gojira. He turned his head to face Twilight, she was facing toward where the boulder had been thrown from. “Thank you, now can I stand up”, he said. Twilight looked back at him. When she realized the position they were in, a blush formed on her as she quickly got off him.
“S-Sorry, I mean, you’re welcome”, she said. Gojira stood to his hooves.
“No problem, now we’re even”, he replied.
Just then, a small breeze could be felt from all across the hall, catching both Gojira’s and Twilight’s attention. The purple mist that they saw from earlier was now circling in front of them. The mist then started to fly away from them as it started to travel down the hall and neared a turn. Twilight started to walk forward.
“It wants us to follow it”, said Twilight. Gojira looked at her bewildered.
“And you're gonna?”, he asked.
“If it means finding the elements, then yes I will”, said Twilight with confidence as she continued to follow the mist.
Gojira looked around. With little to no indication about where they are, this sort of lead way seemed to be the only option if they were to find either the elements or Caesar, who was his main priority. With a heavy sigh of reluctance, Gojira followed after.
The two walked through the halls, following the mist and also looking for both of their goals. Soon the mist flew through a large pair of wooden doors that seemed to be of similar height to the ones at Canterlot. They led to a large and seemingly empty room except for the throne that stood across from them. Before either of them could question, the doors behind them slammed shut, catching them both by surprise. Both Gojira and Twilight looked back toward the throne as it was now being enveloped in the purple mist that led them there.
‘She led us right to her!’
Gojira’s eyes widened when he realized this. He quickly looked around for some kind of exit. One of the walls had a large hole in it which seemed to lead to another hall. He quickly turned back toward Twilight, the mist was picking up speed.
“Head towards that hole, I’ll hold her off”, he exclaimed. Twilight looked at him as if he told her to jump off a bridge.
“What!? Are you crazy!? I’m not leaving you alone to face Nightmare Moon by yourself”, Twilight replied. The mist began to evaporate.
“We don’t have time to argue about this, even if you stayed it wouldn’t make much difference”, said Gojira. At least that’s what would’ve happened, if he was a normal pony. “Now go find Caesar, find the elements, and end this darkness. Besides…”, he stepped forward while cracking his neck,“I’ve been itching for some more action.”
Twilight stood with anxiety written on her face. She couldn’t believe that this stallion was willing to go up against someone as powerful as Nightmare Moon, let alone by himself. She wanted to stay and help him, but the elements would easily be their best bet on defeating Nightmare Moon. She looked at both Gojira and the hole in the wall, and with a face full of regret, she ran toward the hole. She looked back toward Gojira who gave her a nod to let her know that she had made the right decision. And so, Twilight ran through the hole and into another hallway, right before the mist had fully evaporated and the mare in the moon stepped out.
Gojira kept his ground as Nightmare Moon stepped off of her throne. Her wings flared as the mist formed her mane and began to flow in a more sporadic manner than normal. The most unsettling part was her laughter as it echoed through the room.
“Oh, how much I adore this place. So quiet, so peaceful, so dark. You can even see the precious moon through the roof.”, she said with glee. “I hope you enjoyed the scenery as it’ll be the last thing that you, my little pony, will ever see of this night-ridden world that you call Equestria.” Her laughter once more escaped from her mouth.
Gojira’s glare was so intense it seemed his eyes were on fire. A growl escaped from his mouth as his emblem flashed and his tail grew longer and denser. It rose above the ground before smashing down, cracking the floor beneath him. The loud crash that it made caught the attention of Nightmare Moon as her laughter instantly ceased.
“I am not your little pony”, he growled. “My name is Gojira Zawa, I have been trained by my father and Caesar for several years and I will not let this forever darkness last any longer!” Small strains of smoke started to escape from his maw. Nightmare Moon didn’t seem the slightest bit deterred.
“You’re kidding. You’re kidding”, she said with an eyebrow raised. Gojira didn’t falter as his tail slammed against the floor again, practically challenging Nightmare Moon to come at him. Which she accepted.
A smirk formed on her face as her wings flared, her mane flowed more intensely, her pupils thinned, and her horn ignited in dark magic. Gojira dug his hooves into the floor, practically forming trenches in it. The two stared each other down as they awaited for one to make the first move. And soon, they both did.
With magic flowing through the feathers of her wings, Nightmare Moon charged forward with her wings increasing her momentum. Gojira galloped through the throng room with his emblem flashing. As the distance closed between the two, Gojira got up on his hind legs as his hooves and chest grew several patches of scales. Nightmare Moon collided with Gojira with incredible force that he was sent skidding back, pushing against her with his hooves. They eventually came to a stalemate just inches from the doors. Gojira took the opportunity to headbutt Nightmare Moon with his scales increasing the impact. With her disoriented, Gojira reared his hoof back and delivered a strong punch across her face, sending Nightmare Moon to the ground.
He got back on all four hooves and charged toward her. He couldn’t get close enough however, as Nightmare Moon quickly ignited her horn and fired a beam of magic toward Gojira. With mere seconds to spare, Gojira leaped out of its path. She fired shot after shot at him as Gojira managed to run past most of them. A couple hit him in his side, causing burn marks and grunts of pain. He managed to find cover behind her throne. When the blasts stopped, he looked out from behind the throne to see an opening, but Nightmare Moon had seemingly vanished. Before he knew it, he heard breathing from behind.
‘Of course she can teleport’, he thought to himself.
Nightmare Moon fired a blast of magic at the back of Gojira, which was strong enough to cause him to crash through her throne, reducing it to rubble. He landed on his chest with smoke trailing from his mane. Nightmare Moon flapped her wings and flew in the air before dive bombing toward Gojira to deliver a final blow. However, he was quicker as his tail swung upward and smacked her before she could reach Gojira, sending her skidding across the floor.
Gojira let out a growl before standing back up. He charged toward Nightmare Moon who was still on the ground. He raised his front hooves up and intended to slam them against her head, but instead they collided against a protective barrier that Nightmare Moon formed at the last second. Gojira let out a battle cry as he slammed and pounded against the shield, practically using his entire body to do so, however this only created ripples on the barrier’s surface. He was so focused on breaking the shield with brute force that he didn’t pay attention to the piece of rubble the size of his head flying at him until it was a few feet away.
He managed to notice however, forming scales along his body in time when the rock shattered against him. He was forced to back away as the dust partly blinded him. This gave Nightmare Moon an opening and she took it by firing a powerful beam of magic at Gojira’s chest. The beam was powerful enough to send Gojira flying back against the wall. He crashed into it, forcing a grunt of pain to come out of his mouth as smoke trailed from his chest. He was down, but not defeated as Nightmare Moon smiled with devilish glee.
Meanwhile, Twilight was running through the halls of the temple in hopes of finding the elements. The sooner she found them, the sooner she could head back to help Gojira. Although she couldn’t see how he was doing, the sounds of what sounded like stone crashing added on to her regret of leaving her ally behind.
“Just hold on for a little longer”, she said to herself.
She rounded a corner and what she saw stopped her in her tracks. At first she was tense, to the point where her horn lit up in a light purple aura, however the sight of the golden armor allowed her to calm down.
“Caesar!”, she exclaimed, catching his attention.
“Twilight! Thank Celestia you’re alright”, said Caesar. Twilight could barely get sentences out of her mouth due to her heavy breathing.
“Caesar I don’t have enough time to explain this but, Gojira is here as well”, she said. Caesar looked at her with eyes of horror. “I met Gojira in one of the hallways of this temple, however we also ran into Nightmare Moon and-”, her face and voice were filled with regret as her eyes became downcast, “he stayed behind to distract her while I went to find the elements.”
Caesar looked at her in disbelief. “He’s what!”, he yelled. He then looked toward where Twilight had come from and started running in that direction. Twilight looked at him with wide eyes.
“Wait Caesar-”, she exclaimed.
“Find the elements, now”, Caesar shouted without turning his head as he continued to run through the hallway.
Twilight was now left alone. The regret of not staying behind was still teasing her mind. However, she knew that she couldn’t linger on it for very long. Without the elements, Gojira could do nothing more but by time, Caesar would probably add a few extra minutes. And she was going to need each one of them.
Back in the throne room, Gojira was struggling. His kaiju spirit gave him greater physical traits, however Nightmare Moon’s greater mobility and wide array of spells made it that he was constantly on the defense. The hits that he did manage to land were few and less rapid when compared to Nightmare Moon. Fortunately, his scales protected him from several of her attacks.
Which definitely helped when Nightmare Moon fired another blast of magic at him, fortunately the scales on his head managed to protect him from the attack. He powered through several more as he closed the distance, only for her to teleport out of his path before he could deal a blow. He felt another blast of magic at his side causing him to clench his teeth as it hit his vulnerable skin. He felt another blast on his leg, then his back, and then his chest before going back on his side. This would happen each time he turned to face his opponent. Although the blasts stunned, their greatest effect was building Gojira’s anger.
‘She’s toying with you, you should toy her.’
Gojira breathed in and out, a small trail of smoke forming from his mouth. The blasts were being shot in a pattern with it starting from his side then across different parts of his body before ending back at his side. He stood still, practically asking for her to come at him. He felt the last blast hit him in his back before it stopped. He heard the flapping of wings, the sound of a horn charging up, and that annoyingly cocky laugh. She had taken the bait. Nightmare Moon charged at the back of Gojira, however during her firing frenzy, she’d forgotten about her opponent's extra limb.
Swinging his tail around, Gojira’s tail hit Nightmare Moon with enough force to send her crashing into the stone floor. But Gojira didn’t stop there. He charged at Nightmare Moon, opened his jaw to reveal his sharp teeth, and bit down hard on one of Nightmare Moon’s wings. Her laughter had now been replaced with a high pitch scream of pain as Gojira refused to let go. She tried to hoof him in the chest, the face, she even thrashed her body around, but Gojira kept his jaws locked as an iron taste started invading his mouth. As Nightmare Moon struggled, her horn began to ignite with a light that was brighter than anything seen before, her eyes practically glowing white with how much magic was pouring into her. And soon she let it out.
“ENOUGH!”
A shockwave of magic burst from her body, forcing Gojira to let go and send him sliding back as the blast was so bright it partially blinded him. When he regained his vision, he was met with a powerful beam of magic hitting him in the chest. This beam was much stronger than anything that came before it as Gojira roared out in pain. The beam sent him against the wall where it lasted for a few extra seconds until it finally ceased. He fell to the ground as smoke billowed from his chest, the scales that protected him were either damaged or completely destroyed, there was even a small hint of blood lightly seeping out. He breathed heavily as he faced Nightmare Moon. Although she wasn’t in the greatest shape with bruises on her face, her armor starting to show dents, and the bite mark on her wing which was dripping blood, she wasn’t nearly as bad as Gojira was as he stayed on the ground to regain his breath.
“This is nothing more than a waste of my time!”, she cried out. “I’ll admit, you truly aren’t like any other pony I’ve seen, but your efforts can only delay the inevitable.” Her horn lit up in the all too familiar glow that Gojira now found annoying and her wings flared open. “I will see to it this eternal darkness shall last for as long as I remain on this planet. The whole world will remember this day forward as the day when the night lasted, forever!” Gojira growled as he heard her laugh, he had grown to hate it as much as herself.
He knew that with Nightmare Moon’s abilities that physical combat wasn’t going to work. Although his scales managed to hold up well, if she were to hit him with another powerful attack like the one from earlier then he wouldn’t be able to withstand much longer. This meant that, although it was risky, he would need backup. He stood up on all four hooves with his head facing down. His legs trembled as he powered through the pain he felt in his chest. Nightmare Moon noticed this and formed a cynical smile.
“You truly never know when to quit, do you”, she exclaimed. Gojira didn’t respond as his head remained lowered. “What’s the matter, scared of the dark?” She lightly chuckled, which only angered him even more.
“I…don’t fear you”, he said through gritted teeth. Nightmare Moon merely rolled her eyes.
“Do you now”, she said with sarcasm. “I can sense it.”
Gojira’s ears twitched at that word. He refused to be identified as such. His emblem flashed an even brighter glow than normal. He lifted his head as charcoal gray scales started to cover his entire body, his eyes opened to show that they had changed from amber to a menacing orange and red with thin slits for pupils. He stood at his full height which made him appear to be similar to Nightmare Moon. His mane and tail started to become frizzy as a humming noise could be heard. Nightmare Moon looked confused and surprised at this as her cocky smile was replaced by a worrisome look that forced her to get into a fighting position. Gojira’s tail wagged as he looked her dead in the eyes, they were practically burning.
“That’s not fear you sense”, he exclaimed.
And then, there was a flicker. Trails of smoke started to flow from Gojira’s mouth and nostrils as the humming sound started to increase in volume. Then, almost like magic, his mane and tail started to glow. It started as flickers until his entire backside was glowing a bright blue. His body heat began to rise, his hooves began to carve into the stone, and the smoke started to turn into sparks. The wound that was on his chest slowly started to heal itself, his blood stopped dripping, his scales started to repair themselves, and soon any sign of injury or weakness had completely disappeared as his chest looked to have been barely touched. What happened was enough to strike fear into a being composed of it.
Gojira threw his jaws open and a bright beam of light and energy bolted out of his mouth. The sound it made was similar to a jet engine exploding in the atmosphere as it rocketed toward Nightmare Moon, barely giving her enough time to put up a protective barrier. The beam crashed into it with enough force to push her back a few inches. The heat she felt was extraordinary, it felt like she was blocking out a solar flare. She could only imagine how it would’ve felt if it hit her head on. Gojira continued to put force into the beam as he tried to burn through Nightmare Moon’s defenses. The force of which was so great that it managed to shake the entire temple, any glass windows still intact had surely shattered. After only a few seconds, the heat of the attack soon became too much for Gojira to bear as he started to retract some of the strength that he put into it, but not before forcing the beam into the stone floor. The stone exploded as soon as the beam made contact, causing dust and debris to erupt and spread all across the room, blinding anyone inside of it.
Nightmare Moon finally put her shield down, which had started to form cracks in its surface. She breathed heavily after putting so much magic into her shield, though she was more so shocked than hurt. What had just happened, what was that attack, and what kind of stallion was this? He was a stallion after all, right? He had proven to be physically stronger than the average pony, but she didn’t expect him to have the ability to shoot laser beams out of his mouth.
She couldn't question it much more however, since the room was encompassed in dust, she had lost track of where Gojira was. She barely got a hint of that when she heard hoofsteps in front of her becoming louder and louder. Gojira charged at her with his mane still lit. Nightmare Moon tried to fire a blast of magic at him, but Gojira knocked her head upward with one of his hooves, causing the blast to fire into the ceiling. Gojira’s mouth lit up and he fired the beam attack from earlier, right in the chest of Nightmare Moon, sending her flying backwards and crashing through the wall. He let the attack continue for a couple more seconds until ceasing it. He took a much needed heavy breather after using the attack twice in close succession.
‘Careful how you use the atomic breath. It burns through your energy faster than you realize.’
Gojira looked through the hole he had created, expecting to see Nightmare Moon on the other side. But instead he saw nothing other than crumbled bricks and stone. Further down the hall he saw another hole made through a wall that entered another room. She had gone into hiding and was practically begging for him to find her.
‘We got her on the ropes, but this means she won’t hold anything back now that she knows she isn’t dealing with a little pony. Do not falter now.’
With that revermation, Gojira’s mane lit back up and he gave chase. Nightmare Moon was down, but she was far from defeated.
Few Minutes Earlier
The rest of the group stood in shock at what had just happened. They had witnessed the disappearance of three of their friends with little to no trace or anything to give them an indication of where they were taken to. Although the other members of the mane six showed signs of concern and worry, none of them were as distraught as Rodan and Anguirus as they paced around the room, looking for some kind of trace to where Caesar and their brother were taken to.
“This can’t be happening”, said Anguirus as he held his head with his hooves. “This is not happening. This is not happening.”
“Calm down, feller”, said Applejack as she put a comforting hoof on his shoulder. “We’ll find them, they still gotta be somewhere in this temple.”
“And if they’re not”, asked Rodan. Applejack looked away, not wanting to answer. Rodan continued to pace around. “Today was supposed to be one of the biggest moments of our lives, but instead we’re stuck here in this overgrown, stone shack that’s a thousand years old. And Gojira and Caesar are now in the hooves of some gothic hag that’s doing who knows what to them.”
“Hey! You aren’t the only one who’s friend is in danger. Twilight has also been taken by Nightmare Moon, however she knows more about the elements and this temple than any of us”, said Rainbow Dash as she faced Rodan. “As AJ said, they have to be somewhere here. This temple is huge after all.”
“She’s right, darling”, said Rarity as she walked next to Rainbow Dash.
“Then why are we just standing around”, said Anguirus. “If they are still here then we best start searching for them now before Ms.night owl gets to them first.” He motioned toward what was the only hallway that they had access from where they were standing. “And it looks like that’ll be our first hiding spot to check.” With nods of agreement from all around, the group ran toward the entrance of the hallway to search for their friends.
The temple was much larger than any of them had realized as for every room they entered there were at least three extra hallways connected to it. As a result, they struggled to find any sign of Gojira, Twilight, or Caesar. In secret, Rodan and Anguirus tried using their enhanced senses but still nothing came up.
“Anything”, asked Rodan. He was met with a sigh from his younger brother.
“Still nothing”, replied Anguirus. “I don’t get it, I could pick up your scent when you were flying, so why can’t I pick up Gojira’s?”
‘Perhaps the magic of Nightmare Moon is blocking any form of trace that may lead us to our comrades. In other words, she doesn’t want us finding them.’
Anguirus let out a groan. “And here I was hoping this would be easy.” Rodan gave him a playful bump.
“While I’m also nervous about what she could possibly be doing to them, I doubt Goji would let it happen without a fight”, said Rodan. “For all we know we just checked this temple’s opening doors, let’s just keep looking.”
Anguirus nodded and continued to walk down the hall. Rodan was about to join him when…
‘Rodan, wait…I sense something.’
Rodan stopped abruptly. He looked around the hall until one of the wooden doors caught his attention. He walked up to it and looked it over. Unlike the other doors, this one didn’t seem nearly as currodded nor rotten, in fact it looked as though it hadn’t been touched. The group had at first ignored it due to the large metal lock keeping it closed, but now it seemed to intrigue Rodan more than anything else in the temple.
‘There’s something inside that room, it’s almost as if it’s calling to me.’
That was enough confirmation for Rodan, there was something on the other side of this door. Whether it was an element or some other relic from the past, he was bound to find out. He looked at the metal, noticing the strong iron that it was made of. His emblem flashed as his wing started to sharpen, replacing its feathers with razor sharp scales. With a single swipe, his wing managed to cut the lock almost in half as it fell to the floor while clinging. His wing turned back to normal as he opened the door with little effort. As he entered, he failed to notice a certain cyan, rainbow haired pegasus that had gone completely under his radar. She was about to see what caught his attention, however she was unable to.
“Rainbow, did find anything”, asked Fluttershy in her soft voice which still managed to catch Rainbow Dash off guard.
“Uhh, no, nothing yet”, said Rainbow Dash.
“Oh, ok”, said Fluttershy, looking more worried than ever. While the two of them walked away, Rainbow felt more suspicious than ever about their friends that they found in the wilderness.
Rodan looked around the room he was in. There wasn’t a single window so the only source of light was the open door that led into the room. The room itself was simply a long stone hallway with a few metal prongs on the walls which supposedly held torches that lit the room. He walked through the hall that led to another wooden door.
‘In there, that’s where the signal is coming from.’
At first, Rodan expected the door to be locked, but to his surprise it managed to open with little effort. He had to imagine that the lock either withered away or if there even was a lock. He opened the door and was met with a room filled with stone pedestals and a skylight that lit up most of the room.
“What in the hay is this place?”, asked Rodan.
‘Twilight did say that the elements were housed here. I imagine that other prize possessions were stored here as wel-…’
“What! What is it?” Rodan looked around expecting something to be in the room with them, but there was nothing. Suddenly, his spirit manifested itself through his mane. It was looking at the pedestal at the end of the room.
‘There, it has to be that.’
Rodan, keeping caution, slowly walked up to where his spirit was facing. The object in question that had caught both their attention was what appeared to be an old book with a brown cover. It was hard to tell, but the cover seemed to depict some kind of emblem depicting several different beings from regular ponies to the insignias of the emblems on their hind legs. In fact, the entire cover seemed similar to their emblems which made the two of them all the more curious.
“What do you think it is?”, asked Rodan as his spirit got a closer look. Its pale white eyes seemed to squint the closer it looked.
‘I don’t know. However, if we both felt its attractive pull then it’s probably important.’ It continued to look at it with squinted eyes. ‘Though it does look so familiar.’
“Well, whatever it is, it’s not staying here”, said Rodan. He grabbed the book with his hooves. Dust sprinkled from it as the book was covered in cobwebs that contained dead bugs. Before he could open it however, the entire temple suddenly shook causing Rodan to stumble and his spirit to retract back into his mane.
“What in tarnation.” Applejack’s voice was faint but was loud enough for Rodan to tell that something was wrong. He tucked the book behind his wing and ran out of the room, ignoring all the other relics that remained in the room. As he ran out of the door, he noticed how the rest of the group were staring through one of the windows.
He quickly ran up to them. “What’s going on?”, he asked them. None of them answered him until Pinkie used her hooves to turn his head to see what they were seeing.
The window depicted a large room with several windows along the walls and each one of them was emitting a light blue color as what sounded like the world’s most powerful flamethrower was being fired at something. While the mane six looked confused and surprised, both Anguirus and Rodan were concerned as they could easily recognize not only what that light was, but also where it came from.
“Come on”, exclaimed Applejack as she waved her hoof for them to follow her. “I got a good feeling about where we can find them.”
The group nodded as they ran down the hall, now knowing where they needed to look. Though both Rodan and Anguirus were the last to follow as they continued to look out the window until the blue died down and the noise ceased. They could only hope that was a sign that their brother and friend were not only safe, but we’re handling themselves.
Gojira looked around the large circular shaped room that he had been led to. Several pillars helped the room up as the glass ceiling, that had long since shattered, depicted the moon that was directly above him as he stood in the center of the room. His mane and tail were still lit as he looked around waiting for some kind of movement or sound, he had been brought here by Nightmare Moon however it seemed she was waiting to give him a welcome greeting.
As he waited, some stone pebbles could be heard being scattered causing Gojira’s ear to twitch. His head immediately turned to where the noise came from and he fired his atomic breath, causing that entire part of the room to explode as stone and dust scattered everywhere. When he cut it off, he felt a blast of magic hit him in the back causing him to stumble. When he turned to face where the blast came from, he felt another one coming from where he was looking earlier. She was doing the same trick from when they were back in the throne room, and he was falling for it.
With this realization, Gojira let out a battle cry as his mane and tail grew brighter. He fired the atomic breath around the entire room. Every pillar and wall erupted into dust and debris, if she was hiding then he was going to force her to come out. However, he was forced to cut the attack off. Only a few pillars remained up as they struggled to hold up the ceiling which was now starting to lean and creak. Gojira breathed heavily, he felt extra tired now than before.
‘You still aren’t used to balancing your energy supply throughout your body, which is causing the atomic breath to drain you faster than it should. You may only have enough left for one more use.’
Gojira was breathing heavily as he felt another blast of magic on his back. He had missed her. “So what do we do now? Twilight still isn’t back”, said Gojira as felt the stinging pain on his back.
‘We play into her tricks. Let her come to you.’
Gojira felt another blast of magic on his back, though this time he didn’t react to it. He stayed still, letting his enhanced sense kick in. He was blasted a couple more times, but then the blasts stopped coming. He heard the flapping of wings and that incredibly irritating laugh. She was charging him. With that he instantly turned to face her with his atomic breath fully charged. Nightmare Moon flew towards him at full speed with her horn completely ignited. When they both were only a couple feet away from each other, they fired both of their most powerful attacks.
Two different forms of energy, powerful forces that could easily break through stone, collided causing a large shockwave that encompassed the entire room. The last of the pillars were destroyed resulting in the ceiling collapsing on top of both of them. The noise it created echoed throughout the entire temple as everyone inside heard it.
The group froze as the temple shook and dust fell from the ceiling. Rodan and Anguirus started to grow more anxious by the second. They looked toward the hall where the noise came from.
“You guys find the others down there”, he said as he motioned his hoof at the hall that led away from where the shockwave came from. “Me and Anguirus will head down this way.”
“What! No way”, said Rainbow Dash. “There’s no way we’re letting you two-”, the words never left her mouth as both Rodan and Anguirus ran off. Rainbow Dash groaned as she pressed her hoof against her forehead.
“There’s no time to argue, come on”, said Applejack as she led the rest of the group down the hallway that Rodan motioned toward.
Twilight, meanwhile, had been running through the temple for what felt like hours. Even if she did find the elements, how was she supposed to find her back to both Gojira and Nightmare Moon? Her hope was starting to dwindle until she turned a corner and stopped immediately in her tracks. At first the room she entered seemed to be no different than the other ones with stone and debris scattered across the floor. However, to Twilight they weren’t ordinary rocks that had been left for several years. They were the remains of the stone capsules that contained the elements.
“N-No”, was all she said.
Twilight looked in disbelief. She felt defeated. Everything that she and her friends had gone through, from the manticore encounter to facing Nightmare Moon herself, it was all for nothing as her goal laid in pieces in front of her. She heard hoofsteps coming from behind her, she didn’t even want to know who or what was coming.
“Twilight”, cried a large group of voices. She managed to recognize them instantly.
She turned to face the rest of the mane six as they stood with happy and relieved expressions. That was until they noticed the destroyed stone capsules. Their smiles were replaced with frowns and wide eyes. Even Pinkie Pie, who managed to keep a positive attitude this whole time, couldn’t help but be filled with sorrow.
Applejack looked toward Twilight. “Where are the others?”, she asked. Twilight’s eyes widened. Now with the elements gone, how was she supposed to help Gojira?
The shockwave had sent them both flying back as Gojira crashed through the wall and ended up in another hallway. His mane and tail reverted back to normal as smoke billowed from it and his mouth. He felt incredibly winded as he coughed and breathed heavily. He stood up as he shook off some of the dust from his mane, only to be forced back to the ground by another blast of magic that hit his vulnerable skin.
“A clever trick, for a stallion”, said that cocky, feminine voice that Gojira had grown to loathe.
Nightmare Moon walked out of the hole that Gojira crashed through. Her mane and tail flowed with extreme elegance as her hooves moved in a rhythm that was too in sync. She looked practically untouched. She stood in front of Gojira where she bent down and lifted his head with her magic.
“Let’s be honest, you only fought me to buy time for that purple unicorn to find the elements, didn’t you”, she said as she stared directly into Gojira’s eyes. He so badly wanted to slug her in the face, but his hoof was currently aching. “Because if so, then she was wasting her time.”
Nightmare Moon looked away as five gems of various colors floated in front of her. Although Gojira didn’t recognize them, he had a good guess as to what they were. He tried to crawl to them, but Nightmare Moon kept them out of his reach. Her horn sparked as the gems started to contort and crack until they finally shattered into fine powder that instantly blew away in wind that couldn’t be felt. Gojira eyes widened as he couldn’t help but stare at this, she was just taunting him at this point. He tried to stand, however Nightmare Moon stomped her hoof into his back, forcing a grunt of pain out of his mouth.
“Oh no, for somepony like you, you’d work better as my personal servant than as one of my subjects”, she said. Gojira let out a growl. “Your strength could be very useful when I’m done shrouding this entire world in darkness.”
“I’d rather choose to stay with the devil in Tartarus than work for you”, he spat out. Nightmare Moon didn’t seem fazed.
“Such a shame”, she said with a neutral expression and tone. She stood off of him while using her magic to lift his head. “Perhaps allow me to introduce you to him.”
Her horn lit up, readying a final attack. Gojira stared at her with little to no fear in his eyes, if this was the end for him, he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of it. However, it never came.
“Alpha!”
Nightmare Moon was caught off guard as she heard a voice coming from behind her. Before she could turn to face them, she was hit in the back by something that was irritating enough for her to let out a scream of anger. She turned to see a familiar face. A brown unicorn with beige colored hair all across his body wearing golden armor. She gritted her teeth as she stared at Caesar.
“You again! How many of you four-legged freaks are here”, she exclaimed as her horn lit up and she flared her wings. Caesar seemed unfazed.
“Just enough”, he said with a smile.
Before Nightmare Moon could fire magic at him, she felt something crash against her back, causing her to stumble forward. Anguirus spun overhead as his mane appeared all spiky and stuck up, making it look more like a shell than a mane. She lifted her head up to be met with the face of a light red pegasus with a crimson mane. Smoke billowed from his maw as he wore a sly smile.
“Hi”, said Rodan.
He opened his jaw and released a powerful stream of fire that hit Nightmare Moon hard enough to send her flying back through the same wall that Gojira crashed through. He cut off the attack and let out a heavy breath that released excess smoke. He rushed over to his brother to help him up.
“You guys are here too?”, exclaimed Gojira as he looked bewildered.
“Yep, and you’re welcome”, said Rodan with a smile.
“Are you alright”, asked Caesar as he looked Gojira over. His worry quickly turned to anger. “And what gave you the right idea to face Nightmare Moon alone?”
“First of all, I’m absolutely peachy”, said Gojira in a sarcastic tone. “And secondly I’ll come up with an excuse later, but how are you both here?”, he asked while facing his brothers.
“We were looking for you, Caesar, and Twilight when you guys got sucked into the mist”, said Anguirus. “I guess the others are looking for Twilight and the elements.” Although Gojira was thankful that his brothers and Caesar were safe, he couldn’t say the same when Anguirus mentioned the elements.
“There’s a problem with that-”, Gojira’s sentence was interrupted by the sound of rocks and stone crumbling. All four of them looked toward the hole that had been formed from Nightmare Moon. “That bitch never knows when to quit.”
All four of them entered the room through the hole to see Nightmare Moon flying in front of the moon with her wings now fully extended and her horn brighter than ever. Her thin pupils had been replaced with fully pale eyes with what appeared to be mist flowing from them. Her teeth were grinding against each other as she stared the four down.
“None of this matters!”, she yelled out. “This has been nothing more than a game to me, a mere exercise. With the elements of harmony now destroyed, it doesn’t matter what any of you do. I can never perish, I am unstoppable, I am nightmare incarnate.”
“Wait, she destroyed the elements”, said Caesar as he looked at Gojira. Gojira didn’t face him, he kept his attention targeted specifically at Nightmare Moon.
“You’re also a major pain in my rear”, mocked Gojira. That one forced a scream of anger out of Nightmare Moon as the purple mist from her mane started to circle around them.
“STOP TALKING!”, she cried.
With that she fired a powerful blast of magic at the four as a means to end them once and for all. The beam flew at them with extreme speed as all four of them flinched and raised their hooves as their only form of defense. Gojira even jumped in front of his brothers, intending for the beam to hit him first. They clutched their eyes shut, preparing for a world of stinging. But it never came.
Each one of them opened their eyes to see what was taking it so long, only to be met with all four of them encased in a purple, dome-like shield that reflected the attack and caused it to hit the ceiling. They looked around, confused and bewildered. The three brothers even looked toward Caesar to see if this was from him, but his horn wasn’t lit and he seemed just as puzzled as they were. However, none were as confused as Nightmare Moon who stared in disbelief.
“What”, she said in a quiet, humble voice. She fired another blast of magic at the shield, only for it to bounce off. “No, No, NO”, she exclaimed as she fired several and each one of them couldn’t even penetrate it. “What is the meaning of this!”
“Friendship! That’s what.” The five of them all looked toward where the voice came from. Four out of the five wore faces of ecstasy.
Twilight, with her horn lit up, stood in front of the rest of the mane six as the remains of the elements floated around them. Soon they started to spin as each spec of dust formed the several pieces that formed the two halves that formed into the elements of harmony in a beautiful show of telekinesis. The three brothers and Caesar were shocked, but Nightmare Moon was horrified.
“H-How, how did-d you-”, she stuttered. She could’ve sworn she had destroyed them.
“You thought you could destroy the elements of harmony”, spouted Twilight as the elements floated around them. “Well you're wrong, because the spirits of the elements of harmony are right here!” She motioned toward the rest of mane six that stood around her with determination.
“Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of honesty. Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of kindness. Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of it, represents the spirit of laughter. Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the element of generosity. Rainbow Dash, who couldn’t abandon her friends for her own heart’s desire represents the spirit of loyalty.” She then turned toward the three brothers and Caesar. “And Gojira, Anguirus, Rodan, and Caesar were willing to risk their lives in order for us to reach our goal.”
Each element with a corresponding color floated toward each member of the mane six that Twilight named off. “It’s thanks to them and the spirits of these five that got us through every obstacle that you threw at us”, she said as she pointed at Nightmare Moon.
“B-But you forgot, there’s still no sixth element. You still can’t defeat me”, said Nightmare Moon as she started to sweat.
“The sixth element can only be formed from a spark, but not the physical kind”, said Twilight. “I felt it the very moment I realized I was happy to hear. To see you. How much I cared about you.” She looked at each member of the mane six and then toward the three brothers and Caesar. Her smile was small but genuine as she struggled to hold back a tear. “The spark ignited inside me, when you all”, she turned to face Nightmare Moon, “are my friends.”
A light appeared above them as a stone capsule hovered above them. The capsule shook and started to crack before completely shattering, forming the sixth and final gem. The last element of harmony. The light was so bright that it forced Nightmare Noon to squint her eyes.
“You see Nightmare Moon, when those elements are ignited by the spark that resides in us all, it forms the sixth element”, said Twilight as the element flew in front of her. “The element of magic!”
The gems started to circle around each of the mane six, forming into necklaces, resembling each of their cutie marks, that were the same color as the mare’s skin color. The element of magic formed into a tierra that rested on top of Twilight's head, just behind her horn. The three brothers and Caesar watched in awe as the mane six started to glow and rise into the air. A pair of rainbows formed and swirled around each other before dashing toward Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon screamed and cried in denial, not wanting to accept the fact that, after all her work and a thousand years, she had lost. The rainbows formed a twister around until she had vanished from the naked eye. The light it formed grew brighter and brighter until even the three brothers and Caesar were forced to look away as the light encased them as well.
The light began to fade as the three brothers and Caesar’s eyes struggled to open due to the lighting change. When they fully regained their vision they looked toward the mane six to see each of them lying on the floor seemingly knocked out. With the relief of groans and subtle movement from them to know they were still alive, the four ran over to them to help them up.
“Ohh”, groaned Rainbow Dash as Rodan helped her up. “What just happened?”
“You saved our tails, that’s what”, said Rodan.
“Is everypony alright?”, asked Applejack.
“We are, thanks to you guys”, said Anguirus with a smile, until he looked toward his oldest brother. “At least, most of us are.”
Truth be told, Gojira was far from alright. There were several bruises and burns across his body, a small trail of blood was leaking from his mouth, and he even had a limp on one of his legs. Twilight gasped before quickly standing up and rushing toward him.
“Gojira, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone with Nightmare Moon, maybe then you wouldn’t have gotten so hurt. I-I tried to hurry to find them, but I-”, she was cut off when Gojira coughed loudly into his arm. He then looked toward her with at first a neutral expression before transitioning to a small smile.
“I suppose we’re still even, huh”, he joked. He let out a giggle which Twilight didn’t reciprocate. “There’s no need to worry about it. If you had stayed then I doubt this would have happened.” He motioned toward the rest of the mane six, his brothers, and Caesar as they talked about the events that had unfolded. “Though it was tough and there were struggles, I’d say you made the right call. And for that you have my thanks. Besides, this’ll buff out, at least faster than a world shrouded in darkness.” While she still felt guilty, Twilight couldn’t help bare an incredulous look. He had just faced an alicorn that could move the moon, he was incredibly injured, and yet he still had a smile on his face. Was this stallion even real?
As they conversed, out of the corner of Gojira’s eye, he saw something, something that forced him and the rest to look toward and drop their jaws. The rising sun. The clouds were split apart and the stars quickly vanished as the moon fell and sun rose to take back its rightful place in the sky. The summer heat felt incredible against their skin as they each bore smiles of satisfaction, accomplishment, and above all else, happiness.
“Never thought I’d be so up to get a sunburn right now”, said Rodan. Anguirus smiled as he rolled his eyes.
“It’s beautiful”, said Twilight.
“Indeed it is”, called out a voice that everyone knew too well.
As the sun’s rays shined against Equestrian soil, a bright orb formed from the sun catching everyone’s attention. The orb flew down to them before slowly disappearing, revealing a pair of large white wings, a long horn, and mane that flowed like the morning summer breeze.
“Princess Celestia”, exclaimed Twilight in excitement. The mane six, Caesar, and even the three brothers bowed on instinct as Celestia floated to the ground. Twilight ran up to her.
“Twilight, my faithful student”, said Celestia as the two embraced each other in a hug. “I knew you could do it.”
Twilight’s eyes widened in realization. “But, I thought you told me it was an old ponytale”, she asked in confusion.
"I told you that you needed to make some friends. Nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return. And I knew that it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her. But you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart," said Celestia in a motherly tone. Twilight couldn’t help but smile, all she cared for was that her mentor was back.
“Your majesty”, said Caesar as he approached Celestia. “I sincerely apologize for letting this happen to you. As a member of the royal guard, I feel as though I have failed you and am very regretful.” The three brothers rolled their eyes.
“There’s nothing to apologize for, Caesar”, said Celestia. She looked toward everyone in what was left of the room. “If anything, I should thank each one of you. Equestria is in your debt for what you all gave to protect it. And for that you have my respect and gratitude. So with all my and all of Equestria’s heart, thank you.” The group stood up with expressions of honor. They suddenly heard a groan coming from the back of the room as they noticed a dark body lying on the ground.
Celestia stepped forward as she approached the being on the ground. Caesar wanted to stop her, but Twilight put a hoof against him. The being on the ground had a light, midnight blue body color with a large horn and a pair of wings. Her light blue mane and tail was in all kinds of a mess as she rubbed the grogginess from her eyes with her hoofs which wore light blue heels. When her emerald eyes met Celestia she immediately cowered back, the armor and crown that Nightmare Moon wore hung loosely on her. She breathed heavily as sweat formed in her forehead.
“Princess Luna”, said Celestia in a calm tone and a small smile. “It’s been many years since I’ve seen you like this.” The alicorn, named Luna, still shrunk back as Celestia stood in front of her. Celestia got down on her knees to make herself appear smaller as she neared to be double the size of Luna. “It’s time we put our differences behind us, after all, we were meant to rule together my sister.”
A record scratch could be heard in the minds of everyone that was there. Gojira, especially, seemed nervous after realizing that he had just tried to kill the sibling of the ruler of Equestria.
Celestia extended a hoof toward Luna. “Will you accept my friendship?”, she asked in a quiet tone.
Luna back at her hoof and then at Celestia’s face. There didn’t seem to be a single ill-fitted nerve in her body as the smile she gave was one of the most genuine that she had ever seen. She reached her hoof out, only to jump forward and wrap her front hooves around her sister. Tears ran down her face as she buried her face into her sister’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I missed you so much big sister”, she said in between breaths. Even Celestia couldn’t help but shed a tear.
“I missed you too”, she said. After a thousand years or more, the princess of the sun had finally been reunited with the princess of the night.
Pinkie Pie sniffed as she wiped a tear from her eye with a tissue that appeared from nowhere. She then ran up to the three brothers. “So, is it now finally time for a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party”, she asked.
The three brothers looked at each other before they all nodded in agreement. “Alright, fine”, said Gojira. Her smile and eyes couldn’t be any wider.
“Yay”, she exclaimed in pure happiness. “You’re gonna love it there’s gonna be cake, presents, balloons, candy, punch, a bouncy castle, a magician, music…
As she continued, Gojira turned towards his brother. “I imagine this isn’t exactly how you picture your first day in Ponyville would go”, he asked with an eyebrow raised.
“You kidding? Traveling through a forest filled with dangerous creatures, crossing a ravine, nearly losing my brother, and almost being killed by an evil alicorn”, said Rodan as his enthusiasm grew. He then put on a large smile. “Sounds like a Tuesday.”
Gojira and Anguirus looked at each other before all three of them started to laugh. They couldn’t wait to see what today would bring. Their first day in Ponyville was complete, though none of them knew it, their journey had barely begun.
The group walked out of the ruined temple. Gojira limped due to his busted leg as his brothers helped him walk. Pinkie continued to name different activities she wanted at the party which had been changed to a ‘Welcome To Equestria After A Thousand Years And It’s Okay You Tried To Take Over Equestria’ party. And the two sisters walked side-by-side, knowing that they had a lot to catch up on.
As they did so, however, no one managed to notice the cloaked figure that stayed hidden in the bushes that stood near the temple entrance. When the group had fully left, the figure quickly entered. They ran through the halls of the temple, occasionally looking at a map that they held on to. The map depicted the temple and a large X that was on a part of the map that didn’t depict a room or hall. The figure put the map back in their satchel that they carried and continued through the halls.
As they rounded a corner, they saw a hall with several doors. Most of them were opened, including the one that they had looked for. As they entered the room, they walked through a dark stone hallway with a door that was also opened. In an instant, they ran through the door to be met with several pedestals. Most of them were empty, including the one at the end of the room.
“Damn it”, said a feminine voice as she gritted her teeth which were sharper than normal.
She looked around the room to see if it had fallen or was on a different pedestal, but it was if it never even existed. She grew frustrated and punched one of the pedestals, causing it to crack and whatever was on it to fall off. The trinket that landed on the ground appeared to be some kind of jewel that depicted several squiggly outlines of different colors. The jewel itself was in the shape of a diamond with small, curved horns on the sides. Its small size didn’t bother her at first, but its color scheme and shape managed to intrigue her enough to grab it.
The jewel was tied around a string that made it look like some kind of necklace. Not wanting to risk putting it on, she put the jewel in her satchel and grabbed a small, pink crystal. She threw crystal on the ground, causing it to shatter. The pieces of the crystal sparked and formed electric bonds that took the shape of a portal.
Without any hesitation, she walked through the portal which quickly vanished soon afterwards, leaving nothing but the haunting sound of silence behind.
After a night filled with incredible amounts of danger and action, and a day filled with non-stop partying, the three brothers were all looking forward to a night filled with nothing but sleep and peaceful bliss. With the sun beginning to set, Caesar led the three brothers back to their house. He stayed primarily close to Gojira as he continued to limp with his busted leg that seemed to have healed itself.
“Phew!”, exclaimed Rodan. “Pinkie really knows how to handle a party.”
“You got that right. I’m gonna have to brush my teeth for an entire month for all the sweets and food that was there”, said Anguirus.
“Yeah, that was nice and all”, added Gojira. “But personally, I’m more looking forward to a long night of sleep.”
“I believe we all do”, said Caesar as they neared the brother’s residence. He turned to face them. “Now remember-”.
“We know, we know”, interrupted Rodan. “Don’t let others see the kaiju spirits, we’re abnormally tall stallions, yadi yada.” While Rodan intended it to be a joke, Caesar didn’t laugh.
“Well that statement holds extra truth now that you three hold a reputation”, said Caesar with heavy sternness in his voice. “You three are now known as the ones who helped save Equestria from Nightmare Moon. As a result, you may attract some attention whether from your spirits or not.”
That hadn’t crossed any of the three brother’s minds. It wasn’t everyday that someone would save an entire country from an evil alicorn who wanted to shroud it in darkness. Though it was the mane six who dealt the final blow, they still played a significant factor in their success. To the point where during the party, Celestia went up and thanked each one of them individually. With an honor as high as that, some form of recognition would soon follow. It was also during that party where Gojira had a certain thought that crashed it for him.
“Caesar”, he said with a deterred voice, catching Caesar’s attention. “If Luna was Nightmare Moon and I fought her, I’m guessing that means…”
Caesar thought about it for a moment as he let out a sigh. “None of us could’ve predicted that Luna was Nightmare Moon, so I won’t hold you in regard to that”, said Caesar. “However, although I do not wish to do so, I am going to have to tell her about our secret before she tells this to Celestia.”
Anguirus looked down at the ground with a look of disappointment. “So, I’m guessing that means we’re moving again”, he said. This statement lessened the mood of Rodan.
He expected Caesar to agree with him, but instead he shook his head. “No, that wouldn’t be necessary”, said Caesar, eliciting a look of surprise from Anguirus and a look of relief from Rodan. “With Luna being Celestia’s sister, she would more than likely have a high role in Canterlot. And with me now having to tell her about the kaiju spirits, there wouldn’t be any point in moving.”
“I thought you said you wanted to keep the spirits a secret”, said Gojira.
“I know what I said, however if I managed to convince Luna to keep this a secret, then you three may still be able to call this place home”, said Caesar as he gestured to their house. “We simply can’t afford the public finding out about them, otherwise everything that we’ve been through and sacrificed would be all for naught.”
Gojira let out some steam from the last statement. ‘More like what we sacrificed.’
“Now then, I must see to it that I escort the princess and her sister back to Canterlot, and that you three get some rest since you’ve more than earned it”, said Caesar. He looked at each one of them. “I’ll be sure to check on you three at least once a week as I’m confident that things are now going to be busier than ever back at Canterlot.”
“Well, you can always bunk on the couch”, joked Rodan.
Caesar walked up to Anguirus. “You have managed to keep your spirit hidden, but you’ve yet to fully learn how to control it”, said Caesar. “Remember to be patient, keep a calm mental mind, and don’t be afraid to ask for your sibling’s help.” Anguirus nodded, though he felt he had been told that same statement at least a hundred times.
Caesar then turned towards Rodan. “Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. With this town being bigger than all of the other places you’ve all lived in, it’s important to stay more active and lively”, he said. “It’s still your life after all, choose to live it as you see fit.” Rodan nodded, he was especially happy with that part.
Finally, Caesar faced Gojira. The two stared each other down for a few seconds until Caesar spoke up. While his first two statements were more so directed at all three of them, he had mainly wanted Gojira, and his spirit, to hear this.
“And please, keep each other safe”, he said. Gojira nodded, both physically and mentally.
With everything needing to be said, Caesar walked away from the three brothers and looked back towards them. “I hope you three will make yourselves at home here”, he said.
Rodan placed his hooves around his brother’s necks. “Believe me, we definitely will”, said Rodan with a smile that carried over to his siblings.
Caesar nodded and thus, turned and started to walk away, leaving the three brothers. Although he didn’t show it, truth be told he was still a bit hesitant about his actions. Not just with telling Luna about the spirits, but more so leaving the three in a larger town than they were used to. He felt his mind start to race as his horn flashed.
‘You’re still not sure if what you’re doing is right.’
Caesar let out a sigh. “I feel as though I don’t have a choice, Alpha”, said Caesar quietly. “A lot has happened in the last couple days, hay, the last couple years that I’m not entirely sure if they’re going to be ready.” He heard silence for a few seconds.
‘Your worry is justified, but what you’re doing is far from selfish. What could you possibly imagine would’ve happened if you hadn't given us to the colts.’
“They would’ve lived normal childhood lives”, said Caesar.
‘They wouldn’t have the time to learn. And that’s why we’re here. To teach them, to protect, and one day, reconnect with them. Then they will be ready for the day.’
Caesar’s horn flashed as his mind quit racing. Even despite what Alpha said, a sense of fear still remained. He felt the day was coming earlier than he had hoped. He walked back toward the town hall where the chariot to Canterlot awaited, he was soon going to meet with a good friend.
Meanwhile, the three brothers had entered their house. The sun had already set as they got ready for the night. Gojira was in the bathroom, wrapping his leg in bandages despite the fact that the wound had essentially been fully healed. Anguirus walked in on him.
“I don’t get it”, he said in a confused tone. “Why are you putting a bandage on if you don’t need it?”
“Well we know that I don’t, but others don’t”, said Gojira as he tore the last of the wrap with his sharp teeth. Anguirus nodded in understanding.
“Ok, got it”, he said. He walked up to the sink and grabbed a toothbrush. “I still can’t believe what happened today, I mean, we saved Equestria! How many stallions can say that?”
Gojira shrugged. “I don’t know, though that will make it harder to fit in than it already is”, said Gojira. He was about to leave when he was stopped by Anguirus.
“Hey, Goji”, he said in a conflicted tone. “Those six mares we met in the forest, what’s your opinion about them?”
Gojira looked down in thought for a few seconds before raising his head. “I’m not sure how I feel”, he said. “They do seem kind, however I’m more focused on training than anything else. Though I will admit, I do hold respect towards them and, for me, that’s better than any form of friendship.” He turned to head upstairs.
“Ok, but what if they were to find out about…”, Anguiurs wasn’t sure how to end the sentence, “you know.” Gojira stopped, his neutral expression was worn like a mask. He slightly turned his head so he could barely see his younger brother.
“I would prefer it that they didn’t”, he said as he walked toward the staircase. “Goodnight, Aang.” Anguirus went back to brushing his teeth, the words of Fluttershy were being replayed in his mind. He was still hoping they were true.
Rodan was currently upstairs in his room. The bedrooms in the house were fairly standard with a bed, closet, window, and small chest with a couple blankets inside of it. They fit the theme of the rest of the house with beige colored walls and wood trimming. For Rodan, the fact he got a room to himself was enough for him to like them. It gave him a sense of privacy, which was what he needed right now. His wing opened as he pulled out the old book he found back at the temple. He had kept it hidden during the party as he didn’t want anyone else finding it. And yet even after having it for several hours, he still didn’t know what it was nor what the symbol on the front meant.
“You sure we can’t share this with the others”, he asked.
‘Positive, at least until the day we may need it. I’ve been around for several centuries and yet I have little knowledge of what this could possibly be.’
The small gem in the center of the book reflected the ceiling light as if it were a mirror. Rodan saw his silhouette in the gem, it was enough to cause him to shudder.
‘But it feels so important.’
Rodan didn’t want to question further. He walked up to the chest in his room and placed the book under a stack of blankets. As soon as he closed it, he heard his door open causing him to frantically turn, only to be met by his older brother.
“Goodnight Rodan”, said Gojira with some dreariness in his voice.
“Goodnight Goji”, said Rodan as he contained a heavy sigh of relief.
“Be sure to wake up early tomorrow morning, I would like to start our training as soon as possible”, said Gojira. Rodan let out a groan.
“Oh come on, it’s the weekend”, said Rodan with the tone of a young colt. Gojira kept his expression.
“What are you, seven years old?”, he asked. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, goodnight.”
As soon as Gojira left, Rodan turned back toward the chest. He felt guilty for keeping it secret from his brothers, but until he got some semblance of what it was, he thought it was best to do so. Believing it was safely secured, he turned off his bedroom lights and used his wings to jump onto his bed, and not before long, he and his brothers were fast asleep.
As the moon shone on the mountains of Equestria, several beautiful details could be seen, almost like a separate identity that only appeared at midnight. From the snow covered tops to the base where the older and larger boulders lay. They were home to all kinds of animals, plants, and above all else, the breathtaking view. They were also home to several caves of all kinds of different sizes and shapes. Some were used as shelter for animals that seeked warmth, others housed the minerals that kept the buildings and castles standing and the fossils that held pieces and stories of the past.
In one of the larger caves in a mountain, a couple of stallions stood at the entrance, one of them pacing back and forth with a look of impatience plastered on his face. The stallion was a simple pony with a dark green body color. His mane and tail were light gray with curved tips of hair, his tail was also sleek and thin. The tips of his hooves had light gray highlights and eye color consisted of a combination of a yellow iris and orange pupil. He stamped around as he grew more and more reckless.
“Where the hay are they”, he said with a noticeable Brooklyn accent that made his voice sound deeper than expected. “They’ve been gone for almost a day now.”
His colleague rolled his eyes in annoyance. While the other pony stood at a reasonable height, his figure was more well built and bulkier. His mane was a darker shade of gray when compared to the other, though it was messier and obviously unkempt. His body color was all kinds of different shades of gray and black with his under belly being a lighter shade than the rest of his body. His tail was in a similar manner to his mane as it was rougher and shorter than the others. His eyes were yellow with one of them having a noticeable scar. He looked at his former pony friend with a scowl.
“Junior, is there ever going to be a day where you don’t get on my nerves”, said the larger stallion with a gruff voice. Junior stopped talking and turned to face him.
“Shut up, Orga”, he yelled before he started pacing again. “Des has been pushing us to find that stupid book for the past week now and we’ve come up with little to nothing. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not be the one he goes after when his patience runs empty.”
Orga scoffed at this. “Will you chill for once”, he said. “Besides, we finally have a lead on where it could be. Why do you think Biollante has been gone for so long?” His words did little to calm Junior.
“That’s the problem, I don’t know why she’s been gone for so long”, said Junior as he got in the face of Orga. “For all we know, she could either have gotten lost while finding that stupid temple, or she did find the book and has now ditched us to keep it for herself.” That last statement sent a wave of anger into Orga as he bucked Junior in the head.
“Don’t you ever say that about her!”, he yelled out. Junior gave him a deep glare.
“Why you son of a-!”, he said before charging at him.
Junior pounced toward Orga as he shoved him back. However, because of his larger build, Orga barely scooted a couple inches. Using his larger body strength, he tossed Junior to the ground and stepped on his chest with his hoof. Junior squirmed before using his rear legs to kick Orga in the rear. Orga’s hoof was lifted off his chest, but not before he bit into it, extracting a yelp of pain from Orga. He pried his leg away from Junior’s jaws as he stepped back, allowing him to stand up. The bite that was left wasn’t deep, but sent a torrent of anger in Orga.
“You little-!”, he exclaimed and was about to charge at him.
His sentence and movement was interrupted by the sound of a roar and a flapping of wings as a figure that was of similar size to Orga flew toward them. He was a dragon with large, dark, beige colored wings with spikes hanging from the tips. His body color was a combination of different shades of green with his underbelly consisting of light yellow scales. He had a row of spikes that went along his body before ending at the base of his tail, which was surprisingly long for a dragon. His head was mostly normal with a large snout and fangs, but he had three horns, two on each side with one in the center, on his head and some form of a beard forming on his lower jaw. His dark green eyes with thin slits glared at the two as he flew to the ground landing on his feet. His presence caused both Orga and Junior to revert their attention to him.
“Gryphon!”, exclaimed Junior in a surprised tone of voice. “Did you find the book or anything of use?” He was hoping he didn’t notice his and Orga’s quarrel.
Gryphon stared at Junior with unmoving eyes and heavy breaths before he stepped out of the path of someone as they climbed up the rocky surface. She was a unicorn with a body type that was of similar size to Junior, if a bit larger. Her body color was a light green with her mane and tail being dark green. Speaking of, her mane was long as it had to be curled up into a barrette though her tail didn’t have such restraint. Her face, while very feminine, had certain features that you wouldn’t see on an average mare such as the large orange eyes and red horn which stood out from her green color scheme. She was also the only one with a cutie mark which depicted a beautiful rose with several vines surrounding it. She was wearing a large coat which kept most of her figure hidden and was wearing a satchel that swayed side to side as she walked toward them. Gryphon greeted her with a nod, Orga formed a small smile, and Junior wore a look of impatience as he approached her.
“Where is it?”, he asked her with spite in his voice. Biollante looked at him.
“Where’s what”, she replied with a tone of voice that made it clear she was acting clueless. Something Junior didn’t appreciate.
“The book!”, he exclaimed. “The thing we’ve been looking for this past month. The thing that if you didn’t find, Des would have each of our heads!”
“Oh, yes, that thing”, said Biollante as she followed with a short laugh. “I didn’t find it.”
Junior, who earlier was so irritated that the sound of a pin dropping would upset him, had his jaw lying on the floor as heard this. Orga looked at Biollante with a fairly surprised expression.
“Wait, seriously?”, Orga asked quizzically. “What kind of temple holds artifacts as powerful as the elements of harmony, but doesn’t hold some old book with pages made of dust?”
Biollante merely shrugged. “Not this one, apparently. Perhaps it disintegrated or something, after all, that place is practically thousands of years old”, she joked, though only she laughed.
“You’re…telling me, that this temple, a place which is a vault for all kinds of powerful and ancient artifacts of Equestria”, Junior stated before his tone changed to incredible anger, “doesn’t have one, stupid book!?” His anger was merely laughed off by Biollante.
“It’s cute just how angry you can get”, she said as she ruffled his mane with her hoof. Junior huffed angrily. “Although I couldn’t find the book, I did find something interesting.” Her horn ignited in a light green aura as her satchel opened and out levitated a colorful diamond necklace.
The necklace seemingly glistened in the night as its colors beamed. It did seem like an impressive piece of jewelry, at least in the eyes of three out of the four. To Junior, it made him even more upset as he put his hoof against his forehead.
“I don’t care about some stupid necklace”, spat Junior. “And I highly doubt Des will either.” Biollante rolled her eyes.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t expect you to”, she said with a smile. “There weren’t that many artifacts inside of that temple, the last of them had been taken by the cleanup crew.” Junior and Orga looked confused.
“What do you mean by that?”, asked Orga. Biollante waved her hoof in reassurance.
“Eh, it’s not that important”, she said before turning back toward the gem. “However, this was one of, if not the only artifact left in that temple. No one seemed to want it.” Junior’s eyebrows lowered.
“You do realize”, he said, “if that’s the last artifact in the temple, and is something no one wants, then it’s more than likely completely and utterly, useless!” He shouted in order to make his point, but the others barely seemed deterred.
“Or, it’s just something that nopony thought about”, said Biollante. “It could be that with its small size, everypony believed that it wasn’t useful and not worth their time.” She turned at Junior. “After all, that’s what you thought.”
“And what I think is fact”, exclaimed Junior. “This thing is completely unhelpful for us and you have just wasted your time ogling it, instead of looking for what we really needed?” Orga gritted his teeth as he stepped forward.
“At least she found something that could be of help”, he exclaimed as he leaned into Junior’s face. “Don’t you remember the time where you thought you found the book in some random forest, only for it to turn out to be a large piece of bear po-”
“Will you shut up!”, yelled Junior as he shoved Orga. Orga gave him a deep glare and started to approach him until.
“That’s enough from both of you”, boomed a voice from inside the cave. All four of them froze and turned toward the cave with wide eyes, even Gryphon couldn’t help but tense up.
Out from the cave stood a tall being, even taller than both Orga and Gryphon. His entire body was plastered with dark, brick red scales with the only part not having them being his mane, which was incredibly spiky and short. His pure yellow eyes were accompanied with a mouth filled with a ton of mangled teeth, which were accompanied by a large yellow horn which was incredibly sharp. His horn alone gave him a presence, but the large, demonic wings, which were practically the size of his body, were complete overkill. His legs had spikes circling different parts of his legs such as his knees and his hooves. His chest had what looked to be a hole covered by white mandibles. Although he lacked a ponytail, his actual tail was very long with the tip having a sharp pair of claws the size of his head. Finally, on his hind leg was a circular emblem that depicted some kind of demon with a horn, large wings, and a wicked smile. He was an abomination, one that struck fear in the hearts of anyone, he could cause an entire room to grow cold just by being there, he was able to break even the strongest of nerves, he both looked and felt like a monster.
All four stared at him for a few seconds, before Junior bowed down to him. “M-My lord, I-I thought you were out scouting”, he stuttered.
“I finished early”, said Des in a deep raspy voice that bellowed. “And from what I heard, our lead was incorrect I assume?” He looked toward the four, causing Junior to immediately rise.
“It was her”, he said while pointing at Biollante. “She failed to retrieve the book from the temple.” His statement received a glare from both Biollante and Orga until Des turned toward them.
“Did you now”, said Des as he approached the unicorn whom he towered over. “I was confident that we had pinned the location of the Kyojin Tome”, he leaned down till he was mere inches from Biollante, “are you positive it wasn’t there?”
Biollante started to sweat as her eyes were wide with fear as she stared at Tartarus in alicorn form. “W-Well…umm…y-yes, my lord, it wasn’t there”, said Biollante with fear trickling from her throat. “Th-Though, I did manage to find something.” She levitated the gem toward Des.
The green aura was replaced with a deep yellow one as Des’ horn lit up to show he was now holding the gem. He looked at it with curiosity, taking the colors and overall shape of the gem. He slowly moved away from Biollante, allowing her to finally take a breather.
“I know it doesn’t look like much, my lord”, piped in Orga. “But if it was in the same temple as the elements then surely it must have some kind of importance.” Des didn’t respond as he seemed to be mesmerized by the look of the gem.
“You kidding”, said Junior. “What could that thing have that the elements or the Kyojin Tome didn’t?” He turned toward Des. “My lord, I must say, that gem was probably just somepony’s accessory that they probably lost.” Des didn’t respond, causing Junior to grow nervous. “It’s a useless, meaningless, and completely unhelpful piece of-”
“Junior!”, exclaimed Des. One word was enough to cause Junior to immediately stop talking and cower back.
Des turned toward Biollante. “You say you found this in the temple”, he asked. Biollante rapidly nodded. Des looked down at the gem. It seemed so small and so insignificant, its bright colors gave it a toyish vibe, it looked more so like some filly took a bunch of crayons and scribbled all over it. Junior was right, it looked useless. At least, looks wise. A small grin formed on Des’ face.
“Perhaps, at least for right now, we may not need the Kyojin Tomb”, he said as he began to walk back into the cave. The group, especially Junior, ranged from wide eyes, to some having their jaws drop to floor so fast it sounded like an anvil.
“B-But, my lord”, cried Junior as lifted his jaw off the ground and ran after Des, followed by the others. “What do you mean by that? You can’t possibly say that this piece of inexpensive jewelry is just as valuable as the Kyojin Tomb.”
“Of course not”, said Des as he didn’t bother looking at Junior. “Though, it should act as a key to something that’ll make a fine replacement until we find the Kyojin Tomb.” The more he looked at the gem, the wider his smile became. “Or, should I say, someone.”
Junior and the others looked confused. “I don’t understand?”, said Biollante. “What do you mean by who?”
Des abruptly stopped and turned toward the four. Junior, Orga, Biollante, and Gryphon all waited in anticipation for an answer. “I assume you all are aware of Equestrian history?”, asked Des, eliciting nods from everyone. “Then I must also assume that you all know about the bringer of chaos himself?” He didn’t say the name, but the mention of his nickname was enough to cause everyone’s eyes to widen. They had all read stories about him, but Des couldn’t have been serious.
“D-Des”, stuttered Junior, “you don’t mean-”
Des nodded. “As we all know the story, the bringer of chaos, or Discord, was defeated when the two princesses used the elements of harmony to imprison him in stone, never to be released”, stated Des, until he lifted the gem with his horn. “Until now. This is the gem of mayhem, within it contains a small amount of the chaotic magic that he used to take over Equestria. It’s stated that if it is ever to be reunited with its master, then he would be freed from his captivity and fall under the command of thee who freed him.” The four looked at each other with curiosity.
“So, you want to set Discord free and make him bring back the kaiju?”, asked Orga.
Des chuckled, showing a very toothy grin. “Indeed”, he said as he looked over the gem. “Just imagine, a being with limitless power, one who is able to change all of reality at his will, under my control.” Des was practically fantasizing about it.
“B-But, what about the Kyojin Tomb?”, asked Junior who looked fairly reluctant about the whole idea. “You don’t plan on abandoning our primary goal, right?”
Des still refused to look at anything other than the gem. “I would never do so”, he said. “Though, with an opportunity as great as this, I must seize it.” His yellow eyes gleamed as he ogled the gem. Orga and Biollante were fairly mixed on how they felt and Gryphon stayed fairly neutral, Junior was very apprehensive.
“B-But, my lord, w-we must think logically about this. Releasing a being with this much power could be more catastrophic for us than anyone else”, said Junior.
“I don’t imagine so”, added Biollante. “If Discord were to follow our commands, then wouldn’t that be good for us?” Des merely nodded.
“Indeed it would”, he said to himself.
“Ok, but how do you plan on reuniting that thing with him”, stated Junior as he pointed at the gem. “Discord is nothing but a statue at Canterlot, likely heavily guarded. So how are we supposed to bring the gem of mayhem to him?”
“Must you always ask obvious questions”, said Orga with an eye roll. Junior glared at him.
“I’m asking questions that refer to common sense”, said Junior. “Something that you could learn from.” Orga’s eyes widened in anger as he turned toward Junior with his teeth clenched.
“I’ll show you some common sense”, he exclaimed and tried to approach Junior, but Biollante held him back.
“Enough! Both of you”, roared Des as he finally took his eyes off the gem. All four of them looked at him with fear and wide eyes as Orga slowly backed away. His yell echoed throughout the cave with it then transitioning into a screech. Des looked toward Gryphon. “By tomorrow morning, be sure to scout around Canterlot”, he directed. “Give us a general idea of where he is and what would be a good area for stealth.” Gryphon nodded before turning toward the entrance and flying away.
As he left, Des turned toward Orga and Biollante. “The two of you will continue searching for the Kyojin Tomb”, he ordered. “It’ll take time to free the bringer of chaos, though it shalln’t affect us from achieving our main goal.” The two looked at each other with uncertainty.
“But, where else is there to search?”, asked Biollante. “We’ve looked through every forest, every mountain, every canyon, almost every square foot of this whole mountain side.”
Des approached her with heavy hoofsteps. “I don’t care if it’s at the bottom of the ocean”, he exclaimed. He leaned toward Biollante. “If we have to search through all of Equestria and more, the Kyojin Tomb will be in my hooves, even if I have to sacrifice my own soul for it.”
Biollante gulped from the closeness. “N-No problem, my lord”, she stuttered. “Me and Orga will start looking for it first thing tomorrow, when we’re fully energized that is.” She smiled to ease her tension, though Des merely scoffed.
“Then go and rest”, he demanded. “These quarters exist for a reason you know.” Biollante figurosly nodded as she and Orga quickly galloped into one of the small caves that were connected to the larger one.
With them gone, Des and Junior were now left alone. The tension was so thick that it could stop an arrow, at least that’s what it felt like for Junior. Des merely stared at him, his own eyes being able to pierce through his soul. Junior started to sweat until Des finally spoke up.
“The day is nearing, Junior”, said Des as he stood at his full height of seven feet. “And you’ve still not made up your debt.” Junior tried looking for something else to focus on, but couldn’t.
“I-I…I deeply…apologize, my lord”, he stuttered, feeling as though he knew where this was going. “B-But I’ve more than made up for it with my loyalty to you and the others. As I said to you, I’m forever grateful.” Des seemed barely moved.
“That’s certainly true. However, answer me this, Junior”, he said as he leaned down to his eye level. “Is thou loyalty genuine, or merely a fad to get ahead in life?”
He looked Junior directly in the eyes when he said that, filling him with anxiety and fear that only few could relate to. He felt as though he was staring at the devil himself. He coughed into his arm to clear his throat, though it was more so a way for him to have a break from Des’ never ending gaze.
“My lord, of course I am genuine”, he said in a weaker voice. Des continued to stare at him, his yellow increasing in brightness. “I have shown nothing but my thankfulness for you and your cause, after all why wouldn’t I.” A look of disgust was plastered on his face as he remembered bits of his past.
“I used to be nothing more than a shell of what I was to become, so broken and dead from what this world had taken from me”, he said, looking out into the star-filled night. “And then you came. You told me what you had been planning for the future of this disgraceful land, and I choose to follow through with it. I have nothing more to lose, as this world has nothing more to take from me.” He faced Des and bowed in front of him. “I am, and forever will be, in your debt.”
Des stared at him for a good while, his gaze having not faltered. Junior stayed on the ground, hoping that his words would have a greater effect. With his head facing down, Junior couldn’t tell what Des was thinking, though he doubted he could’ve even if he was facing him. His breath returned to him when he heard hoofsteps walking away from him. He looked up to see Des walking away, going deeper into the cave.
“Make some room”, he called out. “We’ll soon be having ourselves a visitor.” Junior quickly stood and entered his quarter, a massive weight was off his chest, at least for right now.
As Des walked deeper and deeper into the cave, the light started to fade and soon it was only his eyes that were his source of light. The sound of his hoofs stomping into the stone ground echoed throughout the several halls and stalagmite that made up the interior. He soon entered another section of the cave, one that actually had light in the form of a heated lantern that rested alongside several tables and books. He set the gem of mayhem on one of the rotten wooden planks that made up one of the tables. Even with what little light there was, its colors still remained vibrant. His quarters were farther away from the entrance than the others due to certain seasonal changes that he never favored.
Another reason why these were his quarters were the large paintings that were sprawled across the walls. Due to several centuries having passed, whatever was used to make them was starting to fade and chip. However, Des still managed to make out what they represented. They depicted large creatures with several monstrous features such as wings, claws, sharp teeth, spikes, tails, and horns. There were two however that they mainly focused on. One was of a large reptilian monster with a long tail and large spikes which made it look like it was carrying a mountain on its back. The other was a three headed dragon with two tails, a pair of large wings, and lightning striking in the background.
Des had always been mesmerized by the painting. Others saw it as a memory from a long distant past, others remembered it as a legend told from grand-old ponies, some even thought they were made up. To Des, they were fate. A dispute that never had a definitive end, what was supposed to be the final days turned into a new beginning. And he hated that. This wasn’t how the story should’ve ended, how history should have played out.
“They’ll soon know the truth”, he said to himself. “They soon will.” He kept repeating that to himself, a way to reassure his mind of what was soon to come.
(The Next Day)
Gojira sat in the center of the forest completely stiff as if he were made of stone. His eyes were completely shut as he listened to his surround sounds as his ears twitched. He heard the sound of birds, the wind, even the occasional acorn that fell from a tree. It was the daunting noise of a small pile of leaves being crushed that caught his attention.
His eyes shot open as he intercepted an incoming attack from Anguirus by blocking his punch with his own hooves. He pushed Anguirus back before swinging his tail around, hitting Anguirus in the chest and sending him sliding back. Gojira barely had time to rest as he heard the flapping of wings from behind him.
He turned to be met with Rodan, flying at him with his hoof extended as an attempt to deliver a blow. However, Gojira managed to dodge it by leaping out of the way. He then grabbed Rodan’s tail with his jaws. Rodan tried to fly away, but couldn’t break from his brother’s grasp. Using his great strength, Gojira pulled Rodan back and threw him to the ground. Rodan grunted as his back hit one of the trees.
Gojira stood in the middle of where his brothers lay dazed and groggy. “You both need to work on your stealth”, he said as went over to help Anguirus up. “When sneaking up on someone, you have to take every aspect of your surroundings into consideration. Even the smallest of things.” He gestured to the leaves that were scattered in the ground.
Gojira then walked over to Rodan who was leaning against the tree he bumped into. “And you need to give your opponent zero indication of where you are or when you’ll attack”, he said. Rodan merely rolled his eyes.
“I know all that”, said Rodan. “It’s hard when your eyes can’t handle the morning sun.” He rubbed his eyes with his hooves, his stomach then growled eliciting a look of embarrassment from him. “And haven’t had breakfast yet.”
Gojira looked at both Rodan and Anguirus, taking in how tired they appeared. “Well then, we’ll have to work on that some more later today”, said Gojira. “At least until you two have regained some energy.” He started walking toward their house. Both Rodan and Anguirus let out sighs of relief as they caught up to their older brother.
While walking, Rodan stretched his wings out. “Man, your morning workouts can be quite vigorous”, he said.
“Well they have to be”, said Gojira.
“I know, but it feels like they’ve been rougher recently”, said Rodan as he folded his wings after hearing a satisfying pop. “I’ve been spraining my wings more than ever.”
“Yeah, and honestly I don’t think I’m qualified for stealthy stuff”, added Anguirus.
“These training sessions are more than just workouts or ‘stealthy stuff’”, replied Gojira. “If we are to master our kaiju spirits, then expect these kinds of activities to become a regular part of our daily routine.”
Anguirus wore a look of hesitation while Rodan was clearly unhappy with hearing that. “We know that this kind of stuff is important and all”, said Rodan, “but we’ve been training and learning this kind of stuff for several years and we’ve already managed to understand the basics. Also, I hardly doubt that Caesar sent us to Ponyville just so we could train some more.”
“Of course he didn’t”, replied Gojira as the three of them reached the back entrance of their house. “However, that was something he was keen on us focusing on while we’re here, and I’m keen on fulfilling that goal.” Gojira entered the house with his brothers in tow.
While Rodan had been more loosely in favor of these training sessions, Anguirus was more neutral towards them. He understood the importance of them and why Gojira had been mainly focused on them, especially after the debacle with Nightmare Moon. However, he also could agree with Rodan. Neither of them had the extreme regenerative abilities that their older brother had, as well as the same level of stamina and strength. Which meant that they couldn’t take the same level of physical strain that he could, something that Gojira seemed to forget about at certain points.
‘Give it a few weeks. Keep this up and soon you’ll be able to match your siblings when it comes to handling our powers.’
Anguirus felt he would need more than a few weeks. As the three entered the house and into the kitchen, Gojira noticed something on the table. It was a small white bag with a string tied around it. Next to it we’re a scroll wrapped up and an envelope with a familiar symbol of the blazing sun. His siblings met his gaze and they too were confused.
“What is all that?”, asked Anguirus.
“I’m not sure, but more so, how did we miss it if it was in the kitchen?”, wondered Gojira. Rodan’s eyebrows lowered.
“Probably when you forced the two of us out the back door to do our special needs exercises”, replied Rodan. He was met with a side glance from his older brother. Gojira grabbed the scroll from the table, unrolled it, and started to read.
“Dear Gojira, Rodan, and Anguirus Zawa. I meant what I said from yesterday. These are your lives, which means that you three choose to spend them how you each want to. But at the same time, you each have the same goal. To work together, to keep each other safe, and to thrive. Inside the bag are some bits, there should be enough to last a whole week, enough time for each of you to find a job. Due to recent events, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to visit you three, but I still intend on doing so. With all that said, I hope you three will enjoy it there in Ponyville. Keep training and keep working hard. Trust me, it’ll all be worth it in the end. Sincerely, Caesar.” At the bottom of the scroll was a short blurb. “P.S. The envelope is from Celestia, consider it a thank you gift.”
After hearing the final sentence, Anguirus grabbed the letter and opened it. One look at the contents of the letter was enough to cause his jaw to go agape.
“Sweet. Celestia”, said Anguirus with an incredulous look.
Rodan walked over to him and looked at what the envelope had to offer. To say the least, he too was just as shocked. Inside the envelope were three golden tickets with the phrase “Admit One” written in bold letters. It was remarkable how a simple small piece of paper held so much value.
“Hey, Gojira”, called Rodan as he grabbed one of the tickets from the envelope. “Check this out.” One glance and Gojira was just as taken aback as they were. Though it could be for different reasons.
“Aw crap”, he whispered.
“Can you believe this”, said Rodan with excitement. “We’ve just been invited to the Gala!”
“I know”, replied Anguirus as he looked over the ticket. “Most stallions would kill to get their hooves in these things.” He looked towards his oldest brother who was still staring at his ticket. “Aren’t you excited, Gojira?”
Gojira was deep in thought. Anguirus was right with these being exceptionally rare. However, instead of being filled with ecstasy, he was filled with anxiety. He was brought out of his thought bubble when Anguirus poked his shoulder.
“Hey, you good bro?”, asked Anguirus.
“Huh…oh, yes I’m fine”, said Gojira. “Just a bit worried is all.”
“What do you mean”, asked Anguirus.
“Well, the gala is an incredibly fancy and high class gathering that I don’t think we’re cut out for”, said Gojira. He could almost picture the number of mares and stallions that could be there. “Plus, it’s a large gathering with who knows how many ponies are going to be there. I don’t want to risk anyone finding out about the kaiju spirits.” Anguirus and Rodan looked at each other then back at their brother.
“I get why you’re upset, Gojira, but this is such a great opportunity that I believe none of us, not even you, can miss out on”, said Rodan with confidence. “These are from Celestia herself, meaning they hold even greater value than the normal invitations. She’s expecting us to be there.”
That thought made Gojira even more nervous though he tried not to show it. “While I’d hate to disappoint her, I’m still unsure about this whole event, with it being so soon after Nightmare Moon’s return”, he replied.
“Goji, there’s no reason to worry this much over. Nightmare Moon is gone and in her place is Celestia’s own sister”, said Rodan. “We should treat this as a moment of honor, not something to be afraid of. In my eyes, this is something we all deserved. If the princess herself trusts us, then what is there even to fear?”
Gojira didn’t hate the idea of going to the gala nor was he against it, he was simply nervous about what would even happen. He felt he could trust his brothers in public with their kaiju spirits, but a fancy gathering was a different story. Nevertheless, he masked this thought and replied with a sigh before staring at his younger brothers.
“I guess you’re right, but I’ll still have to think about it”, said Gojira.
Rodan rolled his eyes. “Alright fine, but you got a few months to do so, while right now I’ve been thinking that for today we should head into town and explore”, he said. Gojira and Anguirus looked at him.
“You want to do what?”, asked Gojira.
“I said we should head into town”, replied Rodan. “As Caesar said in the letter, he expects us to find a place to work. I doubt staying here is going to help us achieve that.”
“You sure?”, asked Anguirus. “I don’t know how others may react to us with the whole Nightmare situation.”
Rodan waved his hoof in disagreement. “Pfft, we’ll be fine. Besides, as Caesar said, other ponies may see us in a positive light. I mean, we did help save Equestria. Would you say anything negative about the mares that also helped?”, he asked.
“Well, no I wouldn’t”, answered Anguirus.
“Exactly, so I think we should do it”, replied Rodan. He turned toward his older brother. “What do you say, Goji?”
Gojira thought about it. It wasn't a bad idea, after all, even he didn’t expect them to spend most of their time either at their house or outside training. However, there was once again that sense of anxiety about the kaiju spirits and him wanting to keep them secret. It was a thought that would always plague Gojira’s mind. Luckily for him, he had a counter for it.
‘He’s not wrong. Just be sure to keep a calm mind and remember. They look up to you. You stay calm, then they will too.’
Gojira looked back at his brother with a small smile. “Sure, I don’t see why not”, he answered. Rodan was beaming.
“Yes!”, he exclaimed. He turned to Anguirus.
“Well, guess I’m outvoted, let’s do it”, Anguirus replied.
“Sweet!”, said Rodan as he practically flew upstairs. After a couple of seconds, he came back down wearing a pair of sunglasses. “What are we standing around for? Let’s go!” He started out the door before being followed by Anguirus.
Before Gojira joined them, he grabbed the tickets and placed them in one of the drawers in the living room, they wouldn’t want to lose them. He then grabbed a satchel, placed the bag of bits in it, and walked out the door, locking it with the key Caesar gave him. As he caught up with his siblings, he took in the weather. The sun shined brightly in the center of the sky with not a single cloud coming close to blocking it. The temperature was hot, but not scorching and there was a nice summer breeze that balanced the temperature out. The ponies, pegasus, and unicorns of Ponyville were out and about. After a night of action and a day filled with non stop partying, it was finally peaceful. Gojira couldn’t have wanted it any other way. As he caught up with his brothers, a sudden thought came to his mind causing him to give Rodan a deadpanned look.
“You wanted us to leave in hopes we would run into Lisa, didn’t you?”, he asked. Rodan’s answer was as blunt as a malet.
Gojira, Anguirus, and Rodan walked through the streets of Ponyville side-by-side. The day was reaching noon meaning that several ponies, pegasus, and unicorns were out and about. Fortunately, the streets weren’t nearly as crowded during the Summer Sun Festival so it was easier to look around without bumping into others. That being said, the brothers walked around the town for a little while, being met with some stares from other ponies. Gojira chose to ignore them, however he could tell that Anguirus couldn’t help but stare back. He could sense that they were dampening his little brother’s mood. They both looked toward Rodan.
“So, do you have any idea on where to go first?”, asked Anguirus. He was met with a shrug.
“Uhh, not really”, answered Rodan. “I was just kinda hoping we would run into something interesting.”
“As in what?”, asked Gojira.
“I don’t know”, replied Rodan. “I guess just something that would catch my attention.” As Rodan faced his brothers, he wasn’t paying attention and bumped into something. Though, from the sound, it was more so someone.
“Hey! Watch it”, cried a voice.
Rodan readjusted his sunglasses and was expecting to be met with a mare that was about to start nagging at him. Instead, he was met with a figure that was similar in size to himself. Her upper body resembled a hawk with her coated in white feathers and a noticeable beak, while her lower body resembled a lion. She had a large pair of wings which she flared out towards Rodan who was frantically more surprised in the fact he had run into a griffon than anything else.
“Uhh, I’m sorry. That was my bad”, said Rodan.
“How about next time you try looking through your other pair, four eyes”, spat the griffon who was still visibly upset.
Rodan was taken aback by her statement. “Uhh…what?”, he asked.
“Did you not hear me? I know you’re blind, but are you also deaf”, exclaimed the griffon.
“Hey, there’s no need to be like that. I said I was sorry”, said Rodan as he tried to diffuse the situation. The griffon merely huffed at him.
“Hmph, whatever, just stay out of my way”, she said before stomping away. She glared at Gojira and Anguirus as she left, who were both trying not to laugh.
When she was gone, Rodan faced his brothers with an annoyed expression. “Thanks for helping, guys”, he said.
Anguirus cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Rodey”, he said. “Though you did say you wanted to run into something that would catch your attention.” He formed a cheeky smile, which Rodan didn’t reciprocate.
“I didn’t mean like that”, exclaimed Rodan. “Besides, who was that? I thought Ponyville was only home to ponies?”
“Probably just a visitor, who knows”, said Gojira.
“I guess, though she did not make a good first impression”, replied Rodan who started walking again.
“For us she did”, whispered Anguirus to Gojira causing them both to chuckle. Rodan glared back at them, which made them act like nothing happened as they too started walking along with him.
After that interesting first encounter, they continued walking, this time keeping a closer lookout for anything that was in front of them. The three remained mostly silent with Rodan still looking annoyed at his brothers who couldn’t help but smile as they recalled the initial event.
“It wasn’t funny”, said Rodan. “She insulted me, it’s not my fault I have to wear these things every time I go outside when the sun’s out.” He gestured to his sunglasses.
“We know, Rodan”, replied Gojira. “We’re just laughing at her insult, it was very bad.” Though he also couldn’t help but find his brother’s reaction to be fairly amusing.
“Well I’m glad you find my misery humorous”, said Rodan with sarcasm.
“We’re sorry Rodey”, said Anguirus. “That’s just something brothers do, you know, joke at each other’s misfortunes.” He then remembered something that forced a grin on his face. “Like that one time Gojira tried making cookies for mom for her birthday and he ended up burning them.” Gojira’s smile which was once fully visible had quickly faded away when Anguirus recalled that memory.
“Oh yeah! And when dad came home and ate one since he thought they were chocolate cookies”, said Rodan. “That was probably the first time I had ever seen a grown stallion gag.” He and Anguirus let out a laugh to Gojira’s slight embarrassment. That was until he remembered something.
“Well, does anyone remember the time when Anguirus broke Dad’s favorite vase”, said Gojira. “He had a few choice words for you.”
A bed of sweat formed on the side of Anguirus’ head. “Yeah, he looked about ready to smack my rear for doing something like that”, said Anguirus.
The three of them had looks of nostalgia as they recalled memories of their childhood. From the good to even the bad, each one had a level of charm that caused each of the brothers to smile. However, those smiles didn’t last long. What should’ve been a nice moment of reflection on their childhoods, turned into frowns and a brief moment of sorrow as they each mentally paid their respects for the ones that had given them those fond memories.
“Those were good times”, said Anguirus, breaking the silence.
“They were always looking out for us”, said Gojira. “And I’m confident that if they were still here, they would’ve wanted us to look out for each other.”
“Yeah”, said Rodan before he put a smile on his face. “So, why don’t we continue exploring instead of standing. This day is too nice to be ruined.” Both Gojira and Anguirus nodded in agreement. “Great, and I think I know where we should go. I remember being told about this place called Sugarcube corner, why not head there.”
“Sure, doesn’t sound too bad”, said Anguirus. He and Rodan started walking until Anguirus remembered something. “Bro, if you want to see Lisa, you could’ve just said so.” Rodan let out a cheeky laugh.
Gojira was about to follow them, when he felt something bump against one of his rear legs. It was followed by a grunt and the sound of someone falling over and dropping some things. Gojira turned around to see several different boxes on the ground with their inners scattered. They contained books, scrolls, some pieces of clothing, and a quilt which was draped over the figure that had supposedly been carrying the boxes.
“Ow”, said the figure from under the quilt. “I’m sorry sir…or madam, I couldn’t see where I was going.” The voice sounded young, implying that it had been a child that had tried to carry the load that was far too large for them.
“Heh, it’s okay”, said Gojira as he lifted the quilt off the kid.
He originally expected the kid to be a colt due to the voice being male. However, when he lifted the quilt, he was met with the face of a young dragon with purple scales and a large pair of green eyes that looked just as surprised as he was. The more Gojira looked at the dragon, the more familiar he was.
“Do I know you?”, he asked. The young dragon stared at him with wide eyes and an agape jaw. While Gojira somewhat recognized him, the dragon knew immediately who he was.
“I-I…y-your”, the young dragon stuttered.
Gojira lifted the quilt off of the young dragon to get a better look at him. The purple color scheme was familiar, but the row of green spikes going along his back and tail in a mohawk-esc style was a dead giveaway.
“Aren’t you the dragon that I saw in Canterlot?”, asked Gojira. “What was your name again?”
“Umm, my name is Spike”, said Spike as he stood up. “I’m sorry for bumping into you, I couldn’t really see where I was going.”
“That’s alright”, said Gojira. “My name is Gojira Zawa and I believe we’ve met before.” Spike nodded.
“Yeah, I saw you at Canterlot”, said Spike. He then remembered how he acted which caused him to wear a slight frown. “I’m sorry if it was a bad first impression, I didn’t mean to be rude.”
Gojira recalled the look of anxiousness and slight fear that Spike wore when they first met. Spike expected him to be upset, but instead Gojira merely shook his head while letting out a small laugh.
“Don’t worry about it”, he said. “I’m honestly quite used to it. I imagine you simply aren’t used to stallions this tall.” Gojira stood to his full height to show what he meant. Despite already knowing about how tall he was, Spike was still taken aback by it.
“Well, yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anypony as big as you are”, said Spike. His voice was starting to transfer into a more curious child-like voice.
“You aren’t the only one”, said Gojira. “But besides that, are you going to need help with all of this?” He gestured toward all of the items scattered on the ground. Spike gasped as he realized this.
“Oh no, I almost forgot”, he said as he started gathering different books and scrolls and threw them in different boxes. “I gotta get these boxes to the Golden Oaks library, I don’t want to keep Twilight waiting.”
“Ok, though are you sure you don’t need any-”, Gojira’s sentence trailed off when Spike’s words registered in his mind. “Wait a minute, did you say-”. He was cut off however when he heard a familiar voice.
“Hey, bro”, Rodan called out as he and Anguirus walked up to him. “What’s taking you so-… what happened here?”, he asked when he saw the mess.
“Let’s just say you aren’t the only one who ran into someone by accident”, said Gojira as he gestured to Spike. Rodan wore a cocky smile.
“And you both laughed at me about that”, he said. Anguirus rolled his eyes. He noticed the small purple dragon who was still placing different items in the boxes.
“My name’s Spike”, he said as he put the last of the stuff in the boxes. “I ran into Gojira at Canterlot, and accidentally did it again right now.” Rodan looked Spike over.
“Yeah, I remember”, he said as he recalled the two’s first encounter, it brought a grin to his face. “It was pretty funny seeing your reaction. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone be so nervous around our older brother.” He put a hoof around Gojira. “You really got a bad habit of doing that.”
Gojira scoffed. “I don’t try”, he said as he moved Rodan’s hoof off of him.
Spike, meanwhile, was trying to stack the boxes on top of each other before trying to lift the entire tower. “Well, it was really…nice…talking to you…three”, he said as he struggled with the large load. “But…I’m going…to have…to, w-whoa-”. When he managed to lift the boxes, he started to lose his balance which caused the boxes to wiggle. They more than likely would’ve fallen had Gojira not run over and helped relieve Spike from the weight. Spike let out a sigh of relief as he swiped sweat from his forehead.
“Phew, thank you”, he said.
“No problem”, said Gojira as he set the boxes down. “Where did you say you were taking this stuff again?”
“To the Golden Oaks library”, answered Spike.
“What for?”, asked Anguirus.
“Because Twilight has decided to set up residence there”, Spike said. “And being her loyal assistant, I’m not only helping her, but will even be joining her.” Anguirus and Rodan both looked fairly surprised.
“Wait, Twilight? As in, Twilight Sparkle”, asked Rodan. Spike nodded.
“Yeah, do you know her?”, he asked.
“Well, apart from us joining her and some other mares on a journey to find the elements of harmony in order to take down a powerful, evil alicorn who wanted to cast an eternal darkness all across Equestria…no not really”, said Rodan. Spike looked shocked.
“Wait, what?”, he asked.
“How about we tell you more while we help you move all of your belongings to your new home”, said Gojira.
“No, don’t worry, I can handle it myself”, reassured Spike. “Besides, by the looks of one of your leg, I don’t want you to overwork yourself.” Gojira looked down at his front leg. He had almost forgotten about the bandages.
“I’ll be fine”, said Gojira. “My brothers will also help, right guys?” Rodan and Anguirus nodded.
Spike thought about it for a moment. “Well, alright”, he said with a bit of uncertainty in his tone.
With that, the three brothers each grabbed a box and put it on their backs. Gojira carried the largest one, causing Spike to look at him with widened eyes. He thought for sure that with an injury like that he would’ve played it safe and carried the quilt or perhaps even stayed home. Gojira noticed him staring.
“Do you need a ride”, he asked. Spike looked surprised.
“Doesn’t that hurt though?”, he asked, pointing at the bandaged leg. “I imagine you wouldn’t want to put force on it, especially while carrying a heavy object.
“Don’t worry, I’ve carried heavier stuff than this”, said Gojira. “Besides, it doesn’t really bother me all that much and you’re gonna have to direct us on where to go since we’re still very new here.” Although Spike was still unsure, the confident look on Gojira’s face made him somewhat less reluctant. He shrugged.
“Well alright then, if you’re so sure”, he said. Gojira leaned downwards and grabbed Spike with his jaws and set him gently on his back.
“So, where to go first?”, asked Anguirus. Spike pointed down the street.
“Down that way”, he said.
With that said, the three brothers started to walk down the street while Spike guided them on where to go. As they walked, Spike kept wondering about something that they had mentioned.
“So, you guys helped Twilight and the others defeat Nightmare Moon?”, he asked.
“Yep, we ran into them in the forest”, said Rodan.
“What were you guys doing in the forest?”, asked Spike.
“We were looking for a friend of ours who had chased after Nightmare Moon since he felt she knew where princess Celestia was”, said Anguirus.
“Did you guys see Nightmare Moon?”, Spike asked.
“See her, we met her”, answered Anguirus.
“Some of us more than others”, said Rodan as he gave Gojira a glance. Spike looked confused.
“What do you mean by that?”, he asked.
“Boy, you ask a lot of questions”, said Gojira who tried to play it off as a joke. “Let’s just say that she wasn’t meant to be taken lightly and thank goodness she’ll no longer be a problem.” Spike was still confused, though by the sound of Gojira's voice it sounded like he didn’t want to talk about it.
“I’m sorry, I’m just really curious since I saw you three at Canterlot about to meet Celestia”, said Spike.
“That’s because we were requested to visit by Celestia herself”, said Rodan. Spike looked very shocked.
“Wow, really?”, he asked.
“Yep, our friend works for the royal guard at Canterlot and he decided that we would head there before we would move to Ponyville”, said Rodan who found the young dragon’s amazement to be quite humorous.
“That must’ve been quite an honor”, said Spike.
“Indeed it was”, said Anguirus.
“Personally, I'm still hung up on why she wanted us in the first place”, said Gojira.
“You can be hung up on just about anything, Goji”, said Rodan. This was met with a stern look from Gojira, but a curious one from Spike.
“What do you mean?”, Spike asked.
“Where to begin”, said Rodan as he gave his brother a teasing grin. “He was nervous about seeing the princess, moving to Ponyville, traveling through the forest, running into Nightmare Moon-”, he was cut off when Gojira gave him a menacing look. “T-Though he did have a reason to be apprehensive, with us moving to a new town and all that eternal…darkness…stuff.” The look Gojira gave him essentially said ‘you got that right’. Rodan’s reaction was enough to cause Spike to let out a chuckle.
“Don’t worry, if it makes you feel better, Twilight can worry about practically anything”, said Spike as he recalled a few memories back in Canterlot.
“Speaking of”, said Gojira. “I thought you two were from Canterlot. Why did you decide to move here?”
Spike merely shrugged. “I don’t really know, she just told the princess and then me that we would be staying here in Ponyville”, said Spike.
“Wouldn’t you want to stay somewhere as high class as Canterlot?”, asked Rodan.
“Well yeah, but I like it here just as much”, said Spike. “There’s all kinds of different buildings, even some that I’ve never seen in Canterlot. Plus, everypony here is really nice and welcoming.” He smiled as the thought of a certain purple haired unicorn came to his mind.
“Well, with the whole Nightmare Moon debacle taken care of, I believe we’ll be staying here in Ponyville too”, said Anguirus.
“Then I hope I’ll be able to see you guys more often”, said Spike. As they walked, the sight of a large tree came into view. “Oh, that’s it. That’s the Golden Oaks Library.” Spike hopped off Gojira’s back and led the three brothers to the front door. “I can’t thank you three enough for your help”, he said.
“It’s nothing, after all, I’d imagine anypony would’ve done the same thing”, said Gojira. His opinion of the young dragon was very positive. Though it seemed that Spike at certain times could be a bit over his head, Gojira could tell that he was simply trying to be helpful which was something he had to commend him for.
‘Reminds me of a certain colt when he was younger.’
Gojira merely rolled his eyes at the thought. Spike opened the door to the inside of the library. The interior of the library looked like the inside of a hollowed out tree stump with wooden grooves spreading across the walls, ceiling, and floor. The shelves holding the books were engraved into the walls of the tree rather than out in the open. There were several reading pedestals near the shelves with the biggest one being stationed in the center of the room with a large wooden statue in the shape of an equine’s head resting atop it. The ceiling had the familiar insignia of the burning sun that the three brothers had seen several times. With it being a library, the entire place gave a quiet and peaceful vibe. As they looked around, the sound of hoofsteps coming from the staircase filled the silence. Soon the hoofsteps were accompanied by a familiar voice.
“Thanks for grabbing our belongings from the carriage, Spike”, said a female voice with a purple colored unicorn following suit. “If you can take the boxes upstairs, that’ll be-” Twilight’s sentence trailed off when she noticed that Spike had brought company.
“Hi Twilight”, said Spike as he smiled. Twilight was so focused on the three brothers that she barely noticed what he said.
“Hello Twilight, nice to see you again”, said Gojira. Twilight shook her to break out of her daze.
“Umm, h-hi”, she said. “It’s nice to see you three too. I had no idea you lived in Ponyville.”
“We actually just moved in”, said Rodan as he set the box he was carrying on the floor. “We were out exploring the town when we accidentally bumped into Spike here.”
“Yeah, they helped bring our stuff here. Gojira even let me ride on his back”, said Spike. Twilight looked slightly surprised after hearing this. She looked toward Gojira.
“Did you really?”, she asked, receiving a nod from Gojira. “Well then, thank you all. Seems like you all have already made yourselves comfortable here in Ponyville.”
“Not yet at least”, said Gojira as he set his box down. “We’ve only been walking around, just waiting for something to catch our attention.” He then formed a small grin. “Or, in the case of my brother here, someone”, he said as he wrapped a hoof around Rodan’s neck. Twilight looked confused.
“What do you mean by tha-”, she asked before being cut off by Rodan.
“He doesn’t mean anything”, Rodan quickly said as he glared at his older brother. Gojira merely laughed from his brother’s face, even Anguirus grinned. However, it wasn’t long until Rodan formed a cheeky smile of his own. “You know, it seems like you both are going to need some help finishing your move in process.”
“I don’t know”, said Spike. “I can move pretty fast.”
“Well, I know a certain stallion who could really speed your process up”, said Rodan as he playfully elbowed his older brother. Gojira’s smile was wiped clean off his face.
“I’m sorry, what?”, asked Gojira, but Rodan simply ignored him as he turned to Anguirus.
“Say, Anguirus, do you want to continue exploring while Gojira stays here to help them move in?”, asked Rodan. One look at his older brother and Anguirus immediately knew what he was planning.
He too formed a grin. “Sure, I’m positive that Goji would be more than happy to stay and help”, said Anguirus.
Gojira at first was confused as to why his brothers wanted to leave so soon, until he realized what Rodan was thinking. Gojira glared at both of his brothers.
“Guys, I’m not staying-”, Gojira couldn’t get his words out as both Rodan and Anguirus quickly hurried out the door.
“Goodbye Twilight, it was nice seeing you again, and you’re welcome Spike”, said Anguirus. Before Rodan could leave, Gojira grabbed him.
“I know what you’re trying to do, Rodey”, whispered Gojira.
“Then you know that what I’m doing is best for you”, Rodan whispered back. “Be sure to not overwork yourself”, he said in a normal tone of voice. Before anyone could say anything, the door shut behind the younger brothers, leaving Twilight and Spike standing in confusion and Gojira in frustration.
“What just happened?”, asked Twilight. Gojira looked back towards both of them with a neutral expression. They both waited in anticipation for him to say something. Instead, he let out an annoyed sigh.
“Sibling banter”, said Gojira. There was then an awkward silence as Gojira walked over to one of the boxes. “So, where do you need this to go?”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that, me and Spike can handle it”, said Twilight as she approached him. “After all, I don’t want you to work with your injury.”
Gojira merely ignored her warning as he put the box on his back. “As I told Spike, it doesn’t bother me that much. If I can handle Nightmare Moon, then a box should be colt’s play”, he said.
Twilight wanted to say otherwise, however one look at his neutral expression and she felt as though it wouldn’t have been worth it. However, speaking of Nightmare Moon, the last time she saw him, Gojira had several bruises, burns, and a very noticeable limp. But less than a day later, aside from his leg, any sign of a mark or scar had completely disappeared. She tried squinting to see if there was any sign of a wound, something Gojira definitely noticed.
“Umm, Gojira-”, she was about to ask, until.
“You faced Nightmare Moon?!”, said Spike with a shocked expression. Both Gojira and Twilight turned to face the young dragon.
‘Aww crap’, Gojira thought. “Well, I wouldn’t exactly say faced, more so…”, he tried thinking of some kind of word, “distracted.” Spike looked confused.
“Me and Gojira ended up running into Nightmare Moon and he distracted her while I tried to search for the elements of harmony”, said Twilight.
“Yes, and that’s where I got this”, added Gojira while gesturing to his bandaged leg. Spike still looked amazed, however.
“Which I have to ask”, said Twilight, turning back around to face Gojira. “How are you doing, recovering wise? I’m just asking since you look a lot better since the last time I saw you.” Gojira looked away for a moment, trying to think of an excuse. He hadn’t thought about his other wounds that had long since fully healed.
“Caesar knows his way around the medical field”, he said. “He managed to heal most of my injuries, apart from my leg which may have to stay like this for a few days.” He hoped his reasoning was good enough for Twilight to believe, though she was still looking at him with confusion. Luckily, Gojira managed to come up with something. “If you wanted to check me out, you could’ve just asked”, said Gojira.
Twilight immediately stiffened as soon as she realized exactly how closely she was looking at him. Her pupils shrank as a major blush formed on her face. “I-I am so sorry! I d-didn’t mean to…I was just looking, I-I mean, not like romantically, just closely…wait, n-no, I mean…”, Twilight felt incredibly embarrassed as she forced herself to look away.
‘Nice way to throw her off.’
“Did I miss something?”, asked Spike, who had been unloading the insides of a box.
Gojira couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Nothing too important”, said Gojira, he then looked at Twilight. “So, where does this need to go?” He gestured to the box on his back.
Twilight, still feeling a bit flustered, managed to compose herself and looked back at Gojira. “Umm, that can go upstairs”, she said before turning to Spike. “Spike, can you show him where that can go?”
Spike gave a confident nod. “You got it, Twilight”, he replied as he started upstairs with Gojira following him. “I’ve got so many questions. How did you manage against Nightmare Moon? Were you scared? Did you see the elements?” His questions continued as they traveled up the stairs. Gojira playfully rolled his eyes.
Meanwhile, Rodan and Anguirus were now walking through the middle of Ponyville by themselves after leaving Gojira at the Golden Oaks Library. Rodan was still snickering to himself over his trick.
“Did you see the look on his face?”, he said with a cheeky smile. Anguirus lightly chuckled.
“Yeah, though, shouldn’t we go back soon to get him? Something tells me he wouldn’t want to stay there for long”, said Anguirus. Rodan merely waved his hoof.
“Don’t worry, we will soon. This is just a nice little way to get back at him for him teasing me”, said Rodan.
Though his answer was believable, Anguirus felt as though there was another reason. “That could be true, or did you just want to leave him alone with Twilight?”, asked Angurius. Even through his sunglasses, Rodan’s smug face was all the confirmation Anguirus needed. “Rodan, though I’m not against it, you know that Gojira is not one for romance.”
“Of course I know that”, said Rodan. “But, it’s been a while since he’s felt any semblance of love for somepony else.”
“He loves us, doesn’t that count?”, asked Anguirus.
“That’s brotherly love, I’m talking about a different kind of love”, said Rodan. “I’m talking about the kind you feel when you’re with a special somepony. When butterflies form in your stomach, when your hooves start to tremble and your heart beats faster when you're near them.” He started to wear dreamy eyes when he thought about a certain mare. Despite his emotions however, a part of him wasn’t all for his idea.
‘He doesn’t have time for stuff like that. He’s more focused on the day to end all days, something you should focus on too.’
Rodan’s spirit’s words went through one ear and out the other. “I just want him to feel that emotion again, and hopefully lighten up as a result of it”, said Rodan.
‘Oh, like the last time that happened went so well.’
Rodan stayed silent for a few seconds as a frown formed on his face, his spirit’s words obviously affecting him. “That was several years ago”, he softly said.
‘Emotional wounds take longer to heal than physical ones. While it takes an arm or leg a few months to fully recover, it can take a stallion’s entire life for their heart to do the same.’
Though Rodan hated to admit it, he agreed with his mind. Anguirus watched as his older brother’s mood started to worsen. He wanted to say something to make him feel better, but couldn’t come up with anything. He looked around and something caught his eyes. A smile formed on his face as he turned back to Rodan.
“It’s Gojira’s choice whether or not he’s willing to accept that kind of love back into his life”, said Anguirus, catching Rodan’s attention before taking a couple steps to the side. “But as for you, I don’t think you really have a say in the matter.” Rodan looked confused.
“What do you mean by-”, before Rodan could finish, he felt some kind of force on his back as he felt a pair of hooves wrap around him. He was majorly taken aback by this as his wings flared up. He at first thought he was being mugged, until he heard the laughter behind him sounding both familiar and feminine.
“Hello again, Rodey”, said the voice.
Rodan turned his head and was met with the happy smile of Lisa mere inches away from his face. She was currently airborne with her wings keeping her in the air as she floated over his back. A small blush formed on his face from the closeness while Anguirus started laughing from seeing his brother’s incredibly flustered expression.
“H-Hey…Lilly”, said Rodan as he stuttered. Lisa giggled as she let go of Rodan and flew in front of the two.
“Lilly, huh? I haven’t heard you call me that in so long”, said Lisa.
“Well, I haven’t been able to call you that ever since you moved to Ponyville”, said Rodan.
“I know”, said Lisa as a small blush formed on her face. “I’m just so happy to see you, especially after what happened that night.”
“Don’t remind us”, said Anguirus. Though she didn’t specify, he easily knew which night Lisa was talking about.
“Besides that, how are you, Lisa?”, asked Rodan.
“I’m good, currently on break at my job, so I decided to take a quick walk and I ended up running into you two”, said Lisa until she formed a confused look. “Though, I remember there being three of you.”
“Oh, Gojira? He’s currently…busy with something”, said Rodan as he lightly chuckled. “Me and Anguirus are simply walking around, trying to get a feel of Ponyville.”
“Really? How’s it been so far?”, asked Lisa.
“So far it’s been going alright. But I imagine for him, it’s now going great”, said Anguirus as he gave Rodan a bump on the shoulder, earning a glare from him.
“Shut up”, whispered Rodan. Anguirus formed a cheeky smile.
Lisa lightly chuckled from Rodan’s expression until an idea formed in her head. “Actually, if you both aren’t doing anything, and seeing how my break is almost up, why not you both come to Sugarcube Corner with me?”, asked Lisa. An excited smile formed on Rodan’s face.
“Yes! Of course”, exclaimed Rodan. He suddenly realized how loudly he said it as a look of embarrassment formed in his face. “Uhh, I mean, uhh…yeah, sure, we’re not doing anything, we’d love to come with you.” A smile formed on his face as sweat formed in his brow. He turned toward his younger brother. “Isn’t that right, Anguirus?”
“Yeah, sure”, said Anguirus as he tried not to laugh.
“Alright then. Come on, it’s not too far from here”, said Lisa gesturing for them to follow her. Before they did, Anguirus leaned toward Rodan.
“Nice save, Rodey”, said Anguirus. Rodan responded with a shove against him.
The trio walked through the streets of Ponyville, being met with either the happy smiles and waves of other ponies. At least for Lisa. For Rodan and Anguirus, the same ponies would give them mere side glances or would look away as soon either of the two would stare back at them. Though Lisa didn’t seem to notice and Rodan mostly didn’t really care, Anguirus was filled with confusion.
‘We saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon, but other ponies still stare at us as if we have six heads or something. Why is that?’, he wondered. He got somewhat of an answer.
‘That may be true, however certain aspects of the story such as Gojira’s fight with Nightmare Moon remained anonymous. It was to ensure that you three would still be seen as normal citizens instead of Equestrian heroes which would’ve made things much harder to fit in. So while others know that you helped the mares in saving Equestria, you’re still seen as…’ Anguirus’ spirit didn’t need to finish his sentence.
“Abnormally tall stallions”, he whispered.
Though Anguirus didn’t notice, Rodan’s ear twitched as he managed to hear his little brother’s words. He didn’t turn around, but he knew where Anguirus was coming since, though he didn’t show it, the stares and glances affected him too.
It didn’t take long until they reached Sugarcube Corner, but even if they didn’t have Lisa as a guide, the brothers could’ve easily tell where the building was. The walls were beige, similar to other houses in Ponyville, but that’s where the similarities ended. The building looked almost exactly like a gingerbread house with several parts of it designed to look like pastries and other desserts. The roof was painted brown with a cookie pattern and the edges of the ceiling were painted white to look like frosting. There was a tower section of the building with the top resembling a giant, pink cupcake with candles. And instead of a metal rooster on top of the building, there was instead a chocolate colored pony holding a large candy cane. The two brothers gazed up at the life sized gingerbread house filled with nothing but sweets, sugars, and cavities.
“I think I can guess where most of the food for the party came from”, said Rodan.
“Yep, we make baked goods for any special occasion here in Ponyville. Sometimes even for Canterlot”, said Lisa. “In fact, we’ve been asked to prepare some of the pastries for the gala at Canterlot.”
“Really? That must’ve been a great honor”, said Anguirus.
“Indeed it was”, said Lisa before gesturing to the front door. “Now come on, I don’t want to keep friendly customers waiting.”
When the three entered the building they were greeted with two things. For one, the smells of freshly baked goods filled each of their noses. It was an aroma that would cause any colt to burst into happiness. It was a slight distraction for the two brothers, however, when they noticed the second thing that greeted them. Two familiar mares, one orange with a farmer's hat, the other pink with puffy hair.
“Hey guys, I’m back”, said Lisa. Applejack and Pinkie turned to meet her, but we’re also met with two familiar faces.
“Applejack?”, said Anguirus.
“Anguirus?”, said Applejack.
“Pinkie?”, said Rodan.
“Hello!”, said Pinkie with a wave.
“Wait, you all know each other?”, asked Lisa.
“Well, kinda”, answered Rodan. “We ran into them while chasing Caesar.”
“Yeah, and they helped us save Equestria from Nightmare Moon”, said Pinkie as she pulled out two seats for the brothers to sit at the table Applejack was at. Anguirus sat next to Applejack while Rodan sat next to him and Lisa sat next to Rodan. “Would either of you like something?”
“Oh, umm, yes, I could go for a coffee”, said Rodan as he took his sunglasses off.
“I’m good, thanks”, said Anguirus.
“Okie dokie, I’ll be right back”, said Pinkie before entering a pair of western doors.
“So, how you fellers been?”, asked Applejack.
“We’ve been well, we were just roaming around town to become familiar with this place”, said Anguirus.
“Hope you like it”, said Applejack. “We get newcomers all the time here in Ponyville.”
“I’d say we’ve been enjoying ourselves”, said Rodan. Anguirus formed a small grin.
“Are you just saying that because of…”, Anguirus leaned into his front leg. “(cough) Lisa (cough).” He was met with a jab in the leg by Rodan, and confused glances from Lisa and Applejack.
“What was that?”, asked Lisa.
“Nothing, he was saying nothing”, said Rodan as he glared at his younger brother. Applejack formed a small smile as she chuckled.
“Ya know, Lily here has been talking quite highly of you fellas”, she said.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that”, said Lisa. “It’s just that I would sometimes mention you three in conversations since I remember you all so fondly.” A sly smile formed on Applejack’s face as she took a sip of her drink.
“I would say more than sometimes”, she said to herself.
“Changing the subject, how’s the farm been, Applejack?”, asked Lisa.
“It’s been all and good, though them trees are soon gonna need to be picked”, said Applejack. “It’ll probably take me and Big Mac a few hours to pick the whole field.”
“Are you talking about the farm next to that orchard? Is that where you work?”, asked Anguirus.
“I don’t just work there, I live there”, replied Applejack. “My family has owned Sweet Apple Acres for generations, it’s basically a family heirloom. It’s where I’ve grown up and it’s where I attend to stay.” Anguirus nodded his head. With commitment as high as that, she must’ve been incredibly passionate about her farm.
“Dang, must be one hay of a hard worker”, said Anguirus. Applejack lightly scoffed.
“You have no idea”, she said.
Just then, the pair of western doors opened and out popped Pinkie pie carrying a glass of coffee with whip whipped cream and a cherry on the top. She set the glass down in front of Rodan.
“Order up!”, said Pinkie.
“Thanks”, said Rodan as lifted the glass to his lips and took a sip from it. However, the second the whipped cream touched his mouth, a look of realization formed on his face. “Oh crap, I left the bits with Gojira!”
He turned toward Pinkie who was glancing at him. “So, are you saying that you can’t pay for it?”, she asked with a disapproving look.
Rodan wasn’t sure what to say. The mare that earlier seemed so cheerful and friendly was now glaring at him with a narrow brow. He turned toward Lisa to see if she could help him, but she was doing the same as Pinkie. Even Applejack was giving the exact same expression. Anguirus simply watched with a very puzzled look meaning that he couldn’t help his brother either.
“I…I’m sorry. I-If you want I can pay you back later”, said Rodan as sweat started to form on his face.
Before Rodan could say anything, Pinkie’s glare broke as she started snickering before flat out laughing. Her laughter started to spread to both Lisa and Applejack as they started chuckling. Rodan looked at his brother in confusion as the three mares started to calm down. Pinkie was the last to do so as she wiped a tear from her eye.
“I’m kidding! For you, it’s on the house”, said Pinkie as her cheerful look returned. Rodan took a deep sigh of relief as he wiped sweat from his brow.
“Thank you”, said Rodan as he took a sip from his coffee. “Though I still hope to pay you back because this is delicious.”
“Thanks, baking is my specialty”, said Pinkie. “Well, besides partying, of course.”
“We couldn’t have guessed”, said Anguirus with a hint of sarcasm.
“That’s Pinkie for ya”, said Applejack. “Got any kind of special event and she’ll be the one to make sure it’s an event that everypony will remember. Whether it be holidays, anniversaries, birthdays-”.
“Oh! I almost forgot”, said Pinkie before she raced back through the western doors in a streak of pink. She then returned with a pen and notebook. “Could you both write the dates of your birthdays for me please?” The two brothers looked hesitant at first.
“What for?”, asked Anguirus.
“To plan ahead, sillies”, said Pinkie. “I always make sure that I have everyponies’ birthday memorized so I can throw them the best birthday party ever!”
Rodan and Anguirus felt they should’ve been more surprised than they were. “Well then, you’re really coordinated when it comes to partying”, said Rodan. Pinkie cartoonishly nodded.
“Yep!”, exclaimed Pinkie.
“I still remember the first time I moved to Ponyville”, said Lisa. “Pinkie practically had a surprise party set up the second I stepped hoove into town.”
“Of course, whenever somepony moves to Ponyville, I want them to feel welcome. And the best way to do that is to throw them a welcome party!”, exclaimed Pinkie as she threw her hooves in the air and, somehow, several pieces of confetti flew in the air out of nowhere. Anguirus with wide eyes leaned toward Applejack.
“Was she like this when you first moved here?”, he asked.
“Oh yeah, as far as I know, she’s always been this way”, replied Applejack. Anguirus felt he should’ve expected that.
“I guess, while we’re at it, we should also give you Gojira’s birthday too”, said Rodan as he started writing his and his brother’s date of birth.
“Speaking of, how’s the big guy doing? I don’t think I’ve seen him since yesterday”, said Applejack.
“Yeah, is he feeling alright? He didn’t look the best when we left that temple”, added Pinkie. Anguirus looked toward Rodan, uncertain if he should say.
“He’s…taking it easy, currently”, answered Anguirus. His answer was very vague, but he felt it was smart to not say anything that he thought would be taken as strange behavior.
“Y-Yes, he decided to stay at our place to let his wounds heal”, said Rodan. “You know, fighting who is essentially an evil goddess would wear any pony out, so…yeah.” That was the behavior that Anguirus was afraid of.
“Oookay then”, said Applejack. “Well, tell him that we hope he gets better soon. He seems to be a tough stallion which isn’t somepony we see a whole lot around these parts.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to”, said Rodan as he stifled a laugh from remembering where Gojira really was.
The group continued to talk and as they did, both Rodan and Anguirus started to grow more comfortable around them. So far, for both of them, the day had gone very smoothly. They got a better understanding of their new surroundings, made some friends, and seemed to be accepted by some of the inhabitants of Ponyville. And all while keeping the secret of the kaiju spirits hidden. They were adjusting to their new home well enough, though despite that, their goal still remained the same. However, even with that on their minds, both Rodan and Anguirus could agree that they still wanted to live a normal lifestyle. They hoped their older brother would feel the same way.
“Say, Rodan”, said Applejack with a curious look, “I was talking to Rainbow Dash earlier and she said that one of her friends had run into this maroonish pegasus with sunglasses.” She then put on a cheeky smile. “You wouldn’t happen to know one, right?”
Rodan froze as he copied Gojira’s deadpan expression. He set his head down on the table, letting out an audible groan in the process. Anguirus was the only one trying his hardest not to laugh while the others looked puzzled. Angurius turned toward Applejack with a grin.
“Don’t worry, he knows all too well”, said Anguirus.
Meanwhile, back at the Golden Oaks library, Gojira had just unpacked the last box upstairs. The second level of the library housed a room with two floors with the top one housing the bedroom and the lower one with a study section. Gojira was on the lower floor with Spike on the top one.
“I still have to ask, how did you get to be so tall?”, asked Spike. “Apart from Celestia, I’m not even sure Canterlot has anypony that can match your height.”
Gojira chuckled as he playfully rolled his eyes. It had been like this throughout the entirety of his stay. Whether they were upstairs or downstairs, Spike was constantly by his side asking away. Though he felt he should’ve been annoyed by now, Gojira didn’t seem to mind that much. He was aware that Spike was simply young and his child-like mind was probably filled with curiosity. He knew that kind of feeling very well.
“Well you know what they say, stay healthy, keep active, drink your milk, and my favorite part, get plenty of rest”, said Gojira.
“I know all that”, said Spike. “It just sounds like so much work.” Gojira shrugged.
“It kinda is, I guess”, said Gojira as he rubbed the back of his head.
‘Speak for yourself.’
Gojira internally groaned from his mind. Before he could say anything else, the sound of hoovesteps came from the stairs as Twilight walked in.
“How are things going up here?”, she asked.
“Pretty good, got almost everything put away”, said Gojira before opening the last remaining box. “The only thing that’s left are all these books.” Gojira grabbed a book and looked toward the empty shelves, he let out a sigh. “This is gonna take a while”, he said. Twilight let out a chuckle.
“No worries, here, let me do this while you take a break”, she said.
“No, it's fine. It’s just moving them to a shelf, nothing too hard. It’ll just be tedious”, said Gojira.
“No, No, I insist”, said Twilight as she took the book from Gojira’s hooves. “You’ve been working hard, this is the least I can do to help.”
“I started the job and I intend to at least finish it”, said Gojira, taking the book from Twilight who was starting to grow a little frustrated.
“Sweet Celestia, you’re stubborn”, she exclaimed. Gojira merely scoffed.
“So I’ve been told”, he said.
“I’d listen to her, Gojira”, said Spike as he walked down the steps from the upper floor. “When it comes to organizing, as far as I know, no pony is better than Twilight.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it”, said Gojira. Twilight grew a sly smile.
“Don’t worry, you will”, said Twilight.
She stood upright with her eyes closed as her horn lit up in a light purple aura. Before Gojira realized, the book he was holding started to glow in a similar aura. In fact, all the books from the box were glowing. Not only that, but they began floating in the air. He was forced to let go of the one he was holding as each book faced the empty shelf. In an instant, Twilight’s horn flashed a light purple which signaled for the books to fly toward the shelf, shifting around in the air with different books swapping spots with others. In a matter of a couple seconds, every single book that was once in the box was now lined up on the shelf perfectly in alphabetical order.
Gojira was shocked as he stared with wide eyes. He then turned to face Twilight who had a cocky look on her face. While Spike clapped to show he was impressed, Gojira put back on his neutral expression.
“Show-off”, he muttered.
Twilight couldn’t help but laugh. “Hehe, I’m sorry, but you gotta admit, that was faster than putting them away one by one”, she said. “When you’re Celestia’s personal student, you learn some neat tricks.”
“It also must really add to your personality. You can be just as bad as Rodan when it comes to overconfidence”, said Gojira. Twilight rolled her eyes, as if there wasn’t another mare that was worse than her. The two stood in silence as Gojira looked around the room.
“Hey, thank you for all your help. I can’t think of many stallions who would go out of their way to help a small dragon like Spike, nonetheless one with as bad of an injury as yours. I think he more than appreciated it”, she said with a smile. Gojira lightly chuckled.
“Well I was kinda forced to stay by my brothers”, he said.
“And I’m glad they did”, said Spike as he walked up. “I don’t think I would’ve even made it here without your guy’s assistance.” Gojira waved his hoof in disagreement.
“It was nothing, really”, said Gojira.
“Would you mind perhaps staying a bit longer for tea or something? Think of it as a way for us to repay you”, said Twilight.
“I appreciate it, however I should get going and catch up with my brothers”, said Gojira as he walked toward the stairs. “Who knows what they got themselves into without my supervision.” As he walked, Twilight and Spike followed after him.
“You sure? It’ll only be for a couple minutes”, asked Twilight.
“Yep, more than sure”, said Gojira as he reached the lower floor and walked toward the door.
“Come on, please?”, asked Spike. Gojira stopped in his tracks and swiftly turned around.
“I said, no”, stated Gojira in a stern voice.
His voice was a bit louder than he expected as both Twilight and Spike looked very taken aback by his sudden mood change. Not only that, but they were closer than he expected, so he practically yelled in their faces, something he didn’t intend on doing. Gojira’s stern look faded and was replaced with a more sympathetic one. The silence was brutal as the three of them stood for a couple of seconds which felt more like hours. Until a voice spoke up.
‘They’re just looking out for you, no need to get rallied up. Remember what Caesar said. If you want to fit in then you should treat others with the same level of kindness as they treat you.’
He took a deep breath, a couple scales which appeared on his rear leg disappeared. A small smile appeared on his face. “At least, not right now. Sometime soon I may take you up on that offer”, said Gojira. “I’m sorry about that, I guess I kinda overreacted there, huh?”
“It’s alright, you were working hard after all”, said Twilight. “But, yeah sure, you can stop by whenever you’d like, whether to check out a book or just to talk.”
“Yeah, hopefully we see each other more often”, said Spike. Gojira nodded.
“Yeah, hopefully”, said Gojira. “Anyway I’ll see you both later, I’ll be sure to talk to you both soon.” Suddenly, before Gojira could turn back toward the door, he felt something grab on to his front leg. He looked down and saw the young dragon hugging his leg.
“Thanks again, Gojira”, said Spike. Gojira stood slightly stunned for a moment until a smile grew on his face. He leaned down and nuzzled the top of Spike’s head.
“You’re welcome, Spike”, he said.
Spike let go of Gojira’s leg and he turned back toward the door. With a ring of the bell and the sound of creaking wood, Gojira exited the Golden Oaks library. He enjoyed himself more than he thought he would’ve. When he first met them, their first interaction didn’t leave a great first impression. However, after the return of Nightmare Moon and today, he was slowly starting to learn more about them. In a normal life, he wouldn’t mind being around them. Unfortunately, he didn’t live a normal life.
As he walked away, Twilight watched him through the window. She didn’t know what it was, but something about that stallion made him come off as different from other stallions she met. She noticed his cutie mark and how unique it was, again, she’d never seen one like it other than from his siblings. Despite him having a bandaged leg, he was walking perfectly fine. There wasn’t anything too peculiar about him, but they were intriguing to say the least.
“He’s an interesting pony”, said Twilight.
“I mean, yeah, but I like him”, said Spike as he walked over to the kitchen that was connected to the large room of the library. “Do you want anything to drink?”
“Sure, thanks Spike”, said Twilight as she looked away from the window. What she didn’t know, however, was that for those seconds when she looked away, she missed the flash of light that was Gojira’s “cutie mark”.
‘They’re all so ungrateful. Ungrateful for the land we discovered, for the resources we provided, for the life we birthed, for the world we created. And in return what do they do for us? They pretend we never existed. They treat us as mere fairy tales to be told to children and then their children and then their children. It’s insulting how these creatures treat their ancestors. And yet, these inhabitants are more than willing to kiss the ground that one single mare walks on with the thought that her steps will grant forever peace and happiness, unaware that they’re no different than those left by dogs. They act so clueless to their reality. But soon, they will learn, they will all learn. We shall open their eyes to the truth that they chose to hide all those centuries ago.’
Des stood in his corridor with his eyes closed. Anyone that would’ve walked in on him couldn’t even tell he was breathing. That was, apart from the fact he wasn’t alone. A creature shrouded in mist floated in front of him. The mist was a demonic maroon with it appearing to be more like fire than actual fog. It had a pair of wings that were just as large as it was. Its arms were large and bulky with three claws on its hands. Its head was partly reptilian and demon-like with a long horn and frills appearing from the back of its head. It was an incredibly unnerving sight, and yet Des barely even flinched from its presence as he opened his eyes, his yellow eyes staring at the beings' own.
“Our goal shall be reached soon, Destroyer”, said Des as he stood up.
‘I grow impatient after every passing day. And we have been at this for several years.’
Des let out a deep sigh. “As do I, however, with the gem of madness, we have never been closer to obtaining the Kyojin tomb”, said Des as he looked toward the colorful jewel that lay on the table. “We now must wait for the right moment.” Destroyer didn’t seem impressed.
‘Waiting…it’s always been that way. Waiting for the right moment, waiting for the opportunity, waiting for the next day. You say we’re coming close to achieving fate, only for said fate to never arrive.’
“But this time I mean it”, said Des. “What we have is a one in a million chance to achieve complete power over any mere pony. However, such power cannot be rushed, waiting must be invol-”.
‘I’M TIRED OF WAITING!’
Des was cut off as he felt a splitting headache which caused him to grasp on to his head with his hooves. Destroyer started to circle around him as he continued his onslaught of mental pain on his vessel. It lasted for only a few seconds, but it was enough to completely silence Des as his spirit got close to his face.
‘Do you think that great power will simply come to you? I have been waiting for more than a decade now and it's all been for naught. You say we found an opportunity, then why aren’t you taking said opportunity? Don’t tell me you’re-’, the spirit leaned into Des’ ear. It’s voice was merely a whisper, but it echoed throughout his mind.
‘Afraid.’
Des didn’t say anything. The cave he stood in was completely silent and yet that single word was the only thing he could hear. He hated that word, he hated what it meant, he hated the very thought of it, he hated whoever came up with that word. He clenched his teeth as past memories of a young colt flooded his mind. One that stood in fear for most of his life from anything whether it be a storm or other children. He hated that colt and wished he never knew him, and he was fully aware of this.
“I’m…not afraid”, stated Des with venom in his tone. Destroyer didn’t say anything and instead merely smiled. The sound of hoofsteps caused Destroyer to retract back into Des’ mane, leaving no trace of it even being there.
‘Prove it to me.’
“Des! Griffon and Biollante have returned from their scouting of Canterlot”, exclaimed Junior. “According to them, the Discord statue is located in the garden area of Canterlot. It’s not as heavily guarded as we originally assumed it was so we might be able to-”, he trailed off once he noticed Des’ heavy breathing. “My lord, is everything alright?” Des shook his head, trying to ignore his disheartening thoughts.
“I’m fine, just facing a migraine”, he said. Junior’s words suddenly registered for him. “So, the bringer of chaos has been imprisoned in the castle’s garden.” A smile formed across his lips as he lightly cackled.
“How ironic”, he said.
“My thoughts exactly”, said Junior. “This could be our best chance at freeing Discord.”
“Get me Griffon, with his ability to fly he’s our best option”, said Des as he lifted the gem of mayhem with his magic. He expected Junior to oblige and find the dragon, but instead he looked a bit anxious.
“Well, actually my lord, I…have already sent Griffon out on another scouting mission”, he said. Des’ eyes slightly widened.
“You did what”, he exclaimed as he quickly stood up, causing Junior to take a few steps back.
“I thought it’s what you would’ve wanted”, said Junior. “I’d estimate that he’ll return in a couple of hours so we shouldn’t raise the alarm just yet.” Des jerked forward making Junior wince.
“Discord is currently alone in the back of Canterlot, do you think we have a couple of hours?”, Des asked. “This could be our first and only chance at releasing one of the most powerful beings to ever walk on this soil and I shall not have it be wasted because of you.”
Junior started to sweat as his pupils shrunk to the size of crumbs. “P-Please forgive me, my lord”, he said before bowing in front of him. “To show you my remorse I volunteer myself to go on this mission of freeing Discord.”
“For you to do what, gain control of a being with limitless potential and use him to overthrow me”, said Des.
“N-No! I’d never, my lord”, replied Junior as he looked up to him. “For what reason would I have to betray you? No one else in this world respects me, just you. My loyalty and trust lie only with those that do so.”
Neither moved, they stared directly in each other’s eyes for what could’ve been an eternity. Des’ pale yellow eyes hid any kind of emotion or thought that could’ve been drawn from them, adding to the built up dread that Junior was feeling. Small streams of what seemed to be smoke trailed from Des’ jaw, floating up to the ceiling of the cave causing a few rocks to fall.
“Stand. Now”, Des demanded. The tone of his voice was enough to make Junior stumble to his hooves. Des started to walk away. He used his magic to set the gem back on the table. “Leave me”, he said. “If I see to it that you defy my orders yet again, the consequences will be larger than you could ever comprehend.”
“Are you saying that I have your permission, my lord”, asked Junior with reluctance in his tone. Des abruptly stopped in his hoofs, his movement caused Junior to hold his breath out of fear.
“With Griffon currently indisposed, the risks of heading to Canterlot to free Discord would be too great”, said Des. His voice was in contrast to his louder and aggressive one from earlier. This gave time for his words to sink into Junior’s mind. “I hope you now realize that I make the orders and that I have a final say in any plan or decision that you or anyone else makes. I hope I make myself clear.” Junior slowly nodded.
“Crystal”, Junior softly said.
“Good”, said Des as he turned away. “Another chance will come. For now, we just have to…wait…” Des felt a sharp pain in his head as he clenched his teeth. His sudden reaction caught the attention of Junior.
“Are you alright, My lord?”, he asked. Des didn’t turn to face him.
“I’m…f-fine”, said Des as his legs started to tremble.
“My lord, you seem unwell. In fact, you look like you can hardly stand”, said Junior as he approached him. “Perhaps you should rest, all this gem and Discord talk has taken its toll on you.” Des let out a growl as he put a hoof to his forehead.
“Talking is not why I’m like this”, Des said, though his growl was cut short as he felt another spike of pain. “Though your advice has been noted.” Junior helped Des walk to his resting quarter which was a smaller cave connected to the larger one. Des stepped onto a raised flat piece of stone with some grass used as bedding.
“I shall send Orga and Biollante on another scouting mission while you rest. That is if I have your permission, my lord”, said Junior.
“You do so”, said Des as laid on top of the stone bed. “Our brightest hour is soon upon us, which means we can’t afford any surprises. Nor can we lose any of our members.” Junior nodded.
“Indeed, my lord. Just think that after all these years filled with days of searching, recruiting, fighting, and waiting, a new age of Equestria is about to begin”, said Junior as he looked back at the large cave painting on the wall. “It’s all so exciting, isn’t it?”
“It’s not a new age”, said Des as he started to doze off. “When we’re done, there'll be no Equestria, only the world. A world with no kingdom, no princesses, no laws, no ponies. Just the kaiju. How…it’s supposed… to…be.” Des closed his eyes, letting sleep take over as the pain in his head started to die down. Junior watched as his leader entered his slumber.
“Of course, my lord”, said Junior as he started to walk away. “How it’s supposed to be.”
As Junior left, Des’ words stayed in his mind. He always knew of his fascination with the titans which could’ve been thanks to, according to Des, the voice in his head. But what primarily threw him off at first was him not only wanting to bring the kaiju back, but let them reclaim their land. Junior remembered the day when he first heard of Des’ plan. He thought it was insane and impossible for such a feat to be pulled off. However, over the years, he learned about the Kyojin Tomb, the several paintings on the walls of the cave that Des found, and the ‘legend’ of the undetermined fight between Alpha and Monster Zero. As a result, he too formed a similar obsession that Des had.
And now that obsession would finally come into fruition. They finally had a chance at resurrecting the kaiju with the help of Discord. As Junior was just about to exit Des’ corridor, he stopped. That last thought stuck in his mind. Though they now had another option that wasn’t simply search aimlessly for the Kyojin Tomb, said option wasn’t much easier. As Des said, they only had a few chances at freeing Discord and this was one of them. Even though Des thought it had been wasted, Junior thought otherwise. He looked back at the table holding the gem of madness, an artifact that at first seemed so useless was now the key to unlocking limitless power.
Junior knew that what he was doing was incredibly risky, but as his lord told him, every chance they had must and shall be taken. He slowly walked over to the table, looking around every few seconds to make sure no one was watching him before carefully grabbing the gem of madness with his teeth. Next to the gem was a small pouch that Junior quietly opened and pulled out a small yellow crystal. After grabbing a satchel to put everything he needed in, he slowly began to walk away, stopping only once from the sound of dust falling from the ceiling. After what felt like an hour of tiptoeing, Junior reached the exit for Des’ quarters. He looked back and saw a brief glimpse of his lord resting.
“I’ll make you proud, my lord”, Junior whispered to himself before he quickly walked away to find either Orga or Biollante.
The two of them were resting near the entrance of the cave when Junior walked up to them. When they both noticed him, they directed their attention towards him.
“So, what did Des say?”, asked Orga. He then noticed him holding the gem. “What are you doing with that?”
“He would want us to go on a…special mission”, said Junior as he took the gem out of his mouth. Both Orga and Biollante looked fairly surprised.
“Really? But that would be more of a job for Griffon since we all know how quiet he can be”, said Biollante as she looked a bit skeptical. “Are you sure that this is what Des wants?”
Junior merely scoffed at her reply, trying his hardest to act. “Well of course, after all if he didn’t trust me then why would he give me this?”, he said as he pulled out the gem of madness from his satchel. Even then, neither Orga or Biollante seemed completely convinced. “I have known Des longer than both of you combined. If there’s a single pony that he could trust, it would easily be me. And according to him, every single chance we have to free Discord must be taken no matter the cost. Remember, the sooner we free him, the sooner we complete our goal.”
Orga and Biollante looked at each other with conflicting feelings. On one hand, if they were to go along with what Junior said and head to Canterlot, the chances of success weren’t very high as none of them were great when it came to stealth. However, on the other hand, if Des was so keen on freeing Discord, then perhaps it wouldn’t be too far abroad to think that he would’ve taken some drastic measures. Neither of them were completely sure with that thought, but it wasn’t an impossible thing to think of.
“Now then, Orga, you and I will journey to Canterlot while Biollante-”, Junior was abruptly cut off.
“Whoa, whoa, who died and made you the boss”, Biollante interrupted. “If I’m taking orders from anypony it’s going to be Des, besides, where is he anyway?”
“Our lord is currently a bit…under the weather. Which is why I need you to stay here and make sure he stays asleep”, said Junior. “We want our leader to have full energy when he finds out we control one of the most powerful creatures to ever walk on Equestrian soil.” He was met with a scoff from Orga.
“Oh please, there ain’t nothing in this world he can’t handle. I doubt a little cold would be so bad for him that he’d have to take a day off”, said Orga as he rolled his eyes. Junior was slowly becoming more annoyed.
“Yeah, besides, there’s probably ten or so guards surrounding Discord by now”, added Biollante. “We should probably just wait until we have another shot at freeing him. Real smart of you to force Griffon to leave-”
“Will both of you just listen to me for once!”, Junior exclaimed, catching the attention of both Orga and Biollante. “I was given these orders from Des since I’m his most loyal, I’m his most devoted, I’m the first pony he could trust. I would lay my life down for him and he would do the same for me! If anyone’s going to have the privilege of leading our lightest hour when our lord is unable to then it’s going to be, damnit! Do I make myself clea-”
“Okay, we get it, you’re Des’ favorite, can you quit your temper tantrum”, said Orga as he groaned. After realizing how loud he was getting, Junior cleared his throat to calm down.
“So, are you with me or not?”, he asked. The unicorn and stallion looked at each other, nodded in agreement, and then turned back toward Junior.
“Alright, sure”, said Orga. Junior smiled.
“Great, now as I said before, Orga will join me as we head to Canterlot. Biollante will stay behind to look after Des and to notify us when he wakes up, got it?” Orga and Biollante nodded in agreement. “Alright, then come on.” He gestured for Orga as he started to walk away. “When we return, history will be made”, Junior said with confidence.
Orga rolled his eyes. “You mean if we return”, he said under his breath as he walked after Junior, leaving Biollante behind.
The two of them exited the mountain and walked down a small incline that stretched along the side of the mountain. It was fairly narrow as Orga had to walk one hoof at a time in order to not fall off, but eventually they both made it to the bottom. They walked through the forest for a little while until they reached a small pond with a group of trees surrounding it. In the center of the pond was a small plot of land with a tree sticking out from it. The two of them tread through the water until they reached the small island. Junior pulled out the yellow crystal and was about to throw it on the ground until Orga spoke up.
“Just to be clear, are you absolutely sure this is what Des wants?”, asked Orga with a raised eyebrow. Though Junior didn’t look back at him, the tone of his voice followed by a small laugh made things clear.
“Positive”, he said firmly.
With that, Junior threw the crystal on the ground, causing it to shatter into several pieces. The pieces started to glow before turning into dust and started floating in the air. They swirled around in a circular motion until they created a portal. The two stallions stood in front of it.
“Mares first”, said Junior at Orga with a smirk. He didn’t seem to be amused and smacked Junior in the back of the head.
“Just go”, said Orga bluntly. Junior glared as he rubbed the back of his head. He walked through the portal shortly followed by Orga. Soon after the portal grew smaller and smaller until it completely disappeared. Leaving nothing but a couple ripples in the water.
Canterlot
The sun rose high above the horizon, casting its light across the entirety of Canterlot. Caesar was in his quarters, preparing for another day of work. He fixed his mane, brushed his teeth, put on his armor, and walked out of his room. As he walked through the halls of the castle, he saw several guards and other ponies going about their daily routine, though they seemed to have a bit more of a pep in their steps. After the events of the Summer Sun celebration, there was quite a buzz over not only the new resident in Canterlot, but also who she was. As Caesar rounded a corner, he saw some familiar faces in the form of Sharp Shot and Vincent.
“Morning you two”, said Caesar as he approached them. The two guards turned to face him.
“Morning, Caesar”, said Sharp Shot. “Get your beauty sleep?”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it beauty”, said Caesar as he rubbed one of his eyes. The two guards laughed.
“After everything that you’ve been through, I was confident you wouldn’t have gotten out of bed until next Hearth’s Warming”, joked Vincent. Caesar let out a chuckle.
“That sounds lovely and all, but you know me, I probably wouldn’t think to do something like that”, said Caesar.
“Don’t we know it”, said Sharp Shot as he bumped his hoof against Caesar causing him to smile.
“But that’s besides the point, I thought you both would’ve been at the training hall by now”, said Caesar.
“And leave a friend of ours to walk by himself, not on my watch”, replied Sharp Shot. “Me and Vincent decided to wait for you since we wanted to see how you were doing after that whole…how do I say this?”
“Eternal darkness debacle”, added Vincent as he gestured for the three of them to start walking.
“Yeah that’s it”, said Sharp Shot as the three started to head towards the training hall. “What even happened while you were in Ponyville?”
“Well, Nightmare Moon showed up right when the Summer Sun celebration began”, said Caesar as he recalled the events. He mentioned her plans, his journey through the Everfree Forest, meeting the mane six and the three brothers, being transported inside of the ruined temple, finding the elements of harmony, and defeating Nightmare Moon. Afterwards, his two friends seemed fairly surprised.
“Well damn”, said Vincent.
“I’d say, sounds like you had quite the night”, added Sharp Shot.
“Indeed I did, but all that matters is that not only is the princess safe, but so too is everypony from a world where the night lasts forever”, said Caesar.
“You got that right”, said Sharp Shot. “Though, I still can’t get over how that legend turned out to be true. I thought it was some kind of made-up tale that you would tell your fillies.”
“Same here, though it's a good thing we won’t have to worry about something like that happening again now with Nightmare Moon gone”, said Vincent as the three neared their destination. His sentence left a knot in Caesar’s stomach.
They opened the large pair of wooden doors and entered. The training hall itself was a large open space that was also connected to an outside section for pegasus to practice aerial combat. There were several stations consisting of weight lifting, target practice, sword fighting, hoof-to-hoof combat, and even a weapon’s gallery. As the three entered, they were greeted with some familiar faces. The first one was a tall white unicorn wearing similar golden armor to the set they were wearing except his seemed more defined and was missing the helmet. The stallion had a white body color with his hoofs being blue. His mane and tail were also blue with streaks of dark and light blue traveling along it. His cutie mark depicted a purple shield with a pink star in the middle. He was talking with another mare until he noticed the three walking towards him.
“Morning, Shining Armor”, said Vincent.
“Greetings you three”, said Shining Armor. He then turned back toward the mare he was talking to. “So, what is it you want to speak to me about, Toolshed?”
The mare he was talking to was a unicorn with a light yellow body color and black mane and tail. She wore a pair of goggles on top of her head and was also wearing a satchel that held several different tools. Her cutie mark depicted a gray wrench tightening a bolt. Behind her was a small cart carrying something which had a white tarp draped over it.
“You see sir, I believe that I have created the next advancement in weaponry for the royal guard”, said Toolshed with large amounts of excitement in her voice.
“Ok, and I assume it’s under here”, said Shining Armor as he gestured toward the cart. Toolshed nodded.
“Yes sir, it’s right here”, she said as she then grabbed hold of part of the tarp. “May I present to you-”, she then yanked the tarp off the cart revealing a large contraption, “the Arrowsmith!”
Shining Armor, Caesar, Sharp Shot, and Vincent, as well as a few other guards, looked with various expressions ranging from curiosity to confusion to amazement. The contraption itself had several leather straps that looked as though they were supposed to attach to the body of a pony. The straps were connected to a large piece of leather which would hang to the side of the wielder's body. Attached to the leather was a metal bracket which would extend to the upper shoulder of the pony. On the end of the bracket was what appeared to be a specially designed crossbow with a string attached to the trigger of the bow and the other end on part of the metal bracket.
“I’ve been working really hard to try and define this design for over a month now”, said Toolshed as she turned toward Shining Armor. “And now it’s just waiting for your approval.” Shining Armor looked over the equipment.
“It looks fairly complex”, he said before turning to face Toolshed. “Would you be willing to share a demonstration?”
“Absolutely!”, exclaimed Toolshed she then turned to some of the guards. “May I have a volunteer, anypony?” Some of the guards looked unsure on whether they even wanted to try this thing on. That was, apart from one of them.
“I’ll do it”, said Sharp Shot as he stepped forward. “This thing looks right up my alley.” Toolshed looked very excited.
“Great”, she said before her horn lit up and started to levitate the equipment.
She then led Sharp Shot to one of the targets which was a fake pony made completely out of hay and sticks. She used her telekinesis to attach the contraption on to Sharp Shot. The leather straps wrapped around his body until the metal bracket holding the bow was upright on his shoulder. What was most surprising was the lack of imbalance that he felt while wearing the Arrowsmith. Other guards watched in anticipation as Toolshed made last adjustments until she believed it was all set.
“Alright, it’s ready”, said Toolshed as she faced Sharp Shot. “Now to fire the arrow all you have to do is cut this string.” She pointed at the one attached to the metal bracket.
“Alrighty then”, said Sharp Shot as he got into position.
He stood his ground as he stared down his target. The metal bracket was held by several bolts which made aiming a bit easier as now Sharp Shit had to lean his body to adjust where the bow was facing. Believing he had a near perfect trajectory, he leaned toward the string and tried using his teeth to bite. The string was fairly thin so it wasn’t too hard to bite through. The other guards watched as the second the string snapped in half, the arrow in the bow shot forward with great speed as it then impaled the hay figure squarely in the abdomen. The force was stronger than anticipated as it not only hit dead on with the figure but it went right through the hay that it was made out of. The guards were very impressed as they stomped their hooves in the ground to signify clapping.
None were as impressed however as Toolshed. “Yes! I knew it would work”, she exclaimed. Sharp Shot let out a whistle.
“This thing’s got some power behind it”, he said. Toolshed was very happy though she knew that it still had to pass the final test.
“Well, Mrs. Toolshed”, said Shining Armor. “I must say it is a very impressive piece of weaponry.”
“I know, I designed it so that the bow would have twice the firing power of a standard crossbow”, said Toolshed. “I hope to use it mainly for aerial combat so that way our flying forces can attack from the sky without the risk of injuring themselves in the process. Though as you saw, ground based troops can also still use it.”
“It definitely has potential, I'll admit that”, said Shining Armor. “However, my main concern is-”, he was cut off when Toolshed spoke up.
“But that’s not all. There’s one last piece that I haven’t presented yet”, she said before she then quickly ran out of the training hall. “I’ll be right back”, she exclaimed.
She left before Shining Armor could even say anything. He let out a sigh which Ceaser noticed. “She’s just excited, sir”, he said. “She has been working on this project for quite some time.”
“I am aware of that”, said Shining Armor as he turned back toward the fully impaled hay figure. “Her contraption definitely has the fire power, but when it comes to safety, it seems more like an undetermined factor.”
Meanwhile, Toolshed ran through the hall as fast as she could as she ran back to her room. She felt that this was finally her chance, her chance at greatness. The Arrowsmith worked perfectly as she hoped for, but now she was hoping to put it through the real test. She was so excited in fact that she completely missed two figures lurking behind one of the corners of the castle hall and instead ran right past them.
“All clear”, said Junior as he and Orga quickly ran out.
“I thought that crystal would’ve taken us directly to Discord”, whispered Orga.
“No, don’t you know how these portal crystals work?”, asked Junior. Orga merely shrugged, leading Junior to let out a groan. “They can only take us to their predetermined destination, the crystal took us to Canterlot, but not where we wanted to be in Canterlot.” Orga looked at him with blinking eyes.
“So why didn’t you get Des to make you one?”, he asked.
“Because I couldn’t find-!”, Junior quickly calmed himself down. “Because this was a last minute decision and Des didn’t have the time to make one”, he whispered. “But that’s not important right now, what is important is-”, he immediately stopped talking when he heard the sound of hoofsteps. “Quick, hide!”
Junior looked around until he noticed an open door. Both he and Orga leaped for it just in time as the figure that was walking around the corner appeared mere seconds later. It was Toolshed as her magic was carrying a wooden box. She was speed walking to make sure that the inside of the box wouldn’t be damaged as they were far too important for her contraption.
As soon as she was gone, Junior peaked out from behind the door. “Phew, that was close”, he said as he wiped sweat from his brow. “Now come on let’s get go-…what the hay are you doing?” Junior turned around to see Orga scrummaging through every drawer, box, or compartment he could find.
“I’m ransacking this place, there could be something useful in here”, said Orga as he continued to go through the belongings of whoever lived here. “Let’s see here, some photos, books, a…Daring Doo comic?”, he looked at the cover, “huh, it’s a first edition, will definitely be taking that home.”
“Will you come on”, stated Junior firmly.
“Alright, alright, don’t get your panties in a twist”, said Orga as he and Junior exited the room and continued to make their way through the halls.
“Biollante said that Discord was being held in the castle gardens, but I don’t know where that is”, said Junior.
“Then why isn’t she here?”, asked Orga.
“Someone had to stay behind to watch… I mean, look after Des while we were gone”, said Junior as he kept watch.
“But again, why isn’t she here instead of me?”, asked Orga, this time with more confusion in his voice. Junior didn’t answer his question. “Well…?”
“Will you stop asking so many questions you big gray sheep. You're going to get us caught”, said Junior. Orga’s brows furrowed as he glared at Junior.
“What did you just call me”, Orga asked as he stood to his full height. Junior was admittedly a bit intimidated, but he refused to let him see it.
“We don’t have time for this, just keep quiet”, stated Junior as he motioned for them both to keep walking. They both did so, but not after some looks of suspicion from Orga.
Meanwhile, back at the training hall, Toolshed rushed in with a wooden box that was currently floating because of her magic. She set the box down in front of Sharp Shot who was still wearing the Arrowsmith. As soon as she set the box down, several guards including Caesar, Vincent, and Shining Armor formed around her.
“What’s that”, asked Vincent.
“This is my piece of resistance”, stated Toolshed as she carefully opened the box.
The lid slid off revealing an arrow that was similar in size to the one that had been fired earlier. The difference was that the tip of the arrow had a thick bag in the shape of a cone with a small tip on the very end. Attached to the arrowhead was a short fuse that stretched to the end of the shaft. Using her magic, the arrow slowly floated allowing everyone to get a good look at it.
“This is what I like to call, a charge”, said Toolshed before then levitating it over to the Arrowsmith.
“Uhh, what exactly does it do?”, asked Sharp Shot as Toolshed started to attach it to the Arrowsmith.
“Let’s just say it’s a bit more advanced than the one you originally fired”, said Toolshed as she then reattached a new string to the crossbow and the metal bracket.
“Toolshed, are you positive that this is safe?”, asked Shining Armor as he looked a bit worried.
“Of course it is”, reaffirmed Toolshed. “Though I would recommend that we take a few steps back.” She then turned back toward Sharp Shot. “Now when I light the fuse, you have around eight seconds to fire it.”
“Wait, what happens in eight seconds?”, asked Sharp Shot looking a bit worried.
“You’ll see”, said Toolshed. She used her magic to pull a match from her satchel. She struck the ground with it until it lit. She then carefully hovered it over the fuse.
As she did this, Caesar looked over at Shining Armor who looked very concerned. “Hey, uhh, Toolshed, I think we should have second thoughts about thi-”, Caesar’s sentence was cut off as the sound of burning rope could be heard.
“Shoot it, Sharp Shot”, said Toolshed as she quickly ran back.
The seconds ticked in Sharp Shot’s mind as he tried to aim, however the sound of the fuse shrinking was the only thing he could hear. He got so nervous that he immediately cut the string as soon as he thought he was squared with the hay figure. The second he fired the arrow, he quickly ran back to a safe distance. The arrow went flying, struck the hay figure in the neck area and…silence. The sound of the fuse died down leaving nothing else to be heard. Toolshed looked incredibly confused and disappointed.
“What? What happened?”, she said to herself. She started to walk over to the arrow to retrieve it.
However, when she started to walk towards it, Shining Armor started to pick up a smell. The scent of some kind of gas assaulted his nostrils. That was until he realized what it was causing his pupils to shrink. He quickly charged forward and galloped toward Toolshed.
“Get back, now!”, he shouted before grabbing Toolshed by the tail and yanking her backwards.
In a matter of seconds, the hay figure, which was once firm and thick, exploded into flames and smoke. The rope that held the hay together instantly snapped, sending scorched hay and sticks flying in the air. The guards instinctively moved back as they didn’t want their manes singed. When the blast ended, all that was left of the figure was the flaming remains of hay and sticks as they slowly began to burn away. A pegasus came flying in with a fire extinguisher as they used it to extinguish the remains of the figure. As they did so, Shining Armor immediately turned to face Toolshed. He looked furious while the only thing Toolshed could do was awkwardly laugh.
“Guess it was more so twelve seconds rather than eight, hehe”, she said, though her smile immediately faded away when Shining Armor stood up. When the fire was put out, he walked over to the charred remains of the bag. Using his magic to pick up a small piece, he sniffed it to make sure his thoughts were correct. From the tone of his voice shortly after, they were.
“You used gunpowder for your weapon!?”, he exclaimed.
“I’m so sorry, sir”, said Toolshed. “I had no idea that it would’ve been this explosive.”
“What did you think it was going to do?”, stated Shining Armor. “This is a very dangerous material that we haven’t yet gained the knowledge on how to use in a safe environment, what gave you the right idea that you could?” Toolshed barely knew what to say.
“I-I was told that it would’ve made a small blast, sir. I never intended to hurt anypony”, said Toolshed.
“It doesn't matter if you didn’t intend to or not”, said Shining Armor as he pointed to the scorched wall where the figure once stood. “It’s a good thing we had done this indoors since if we had shot that thing outside, all the trees could have burned down for all we know.” Toolshed didn’t know what else to say. Her creation which she claimed to have been her magnum opus was the same creation that could’ve killed her had Shining Armor not acted sooner.
“I-I”, she stuttered before dropping her head as her ears lowered. She let out a sigh. “I have no excuse. I’m very sorry sir.”
Shining Armor, seeing that she was remorseful, let out a sigh. “Toolshed, your invention is impressive, however if you believe that this is the future when it comes to defending Canterlot, then I simply cannot accept”, he firmly stated. Though Toolshed was a bit disheartened by this, she couldn’t rebuke.
“Yes sir”, she sadly said. “I understand.”
“Good, now then, clean this up”, said Shining Armor as he gestured to the once white wall which was now pitch black. “Before you do however, I have one last question. This material is kept in parts of Canterlot which are only allowed to be accessed by authorized users, how did you obtain some of it?” Toolshed looked a bit hesitant to answer.
“I can’t recall sir, I was given the bag in one of the alleys by somepony”, she said. This was certainly news to Shining Armor.
“Do you know who?”, he asked.
“No sir, they wore a hood that completely covered their body. I couldn’t make out what gender they were”, said Toolshed. Shining Armor nodded, this was starting to become a more serious issue.
“I see”, he said. He then turned his attention to every guard in the room. “Continue your daily activities, I shall return in good time to start our drills. I must inform the princesses about our incident as well as other important matters.” He started to walk toward the entrance of the training hall, but not without mentioning one last thing. “Also, be sure to be on the lookout for any kind of…strange activity”, he stated before leaving the room, leaving the guards to go about their morning exercises.
Toolshed looked glum as she walked over to Sharp Shot and started using her magic to remove the Arrowsmith from him. “I’m sorry about this, Sharp Shot”, she said as she unhooked the last leather strap.
“Don’t worry about it, if it helps, I thought it was pretty cool”, said Sharp Shot, trying to cheer her up.
“Thanks, though, I doubt Shining Armor did and he was the one I was really trying to impress”, said Toolshed. “I know for a fact that I blew it.”
“No you didn’t”, said Caesar as he and Vincent walked up to them.
“Of course I did. I used a lethal material that I got from possibly some kind of terrorist or somepony that could be planning something”, said Toolshed as she started to feel more anxious. “I could’ve hurt somepony, I could’ve hurt you, Sharp Shot, if you didn’t move back!”
“It’s fine, Tools”, said Sharp Shot. “No one got hurt and don’t worry about Shining Armor, he’s not the kinda stallion to hold malice towards anypony.”
“Yeah, and besides, you had no idea how to use gunpowder”, said Vincent. “Though, why did you ask for it and where did you meet this hooded pony?”
“I just wanted my creation to look more imposing so others would take it seriously. But it seems I took it too far”, said Toolshed as she looked over her invention. “I don't know how that pony found out about my invention nor do I know how they got that bag of gunpowder. The only thing I do know is that I may have just sent the kingdom in danger since I didn’t tell anypony about them.” She pressed her hooves against her temple. “I’m so stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!”
“Toolshed, calm down”, said Vincent as he stepped forward. “It’s best you had told Shining Armor now rather than wait till some other time.” He placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Believe me, he and Celestia know Canterlot better than the back of their own hooves, they’ll find that crook in no time.”
Despite her friend's words, Toolshed’s ears remained down as she instead used her magic to place the Arrowsmith on her back. “Thanks guys, but I think I need to just take a bit of a break from engineering for now”, she said solemnly. With that, she walked out of the training hall. Her friends watched her leave. Her slow steps were a severe contrast from earlier when she was practically skipping out of the hall with excitement.
Ceaser let out a sigh. “She’s a good mare, but she’s way too hard on herself”, he said.
“I wouldn’t blame her, I mean, if I was her, I’d be pretty terrified over the fact that I had been using a material that has unimaginable destructive capabilities”, said Sharp Shot.
“But you're not Toolshed and perhaps she’s taking this in a different way”, said Vincent as he looked toward the wall that was still covered in soot. “She was mentioning how she had been working on that invention for a while now, you could say she tried putting all her eggs in one basket.”
“But still, why gunpowder? I know Toolshed was trying to impress Shining Armor, but was trying to blow a hole in the castle’s wall really the best idea?”, asked Sharp Shot.
“She said she was desperate. If the stuff you’ve been working on for who knows how long has gotten you practically nowhere, wouldn’t you take some drastic measures”, exclaimed Vincent as his tone of voice got increasingly louder.
“Look, I’m just saying, if you want others to know about what you've been doing, shouldn’t you just, I don’t know, tell them about it”, retorted Sharp Shot. “You know words first, explosives later, that kinda stuff.”
“Like you would know about that kinda stuff”, stated Vincent. His sentence wasn’t appreciated by his fellow guard.
“What’s that supposed to mean”, exclaimed Sharp Shot as he started to approach Vincent.
“Alright, alright, break it off you two”, said Caesar as he got in between the two stallions. “None of us know the exact details of this situation, so we shouldn’t make any kind of claims about it and we especially shouldn’t be fighting over it. As you said Vincent, Shining Armor and the princesses will handle it, there’s nothing too extreme to worry about.” Both Vincent and Sharp Shot stared at each other while Caesar stood in between them to ensure no kind of fight would break out. While he stood between the two, Caesar could sense a noticeable amount of tensity between them. However, it wasn’t for the reasons that they were fighting over. After a couple of seconds, they both backed away.
“I’m sorry Sharp Shot, guess I kinda got carried away”, said Vincent.
“Yeah, me too, sorry about that”, replied Sharp Shot. “My mind is currently caught up on other things.” Caesar nodded as he knew what he meant.
“The events that have recently unfolded are ones that none of us could’ve anticipated. But at the same time, what’s been done has been done, and it’s our job to adapt to said changes”, said Caesar. “As Shining Armor said, keep a close lookout for anything abnormal. If what Toolshed says is correct, then there’s more important factors to take into concern rather than our…special…” Caesar trailed off as he looked toward the entrance of the training hall.
Both Sharp Shot and Vincent looked back as well and what they saw left their jaws agape. Standing at the entrance along with two other guards was a certain mare, one that both looked familiar and different. For starters, she was an alicorn, but she definitely wasn’t the same princess they all knew and loved. She stood shorter than Celestia, but was still taller than the average pony. Her body color was a deep midnight blue which traveled across both her wings and horn. She wore light purple heels on her hooves as well as black piece of armor on her chest with a symbol of the crescent moon worn on the center. Her cutie mark also depicted the moon against a star lite background. Finally, there was her mane which held a similar elegance to the princess of the sun but hers depicted the midnight sky with several stars against the twilight sky. Though Caesar could tell who she was, for Vincent and Sharp Shot, she was almost unrecognizable.
“I-Is that…Luna?”, asked Sharp Shot. Vincent let out a whistle.
“Damn, she looks so different since the last time I saw her”, said Vincent.
“Well, she is Princess Celestia’s sister, so maybe she was given some of the same treatment”, said Sharp Shot as he turned toward Caesar. “What do you think, Caesar?”
Caesar didn’t answer as he continued to stare at the alicorn, the same one who just a few days ago was trying to cover the entirety of Equestria in darkness. He had to admit, she looked fantastic. Luna’s mane, tail, hooves, everything about her was a vast improvement over how she originally looked when she came to Canterlot. However, that wasn’t the only thing that Caesar was thinking of when he saw her. He remembered that she and Nightmare Moon were two halves of the same coin and although only one half saw his secret, the other may have been just as aware. He didn’t want to tell her the truth, but for as far as he could guess, Luna already knew. He was so focused on his thoughts that he almost didn’t notice Sharp Shot right beside him with a confused expression.
“Caesar? Caesar, you good?”, asked Sharp Shot. Caesar broke out of his state.
“S-Sorry, I just…”, Caesar looked toward Luna who was examining the training hall. “Uhh, I have to do something, I’ll catch up with you guys later”, he said as he then started to walk away from them.
Sharp Shot looked on with large amounts of confusion. “Uhh, okay, seeya later, I guess”, he said as he turned back toward Vincent.
“What was that about?”, asked Vincent. Sharp Shot could only shrug.
Caesar rushed over to the entrance of the training hall. “Excuse, miss Luna, I’d like to speak with-”, his sentence was cut short as the two guards stepped in his path.
“Sorry Caesar, but Princess Luna isn’t to be disturbed as she’s currently being shown around Canterlot under Princess Celestia’s order”, said one of the guards.
“Please, I just have to ask her something, it’s really important”, said Caesar. The guard didn’t seem all that moved until a certain mare spoke up.
“Miss Blade Performer, if what he says is important, shalln’t I be allowed to hear it?”, asked Luna as she stepped forward.
“My apologies, your majesty”, said Blade Performer as she backed away, allowing Luna to approach Caesar.
“What is it you’d like to speak to me about?”, she asked.
“Well, you see…”, Caesar trailed off as he noticed that the two guards were watching him and Luna. The training hall was simply too crowded. “Can we talk about this somewhere else, somewhere more private?”
Before the two guards could retort, Luna beat them to the punch. “Of course, Caesar, was it?”, she asked.
“Yes, your majesty”, replied Caesar as he and Luna left the training hall, leaving the two and several other guards behind.
Junior and Orga snuck through the halls of the castle for what felt like hours, constantly having to duck into some kind of hiding place to not be noticed. Junior had seriously underestimated the size of Canterlot castle and as a result, the process of walking in circles and constantly having to hide from guards to even small fillies was becoming repetitive, tiresome, and, thanks to his partner, annoying. It felt that for each corner, each hallway, and for each door, Orga would always be the one to point out some kind of flaw in Junior’s plans. This drove him up a tree as he would constantly have to lie his way out or simply say “I don’t know”. He quickly started to regret choosing him over Biollante.
“Junior, I’m not one to give up so easily, but I think we should head back to base”, said Orga as they continued to sneak through the halls.
“What?! Absolutely not. We’re not heading back without the bringer of chaos”, said Junior as they rounded another corner.
“We’ve been at this longer than we should’ve, it’s a miracle we haven’t been caught yet”, stated Orga. “I believe we should leave this place while we still have the chan-”, he was abruptly cut off as bumped into the back of Junior who had suddenly stopped walking. “Hey, why’d you stop?”, he asked.
“Orga, did Biollante say that Discord was being held in the castle’s garden?”, asked Junior.
“Yes, she did, but why ask-…oh”, said Orga as he saw what Junior was looking at.
There in front of them was the entrance to the castle’s garden, the place they had been searching for. The second they made sure no one was around, Junior and Orga dashed toward the entrance of the garden. The garden itself was surprisingly large with it having a concrete path that traveled through it. The garden itself had several trees, shrubs, plants, and flowers as well as a large hedge maze. But the main attraction were the several stone statues scattered throughout the garden with them depicting several important figures in the history of not just Canterlot but also Equestria whether they be knights or unicorns. To the two of them, they didn’t care about any of them aside from one and just as Biollante said, there was no one guarding it. One statue stood different from the others as it was less of a statue and more of a prison cell.
Discord stood, frozen in place as his entire body was made of stone. He appeared as a strange compilation of different animal body parts all across a serpent’s body. His head resembled a goat with the horns of a deer and unicorn. His body was almost snake-like with it wrapping around the base of the statue as well as being made out of three other animals, a goat, eagle, and dragon tail. He had the arms of an eagle and lion, the legs of a deer and dragon, and the wings of a bat and pegasus. He was the definition of a Picasso painting. He stood in a seemingly triumphant position with his mouth wide open and one arm in the arm. The two stallions that approached him wore similar expressions.
“Can you believe what we’re seeing, Orga. A creature of such power reduced to being so powerless”, said Junior as he looked the statue over. “Almost makes you feel sorry for him.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever, just put the stupid gem on him so we can go before anyone sees us”, said Orga.
“Alright, fine”, retorted Junior as he pulled the gem of madness out from his satchel. “Let me know if anyone’s coming.”
“I know, I know”, said Orga as he kept watch.
With that, Junior slowly walked up to the statue. Due to its height, Junior had to climb up in order to place the gem around Discord’s neck. He managed to reach the head of Discord, the excitement he felt was enough to make his heart explode. He would prove to his lord how loyal he was, how vital he is to their cause. He figured that this would make up for more than his debt. He looked back at Orga to see if he was watching only to see that he was gone. Before he could call out to him, he felt a tug behind him as he was yanked off the statue and landed in the shrub behind him. He looked up and saw Orga who had his back pressed against the statue. Junior was visibly confused and upset.
“Orga, what the hay is-”, he was cut off when Orga signaled for him to be quiet.
“Someone’s here”, whispered Orga.
Junior looked through the shrub and saw two ponies, one of them catching his eye more than the other. On one side was a beige unicorn wearing golden armor, on the other side was surprisingly an alicorn. However it was definitely not Celestia as this alicorn had much darker colors and her cutie mark was different. Nonetheless, they simply couldn’t risk anypony seeing them and so they now had to wait and hope that these two would soon leave so they could continue their task. Unfortunately for them, they were gonna wait a while.
“First of all, I must say your majesty, you look lovely today”, said Caesar.
“Why thank you”, replied Luna. “And I must say that I’m incredibly grateful for the kindness that I’ve been shown here.”
“I’m glad to hear that, your majesty”, said Caesar. Though his voice was calm, his mind certainly wasn’t. He was wondering when it would be the right moment to ask-
“Now then, what is it you wish to speak to me about?”, asked Luna. There was no turning back now.
“You see…do you recall the events that unfolded during the last Summer Sun celebration?”, asked Caesar. The smile Luna had instantly faded and in its place was a look riddled with guilt.
“Indeed I do”, she softly said.
“I apologize if I reopened any unwanted memories, your majesty”, replied Caesar.
“No, no, you need not worry, for the being you know as Nightmare Moon is no more. She may have been resurrected on that day, but she died on that night”, said Luna as she looked around the castle gardens, taking in its beauty. “The level of compassion I’ve been presented by my sister is unrivaled. I’ve never been more thankful. So, with my deepest sincerity, I apologize for any harm, distress, or terror that I have caused for you or anypony else in this kingdom.” She put a hoof against her chest before doing an apologetic bow.
“It’s great to know that you’re doing much better, your majesty, however the reason why I want to speak with you is more…urgent”, said Caesar. Luna looked more concerned, but unbeknownst to either of them, someone else was also listening. Orga couldn’t look over the statue to see what they were speaking about, but he could still hear them.
“What is it?”, asked Luna. Caesar took in a deep breath and started talking.
“Do you recall what happened in the temple, the one that contained the elements of harmony?”, he asked. Luna nodded though still confused. “So you also recall your skirmish you had with a stallion, correct?” Luna looked down in thought, trying to recall that event. With the name being said, a face was shortly formed in her mind.
“I do”, said Luna. “Though, I would hardly call him a normal stallion. From what I can remember, he was taller than any other pony I’ve met apart from Celestia. He was also much more physically capable as he was much stronger than I originally anticipated.” Just then, the sight of a blue beam of pure heat flashed in her mind. “And he could shoot this range attack.”
“As in magic?”, asked Caesar.
“No, not at all. From what I remember, this stallion wasn’t a unicorn. And even then, it came from his mouth”, said Luna, the thought more fresh in her mind than she realized.
Orga was very intrigued. “What the hay are you both talking about”, he whispered to himself. Junior watched from the sidelines, more so focused on trying to figure out how to escape from their predicament.
“I was afraid of that”, said Caesar.
“Caesar, I don’t think he’s a pony”, said Luna as she looked a bit nervous.
“Don’t worry, your majesty, he is, but he’s not what you would call…a little pony”, replied Caesar. It was now time to release the floodgates as Caesar to one last glance around the garden to make sure no one could hear them. “He and two other stallions currently possess three of some of the strongest beings to ever exist in Equestrian history.” He looked Luna directly in the eyes. “Luna, have you ever heard of the word, kaiju?”, he asked.
Although Luna looked both confused and concerned, Orga and Junior were downright flabbergasted. “Excuse me, but what are you talking about”, asked Luna.
“You see, kaiju, or titans if you will, were large creatures that used to walk across what would later be Equestria millions of years ago. They’re essentially responsible for our plant-life, ecosystem, oceans, mountains, even the oldest species of equine to ever walk on this world”, said Caesar as Luna keenly listened. “However, after an event nicknamed “the final war”, involving one of the longest battles ever fought between the two most powerful titans, all species of kaiju became either extinct or dormant, leaving the world to be completely rebuilt by our very ancestors. Also known as the birth of Equestria.”
As Caesar told Luna the history of the titans, Orga and Junior listened very carefully. “How the hay does he know about the kaiju, I thought Des was the only one that knew about them?”, whispered Orga. Seeing that their mission wasn’t a success, he looked around, noticing the hedge maze close to them. “As soon as they’re not looking, head to the maze.” Junior didn’t respond, he was too focused on the two ponies that they were essentially now spying on.
“So you’re telling me that long before I or even Celestia were born, Equestria was inhabited by giant monsters?”, asked Luna, processing everything.
“Not monsters, they may look it, but kaiju acted almost no differently than the animals that roam today”, said Caesar.
“Okay, but how exactly do these three stallions play into this?”, asked Luna.
“Well, they are, what I like to call, the vessels for the spirits of the kaiju. You see, I and a past…friend, helped fuse the spirits of the kaiju into their bodies, which combined with their souls, allowing them to become one with their respective spirit”, explained Caesar. “This was done as I and he envisioned a prophecy which stated that the final war has not yet ended and one day, the kaiju shall rise once more to finish said war. If they do so, the amount of destruction they could cause to this world would be unparalleled.”
Luna was starting to become overwhelmed, but she couldn’t help but continue listening. “Whether it be from the oceans, volcanoes, canyons, or even the very sky, the titans could be resurrected from anywhere on this planet which would result in the collapse of any kingdom, any civilization, any form of pony-kind, aka, the end of Equestria”, affirmed Caesar as he wanted this point clear. He looked back at Luna who seemed at a loss for words. “I apologize if this is so much for you to take in, your majesty, but you had to be told before you were to tell any other pony.”
It was too much, especially for someone like Luna who had only been in Canterlot now for only a few days. Luna thought about what Caesar said, the word kaiju replayed in her mind as she tried her hardest to paint some kind of image of what he had described. The history of Equestria, which had been established through every history book and teacher, was completely false. This world was once home to ancient beings that try as she might, she could barely comprehend.
“I must advise you to not speak of this to anypony else”, stated Caesar.
“But, shouldn’t Celestia know about this?”, asked Luna.
“No, I’m already taking a big risk by telling you about this. If any kind of mention of this gets out to the public, the amount of panic it would cause could send Equestria to an early grave”, said Caesar with firmness in his voice. “The only reason why I’m telling you all of this is because you’ve already seen what these spirits are capable of, if you hadn’t then I wouldn’t be standing here with you right now. I must inform you once more, don’t, tell, anyone.”
Luna thought about everything that she had been told. “Who else knows about this?”, she asked.
“You and I, as well as the three that are already vessels for their spirits”, said Caesar.
“And their names”, replied Luna.
“Gojira, Rodan, and Anguirus Zawa. They’re brothers”, answered Caesar.
“Are they the same stallions from the temple”, Luna asked. Caesar replied with a nod. Luna looked down, took it all in, and let out a sigh. “You weren’t kidding when you said this was urgent. We must talk about this more some other time, I believe I’ll need some time to process this.”
“Of course, your majesty. I’m sure your personal guards will be waiting for you”, said Caesar. “Remember, no one is to know about this. None of the guards, none of the advisors, not even Celestia herself.”
“I understand, we shall talk more about this soon”, said Luna as she started to walk away. However, after taking a few steps, a sudden thought entered her mind. “For how long have you known about this?”
Caesar looked down, he had never taken that into consideration. “Longer than I want to admit. Though I never thought I would in my younger years, I’ve now dedicated my entire life to studying every aspect of this prophecy, every kaiju, every way to ensure that the final war doesn’t happen”, said Caesar. “But above all, I’ve now dedicated my life to the stallions that’ll one day be our best option if we want Equestria to see the sun rise for another day.” The images of three young colts and their parents scattered in his head.
“You really care about those three, don’t you?”, asked Luna. Caesar nodded.
“I may be a soldier for Celestia, but they are my number one priority”, he answered firmly. Luna gave him a smile to let Caesar know that he earned her respect.
“Be sure to keep in touch about this”, said Luna. “And also, you won’t need to call me majesty anymore, Luna will do just fine.” With that, she turned her tail and walked back inside the castle.
Caesar’s meeting with the new princess of Canterlot had gone better than he expected. However, it would still take time for Luna to learn as much about the kaiju as he does. For now the secret of the kaiju would remain just that. Before Caesar could leave the garden, the sound of a bush rustling caught his attention. Caesar immediately tensed up, fearing that someone had been watching him. Fortunately, after a couple of seconds, a squirrel jumped from the bush before scurrying away. Seeing that he had fretted over a small animal, Caesar let out a sigh of relief as well as a couple laughs.
“Perhaps Vincent was right, I really do need more sleep”, he said to himself. Unbeknownst to him, as he left the castle gardens, the squirrel didn’t come from the bush but was rather running from something.
From behind one of the walls of the hedge maze, Orga and Junior peeked their heads, seeing that both the unicorn and alicorn were gone. “This is bad”, said Orga. “We aren’t the only ones who know about the kaiju. This could throw a massive wrench into our plan.” He looked over toward Junior who looked more worried than he did.
“No, no, no, no, this was not how it was supposed to go”, said Junior. “I was-…I mean, we were supposed to come here, free Discord, and leave. But now we have to deal with the fact that not only are there ponies that have the same knowledge as us, but there are already kaiju spirits in this world!” Junior continued to pace back and forth, rambling away about something that Orga couldn’t care less about.
“Look, whatever, we’ll just head back to base”, said Orga as he looked from behind the hedge only to see that a couple of mares were starting to enter the garden. “This mission is already a loss, we’ll have to retreat back to base and inform Des about-”, he was cut off by his companion.
“No! We can’t do that”, replied Junior, catching Orga off guard.
“What, why?”, he asked.
Junior stood there for a few moments, realizing that he jumped the gun. He formed a half baked smile on his face. “Well, it’s quite simple, our lord already has enough on his plate. Perhaps the stress of freeing Discord is starting to take its toll. When I saw him this morning, he could barely stand”, said Junior. “And besides, he nearly had my head for letting Gryphon go on another scouting mission, how do you think he’ll act when he finds out that there are now ponies in Equestria that know about the kaiju?”
“Then what do you think we should do, Mr.KnowItAll?”, Orga mocked.
“Simple, we don’t tell him”, Junior answered. Orga gave him a dumbfounded look.
“That’s a very bad idea”, he said.
“Do you want to tell him and risk having your tonsils ripped out of your throat?”, Junior asked.
“Jokes on you, my tonsils have already been removed”, retorted Orga.
“You know what I mean!”, Junior replied. “Look, whatever the case may be, we simply can’t tell him, less we want two of his members being quote on quote, incapacitated.”
Though Orga didn’t know it, the real reason why Junior didn’t want to tell Des about their discovery was more simple than his lie. If Des were to find out about his mission with Orga, he’d only go after Junior’s head. Junior felt he was already on thin ice with his lord, he didn’t want it to crack any further. Orga thought over Junior’s reasoning. Though he hadn’t yet talked to Des today, he still wasn’t entirely sure if keeping important information from him would be either bad or make the time when they do tell him even worse. Part of him wanted to reject Junior’s idea, but he could also see where he was coming from. He had seen what Des could when he was angered enough, it was a mood he’d much rather prefer to avoid. He didn’t like it, but he also didn’t feel like arguing since more ponies started to enter the garden and he didn’t want to risk being caught.
“Alright fine, we won’t tell him, just hurry up and throw the stupid crystal down so we can get out of here”, he said. Junior smiled, his lie played out.
“As you say”, Junior replied.
He pulled a yellow crystal from his satchel and threw it down on the ground. The shattered crystal remains turned into dust before then swirling in the air in the shape of a portal. Both Orga and Junior looked at each other before jumping through it. They went on this mission in order to return with the bringer of chaos. But instead they were now returning with a key that hadn’t been used on its lock, info they could share with no one, and a first edition copy of Daring Doo.
It was early in the morning in Ponyville as Applejack and her older brother Big Mac were at work on Sweet Apple acres. Each tree in the orchard had dozens of fresh, red, green, and pink apples waiting to be picked. Applebucking season was upon them. Despite the large size of the orchard, both Applejack and Big Mac felt very calm over the large task ahead of them. The two of them were currently bucking trees, filling baskets with apples, and then filling wooden carts with them to be taken back up to Ponyville and then sold. Applejack had just finished filling one of the carts, wiping sweat from her forehead.
“Whew, what a day”, she said to herself. She looked around, taking in the large amount of apple trees they still had to pick. “This has gotta be the largest bumper crop of apples I’ve ever seen.
“Eeeyup”, said Big Mac as he lifted another basket full of apples onto the cart. “We got our work cut out for us.” He too looked around, he seemed more skeptical than his sister over how big of a task this would be. Applejack noticed as she gave her older brother a playful bump.
“Nothing too much that we can’t handle”, she said trying to lift her brother’s spirits. “Now then, can you take this load back to the farm? I assume you can handle this, right?” Big Mac nodded with a confident smile. “I’ll take that as a yes. Don’t forget to bring back the next one.”
Big Mac nodded as he got around to the front of the cart and started to pull. He was a tall stallion, possibly even the tallest one in Ponyville. He was a red pony with a bright orange mane and tail and white hoofs with his cutie mark depicting a perfectly ripe green apple. While he didn’t wear a hat like his sister, Big Mac did wear a brown scarf around his neck. With his large stature, the wooden cart wasn’t as much of a hassle for him as it would’ve been for other ponies due to its large size and it being at full capacity with apples. Nevertheless, it wasn’t weightless as Big Mac tried to pull the cart up a small hill.
Though he didn’t struggle a lot, the sounds from the cart signaled that it was having a much harder time. The cart was old and years of use along with rain, snow, and summer heat hadn’t been kind to it. When he reached the top and started walking downhill, a squeaking sound could be heard from the cart. Big Mac chose to ignore thinking that the axle was simply in need of some oil, but that didn’t stop the squeaking from growing louder and louder. And then, it all happened at once.
The squeaking quickly culminated into cracking. Big Mac barely had time to react as the entire left wheel broke off, causing it to roll down the hill. With the only thing keeping the two-wheeled cart stable now gone, it instantly fell on its side and started to slide forward, picking Big Mac along with it as he yelped in surprise. He and the cart slid down the hill as the apples and baskets practically flew in the air before landing on the ground. They continued their descent until the cart hit a rock, causing it to land on its front which sent Big Mac tumbling out of it. Big Mac sat there in a daze over what had just happened. He was so dumbstruck that he didn’t notice when the cart started to lean forward until it crashed down onto one of his legs.
This resulted in a painful sounding crack which was enough to make Big Mac cry out in pain. Luckily for him, his cry didn’t go unheard since he hadn’t traveled that far from the orchard. Applejack had just filled two more baskets when she heard her brother’s yell of pain.
“Big Mac!”, she called out only to be received with no reply. Instinctively, she immediately ran after her brother, fearing something very bad had happened.
Rodan and Anguirus were currently waiting in line at a store to pay for the items they wished to buy. It had been a few days since they first moved into Ponyville and those few days had been fairly routine. Their days were usually filled with training, walking around town to find either restaurants or stores, and occasionally running into familiar faces. They felt they were adjusting to their new lives fairly well. Despite his sunglasses, impatience was written on Rodan’s face as he repeatedly tapped the floor with his hoof while Anguirus was the complete opposite as they waited for the ponies in front of them to finish checking out. After what felt like a minute to Anguirus but a whole day to Rodan, they finally reached the front of the line.
“Whew, finally, thought I was standing in front of a bunch of mannequins for a second”, commented Rodan as he placed their items in front of the pony that would check them out.
“You do know there’s a reason as to why Gojira decided to not come with us for shopping”, said Anguirus.
“Yeah, cause he wanted to stay behind and train some more”, answered Rodan.
“No, it’s because he knew you’d act like this and didn’t want to deal with the sense of embarrassment that I’m dealing with right now”, said Anguirus as he gestured to some of the ponies which were giving them glances.
“So what, not my fault they can’t resist my good looks”, joked Rodan. Anguirus gave Rodan a blunt expression.
“What good looks?”, he asked. Rodan gave his brother a glare through his shades, but before he could retort the cashier, a yellow mare wearing an apron, at the counter spoke up.
“Alright, that’ll be sixteen bits”, she said. Rodan reached into his satchel and after a few seconds pulled out the exact amount. He gave them to the mare who seemed pleased. “Have a nice day you two.”
“Thanks sweetheart”, replied Rodan as he and Anguirus walked away leaving a fairly flustered mare behind.
“Your lucky Lisa isn’t around”, said Anguirus. “I’m pretty sure she would’ve had your wings if you did that in front of her.”
“When I flirt with other mares, it’s just for fun. It’s only when I do it to Lisa is when it’s genuine”, said Rodan as they walked through the streets of Ponyville. He looked into his satchel with a bit of a frown. “I hate to say this, but it looks like these bits are starting to run dry.”
“I know, we're gonna have to start finding jobs soon”, replied Anguirus. “How has the job hunt been going, by the way?”
“Not great, there just aren’t that many ponies who are hiring. I’m pretty sure Gojira hasn’t been having much luck either”, answered Rodan. “It especially doesn’t help when everyone is immediately intimidated by you just because you’re taller than them.” Anguirus was at first confused by this, but he quickly understood why. The stares he received in the store should’ve been a giveaway.
“Then what are we going to do? Are we gonna have to start hunting in the forest for food?”, he asked in a sarcastic way. Rodan lightly chuckled.
“No, me and Gojira will keep trying and if worse comes to worse, we’ll probably ask Caesar for more bits. Though, I don’t think Gojira would consider that option”, said Rodan.
“But, what do we do if we still can’t find any jobs? You know we can’t ask for bits from Caesar forever”, said Anguirus.
Rodan tried thinking of an answer, but his mind was mostly blank. He and Gojira had been job hunting for a few days now. They had tried simple grocery stores, to floral shops, to pawn shops, only for them to come out empty hoofed. There were still some jobs that they hadn’t tried asking for yet, but the number of them was slowly starting to drop. It wasn’t too concerning, but Rodan knew if they didn’t find some way to earn bits soon, they wouldn’t be staying in Ponyville for very much longer.
“Well, I don’t really-”, Rodan was cut off when someone spoke before him.
“Evening you two”, said a familiar voice. The two brothers turned to see Rarity walking with Rainbow Dash who didn’t seem completely thrilled to see them.
“Oh, hey, Rarity was it?”, asked Anguirus. He then turned toward Rainbow Dash. “And you’re Rainbow Dash, right?”
“The one and only”, Rainbow Dash replied with a confident pose.
“How have you both been?”, asked Rarity.
“We’ve been doing well, currently in the middle of some grocery shopping”, Rodan answered. “How about you two?”
“Well we’re both doing great. In fact, we’re doing some shopping of our very own”, said Rarity as she gestured to the many, many bags that she and Rainbow Dash were carrying. Each seemed to be filled with clothes, sewing materials, buttons, and other accessories. Though Rarity seemed happy, the same couldn’t be said for Rainbow Dash.
“I know you’re big on fashion or whatever, but do you have to buy out Equestria’s entire stock of cloth?”, asked Rainbow Dash as her wings seemed ready to fall off from the number of bags she was holding.
“Just gathering the essentials, darling”, replied Rarity. “And besides, they were on sale!”
“Oh yeah, how could I forget the ‘buy 50 pieces of clothing and get the 51st for free’ deal”, said Rainbow Dash with sarcasm.
“Believe me, darling, the second you see what I’ll do with all of this, you’ll be begging to go shopping with me again”, said Rarity. Rainbow Dash merely rolled her eyes.
“Well then, it seems you both have been busy”, said Anguirus.
“You got that right”, said Rainbow Dash. “By the way, I remember there being three of you. Where’s the other one?”
“Well, umm…”, said Anguirus. He couldn’t find the words. He couldn’t say that Gojira was at their house training, that’d surely raise some suspicion. He was about to say something, but Rodan beat him to it.
“Gojira’s a bit of a heavy sleeper so me and Anguirus left early to grab some stuff for lunch. For all we know, he’s probably still asleep”, Rodan answered even though truth be told Gojira was probably the lightest sleeper out of the three. Rarity seemed to believe it, though Rainbow Dash seemed more skeptical.
“Reminds me of a certain somepony”, said Rarity as she glanced at Rainbow Dash.
“Hey, you woke me up right after my daily flight around Ponyville. Not my fault my sleeping schedule clashed with yours”, replied Rainbow Dash.
“Wait, you fly around Ponyville everyday?”, asked Rodan.
“You bet, if I’m gonna become a wondercolt, then I’ve gotta work for it”, said Rainbow Dash. “I know, it's really impressive.” She expected Rodan to look amazed, but instead she received a mere laugh which caught her a bit off guard.
“No, no. I’m asking as in, is that it?”, said Rodan. Both Rarity and especially Rainbow Dash looked confused.
“What do you mean that’s it? It’s not like you could do any better”, asked Rainbow Dash. This again sparked a laugh from Rodan.
‘Rodan, calm yourself.’
“You think flying around Ponyville is impressive, try flying around the entirety of the Everfree forest for every single day”, said Rodan. “That will give you wings of steel.” Rainbow Dash had always thought her flying routine was impressive, until she heard Rodan’s. However, she didn’t want him to know that.
“Oh please, nopony could handle something like that without their wings falling off”, she replied. Rodan once again couldn’t help but snicker.
“You’d be surprised”, he said to himself.
“Uhh, so…anything interesting happening here in Ponyville”, asked Anguirus, wanting to change the subject.
“Oh dear, that reminds me”, said Rarity with a look of realization. “Did you two hear about what happened to Big Mac?” Both Anguirus and Rodan looked very confused.
“Uhh…who?”, asked Rodan.
“Big Mac is Applejack’s older brother”, said Rarity. “Apparently he broke his leg so now Applejack has got to buck the entire orchard at Sweet Apple Acres by herself.”
“The entire orchard?”, asked Anguirus. He looked in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, all he saw were trees with many of them having apples on them. “Doesn’t that seem a bit much for one pony to handle?”
“I would think so, but when it comes to applebucking, there’s nopony better for the job other than Applejack”, replied Rarity.
While Rainbow Dash agreed with what Rarity said, Anguirus wasn’t as sure as she was. He hadn’t known Applejack for very long, but he still felt as though she was way in over her head. He could imagine that a farm as large as the one he saw when he and his brothers first arrived at Ponyville would take many ponies a few days to fully harvest, let alone only one. But, then again, he hadn’t talked with Applejack and the times when he did she seemed to show tons of passion towards her farm. So maybe she could handle a task that big, but he was still unsure over it.
“I don’t know, has anypony checked in on her?”, he asked.
“Umm, as far as I’m aware of no”, said Rainbow Dash.
“She’ll be fine, Anguirus”, said Rodan. “Besides, we should probably be heading home before Gojira wakes up.” He gestured for the two of them to start walking. “It was nice seeing you two, see ya la-”, Rodan's sentence was cut short when his ear twitched, causing him to look in the direction the noise was coming from. “Hey, do you guys hear that?”, he asked.
“Hear what, exactly”, asked Rainbow Dash. Though she didn’t hear it, she felt it as a low rumbling could be felt causing many ponies to bounce in place. In an attempt to see what was causing the ruckus, Rainbow Dash quickly flew into the air to see where it was coming from. To say the very least, it wasn’t what she expected.
Rarity spoke up to her. “Rainbow Dash, what do you see-”.
“Stampede!”, exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
Indeed she was right as near the bridge of Ponyville, several cows were charging almost in some kind of panic. Their speed resulted in a large dust cloud that was thick enough to practically blind each one of them as they raced toward Ponyville in a relentless charge. When they started to come into view, Rodan, Anguirus, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash quickly moved toward cover, not without the struggle of having to move all of the bags and clothes that Rarity had bought. They weren’t the only ones rushing. Almost every single pony in Ponyville were in a mass panic as those who were close to their house or some kind of building quickly ran inside while those who weren’t had to avoid the path that the cattle were taking. Everyone was terrified, or at least almost everyone. In the middle of all the chaos was a certain pink pony, constantly jittering from the vibrations caused by the stampede.
“HeY, tHiS mAkEs My VoIcE sOuNd SiLlY”, said Pinkie Pie as she seemed to be the only pony to actually be enjoying what was happening.
Throughout the panic, Mayor Mare tried her hardest to calm the crowd, only for her words to go completely unheard. Anguirus, Rarity, and Rodan stayed under the roof of a nearby building while Rainbow Dash and other pegasus took to the air to avoid the inevitable danger.
“What ever shall we do?”, asked Rarity with dread in her voice.
Rodan looked toward Rarity and his younger brother and then back toward the approaching herd of runaway cattle. He wanted to jump in and do or at least say something, but he didn’t want to risk revealing the kaiju spirits. Perhaps he could lead the stampede away, destroy the bridge so they couldn’t cross, his options were very limited and risky. Luckily for him he didn’t have to worry for much longer. He looked back toward the herd and could’ve sworn he saw not something but someone. With his enhanced vision, he managed to easily see who was running alongside the cattle. It seemed almost too coincidental that the mare he saw was the same mare they were just talking about.
“No way”, he said to himself.
“Look!”, exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
Everyone who heard Rainbow Dash looked in the direction of the oncoming stampede. The orange color, yellow mane, and farmer’s hat instantly gave away the identity of the mare in question. Applejack galloped through the cattle with a white and brown dog. Once everyone saw her, a unanimous sense of relief and hope was felt throughout the ponies of Ponyville as they cheered for Applejack.
“Yeehaw!”, exclaimed Applejack as she turned toward the dog that was running alongside her. “Move to the other side, Winona.”
Winona barked to let her master know she understood. Applejack moved toward the right side of the herd while Winona moved to the left. Applejack pushed the cattle into a straight line with Winona barking at the cows on her side to do the same. Everyone watched in anticipation as the herd grew closer and closer. Every pony was tense, except for Pinkie (of course) who watched the spectacle with a bag of popcorn that appeared from seemingly nowhere.
With the herd of cows under control, the main goal was to now redirect them from Ponyville. Winona jumped across several cows until she reached the front of the stampede. Applejack quickly followed suit as she jumped on to a cow herself. Luckily, before the stampede, she had grabbed a rope which she used to lasso the cow at the front of the herd as the rope latched around its neck. Applejack then jumped off the cow and with all her might she pulled the rope, causing the cow to slowly change direction away from Ponyville. With mere feet left, the stampede turned away from the bridge to Ponyville just in time.
Applejack tugged hard against the rope, leaving small trenches of dirt from her hooves as she managed to bring the stampede to a stop. Each pony in Ponyville had a moment of amazement after what they witnessed before a large uproar of applause could be heard for their savior. Pinkie even held an orange flag with an apple on it. Applejack and her trusty dog Winona stood tall and proud atop one of the hills before the bridge as several ponies ran toward her. This included Rarity and Rainbow Dash who left most of the bags behind.
With most of the ponies gone, Rodan looked at his younger brother. “See, Anguirus, if she can handle a whole stampede, then she can handle some apple trees”, said Rodan. “Now come on, I’m sure Gojira’s training has left him famished.”
Rodan started to walk away with Anguirus following shortly after. He looked back at Applejack who looked so happy and proud. Perhaps she could handle herself, after all she did say her family owned Sweet Apple Acres, maybe she could handle the work on her own. He could only wish her luck.
Gojira sat perfectly still in the center of an open part of the forest. He was breathing heavily as the sun stared down at him. The blue glow that was present on his mane and tail during his fight with Nightmare Moon was slowly spreading across his body. The amount of energy he felt was great but manageable, however he could tell that it was slowly increasing. During this, Alpha watched over him while analyzing his tactics.
‘Stay focused, don’t strain yourself, and keep a level head. And when you’ve built enough energy, release it all across your body instead of just through your mouth.’
Gojira clenched his teeth as he tried his hardest to not open his jaw. He tried to spread the energy along his body, however it primarily stayed in his chest. A small flicker could be seen from his hooves as some scales started to form. Sweat began to form on Gojira’s temple as the energy reached a maximum. And before long, he couldn’t keep it in. His jaw was forced open and a short blast of energy was shot out of it, hitting a nearby tree with enough power to cause it to collapse. Gojira managed to cut the output off, but he had to kneel due to the heavy amount of built up energy completely draining him of oxygen. He slammed his hoof on the ground in frustration.
“Damnit!”, he yelled.
‘Calm yourself, this isn’t the first time it’s happened. You need to work more on controlling your energy first before learning how to use my pulse. It’ll just take time.’
Gojira let out a sigh as he caught his breath. “I know, it’s just that the sun’s solar rays keep throwing me off”, he said.
‘The sun’s rays should help replenish your energy. If you don’t treat it as such, you can and will become easily overwhelmed with the amount of energy you’ll be forced to take in.’
“Yeah, got that”, said Gojira as he stood back up. “Let’s just try it again.”
‘I wouldn’t advise that. You’ve exhausted yourself enough as it is. If you try to use the pulse again in your current state, you could pass out. We’ll try again tomorrow or until you’ve fully recharged.’
“I’m fine, I can handle another attempt”, replied Gojira as he got back into position. His mane and tail started to spark blue along with his eyes which briefly turned blue for a second. However, only after a few seconds, he was forced to cut off his energy as he felt a slight discomfort in his head.
‘Listen to me, Gojira, you mustn’t rush this process. It took you several years just to figure out how to handle your physical capabilities. The pulse will take time, but it shall come to you. You just have to be patient and continue to push yourself, but never overwork yourself.’
Gojira groaned. He wanted to continue, but even he had to admit that his last attempt had worn him out more than he realized. “Alright fine, that’ll be enough for today”, he said as he started to walk back toward the house. He glanced back at the tree he knocked down. “Shouldn’t we move that?”
‘Anguirus and Fierce will take care of it when they and Phoenix return. His energy can be used on quickening plant growth, unlike you who relies on it for other purposes.’
Gojira slowly walked through the forest, he had gone further out to ensure no one would see the bright blue color he emitted. As he walked, he could feel the heat of the sun against his back. This warmth helped him feel energized as his mane and tail flashed bright blue for a couple of seconds. He could see what Alpha was talking about when he mentioned how the sun was more of a replenisher. Though for him, he more so preferred to be a night owl rather than an early bird. The night sky was always more appealing to him rather than the brisk morning. He wasn’t obsessed with the night, unlike a certain somepony, but the sight of the luminescent moon with millions of stars scattered around it was so beautiful to him. His thoughts were interrupted when he soon arrived at the back door to the house. Before he entered, the sound of the front door opening could be heard.
“Speak of the devils, themselves”, said Gojira as he lightly snickered. He opened the back door and entered the kitchen. He was met with his two brothers talking amongst themselves until they noticed their older brother.
“Morning, Sleepy Beauty”, said Rodan. “How was your nap?”
“Nap?”, asked Gojira.
“It’s an excuse we made when we met Rarity and Rainbow Dash. They were wondering how you were doing”, answered Anguirus. “And by the looks of things, you seem to have been busy.”
“You better believe it”, said Gojira as he walked over to the sink and poured himself a glass of water. “How was grocery shopping?”
“Fairly well, we got most of the stuff we needed. Though we couldn’t afford everything”, said Rodan, showing Gojira the bag. Gojira looked through the bag, taking in how few items there were.
“It’s not a whole lot, but it should do for this week”, said Gojira. “How many bits are left?” Rodan was hesitant to answer so instead he showed him his satchel containing the bits. Once Gojira looked inside, he had his answer. “Guess that explains why you didn’t buy any eggs.”
“Yeah, we’re definitely going to have to go job hunting again today and possibly tomorrow…and maybe the next day”, said Rodan. Gojira had heard something like that many times before. He was upset, but managed to hide it from his brothers.
“Yep, I guess we should start getting ready to head out”, said Gojira as he started taking the groceries and putting them in either the fridge or pantry. “By the way, what was with all the commotion? Thought an earthquake was happening from all the tremors I was feeling.”
“There weren't any tremors, just a crap ton of cattle”, said Rodan. Gojira looked as though he had expected something different.
“Cattle?”, asked Gojira.
“Yeah, it was insane. There were like twenty cows or more charging toward Ponyville, everypony was panicking and freaking out. And then, out of nowhere, Applejack gallops in and manages to control an entire stampede with just her dog, a rope, and her own two hooves”, replied Anguirus with a ton of enthusiasm. In fact, possibly too much enthusiasm according to the faces his brothers were giving him. “I-I mean…y-you know it…it was pretty-…pretty cool.”
“I guess it was”, said Gojira trying to hold back his laughter.
“I gotta say, that mare is impressive”, said Rodan. “She handles not only a whole herd of cattle, but even her whole farm by herself. I don’t think I expected anypony here to have that kinda stamina. Apart from yours truly.” Though Rodan hinted at himself, Gojira lightly snickered.
“Thanks for the compliment, Rodey”, said Gojira. Rodan slightly stuttered as he gave his older brother a glare.
“I wasn’t talking about-… never mind”, he replied. Both Gojira and Anguirus couldn’t help but chuckle, it was too easy to tease the middle colt.
“Anyways, is that true? She’s going to handle her whole farm by herself”, asked Gojira.
“Not the whole farm, I’d imagine, but definitely the orchard at the very least”, replied Rodan.
“I’ll be damned, that’s pretty impressive”, said Gojira.
“It is, but doesn’t that kinda seem like a lot for just one mare to handle?”, asked Anguirus. “I mean, have you seen the size of that orchard?”
Rodan let out a sigh. “Aang, she’ll be fine, why are you so worried about it”, he said.
“I don’t know, it just seems like a lot of work for one mare. Hay, it’s a lot of work for a whole group of ponies. I’m not saying she can’t do it, but still”, said Anguirus. He then turned toward his oldest brother. “Don’t you think so, Gojira?”
“Well…I mean, if she knows what she’s doing then I assume she could be fine. It is her family’s farm after all ”, said Gojira.
“That’s what I’m saying”, said Rodan. “Look, Aang, if she’s sophisticated enough to handle a charging stampede, then what makes you think apple trees of all things will be too much for her to handle?”
“It just seems like too much, that’s all”, replied Anguirus.
“Alright, alright, there’s no need to get heated over this”, said Gojira as he got between his brothers. “Anguirus, though I appreciate your concerns, this is a situation we aren’t a part of. Especially since we have bigger issues that we should be focusing on, such as learning our spirits and finding some kind of source of income.” He put his hoof on his younger brother’s shoulder. “If Applejack is as capable as you both say she is, then surely she’ll be able to handle her own farm.”
Anguirus thought about it and let out a sigh. Perhaps his brothers were right, perhaps he was making this situation seem worse than it was. Maybe Applejack could handle herself on her farm, for all he knew she was probably used to working by herself. However, there was still that thought of doubt that still roamed in his mind. But from what everyone had told him, maybe he wasn’t giving Applejack enough credit, he had just seen her handle an entire stampede. He still felt unsure, but decided to stay open minded for now.
“Okay, sorry, guess I didn’t think about it like that”, he said.
“It’s fine, bro. It was nice of you to express your thoughts”, said Gojira. He then turned toward Rodan. “Head to the bathroom to freshen up, we’ll be doing some more job searching shortly after.” Rodan rolled his eyes.
“You know, this job searching is starting to feel more like a job in of itself”, he said as he then walked to the bathroom. Gojira hated to admit it, but he was starting to feel the same way.
“Anguirus, while we’re gone, you be sure to continue your training. You can use the knocked down tree to help learn your strength”, said Gojira.
“Sure thing, Goji-…wait, what tree?”, asked Anguirus.
“Don’t worry, you can’t miss it”, Gojira replied. After a while, Rodan walked out of the bathroom.
“Alright, I’m ready”, he said.
“Then let’s go”, said Gojira as he gestured toward the door. “We’ll probably be back at around dinner time.”
“Don’t be surprised if we come back early and empty hoofed”, said Rodan as he and Gojira left the house, leaving Anguirus by himself. Although he knew he should, training wasn’t something that Anguirus was thinking about.
‘You’re still worried about Applejack.’
“I know, I know”, said Anguirus. “I feel like I shouldn’t be, but I can’t help it. Everypony seems so laid back about it, but why ain’t I?” His symbol flashed as Fierce appeared from his mane covered in light brown mist.
‘It could be because you’re so used to the enhancements that we give you that you might’ve forgotten what normal ponies can do. So you may think that certain jobs are harder for regular ponies than they really are.’
“I guess”, said Anguirus. The more he thought about it, the more unsure he became. He let out a sigh. “It seems weird, but I can’t stop thinking about it. It feels like I should do something, but I don’t know what.” Fierce floated in front of Anguirus, taking in his vessel’s tone of voice. He could tell that something was on Anguirus’ mind, something more that wasn’t just him worrying over Applejack. In a small form or another, Fierce felt the same way.
‘You wish you could do more.’ Anguirus didn’t say anything, but his body spoke volumes as he slightly nodded. ‘I can see that you aren’t in the right mood to be training, so how about I make a proposition. If we were to visit Sweet Apple Acres and see if our assistance is at all needed, would that help clear your mind which would allow us to start training.’
Anguirus heard what Fierce said and at first he didn’t believe it. “What?”, exclaimed Anguirus. “But, you’re usually strict about training, and what would Gojira and Rodan think when they see that we’re gone?”
‘Consider this a part of your training. Learning how to keep your powers under control without the aid of your siblings. This should also help put you in a healthy enough state so we can start real training when we return.’
“But, why? You’d usually be apprehensive about me going somewhere without Gojira or Rodan. Why are you cool with it now?”, asked Anguirus.
‘I’m not just your spirit, I’m also your protector and my job is to not only keep you safe, but to also make sure that you’re happy. And since I can tell that this is starting to bother you, a course of action needs to be taken. So we’ll head to Sweet Apple Acres and see if everything is fine then we’ll come back here and start your actual training. Is that fine with you?’
Anguirus thought about it, the more he did the move convinced he became. If Fierce was okay with him traveling to Sweet Apple Acres by himself, then surely he was. “Well, then what are we still standing here for?”, he said. “Let’s get going.” Anguirus’ symbol flashed as Fierce disappeared from sight.
‘Just remember, we’re only staying there if our help is needed. If not, we’ll come back here, understand?’
“Yep, got it”, said Anguirus as he walked out the door, closing it behind him.
Sweet Apple Acres
It took roughly ten minutes or so, but eventually Anguirus made it to the farm area of Ponyville. Sweet Apple Acres was home to several fields containing different crops, animal pens, a chicken coop, a stone well, several stacks of hay, and a large red barn in the center. To the right of the barn was the orchard which was packed with freshly grown apple trees ready to be bucked. To the left was an orange farmhouse with parts of the walls and roof in the shape of wooden barrels. Anguirus looked around, he saw no sign of Applejack or anyone for that matter, only the occasional clucking from the chickens. He took the large scale of the farm.
“It’s much bigger than I thought it was”, he said as he walked through the gate. “Hello! Anypony here!” He was given no response.
‘Check the farmhouse first, somepony must be in there.’
Anguirus nodded as he walked down a dirt path which led to the house that stood left from the barn. As he approached it, he managed to get a better view of the orchard. It was just as big as the whole farm itself. This established his thought he had earlier about how much work this was for one mare to handle. Nevertheless, he walked up to the front door of the farmhouse and rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, the door slowly opened. Up until this point, aside from Applejack, Anguirus hadn’t met any other member of the Apple family, so he didn’t know what to expect. However, he didn’t expect to be met with a light green, elderly mare with a white mane and tail, an orange scarf with an apple pattern, and a cutie mark depicting an apple pie on her back leg.
“Well, howdy there”, she said with a high pitched, western accent.
“Umm, hello”, said Anguirus, a bit taken aback by the age of this mare. “My name is Anguirus Zawa and I was wondering if a pony named Applejack was here?”
“Applejack? Why, she just left to deliver some of our fresh apples to Ponyville”, said the mare as she pointed down the path Anguirus just came from. “In fact, ya just missed her.”
“Damn”, said Anguirus to himself.
“Why do you ask, if I may ask myself?”, asked the mare.
“Well, you see ma’am, I was wondering if she at all needed any help since I heard that she would be working by herself on your farm and it seems like a lot of work”, answered Anguirus.
“Oh, don’t you be worrying about that. My granddaughter has been working on this farm ever since she was a wee little filly”, said the mare. “If there’s a pony I could trust to never let our family down, it’d be her.” From the tone of the mare and the words she said, Anguirus started to have second thoughts.
“Oh, well if you’re so sure-”, Anguirus was cut off when the mare started to talk again.
“But, I’m never one to not accept another pair of hooves”, she said as she extended her hoof. “The name’s Granny Smith and if you got a knack for hard work, than you’re more than welcome to work here on Sweet Apple Acres.” Anguirus took Granny Smith’s hoof and shook it.
“Thank you, Miss-…”, her words registered in his mind. “Wait, I’m not trying to-”, he ended up being cut off when Granny Smith looked back inside the house.
“Applebloom! Can you come down here please”, she called out to the upstairs part of the house.
“Coming, Granny”, said what sounded like a young, filly’s voice.
“Umm, I’m sorry ma’am, but I think there’s been some kind of misunderstan-”, Anguirus was once again cut off when the young filly walked up to the door. She was a light yellow filly with a bright red mane and tail. She wore a bright pink which was almost as big as her own head.
“This here is my youngest granddaughter, Applebloom”, said Granny Smith. “Say hi, Applebloom.”
“Howdy, mister”, said the young filly as she had to crane her neck back to look up at Anguirus. “Whoa, I don’t think I’ve seen a pony quite like you before, are you new?” Anguirus merely waved at her.
“Umm, yeah, I just moved here with my brothers a few days ago”, he said as he looked back at Granny Smith. “But, I’m sure there's been a mistake. I’m not looking for a job, I was asking if your granddaughter, Applejack, was in need of any assistance.”
“Well, since Applejack is currently at Ponyville, Big Mac is in no way ready to start work, and little Applebloom here is too young to work by herself, I’d say we are in need of your help”, said Granny Smith with a smile. She then looked down at Applebloom. “Applebloom, can you please take him down to the orchard and show him what to do?”
“Right on it, Granny”, said Applebloom as she walked out the door. “Come on, mister.” Anguirus looked at her and then back at Granny Smith, this whole conversation wasn’t going as he planned.
“Umm, okay”, he said as he walked alongside Applebloom. “This isn’t what I expected to happen”, he whispered to himself.
‘Neither did I, however we could benefit from this.’
“How”, asked Anguirus.
‘As you know, your brothers have been working hard to find a job. And it may seem as though you have found one before them.’
Anguirus quickly understood what Fierce was hinting at. “But I don’t know anything about farming. I didn’t even know Applebucking Season was a thing”, he whispered.
‘That doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to. Besides, that’s what the teacher is for.’ Anguirus was at first confused when Fierce mentioned a teacher, until he realized that by teacher he meant the only other pony near him.
“You’re kidding”, said Anguiru with a deadpan expression.
‘No, no, I’m no kidder, that’s more of Rodan’s job.’
“She’s a filly, how much could she know?”, asked Anguirus.
‘She knows more than either of us. Just follow whatever she says and try to adapt to it or find easier methods. If that doesn’t work then go back up to the farmhouse and ask for assistance. And above all else, don’t use your powers. That should go without saying at this point.’
“I know that, duh”, said Anguirus. He was about to say something else, but ended up being cut off by a young voice.
“Excuse me, mister, but you sure do like to talk to yourself a lot”, said Applebloom. Anguirus stood still for a few seconds, he hadn’t realized that he had been talking out loud.
“Uhh, yeah…errm, sorry, it’s a bad habit”, he said, trying to play it off. Applebloom gave him a sideways glance as she started to walk again towards the orchard.
‘Thought you knew.’
Anguirus mentally groaned. He and Applebloom walked past the gate and entered the orchard. All that either of them could see was nothing but apple trees, many of which having been picked clean of their apples. Anguirus could assume that it was Applejack who had done most of the work which had him fairly impressed. He couldn’t think of any other mare tackling a task that large. However, though Applejack had made good progress, she was only close to halfway through picking the whole orchard of trees. If this was a few days worth of work, according to Granny Smith, then he didn’t even want to imagine how long it would take until the whole orchard had been bucked. After a while, Anguirus and Applebloom walked to a tree which seemed to be where Applejack had stopped courtesy of the wooden cart and baskets placed around the stump of the tree.
“So, applebucking is simple. All you need to do is go up to a tree, like this one, and buck it ‘til all the apples fall down and land in these here baskets”, said Applebloom as she looked back up at Anguirus.
“Easy enough”, he said.
Anguirus walked up to the tree, it was the average height and width of all the other trees in the field. One important thing to mention, Anguirus had never seen how applebucking is done. The only thing he knew was that you had to hit a tree hard enough to knock down the apples. But when he heard the word “buck”, he assumed that meant something different than kicking the tree. So when he got into position, he faced the tree head on.
Applebloom watched in confusion as Anguirus rushed forward, causing several scales to form on his head, and slammed his head against the trunk of the tree. A loud bang could be heard as several apples, branches, and leaves fell from the tree. Anguirus hit the tree so hard that several cracks could be seen in the base of the trunk. Anguirus walked backward, pieces of bark falling from his head as the scales immediately disappeared back into his head.
“So, how was that?”, asked Anguirus.
Before Applebloom could say anything, the sound of splitting wood caused both of them to look back at the tree. It was starting to lean. More cracks started to form around the trunk, causing the tree to lean more. Eventually, the shift in weight became too much for the trunk to handle. The last remaining pieces of bark broke away, leaving nothing to keep the tree from meeting the ground. With a loud crash, the tree collapsed on the ground, causing whatever apples left to break from their branches and scatter across the grass. Both Anguirus and Applebloom watched with shocked expressions at the tree which now layed dead. Anguirus especially looked at it in disbelief. He slowly turned to face Applebloom.
“I-I…am, s-so sorry…I…”, he tried thinking of some kind of excuse, but nothing came to his mind. That was until he looked at Applebloom. She didn’t seem scared or frightened, but instead amazed.
“Whoa…that, was…incredible!”, exclaimed Applebloom. Her tone of voice caught Anguirus off guard. “I mean…wow. I don’t think even Big Mac could do something like that. How’d you do that? Where’d you come from? What did you say your name was again?” Her questions came at Anguirus all at once.
“Uhh…my name is Anguirus Zawa and…”, he looked back at the downed tree, “guess I don’t know my own strength”, he said, trying to play it off as a joke.
“How’d you do that?”, Applebloom asked, getting closer to Anguirus.
“I…don’t know, it just kinda happened. Me and my brothers do work out a lot, so I guess that paid off”, said Anguirus. “Sorry about the tree.”
“Don’t worry about it, that tree was on the smaller size anyways. Though, I don’t think AJ would appreciate you knocking down our orchard”, said Applebloom. “Come on, I’ll show you what to actually do.” She walked over to another tree and signaled for Anguirus to follow her.
‘That was too close. Your physical strength is greater than you think. So though you may feel like you’re using enough force, I’d advise you to hold back.’
Anguirus mentally nodded, he had come to Sweet Apple Acres to help and in the process nearly revealed the secret of the kaiju spirits. Once Applebloom showed him actually how applebucking is done, realizing that it made more sense to kick the trees, Anguirus managed himself much better. Taking the advice Fierce gave him, Anguirus held back on several of his kicks, making sure to avoid a similar incident. He eventually found a rhythm which included him putting baskets under the tree before kicking said tree, allowing the apples to fall in the baskets; apart from the first couple of times when they completely missed. All the while Applebloom watched him looking very intrigued, still thinking about what had happened earlier.
“So, didn’t you say that you just moved to Ponyville?”, she asked.
“Yeah, around a week ago”, said Anguirus. “Me and my brothers have been constantly moving from town to town. We’re hoping Ponyville will be our last.”
“What do you think of Ponyville?”, asked Applebloom.
“I like it, though we couldn’t have chosen a worse day to come than the Summer Sun celebration. Who could’ve guessed that their special guest would’ve been a corrupted alicorn”, said Anguirus. Applebloom lightly chuckled.
“Well I promise you that it don’t get much better than here in Ponyville”, she said.
“I could’ve guessed”, said Anguirus as he kicked another tree. The apples fell into the baskets with only a couple missing by just a few inches.
“I’d say you’re starting to get the hang of this”, said Applebloom. “You sure you haven’t done this before?”
“Positive, didn’t you see my first attempt”, said Anguirus causing Applebloom to laugh. Anguirus picked up one of the baskets and carried it over to the wooden cart. As he did so, Applebloom noticed something, she had never seen a cutie mark like the one on Anguirus.
“Hey, what kind of cutie mark is that?”, she asked. Anguirus turned to face her, looking down at the mark on his hind leg.
“Oh that, that’s not a cutie mark…”, the sound of glass shattering could be heard only by Anguirus as his words replayed in his mind.
‘Oh crap’, he thought to himself. Applebloom looked puzzled.
“Really? Then what is it?”, she asked. Anguirus kept his composure and tried to quickly think of something. Luckily for him, he had help.
‘A tattoo, it’s a tattoo.’
“It-It’s a tattoo”, said Anguirus.
“But, where’s your cutie mark?”, asked Applebloom.
“I guess I never got one”, answered Anguirus. Applebloom looked appalled by his response.
“What! But, how? I thought all ponies got a cutie mark when they were little”, she said.
“I must’ve been one of those rare occasions. None of my brothers got one either. Our mother probably thought that there was something wrong with us because she would take us to the hospital almost everyday”, said Anguirus. Though, truth be told, the reason why was more so because he and his brothers were always rough housing each other. But he thought best to leave that part out.
“Doesn’t that bother you though? I mean, aren’t cutie marks supposed to make you feel…special?”, asked Applebloom. Anguirus grabbed another basket as he walked over to another tree.
“I can see why somepony would be upset over that fact, but I’m not one of those ponies. And in my eyes, that makes me special enough”, said Anguirus as he placed the baskets down. Applebloom thought about what Anguirus said, causing her to look at where a cutie mark of her own would be.
“So, it is possible for a pony to not have a cutie mark”, she said with traces of disappointment in her voice. Anguirus noticed this, perhaps he could have worded it better.
“Well, who knows. Just because I didn’t get one doesn’t mean you won’t”, said Anguirus as he bent down to Applebloom’s level. “Besides, some ponies have to wait until they’re thirty for them to gain a cutie mark. It’s a process that takes time and can’t be rushed. So I say, keep doing what you do and some day what you do will be what makes you special.”
Applebloom thought about Anguirus’ words which brought a smile to her face. “I don’t think I’ve thought about that. Thanks…what’s your name again?”, she asked.
“Anguirus, but if that’s too hard, you can call me Aang”, said Anguirus.
“Ok, ya’know, I’m happy that you decided to work here at Sweet Apple Acres”, said Applebloom.
“Oh, no, I’m not actually gonna-”
“What in tarnation!”
Anguirus was cut off by the voice of another pony, one that sounded very familiar. Both he and Applebloom turned toward the entrance of the gate and were met with the surprised, but also tired, eyes of Applejack who had come across the downed tree courtesy of Anguirus. She looked up from the tree and saw the stallion and filly who looked back at her.
“Anguirus? Applebloom? What in the Sam Hill happened over here?”, asked Applejack, referring to the tree.
“Oh, that”, said Anguirus. “Well, you see, there was a bit of an…incident.”
“As in…”, said Applejack.
“You should’ve seen it, AJ. Aang charged at that trunk full force with his head and with a single bash he managed to knock the whole thing over”, exclaimed Applebloom with excitement in her voice.
“O-k, but what are you doing here?”, asked Applejack while looking at Anguirus.
“Umm, I thought you would need help with your workload so I decided to come down here and help. But you weren’t here and your grandma kinda sent me to work”, answered Anguirus.
“Yeah, and now he’s gonna work with us”, said Applebloom. “Isn’t that right, Aang?” Anguirus looked at the happy eyes of Applebloom and the tired, confused look on Applejack.
“Uhh, well…not exactly”, answered Anguirus. Applebloom looked a bit disappointed at his words.
“But, I thought that’s what you came here for”, said Applebloom.
“It is, or at least not in this way”, said Anguirus. Applejack listened to the two, her head hurt too much to think about it.
“Alright, alright”, she said, catching the attention of both Anguirus and Applebloom. Applejack bent down toward her little sister. “Why don’t you head back up to the farmhouse and see what Granny plans on cooking for dinner tonight.” The thought of her grandmother’s cooking put a smile on Applebloom’s face.
“Sure thing, AJ”, she said as she headed for the exit to the orchard. Not before turning back to give a quick wave. “Bye, Aang, it was nice meeting you.” Anguirus waved back as Applebloom left the orchard, leaving her sister and new friend behind. Applejack turned to face Anguirus, her drowzee eyes could barely focus.
“So explain to me again why you’re here”, she said.
“Well, as I said, I just wanted to see if you needed any help once I heard that you would be handling your entire farm by yourself”, said Anguirus as he took in the state that Applejack was in. The bags under her eyes and the somewhat messy hair was one thing, but the smell coming from her hat was another.
Applejack placed a hoof against her temple in an attempt to calm her head down. “Look, Anguirus, I appreciate the help, but I can handle this perfectly by myself”, she said as she then started to walk over to the tree that Anguirus had set baskets down.
“Are you sure, because, and I mean this with no disrespect, you both look and smell like you could use some kind of help”, said Anguirus.
“None taken, and I’ll be fine. I’m just a little winded from helping some friends up in Ponyville, is all. I’ll be back at my full strength before Granny finishes cooling her pie”, said Applejack, though she couldn’t help but yawn in between her sentences.
“I’m not so sure, I mean, that sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it?”, said Anguirus. “And not to mention what happened earlier today with the stampede, that had to of depleted some energy.”
“I said I’m fine, Anguirus”, said Applejack, a bit firmly, as she positioned herself to kick the tree.
“Still, is there anything I could help you with? Maybe get you a glass of water or maybe help with the farm or-”, Anguirus was cut off by the sound of Applejack kicking the tree, causing the apples to fall perfectly into each basket.
“I can handle this on my own! I can prove to you, hay, to everypony that I don’t need help!”, exclaimed Applejack as she got into Anguirus’ face, forcing him to take a few steps back. She didn’t wait for any kind of response from Anguirus as she immediately began to pick up the baskets and take them to the wooden cart.
“O…Ok then. I guess I’ll be on my way then”, said Anguirus as he started to walk toward the entrance of the orchard. “I’ll see you around in Ponyville, once you’re done that is.” Applejack barely batted an eye as she continued to buck away at the many apple trees.
Seeing as there was now no point to stick around, Anguirus made his way toward the exit of the orchard and Sweet Apple Acres as a result. Unbeknownst to him, Applejack did turn around to see the stallion off. Her expression, which was once that of frustration, had now gathered hints of regret. This didn’t last as she immediately sent herself back to work, after all, the trees weren’t going to buck themselves. Anguirus walked down the path back to Ponyville, alone with merely his thoughts.
‘Don’t take it too hard, you did the right thing by offering your support. She was the one to make the decision to accept it, and she decided to not take it which is not your fault.’
“I know, but you could tell that she needed it. It makes no sense to me, why didn’t she ask for any help?”, asked Anguirus.
‘Perhaps it could be pride or maybe she has some kind of goal in mind. We can only guess as only she knows.’
Anguirus looked back at the farm, he could see that many apple trees still had their apples. “Something tells me she doesn’t”, said Anguirus.
“Please, I saw your help wanted ad in the paper, I really need this job”, said Rodan. He was standing in front of a counter of a store where an old, blue stallion was standing. He gave Rodan a stoic look.
“Sorry, sir, but that position has already been fulfilled by somepony else”, he said.
“What? You’re telling me that some other pony got here before I did?”, asked Rodan.
“Indeed, in fact she’s standing right over there”, said the stallion pointing to a mare. The yellow color scheme and the apron reminded Rodan of a certain mare he met earlier. “Beautiful isn’t she, considering the fact that she’s my daughter.” Rodan looked at the mare the stallion had pointed at and then back at him, he felt as though he didn’t need to be told where this was going.
“I mean…you’re not wrong”, he said, a bit feebly. The old stallion gave him a sideways glance.
“If you couldn’t tell, we don’t have a position open for you. So, unfortunately, the answer is no. Which is a shame, since I’m sure she would’ve liked you”, said the stallion. Rodan merely laughed the comment off.
“Heh, yeah, I’m sure she…yeah”, he said before walking out of the store, feeling a bit thankful he didn’t get the job.
Meanwhile, Gojira was walking out of a flower shop with a mare in tow. She, of course, was much shorter than Gojira and it was obvious that she knew with her uneasy expression. She had a light magenta skin color as well as a light green mane and tail. Her cutie mark depicted two daisies which were reminiscent of her name as Gojira turned to face her.
“Ms.Daisy, I must ask you to please rethink your decision”, he said.
“I’m sorry, sir, but you don’t really qualify for this kind of work”, said Daisy.
“I know, but can you please just give me a chance. I have two younger siblings to take care of and I’m running dry on bits”, said Gojira.
“Look, there’s no better way to say this, but it’s not going to happen. We just aren’t looking for ponies quite like you. We want to attract customers and honestly you would probably do the opposite”, said Daisy, trying to be nice. “We want ponies that others can look at and feel comfortable with and you don’t fill those criteria. No offense, but you don’t look like the kind of pony that I would trust with some flowers. In fact, I thought you were part of some kind of gang when I first saw you.” Gojira took in Daisy’s words with his neutral expression. Truth be told, he agreed that he wasn’t qualified for a job like this, which was why he had saved it for last.
He breathed in and let out a sigh. “Well, thank you for the…opportunity. I’ll be sure to recommend your business to friends”, said Gojira as he walked away. Daisy watched as the tall stallion walked away, feeling half bad but also half relieved.
Gojira walked through Ponyville until he reached a large water fountain. He leaned up against the edge of the fountain as he pulled out a piece of paper and pencil from his satchel. The paper had several names of different stores in Ponyville and each one of them had a slash through them. The only ones that didn’t were two near the bottom of the paper-which didn’t last long as Gojira immediately crossed one of them out. He took a good long look at the list, feeling disappointed and concerned. After a while, he heard the sound of wings flapping causing him to look up and be met by Rodan.
“Have any luck?”, asked Gojira.
“What do you think?”, replied Rodan. Gojira didn’t need to be told twice as he crossed out the last remaining name on the list. “Are there any that we missed?”
“What do you think?”, said Gojira. Rodan let out a sigh as he took a seat next to his older brother.
“Sooo…what do we do now?”, asked Rodan.
“Though I don’t want to, we may have to ask Caesar to lend us some more bits”, said Gojira. “That should buy us some time to come up with something.” Rodan looked back at the list, there were around twenty names with twenty of them crossed out. He looked up and noticed a couple of glances their way, only for them to immediately look away once he noticed them.
“I don’t get it”, he said. “I keep being told that everypony in Ponyville is so accepting and kind. And yet, no matter where we go, we’re always being judged.” Gojira nodded with his conversation with Daisy replaying in his mind.
“I know how you feel, it is quite hypocritical. However, I do understand where they’re coming from”, said Gojira. “Remember, we are abnormally tall ponies. It will take time for others to become used to seeing us, so it may be a while before we can try again at finding a job.”
“How long do you think that’ll take?”, asked Rodan. Gojira didn’t say anything, his neutral expression did all the talking. Rodan looked down at his hooves, he and Gojira were dumbfounded on what to do. “Seems that our spirits won’t be what causes us to leave early.”
‘Wouldn’t have been our faults.’
Gojira looked over at the nervous expression on his brother’s face. The uncertainty of what other option to take was plastered all over his younger brother, despite the shades trying to hide it. Gojira remembered what he was told on the very first day they came to Ponyville, before he took his very first step into the town. He took a breath before standing up and walking in front of Rodan, he put on a small comforting smile.
“Hey, don’t worry, we’ll be fine. If we could handle Nightmare Moon, then we can handle some job surfing”, said Gojira as he reached a hoof out to his little brother. “Why don’t we go grab a bite from somewhere to help clear our minds? Didn’t you say something about some kind of bakery, how about we check that place out?” Rodan looked at the hoof stretched out to him, a small smile formed on his face. He grabbed his brother’s hoof and was hoisted back on to his own hooves.
“Alright, come on, I’ll lead the way”, said Rodan as he gestured for Gojira to follow him. The two walked through the streets until what they hoped was the site of Sugarcube Corner. “Trust me, Goji. Their pastries are incredible. And you just gotta try the coffee, it’s to die…for?”
Instead, they came across something that was the opposite of a welcoming and appetizing bakery. A blue tent with a large red cross was set up outside the entrance of Sugarcube Corner. There were roughly twenty ponies inside the tent with the majority of them looking as green as a frog. Some were either lying in beds, others were lying on the floor unable to stand, some were hunched over on the side of their beds with their heads lodged into wooden buckets vomiting the entirety of their stomachs. The few that weren’t incredibly sick were nurses and doctors that were rushing around trying to get to every pony that they could. Gojira and Rodan watched the scene in front of them, Gojira then turned toward Rodan with a neutral expression.
“Didn’t think you meant it”, said Gojira. Before Rodan could speak, the sound of a familiar voice got to his brother first.
“Hey Gojira.” Both Gojira and Rodan turned around and were met with the smiling face of Spike and the worried face of Twilight.
“Oh, hello Spike, hello Twilight”, said Gojira. Just then, a nurse pony walked out from the tent and noticed Twilight.
“Twilight!”, she called out. Twilight heard her voice and rushed over with Spike, Gojira, and Rodan following.
“Hey, Spectacles. We came as soon as we could”, said Twilight.
“Thank you, Twilight. We need all the help we can get”, said Spectacles as she looked back at the many ponies who were either clutching their stomachs in agony or rushing around trying to help each one of them.
“What do you think caused this?”, asked Rodan. Just then, Spike noticed something on the ground and picked it up. It looked to be a brown muffin with a bite taken out of it.
“It was a mishap with the baked goods”, said Spectacles.
“No, not baked goods”, said Pinkie Pie who, despite her name, was no less green than the other ponies in the tent. “Baked bad”, she said right before she bent over on the side of the bed to let loose some unwanted liquids in a nearby bucket.
“Baked goods?”, said Gojira to himself. He then looked over and saw Spike holding up what he assumed to be one of the baked goods. “Uhh, Spike, can I see that please?”
“Oh, sure”, said Spike as he handed Gojira the muffin. Gojira looked it over, sniffed it, and-though he didn’t want to-took a bite out of it. Twilight and Rodan watched with wide eyes while Spike noticed a small plate with the same muffins on them. Gojira chewed it until a certain crunch caused him to stop.
“Oh, that makes more sense”, he said.
“What do you mean?”, asked Rodan. Suddenly, Gojira spat the chewed up bite of presumably muffin on the ground.
“It’s vile. No wonder why so many ponies got sick”, said Gojira. He looked back at the muffin he was holding, what looked like some kind of worm was starting to crawl out of it. He then turned toward Rodan. “I thought you said that Sugarcube Corner made good pastries.”
“They do, or at least that’s what Lisa told…oh crap”, said Rodan, realizing who he had completely forgotten about. “Lisa! Is Lisa here?” He rushed over to Spectacles who took him over to see her. The state he saw her in was sorry to say the least.
“R-Rr-Rodey”, Lisa weakly said. Even through his sunglasses, Rodan was incredibly worried.
“It’s okay, Lisa. I’m here”, he said quietly. Meanwhile, Spike had found some more of the “baked goods” and brought them over to Gojira and Twilight.
“Want one?”, he asked while taking a bite of another. The site of it caused Twilight to back up.
“At least someone likes them”, said Gojira.
“Applejack”, said Twilight to herself. She said it quietly, but that didn’t stop Gojira from hearing it.
“What?”, he asked.
“I think Applejack is the cause of this. I told her she was overworking herself, but she just didn’t listen to me”, said Twilight.
“Okay, but how could she cause all of this?”, asked Gojira, referring to the sick ponies.
“Applejack was helping Pinkie with baking”, Twilight turned toward Pinkie, “isn’t that right, Pinkie Pie?”, she asked. Pinkie lifted her head from the bucket.
“Yep”, she said before a gagging sound caused her to put her head back in the bucket.
“This isn’t the first time Applejack's drowsiness caused her to mess up. She was helping Rainbow Dash earlier with her flying training, who ended up on my balcony, and she caused another stampede with bunnies”, said Twilight. Gojira looked confused.
“Where were we when that happened?”, he asked.
“The point is that enough is enough”, said Twilight.
“Perhaps we should pay Applejack a visit, offer her a hoof, and not take no for an answer”, he said.
“Too late, already tried”, said a voice. Gojira and Twilight turned to see where it came from. Gojira was shocked to see Angurius walking up to them.
“Anguirus? What are you doing here?”, asked Gojira.
“I just got back from Sweet Apple Acres”, answered Anguirus. “I wanted to help Applejack out, but she simply brushed my assistance off to the side.” He looked down feeling a bit disappointed in himself. “I just wanted to help.”
“It’s fine, Angurius”, said Twilight. “I already tried to talk with her, she just won’t listen.” Gojira looked at Twilight, then at Anguirus, and then at the many ponies who were so sick they could barely even stand. What especially put him over the edge was the worried expression in Rodan as he looked over Lisa’s green face. He took a deep breath before turning toward the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.
“Come on, let’s go”, he said, signaling for Angurius and Twilight to follow him.
“To where?”, asked Anguirus.
“We’re going to talk with Applejack and say that enough is enough”, answered Gojira.
“But me and Twilight already tried, she won’t listen”, said Anguirus. That didn’t stop Gojira.
“Well, third times the charm. If somepony has to get through to her that she needs to take a break, then I’m your stallion”, said Gojira as he walked toward Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight and Anguirus looked at each other before walking after him.
Sweet Apple Acres
Applejack felt exhausted. Her eyes were half open, her rear legs were aching, and her back was practically dead from the number of baskets and carts she had to carry. Nevertheless, she was still at it, kicking away at tree after tree, catching apple after apple. This didn’t even take into account the number of ponies that she had helped and the more she had promised to. She had been stretched thin to the point where something had to break, but she refused it to be her. She continued to kick away at a tree, despite each kick being weaker than the last and it taking more kicks to knock even a couple of apples off the tree.
“Must…keep…bucking. Just…a few…more-…must keep…harvesting”, said Applejack, phasing in and out of sentences. She was so focused on bucking that she didn’t even notice the three ponies approaching her.
“Applejack!”, exclaimed Gojira. Gojira’s voice was enough to cause Applejack to jostle awake.
“Huh, hey, who? What?”, she stuttered. She then saw the three ponies in front of her. “Oh, hey fellers”, she said as she continued to kick away at the tree.
“Applejack, you’re applebucking has been causing several problems around Ponyville”, said Twilight. “You’ve overpropelled pegasus, terrorized a batch of newly borned baby bunnies, and practically poisoned a large number of ponies. We don’t care what you say, you need help.”
“Indeed, I mean look at you. You look like you can barely even stand”, said Gojira. “Whether you accept some kind of assistance, or we’ll be forced to-” he was cut off when Applejack kicked the tree causing apples to fall and land in the baskets. The site formed a smile on Applejack's face.
“Heh, no I don’t. Look I did it”, said Applejack as she looked toward the orchard. Gojira, Anguirus, and Twilight did the same and they were surprised. For as far as they could see, almost each tree had been bucked clean of its apples. Applejack wore a triumphant look on her face. “I harvested the entire field of Sweet Apple Acres without any of your help! How do you like them apples?” It was impressive, at first. Until Anguirus looked away from the field of trees and noticed something else.
“Umm, Applejack”, said Anguirus wearily.
“Yes?”, said Applejack. Both Gojira and Twilight looked at what Anguirus was looking at, their surprised faces were replaced with ones of empathy.
“What about them apples?”, asked Anguirus.
“What abo-”, Applejack stopped talking and slowly began to turn around to where the three were facing. The site nearly brought her to tears. She had finished harvesting, at least an entire half of the orchard while the other half remained almost completely untouched. Applejack stared at it for a while, taking in her mistake and letting out short, incomprehensible mumbling. She’d been working for several days on just one piece of her farm. Something had finally broken. The three looked at each other with worried expressions.
“Umm, Applejack, are you…ok?”, asked Anguirus.
Applejack didn’t say anything, apart from the constant stream of mumbling. She then started to sway as she felt incredibly dizzy. She tried to regain her balance by stepping forward, but instead lost her balance and started to tip. She probably would’ve fallen over, if it hadn’t been for both Anguirus and Gojira to catch her and lay her down on the ground against the tree. She didn’t pass out, but was incredibly dazed and confused as when her vision fully healed, she saw Twilight, Gojira, and Anguirus looking concerned.
“Applejack?”, said Twilight.
“Huh”, replied Applejack, Twilight’s voice sounded more like an echo to her.
“Oh good, you’re awake”, replied Twilight, feeling very relieved.
“Wh-What happened”, asked Applejack.
“You passed out once you saw all those apple trees and nearly hit your head on the ground”, said Anguirus.
“Oh…I did”, said Applejack, looking and sounding disappointed in herself.
“Yes, you did. Which wouldn’t have happened if you had simply asked for some form of assistance”, said Gojira. “For now, just lie here and rest.”
“No, no, I’m fine”, said Applejack as she tried to stand up. “I still…have…harvesting…to-”, her legs started to wobble and she eventually lost her strength. Luckily for her, Anguirus caught her and laid her back against the tree.
“Applejack, please listen to them”, said Anguirus looking directly into Applejack’s eyes.
“Thanks, Aang”, said Applejack. “But, I promise you all, I can still-”, she couldn’t get her words out of her mouth until Gojira stomped his hoof against the ground.
“Enough, Applejack! I don’t wish to sound hypocritical, but this stubbornness needs to stop”, said Gojira. “Have you even taken a look at yourself? You have bags under your eyes, your mane is a mess, and you can’t even stand up.” Gojira walked up to Applejack. “You need help, else Celestia knows what could possibly happen if you don’t.”
Applejack looked at Gojira with wide eyes from his voice. “Uhh, what Gojira means to say is, you can’t keep going like this”, said Twilight as she walked up and knelt down in front of Applejack. “I want you to know that I completely respect the Apple family's ways. You’re always there to anypony in need, so maybe you can put a little of your stubborn pride aside and allow your friends to help you.” Applejack looked toward the orchard, the trees came off as intimidating to her more than anything else. Her hooves ached and her head pounded from just the thought of bucking another tree or lifting another basket. With a heavy heart and a cracked pride, she let out a sigh.
“Ok, Twilight, you’re right”, she softly said.
“And this time we won’t take no for an-…wait, what”, said Gojira.
“Yes, fellers. Yes, please, I could really use your help”, said Applejack as she put her hooves together in a begging position. Twilight gave her friend a warm smile.
“Of course, Applejack”, she said. Applejack then turned toward Anguirus.
“And Aang, I’m sorry for getting upset with you. I should’ve realized that you were only doing what’s best for me”, said Applejack. “Can you forgive me?”
“Of course, I mean, am I still allowed to work here?”, asked Anguirus. A smile formed on Applejack's face as she nodded. “Then that says it, let’s get to work.” Angurius walked up to one of the carts and pulled some baskets off of it.
“Wait, hold on, did you say work? As in, a job?”, asked Gojira.
“Well kinda, I never said that I wasn’t looking for one. Oh, also, when they say applebucking, they really want you to kick the tree”, said Anguirus. Gojira looked even more confused. “I learned that the hard way.”
One Day Later
‘Dear Princess Celestia, my friend Applejack is the best friend a pony could ever have and she’s always there to help anypony. The only trouble is, when she needs help, she finds it hard to accept it. So while friendship is about giving ourself to friends, it’s also about accepting what our friends have to offer. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.’
Twilight finished writing as she looked up from her letter. The mane six, the three brothers, and Spike were hard at work bucking trees, catching apples, pulling carts, and moving baskets. Rainbow Dash and Rodan were flying in the air picking apples from the harder to reach places of the tree, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie moved baskets to each of the carts, and Anguirus and Gojira primarily focused on bucking each tree to knock down every last apple. While it took Applejack a whole week to finish harvesting half of the orchard, they all had nearly managed to complete the other half in a single day. Twilight looked at their progress with a smile. She walked up to Gojira and Anguirus who stood in front of a large batch of trees.
“Talk about an exercise. My hooves are gonna have blisters by the time we’re done with this”, said Gojira as he kicked another tree, knocking the apples down from it.
‘You’ve been shot with magic and thrown through walls, you can handle some worn out hooves.’
“If you want, I can help you two”, said Twilight.
“No need, me and Aang can handle this”, said Gojira.
“Gojira, don’t start that up again. We already saw what happened to Applejack”, said Twilight.
“Alright, fine, take your best crack at it”, said Gojira as he lifted the baskets he filled and walked out of the way.
Twilight walked forward and looked at each of the trees. She took a deep breath as her horn began to flicker and glow a bright purple. Suddenly, each of the apples on each of the trees started to also glow purple. Gojira and Anguirus watched in amazement as the apples then began to float in the air, detaching from their branches as the flew into the sky. They then started to float down into several baskets, landing perfectly and neatly into every single one of them. Not a single apple missed its target. With that, the purple glow dissipated from both the apples and Twilight’s horn. Twilight looked at the two brothers with a look of completion on her face. While Anguirus was impressed, Gojira wore a neutral expression.
“Really”, he said. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle. Just then, Applejack walked up, pushing a table cart that had a tray of glass bottles on it.
“How about y’all take a little break?”, she said. “I got some fine apple juice waiting for ya.” The sound of a refreshing drink caught everyone’s attention as they walked up. Gojira and Rodan were about to do the same, until they realized that someone had stayed behind. They looked back and saw Aang still at work.
“Hey, Aang, come on it’s break time”, said Rodan. Anguirus stopped what he was doing and looked up.
“You guys go on ahead, there’s only a few more trees left until we’re done”, said Anguirus before he immediately got back to work. Rodan was about to say something when Gojira put a hoof on his shoulder.
“Ok bro, just don’t wear yourself out”, said Gojira as he and Rodan walked toward the rest.
“Isn’t it kind of ironic that Anguirus found a job before either of us did?”, asked Rodan. Gojira merely shrugged.
“Kinda, however we both should also be thankful. Now we actually have a source of income”, said Gojira.
‘But this also means that Anguirus will now have to train harder as he will now have to interact with other ponies more often. If what he says is correct about him knocking down a tree with little effort, then he may not have his powers controlled quite yet.’
Rodan took a mental sigh, there simply was no pleasing them. Both he and Gojira walked up to the table and took a sip out of a bottle of apple juice. They watched as Anguirus continued to work hard in the orchard. They both had to agree, their younger brother was starting to grow up.
“Whew, that applebucking sure made me hungry”, said Rainbow Dash. Just then, Spike walked up holding a tray with some familiar looking baked goods.
“And I’ve got the perfect treat”, said Spike. One look at them was enough to make even Pinkie Pie gross out.
“Eww”, she said in a high pitched voice. “Spike, I threw those away. Where’d you get them?”
“From the trash”, said Spike, acting unaware to what he was saying. The mane six unanimously reacted in disgust. The only ones that didn’t were Gojira and Rodan who Spike turned to. “Just a little nibble?”
If it wasn’t for his child-like innocence, Gojira wouldn’t have done what he did. “Sure thing, Spike”, he said before grabbing one of the muffins and taking a small bite.
“Uhh, didn’t the last one you had cause you to spit it out?”, asked Rodan. Gojira reluctantly swallowed the barely edible pastry.
“Well, you know what they say, the more you eat something the more used to it you become”, said Gojira.
It was another beautiful day in Ponyville. The sun rose high over the entirety of the Everfree forest. The sounds of birds chirping and bushes rustling could be heard throughout the entirety of the forest. That was until a large rush of air passed through the outer rim of the forest. The gusts of wind that were created were enough to cause trees to sway and even some shrubs to be sent flying. Rodan’s wings flapped hard as he circled around the entirety of the Everfree forest.
“Yeaaaah, baby!”, he exclaimed as maneuvered through the trees. As he neared an open spot of the forest, a cocky smirk formed on his face. “Alright, time for the big one.”
His emblem flashed as scales started to form on his wings. They both grew in size and slowly started to appear more like the wings of a dragon due to their sharper appearance. Rodan slightly flinched due to the strange feeling he felt in his wings, but managed to power through it as he then thrusted himself upward. His wings flapped heavily as he went straight vertical, the amount of g-forces he felt would’ve been enough to tear the wings off of an average bird. He felt the strain as his eyes started to burn from the sunlight causing him to clench his teeth.
‘Hold it, don’t strain yourself. And start…now!’
With that, Rodan threw himself backwards, performing half of a loop de loop before doing a quick aileron roll to right himself. He then started to descend back down to the tops of the trees, keeping his wings stable to help him glide. His descent allowed him to gain tremendous speed as he dropped down hundreds of feet in mere seconds. He flew through the trees, coming so close to them that he caused leaves to be sent flying. The sight of his house coming into view caused him to flare his wings in order to reduce his momentum. He put his hooves forward as several scales and pairs of talons appeared on them. He slowly lowered until he was mere feet above the ground.
Gojira watched with a stopwatch in hoof as Rodan came flying in. With his hooves extended and pairs of claws spread open, Rodan landed on the ground, causing small trenches to be left in the dirt before eventually galloping. His symbol flashed as his wings went back to normal and he stopped in front of his brother. He breathed heavily, both from the extreme workout and from excitement.
“Whew, how was that?”, he asked while wiping sweat from his brow. Gojira looked down at the stopwatch.
“One minute, five seconds. A whole second faster than your previous time”, said Gojira.
“Yes! That’s what I’m talking about!”, exclaimed Rodan as he threw his hooves in the air, which had lost their claws. “I tell ya, bro, the wonderbolts ain’t got nothing on me. Everyday I just get faster and faster.”
‘Which is what should happen. The speeds that you’ll be able to reach are too much for your normal wings to handle. But my wings are strong enough to handle the intense pressure.’
“It feels almost like a crime to be this fast, but I’m not complaining at all”, said Rodan.
“Yeah, I wonder what Rainbow Dash would think about your routine”, said Gojira as he walked over to the tree he had knocked down a few days ago to do some training of his own. As he did so, Rodan couldn’t help but snicker.
“Oh, don’t worry, I do know”, he said to himself. He looked around their training area they set up behind the house. “Where’s Anguirus?”
“He’s up at Sweet Apple Acres, remember”, answered Gojira.
“Oh yeah, that’s right”, said Rodan, followed by a short chuckle. “Still can’t believe that he somehow found a job before us. Which, by the way, should we still try and find some?”
“It would be smart, but I don’t know where. We tried every store I can think of in Ponyville”, said Gojira.
“So, what does that say about the chances of one of us getting employed?”, asked Rodan. Gojira could only shrug.
“I really don’t know. Perhaps when the ponies here become more used to seeing us we can then start finding jobs, and maybe one of us could swap places with Anguirus to work on Sweet Apple Acres for him. But right now, we can only wait and see”, said Gojira.
Rodan nodded. “Okay then, is there anything else that needs to be done?”, he asked.
‘That should be enough for this morning. Though that doesn’t mean we’re done for the whole day.’
“I know, I was just wondering”, said Rodan. He started walking towards the back entrance of the house until a sudden thought flew into his head. “Well, actually, I was just thinking. Could I possibly start doing some…advance training?”
“As in what?”, asked Gojira. Rodan looked a bit weary as he thought about what words he should use.
“Perhaps I could start learning about the…merg-”, Rodan couldn’t get the final word out until he felt a sudden headache come on. Gojira was confused by Rodan’s sudden reaction.
“Rodey, are you ok?”, he asked. Suddenly, Rodan’s emblem flashed and Phoenix appeared from his mane.
‘Don’t even think about that! You absolutely are not ready to handle our full potential! All that you’ve shown me is that you can fly faster than the average pegasus! You can barely even handle my ember breath without suffering from strep throat, what makes you think you can handle any fraction of the merging’s effect?’
The pain in Rodan’s head subsided as he regained his composure. Gojira’s own emblem flashed as Alpha appeared from his mane.
‘It’s far too early to be talking about merging. We’re still on the basics and we may have to stay on them for a while.’
“But we’ve been on the basics for what feels like our whole lives. For how much longer will it be until we finally start learning about merging?”, asked Rodan.
‘Merging comes much…MUCH later. You have no idea what could happen if we started merging now. Irreversible damage to your body, immense amounts of mind loss, possibly even death. It’s something that we’re saving to the very end of your three’s training.’
“Ok, ok, I got it. You don’t have to boggle my mind”, said Rodan as he put a hoof to his temple.
‘If it gets you to understand that you aren’t ready, then actions like that have to be taken.’
Rodan’s emblem flashed again as Phoenix retreated back into his mane. “It was just a suggestion”, said Rodan.
‘We know, but you should realize that it’s a process that takes much more time than trying to learn your abilities. If Phoenix didn’t make it clear, if we tried merging now there would be consequences.’
“Ok, noted”, said Rodan. He grabbed his sunglasses which had been set to the side before his flight. “I’m gonna head into Ponyville to see Lisa.”
“How’s she doing after the whole baked goods incident?”, asked Gojira.
“She says she’s doing fine, but I’m not sure since she still seems to get a bit nauseous”, answered Rodan. “So while she stays at home, I’ve offered to cover her shift at Sugarcube Corner.”
Gojira’s ears perked up and a sly smile formed on his face. “Aww, how romantic of you”, he said. Rodan’s nonchalant face forced a laugh out of Gojira. “I joke, of course, but that’s seriously nice of you to do.”
“I know, that’s what having a girlfriend does for you”, said Rodan emphasizing the girl part which Gojira merely scoffed at. “Anyways, I’ll be off. I’ll be back for either dinner or…”, he held back a sigh, “training.”
“Alright, see ya”, said Gojira as Rodan flapped his now normal wings and flew away, leaving Gojira by himself. Or at least that’s what it would’ve been if it wasn’t for the floating spirit right beside him.
‘I hope we made things clear about the current state of merging.’
“Crystal”, replied Gojira. “Though, he does bring up a point. We’ve been doing the basics for a long time now. How much longer will it be until we start working on the more intense stuff?”
‘You may be ahead of your brothers in terms of training, however that doesn’t mean you have mastered every aspect of my abilities. You barely have the atomic breath under control and we just started learning how to use the pulse. Though you may want to take the leap, we have to stick with the baby steps.’
Gojira nodded in agreement, however he still wondered about the concept of merging. He and his brothers had been told repeatedly that merging would be saved for last and the amount of consequences that would come from it. But they were never told exactly what it was other than that they would receive all of the power that their respective spirits contained. All that vague explanation did was simply make him wonder even more. He didn’t question it further, but his curiosity was higher than he would want to admit.
‘Speaking of, with Rodan’s morning training done we can now start yours.’
“Alright, I know the drill, far into the forest”, said Gojira as he started to walk deeper into the forest. “Same tactics as before?” Gojira’s emblem flashed as Alpha retreated back into his mane.
‘Indeed.’
“Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?”, asked Rodan. He was standing on the front porch of Lisa’s small house as she walked out the door and locked it behind her.
“Of course”, replied Lisa. “I can’t stay inside my house forever just because of some muffin.” Rodan looked her over. Her bright white color scheme and orange mane were slowly coming back, but her colors weren’t as vibrant as he wanted them to.
“I’m just saying, don’t you probably want to wait a little bit longer before heading back into Ponyville”, said Rodan.
“I’ll be fine, Rodey”, said Lisa as she tried to walk down the front steps of her house. As she did so however, she slowly started to sway from side to side and even stumbled down the last step. Rodan quickly ran up to her and stood close to her to keep her steady. “Or, at least, I will be fine if you walk with me.”
“Thought I would already be doing that”, said Rodan. A smile formed on Lisa’s face.
“Thanks for helping me, Rodey”, said Lisa. She and Rodan started to walk to Ponyville with Rodan constantly making sure that she was walking fine. “How’s Sugarcube Corner been treating you?”
“Well, I just met Mr and Mrs Cake who both treated me to a lovely spread sheet of desserts”, said Rodan as he let out a chuckle. “I can see why Pinkie wanted to work their, the amount of sugar that mare consumes on a daily basis is mind blowing.”
“I know, it’s both impressive and scary”, said Lisa as she followed with a small laugh. “But you can’t deny, they’re very nice ponies once you get to know them.”
“Yeah, I won’t deny that”, said Rodan. “How exactly did you get to know Pinkie?”
“Well, as you could imagine, with a party of course”, said Lisa. Rodan rolled his eyes, he felt he should’ve known. “I know Pinkie’s parties can seem a bit overkill, but without them I wouldn’t have had as good of a start here in Ponyville as I did. It was through that party and her which allowed me to meet so many ponies and become friends with them.”
“You must be really good friends with Pinkie then, huh”, said Rodan.
“If me working at Sugarcube Corner wasn’t obvious enough, then yes”, replied Lisa. The two of them shared a laugh as they continued to walk. They soon reached Sugarcube Corner and walked up to the door.
“Now you’re sure that you can get through today without my help?”, asked Rodan.
“Positive, I promised Pinkie that I would always be at work on time and some nausea isn’t gonna stop that”, said Lisa. She tried to walk up to the door without the help of Rodan, but she could only manage a couple of steps before the dizziness took its effect and she had to stop. Rodan walked up to her and helped keep her steady.
“Still positive?”, he asked. Lisa rolled her eyes. “Come on, I’m sure this place has some form of ibuprofen, though they might have been replaced by sugar tablets or something, knowing Pinkie.”
As Rodan opened the door, he expected to be met with the bright smile of Pinkie Pie. But instead was met with nothing. The entire building was vacant of any ponies. No Pinkie, neither Mr or Mrs.Cake, not even the occasional child who was always wanting the most sugary treat they could think of. No one was inside apart from Rodan and Lisa. The two looked around with confused expressions.
“Uhh, hello?”, Rodan called out, “Pinke? Anypony here?” He got no answer. “Is today a break day?”
“No, the Cakes aren’t ponies that close up shop on such a nice day as this”, answered Lisa. She looked around the building until she noticed something on the front desk. “Though, that’s new.”
Rodan looked where she was pointing at. Sitting on the wooden desk was a bright red button with the phrase ‘ring for service’ written on a piece of paper right next to it. Despite being a simple red button, there was a sense of mystique about it as neither Lisa nor Rodan recognized it.
“Should we press it?”, asked Lisa.
“I don’t know, we probably shouldn’t”, said Rodan. The two sat in silence, staring at the button for a whole five seconds before curiosity got the better of them. Or at least one of them.
“Aw screw it!”, exclaimed Rodan.
Without hesitation, Rodan quickly moved forward and pressed the button with his hoof, leaning backward as he did it for the small chance that something bad would happen. But instead the opposite happened, absolutely nothing. The only noise that could be heard was the sound of the button clicking back into place. Both Rodan and Lisa looked around to see if anything had changed about the place, feeling disappointed that nothing had done so. Rodan looked back at the button, its red color didn’t seem so enticing anymore.
“Well that’s disappointing-”
Not even a second later, the sound of some kind spring being sprung filled the quiet room as a demonic looking figure popped up from behind the desk, laughing maniacally. Rodan and Lisa were instantly caught off guard as each of them moved away from the figure. Rodan yelped in surprise and was just about ready to blast the figure into ash with his fire breath. However, he restrained himself once he noticed the spring that was in place of where a body should have been. After a few seconds, the maniacal laughter stopped and the figure stood there motionless with its face unmoving. And as soon as it stopped, the sound of uncontrollable laughter filled the room.
Rodan looked over the desk and hiding behind it was none other than the pink, party-crazed pony herself. Pinkie was rolling on the floor laughing with tears coming out of her eyes. Her laughter was contagious to Lisa who formed a smile, but not to Rodan who glared at her.
“Oh, you think this is really funny, huh?”, said Rodan in a sarcastic tone.
“V-Very”, sputtered Pinkie before going back into laughter.
“Well, what can you do? That’s Pinkie for ya”, said Lisa as she walked up to the side of Rodan. “Also, it was kinda funny.” Though Lisa found it amusing, Rodan didn’t seem to appreciate Pinkie’s joke.
“I could’ve punched that thing to Manehattan, what part of that was funny”, he said. Lisa took it as a joke, but the more Rodan thought about it, he started to wonder if he could.
‘Don’t even think about it.’
After a while, Pinkie eventually managed to calm herself down, even wiping a tear from her eye. “Hehe, it never gets old”, she said. “Sorry, you two, just thought it would be funny to play a little joke.”
“Don’t worry, Pinkie, it was a good joke”, said Lisa. “Especially for this pony, you seemed pretty startled.” She bumped Rodan’s shoulder.
“I wasn’t startled, just…caught off guard, that’s all”, said Rodan, not wanting to admit that he’d been scared by a jack in the box.
“Riiiight”, said Pinkie with a grin. “Anyways, how have you two lovebirds been?” She emphasized the word love in a way that caused Lisa’s cheeks to turn crimson.
“Uh-Uhh, we’re doing…umm”, Lisa’s sentence was cut off when she forced a cough out. Rodan, choosing to ignore Pinkie’s choice of words, answered for her.
“We’re doing well. Lisa wanted to come to Sugarcube Corner and I tagged along with her just in case she got sick”, he said.
“Ahh, that’s sweet”, said Pinkie. Since Rodan slowly started getting used to the teasing he’d received from his brothers about him and Lisa, Pinkie’s teasing was child’s play. At least it was for him, Lisa however wasn’t on the same level.
“Y-Yes, very”, she said. “Ahem, but aside from that, how have you been, Pinkie?”
“Oh, you know, the usual”, said Pinkie. “Taking care of the bakery, feeding Gummy, baking treats, keeping track of parties, the usual sherads.”
“So that’s usual, huh”, said Rodan as he pointed at the demonic jack in the box.
“Yeppers, it’s always fun to pull a harmless prank once in a while”, said Pinkie. “In fact, me and Rainbow Dash had pulled off a bunch of them.” When she finished her sentence she paused for a moment. Though Pinkie still remained joyful, her downcasted eyes leaned toward a slight hint of sadness.
“I could’ve guessed that out of all the ponies you did practical jokes with, it was Rainbow Dash”, said Rodan.
“Yeah, when it comes to pranks, there’s no better pair than you two. Right Pinkie”, said Lisa. She expected Pinkie to reply with a quick witted reply or a cartoonish nod, but instead Pinkie remained silent. Both Lisa and Rodan were taken aback by the lack of reaction from her.
“Hey, is there something wrong, Pinkie?”, asked Rodan. Rodan’s question snapped Pinkie out of whatever daze she was in.
“Huh, oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something”, she replied. “You see, me and Rainbow Dash have fun pulling pranks, or at least we were until…her friend showed up.”
“Her friend? As in Fluttershy or Twilight?”, asked Lisa.
“No, nothing like them”, replied Pinkie. “While friends such as Fluttershy or Twilight are nice and supportive, this one is a bit different.”
“How so?”, asked Rodan.
“Well, for starters, her name is Gilda and she’s apparently half eagle and half lion. I think Rainbow called her a griffon”, said Pinkie until her eyebrows crossed. “And the fact that she’s a big grumpy, mean, meany pants.” A look of remembrance appeared on Rodan’s face, though it wasn’t one of nostalgia but more so embarrassment.
“Yep, now I remember”, he said.
“You know her?”, asked Lisa.
“I don’t know her, I ran into her by accident and she did not give the kindest of welcomings”, replied Rodan. “How can Rainbow Dash befriend someone like that, they have virtually nothing in common.”
“Well, Dash did say that she and Gilda had been friends ever since she was in Speedster Flight Camp”, said Pinkie, the image of the griffon caused her to furrow her brows. “However, she’s an absolute bully who keeps me away from Rainbow Dash and won’t leave her alone for a second.”
“Maybe she isn’t used to being around other ponies apart from Rainbow Dash. Perhaps that’s how her kind treats each other”, said Lisa.
“If that’s the case, then consider me not a fan of them as she did not leave a good first impression”, said Rodan.
“I’m sure over time she’ll start warming up to everypony. Who knows Pinkie, you may be able to become friends with her if you give her time”, said Lisa. For the first time, Pinkie wasn’t the optimistic one.
“I doubt it, she’s so rude. She popped my balloons, knocked me out of the sky, and she keeps telling me to buzz off. I’ve never met a griffon this mean”, said Pinkie. “Well, I've actually never met a griffon at all, but I bet if I had, she wouldn’t be as mean and grumpy as Gilda.” Both Rodan and Lisa watched as Pinkie continued to rant, her tone of voice was very out of character for the pony who was always so happy.
“You know, Pinkie, I’d hate to be the one to disagree with you, but I’d say your a bit jealous”, said Lisa. That word immediately ended Pinkie’s rant and caused her to wear a flabbergasted look.
“Me? Jealous?”, she said incredulously. “I’m never jealous. It’s Gilda who’s the problem. She’s just so…so”, Pinkie couldn’t find the right word so instead she scowled in frustration before storming off to the back of the bakery.
Feeling sorry for their friend, Rodan and Lisa followed suit and found her sitting against the wall. She made no kind of motion as both Rodan and Lisa walked up to her. They had both always seen the roles reversed, in which Pinkie would be the comforting whoever was feeling negative. But now it was the pink, positive, always go lucky pony that needed reassurance as she sat there with a look of neglect and rejection. She thought about what Lisa had said.
“Maybe you’re right, maybe Gilda isn’t a big, grumpy, mean, meany pants. Maybe I’m just a big, jealous, judgmental, jealous, jealousy pants”, said Pinkie.
“No, no, don’t say that about yourself Pinkie”, said Rodan in a reassuring tone. “I understand why you feel this way. I’ve met Gilda before and, admittedly, she absolutely caught me off guard. I don’t blame you on how you judge her.”
“But what if I am wrong about her?”, asked Pinkie.
“Well, do you know her enough to get an idea of what she’s like?”, asked Lisa.
“No, not really”, said Pinkie.
“Then you can’t really form an opinion on her since you haven’t gotten to fully know her yet”, said Lisa. She looked back up at Rodan. “Same with you Rodan, you’ve only interacted with her once. You can’t judge somepony solely on one meeting.”
“I’m just saying, first impressions are very important”, replied Rodan.
“Anyways, the point is, you just need to give her a chance. Gilda might just be a little antsy since she hasn’t seen Rainbow Dash in so long. I’d imagine after a while, she might warm up to you”, said Lisa. She put her hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “Give her some time.” Pinkie looked down in thought, she could only hope that Lisa was right about this. Not before long, Rodan spoke up.
“How about this”, he said. “The bakery isn’t very busy right now, so why don’t we head into town to find something to eat? I know how much you love sugar, Pinkie, perhaps that will help clear your mind.” The mere mention of sweets was enough to put a smile on Pinkie’s face.
“Okie dokie, I’d love to”, she said before springing back up onto her hooves. The site of her dear friend back to her normal self caused Lisa to smile.
“Then it’s settled, come on”, said Lisa as she signaled for them to walk to the door. “I think I know the perfect place.” Any thought of doubt in Pinkie’s mind had been quickly overshadowed by the thought of indulging herself on something sweet. Despite that, however, Pinkie still couldn’t help but think about Gilda. Was she wrong? Was she not as bad as Rainbow Dash made her out to be? She could only hope.
Anguirus walked through the streets of Ponyville with a pair of baskets hung on his back with both of them filled with apples. He had been working at Sweet Apple Acres for a few days now, but had already become used to the daily routines. At least in terms of apple bucking, other aspects such as taking care of the farm animals he wasn’t so used to. Nevertheless, for it being his first job, it was one he enjoyed. His greater physical strength made some of the more labor intensive tasks less challenging. Though he also made sure to hold back on his strength to ensure that another incident like the one on his first day wouldn’t happen again.
As Anguirus walked, he looked around Ponyville, taking in the peaceful nature of the town. He saw ponies, pegasus, and unicorns either walking or flying to different shops and stands that were scattered throughout Ponyville. He remembered when they first came to Ponyville and how bustling everyone was with the Summer Sun Celebration being that day. But now, with any threat of eternal darkness now behind them, the residents of Ponyville seemed so easygoing. It was a sharp contrast to the musky and small villages that Anguirus and his brothers used to live in. He wanted this to be their home, a place where they could finally live a hopeful life. However, the few glances that he received from wandering ponies weren’t promising.
He was so focused on his surroundings that he wasn’t looking where he was going and accidentally bumped into something, causing a few apples to fall from his baskets. Noticing his mistake he reached to pick them up, only to touch another hoof that was reaching for the same apple. He hadn’t bumped into something, but rather someone. He looked up and immediately recognized who it was. He knew the bright yellow color scheme on her body and wings, along with her long, pink mane from anywhere. Both he and Fluttershy looked at each other for a few seconds before Angurius spoke up.
“Uhh, h-hey, Fluttershy”, said Anguirus as he pulled his hoof away.
“H-Hi”, said Fluttershy as a blush formed on her face. “I’m s-sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
“Oh, no, no, I should apologize. I was the one who wasn’t looking where they were going”, said Anguirus as he pulled his hoof away. They both stood in silence for a while with flustered expressions on their faces from there close moment.
“Umm, h-here, you dropped this”, said Fluttershy as she handed the apple to Anguirus.
“Thank you”, said Anguirus as he grabbed the apple and put it in the basket and then started to grab some of the other ones that fell out of the baskets. Fluttershy awkwardly watched as Angurius grabbed the last of the fallen apples.
“So, how has your day been, i-if you don’t mind me asking”, she said, softly.
“It’s been good, I’m delivering these apples to the market”, said Anguirus. “How has your day been?” As soon as Anguirus finished his question, the sound quacking filled the air. He and Fluttershy looked to see where the quacking was coming from and saw a family of ducks behind her.
“I’m taking mama and papa duck back to their pond. Them and their ducklings must be thirsty after their walk”, said Fluttershy. She turned back around to the ducks and nuzzled one of the small ducklings which replied with a small chirp of its own. The sight of her caring for the small critters forced a smile from Anguirus.
“How cute”, he said to himself. “How far away is it from here?”
“Not too far, just down the street near the entrance of Ponyville”, replied Fluttershy. Anguirus looked to where she was pointing towards. He saw several ponies traveling up and down the street, it would take only one of them to turn this family of six ducks down to five.
“Doesn’t that seem a bit dangerous for these little guys?”, asked Anguirus.
“It is, which is why I’m keeping every precaution to make sure that they get home safely”, said Fluttershy. She looked back down the street. “Though, it’s not gonna be easy.” Anguirus saw the worried look on Fluttershy’s face.
‘She must really care for animals.’
‘She does seem to have a strong bond with them, from what we saw when she calmed down that manticore. After all, that’s what her cutie mark represents.’
Anguirus looked at it, the three butterflies on Fluttershy’s back leg hinted at her being an animal lover. In a way, they were indicative of herself. Kind, caring, gentle, and above all else, shy. The softness in her personality gave Anguirus a positive perspective on her.
“Hey, if you need any, would you mind if I helped you?”, asked Anguirus. Fluttershy looked surprised to hear that.
“Oh, no, it’s ok, I can handle it. You’re busy enough as it is”, she replied.
“No, I insist, besides I’m heading the same direction anyways”, said Anguirus. “Why not have a friend to talk to?”
“Well, ok, if you’re sure”, said Fluttershy.
Soon she and Anguirus were walking through the streets of Ponyville with a line of ducks following close behind. Fluttershy was primarily walking backwards so she could keep a good eye on the duck family behind her. Anguirus walked to the side and made sure that she wouldn’t run into anything. As they walked, Fluttershy started talking to the ducks to make sure they wouldn’t trail off.
“Alright, little ducks, this way”, she said in a soft, caring tone. Anguirus watched Fluttershy talk in a motherly manner to animals that probably couldn’t understand.
“You really love animals, don’t you”, he said.
“Of course, who doesn’t”, replied Fluttershy. “They’ve been so kind to me throughout my life and so I show kindness to them in return.”
“I would’ve imagined so from how you managed to calm down that manticore”, said Anguirus. “Which, by the way, weren’t you at all scared by that thing?”
“I was, quite a lot actually, but once I showed kindness to it then it wouldn’t be scared of me”, said Fluttershy. “Everything deserves love, even something as big and scary as a manticore.” Anguirus remembered that night and how she told him something similar.
“Words of wisdom”, he said. A smile formed on Fluttershy’s face.
The two continued to talk as Fluttershy also kept track of the ducks that were following them. As they were talking, however, both weren’t paying attention to what was in front of them. Fluttershy was focusing more on the family of ducks rather than where she was walking and so she didn’t notice the tall figure behind her until she bumped into it. She at first thought that she accidentally hit a pony, but when she turned around she saw that this was definitely not a pony. She stood taller than Fluttershy, her upper half resembled a hawk with feathers and a beak while her lower half looked like a lion with paws and a long tail, and just from her expression, she didn’t appear to be as forgiving as other ponies.
“Hey!”, shouted Gilda, catching Fluttershy by surprise.
“Oh, please excuse me”, said Fluttershy. Her soft voice made for a sharp contrast to the loud and direct voice of Gilda.
“I’m walking here!”, replied Gilda. Her tall stature caused Fluttershy to back away.
“I-I’m sorry”, said Fluttershy, looking more nervous. “I was only trying to-”, she was cut off by Gilda.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry”, mocked Gilda, exaggerating Fluttershy’s peaceful tone. “Why don’t you just watch where you’re going?”
“B-But…I-I”, stuttered Fluttershy. Her voice felt caught in her throat. Gilda closed the distance between her and Fluttershy.
“You know, another pony just like you bumped into me a few days ago”, said Gilda. She leaned her head down swiftly, catching Fluttershy off guard. “Let’s just say, I did not treat him lightly.”
Fluttershy felt backed into a corner. She tried apologizing, but it was clear that Gilda wasn’t in the mood for it. She was so focused on Gilda that she tripped on her back legs and nearly fell on the family of ducks who immediately flew away. With her now unable to move back anymore, Gilda managed to almost easily close the gap between them. If only it wasn’t for another pony that had accompanied Fluttershy.
“Hey!”, shouted Anguirus, his voice just as loud as Gilda’s. “She apologized, what else do you want, a kiss on your nonexistent boo-boo?”
“And who are you exactly?”, asked Gilda. “Some kind of boyfriend or something? How cute.” Fluttershy was happy that Anguirus was in front of her. Both because he stood up for her and so he couldn’t see the blush forming on her face.
“I’m a friend of hers and somepony who senses a bully when I see one”, said Anguirus.
“That’s funny, because I smell a chicken when I see one”, retorted Gilda.
“Look who’s talking”, said Anguirus. His retort didn’t go well with Gilda who clenched her teeth.
“Why you little”, said Gilda as she raised her paw up in the air, clenching it into a fist.
Anguirus could see where this was going, she was going to punch him. He knew that he could handle the punch of a griffon, however that would require his scales which revealed a problem. With how close he was to both Gilda and Fluttershy, he couldn’t protrude scales on his body without one of them noticing. It especially didn’t help that they had attracted a crowd of ponies who watched the conflict go down. This meant that Anguirus was just gonna have to take the blow head on and hope that griffons weren’t as strong as he’d been told. Luckily for him, the punch never came as a familiar voice spoke up from the crowd.
“Aang!”, shouted someone. Anguirus, Fluttershy, and Gilda didn’t have time to react until a red blur flew in and stood right in between Gilda and Anguirus. Miraculously, all three of them recognized him.
Rodan stood confidently in front of Gilda with a smile on his face. “You really have a thing for starting commotions, huh”, he said to Gilda, who was caught so off guard that she completely forgot about what Anguirus had said.
“Oh great, is this another one of your annoying friends?”, she asked, looking over toward Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus tried to hide behind her rose mane so she wouldn’t be seen. Gilda looked back at Rodan, he looked familiar. Until it hit her.
“Wait a second, you’re that dumb pegasus who ran into me because you couldn’t see out of his sunglasses”, said Gilda.
“You best believe it!”, exclaimed Rodan. “And personally, I’m not a big fan of how you’ve been treating my brother and friend over here.”
“It was your friend here that started this and your brother is trying to act all big and tough when he’s just as big of a pansy as clumsy over there”, said Gilda. Fluttershy didn’t say anything and instead stayed hidden behind Anguirus. She noticed the number of ponies that they were attracting. Seeing their eyes focused on her caused her to hide her face behind her mane, trying to hold back tears. Anguirus heard her sniffling.
“Hey, leave her alone, she already said she was sorry”, said Anguirus. Gilda noticed Fluttershy about to cry, causing her to roll her eyes.
“Oh, boo-who, cry me a river”, she said. Rodan turned around to face Anguirus and Fluttershy.
“Are you both alright?”, he whispered.
“Yeah we’re good, at least I hope Fluttershy is”, replied Anguirus. Rodan looked behind Anguirus and saw the sad and frightened face on Fluttershy.
‘All of this over a fender bender?’, Rodan thought to himself. He looked back at Gilda who appeared so mad that smoke might as well have been blowing from her ears. ‘Actually, that makes sense.’
“Why don’t you two get going, I’ll hold off Mrs.Cockhead over here for a while”, said Rodan. His insults didn’t go unheard.
“What. Did you. Just. Call me!”, replied Gilda.
Rodan mentally cursed himself, he forgot that griffons had better hearing than ponies. Turning back around, he could see Gilda clench her teeth as she rose to her full height, which was around the same as Rodan. She puffed up her chest as she took a deep breath. She craned her head back before thrusting it forward, unleashing a cry that sounded like the combination of the roar of a lion and the screech of an eagle. She let it loose right in the faces of Rodan and Anguirus who both stood their ground. Fluttershy, however, trembled in fear at the sound of it. She had become so afraid of Gilda that she ran away the second Gilda cut off the scream, letting loose a few tears in the process. Anguirus turned around in time to see her run off.
“Fluttershy!”, he called out, only to get no response.
“Heh, wimp”, Gilda muttered under her breath. Now it was Rodan who was furious. He faced Gilda with a glare and clenched teeth.
‘I’ll show her what a real roar sounds like’, he thought to himself. He felt a burning sensation in his throat as he could feel smoke starting to build up. Before the smoke could exit out of his mouth, he was stopped.
‘Rodan! Calm yourself! Not in front of the crowd.’
Rodan looked around, the burning feeling he felt dissipated almost instantly. Their whole conversation had attracted a large group of ponies, pegasus, and unicorns. Though many had backed away when Gilda roared, there were still many onlookers who waited to see what would happen next. Rodan knew that if he retaliated in a way that caused him to use his powers, the secret of the kaiju spirits would be revealed to not just the ponies watching, but the entire world. He stared back at Gilda who waited, also anticipating something to come out of his mouth. But instead, he merely backed away. Gilda scoffed as she started to walk away.
“Oh please, all of these lame ponies are driving me buggy”, she said before flaring her wings and taking to the sky leaving a peeved Rodan and Anguirus behind.
“Little bitch”, said Rodan. The sound of hooves galloping toward them caught Rodan’s attention. He turned to see Lisa and Pinkie Pie with worried expressions on their faces.
“Rodey, are you alright?”, asked Lisa.
“I’m fine”, said Rodan as he looked up to where Gilda flew away. “Can’t believe I just let that jerk fly away like that.”
“I knew it, she’s not just a grump, but also a bully! She’s the biggest, mean, meany pants that I’ve ever seen!”, exclaimed Pinkie Pie. Rodan nodded in a certified agreement, he then turned to face Lisa.
“I know you wanted to stay open minded about this, Lisa. However, I haven’t met somepony that I’ve wanted to punch so badly up until now”, said Rodan with a firm attitude. “And I’ve met Nightmare Moon.”
“No, I completely understand now”, replied Lisa. “I can’t believe that Rainbow Dash would befriend someone so horrid.”
Rodan looked at his younger brother, he wore a look of rejection on his face. “I’d imagine you also hate her too, Aang?”, asked Rodan.
“I actually hate myself more than anything”, said Anguirus. Rodan’s crossed brows rose from his brother’s sentence. “I mean, I could’ve said something to Gilda, or done something to help comfort Fluttershy, but I just mostly stood by. I could’ve even prevented this from happening and instead I did nothing.”
Lisa walked up to Anguirus. “Don’t talk like that, Anguirus. You are not to blame for what happened”, she said.
“Yeah, you didn’t know that Gilda was a meany pants”, said Pinkie.
“And you did all you could do. Honestly, I don’t think you could’ve won against someone as stubborn and prone to anger as she was”, said Lisa. Anguirus felt a bit better from his friend’s words, but he felt that someone else deserved it more than he did.
“Thanks guys” he said.
“No problem, Aangy”, said Pinkie. “If only there was a way to knock that grumpy Griffon down a peg…”, Pinkie trailed off as an idea started to form in her head. Which was obvious from the sudden light blue that appeared from nowhere. “Hey, Aang, can you go find Fluttershy and bring her back to the Sugarcube Corner for me?”, she asked.
“Uhh, sure”, replied Anguirus, a bit wary from the strange bulb that appeared and disappeared. “But I still have these apples to deliver and I’m probably late enough as it is.”
“We’ll deliver them for you”, said Pinkie as she took the pair of baskets off of Anguirus’ back. “Now go find Fluttershy, please.”
Anguirus nodded and ran off, leaving both Rodan and Lisa confused and Pinkie smiling. “Umm, Pinkie, what are you thinking about?”, asked Lisa.
“I have a plan, and if it goes well, it’ll surely make everything right between Gilda, Fluttershy, and you, Rodey”, answered Pinkie.
“And how exactly do you plan on doing that?”, asked Rodan.
“No one treats any of my friends like that! This calls for extreme measures! Pinkie Pie style”, said Pinkie as a large, confident grin formed on her face. Rodan and Lisa looked surprised, but were also curious as to what Pinkie was talking about.
“What exactly is Pinkie Pie style?”, asked Rodan.
Meanwhile, back at the Zawa residence, Gojira huffed as he carried the heavy tree on his back while doing pushups. His legs were covered in scales and his muscles bulged every time he went down and up. Alpha floated to the side, keeping track of how many pushups Gojira was doing.
‘Forty-eight…forty-nine…fifty. Alright that’s enough for now.’
With a mighty heave, Gojira pushed hard against the tree, causing it to topple off his back and land behind him. He took a couple breaths as his scales formed back into his legs. He grabbed a nearby towel and wiped the sweat from his brow.
“How’s that…for a…daily workout”, he said in between breaths.
‘Impressive, however it seems you’ve gotten a bit carried away with your training session.’
“What do you mean?”, asked Gojira.
‘We started at seven in the morning, it’s currently 1:00.’
Gojira eyes slightly widened, his tracking of time couldn’t have been more far off. “Well damn, that is a lot”, he said.
Just then the sound of a doorbell ringing caught the attention of both Gojira and his spirit. Alpha retreated back into Gojira’s mane as Gojira wrapped the towel around his neck and entered the house. He at first expected whoever it was at the door to be probably their crazy mailman who would constantly bump into the roof of their house as if she was blind. But instead he was slightly surprised to find Rodan standing there.
“Hey Rodan, what’s up-”, Gojira was cut off when Rodan showed him an invitation, “uhh what’s tha-”
“We’ve been invited to a party”, Rodan said in the middle of his sentence.
“What”, Gojira replied.
The three brothers found themselves entering the front doors of the fully decorated Sugarcube Corner. The whole place was covered in streamers, balloons, banners, confetti, and ribbons to make this party more festive than usual. Inside the bakery was a table that contained several sugary treats and presents. There were games, a large piñata, music, it seemed Pinkie was going all out for this one. Many ponies had gathered at Sugarcube Corner to attend Pinkie’s party, which included the three brothers who bore faces of confusion and disbelief.
“Guess this is what she meant by Pinkie Pie style”, said Anguirus.
“Are you kidding me?”, said Rodan. “This is supposed to help fix the problems with Gilda? What the hay is a party of all things going to do?”
“I don’t know, but I honestly didn’t expect much else from Pinkie when you said she had a plan”, said Gojira. “In fact, this seems right down her alley in terms of finding solutions.”
“Well, yes, but it’s not the solution we need. Again, what is a party going to do?”, asked Rodan. He hoped to get his answer as Pinkie ran up to them.
“Hello and Welcome!”, she said with a bright smile on her face.
“Umm, Pinkie, I’ve got one question to ask you”, said Rodan before he cleared his throat. “Why are you throwing a party for Gilda? How’s this supposed to make things right between Gilda and Fluttershy?” Pinkie lightly chuckled from his question.
“You’ll see, I have everything planned out. We’ll start off with games, then cake, maybe even some dancing, it’ll be fun”, she said.
“So, this is just a normal party you’re throwing? Is that your plan?”, asked Anguirus. A cheeky grin formed on Pinkie’s face.
“Maybe”, she said. She followed with a small laugh which caused the three brothers to look at each other with confusion and weariness. “We’re just waiting for our guest of honor to arrive so you three can go and have fun.”
“Oh boy, I can’t wait”, said Rodan with sarcasm.
Rodan and Anguirus both had a similar look, they definitely weren’t excited to hear that a party was dedicated to Gilda. A party was one of the last things that she deserved. Gojira didn’t have the same level of hatred for her as he’d only seen Gilda once, but that didn’t stop him from being on guard. When his brothers told him what Gilda was like, he instantly believed it without hesitation. However, despite each of the brother’s grievances, none of them knew exactly what Pinkie had planned. All they knew was that it was in the form of a party and that was it.
“Umm, Pinkie Pie, about this party for Gilda”, said Fluttershy as she walked up to Pinkie. “Do you really think it’s a good idea? I mean-”, she was cut off when Pinkie put a comforting hoof on her shoulder.
“Don’t worry your pretty little head about mean old Gilda”, said Pinkie as she patted Fluttershy on the head. “It’s just like I told these three, your auntie Pinkie Pie has got it all covered.” Pinkie Pie’s words did little to reassure Fluttershy, if anything, Pinkie’s remark more so annoyed her than anything else.
“I’m a year older than you”, said Fluttershy, but Pinkie didn’t hear it as she had already bounced away. Her scowl, however, quickly shifted to fear when the front doors of the bakery opened to reveal the guest of honor.
“Gilda! I’m so honored to throw you one of my signature Pinkie Pie parties!”, said Punkie as she greeted Gilda at the entrance. After being here for only a second, Gilda was already sick of it.
The mere sight of the griffon caused Fluttershy to tremble backwards. Anguirus noticed this and felt bad. It had taken a lot of convincing from him to make Fluttershy come, and he was starting to regret it. He walked over to the yellow pegasus, who was so focused on Gilda that she almost jumped when she saw Anguirus.
“How are you feeling?”, asked Anguirus.
“I-I’m ok”, replied Fluttershy. Anguirus could sense the fear in her voice and eyes.
“It’ll be alright, just like Pinkie said, she has everything planned out”, said Anguirus, trying to comfort her. “If you’re at all scared or something, just stay close to me.” Fluttershy still wasn’t sure how to feel, but the reassuring look on Anguirus’ face made her feel a bit better.
“Ok, thank you”, she said.
“Well, look who it is”, said a voice. Fluttershy immediately stiffened up as soon as she heard it. She didn’t even bother to turn around. “What’s the matter, cupcake, aren’t you happy to see me?”
“Don’t start anything, Gilda”, said Anguirus as he stepped forward and in front of Fluttershy. Gilda rolled her eyes as soon as she saw him.
“Oh great, you again”, she said. “I guess your annoying brother is also here.”
“He’s not my only brother”, said Anguirus.
“Oh joy, there’s three of you?”, said Gilda with fake dread. “Is the third one just as annoying as you…two?”
Gilda trailed off as she noticed a pony walking up to them. A pony that wasn’t like any other pony she met before. She was so used to her being taller than other ponies that the sight of one of them being almost a foot taller than her caught her off guard. His dark skin, piercing eyes, and creepy looking cutie mark made her feel intimidated for once. Seeing Gilda menaced brought Gojira slight amusement.
“Hello, I assume your name’s Gilda, right?”, asked Gojira. Gilda merely nodded. “I’ve heard some things about you from my brothers.” He leaned his head down to her eye level. “I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.”
Gilda noticed the many stares they had attracted. Not wanting to be seen as scared, she scoffed in Gojira’s face. “Pfft, y-yeah, whatever”, she said. Gojira didn’t back away.
“Don’t try anything funny with my brothers, you don’t want to know what can come from it”, whispered Gojira. Gilda’s strong hearing picked it up right away, she didn’t appreciate being threatened. But before she could retort, Pinkie Pie practically teleported in between them, catching the two of them off guard.
“Nice to see you two get to know each other. Gilda this is Goji, Goji this is Gilda”, said Pinkie with a bright smile on her face as she turned toward Gilda. “It’s nice to see you become more welcome with us pony-folk.” She extended her hoof out to Gilda who shook it in confusion.
“Uhh, thanks, I gue-” Gilda was interrupted by the extreme stinging pain she felt all across her body. She twitched in place as her eyes went wide and her feathers became upright. Everyone except Pinkie watched in surprise as soon the pain subsided and Gilda stopped twitching. She felt incredibly dizzy as small trails of steam came from her feathery mane.
Pinkie erupted in laughter as she pointed to the hoof buzzer she was wearing. Once it was shown to be a joke, many other ponies started laughing too. Including Rodan who was more so happy that the griffon got what she deserved. The only one who wasn’t laughing was Gilda herself as she glared at Pinkie, but that glare instantly went away as soon as she saw Rainbow Dash walking up to them.
“Hehe, oh Pinkie Pie, the old hoofshake buzzer”, said Rainbow Dash. “You are a scream.” Gilda, feeling embarrassed, forced a smile.
“Yeah, hehe, good one Pinkie Pie”, she said.
The hoof buzzer was only the small tip of the iceberg of humor and pranks to come. As the party went on, Gilda found herself at the butt end of even more pranks. First, she ate some lemon drops that were secretly spicy. Then while trying to cool her mouth down with some punch, she picked up a glass that had a hole in it which caused the drink to spill on her rather than in her mouth. Finally, when she opened a present, several fake snakes popped out, giving the griffon a good scare which was enough to cause her feathers to poof up. Each prank started to chip away more and more at Gilda’s nerves.
As the party went, the number of pranks started to slow as Gilda mainly kept to herself. Anguirus stayed close to Fluttershy just in case she felt nervous, but after a while she eventually calmed down and started to orchestrate a few birds to sing a melody. Gojira stood off to the side holding a glass of punch. He chose to mainly stay away from other ponies, feeling more comfortable by himself. He still didn’t want to take any chances with the kaiju spirits, though he also wanted to keep an eye on Gilda, just in case she were to try something.Rodan primarily hung out with Lisa as they too listened to the soft, peaceful voices of the birds.
“How are you holding up?”, asked Lisa. “I know how you feel about this being a party for Gilda.”
“I am, I’m actually having a great time”, said Rodan as the image of Gilda’s surprised and scared faces came into his mind.
“That’s good, Pinkie’s parties are always fun”, said Lisa.
“Yeah, but this one especially”, said Rainbow Dash as she walked up to the two of them. “I mean, did you see the look on Gilda’s face when she got scared from those spitting snakes.” She couldn’t help but laugh.
Lisa lightly chuckled. “Well, you know Pinkie Pie, she’s always a fan of surprises”, she said. Unbeknownst to any of them, Gilda heard this causing her teeth to clench. Someone was behind these pranks, and there was only one suspect.
Soon, Pinkie Pie rolled in a cart holding a large cake with several candles. “Cake time, everypony!”, she exclaimed as everyone gathered around.
“Hey, can I blow out the candles?”, asked Spike.
“Why don’t we let Gilda blow out the candles, Spike. She is the guest of honor after all”, said Twilight. Gilda sprinted forward in front of everyone, shoving Spike with enough force to nearly send him flying.
“Exactly”, she said. Gojira was lucky to be standing in the back, no one could hear the growl emitting from his lips.
Gilda eyed each of the candles before taking a deep breath and blowing out each of the candles in a single breath. She at first felt proud of herself, until she looked back and noticed that every single candle was still lit. She took another breath and blew, but not a single candle would stay extinguished. By the second attempt, everyone started to laugh as Gilda tried again and again until she was out of breath. Each candle remained lit, looking as though they hadn’t been even touched.
“Relighting birthday candles, I love that prank”, said Spike as he laughed. “What a classic.”
“I wonder who could’ve caused that”, said Pinkie as she looked away with a puzzled expression.
“Yeah, must’ve been somepony pretty clever”, added Rodan with a cheeky grin. Neither saw Gilda’s glare directed at them.
“Yeah, I wonder”, said Gilda. The sound of munching and shuffling caught her ears as she saw what looked like a hole in her cake with a tail poking out of it. The tail then disappeared into the cake before Spike came popping out of the top, catching her by surprise.
“Mmm, who cares, this is good cake!”, he said before shoving a handful into his mouth. Several ponies couldn’t help but laugh, even Gojira snickered a little.
“Spike!”, scolded Twilight.
“What? It’s great, try some”, replied Spike, offering her a handful of cake. His gesture caused the crowd to laugh, except for one. Gilda stood still, trying not to boil over with anger.
“Hey G, you aren’t upset over some silly candles, are you?”, asked Rainbow Dash as she walked up. Gilda’s frown quickly switched to a smile as she laughed the prank off.
“Hehe, no way Dash”, she said. “As I said, I’m all down for a good prank.” Truth be told, she was secretly filled with hate on the inside.
“Come on, let’s eat some cake”, said Rainbow Dash. As she walked away, Gilda’s smile quickly faded as she glared at the party host. She was about ready to walk over to her had another pony not caught her attention.
“Having any fun?”, asked Rodan. Gilda let out a groan.
“Gee, I don’t know”, she said before getting into Rodan’s face. “Does it look like I'm fun?!” Rodan merely shrugged.
“I don’t know, it’s not everyday somepony gets one of Pinkie’s parties dedicated to just them”, said Rodan.
“I know what game you’re playing, I’m not as big of a fool as you take me for”, said Gilda.
“What kind of game?”, asked Rodan.
“Don’t play dumb with me. All of the insulting pranks that have been pulled on me, I know that thing has something to do with it”, said Gilda as she pointed an accusing finger at Pinkie eating a piece of cake.
“Hey, I’m just as confused as you are”, said Rodan. “It’s probably just bad luck that you’ve been pranked so many times.”
“As if! The snakes, the lemon drops, those stupid candles, you think stuff like that happens by coincidence?”, said Gilda.
“You’re probably just very unlucky is all I’m saying. Though, as I was told, Pinkie’s parties are always chocked full of surprises”, said Rodan before he started to walk away. Before Gilda could say anything, Applejack piped up.
“Hey, y’all”, she called out. “It’s pin the tail on the pony, let’s play!” Many ponies gathered to play. Anguirus walked up to grab the tail.
“I call dibs on going first”, he said. However, Rarity got there as well.
“Oh, please, can I go first?”, she asked. “It’s my favorite game.” Before Anguirus could say anything, the tail disappeared in front of both of their eyes. They both looked up to see Gilda swinging the tail in her hand.
“Sorry you two, but I’ll be going first. I am the guest of honor after all”, said Gilda. Both Anguirus and Rarity were visibly unhappy, but decided not to say anything. Anguirus walked back to join his brothers.
“So much for dibs”, he muttered.
“Don’t worry, you both can go next”, said Pinkie. “Besides, I definitely think Gilda should go first, let’s quickly get you blindfolded.” Suddenly, a piece of cloth was draped over Gilda’s eyes, blinding her and catching her by surprise. Spike had jumped on her back and quickly tied the blindfold on her.
“Hey! What are you doing?”, she demanded. Spike snickered as he jumped off. Then she felt someone grab her before forcing her to spin.
“We’re spinning you around and around and then you can pin the tail on the pony”, said Pinkie before stopping Gilda from spinning. Gilda felt a little dizzy as she was guided to the drawing of a pony.
“This outta be rich”, whispered Rodan to Anguirus.
“Now, all you have to do is walk straight and pin the tail”, said Pinkie, but Gilda didn’t move another inch forward.
“Just walk straight ahead and pin the tail”, mocked Gilda. “Yeah right, this is another prank, isn’t it? I’m not falling for it again”, she then turned around to face the opposite direction, “I’m going this way.”
“Wait! The poster is this way”, exclaimed Pinkie, but Gilda refused to listen.
This turned out to be a bad move as Gilda didn’t see the large glob of cake icing on the floor. She yelped as she slipped on it and was sent sliding into the kitchen doors. A loud crash could be heard as Gilda soon stumbled out. Her body, wings, and hair was covered in icing, cake batter, and sprinkles. But the most embarrassing part was that the tail had landed on her beak, making it look like she had grown a mustache. Many ponies looked at her and tried their best to suppress laughter.
“Umm, Gilda, you put the tail on the wrong end”, quipped Pinkie. Her remark unleashed a torrent of laughter from the guests.
“I don’t know Pinkie Pie, both ends look the same to me”, added Rodan. This caused the guests to laugh even more.
That was the final straw. Gilda looked out towards the several ponies laughing at her. It was the one thing she heard throughout this whole party, laughter directed at her and only at her. From ridiculous prank to ridiculous prank, she had had it. This wasn’t a party for her, this was an excuse to insult, embarrass, and humiliate her. Her eyes tightly shut, her teeth clenched, and wings flared up. Her encapsulated anger had finally boiled over. She let loose a loud roar, catching the attention of everyone in the bakery. This roar was much louder than the one from earlier that day, but this time it was directed to everyone. Gilda flew up as she cut her roar off.
“This is your idea of a good time!? I’ve never met a lamer bunch of dweebs in all my life”, she shouted. She then turned her attention to the party host. “And you, Pinkie Pie! You are queen lame-O with you and your weak little party pranks!” While everyone stared in shock and others with frustration, Pinkie kept her smile even while Gilda pointed a claw in her face.
“And you!”, exclaimed Gilda as she pointed at Rodan. “You might as well be queen lame-O’s jester with all those quips and jabs you’ve made at me! Where’d you get those from, a joke book made for depressed fathers by depressed fathers?”
“Hey! I’ll have you know I made them up on the spot!”, retorted Rodan.
“Did you both really think you could make me lose my cool? Well guess what, me and Dash have ten times as much cool as the rest of you put together!”, said Gilda as she wrapped an arm around Rainbow Dash who seemed just as surprised as everyone else. “Come on Dash, we’re bailing on this pathetic joint.” Gilda started to walk to the front door, but Rainbow Dash stood firm in place. “Rainbow Dash! Come on, I said we’re leaving!”, exclaimed Gilda. Rainbow Dash didn’t moved, instead she gave her friend a look of disdain.
“You know, Gilda, Pinkie and Rodan aren’t the only ones who like to pull pranks or tell jokes”, said Rainbow Dash. Gilda looked confused.
“Dash, what are you talking about?”, she asked.
“Gilda, I was the one who set up all those ‘weak’ pranks at the party”, Rainbow Dash blurted out. Gilda stood there flabbergasted at what she heard.
“W-What?!”, she exclaimed. Gilda looked at Pinkie Pie who gave an ‘oh’ face, but Rainbow Dash stood in front of her.
“So I guess that makes me queen lame-O”, said Rainbow Dash.
“Come on Dash, you’re joshing me”, said Gilda, being indaniel.
“They weren’t all made for you specifically, it was just bad luck that you sent them all off”, added Rainbow Dash. Gilda stood slack jawed while Rodan laughed out loud.
“I knew it!”, he shouted. Pinkie Pie smiled.
“I should’ve known, that dribble glass had Rainbow Dash written all over it”, said Pinkie. Gilda looked between Rainbow Dash and Pinkie.
“N-No way! It was Pinkie Pie, she set this whole party just to trip me up! To try and make a fool out of me!”, retorted Gilda.
“Me? I threw this party to improve your attitude. I thought a good party would be enough to turn that frown upside down”, said Pinkie.
“So that’s Pinkie Pie style”, said Anguirus.
“But you sure didn’t need help making a fool out of yourself”, said Rainbow Dash as she stepped forward causing Gilda to step backwards. “You know, this is not how I expected my old friend to treat my new friends. If being cool is all you care about, then maybe you should find some new cool friends some place else!” Both Rainbow Dash and Gilda stared each other down until Gilda took a deep breath and flared her wings.
“Oh yeah, well you…you’re such a…a-a flip flop! Cool one minute, lame the next”, retorted Gilda. “When you decide to not be lame anymore, gimme a call.” She tried to walk to the door, but instead bumped into something. Only to see that it wasn’t something, but rather someone.
“Well, Gilda”, said Rodan as he stepped out of the way while opening the door. “I think I speak for us all when I say, it was a pleasure meeting you.” Gilda glared at him, she knew he didn’t mean it. She slammed the door close behind her before taking the skies, leaving Ponyville long behind.
“Talk about a party pooper”, Spike whispered to Rainbow Dash. Many ponies began to mutter amongst themselves until Rainbow Dash spoke up.
“I’m so sorry everypony for bringing Gilda here, I didn’t know how rude she was”, she said before turning to Pinkie. “And Pinkie Pie, I’m really sorry she ruined that awesome party you put on for her.”
“Hey, if you rather hangout with party poopers, that’s your business”, joked Pinkie. Rainbow Dash smiled.
“I’d rather hangout with you”, she replied before extending her hoof, “no hard feelings?”
“No hard feelings”, replied Pinkie as she excepted her hoof. The two of them then jolted as they felt a stinging sensation throughout their bodies. They both let go of each other's hoof to reveal that they each had a buzzer on their hooves. They and the guests laughed.
‘Dear Celestia, today I learned that sometimes it’s hard to accept when somepony you like wants to spend time with somepony who’s not so nice. Though it’s impossible to control who your friends hangout with, it is possible to control your own behavior. Just continue to be a good friend. In the end, the difference between a false friend and one who is true will surely come to light. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.’
As the party started to come to an end, many ponies left until there were a few members of the mane six, Lisa, and two of the three brothers remaining. They sat outside of Sugarcube Corner and conversed amongst themselves.
“Pinkie Pie, I’m sorry for doubting you about Gilda. I guess I misjudged you”, said Lisa.
“That’s ok, Lilly”, said Pinkie Pie. “Not all of us can be super smart, smart, smarty pants all the time. Just ask Twilight, she thought the same thing.” She wrapped a hoof around Twilight who was writing her letter.
“Yeah, I’m sorry too, Pinkie. Though your party was still really fun”, said Twilight.
“My favorite part was all the pranks you pulled on Gilda”, said Rodan.
“Which ones?”, asked Anguirus.
“Yes”, answered Rodan. The group laughed. Just then, Pinkie thought of something.
“Oh, that reminds me”, she said before rushing back into the bakery and rushing out, “I almost forgot to give this to you, Rodey.” She was about to hand him a present, but Rodan backed up.
“Nice try, Pinkie Pie, but I’m not falling for that trick again”, said Rodan. As he was distracted, however, he heard a loud buzzing noise in his ear, causing him to jolt forward in surprise. When he looked behind him, he saw Rainbow Dash holding a cartoonishly large horn.
“You sure about that?”, asked Rainbow Dash. Before Rodan could say anything, a hiccup escaped from his lips.
“What the hay was- ‘hiccup’…”, Rodan grumbled. The whole group erupted in laughter as Rodan felt slightly embarrassed.
“Don’t worry, Rodan, I know the feeling”, said Spike.
“The face you made!”, laughed Rainbow Dash. Rodan groaned as he reached over and grabbed the gift Pinkie had for him.
“Thanks Pink- ‘hiccup’…”, he tried to say. Pinkie chuckled as she wrapped a hoof around him.
The mountains are home to several creatures of Equestria. Whether they’re as big as a gorilla or as small as a mouse, these agent stone goliaths stand as a nesting ground for any passerby. One such passerby was a mountain goat that was traveling along the rock side of the mountain until it reached a large cave. Its attention was less focused on the cave and rather on the several puffs of grass that stood in front of it. Thinking this was the best time to rest, the goat sat down and munched on the grass as well as a few stray flowers that it found. With its back facing the sky, it didn’t notice the clouds start to part ways for a large figure.
As the goat ate, a large shadow started to be casted over it. Confused and startled, the goat looked behind it thinking it was just a cloud. What it saw was no cloud. Flying above it was a large creature covered in red scales. Its wings gave it a massive wingspan as it completely blocked the sun from the goat’s field of vision. Its neck was long as was its tail which had a small spike on the end. Its claws looked as sharp as its teeth and it looked to be deadly. The goat stared in horror as it had just happened to run into the new home of a dragon.
The goat sprinted out of the path of the dragon as it landed on the rock ledge, crushing anything that stood below it. Its orange eyes looked at the large cave up and down before a smile crossed its face. With a heavy breath that caused some smoke to billow out, it took large steps toward the cave. Its large feet caused the rock underneath it to crack as it stomped inside. The goat looked back to see the tail of the creature be slowly dragged inside the cave.
After a few moments, large streams of black smoke started to spew from the cave’s entrance. They slowly became thicker and thicker until they looked more like entire clouds of smoke and smog. The goat didn’t stop as it ran along the mountain side. This was the start of something big. The start of a long nap for a dragon.
- Ponyville
Meanwhile, an old stallion paced back and forth outside of his store. Every once in a while he would stop to scratch his beard, only to go back to pacing. He had impatience written on his face as he kept looking along the streets of Ponyville. His daughter was standing at the entrance of the store looking at her father with a bored expression on her face.
“Dad, it’ll be here any minute, you can stop worrying”, she said. Her father looked back at her.
“They said that our apple display would be here today at 11:00, Matilda. But boy are they cutting close as it's already four before twelve”, said the stallion as he continued to pace back and forth.
“So they’re not going to be here early, big deal. That doesn’t mean they aren’t coming”, said Matilda.
“Like hay they aren’t. That farm has always praised itself on being on time and never having a late order, but whenever I request an order from them, they’ve either been too early or barely make it by the deadline”, said the stallion. He looked at the watch on his hoof, the minute hand was dangerously close to the eleventh hour. “They’re gonna have some explaining to do this time.”
His daughter rolled her eyes. “They probably got caught up on something or got lost. You asked them to deliver, like, twenty crates of apples, that’s a big order for anypony to handle”, she said.
“Oh please, they probably get orders like that all the time”, he said as he turned to face his daughter. “I swear to Celestia, if they aren’t here in the next minute I’m gonna…”, he trailed off when he saw his daughter wasn’t staring at him, “what? Matilda, what’s wrong?”
“Mr.Lapiz?”, said a deep, gruff voice.
The stallion turned around and was met with a tall pony. This pony stood a foot taller than him, his shadow casting over him. His dark colors across his body, mane, and tail sent shivers down the old stallion’s spine. He stared into the pony’s amber eyes as they stared down at him. His daughter watched from the entrance of the store, wondering if she was about to witness her father get mugged.
“Are you the one that ordered this?”, asked Gojira, referring to the large, wooden cart of apples he was hauling. The old stallion merely nodded, he couldn’t believe that this guy was from Sweet Apple Acres. He even considered that perhaps this pony scared off whoever was supposed to deliver the apples. Though, this thought was brushed aside when another pony walked up, one that was less intimidating but not by much.
“Hello, sir”, said Anguirus. “Sorry for keeping you waiting, had some trouble getting this over some of the hills back at Sweet Apple Acres.” The impatient attitude the stallion had earlier quickly vanished.
“O-Oh, no, i-it’s no trouble at all”, he said, putting on a smile. “Just…leave that there and I’ll get some of my employees to start unloading.”
“You sure, sir? Me and my brother here can stay and help”, said Anguirus. The old stallion was taken aback. Brother? As in, these two were related?
“U-Uhh, no, don’t worry about that”, he said as he turned and started to walk away. “I’ll just get you…both your payment.” He practically ran inside the store, leaving his daughter awkwardly standing with the two, tall strangers.
“So, what do you need so many apples for?”, asked Gojira. Matilda was caught off guard and almost jumped when she heard his voice.
“We-We’re just running low on supply”, she said. “T-Though we hope to save the remaining stock for Nightmare Night this year.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right, Nightmare Night’s coming up, almost completely forgot about that”, said Anguirus. “That’s always been a fun holiday.” Gojira scoffed.
“Personally, I don’t really care much about Nightmare Night”, he said.
“You don’t?”, asked Matilda, looking shocked to hear it. “How can anypony not like Nightmare Night, it’s a great time of the year for ponies to hangout with each other.”
“I have nothing against the holiday, I more so see it as a sign of the change in seasons”, said Gojira. “After Nightmare Night is Winter and what comes from Winter?”
“Hearth’s Warming?”, answered Matilda.
“Snow”, corrected Gojira. Anguirus nodded his head.
“Yep, I know you, you would wish to live for a thousand years if you didn’t have to deal with snow”, said Anguirus.
“That’s because it's absolutely a pain in the rear to deal with”, said Gojira. “I don’t even hate how cold it can get, I just hate how it’s essentially a warning that the sky is getting ready to dump off all of its fecal matter.”
His remark scored a laugh out of Matilda. “Yeah, I don’t blame you for hating snow”, she said. “But isn’t it worth it for Hearth’s Warming at least?” Gojira shrugged.
“I guess, but I would prefer not to deal with it in the first place. It’s not worth having to constantly shovel the front lawn just to go outside all for one day of the year”, he replied. Anguirus walked to the side of Matilda.
“He’s just mad because he once got his tongue stuck to a metal poll during the winter while we were kids”, he whispered. “He blames it on the snow since he was trying to catch snowflakes in his mouth.”
“I heard that!”, exclaimed Gojira. Both Anguirus and Matilda laughed.
“Ahem!”, someone coughed. Both Matilda and Anguirus turned around to be met with the old stallion from earlier. “What’s going on here?”
“Just having a chat, that’s all”, replied Anguirus.
“Then why are you standing so close to my daughter?”, asked the stallion.
“It’s okay, Dad, we’re just talking”, said Matilda. That didn’t stop the old stallion from walking between both Anguirus and Melissa. He practically shoved an envelope of cash into Anguirus’ chest.
“There’s the bits I owe you”, he said. “Now if you excuse us, we have work to do.” He glared at Anguirus when he said that.
“Thank you sir”, said Anguirus as he and Gojira walked away. When they were gone the old stallion took a sigh of relief.
“Are you hurt?”, he asked Matilda. “Did they try to do anything?”
“Dad, they didn’t try anything, I’m fine”, replied Matilda. The old stallion didn’t seem convinced.
“I don’t want you to be standing to those kinds of ponies”, he said as he watched the two tall stallions walk away. “Who knows what they could’ve done if given the chance.”
“We were just talking, Dad. It’s not a big deal”, said Matilda, trying to ease her father.
“Big deal? Look at that and tell me that’s not a big deal”, said the old stallion pointing at the taller stallion of the two. “Now come on, we have some unloading to do.”
The old stallion didn’t wait to hear his daughter’s as he walked over to the apple cart. Matilda let out a sigh, she knew there was no use in trying to change her father’s mind. Though she was glad that the two brothers didn’t have to hear it. Unfortunately, little did she know, they did.
“So much for being helpful”, muttered Anguirus. Due to his and Gojira’s advance hearing, they managed to hear what the old stallion had to say about them, even if a bit muffled.
“Ignore him, he’s just protective over his daughter”, said Gojira. “You can’t really blame him since…you know.”
Anguirus nodded. “Yeah, I get it”, he said. “By the way, thanks for helping me with the order. You gotta admit, it’s nice to leave the house and interact with other ponies.”
“The last few interactions I had while walking around in this town have involved an elderly pony who thought we were creeps and a griffon that nearly chewed Rodan’s ear off”, said Gojira, bluntly. “Not exactly the most welcoming of greetings I would say.”
“But what about Twilight and Spike, they were fairly kind to you”, asked Anguirus. Gojira shrugged.
“I’ll admit, Spike was pretty charming, but that’s because he’s still a kid and is merely curious”, said Gojira, the memory of when he first met Spike at Canterlot came to mind. “And for Twilight, that meeting was forced by Rodan, it wasn’t exactly natural.”
“Yeah, but you still stayed and talked with her and Spike. You could’ve left at any time, but you didn’t”, said Anguirus. Gojira rolled his eyes, he could see where this was going.
“Don’t be getting any ideas that Rodan would have”, he warned Anguirus, rather sternly.
“I’m not, I’m not”, replied Anguirus. “Though, Rodan does bring up a good point.”
“I don’t want to hear it”, said Gojira.
“Ok, if you insist”, said Anguirus. The two stayed quiet for about two seconds. “Remember that time when you saved Twilight from falling off that bridge.”
“Aang!”, Gojira shouted, followed by a growl.
“Alright, alright”, said Anguirus as a bead of sweat formed on his brow.
“You know how I feel about this topic”, said Gojira as he looked straight ahead. “So don’t even bother asking.” Anguirus internally sighed.
‘How else did you think he was going to answer?’
‘I don’t know, I just want him to be happy with somepony.’
‘It’s clear that the subject of relationships is very personal to him, one that he’d rather not share or discuss with others. It would be appropriate to not try and pry into it anymore, besides there are more important topics that need to be discussed. You three’s training, the history of the kaiju, and especially the-’
“What about the gala?”, asked Anguirus.
‘…Or that too, I suppose.’
“What about it?”, asked Gojira.
“We haven’t discussed whether we’re still going or not”, replied Anguirus. Gojira rolled his eyes.
“That’s because I thought we weren’t”, he said.
“Goji, come on, it’s the biggest event of the year. Other ponies would kill to go there”, said Anguirus. “Besides, the princess herself sent us those tickets, so she wants us to go.”
“I know, butin full honesty, I’m still not sure if we should go”, said Gojira. “After all, we’ll be secretly bringing along three chaperones that’ll be constantly nagging at us to keep to ourselves.” Gojira looked up. “No offense”, he said.
‘I appreciate the consideration.’
“Ok, but we’ve managed to control the spirits out in public for a few weeks now, a party should be filly’s play”, said Anguirus.
“The gala isn’t just a party”, replied Gojira.
‘He’s right, the gala at Canterlot is more extravagant than say one of Pinkie’s welcome parties. There will also be twice as many guests there and we all know how much your brother loves those crowds.’
“But don’t you want to see Caesar again? It’s been a while since we’ve seen him”, asked Anguirus. Gojira muffled a groan. Aside from the crowd, that was something else that made him unsure of going. His reaction to Anguirus’ question didn’t go unnoticed.
“Do you not want to see Caesar?”, asked Anguirus.
“It’s not that I don’t want to see him, I just…”, Gojira struggled to find the right words, “it’s hard to explain”, he said. “But the main point is, I’m still not unsure about going to the gala. I appreciate that Celestia gave us the tickets to go, but that doesn’t mean she’ll be expecting us.”
“Ok, but we’re gonna have to make a decision soon, the gala is starting to come up”, said Anguirus.
“Yeah, I know”, said Gojira. “Maybe when we meet back up Rodan we can discuss it more. I’d imagine that part of the reason Rodan would even consider going is so he could…”, Gojira trailed off when he noticed Anguirus was no longer staring at him. “Uhh, Aang, what are you looking at?”, he asked.
“What. In the name. Of Celestia”, muttered Anguirus, his face appalled and in awe.
Anguirus pointed to the sky with his hoof which Gojira followed. What he saw caused him to share the same expression as his brother. Right in the center of the sky appeared to be a large black cloud that completely engulfed other clouds surrounding it. Large trails sprouted from the mass in several directions, one going right over the entirety of Ponyville. Or at least, it at first seemed like a cloud. Gojira sniffed the air; the scent it carried burned the back of his throat. A rich, tangy, almost wooden smell. His eyes widened when he recognized the scent, calling this a cloud was a massive understatement.
“Smoke”, Gojira muttered.
“And where’s there smoke”, said Anguirus. He didn’t want to finish that sentence. He could only imagine the size of the fire to create smoke of that scale.
Gojira looked around, noticing the many looks of fear and awe that other ponies had. Some even ran toward their houses to either try and take shelter or to warn their families. The sight of the commotion made him remember the absence of a member of his own family.
“Where’s Rodan?”, he asked.
“He said he was going to Sugarcube Corner to see Lisa”, said Anguirus. Gojira looked at the direction of Sugarcube Corner before bolting towards it. Anguirus nearly had to do a double take before galloping after his brother.
The sight of the bakery came into view as Gojira practically smashed the door wide open, only to be met with an interior that contained not a single pony. Gojira looked confused as he looked back at his brother who took a deep breath from running so fast.
“Next time, tell me when you’re about to run off”, panted Anguirus. “Don’t you remember when Caesar did the same thing?”
“Rodan’s not here, in fact, no one is”, said Gojira, nodding toward the empty building. Anguirus looked confused.
“Then where the hay could he be?”, asked Anguirus.
Gojira looked around, hoping to find some kind of clue that would let him in on where his younger brother could be. Though he didn’t find one, he saw who he hoped to be just as helpful. Walking through the streets, with most of her and his focus on the sky, was Twilight and Spike with the latter carrying what appeared to be a scroll of some kind and the former carrying the latter on her back. Once Gojira noticed them, he ran in their direction with Anguirus following behind.
“Twilight! Spike!”, Gojira called out. The two looked toward Gojira.
“Hi Gojira, hi Anguirus”, said Spike as he innocently waved back.
“Hello, you two”, said Twilight. Despite being greeted, she didn’t stop to chat and instead kept walking. Both Gojira and Anguirus walked alongside her.
“I’m guessing you’ve both seen the large smoke cloud in the sky, right?”, asked Anguirus.
“Who couldn’t?”, replied Twilight. She seemed to have an urgent attitude in both her voice and walk style.
“How big do you think the fire has gotten to create something like that?”, asked Gojira. Twilight didn’t answer but instead shook her head.
“That’s not fire”, she said. The two brothers looked confused.
“Wait, what do you mean it’s not fire?”, asked Anguirus.
“Look at this”, said Spike, showing them the scroll he was holding. Both Gojira and Anguirus looked at the scroll over. The first thing that caught their eyes was that it was from Celestia with the second being what was truly causing such a large amount of smoke. It was an option that neither of them had considered.
“A dragon?”, asked Anguirus, incredulously.
“A sleeping dragon, one that has taken nesting in the nearby mountains”, said Twilight.
“What for?”, asked Gojira.
“Most large dragons prefer to take naps somewhere high and close to the sky, it makes them feel comfortable”, said Spike.
“Yes, the smoke is a byproduct of its snoring and if something isn’t done soon, then not just Ponyville but all of Equestria will be shrouded in smoke”, added Twilight. Gojira and Anguirus looked at each other and then back at her.
“So much for an average Friday”, muttered Anguirus.
“How much time do you think we have?”, asked Gojira.
“I don’t know, but judging from the size of that cloud, I’d say not much”, answered Twilight.
Gojira looked back up at the sky, the trail of smoke started to get closer and closer while becoming larger and larger. Though he hated to admit it, he felt a small smidge of worry over the whereabouts of his little brother. Nevertheless, he refused to let Anguirus see that.
“What can we do?”, asked Gojira.
“I have a plan, however I’ll need all the help I can get to make it work”, said Twilight. “So I’m heading out to find the girls where we’ll meet back at the Golden Oaks Library and I can give them the run down.”
“And we can also be your help”, said Anguirus with confidence. Gojira did a double take.
“What? No way, I’m not letting you two get involved in this”, firmly stated Gojira.
“Did you not hear what Twilight said, we can help them. We’ve taken on an evil alicorn, how’s an oversized reptile with wings any different?”, asked Anguirus
‘You’d be surprised.’
“There’s a literal massive difference, Aang”, replied Gojira. “I can’t even count the number of ways something could go wrong. You could fall off the mountain, be crushed, burned alive, eaten, and a whole lot of other stuff that I don’t want to happen to either of you.” Gojira’s voice radiated with sternest and discipline as it increased in volume. It was similar to the kind of tone he carried back during the Summer Sun celebration. This was enough to make even Twilight stop and look back at the two brothers arguing.
“If Rodan was here he’d agree with me”, said Anguirus. “We can protect ourselves, Gojira. Why can’t we protect them”, he gestured toward the many town’s ponies, “isn’t that what father would want?”
Gojira’s protective nature faltered when Anguirus mentioned their parental figure. He looked toward the ponies that lived in Ponyville. Each one of them wore looks of fear and disbelief over the large smoke cloud in the sky. He even saw a few fillies and colts be forced inside their homes by their parents out of pure fright. The image of a tall, old stallion making a vow to him and only him flew into Gojira’s mind. Gojira let out a sigh and looked back at his younger brother who waited for an answer.
“We can talk about this later, right now we need to find Rodan and make sure he’s ok”, said Gojira.
“Does that mean we’re going with them?”, asked Anguirus.
“I said we’ll talk about it later”, replied Gojira. Anguirus didn’t need confirmation, the answer was yes. Gojira looked toward Twilight. “Do you have any ideas on where the others could be?”
“I do, now come on, we don’t have time to waste”, said Twilight as she, Spike, and the two brothers continued to walk. Gojira looked back at the smoke cloud, he could only hope that wherever Rodan was, he had the same level of concern as he did.
“I got it!”, exclaimed Rodan as he dive bombed toward and hit a kick ball, causing it to launch back in the air.
“Thank you!”, said Rainbow Dash as she then head butted the ball, making Rodan miss when he tried to grab it. “You gotta be quicker than that!”, she exclaimed. She was later corrected when while she bounced the ball on her head, Rodan swooped in and hit the ball away from her.
“I said I got it”, reaffirmed Rodan as he bounced the ball atop his head.
As the two continued to fight over the kick ball, Pinkie Pie and Lisa watched from the sidelines. They weren’t the only ones there as several ponies went about their days with both mundane tasks as well as other activities such as flying kites or taking leisurely strolls. It seemed as though it was merely another lovely day for Ponyville.
“You really need to start stepping up your game, Dash. I feel like you’re struggling to keep up with me”, said Rodan as he then started to count down from ten. In the middle of his counting, he blinked once and in that time frame the ball was replaced with a couple of leaves which got caught in his mane.
“I’m not too sure about that”, said Rainbow Dash as the ball bounced on her head. “You sure those laps around the Everfree have been paying off?” Rodan growled as he picked the leaves from his mane.
Lisa laughed as she watched the two of them. “Looks like Rodey finally has some competition”, she chuckled.
“You mean the other way around”, replied Pinkie Pie. “No pony else is as fast as Rainbow Dash!”
“Nope, I’m pretty sure I’m right”, said Lisa.
“Oh, oh, how about the winner gets a party thrown in their favor!”, said Pinkie Pie. Lisa playfully rolled her eyes, she expected no less from the pink mare.
“Help…please, help!”
“A party? If I had known that was the reward I would be trying harder”, said Rainbow Dash. She tried to grab the ball from Rodan, but he hit the ball hard against his head causing her to completely miss as she flew right through the vertical path between the ball and Rodan.
“And it looks like that party is going to be for me”, said Rodan with a cocky grin. Only for that grin to disappear when his vision went dark. Rainbow Dash had shoved a small bit of cloud into his face which completely blurred his vision. His sunglasses didn’t help as Rodan had to resist the urge to activate his advanced eyesight.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but laugh. “I would tell you to not keep your head in the clouds, but it looks like you beat me to the punch”, she said before continuing to bounce the ball.
Rodan shook his head to cause the small bundle of cloud to scatter before he went flying after Rainbow Dash. In almost a blur, Rodan knocked the ball out of the hooves of Rainbow Dash, sending it careening away from the two of them. He flashed a cocky smirk at the cyan pegasus before flying toward the ball. He was a few feet away from it when.
“There’s a horrible cloud of smoke and- Ah!”
What was a mere whisper to the ponies around him was pitch perfect for Rodan as his ear twitched. He looked up to see where the sound came from, only to be met with the sight of Fluttershy standing in his flight path. Rodan quickly reacted as he flared his wings and diverted his path upward so he wouldn’t run into the yellow pegasus. The gust of wind he created scared Fluttershy who yelped in surprise and ducked out of fear. Her sudden movement, however, allowed Rainbow Dash to fly right over her as she caught the ball and started bouncing it. Rodan was traveling so fast that he flew far above the trees and almost near cloud level before he eventually stopped.
“Well great, there goes any chance at earning a party”, said Rodan.
‘Not if you stay up here you won’t. Use your aerodynamics to out maneuver her instead of trying to outpace her.’
“Roger that captain”, joked Rodan. Before he flew down, he remembered why he was even up so high in the first place. “Though, I gotta ask, what exactly did Fluttershy mean by a cloud of smo-….”
Rodan’s question was answered as he looked behind him and was met with a large formation of black smoke in the rough shape of a cloud. Not only that, but he could’ve sworn that it was not only getting bigger but also coming toward Ponyville. Rodan was both confused and concerned from the sight. The sheer size of it was intimidating enough, however add on the rate it was increasing in mass and it combined into a feeling that Rodan could only express with one word…
“Oh…”
“Don’t be such a scaredy pony, Fluttershy. We’re just playing a game”, said Rainbow Dash as she bounced the ball on her head until she counted down from ten. By the time Rodan flew down, Rainbow Dash had just reached one.
“A game that I just won!”, exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
“Hey guys I th- Hold on what!”, exclaimed Rodan, almost forgetting about what he saw. “That’s not fair, I had to move out of the way or else I would have hit Fluttershy!”
“And you definitely took your time to fly back down here, which was enough time to allow me to win!”, replied Rainbow Dash as she struck a victory pose. “Making me Equestria’s ball bouncing champion.” Rodan mentally groaned as Pinkie Pie cheered.
“This calls for a celebration!”, she exclaimed. Before zipping away.
“No Pinkie Pie, this is not a time for celebration”, said Fluttershy as she looked back at the sky. The smoke cloud was becoming visible through the trees. “This is a time for panic, a time for-”
“I’m gonna need balloons!”, interrupted Pinkie. “One for every pony in Ponyville!” She bounced away with Fluttershy chasing after her.
“A shame you didn’t win that game”, said Lisa as she walked up to Rodan.
“Eh, Rainbow Dash only got lucky. Next time I’ll be sure to get her”, said Rodan. “Besides, a party’s a party.” Lisa chuckled, however she couldn’t help but notice Rodan’s attention was more so on the sky than anything else.
“Is something wrong, Rodey?”, asked Lisa. “You’re not legitimately butt hurt about losing, right?”
“Huh, no, it’s just that…have you at all noticed the large storm cloud in the sky?”, asked Rodan. Lisa looked up as the large, black cloud was now closer and, if Rodan’s eyes didn’t deceive him, it looked bigger.
“That’s weird, I thought it wasn’t supposed to rain today?”, questioned Lisa.
‘That’s not a storm cloud, it doesn’t smell like one.’
Rodan’s eyes slightly widened when he realized what Pheonix was meaning. The smell of heavy amounts of hydrogen and some ash assaulted his nostrils causing them to flare a brief puff of steam to come out of them. He looked around, fearing signs of a nearby fire, only to be met with the gleeful smiles of ponies who were completely unaware of the large formation of smoke in the sky. At least, most of them were. He noticed the worried and scared look on Fluttershy’s face as she tried and failed to talk to either Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie.
“Oh please, this is an emergency”, said Fluttershy, her voice a whisper to everyone around, except for one. “I need everypony to-”.
“Hey, Fluttershy”, Rodan called out as he was about to walk up. “Do you know what’s up with all the-”.
“HEY!”
A loud voice boomed through the trees, catching every single pony's attention as they looked toward where the voice came from. Even Rodan was caught off by this and almost jumped from the volume of whoever spoke. Though, it didn’t take long for him to guess where, or rather who that voice belonged to. Standing on the bridge that led to Ponyville was Gojira who stood tall and enticing, catching everyone’s eyes. It would be wrong to say that most weren’t intimidated by his presence, a couple even started backing away thinking something bad would happen. But that sense quickly faded once Twilight and Spike stepped forward, who both seemed just as surprised by Gojira’s voice.
“Thank you, though you didn’t have to be so loud”, said Twilight. Gojira merely shrugged as Anguirus walked next to him.
“Eh, you wanted everypony’s attention, right? Well, now you got it”, said Gojira. Twilight rolled her eyes before walking forward.
“I need everypony to listen up! Smoke is spreading over all of Equestria!”, yelled Twilight, making everyone divert their eyes from the almost more than six foot pony and to the four foot unicorn. Many ponies gave quips and looks of concern as they looked up. The image of the smoke cloud became more than visible through the trees, striking everyone with fear and worry.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to-”, Fluttershy tried to speak up, only to again be overshadowed and fall on no one’s ears.
“But don’t worry, I have just received a letter from princess Celestia saying that it is not coming from a fire”, reassured Twilight. Everyone wore looks of relief and solace, especially Fluttershy.
“Oh, thank good-”
“It’s coming from a dragon”, added Twilight. All forms of relief and calmness were thrown out the window once the mere mention of a dragon was brought up. The looks of worry and fear were plastered back on everyone's faces. None more so than Fluttershy.
“A d-d-dragon”, she said.
“Probably should’ve left that part out”, whispered Gojira as he leaned down toward Twilight.
The main six and the three brothers had all met up at the Golden Oaks Library to discuss a plan on how to deal with the dragon problem. While some had certain thoughts and concerns, they usually all came back to the same topic.
“What in the name of all things cinnamon swirl is a full grown dragon doing in Equestria?”, asked Applejack.
“Sleeping”, answered Twilight. “According to Celestia, he’s taking a nap.”
“Why here of all places? Wouldn’t he want to stay in some kind of volcano or something?”, asked Rodan.
“Apparently they prefer to stay closer to the sky whenever they rest”, said Gojira. “We were just unlucky to be his bed.”
“His snoring is what’s causing all this smoke”, said Twilight as she put the book she was reading into her satchel.
“If you ask me, he should really see a doctor. That doesn’t seem healthy at all”, said Pinkie.
“Well, at least he’s not snoring fire”, added Rarity. “What are we meant to do about it? Those things can be as big as houses.” The mere mention of a dragon, let alone a large one, caused Fluttershy to shudder and lightly sweat.
“We are going to ask it, peacefully, to take a nap somewhere else”, said Twilight.
“Oh come on, Twilight. I’ll tell ya what we should do. We should give him the old boot”, said Rainbow Dash before punching the air with her hooves. She kicked the bust of a pony head causing it to teeter until Twilight steadied it. She was about to hit it again until Twilight lifted the bust out of the way with her magic, causing Rainbow Dash to instead fly into a bookshelf.
“Haha”, laughed Rodan.
“No, we are not going to antagonize it to leave since we don’t want to anger it!”, exclaimed Twilight. “We are just going to encourage it to sleep somewhere far from Equestria. If we don’t, then Equestria will be shrouded in smoke for the next one hundred years.”
The mention of their homes being covered in smoke frightened everyone, especially Fluttershy. She looked back at the smoke cloud and saw where the smoke trailed from. She could only imagine the size that the dragon had to be in order for it to create a cloud as large as Equestria just from its snoring. She started to shiver just thinking about what it could look like.
“Talk about getting your beauty sleep”, said Rarity.
“So what do you need us to do?”, asked Applejack.
“I’ll need everypony to gather supplies and meet back here in less than an hour”, said Twilight as she lifted her satchel on to her back. “Princess Celestia has given us this mission and we must not fail. All of Equestria is counting on us.”
While everyone seemed on board with the plan, two weren’t entirely sure. Fluttershy was still terrified over the thought of coming face to face with a creature that could end her in countless ways. Meanwhile, Gojira was also a bit nervous, but not for himself. He couldn’t help but glance at his two younger brothers and how confident they looked. He appreciated their bravery, but felt that they were also ignoring the much larger picture. They had never dealt with something on a scale as big as this. Sure, there was Nightmare Moon, but they had the added advantage of the elements being on their side. Here, they would be facing a much larger challenge with no such advantage.
“Hey, Gojira”, said Rodan, bringing Gojira out of his thoughts. “Are you ready to head back to the house to get ready?”
Gojira shrugged. “Be real with me, there’s probably no way I’m going to be able to talk you out of this, is there?”, he asked.
Rodan blinked once before flashing a smirk. “Do you even have to ask?”, he replied.
Gojira held back a groan as he and his two brothers started to walk away. At least, two out of the three of them did. Just as Anguirus was about to join them, the frightened face of Fluttershy caught his attention. She was staring outside the window of the library almost as if it was the only thing that she could see. That was until the sudden sound of hoofsteps coming her way was enough to make her jump in surprise. She only calmed down once she saw it was Anguirus.
“Hey, are you alright, Fluttershy?”, asked Anguirus.
“U-Uh, y-yeah, I…I’m just”, Fluttershy could barely get words out without looking back at the window to see the sky full of smoke. Just by looking at her, Anguirus could tell that something was truly bothering her. Much more than something like what happened with Gilda.
“Are you nervous about the dragon?”, asked Anguirus.
“Huh, o-oh, no, no…j-just a little…umm”, said Fluttershy as she struggled to find the right words. Though she didn’t need to as Anguirus knew what she meant.
‘She’s a very bad liar’, he thought.
“Hey, Aang, are you coming?”, asked Rodan. Anguirus looked back at his brother.
“Yeah, coming”, he said and started to walk away. “See you in an hour.”
Fluttershy nodded and waved him goodbye. She soon left too, but not after glancing back at the smoke covered mountain. The smoke was starting to become so bad that the blue sky was now becoming dark and gloomy. Not a good sign for what was to come.
The group met up at the bottom of the mountain trail, preparing to tackle the journey ahead of them. Mostly everyone had brought a satchel holding whatever they needed in order to take care of the dragon threat or to help climb the mountain. Twilight looked over a map which depicted several trails that lead to the top of the mountain that contained the dragon. Most stood on the ground aside from Rainbow Dash and Rodan. The latter flew higher as he stared down the mountain. His sunglasses covered his eyes which had taken a more bird-like look. He soon flew down to his brothers.
“Can you get a good look?”, asked Gojira in a silent voice. Rodan’s emblem flashed as his eyes went back to normal. No one saw it as Anguirus stood in the way, covering up the flash.
“Kinda? I can’t tell you exactly what the thing looks like. But I can confirm that it’s definitely big”, said Rodan.
“Well, what about trails? Were there any easy ways up there?”, asked Anguirus.
“I can give you an answer for that…no”, said Rodan. Gojira looked over at Twilight who was looking over the map. Her eyes darted all across as if she was trying to follow the path of a fly. Gojira sighed, this wasn’t going to be your average hiking trip.
“Just be prepared for any kind of events that we may run into”, said Gojira. “Plan for the worst and make sure that everyone comes back from this trip in one piece. That’s the whole reason we’re here after all.”
Both Rodan and Anguirus nodded in agreement. As they conversed, they were trying to be quiet so that no one could hear them. However, what they hadn’t taken into account was the cyan pony that was looking their way. Rainbow Dash didn’t hear everything they said, but that didn’t stop her from speculating. It also didn’t help that she managed to catch a brief glance at the flashing light from Rodan’s cutie mark.
“All right everypony!”, exclaimed Twilight, catching everyone’s attention. “I have marked what I believe to be the best and safest possible route for us to take. If everyone’s ready, then let’s move out!”
Everyone gave signs of affirmation, all except one. “Umm, Twilight”, said Fluttershy as she timidly walked up to Twilight. “Umm, I-I was wondering if I could maybe stay back here in Ponyville and watch over everything while you’re all gone.”
“What, no, you have to come with us Fluttershy. Your skills with wild animals will surely come in handy”, said Twilight. “Besides, Spike will take care of your cottage and all your animals while we’re gone.” Fluttershy was disappointed to hear that, not Spike taking care of her animals, but rather that she had to come along no matter what.
“But…But”, said Fluttershy, trying to come up with another excuse, only to come out empty handed. Twilight casually walking away signified that. Whether she wanted to or not, Fluttershy was coming along.
“Are you sure you want to bring Fluttershy along?”, asked Rainbow Dash. “I mean, that pony is afraid of her own shadow. She’s just gonna slow us down.”
Twilight mearily waved off Rainbow Dash’s worries. “Oh, she’s just a little nervous. Once we get going I’m sure she’ll be fine”, said Twilight, merely waving Rainbow Dash’s concerns over.
“Alright, everypony! If we’re all ready then let’s get to climbing!”, exclaimed Twilight as she took the lead. Everyone followed afterwards except for Fluttershy who slowly walked along. She didn’t go unnoticed as the sound of hooves walking up to her caught Fluttershy’s attention. She looked behind her and saw it was Anguirus.
“Fluttershy, come on! Don’t wanna be left behind, right?”, he said.
“Uhh…I-I, umm”, Fluttershy stuttered, practically shaking in place. The sight of the scared pegasus brought a look of worry to Anguirus.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”, he asked, softly.
“I-I’m not so s-sure about this”, said Fluttershy. “I mean, what if something goes wrong o-or what if we forgot something? Or what if it’s much bigger than we thought or what if…what if…” Anguirus could sense her heartbeat and how fast it was beating.
“Fluttershy, don’t worry, everything will be fine”, he said in a comforting tone.
“I-I don’t know if everything will be”, said Fluttershy. “I-I mean, dragons are much bigger than anything I’ve ever seen and they have sharp teeth and claws that are so scary, a-and their wings, a-and they can breathe fi-”, Fluttershy didn’t dare say the word. Any more fear and she felt her heart might explode.
Anguirus watched the yellow pegasus as she slowly walked alongside him, not taking her frightened face off of the large smoke cloud looming above them. He had never seen Fluttershy so scared before, even when they met Nightmare Moon. If he ever had a feeling as to why she was acting this way it was more than confirmed now by her expression and inability to make full sentences without stuttering almost each word.
“She’s definitely afraid of dragons”, he whispered to himself.
‘Fluttershy doesn’t appear to be the kind of pony that seeks out these kinds of events, so it’s reasonable to see her in such a scared state.’
“What gave you that idea”, Anguirus whispered, sarcastically.
‘Perhaps she needs someone that she can trust and feel comfortable around so they can help push her in the right direction.’
The pause between sentences allowed Anguirus to realize what Fierce was signaling toward. “You mean…you want me to…”, whispered Anguirus.
‘She seems to be comfortable whenever she’s around you, after all you have treated her with more kindness than any other pony who aren’t your brothers. If there’s anyone that can convince her to climb this mountain and face a dragon, it would be you.’
Anguirus didn’t know how to respond. “Well…I’m not…you aren’t wrong, b-but I…but I”, he replied, struggling to come up with a response. In doing so, he accidentally caught some unwanted attention.
“Huh? D-Did you say something”, asked Fluttershy. Angurius was instantly caught off guard.
“Oh, n-no, no, I didn’t say anything!”, exclaimed Anguirus as sweat formed on his brow. “I was just thinking, why don’t you stay beside me if you’re scared about climbing.”
“O-Oh, y-you don’t have to do that”, said Fluttershy trying to hide a small blush. She took a few more steps before yelping in surprise as she started to take a few steps back. Anguirus looked toward her thinking something bad happened, only to see Fluttershy trying to stomp her hooves…on to her own shadow. With a blunt expression, Anguirus walked up to her and put a hoof on her shoulder.
“Are you sure about that?”, he asked. Fluttershy felt horribly embarrassed, but nodded as she stood close to Anguirus.
“I-If you’re alright with that”, said Fluttershy. Anguirus couldn’t help but smile at Fluttershy in her timid state.
“Ok, now come on, before we’re left behind”, said Anguirus as he and Fluttershy tried to catch up with the rest of the group. Fluttershy took one more look at the smoke cloud, she could only hope that the dragon was willing to comply.
If the height of the mountain wasn’t the main challenge, then the terrain was. Steep inclines, boulders the size of elephants, and the path they took was incredibly craggy. It made the journey for the group a difficult task to say the least. Gojira and Anguirus, thanks to their kaiju spirits, managed the terrain better than the main six, but it still wasn’t easy.
In fact, the only ones who weren’t majorly struggling were both Rodan and Rainbow Dash who had chosen to fly alongside the group for the journey, much to the vexation of Rainbow Dash. Thankfully, there were a few long stretches of mostly flat land that allowed the group to regain some of their energy. Twilight stood at the front of the group with her nose mostly in the map while Gojira followed behind her. The rest were close together for maximum safety.
“You know, the one thing that sparkles more than the dragon’s scales are the jewels they use to build their nests”, said Rarity, her face lit up as an idea flew into her mind. “Oooh, if I play my cards right, I might be able to convince him to pardon a few!”
“Heh, good luck with that”, said Rodan as he flew overhead. Pinkie Pie lightly giggled.
“Welcome to my cave, Rarity. Care for a diamond?”, said Pinkie, imitating what she thought a dragon would sound like. Her imitation brought a few smiles from the group. Mostly everyone as Gojira rolled his eyes.
“Thanks for the animal lesson, Rarity, but I don’t think diamonds will be very useful when Equestria becomes shrouded in smoke”, he said. Rarity was put off by Gojira’s sentence.
“I’m just saying I like the dragon’s jewels”, muttered Rarity. Her sentence reached both Rodan’s and Rainbow Dash’s ears who both started snickering. Rarity looked toward them in confusion. “What’s so funny?”
“N-Nothing, just make sure to word your sentences better next time”, said Rodan as he and Rainbow Dash continued to fly. Rarity still didn’t understand what he meant.
Gojira looked at the top of the mountain. “Exactly how big do you think the dragon will be?”, he asked Twilight who followed his line of sight.
“I don’t know, I’m not an expert on dragon biology”, she said. “Maybe Fluttershy does, after all she has a lot of knowledge on wild creatures.” Gojira looked through the group to see where the rose haired pegasus was.
“That would be helpful…if I knew where she was”, he said.
“What do you mean, she’s right he-”, Twilight’s sentence was cut short as she looked behind her, only to find no trace of the animal lover. “Fluttershy?”
The rest of the group halted in their tracks and looked behind them. They had only been traveling for a short while now and yet they feared that something bad had happened. Just then, a few bushes rustled and out popped Anguirus with a fake smile on his face.
“Uhh, give us a second”, he called out before turning back toward the shrubbery. As he spoke, Fluttershy also poke her head out from the bushes, a look of fear plastered on her face.
“Hey, what are you two waiting for, an invitation?!”, exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
“Oh, I think I got one right here”, said Pinkie Pie before reaching into her puffy mane and pulling a blue envelope out.
“No! We’ll be up their soon, just wait a second!”, exclaimed Anguirus as he turned toward Fluttershy. “Come on, Fluttershy, we can’t keep everypony waiting.”
Fluttershy looked toward the mountain. “I know, but it’s j-just so…so…steep”, she said.
“Well, it is a cliff, so you got me there”, joked Anguirus. Fluttershy did not share his amusement. “Look Fluttershy, it’s not too bad. It’s just some dirt paths, that’s all. Besides, you can just fly up there like what Rainbow Dash and Rodan are doing.”
Fluttershy gulped as she came out from the bushes and started to flap her wings. She got a few feet off the ground before looking up at the top of the mountain. The second she looked up, a loud snarl could be heard, catching everyone off guard. None more than Fluttershy as her wings instantly locked up. With that, she fell back down to the ground and landed in the shrub, sending leaves flying.
Anguirus quickly ran up to make sure she was alright. The group watched from up top, none shared as much displeasure as Rainbow Dash as she put a hoof against her brow. Fluttershy tried to flap her wings, but they acted as if they had fused with her body since they wouldn’t budge. Try as hard as she could, Fluttershy couldn’t even make them twitch.
Twilight held back a groan. “We don’t have time for this, we need to keep moving”, she said. Applejack quickly swiped the map from her and looked it over. “Hey, what are you doing?”
“I’ll need this if I’m gonna take her around the mountain another way”, said Applejack.
“Around the mountain? Don’t you know how long that’s gonna take?”, asked Rainbow Dash, incredulously.
“Well it’s either that, or leaving friends behind”, said Applejack as she put the map in her satchel. “And I don’t like the second option.”
Applejack slid down the side of the cliff until she reached the bottom, she walked up to both Anguirus and Fluttershy, who was still trying to make her wings cooperate. She walked up to Anguirus.
“You can join back up with the others, Aang”, said Applejack. “We’ll be up there lickity split.”
“Oh, ok”, said Anguirus, looking a bit disappointed in himself as he walked back up the hill. As he did so, another snarl could be heard. This time, Fluttershy’s entire body froze up and she wouldn’t move a muscle. Even her face muscles didn’t make the slightest twitch. Twilight looked out toward the sky, the smoke was now starting to reach behind the horizon. Gojira noticed the worried expression on her face.
“You heard what Applejack said, we’ll meet them later down the path. Now come on, we don’t have time to waste after all”, he said. Twilight nodded as she and the rest of the group started their journey once more, hoping that Applejack and Fluttershy wouldn’t take too long.
| 1 hour later |
“Woo-hoo, I win again!”, exclaimed Pinkie Pie. Rodan stared down at the tic tac toe game they drew in the dirt with a look of disbelief.
“Oh, come on! How do you keep doing this?”, he asked. They were surrounded by several more games of tic tac toe, all of which had three circles crossed out.
“I’m telling you, she truly is the master at this game”, said Rarity as she watched the two of them play.
“Well, I’m not going to let her win this next game, and this time I’m Os”, said Rodan as he drew another game with his wing. Pinkie Pie giggled.
“Bring. It. On”, she said as they started another round.
Gojira also watched Rodan lose his thirty-fifth, soon to be thirty-sixth, game in a row. The sight of his brother being constantly upstaged by the party loving pony brought some amusement to him. He looked around to see Twilight pacing back and forth. Her expression was brimming with stressfulness which he couldn’t blame her for. Rainbow Dash was in a similar state except she was flying and instead of stress, she was very bored. He then noticed Anguirus standing near the edge of the cliff face, taking in the view. Gojira walked up to his little brother.
“I guess, it would be better if I could actually see the sun”, he replied. The two stood in silence for a few moments as Anguirus looked around. He didn’t seem to be just taking in the view, but was looking from one side of the cliff to the other. Gojira quickly realized that Anguirus wasn’t just basking in the view.
“Worried about Fluttershy and Applejack?”, asked Gojira.
“A little bit. I’ve seen Fluttershy be so easily scared before, but not like this. I mean, even the slightest noise from the mountain caused her to freeze up”, said Anguirus. Gojira nodded in understanding.
“Makes sense, some ponies just don’t know how to react to some things. Kinda like how you would freeze up during a thunderstorm when we were kids”, replied Gojira. Anguirus smiled as he recalled the memory.
“Hey, you weren’t much better”, he said as he bumped his older brother on the shoulder. The two of them shared a laugh before going back to silence. The smile that Anguirus wore quickly faded, however as his mind again started to wander back to Fluttershy. “I’m just not sure if she can handle this. What do you think?”
Gojira looked at his brother, and merely shrugged. “I don’t know, but from what Twilight says, Fluttershy could be an essential asset to this journey”, he said. “So it’s best that she does stay, even if that means we have to drag her along with us.”
Gojira could see where his brother’s worries originated from. He remembered when he acted in a similar way to Applejack during applebucking season. That was one thing that made Anguirus, Anguirus. He was constantly concerned over the wellbeing of others before his own. It was a trait that, while at times could be a bit annoying, was appreciated by both of his siblings.
As the group waited, the sound of grunting and hoof stomping could be heard. Everyone looked toward where the noise was coming from. After a few seconds, the sight of the orange farmers pony came into view as Applejack dragged along Fluttershy. In fact, dragging was underselling it. Fluttershy was still frozen stiff in the same pose she was an hour ago. It was hard to tell if Fluttershy was even breathing with how static she was. The second Applejack reached the group, she collapsed in exhaustion while breathing heavily.
“We…made…it”, she gasped out.
“Didn’t think I would stand corrected”, Gojira whispered to Anguirus.
Rainbow Dash looked over at Twilight with a blunt expression. “I told you it was gonna take them forever”, she said. Twilight couldn’t help but share her expression.
Anguirus walked over to Applejack. “How are you two feeling?”, he asked.
“Oh, ya know, feeling mighty dandy”, said Applejack with sarcasm. “She wouldn’t budge an inch, so I had to take matters into my own hooves.”
“Well, now that you’re both here, we can continue moving again”, said Twilight as she tried to assure everyone to start walking. Applejack sighed as she got ready for another long journey of hauling.
“This ain’t gonna be fun”, she muttered.
“Hey, AJ, how about I carry Fluttershy instead so you can rest”, said Anguirus. He expected her to refuse his help but instead she simply nodded.
“Sure, knock ‘urself out”, said Applejack as she started to walk away. Anguirus stood their taken aback as he watched an exhausted Applejack join with the group.
“Umm, ok”, he said. He lifted Fluttershy and placed her on his back. Fluttershy had since finally broken out of her frozen state, but now she was only mumbling and her eyes would dart around every second. Anguirus sighed as he carried Fluttershy along the trail to catch up with everyone else.
The group traveled along the path for a while. They had thankfully managed to find a trail that was much smoother than the others as well as not being as steep. This helped make up for the time they had lost from Applejack’s and Fluttershy’s miniature excursion. Speaking of the yellow pegasus, though she was no longer scared stiff, she refused to walk up the mountain by herself. So, to keep pace, both Anguirus and Applejack had to trade carrying her so one could rest their backs. Gojira looked back at the group, seeing his younger brother carry Fluttershy.
“You might be positive about bringing Fluttershy along, Twilight, but I can’t say the same”, he said, leaning down to Twilight who continued to look at the map.
“She’s fine, besides we can’t turn back now, we’re almost there”, replied Twilight.
“But look at her, she’s essentially a piece of luggage”, said Gojira, gesturing back to the barely moving pegasus.
“We’re too far up now for any of us to turn around”, said Twilight, her attention still focused on the map. “Don’t forget, we’re on a time crunch here and we can’t waste a single second. Which means, we can’t afford any more distrac-”, she was cut off when Gojira put a hoof against her chest, stopping her from moving forward.
“Hey, what are you-”, Twilight stammered, confused as to why Gojira forced her and by extension the group to stop. That was, until she lifted the map and was met with a fairly wide crevice that crossed through their path. If she had taken another step, she would’ve taken the expressway down to the bottom of the mountain. Twilight was taken aback by this and took a few steps back, while Gojira stayed still.
“You really need to start looking where you’re going”, he said. Twilight mentally grumbled.
The crevice wasn’t very wide so everyone managed to jump over just fine. That didn’t stop Rodan and Rainbow Dash trying to one up each other by jumping the gap without the help of their wings. Soon, everyone made it across, all except one. Take a guess who.
“Your turn, Fluttershy”, said Twilight. Fluttershy looked down the crevice with fear plastered on her face. She gulped at the very thought of falling in between the two cliffs. She had completely forgotten about her ability to fly by that point.
“But, it’s so…wide”, she said, clutching a nearby rock for support.
“Come on, Fluttershy. We should be much farther along by now”, said Twilight.
“It ain’t that wide, Fluttershy, you can just leap on over”, said Applejack. Fluttershy once more looked between the crevice. As she did so, however, another growl could be heard from the top of the mountain. The ground around them shook, catching everyone off guard. Fluttershy walked back until she was right up against the stone wall.
“I-I don’t know”, she said. Twilight and Applejack looked at each other, both trying to suppress a groan. Twilight hated to admit it, but she was starting to think that it would’ve been smart to leave Fluttershy behind and travel up the mountain without her. However, those thoughts were quickly dashed when Pinkie Pie bounced past them.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of!”, she said before jumping over the crevice with noticeable ease. “It’s just a jump and a hop! See?”
Just then, almost like magic - though to Gojira it was more like black magic - music could be heard coming from somewhere. The three brothers looked around only to be met with nothing to indicate where the music was coming from. Gojira looked at the main six thinking they would also be sharing the same confusion, but they seemed completely oblivious to what was happening. In fact, they looked as if it was normal. Even Fluttershy, the pony who was frightened by her own shadow, paid the music no attention. The three brothers all shared looks of disbelief, incredulity, and even a slight semblance of fear. All the while, Pinkie Pie merely sang away to her heart’s content.
“It’s not very, just move your little rump🎵”
“You can make it if you try with a hop and a jump🎵”
“We don’t have time for this”, groaned Twilight. Gojira looked toward his pegasus brother.
“Rodan-”.
“Already on it”, replied Rodan.
Spreading his wings, Rodan quickly flew to the other side of the crevice and bumped Fluttershy. Caught off guard, Fluttershy’s momentum took her several steps toward the crevice and even over it. She feared for her very life as she shut her eyes fearing for the worst. Only to find out that the crevice was barely a meter wide. Rodan’s wingspan was wider than the crevice was and yet Fluttershy was still so scared from it that she refused to take the extra steps needed to cross it. This left her in the center of the crevice with her front hooves on one side and her back hooves on the other. Rodan groaned as he put a hoof against his brow. He gave another bump while Rarity and Applejack pulled to practically force Fluttershy to the other side. The trio tumbled over each other as they landed on the other side.
“You almost had it, you just forgot to hop”, said Pinkie.
And just like that, the music quickly faded into nothing and was replaced with silence. Gojira and Anguirus looked around one last time to be sure their minds weren’t playing tricks on them. But they still found nothing. They looked at each other and shrugged.
“We’re really gonna have to get used to that”, said Anguirus.
The group had been traveling for a few hours now, but they were getting very close to the top. In the amount of time it took them, the sky had lost its bright blue color and in its place was a bleak and depressing gray. Fluffy white clouds replaced with thick, black smoke. The sun was almost entirely blocked out from the smoke, causing it to cast large amounts of shade all throughout the land. They soon made it to a part of the trail with a large, sloped cliff face on one side and a very steep drop on the other.
“Let’s keep it down. According to the map, we’re entering an avalanche zone. The smallest peep could cause a huge rock slide”, whispered Twilight. The thought of that was the last thing Fluttershy needed to hear.
“A-An a-av-ava”, she stuttered before being shushed by Twilight.
Without saying a word, Twilight motioned for the group to follow. The amount of silence was nerve racking to most, but none so to the brothers. Especially Gojira who stood at the front. Hoofsteps had the same volume as a base drum to him as he could hear every step each pony made. He could even sense the heartbeat coming from the group. Some had slow, calm rhythms, others were a bit quicker paced, but one stood out the most. A heart that sounded as though it was ready to burst from the mare’s chest. Gojira looked back to see Fluttershy frantically looking around. If the slightest noise would cause a landslide, then even something as quiet as someone breathing would’ve been enough to set off Fluttershy.
Turns out, he was thinking of something that was too loud. When Rainbow Dash passed under a tree branch, her ponytail caused a few leaves to fall from their branches and slowly fall to the ground. At least they would’ve, had a certain mare not been in the way. The leaves instead brushed against the backside of Fluttershy. Though to most this would be almost unnoticeable, for Fluttershy it was as if a bomb had gone off.
“AVALAN-!”, Fluttershy’s scream was cut short as Applejack practically shoved her hoof into her mouth. The group stood perfectly still as the noise echoed throughout the mountains. No one dared to move as the echo soon died down and silence took over. The group collectively gave a sigh of relief.
However, luck was simply not on their side. A single ponie’s sigh isn’t very loud, but when you have nine ponies that sigh all at the same time, it’s not exactly complete silence. A low crumbling sound could be heard from the top of the mountain. It slowly began to increase in volume as the very ground the group stood on started to tremble. As this happened, one small rock fell from the cliff. It bounced against the stone wall before stopping right in front of the group. Both Gojira and Twilight looked at it and then looked at the top of the cliff face, they didn’t need to say what they were both thinking.
“Run!”
Large boulders started tumbling down the cliff, barreling toward the group. No one wasted a second before they started galloping away from the danger. Boulders the size of carriages rained down on them, forcing several to perform a more zig zag route. Even Rodan and Rainbow Dash had to dodge and maneuver in the air to avoid being crushed under rocks that weighed a whole ton. One boulder barreled in front of Anguirus, forcing him to stop in his hooves. Right into the path of another oncoming boulder. Luckily for him, someone else noticed before he did.
“Aang, look out!”, exclaimed Applejack before rushing over and shoving Anguirus out of the way.
All while this was happening, Fluttershy stood in the center. She was running around and dodging boulders, but her lingering sense of fear caused her to trip over herself a few times. One time, unfortunately, when she tripped, it was in the oncoming path of a boulder that was nearly twice her size. One single look was enough to cause her to completely freeze up. She screamed before cowering into a ball and covering her eyes with her hooves. She feared the worst and didn’t want to look it straight on. The good news was, her scream didn’t go unheard.
Gojira looked behind him and saw the boulder rushing toward Fluttershy. He expected her to move, but instead she stood perfectly still and covered her eyes. The mere sight of Fluttershy’s near death filled him with something he thought he wouldn’t feel during this journey, legitimate fear. The whole reason he and his brothers were here was to protect everyone, and he wanted to ensure that. So, by pure instinct, he started running.
He dodged every boulder and rock that got in his path. The boulder was five meters away from Fluttershy and quickly closing. Dark gray scales covered his entire upper body and his amber colored eyes turned reptilian. His mane flashed a bright blue for a few moments before the same blue light appeared on his hooves and then his chest. This sudden change was enough to catch Alpha’s attention. Gojira jumped between Fluttershy and the two ton boulder, right when it was a meter away from her. Gojira planted his hooves firmly into the ground as he could feel the energy building up all across his entire body.
Gojira clenched his teeth as the boulder was now a few feet away from him. After the last of his scales formed on his body, the blue glow intensified and emitted the same sound that accompanied his atomic breath. Once his energy reached its peak, Gojira stomped his hoof and let it all out. Just like that, there was a loud crash. The boulder shattered when it was mere inches from making any kind of contact with Gojira. Nothing but gravel and soot was left behind, completely covering Gojira in it. As soon as it happened, his scales immediately retreated back into his skin and his eyes went back to normal. The blue glow that was also present quickly faded back until his natural dark skin color returned. Gojira stood there in amazement.
‘How…did you do that?’
Gojira didn’t stick around to ask, he picked Fluttershy up and put her on his back before bolting away. The avalanche had turned into a landslide as now nothing but dirt and gravel came pouring from the cliff, ready to bury anything underneath it. With a mighty leap, Gojira managed to jump out of the way just in time. Dust and debris kicked up into the air, blinding everyone. By this point, the ground stopped shaking and the noise quickly died down. The group sat and looked around, waiting a few moments in complete silence to see if there were any aftershocks. Thankfully, there were none. The avalanche had finally ended, leaving everyone disoriented, flabbergasted, filthy, but thankful to be alive with minor injuries.
“Everybody okay?”, Applejack called out. She got several groans and coughs in response.
“Yeah, thanks to you, I am”, said Anguirus. “You just saved my life.” Applejack smiled before giving him a bump in the shoulder.
“Like I said, I don’t leave friends behind. Besides, consider it payment for helping me with the farm”, she joked.
Surprisingly, despite almost dying, Pinkie Pie’s smile was practically unscathed as she bounced in place. “Let’s do it again!”, she exclaimed.
In return, she got a face full of dust from Rarity as she tried to clean herself off. “This is why a girl always packs extra accessories”, she said before pulling a scarf out of her satchel. “Oh, please tell me I packed the tiara that goes with this.”
Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes, surprised to find out that she hadn’t been crushed by the boulder. She at first thought she was in heaven, until the sight of the mountain and the smoke filled sky proved otherwise. But what surprised her most was that she was currently on the back of Gojira with him covered in debris. In fact, out of everyone, he seemed to be both the most filthy and the most unharmed. She tried to say something until she was let down by Gojira.
“You good?”, he asked.
“Y-Yeah, I’m fine”, Fluttershy replied. She looked up at the massive wall of dirt and crushed stone that was now blocking their path. Worst of all, she knew who was to blame for this.
“I’m so sorry”, she said, weekly.
“Oh, no big whoop sugarcube”, said Applejack in a comforting voice.
“Yeah, we’ll just have to…climb over”, said Twilight with a sigh.
Several members of the group showed minor vexation toward the major inconvenience they now had to deal with, but decided to not say anything about it in pity of Fluttershy. All except Rainbow Dash who showed both visible and audible signs of annoyance.
The rest of the journey was very bare. No one said anything, no one looked at anything, but they all wanted this to be over. Fluttershy especially remained quiet. Although there was still a sense of fear in her, there was also a large amount of guilt and sadness. She had been more so an obstacle for her friends. She had to be carried by Applejack and Anguirus, she refused to cross a meter wide gap, and she was the cause of the avalanche that almost got her and her friends killed. She had contributed the least out of anyone else throughout this entire journey. She felt nothing but shame.
Rainbow Dash took a glance at Fluttershy before flying down to Twilight. “Still think it was a good idea to bring Fluttershy along?”, she asked.
“Time to find out”, Twilight replied. She looked up from the map, but she wasn’t looking at Rainbow Dash.
After several hours of climbing and facing near death experiences, the group had finally made it to the top. A large cave entrance greeted them at the top with an ominous deep purple glow emitting from it. But the most eye-catching detail was the large plume of smoke that was pouring out from the inside of the cave. If there was any doubt that this wasn’t the cave had quickly vanished once the rest of the group caught up.
“We’re here”, said Twilight.
“Ok, so, what’s the plan now? Ring the doorbell and see who answers?”, asked Rodan.
“No, you and Rainbow Dash will use your wings to clear the smoke”, answered Twilight. Rainbow Dash immediately took to the sky with Rodan following after.
“Rarity and Pinkie Pie, you two will create a diversion to distract the dragon if things get a little hairy in there”, said Twilight. Pinkie Pie smiled as she pulled a rubber chicken out from…essentially nowhere. Even Rarity and Twilight were caught off guard by this. Twilight just shook her head and continued.
“Applejack and Anguirus, be ready with the apples in case he decides to attack”, she said.
“What apples?”, asked Anguirus.
“These apples!”, exclaimed Applejack. Just then, two apples came flying right in front of Anguirus’ face before splattering against a nearby tree. He looked over to Applejack who wore a confident smirk.
“Where does that leave me?”, asked Gojira.
“You will join me and Fluttershy in the cave. She’ll do what she needs to do to wake him up and between her, me, and you, we should be able to get him to understand why he needs to go”, said Twilight.
Everyone nodded in unison, except for one. Fluttershy had been dreading this moment since they started traveling up the mountain. Now she was mere moments away from coming face to face with a creature more than ten times her size. The only thing that was larger than it was the amount of fear that she felt. Anguirus saw the frightened look on Fluttershy, he could see where this was going. However, either Twilight didn’t notice or chose to ignore it as she looked over everyone.
“Is everypony ready?”, she asked. Everyone gave signs of approval, at least almost everyone. “Alright, we’re going in.” Twilight strode toward the entrance of the cave with confidence, only to take a few steps forward before being stopped by Gojira when he tugged on her tail. “What the, what are you waiting for?”, she asked.
“Uhh, our ace in the hole has her head in a hole”, said Gojira.
Twilight looked behind Gojira and this time even she couldn’t repress a groan. Fluttershy had buried her head in the dirt like that of an ostrich and was refusing to come out. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, even Applejack tried, but none could make her move. Both Gojira and Twilight looked at each other with lowered brows and annoyed eyes. This was the last straw. Gojira walked up and forced Fluttershy’s head out of the dirt.
“Fluttershy, this is getting old”, said Gojira in his monotone voice. “We have to get inside that cave, now!” He received no reply.
“Fluttershy come on, every second we wait out here is another acre of Equestria that is covered in smoke”, said Twilight. Even she tried pushing Fluttershy, but got the same outcome as everyone else.
“I…I can’t go in the cave”, Fluttershy finally said. She got several groans, annoyed looks, and several ponies putting their hooves to their brows.
“Oh great, she’s scared of caves now too”, said Rainbow Dash.
“It’s not caves I’m scared of”, said Fluttershy in a voice that was more of a whisper. “I’m scared of…of…”, she trailed off, almost too afraid to finish her sentence.
“What’s that, sugarcube?”, asked Applejack.
“I’m…scared of…”
“What?”, asked Twilight.
“Of…”
“She’s scared of dragons”, said Angurius. Just then, there was another dragon growl which caught everyone’s attention. Not only that, but a large puff of smoke was shot out from the entrance of the cave, almost blinding everyone. When it cleared, Fluttershy was found cowering behind Applejack with her eyes covered and her tail wrapped around her.
“But Fluttershy, you have a wonderful talent dealing with all kinds of animals”, said Twilight.
“Yes, because they’re not dragons”, said Fluttershy, her voice a bit muffled as she refused to look up.
“Oh come on, you’ve come face to face with a manticore and we’re completely fine then”, said Rainbow Dash. “Hay, what about Spike? He’s a dragon and you interact with him almost everyday.”
Fluttershy came out from behind Applejack. “Yes, because he’s not a huge, gigantic, terrifying, enormous, teeth gnashing, sharp skill having, horn wearing, smoke snoring, could eat you in one bite, totally all grown up-”.
“Ok, we get it, you hate dragons”, said Rodan, interrupting Fluttershy.
“Fluttershy, if you’re so scared of dragons, why didn’t you say anything about it?”, asked Twilight.
“I was afraid to”, replied Fluttershy. Gojira and Rodan managed to resist the urge to sigh. Rainbow Dash however didn’t even try to hide her annoyance.
“All of us are scared of the dragon”, said Applejack as she helped Fluttershy up.
“Speak for yourself”, gloated Rodan.
“Yeah, I’m not scared”, added Rainbow Dash. Applejack just rolled her eyes at the two of them.
“Almost all of us are scared of that dragon, but we’ve got a job to do”, she said. “So get in there with Twilight and Goji and show not just them, but the rest of us what you’re made of!”
Fluttershy looked at all her friends, all having looks of reassurance and support. She appreciated Applejack’s efforts to help her overcome her fears and how everyone seemed to understand how she felt. But said fear was still far too large for her to grasp. She could still imagine the sight of the large, scaly beast either ripping her apart or eating her alive. A thought that would’ve caused her to go pale had she not been in front of everyone. She tried to give herself the same confidence that everyone else had, the same bravery that they had. But in the end, she was too scared to.
“I…I…I can’t”, said Fluttershy as she lowered her head in shame. Everyone’s smiles faded to looks of disappointment.
Without another word, Fluttershy turned toward the direction they came from before walking back down the path. She tried her best to hide her face of defeat and to hold back tears. Her friends had been so patient with her throughout the whole trip and even tried to support her when she mentioned her fears. But it was all in vain as even with the help of her friends, Fluttershy simply couldn’t shake her fears. Without another word, she walked down the mountain, leaving her friends behind. There was now no point of her being there if she was just gonna make things harder like she had done before. Everyone watched as the rose mane pegasus became almost invisible, some wanted to chime in but knew that it was now pointless. Fluttershy had made up her mind and there was no changing it.
“So, do we continue without her?”, asked Rodan.
“We have to, we don’t have time to contemplate about this”, replied Twilight.
“Yeah, if Fluttershy wants to leave then that’s her choice”, said Rainbow Dash. “At least now we won’t have to deal with her being scared of something dumb like leaves.”
“So we’re just gonna let her walk home by herself?”, asked Anguirus. No one answered him, except for one.
“No, we’re not”, said Gojira. He then started to walk toward the path they came from.
“Hey, where are you going?”, asked Twilight.
“Heading back down the mountain with Fluttershy”, replied Gojira. Some of the ponies looked surprised except Rodan who felt he should’ve known this was coming.
“Why? Don’t tell me you’re scared of that dragon too”, said Rainbow Dash, flying above Gojira. Gojira simply waved her off.
“Not in the slightest, but somepony has to make sure that she gets down there safely, and I’m the best for the job”, said Gojira. “I’ll bring her back home and then come back up here to help.”
“Are you sure? I’d imagine that would kill your hooves, darling”, replied Rarity.
“I’ll be fine, as Twilight said, there’s no time to argue about this”, said Gojira. “I’ll be back up here before you know it.” He quickly walked over to his younger brothers. “Stay safe, and whatever you do, don’t piss him off…Rodan”, said Gojira.
“Hey, it’s part of my nature, I can’t help it”, retorted Rodan. Before anyone could say anything, Gojira started his journey back down the mountain to rejoin Fluttershy. Twilight watched as he walked away. Though she was a bit upset to see him go, both because they had now lost two ponies and she would have to travel inside the cave alone, she knew she couldn’t chicken out now.
“Well alright then, I’ll just…go in alone”, said Twilight before slowly walking inside the cave to confront the dragon. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous even a little, but she decided to keep that fear hidden. Applejack turned back toward both Rodan and Anguirus.
“I gotta admit, it is mighty kind of your brother to join Fluttershy in heading back home”, she said. Rodan merely scoffed.
“That’s just who Gojira is. He’s constantly putting others before himself”, said Rodan as he looked back at where his older brother was. “There’s a reason why that stallion was willing to fight Nightmare Moon, because he wanted to.”
Gojira trotted down the same path that he and the group had traveled up on. As he had expected, it didn’t take long until he soon came across Fluttershy who walked slowly along the trail. He at first wanted to speak up, until he noticed her expression. Gojira could sense the presence of negativity coming from Fluttershy, but it wasn’t in the sense of spite or depression, but rather disappointment. Her wings hung down, her ponytail almost dragged against the gravel path, and her head drooped at an angle that made her seem almost oblivious to the world around her. If there was one word that could describe her, it was sadness.
Gojira followed her until the landslide where Fluttershy stopped. She took a long look at it, the event that had nearly got all her friends killed which she had caused. It was an accident, however that did very little to boost her morale. Fluttershy didn’t even try to fly over it, she instead took a heavy breath before starting to slowly climb over it. As she did so, one of the rocks she stepped on gave way causing her to lose her balance. She would’ve fallen, had Gojira not been there to catch her by grabbing onto her wing. He pulled Fluttershy back on her hooves, who was surprised to see her.
“G-Gojira!?”, she exclaimed. “What are you do-”, Gojira put a hoof over her mouth to keep her quiet.
“Let’s try to not cause another avalanche”, said Gojira before removing his hoof.
“Shouldn’t you be back up with the others?”, asked Fluttershy.
“I came down here to bring you back to your home, and by the looks of things, that was the right call”, replied Gojira.
“Oh, n-no, no, you didn’t have to do that. I can go by myself”, said Fluttershy. Gojira gave her a blunt expression, even Fluttershy knew that wasn’t true.
“Though, if you wanna help me then that’s fine”, she said shyly.
The two climbed over the rest of the landslide before walking down the other side on much more level ground. They stayed mostly silent until they reached what they assumed was a safer part of the trail. As they walked, Fluttershy’s mind went back to her friends. Her frown returned and she started to slow her pace. Gojira soon noticed this and slowed down as well.
“You alright Fluttershy?”, he asked.
“Huh, oh yes, I’m fine”, said Fluttershy. “It’s just…have you ever been afraid, Gojira?”
Gojira shrugged. “Not really, I don’t fear much of anything, at least nothing I can think of off the top of my head”, he said.
“Sounds really nice. Not having to be scared of everything”, said Fluttershy as she sighed. “If only I was as brave as you were, then I wouldn’t have to worry about silly things like heights, or darkness, or needles, or wind, or loud noises, or even drag-”, the sound of a snarl coming from the top of the mountain caused Fluttershy to jump and hide behind Gojira. Once it ended, Gojira turned to face her.
“Dragons?”, he asked.
She planted her face into her hooves with shame. “Why do I have to be such a coward”, she said in a muffled voice.
They both had stopped walking as Fluttershy hid her face from Gojira. He could tell that she was trying to hold back tears. Gojira felt sympathy toward the yellow pegasus since she seemed greatly upset over herself. Fluttershy had been scared by some of the smallest occurrences which had led to some of the whole group’s biggest obstacles. She had wasted time, slowed their progress down to a crawl, forced others to carry her up the mountain, and even nearly got all her friends killed all because she was too afraid to confront her fears. Fluttershy started to wonder; was the dragon their biggest problem, or was it her. As she sat down and wept, Gojira watched her unsure on what to say.
‘She’s being very hard on herself. Almost as though she has forgotten what being afraid truly means.’
Gojira sighed before sitting down next to Fluttershy. “You know, I’d hate to admit it, but there have been times when I’ve been scared”, he said.
Fluttershy’s ears twitched as she lifted her head. “What do you mean?”, she asked. “I’ve never seen you scared of anything. Not even something as scary as Nightmare Moon.”
“Sure I may have looked brave at that moment, but truth was, I was just as scared as you all probably were”, Gojira admitted. “The thought of my brothers living in a world where they would live in constant terror genuinely scared me. The thought of me being unable to save either Caesar or Twilight genuinely scared me. The thought of all of Equestria being taken over by the hooves of a dictator that I couldn’t stop genuinely scared me.”
Gojira took a deep breath as he could feel his emotions rising. “However, as long as there’s muscles in my bones and a beating in my heart, I’ll never stop fighting until I’m on death’s door”, said Gojira. “Nothing is going to stop me from protecting the ones I love, even if that means facing my greatest fears head on.”
Gojira stood up while Fluttershy stayed seated. “What I’m trying to say is that fear is simply natural. There’s not a single pony in this world that’s not afraid of something”, said Gojira. “But it’s also necessary to ensure a better future for not just ourselves but those we care about. It’s fear that causes us to not do big things, but rather the right ones.”
Fluttershy looked at Gojira as if he had just restated the entire bible by memory. His words played through her mind as she stood up on her hooves. Her wings which once hung loosely now stood upright. Her ponytail now perked up. Even her expression was starting to show signs of color again as she lightly smiled.
“Thanks Gojira”, said Fluttershy. “But what about the others, you sure they’ll be fine?”
Gojira looked back up at the peak of the mountain. “Fairly certain they will be, just as long as they don’t anger that overgrown reptile with wings”, he said. Though he was joking, there was a large amount of irony that would soon come.
Before the two could start their journey once more, they heard another snarl come from the dragon. But this one was much louder than the previous and much longer. So much so that the ground started to shake. Some boulders fell from the upper part of the mountain right toward both Gojira and Fluttershy. They both stared in shock as the massive pieces of rock tumbled toward them.
“Look out!”, cried Gojira before shoving Fluttershy out of the way.
They narrowly avoided the massive boulders as they plowed through the rocks that were on the other side of the trail. As both Gojira and Fluttershy regained their footing, a loud roar could be heard coming from the top of the mountain. Large puffs and streams of smoke shot out like a cannon as the smell of ash and soot became all the more potent. Fluttershy stared up with horror, whatever her friends had done, they had managed to anger the dragon. Just then, she heard the stomping of hooves and looked over toward Gojira, only to see him galloping back up the mountain.
“Gojira!?”, she called out.
“Stay here and stay safe! I’ll be back!”, Gojira yelled back. He turned around and raced back up the path, leaving Fluttershy behind.
The sound of the dragon’s roars, the sight of the massive clouds of smoke, and the thought of what that thing could be doing to her friends filled Fluttershy with incredible amounts of…fear. She watched as Gojira ran back up the mountain. Her friends were more than likely in extreme danger and she was just sitting there because of her fear. She wanted to run away, but she also wanted to help her friends. It was as if two halves of her body wanted different things and neither would agree with each other.
| Few Minutes Earlier |
Rodan grumbled as he watched Pinkie Pie walk into the cave clad in several pieces of cartoonish clothing such as goofy glasses, a present costume, and several balloons tied to her flank. They had each thrown their hat into the ring of trying to get the dragon to move, but nothing had worked. Twilight tried to convince him to leave the cave only to get smoke blown in her face. Rarity tried to woo the dragon into moving and even lending her some of its valuables. However she got too greedy and ended up being kicked out once the dragon knew what she was really trying to do. And from the sound of a loud bang, it was safe to say that Pinkie had just as much luck as everyone else had. She walked out with all except one of her balloons popped, her glasses missing their lenses, and her present costume torn in half.
“Apparently he doesn’t like laughing…or sharing”, said Pinkie. Rodan placed a hoof to his brow as he groaned.
“For Celestia’s sake”, he whispered before propping his head up. “Does anypony else want a crack at getting this dragon to move his rear? Anypony? Only two bits a pop.” Right when he said that, the last remaining balloon on Pinkie Pie popped.
“I’ll do it”, said Rainbow Dash as she stretched her wings. “It’s about time I give this cigar with wings a piece of my mind.” She was about to take off, before Applejack stopped her.
“Hold your horses, Sugarcube. We don’t wanna antagonize that thing, else we wanna be its next meal”, said Applejack.
“Oh come on, AJ. We’ve tried persuasion, charm… whatever it is Pinkie Pie did, but now it’s time to stop wasting time”, said Rainbow Dash.
“Applejack is right, Rainbow Dash”, said Anguirus as he walked up. “The last thing we want to do is come off as a threat to him.”
Immediately after Anguirus finished his sentence, the sound of the dragon’s snarl filled the air. Everyone directed their attention to the entrance of the cave as the snarl quickly faded. Just then, large rings of smoke were shot out of the cave. He blew a total of seven of them before stopping. Each ring floated toward each member of the group before dissipating into nothing. At first it seemed fairly unnatural, until the sudden realization of what the dragon did hit everyone like a swinging log. The dragon was mocking them. It was making fun of the repeated failures they each had in trying to make it move. It had found amusement in their vain attempts and wanted the group to know that. Once that fact settled in, Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth in anger. She flapped her wings heavily before launching into the air.
“That’s it!”, she shouted. In the blink of an eye, Rainbow Dash bolted inside the cave.
“Wait! Rainbow Dash no!”, exclaimed Twilight.
“I’ll get her”, said Rodan as he chased after her. The two pegasus flew into the cave as Rodan tried to talk Rainbow Dash out of it, but Rainbow Dash refused to listen. Their speed caught the dragon’s attention as Rainbow Dash flew up to his face.
“Rainbow Dash!”, shouted Rodan. “Maybe we should-”
“Get out!”, exclaimed Rainbow Dash before kicking the dragon in the snout.
Rodan looked at Rainbow Dash as if she had signed their tickets to Tarturas. The dragon stood motionless for a few seconds before flaring its nostrils and rearing its head back. Both Rodan and Rainbow Dash thought it was about to let loose a torrent of fire, until the dragon blew a large puff of smoke out of his nose from a sneeze. The three beings stood in silence for a few seconds, neither Rodan nor Rainbow Dash wanted to know what the dragon would do next. Unfortunately for them, it was exactly what they didn’t want to happen. The dragon glared at them with its sharp teeth clenched as an ominous growl purred from its lips. Rainbow Dash smiled weakly as her ears lowered.
“Hehe…sorry”, she said. Rodan glared at her shortly after.
The dragon opened its mouth wide as he let loose a loud roar, right in the face of the two pegasus. Both Rodan and Rainbow Dash ended up being shot out of the cave from the sheer force of the roar. Rainbow Dash barreled past the other members of the group who jumped out of her way. Rodan landed just outside the cave as Anguirus ran up to his brother.
“What happened?”, he asked, frantically.
“We got him to move for one”, replied Rodan.
The sound of stomping filled the air as the two brothers looked above him to see a massive red fist looming over them. In the matter of a second, Rodan pushed Anguirus out of the way right before the fist almost slammed down on them. The dragon stepped out from his cave and stood to its full height of fifty feet. Its long neck acted as a snake as it reared up to tower over all members of the group. The dragon released another roar that was followed by a massive torrent of smoke. Though not as powerful as fire, the smoke was enough to push back most of the group. Before the dragon could close in on its prey, it felt a pair of hooves deliver a blow to its snout.
“Hey! How’s it going King Koopa”, said Rodan.
The dragon snapped its jaws at Rodan, who managed to fly out of the way. The dragon tried again to swipe at him, similar to how one would try to kill a fly. But Rodan was too small and mobile for it to hit. The dragon blew smoke at Rodan, blinding him and thus causing him to stop moving. Rodan’s emblem flashed as he took his sunglasses off to see through the smoke. However, the only thing he saw was the tail that was careening towards him.
‘Rodan! Look out!’
Rodan barely had enough to cover his body in scales as the tail collided with him. He was sent flying to the ground before landing against a large rock which cracked and crumbled after his impact. The group watched in shock and horror as the dragon smiled. Rodan’s emblem flashed again as the scales disappeared and his eyes went back to normal, but nevertheless he struggled to stand back up.
“Rodan!”, shouted Anguirus before running toward him.
The dragon now had a choice of what meal it should go after first. Would it be either the annoying red stallion and his brother or the larger group of scared mares. It looked back toward Rodan and Anguirus who seemed to be easy pickings. It lowered its head and opened its jaws while smoke rose from its nostrils. Anguirus watched in horror as the dragon approached them, fearing the worst to happen while the main six stood off to the side, unable to do anything. Luckily for him and Rodan, something or other someone else caught the dragon’s attention. A large rock the size of a fridge collided with the dragon’s head causing him to retract his neck back and stand up right.
“Hey, Lizard Lips! Leave my brothers alone!”, shouted a voice. A voice that both Anguirus and Rodan recognized immediately.
“The son of a bitch”, muttered Rodan.
From behind the shattered boulder jumped out Gojira who stood with sheer anger in his eyes as he glared at the creature. He was breathing heavily from having both run up a mountain and throwing a rock that weighed half a ton, and yet he seemed more than ready to fight an entire dragon by himself. The members of the main six were in complete shock, they thought Gojira was back at the bottom of the mountain by now. Though the dragon was taken a bit aback by the presence of Gojira, to him at least, he was the exact same as all the other ponies. Gojira glanced back at his younger brothers.
“Are you two alright?”, he asked.
“What do you think?”, replied Rodan as stood up with the help of Anguirus. Gojira looked back at the menace.
“You two go join the others, I’ll distract him”, he said.
“What?!”, exclaimed Anguirus. “But that thing’s like ten times your height, you’ll be kil-”.
“Just go!”, shouted Gojira.
With the dragon coming closer, there wasn’t any time to dispute. Both Rodan and Anguirus galloped toward where the rest of the group was. The dragon was about to follow them, until it felt a sharp sting in its tail. It looked down to see that Gojira had bitten down on its tail and had somehow managed to cause an ounce of pain. The dragon growled before turning its full attention on what was becoming the most aggravating thing it had ever laid eyes on. It bent down until it was at eye level with Gojira who, despite being barely the size of one of the dragon’s toes, didn’t even back down an inch. The dragon let out a sharp growl thinking that would scare Gojira, but he refused to budge. He growled even louder, but still Gojira didn’t even flinch.
With each one of its nerves broken, the dragon reared its head back before letting loose a thunderous roar. As it did so, a large stream of smoke shot out of its mouth with the force of a shotgun blast. The smoke completely engulfed Gojira, obscuring him from sight of anyone. The group feared the worst had happened as they watched with looks of horror.
“Gojira!”, exclaimed Twilight.
After a few seconds, the dragon cut off his roar and smoke stopped billowing from his mouth. The entire left side of the mountain peak was covered in smoke, not even the stone ground could be seen. The dragon stared down with a snarl look on its face, thinking it had finally ridden off the mosquito of a pony. Most of the group started with looks of anxiousness over the fate of their friend. Anguirus was part of that majority, however Rodan wasn’t. He knew exactly what happened to Gojira, he was trying to show off.
As the smoke started to clear, the dragon which had stood fearless and triumphant was now flabbergasted and astonished. Once the smoke had finally settled, Gojira stood in the same spot before seemingly having moved not even an inch. He was covered in soot, his mane was a mess, and yet his glare didn’t falter a little. If anything, he seemed even more pissed than before. He took one step forward, almost challenging the dragon to come at him. The group stood to the side and they all had a similar expression that the dragon had. All except Rodan who couldn’t help but smile.
“H-How did he…”, said Rarity.
“Don’t you remember, he’s a stubborn bastard”, said Rodan.
The dragon shook his head in defiance before putting on a face full of anger. This mere stallion legitimately thought that he could tussle with a creature that was twice the height of a house. The dragon slammed its tail on the ground as it approached Gojira. It bent down to his eye level and let out an ear piercing growl. The same intimidating noise that terrified other ponies, barely even made Gojira flinch as he returned with a growl of his own. He showed off his sharp teeth which looked to be comparable to the dragons. The two stared each other down for what felt like an eternity and surprisingly, it seemed like Gojira was winning. The dragon’s eyes started to twitch and it was taking heavy breaths of air. Despite the dragon visibly becoming more upset, Gojira refused to back down. He took another step forward, tempting fate.
“Is that all you got?”, he asked.
The dragon’s glare faltered for a second. This pony, this mere critter, had the guts to try and intimidate a creature that could kill him in countless ways. And the dragon hated to admit it, but it was kinda working. Only for a short while until the dragon’s brow furrowed and it rose up to its full height. It let out a beastly roar that could be heard from miles away. Smoke billowed from its mouth but with several sparks and even the occasional puff of flame. It raised its clawed fist high into the air, clenching it so hard that an audible pop could be heard. And yet, despite what some would consider to be one of the most terrifying sights for a pony, Gojira refused to even blink. The other ponies watched in horror, knowing what the dragon was about to do.
“Goji, watch out!”, cried Anguirus.Right before the dragon could slam its fist on what had been its most irritating appetizer, another distraction was quick to follow.
“How dare you!”, cried a voice. The dragon’s ear twitched as it and the whole group turned to see where the voice had come from. To everyone’s surprise, it had come from the most timid of them all.
“Listen here, mister”, shouted Fluttershy as she flew and landed on the dragon’s snout. “Just because you’re big, doesn’t mean you get to be a bully! You may have large teeth, sharp scales, snore smoke, and breathe fire, but you do not, I repeat, do NOT! HURT! MY! FRIENDS!”
The whole group stared at Fluttershy as if she had punched the dragon right in the face. Even Gojira couldn’t help but drop his glare for a pair of wide eyes. The pony who early said that she was terrified over the mere mention of a dragon was now staring it directly in the eye and given the first and biggest lecture of its entire life.
“Got that?”, asked Fluttershy in a strict tone. “Well?..” The dragon whimpered like a dog, not wanting to say anything, but Fluttershy’s gaze didn’t let up. After a few seconds, the dragon eventually…
“But…the rainbow one kicked me.”
A chorus of jaws dropping like anvils filled the air. Throughout all of this, the dragon could speak and in a tone that made Gojira’s deep voice seem like child’s play. With her name having been brought up and with her being partially to blame for the whole fiasco, Rainbow Dash stayed respectfully silent.
“Yes, and I am very sorry about that, but you’re much bigger than she is and you should know better”, said Fluttershy, putting on a softer tone of voice. “You should also know better than to take a nap when your snoring can become a health hazard to other creatures.”
The dragon seemed legitimately remorseful and even guilty for it had done. “But I-”.
“Don’t you ‘but I’ me, mister”, interrupted Fluttershy. “Now, what do you have to say for yourself?”
The dragon looked around. The sky he had blocked out from his snoring. The cliff face he had destroyed from his strength. The many ponies he had terrified from his anger. He had done nothing but cause harm, and it took a small pegasus to make him realize that. With pent up emotions he never felt before, the dragon burst into tears. The group watched the dragon’s breakdown, some were happy, others felt bad for it, one was Rodan wondering how Pinkie managed to pull an umbrella hat out of nowhere.
“There, there, no need to cry”, said Fluttershy now with a motherly tone. “You’re not a bad dragon, you just made a bad decision. Now, go pack your things and find somewhere else to sleep, that’s all.”
The dragon, wiping his tears, nodded and stomped back inside the cave to collect his belongings. Fluttershy’s words replayed in his mind as he gathered all of his possessions. After trying knowledge, persuasion, humor, and even force, all it took was a matter of discipline for something as large as a dragon to finally see the error of his ways. With that, the dragon took to the skies, leaving the mountains of Equestria behind.
With the dragon gone, the group ran up to Fluttershy. The mane six showered her with praise and congratulation, making the rose mane pegasus smile and feel truly proud of herself. As that happened, both Rodan and Anguirus walked up to Gojira.
“How does it feel having your thunder stolen by Fluttershy?”, asked Rodan. Gojira merely scoffed.
“I don’t care about that”, he said as he looked over toward Fluttershy. “I’m just glad that this is all over. Besides, how are you feeling, that was a pretty hard hit you took.”
“I’m fine, I’ve been through worse”, replied Rodan. He tried to flex his wing to prove it, only to feel a major sting from it. “It’s just a scratch.”
“Are we just gonna ignore what happened? I mean, our brother stood up to a dragon!”, exclaimed Anguirus, with excitement in his voice.
“Pfft, it was nothing, really”, replied Gojira.
“You kidding, name me one other pony who has ever done that?”, asked Rodan. Gojira thought about it for a second. “Exactly, you really need to start giving yourself more credit.”
As the three brothers talked amongst themselves, they didn’t notice the pair of purple eyes watching them. Twilight saw them sharing a laugh about the event that had just occurred. More specifically, she was looking at the one who was at the center of their discussion. She already thought Gojira was insane to fight Nightmare Moon, but she had no idea that he was crazy enough to face off against a dragon. There was something about him and the three of them as a whole that she couldn’t shake her mind off.
“Looks like you fellers got quite the workout for y’all”, said Applejack as she spoke to Rainbow Dash. She gestured to the large amount of smoke in the air.
“Oh please, we’ll have all that clear in less than an hour”, said Rainbow Dash.
“Then what are we doing staying up here?”, asked Rodan.
With the crisis of Equestria being engulfed in smoke now averted, both the main six and the three brothers started their descent back down the mountain. None happier than Fluttershy, the sense of fear she had coming up the mountain had all but vanished; she almost seemed like a completely different pony. As the group traveled down, however, they hadn’t noticed that there was another dragon present on the mountain peak. He had wound up there by chance and decided to stay and watch the event unfold. Primarily after he saw one of the ponies withstand the smoke filled roar from the much larger dragon. He had a slight hunch that maybe, just maybe, there was something more than meets the eye. It was a hunch that Griffon had to think about before letting his lord know.
‘Dear Princess Celestia, I’m happy to report that the dragon has departed from our fair country and that it was my good friend Fluttershy who convinced him to go. This adventure has taught me to never lose faith in your friends. They can be an amazing source of strength and can help you overcome even your greatest fears…’
It was nearing nightfall when Twilight returned to the Golden Oaks Library. Since Spike was exhausted from taking care of Fluttershy’s animals, Twilight allowed him to rest early while she wrote her daily letter to Celestia. As she did so, however, she couldn’t shake her mind off of what had actually happened today. The sight of Gojira standing firm against something as dangerous as a dragon was one she couldn’t stop replaying in her mind. Fluttershy did the same, but through discipline and sternness. Gojira did it through sheer intimidation and fearlessness. And in many ways, it worked. He had managed to strike a nerve into the beast, just by standing.
That thought had started a cavalcade of other memories. From when she had first arrived at Ponyville all the way to the present day, Twilight had seen Gojira pull off things that she couldn’t say any other average pony could ever do. However, all of these instances weren’t without purpose. Whether it was for the main six or his brothers, Gojira had thrown himself into danger for a reason. He had even saved Twilight from almost falling to her death twice now. The stallion that she first met who was tall and looked to be menacing was starting to slowly fade into obscurity. Twilight looked back at her letter, perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad if it was a bit longer than usual.
‘…one such friend is Gojira Zawa. I’ve failed to mention him or either of his brothers, Angurius and Rodan Zawa, up until now but after what just happened, today is no better time to do so. They have been by our side throughout each and every one of our journeys and adventures, providing their strength, support, and insight. No matter how big or small the task may be, they’ve always been willing to provide their aid. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t at first intimidated by Gojira, but after a while I’ve come to think that perhaps there’s more under that gruff exterior. More than I could have ever guessed. As always, your student, Twilight Sparkle.’
Twilight finished the letter before wrapping it up into a scroll. She laid it on the table, deciding to send the letter first thing in the morning. She walked upstairs and into her room, preparing for bed. She had been thinking about how she viewed Gojira, but today she decided that he was someone she’d be willing to call a friend. A true one at that.
Meanwhile, the three brothers were preparing for bed in their own residence. They’ve each had dinner and we’re preparing to head to each of their rooms. Rodan stretched his wings, one being wrapped in bandages, as he let out a yawn.
“Alright, I’m all ready to hit the hay”, said Rodan.
“You can say that again”, said Anguirus.
“But don’t let today deter either of you, tomorrow will be business as usual which means we’re still gonna wake up early for morning training sessions”, said Gojira. As he anticipated, there was a mighty groan from Rodan.
“Come on, bro. Can’t I get a pass for this”, asked Rodan, gesturing to his bandaged wing.
“I’ve had to train with a busted leg, you can do it with a busted wing”, replied Gojira.
“I mean, I guess you’re right”, said Anguirus. “But can’t tomorrow be some kind of rest day or something? We’ve been training for several months now.”
“Yeah, and we’ll be needing every single one of those months. You both know how Caesar would feel if we so much as thought about skipping a day”, said Gojira.
“But I’m gonna need a new pair of shades. My eyes will probably burn if I go outside in the sun without them”, said Rodan.
Gojira put a hoof to his temple and let out a sigh. “Come on guys, we all know we can’t waste even a day. Caesar says that the darkest day could happen any time”, he said. “For all we know, that day could be tomorrow. Nevertheless, we have to be ready for any-”. Just then, Gojira’s emblem flashed as Alpha formed from his mane.
‘We can discuss this more tomorrow. We can all agree that we had a busy day so the best any of us could ask for is a good night’s rest.’
Rodan looked relieved. “This guy just read my mind”, he said before heading up the stairs to his room. “Goodnight everyone.”
“Ok, goodnight Gojira”, said Anguirus before following after his older brother. Gojira was about to join them, until Alpha floated in front of him.
‘Outside, I need to talk to you.’
“What do you mean? Talk about what?”, asked Gojira.
‘It’s about something important, but I’d like to speak about it in private.’
Alpha’s more urgent tone caught Gojira’s attention. Whatever it was that needed to be said, it must have been more personal to him rather than all of his brothers. So Gojira willingly walked out to the back of the house until he was in their usual training grounds. Once he was confident that both Anguirus and Rodan couldn’t hear him, Gojira turned his focus back toward Alpha.
“Alright, what is it you want to speak about?”, he asked. Alpha floated for a few seconds as he looked Gojira dead in the eyes.
‘Gojira…what you did today was very stupid.’ Just like that, any hope that this would be serious was completely lost for a few seconds. ‘You had specifically told your brothers to not upset the dragon, only for you to do the exact thing that you warned your brothers to not do. You even knew what you were doing was very reckless. You could’ve gotten yourself killed.’
Gojira had to really try to not roll his eyes. “Are you serious? Is that why you wanted me to come out here, just to ridicule me?”, he asked. “Somepony had to stand up against that thing and no pony seemed willing to-”
‘I’m not finished.’ Alpha’s voice had now taken on a more subtle tone rather than the lecturing one he had a few moments ago. ‘While your actions may have been questionable, your reasoning was pure. Even despite being horribly outclassed by an opponent, you still jumped in between it and those you cared about. There are very few ponies in this world that would be willing to do something like that.’
Gojira looked at Alpha as he recalled the events of the mountain journey. “Well, it wasn’t much, but I guess-”
‘Not only that, but your conversation with Fluttershy gave her the confidence to overcome her fears. If not for that, she probably wouldn’t have had the courage to speak to the beast. In some way, you are to thank for the outcome of this journey. And I want you to know that I am indeed impressed with just how far you’ve come.’
Gojira felt unsure on how to react. “Gee…umm, thanks. I guess when you put it like that-”
‘Which is why we shall start the next phase of your training.’
Gojira stood there, at first thinking if he had heard Alpha’s words correctly. As far as he knew, there were only two phases in their training. Those being the basics which they had been stuck on for most of their life and merging which was far more advanced. If he had managed to master the basics, then that would leave…
“Y-You mean”, stuttered Gojira.
‘Gojira Zawa…it’s time. For many years you have shown bravery, leadership skills, selflessness, courage, determination, and above all else, resilience. You have demonstrated that you no longer need to take baby steps and that it’s now time to take the final leap. It’s time to learn about merging.’
Gojira stood in disbelief, unsure of what to say. “B-But, I can’t be ready. There’s so much that I haven’t taken into account for. I haven’t even learned how to do the nuclear pulse”, said Gojira.
‘You already have. Back on the mountain during the avalanche, you managed to pull off a short range nuclear pulse that could destroy an entire boulder twice your size. And the reason why you could was because you allowed the energy to spread evenly throughout your body without overthinking. You let it happen naturally in a short span of time. Why’d you do that? Because someone was in danger and you knew you had to help them. You didn’t think, you just did.’
Alpha floated down to Gojira’s eye level. ‘As you said, the darkest day could happen any time which is why if there was ever a moment to start the next phase, then now is that moment. So tell me, Gojira. Do you think you are ready? Are you ready to handle all of my power? Are you ready to be able to sense the position of every phenomenon in this world? Are you ready to be able to grow back entire limbs? Are you ready…to become the next alpha?’
Gojira stared Alpha directly into his pale eyes. Everything had been building up to this. The months worth of training he had gone through, constantly having to move from village to village, having to live with the fact that he and his brothers were no longer regular ponies. It had all led to save not just one pony, but all of life on Equestria from whatever imposing threat. He had promised his parents and himself that he’d protect those he loved, but he couldn’t do it as he was now. If he wanted to keep that promise, then there was only one thing for it. Gojira gave Alpha a confident smirk.
“I’m ready”, he firmly stated. Though Alpha didn’t have a mouth, his eyes told Gojira that he had made the right call.
“Due to their anatomy, a kaiju can exert a form of radiation that increases plant growth across the terrain that they walk upon. Although this radiation isn’t toxic, the flora that can come from even a small trace of this energy would put any garden, greenhouse, or floral shop on the planet to shame. Only certain titans are able to exert this energy, primarily kaiju that don’t have to use the same energy for other purposes such as regeneration abilities or long range attacks.”
Caesar stood in his living quarters at Canterlot with a projector resting on a small table facing the wall. It showed an image of a stylized painting depicting an entire village shrouded in plant life. The pony that he was presenting this information to listened very closely, allowing each piece of info to sink in. She studied each image that the projector showed and tried to picture every kaiju and phenomenon that supposedly happened millions of years ago. After all, in her eyes, her kingdom was at stake.
“So the kaiju were the ones that provided Equestria’s plant life”, said Luna.
“Yes, along with Equestria’s clouds, volcanoes, and other resources that we now rely on for our survival”, said Caesar.
“I see, and certain kaiju have different effects on the terrain they inhabit”, said Luna.
“Indeed, some kaiju have certain habits that they grow accustomed to and so they end up terraforming the landscape they live in to meet those needs. Others, however, see the environment as their own territory which would lead to several disputes between kaiju. That’s why we have several canyons in Equestria, they’re the aftermath of what happens when two kaiju spare”, said Caesar.
A picture of a deep canyon in the mountains was shown on the projector. The image of the canyon had peaked Luna’s interest. The chasm was around almost a mile deep. If a kaiju had been responsible for creating it then the amount of power that these creatures had far surpassed Luna’s expectations. And yet, she was just now hearing about their existence. She had seen several mountains throughout Equestria, but she always assumed that they were natural. The thought that they were the side effects of a fierce battle between two titans never crossed her mind. These creatures had essentially created their world and she had no idea.
Caesar noticed the perplexed look on her face. “I hope I’m not overwhelming you, your highness”, he said.
“Oh, not at all. It’s all very eye opening, I must say”, said Luna. “I also must ask, if these titans were responsible for creating the land we now know as Equestria, how come nopony knows about them?”
Caesar stood still, unsure on how to answer. He had all kinds of answers floating around in his mind, and they were either all right or wrong. “To be honest, I don’t exactly know. Some ponies just can’t comprehend the fact that Equestria was once inhabited by titans. Perhaps some find the idea horrifying or some find it ludicrous. Nevertheless, whether ponies choose to believe it or not, these kaiju are more than just myths”, said Caesar.
Luna could understand Caesar’s answer. She was at first skeptical over whether there were once giant creatures that roamed Equestria. But after what she recalled from her encounter with Gojira and the gratuitous amounts of information that Caesar showed her, she was slowly growing more and more curious about the true history of Equestria. Although, the thought of a certain stallion got her thinking.
“And, what about Gojira or the others who have the spirits of the kaiju? Do they know about this?”, she asked.
“Indeed they do, I taught them everything they needed to know just like how I taught you”, said Caesar. “However, speaking of the boys, I do fear how they’re holding up in Ponyville. With how busy I’ve been with guard duties and the upcoming gala, I haven’t had the chance to visit them. I hope they’re doing well.”
“You seem to genuinely care about them”, said Luna.
“Of course I do, I was friends with their parents before they-”, Caesar cut himself off as his face wore a somber look. Luna noticed this change in mood. Though Caesar didn’t finish his sentence, she could guess how it would’ve ended.
“Caesar?”, she said. Caesar, noticing he had drifted off, cleared his throat before continuing.
“After their passing, I became their children’s guardian. I taught them everything they needed to know about the kaiju and what the darkest day was.”, he said. “When they eventually became old enough, I decided to give them the kaiju spirits so they could begin their training.”
“How’d you do that, might I ask?”, asked Luna. Caesar walked up to the projector and pressed a button. The screen showed what appeared to be a book of some kind that featured three emblems depicting kaiju as well as three ponies.
“I used that”, said Caesar, pointing at the screen.
“What is it?”, asked Luna.
“That is the Kaojin Tomb. An artifact which is capable of summoning the spirits of the kaiju from millions of years ago”, said Caesar. “It’s a spell book that, when read by a magic user, can summon the spirit of whichever kaiju the user chooses. The spirit will then be fused with a pony, turning them into a vessel.”
“How’d you find it?”, asked Luna. Caesar looked toward her.
“It called to me”, he answered. “The process of summoning a kaiju spirit requires more magic than I could have ever provided. So I had to ask for the help of an old friend in order to link the spirits with their respective vessels.”
“And the spirits you summoned are the ones that the three brothers have”, said Luna.
“Correct”, replied Caesar.
“What happened afterwards?”, asked Luna. Caesar looked down for a moment. In the instant, he seemed to almost be in grief before he stared back at Luna.
“We both knew that if such power were to fall into the wrong hooves then all that would come from it would be complete and total destruction”, answered Caesar. “And so, my friend decided to find a place for the tomb where no pony would be able to find it. He told me that he promised to return.” Caesar’s eyes became downcast as he recalled the memory.
“I never saw him again”, he finished. Luna saw the concealed sadness in his eyes. She had only known Caesar for a few weeks, but it seemed that he had gone through so much in life.
“I am so sorry to hear that, Caesar”, said Luna. Caesar stood upright and cleared his throat.
“I-It’s alright, but as you can see, the Kaojin Tomb is the only means in summoning the kaiju spirits, at least as far as I'm aware of”, said Caesar.
In the span of only a half hour, Luna had learned about the kaiju’s biology, instincts, and behavior. She was starting to get a grasp on the sheer power of the titans, seeing as how they could level entire mountains. She was left to question the mysterious absence of these creatures in Equestrian history. And she had now been introduced to what might be one of the most powerful artifacts in the world. All the while, keeping this amount of information from anyone, including her own sister.
The thought of her royal sibling lured her attention to the clock mounted on the wall. “I’m afraid I’ll have to cut our meeting short as my acquaintance is needed elsewhere”, said Luna. “I thank you again for your insight, Caesar.”
“Of course, your majesty”, said Caesar as he shut the projector off. “Would you like me to escort you?”
“No thank you, I’ll be fine”, said Luna. Caesar opened the door and looked out. Seeing that there was no one around, he stepped to the side to let Luna walk past. “Unfortunately, I’ll be unable to make it for our next meeting due to the upcoming gala.”
“That’s not a problem, your highness. I’m in a similar manner”, said Caesar. “Though, if you at all have any questions about the kaiju that need answering, then you know where to find me.” Luna smiled and started to walk away. However, after taking only a few steps, a thought crossed her mind causing her to stop and turn around.
“Actually, Caesar, something has been troubling me”, she said.
“What is it?”, asked Caesar.
“It’s been a few weeks now since you first told me about the titans and I have lived up to my promise of not telling anypony”, said Luna. “However, I can only go so long with knowing about this vital information that I am unable to share with Celestia. So I must ask, how much longer must we wait until she needs to know?”
Caesar could tell that Luna was starting to fret over the darkest day. He had failed to tell her exactly what it was other than that it would mark the end of Equestria if the three brothers were unable to bond with their kaiju spirits. He fully understood her concern and worry. However, if this was her reaction, how was he supposed to disprove that Celestia, or anyone for that matter, would feel any different. With a heavy sigh, he looked toward the sister of the princess of Equestria.
“Once the whole world is ready to know”, he answered. Not the answer she wanted but the answer she received, Luna nodded before turning back around and walking away.
Caesar went back inside his room and closed the door behind him. He was getting ready to remove the projector, when something caught the corner of his eye. The something in question was an old photo that seemed to have been taken in his younger years. It depicted Caesar alongside a male unicorn. He had a dark red color scheme with a black mane and tail. The sight of the deteriorating photo presented Caesar with a memory of simpler times, especially when compared to nowadays. He sighed as a look of saddened nostalgia crept across his face.
“Samishīyo, batora”, he said to his old friend.
Meanwhile, the ballroom in Canterlot was packed with several ponies, pegasus, and unicorns lending their hooves to help finish preparations for the gala. Large, white curtains were hung over each of the glass windows and long strings of flowers were wrapped around each of the stone pillars. Many tables stood to the side with pink tablecloths draped across each one of them. There were several potted plants scattered around and even a piano sitting near the corner. It gave the entire castle a more elegant look than it already had.
Near the entrance of the ballroom stood Celestia holding up a scroll with her magic. To her side was both Vincent and Sharp Shot as they stood as her personal guards. A unicorn walked up to the three of them holding a clipboard with her magic. She had a white body color along with a dark brown mane which was tied into a burette. She wore a white coat and thick black glasses as she approached Celestia.
“How are the preparations coming along, Raven?”, asked Celestia.
“Smoothly, your majesty”, replied Raven. “The garden has been fully renovated, to your request, and as you can see the ballroom is nearing completion.”
“That’s good to hear”, said Celestia.
“If everything goes according to schedule, then I don’t see anything keeping us from making this our biggest Grand Galloping Gala yet”, added Raven. Sharp Shot let out a little snicker from that remark.
“You hear that, Vincent? It’s gonna be extra special”, he whispered. Vincent rolled his eyes, he felt he knew what his friend was trying to imply.
“That’s great to hear, thank you Raven”, said Celestia. Raven nodded and started to walk away. As she walked past both Sharp Shot and Vincent, the latter of which started to sweat as he tried to keep a well put together look.
“H-Hey, uhhh…Raven”, he said, causing the unicorn to stop in her tracks. “I-I was wondering…are you at all busy tonight.”
Raven looked at Vincent before flipping through the pages of her clipboard. “If by busy you mean keeping a close eye on the preparations, making sure to hire personal chefs, waitresses, musicians, and security, keeping track of the guest list, as well as supplying said guests with the required accommodations, then no I’m not busy at all”, she said. “Was there something you wanted to ask me?”
Vincent stared at her with pinpoints for pupils, a simple no would have sufficed. “No…no, just…checking, that’s all”, he said with a nervous smile.
“Alright then, see ya later you two”, said Raven. She walked away, leaving Vincent with a look of defeat on his face. Sharp Shot meanwhile was trying his hardest to keep a straight face.
“A swing and a miss”, he joked. Vincent replied with a glare.
Celestia put most of her attention into the letter she had received from her fateful student. She was glad to hear that the dragon had left Equestria and that it was little Fluttershy that had stopped the threat. But there was a certain part of the letter that intrigued her. It was the fact that the letter was more so dedicated to a certain trio of ponies. She was so focused on it that she didn’t notice the sound footsteps behind her until the pony was standing right next to her.
“Greetings, sister”, said Luna.
“Good evening, Luna”, replied Celestia. “How has your morning been?”
“It’s been nice, thank you”, said Luna as she overlooked the scene in front of her. “I suppose that the preparations for the Grand Galloping Gala are nearing completion?”
“Indeed, everything is going smoothly”, said Celestia, not taking her eyes off of the letter. Luna noticed this as curiosity got the better of her.
“Another one of Twilight’s letters, I assume?”, asked Luna. Celestia replied with a nod. “And what does thou’s student have to say?”
“Well, she wrote to me about how our dragon problem has been resolved as the dragon has since left Ponyville and the smoke has been cleared with the help of the town’s pegasus”, said Celestia.
“Thank goodness for that”, said Luna.
“Indeed, however, she’s also talking about somepony who I can guess is a close friend of hers”, said Luna.
“Really? Who is it?”, asked Luna.
“His name is Gojira Zawa, you might know him”, said Celestia. Little did she know, Luna knew him all too well. The moment Gojira’s name was dropped, Luna’s eyes widened as she tried to keep herself composed.
“Err, y-yes, I do know him”, she said. “He’s Caesar’s close friend, correct?”
“Indeed, along with his two brothers, Rodan and Angurius”, said Celestia. “It’s nice to know that Twilight is still making friends and I’m sure Caesar will be happy to hear that his friends are doing well.”
“Ahem, yes, indeed he will”, coughed Luna. Celestia noticed the strange behavior of her little sister.
“Are you alright, Luna?”, she asked. “You don’t appear to be feeling well.”
“Oh, no, don’t worry, I’m fine”, answered Luna. In actuality, her mind was painting the image of the three brothers taking on a dragon. If one of the strongest species of creatures in Equestria was barely an issue for them, then who knows what would’ve been. Despite Luna’s attempt, Celestia could still tell something wasn’t right.
“You don’t seem to be doing fine”, she said. “How about you head back to your wing? As you can see, everything’s going smoothly so you won’t have to worry about the preparations.”
“Y-Yes…thank you, dear sister”, said Luna as she quickly turned around and walked away.
Celestia watched as Luna walked with a little pep in her step, it was odd behavior from someone who remained mostly composed. Little did she know about the truth as to why Luna reacted the way she did. That fact made Celestia feel a little unsure, but it added on to the large level of guilt that Luna was trying to repress.
(Ponyville)
In the Everfree forest, two powerful creatures circled around each other, waiting for one to make the first move. One was a tall, fearless combatant who had the strength of nearly thirty ponies combined. The other was a smaller, but more mobile opponent whose wings could allow him to reach speed far faster than what any normal pegasus could reach. The two stared each other down in the arena that they had created from their own hooves. They were both anticipating to see who would make the first move. And eventually, Rodan would fill the role before Gojira could.
Spreading his wings, Rodan took to the skies circling above Gojira. His emblem flashed as his wings started to resemble the ones that belonged to his kaiju spirit. Gojira never let Rodan out of his sight as his emblem also flashed, sprouting scales across his body. Rodan flapped his wings hard in Gojira’s direction, sending a large gust of wind against the ground. Dust was sent everywhere, obscuring Gojira’s vision. Luckily, his other senses kicked in as Gojira could hear the flapping of wings, feel the change in the air, and smell the scent of a pony who definitely didn’t shower last night.
Gojira stood on his hind legs as Rodan flew down towards him with tremendous speed. Rodan’s wings grew sharp as he then swung toward his brother. Gojira managed to block the attack with his scales as he put his arms up to cover his face. The impact sent the two scooting backwards as Gojira dug trenches in the dirt from Rodan’s momentum. Because of his larger size, Gojira managed to bring them both to a stop before grabbing a hold of one of Rodan’s legs. He threw Rodan over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground. Rodan was a bit dazed from the attack, but still managed to dodge Gojira’s hooves from slamming on his abdomen. He rolled away and got back on to his hooves before flying back into the air.
‘Geez, he’s not holding back’, thought Rodan.
‘Which means that we shouldn’t either.’
Gojira stood on the ground as his younger brother seemed to be trying another dive bomb. Rodan flew back down towards him as Gojira got into a ready stance by standing back on his rear legs. But before the two could clash, at the last second, Rodan dived out of the way of Gojira’s oncoming hooves. He then used one of his legs to sweep underneath Gojira’s, catching him off balance and causing his older brother to fall over. As Gojira tried to stand back up, Rodan flew behind him and grabbed hold of his long tail. Before Gojira knew it, he was dragged against the ground as Rodan used his large wings to carry his older brother.
“Having fun, bro?”, taunted Rodan. His brother’s answer was in the form of a growl.
Gojira clenched his teeth as they grew sharper. He then stomped his hooves into the ground, creating cracks in the dirt. This movement brought the two to a stop and jerked Rodan backward. Using his brother’s momentum against him, Gojira’s tail swiped to the side, sending Rodan flying before hitting a tree. With his legs free, Gojira stood to his full height before charging toward his brother.
Rodan noticed this and tried to fly away, but made the mistake of flying over Gojira who jumped toward him and grabbed hold of Rodan by the tail. Gojira held on tightly as Rodan tried to force himself free with his wings. The stalemate soon ended as Gojira, using his superior strength, yanked Rodan back on to the ground. Before Rodan could get back up, Gojira stood over him, pinning him down with his hooves. Gojira’s emblem flashed as Alpha appeared from his mane.
‘That’s the match, Gojira wins.’
Gojira sprouted a grin as he got off his brother. “How’s that for fun?”, he gloated.
Rodan shot a glare toward his older brother before spitting out some dirt. “Give me some credit at least, I had you on the ropes at one point”, he said before standing up.
“You did, and I had you on the ground”, retorted Gojira. Rodan merely rolled his eyes.
“Whatever, this excessive training really does work on my wings”, said Rodan as he gave them a good stretch. “Also, is it just me, or did it feel like you were trying extra hard today? I mean, I don’t think you’ve roughed me up that badly.”
“Sorry about that, guess I kinda went a little overboard”, said Gojira.
‘While it’s true we should focus some more on control, being more vigorous shows that you’re becoming more comfortable with your powers. We’ll just have to wait for Anguirus to feel just as secure and then we can start on more advanced training.’
“About time”, muttered Rodan. Gojira could tell that his younger brother was more than eager to start merging training, for which he didn’t blame him. Little did Rodan know, however, his older brother was far more ahead of him than he realized.
“Anyways, is that enough for today, I have a few errands to run”, said Rodan.
“What kind of errands?”, asked Gojira before his answer flew into his mind. “Let me guess, does it have anything to do with-”
“Yep, I’m heading off to visit Lisa”, interjected Rodan.
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with her, it’s almost like you prefer hanging out with her rather than us”, said Gojira.
“Well, she doesn’t force me to workout at 8:00 in the morning”, said Rodan. “Speaking of, were you by any chance out here very early this morning?”
“Yes, that was me, why?”, asked Gojira. Rodan stared at his brother with an incredulous look.
“So you’re saying that you’ve been out here for six hours”, he said. Gojira raised an eyebrow and scratched his head.
‘Has it really been that long?’, Gojira wondered.
“I guess I’ve lost track of time, I don’t get tired that much thanks to this energy absorbing mane”, he said, pointing at his black mane with gray highlights.
“I wish I had something like that, you got all the cool powers while I’m just left with being able to fly faster”, said Rodan. He felt a slight discomfort in his head, someone definitely didn’t like his remark. “Though, that’s not a problem with me.”
‘Then it’s not a problem for me either.’
Gojira lightly chuckled at his brother. “Anyways, I’m gonna continue to train, while you do what you always do and go have fun with your girlfriend”, he joked.
“I will have fun, thank you. Also, you’re one to talk, you literally spend all your time doing nothing but training”, said Rodan.
“Touché”, replied Gojira. The two brothers had a short laugh as Rodan grabbed a pair of shades and started to walk toward the back entrance of the house.
“But, in full honesty Gojira, I think you too should go out into Ponyville instead of just chilling back everyday”, said Rodan. “I mean, we wanted to have a fresh new start in a new town and to make new friends. And now that we have all those things, it seems you’ve wanted to spend even more time training than doing anything else. Why is that?”
Gojira hadn’t told neither Rodan nor Anguirus about how he had started merge training for he didn’t want either to feel pressured into spending all of their time staying home. However, he was now the one that rarely went out into Ponyville. Gojira only left their property for either grocery shopping, an event his brothers talked him into, or an emergency. Other than that, he used to spend around 60% of his day at home, but now it was closer to 90%.
“You know me, Rodey, I would rather focus on training than risking somepony finding out about our secret”, he said. “You’ve seen the stares we get every time we walk out that door. Imagine how ponies would react if they found out who we really are.”
“I get that, but what about the girls? Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and the others, do you think they react the same way everyone else would if our secret came out?”, asked Rodan. Gojira looked down, he thought the same thing several years before they came to Ponyville. He would come to find his optimism was misplaced.
“I don’t know, but I’d rather prefer it if they didn’t find out to begin with”, said Gojira.
Rodan knew where he was coming from and why his older brother felt that way. He just wished that he wouldn’t stick by this mentality in the future. After several years, Rodan wondered when Gojira would move on. Nevertheless, Rodan straightened his sunglasses before turning toward the back entrance of the house.
“See ya, Goji”, Rodan called out before leaving his brother behind. Gojira was left alone in the dirt circle he had created with his own hooves. Or at least, he would’ve been alone, had he not had himself to talk to.
‘You have definitely come a long way with your training. However there is still much left to learn, but I believe in full certainty that the finish line is much closer than you may realize.’
Alpha’s words flew right over Gojira as he thought about what Rodan had said. He had made training his primary focus and although it was definitely working out, his brothers were still his main priority. He had not given himself the same treatment as he had given his brothers. With him spending all his time training, he had completely zoned out the thought of trying to meet new ponies or explore their new home.
But, no matter how many times he would second guess, Gojira knew that he was in too deep to stop now. Had he stopped training any sooner, then he probably wouldn’t have been able to stand up against neither Nightmare Moon nor the dragon. He managed to since he knew how his powers worked, far more than either Rodan or Anguirus. And now with the prospect of merging being on the line, he wasn’t gonna stop now even if he wanted to.
He had seen first hand what happened if he failed to understand his powers, he knew the danger of someone finding out about the kaiju spirits. The face of a frightened mare came to his mind, one he had grown accustomed to all too well. Alpha noticed how silent Gojira was. It wasn’t until Alpha flew back into Gojira’s mane when he snapped out of his thought bubble.
‘We have a lot of ground to make, so we can’t waste a second of daylight. So I’ll ask this again, are you ready, Gojira?’
Gojira shook his head to allow his negative thoughts to fade away. He looked around, seeing that he was alone before turning around and walking deeper into the forest.
“Yeah, let’s do this”, he stated.
Rodan walked through the streets of Ponyville with a little pep in his step. He hadn’t fully healed after his tussle with Gojira, but red colored bandages were almost impossible to notice on his crimson body. And if someone did notice, he had thought of a brilliant reason as to why. If he got to convince his brothers to go to one of Pinkie’s parties, he could convince someone he had fought a grizzly bear with his own hooves. It wouldn’t be completely false.
As he walked however, he noticed the crowds of ponies around him. They all seemed to be murmuring about something with shocked expressions and then looking around frantically. Rodan’s advanced hearing allowed him to pick up what they were saying. For once, they weren’t talking about him.
“Did you hear the news?”
“She has how many?”
“I’m gonna get that ticket.”
“That lucky mare.”
“Why does she get a free ticket to the gala?”
They seemed to all be talking about tickets, another pony, and something about the upcoming gala in Canterlot. But one thing they all shared in common, they all wanted that extra ticket from whoever had them. The longer Rodan walked, the more ponies he found talking about the same topic. He wasn’t quite sure who they were talking about, but it must’ve been someone high of class if they had two tickets to the gala. Though, then again, he had three and lived in an old house on the outskirts of town so he wasn’t one to judge.
“Hey, Rodey!”, called out a pair of voices.
Rodan was caught off guard as his name was called. Luckily, he recognized the ponies that said it. He was walking past a restaurant that had several tables set up outside and some of the ponies that were at one of the tables were none other than Lisa and Pinkie Pie. Rodan smiled at the sight of the familiar faces, hopefully they knew what all the gossip was about.
“Hey, Pinkie, hey Lilly”, said Rodan as he walked up to them. Lisa scooted over so Rodan would have a spot to rest.
“Me and Pinkie were just having lunch before we saw you”, said Lisa.
“I was actually just on my way to visit you”, said Rodan to Lisa. “But it looks like you made my job easier.”
“Yep, in fact, Rainbow Dash was just about to join us”, said Pinkie Pie. After she said that, her tail started to wag as she looked up in the air. “And I reckon you both might want to duck since she’ll be here in three, two-”.
“INCOMING!”
Like a speeding bullet, Rainbow Dash plummeted out of the sky and skidded against the ground. She created large trenches with her hooves as she tried using her wings to slow herself down. However, seeing how fast she was coming at them, Rodan and Lisa moved out of the way, both knowing what was about to happen. Rainbow Dash then tripped causing her to roll towards them before being launched into the air. She finally came to a stop when she landed on the table that her friends were sitting at. Her eyes wouldn’t stop spinning as stars circled above her head. Throughout all of it, Pinkie didn’t move a muscle and even clapped for her pegasus friend’s landing.
“Right on time, Rainbow Dash. We were just talking about you”, said Pinkie. Rainbow Dash wasn’t paying attention, she was too focused on which of the three Pinkies she should be focusing on.
“Pinkie, I didn’t know you had twin sisters”, she said, groggily. The sound of Rodan’s laughter brought Rainbow Dash back to reality as she shook her head to stop the world from spinning.
“Nice landing, Dash, shame our table didn’t make for a good runway”, joked Rodan. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes before climbing off of the table.
“Don’t act so smug, I doubt you could’ve done any better”, said Rainbow Dash.
“At failing to fly properly, you’re right I couldn’t do that any better than you”, replied Rodan. Rainbow Dash retorted with a simple grumble.
“Thanks for coming, Rainbow Dash. You aren’t hurt by the way, right?”, asked Lisa.
“Pfft, that was nothing. I’ve had worse scrapes than that”, replied Rainbow Dash. Rodan merely rolled his eyes.
“I’m sure you did. Last time I checked, only one pegasus got swiped by a dragon”, said Rodan.
“Speaking of, how are you holding up? From what I heard, that fall you had sounded very painful”, said Lisa with worry in her eyes.
“I’m fine, just some bruises that’s all”, said Rodan. In actuality, his scales and wings protected him from suffering any major damage from his tussle with the dragon. The worst he got was a sore limb at worst.
“Really, just some light bruising? That looked to be a hard slap from that dragon, and all you got was a bruise”, said Rainbow Dash, feeling a little skeptical.
“Yep, wasn’t as hard of a slap as it seemed”, said Rodan.
“It seemed pretty hard to me. I mean, you shattered a boulder and that’s all you got”, said Rainbow Dash, pointing at his bandaged hoof. Rodan was hoping she wouldn’t notice that; his bear excuse was probably not going to work anymore.
“Guess I got off pretty scott free”, replied Rodan. He could tell Rainbow Dash didn’t really believe it, which he didn’t blame her.
“Fluttershy saved all our tails when she told that big, mean dragon to leave”, said Pinkie Pie. “But, then again, I don’t think anypony could match what Gojira did.”
“Yeah, I was meaning to ask you about that”, said Lisa as she turned toward Rodan. “How did your brother stand up to a dragon?”
“Because he’s as stubborn as a mule and more than likely wasn’t gonna let that big, ugly reptile try and scare him off with some light growls” said Rodan. It was partially true, except for the part where his kaiju spirit made it to where he probably could’ve survived the dragon’s fire.
“I don’t think I’ve seen any stallion pull off something like that”, said Rainbow Dash before forming a cocky grin. “Well, apart from yours truly.”
“I’m sure you could’ve”, Rodan said with sarcasm. “Anyways, quick question, do any of you know what all the gossip is about?”
“What gossip?”, asked Lisa.
“As I was walking, I saw several ponies whispering about tickets and the gala and how somepony apparently got several of them”, said Rodan.
“Oh yeah, you mean the tickets that Twi-”, before Pinkie could finish her sentence, Lisa quickly cupped her mouth with her hoof.
“You see, Twilight got tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala from Celestia herself”, said Rainbow Dash.
“And?”, asked Rodan.
“Everypony in Ponyville wants them”, finished Lisa.
“Well, how many tickets did she get?”, asked Rodan.
“One for each one of us, even for Spike and Lisa”, said Pinkie Pie. Rodan perked up when he heard this.
“Really, you’re going”, said Rodan as he looked at Lisa.
“Of course, who wouldn’t want to”, said Lisa.
“Clearly everypony does, it’s only the most amazing, incredible, tremendous, super most, wonderful, terrific, humongous party in all of Equestria!”, exclaimed Pinkie Pie, her mind almost overflowing as her imagination went wild over what the gala would have in store.
“Yeah, but if we want to go then we kinda have to keep the fact we have tickets to ourselves, unless you want to be chased by a mob of ponies”, said Rainbow Dash.
“We can barely even mention the gala without catching a few glances our way”, said Lisa. Rodan looked and felt confused. He didn’t believe they were lying, but the thought of several ponies all fighting each other over small pieces of golden paper felt a little outlandish in his eyes.
“I doubt it would be that bad”, said Rodan. “Are you all positive you aren’t overreacting?”
“Believe us, we’ve seen what happens when you mention tickets in public”, said Rainbow Dash.
“Really, because I have three tickets to the gala and I haven’t been swarmed by a group of ponies”, said Rodan.
Lisa, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all stared at Rodan with wide eyes. Rodan was at first still confused by what they were looking at and even looked behind to make sure they weren’t staring at him. But then he noticed they weren’t the only ones staring, other ponies at the restaurant were also looking in his direction. Many wore looks of surprise, but a couple even had a few smiles on their faces as they started to murmur amongst themselves.
“Tickets? Tickets to the gala?”
“The Grand Galloping Gala?!”
“Hey, big guy, wanna give one of those tickets to me?”
“We’re buds right, you can spare me one.”
Rodan started to grow more concerned when he saw more ponies and that they were starting to approach. It was at that moment when Rodan wondered if perhaps maybe he should’ve kept his mouth shut.
“I think I’m finally starting to see your point”, he said to the three.
‘It’s a bit late for that.’
In a matter of seconds, chaos erupted. Rodan found himself trying to outrun the massive riot of ponies, unicorns, and pegasus all wanting the tickets to the gala. He attempted flying, however he was quickly swarmed by other pegasus who flew after him. Any attempt he made at trying to explain himself to the crowd went completely unnoticed since no one else cared about the fact that his brothers were the ones that had the tickets. He ended up flying past Lisa, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash several times, trying to get their aid.
“Please…help…me…they’re…not…slowing…down”, he said as he soared past them. While Lisa looked nervous for Rodan and Pinkie started to get dizzy from the amount of times Rodan flew past them, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but laugh her tail off.
“Shouldn’t we help him?”, asked Lisa. Rainbow Dash eventually stopped laughing.
“We will”, she answered, “as soon as this stops being funny.”
Within the Everfree forest lies a large lake with several trees surrounding it. Its calm and inviting surface has caught the eyes of several wilderness creatures as they walk or crawl towards the lake to take a sip. But as they walk nearer, bubbles start to rise to the surface and a dark figure of sorts can be spotted underwater. All before suddenly a creature of sorts bursts from the lake, startling any and all animals nearby causing them to run back into the forest.
Gojira breathed heavily as he treaded lightly in the water. His skin was covered in scales, but this time he had an added new addition to his body in the form of several gills that formed around his neck. These started to flap instinctively as Junior took in deep breaths of fresh air, sometimes coughing as his lungs refilled themselves.
‘You must accommodate for any kind of disruption when breathing underwater or else you’ll begin to suffocate. Let your gills do all the work, just breathe naturally.’
“It’s a bit…hard…to do that since I never even knew I had these things”, said Gojira, in between breaths, as he pointed at the gills on his neck.
‘There’s a lot of features that you didn’t know you have. But, in good time, you’ll discover more about yourself than what the basics lead on.’ Gojira felt he already had an understanding of what kind of powers his spirit possessed, but now he felt as though he was back at square one. ‘Now, let’s try again. And remember, keep your mind clear and open.’
Gojira nodded before taking a breath and diving back under the water. He swam down to the bottom of the lake before coming to a stop. It was here where his gills took over and started taking in oxygen. Although in the first couple of attempts, Gojira only managed to take a few breaths before rising back to the surface, he was now managing to stay underwater far longer than any normal pony. He took slow, deep breaths and had his eyes shut for maximum concentration.
Almost instinctively, his mane and tail started to glow a bright blue. Gojira could feel his energy coursing through his body, but it felt different. Instead of preparing to launch his signature ability, Gojira felt his energy spread across his body similar to his nuclear pulse. But right when it was about to fire, Gojira could feel the presence of another pony. Not just any pony, but a vessel. He could feel their exact location, he knew what they were doing as they kicked trees and collected apples, he knew who it was. Then he felt the presence of another vessel. This one’s position was changing rapidly, almost as if they were being chased.
Although Gojira recognized the first two, the third one felt unnatural. His gills started to take in heavy amounts of oxygen. This vessel filled Gojira with stress as the spirit within the vessel was unlike anything Gojira felt. The anger, the sorrow, the pain, it was all that this spirit fed on. He could see the sight of a demonic monster staring at him with it having a pair of wings, a horn, and sharp mangled teeth. The sight caused Gojira to break his concentration, making him choke as he breathed in water. He quickly swam back up to the surface before coughing furiously as he spat water out of his mouth.
“Wh-What…what was that?!”, he exclaimed in between coughs. Alpha seemed more intrigued rather than concerned about what had happened.
‘Interesting. You managed to sense the exact location of different kaiju spirits. Tell me, did they feel familiar at all, as though you’ve met them before?’ Gojira knew who two of the spirits were, but that third one was the reason why he had to rise head to head above the water. It felt so unfamiliar to him and was rather unnerving.
“Well, I recognized the presence of both Phoenix and Fierce”, said Gojira.
‘That’s great then, this means you have already managed to-’
“But…those weren’t the only two I saw”, added Gojira. “There was a third and I don’t know who or what it is, but it didn’t feel right.” Alpha remained silent for a short while, his pale eyes being all the emotion Gojira could read.
‘Perhaps you felt the occurrence of a natural event of sorts, all alphas have that kind of ability. It doesn’t matter where they are or where they occur, you’ll always be able to tell the exact location of several kaiju spirits and other phenomena such as natural disasters. It’s extraordinary, but a very useful ability, one you seemingly managed to learn quite quickly.’
While Apha was impressed, Gojira could only share a mutual feeling. His own mind was still on what he saw through his short lived, mental escapade. He would like to believe it as a storm of sorts, but the presence of another spiritual being was too convincing for him to pass off as bad weather. He swam to shore and got out of the water, grabbing a nearby towel to dry himself off.
“I think that’s enough for now, I’m in need of a break”, said Gojira.
‘Very well, however I would like to continue with more physical activity. With merge training, we push you to your limits and then see if we can surpass them.’
Gojira’s thought process was still on what he assumed was the presence of a third kaiju spirit, but it was interrupted by the faint sound of the doorbell going off. He entered the back door before walking to the front with his towel draped over his shoulders. He thought that maybe it was Anguirus coming home from Sweet Apple Acres, or Rodan returning early from seeing Lisa, or maybe even their, quite frankly, dim witted mail pony dropping off a letter.
What he didn’t expect was several more rings of the doorbell and who was the pony behind the door. And the small dragon sitting on her back.
“Twilight?”, he exclaimed.
“I’m really sorry sir for intruding but-…Gojira?”, Twilight replied.
“Hi, Gojira”, said Spike with a friendly wave.
“Hey, Spike”, said Gojira. “Umm…can I help either of you?” Twilight was a little stunned at seeing Gojira, but she shook away her surprised expression for an urgent one.
“I know this is gonna sound weird, but can we please come inside for a little bit?”, asked Twilight, a little frantically as she looked behind her.
“Uhh, why?”, asked Gojira with a raised brow. The sound of multiple hooves galloping could be heard all across town.
“I’ll explain later, just please let us come inside”, said Twilight. Gojira didn’t know what was causing Twilight to act the way she was, but he didn’t want to wait and see.
“S-Sure, come in”, said Gojira, stepping to the side. The two practically bolted into the house as Gojira closed the door behind them. Just then, a faint rumbling could be heard that caused the house to slightly shake. After a few seconds, the rumbling ceased and silence took over.
Feeling safe, Twilight and Spike took a deep sigh of relief. “Thank you so much, Gojira”, said Twilight.
“Of course”, replied Gojira. “Now then, mind telling me what all that was about.”
“It’s a long story”, said Spike. “Twilight got tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, but she wasn’t sure on who to give them to and before we know it the entire town now wants tickets and…and…” Spike eventually trailed off after seeing the confused look on Gojira’s face, seeing that he wasn’t following.
“It’s complicated”, finished Twilight.
“O…K”, said Gojira. “Well, if you want, do either of you want a drink or something?”
“Oh, yes please, do you have any soda, all this running around has made me soooooo thirsty”, said Spike.
“Spike”, said Twilight, disapprovingly.
“What? He offered”, said Spike. Gojira held back a laugh, Spike reminded him a lot of when he was a child.
“It’s alright, I don’t mind”, said Gojira as he walked into the kitchen.
“Are you sure? I’d hate for us to be more of an intrusion than we already are”, said Twilight.
“No, really, it’s fine. Besides, you two are technically guests and my mother always told me to treat guests with the utmost kindness”, said Gojira. Though she still felt a little apprehensive, Twilight could tell that Gojira was sincere about them staying.
“If you insist”, she said. “Your mother sounds like a really nice mare.”
“Nicest pony I’ve ever known”, said Gojira, via voice having gone a little softer. “Anyways, what do you both want? We have milk, lemonade, soda, some purple stuff, does any of that sound good?”
“I’ll just take water”, said Twilight.
“I’ll have a soda”, added Spike. A minute later, the three of them were sitting at the dining table. Gojira and Twilight were in light conversation as Spike resisted the urge to chug his red can of soda.
“This is a nice place you have here, I’m quite shocked this is the first time I’ve seen it”, said Twilight.
“Yeah, it’s not the most stunning building in Ponyville, but it does the job. And hey, at least the floral is pretty”, said Gojira. Truth be told, the potted plants were mostly thanks to Anguirus’ strange ability to increase plant growth.
“But, anyways, back to the matter at hoof”, said Gojira. “Tell me what exactly is going on outside?”
“Well, recently I was given a few tickets by Celestia to attend the Grand Galloping Gala at Canterlot”, said Twilight.
“Ok, that doesn’t sound too bad”, said Gojira.
“It was, until all of Ponyville found out about it”, said Twilight.
“Now that sounds bad”, said Gojira. He was happy that no one in town found out that he and his brothers had tickets to the gala.
“Yeah, so now me and the girls have to stay really quiet about the gala, else we want all of Ponyville to become a battleground for tickets of all things”, joked Twilight as she took a sip of her drink.
“When you say you and the girls, do you mean they got tickets too?”, asked Gojira.
“Yep, we all did, even Spike got one”, said Twilight.
“Really, I didn’t think you’d be into going”, Gojira said to Spike.
“Well, yeah, someone has to act as a chaperone”, said Spike. Twilight let out a light scoff.
“Yeah, that’ll be the day”, she said. “Unfortunately, Celestia only gave me a limited number of tickets. I would’ve given a few to you and your brothers if I had any..”
“You don’t have to worry about that”, said Gojira as he got up from the table. He walked over to a drawer and pulled out three golden tickets for the gala at Canterlot. Twilight’s and Spike’s eyes widened from seeing them.
“You…already have tickets”, said Twilight, incredulously.
“These were a thank you gift from Celestia for defeating Nightmare Moon”, said Gojira.
“That’s great! That means we’ll all be able to hangout together at the gala”, said Twilight, cheerfully. She expected Gojira to share her enthusiasm, but he seemed to be feeling the opposite emotion.
“That is, if we all were to go”, he said. Twilight’s smile formed into a confused frown.
“What do you mean?”, she asked.
“I’m not sure if I should go”, answered Gojira. You could hear the sound of glass shattering as Twilight’s jaw dropped. Even Spike couldn’t help but look just as shocked.
“What? Why?”, asked Spike.
“It’s not really my thing”, said Gojira, better that or saying that he’d be bringing the spirit of a deceased kaiju along with him.
“But the Grand Galloping Gala is one of the most important dates in all of Equestrian history. How could you not go to it?”, asked Twilight.
“It’s just not my thing”, replied Gojira. “I don’t like being in large crowds and I think it’s overly fancy for me.”
“I thought it was overly fancy for me when I first went, but I turned out just fine”, retorted Twilight.
“That’s because you lived in Canterlot for most of your life, and besides, it’s not just the crowds I’m worried about”, said Gojira. Twilight was confused by his answer, it seemed he was more hesitant about the ponies that were going to be at the gala rather than the gala itself.
“What do you mean?”, she asked. Gojira let out a heavy sigh.
“Look at me, Twilight. I’m unlike any kind of pony you or anypony else has seen. And every time I walk out my door, I’m always judged and stared at as if I’m some kind of freak”, said Gojira. Twilight listened intently as Gojira seemed to be spilling some baggage.
“Yesterday, I went out into town to buy groceries. When I went into the market, I was constantly being followed by workers. At first I thought it was a coincidence, until I heard them whispering. You know what they said…make sure that the delinquent doesn’t steal anything valuable”, said Gojira. Twilight almost spat out her water after hearing that. Spike meanwhile was trying to figure out what the word delinquent meant.
“That’s terrible, did you say anything?”, asked Twilight.
“I left shortly afterwards, but that’s not the first time that’s happened”, said Gojira. “That’s why you don’t see me around Ponyville, I’m always followed by a paparazzi of silent insults. I don’t want to imagine how others would react to me at the gala.”
Gojira had to mentally tell himself to stop speaking, out of caution to not say anything too revealing. The images of angered, intrigued, concerned, and even frightened stares of several ponies flashed in his mind. He’d seen them so often that he barely bothered reacting to them. He looked back at Twilight who seemed to have a sympathetic look on her face.
“I’m sorry you go through that Gojira, but trying to isolate yourself inside your home isn’t going to help improve how others see you”, said Twilight. “I’ve seen both Rodan and Anguirus in town several times, and they don’t seem to attract any kind of negative attention.”
“That’s because they’re much friendlier looking than I am. I mean, look at this”, said Gojira, as he stood up to his full height. He did this to emphasize his point, but all Twilight saw was the surprisingly muscular build of this stallion. Twilight had to look away to try and hide her flustered expression.
“I-I understand that”, said Twilight. “But maybe going to the gala might provide an opportunity.”
“What kind of opportunity?”, asked Gojira as he sat back down.
“The opportunity for others to see who you really are”, said Twilight. “You’ve shown me and the others your true colors, now it’s time to show other ponies. And the gala is a good place to start.”
Gojira knew Twilight was trying to help, and it was kinda working. Perhaps the gala could act as an escape of sorts from the abundance of training he had to endure. The event would have more ponies attending than the Summer Sun Celebration, but perhaps there wouldn’t be as many aspects to worry about. However, Gojira didn’t like the phrase “true colors” since his true colors were much uglier ones than Twilight or anyone actually knew about.
“I’ll…think about it”, replied Gojira. Not the answer she was looking for, but Twilight would take it.
“Well, if you do end up going, you and your brothers are gonna need something nice to wear”, she said. “What will your guy’s attire look like?”
Gojira hadn’t thought about that. He looked over himself before replying with a shrug. “I guess you're kinda looking at it”, he answered. Twilight looked dumbfounded while Spike tried to hold in a laugh.
“You’re…You’re kidding, right?”, asked Twilight.
“Oh, sorry”, said Gojira as he looked down at himself before removing the towel that was draped over his shoulders.
“Is that better?”, he asked. Twilight had to resist her instinct of placing her hoof against her brow.
“You’re gonna need to do more than that”, laughed Spike.
“Gojira, you can’t show up to the gala without wearing something nice”, said Twilight.
“But I don’t have any kind of suits and we don’t exactly have the money to buy three tailored suits for us”, said Gojira.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure Rarity would be more than happy to provide you and your brothers your own tuxedos”, said Twilight.
“Would she mind?”, asked Gojira.
“Of course not, in fact, she’s making dresses for all of us before we head to Canterlot. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind at all”, replied Twilight.
“Yep, she’s incredible at what she does”, said Spike as the image of the purple maned unicorn came to his mind causing him to form a romantic expression.
“Well, thanks, I’ll be sure to ask her that”, said Gojira. Twilight replied with a polite smile. It was contagious as even Gojira cracked a small smirk. He was a little surprised that he was opening up as much as he was to her. He would rarely talk about his personal problems to anyone, not even his own brothers. It made Gojira wonder what was so different here.
“Speaking of Canterlot, I’ve always wondered”, said Gojira, “why did you decide not to go back to Canterlot after the Summer Sun celebration?” Twilight looked down at her now empty glass.
“Well, I guess I found a reason for me to stay behind”, she answered.
“What kind?”, asked Gojira.
“I’ve met so many ponies that I care about that it made me realize just how important friendship is. And it’s a feeling that I never really got at Canterlot. Well, except for this little guy right here”, said Twilight, before placing her hoof on Spike’s head.
“Yep, it was just me and Twilight at Canterlot for the most part before coming here to Ponyville”, said Spike.
“It made the idea of leaving almost heartbreaking to us, so me and Spike decided to stay here in Ponyville. After all, I could still do my studies in the Golden Oaks Library”, said Twilight.
“Well, that’s nice to hear”, said Gojira as he stood up to refill both his and Twilight’s glasses.
“Yeah, I’m glad I met ponies like you, Gojira, a true friend I can count on”, said Twilight. Gojira stopped dead in his hoofsteps. The sudden jerk in movement didn’t go unnoticed.
“Are you alright, Gojira?”, asked Twilight.
“What did you say?”, asked Gojira.
“I called you a friend, why?”, asked Twilight. A simple gesture of kindness striking Gojira like a dagger. It shouldn’t have affected him as much, but for reasons he didn’t know, it did. He stood motionless for a few seconds, catching the attention of Twilight.
“N-Nothing, just thought I misheard you”, replied Gojira. Twilight looked at Spike who shared her confusion with a shrug.
“Is something wrong?”, asked Twilight as she stood up and walked over to Gojira.
“Uhh, no, nothing’s wrong”, said Gojira. “Just…confused is all.” He felt his mind curse at him for not using a better word.
“Confused on what?”, asked Twilight, “do you not consider us friends?” There was a hint of worry in her voice, almost as if she was hurt by his words.
“No, no, it’s not that, but…”, Gojira couldn’t find the right words. He couldn’t change the subject now since he had dug his hole too deep. He let out a sigh before staring back at the purple unicorn in front of him.
“I’ve…never had a real friend before”, he answered. The worry in Twilight’s eyes faded as they widened out of shock. She saw Gojira’s amber eyes soften as he recalled his past.
“Never?”, she asked, Gojira slightly nodded.
“I was homeschooled for most of my childhood so I never had a chance to interact with other kids. It was just me, my brothers, and my parents for the most part”, he said. “Even when I did interact with the other colts, I could never fit in with them. They always thought that I was…different. I guess, in many regards, they were right.” Twilight could sense the coldness in his voice.
A small smile formed on Gojira’s lips as he recalled the warm memory. “My parents were basically my entire life. They weren’t the richest ponies, but their love for me and my brothers was practically infinite. Even after that time Rodan and Anguirus scared the hay out of mom by hiding in her garden.” He lightly chuckled as he remembered the image of his mother’s beautiful face.
Gojira’s smile, however, dropped as his head lowered. “They…were incredible”, he said, gloomily.
Twilight and Spike shared a sympathetic expression as Gojira talked about his past. Twilight especially felt the most compassion for him and even a shroud of guilt. When she first saw Gojira, she judged him just like everyone else. She thought he was a daunting and astounding pony with a gruffly voice and abnormal height for a stallion. She thought he was different. Twilight felt she couldn’t call herself better than any of the other ponies that judged him. She placed a hoof on Gojira’s shoulder.
“Gojira…I’m sorry”, she said.
“It’s alright, I guess it was only a matter of time before I opened up to somepony”, said Gojira.
“No, that’s not what I meant”, replied Twilight. Gojira looked at her a little confused. “I’m sorry for how I judged you when we first met. It was wrong of me to form an opinion on you without getting to know you.”
Gojira was a little surprised. “That’s…That’s alright, I don’t blame you”, he said.
“But you should, because if I didn’t see you more often, then I never would’ve been able to see how nice of a stallion you are. I never would’ve got to see how selfless you are, how trustworthy you are. I never would’ve gotten to see you do stuff that I’ve never seen any other pony pull off, and all for ponies you care about”, said Twilight. Gojira felt a little incredulous as he listened to Twilight. He could tell by her tone of voice that she was being sincere about what she was saying.
“So, I’m sorry for how we first met, but I am happy to now call you a friend”, she finished. A light blush formed on Gojira’s face as he tried coming up with a reply.
“Th-Thank you, that…that means a lot”, he said. Twilight politely smiled to let Gojira know she returned the feeling. Spike watched the two with a saddened look before climbing off his chair and walking up to Gojira.
“Hey, Gojira”, he said softly, catching Gojira’s attention. “If it makes you feel better, I also consider you a friend.” The little dragon’s innocence made his words more heartwarming to Gojira than he thought they would.
Gojira lightly chuckled before ruffling up the young dragon’s spikes. “I consider you one too, Spike”, he said.
Though their interaction was only meant to be brief, Gojira felt happy that both Twilight and Spike decided to stay. Not only did it make for a nice break in between training, but he got to learn more about his two friends. It felt a little odd saying that word, “friends”, but it also felt pretty nice. It felt nice to know that at least one pony trusted him.
However, at the same time, Gojira knew neither Twilight, Spike, nor anyone knew who he really was. He was more than just an odd looking pony, he was a vessel for a kaiju spirit. He had extraordinary strength and abilities that not even most unicorns could understand. He was an abnormally tall stallion and then some. And he couldn’t let anyone find out, not even those that he grew close to. He learned his lesson.
‘Just enjoy it for now’, Gojira thought to himself.
“Well, by the sounds of things, we should probably get going”, said Twilight. “I’m sure the mob has long gone by now.”
“You sure you don’t want me to escort you two, just in case?”, asked Gojira.
“I’m sure we’ll be fine”, said Twilight.
“Yeah, besides, I’ll help bring her back to the Golden Oaks library”, said Spike confidently. Gojira smirked from the little dragon’s bravery.
“You’re positive you don’t need help?”, asked Gojira.
“Nope, nothing gets past me”, gloated Spike. Right as the words left his mouth, there was a loud bang from the door followed by heavy breathing. The noise was enough to make Spike jump in fright and cling on to Twilight.
“What was that!”, exclaimed Spike.
Gojira walked past them with Twilight following behind. They both peaked behind the wall to see who made the noise. Gojira was a little tense as he at first thought it was some kind of invader. Only for his tension to all but vanished as soon as he recognized the crimson colored pegasus. Rodan frantically locked the door behind him before placing his body weight on it. He was sweating profusely and was taking deep gasps of breath.
“Rodey?”, asked Gojira.
“Gojira…ponies…everywhere…after…tickets”, he could all but muster. In the middle of his gasps, he noticed Twilight standing behind Gojira. As soon as he saw the two together, it was as if he had all but forgotten about the mob he was being chased by.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?”, he asked, coyly. “Sorry to interrupt you two.”
Twilight looked a little confused while Gojira let out a groan. “It’s not like that Rodan”, said Gojira. “Twilight was just-”
“No, no, please continue, I’ll let you both have your peace”, said Rodan before walking upstairs. “Oh, and also, don’t mention anything about tickets in public”, he lightly shivered, “trust me, you’ll regret it.” Rodan walked up to his room before closing the door behind him. Gojira, Twilight, and Spike all shared different expressions of confusion and flatness.
“What was that about?”, asked Spike.
“Not important”, answered Gojira.
“You know, on second thought, the extra protection would be nice”, said Twilight followed with a small smile.
“Sure thing madam, count on me to escort you and your colleague to your living quarters”, said Gojira with a royal accent and a salute. Twilight lightly chuckled at his impression.
“Then lead the way”, she replied.
Gojira, Twilight, and Spike each exited the house with Gojira leading the way. Twilight looked up at her tall, new friend; feeling proud of herself. There truly was more to this stallion than meets the eyes. As they walked, Spike noticed that Twilight was walking a little closer to Gojira, but he assumed nothing of it. None of them noticed Rodan peering from upstairs as he watched his older brother leave with his new friend.
“And the seeds have been planted”, he snickered to himself.
Christmas Special: The Greatest Gift One Could Ask For
The sun rose above the winter stricken land. A wide landscape of tall trees covered in a bright blanket of snow. The lakes had been frozen over, several mammals had gone into hibernation, and all the birds had migrated to warmer climates. The sight of the sun’s solar rays confirmed the start of a new day. But this wasn’t just any day of the year, but a rather special one. The time of year that had become a yearly, worldwide tradition. A day filled with happiness, gratitude, and warmth. Today marked the beginning of Hearth’s Warming, the most wonderful time of the year.
As the sun rose, a small village hidden within the forest had awakened to its natural light. Snow covered the streets and buildings of the village as several ponies exited their homes. As the adults greeted each other and the children played in the snow, one house on the outskirts of the town lay mostly quiet. Unlike the others which had been decorated with lights, flowers, streamers, and other decorations, this small building remained mostly bare with only a reef hung up on the door.
Inside rested two adult ponies, one a tall, earth stallion, the other a shorter, but beautiful pegasus. The stallion laid on one side of the bed while the mare clung to his back for his warmth. While in their deep sleep, neither could hear the sound of pitter patter and light snickering as their bedroom door slowly opened. The stallion’s ear twitched before he slowly began to open his eyes. He at first expected to be greeted by his wife, what he didn’t expect were three, energetic colts all with wide smiles on their faces.
“Wake up, wake up!”, the three colts sang as one tugged on their father’s hoof and another climbed on to the bed.
“Wake up, Dad! It’s finally here”, said Angurius as he pressed his hooves against his father’s back.
“Hmm, sorry boys, but I think it’s too early to celebrate”, yawned Dagon. “Maybe we can skip this Hearth’s Warming.”
“What! No way”, replied Rodan as he hovered in the air with his wings. “Hearth’s Warming is the best time of the whole year! Nopony would miss it for the world!”
Dagon lightly chuckled as he looked down at the remaining colt that still held on his hoof. “What do you think, Gojira?”, he asked.
“I think you should get out of bed and help us build a snowman outside!”, he exclaimed.
“Nuh-uh, what we should do is open presents first”, retorted Rodan who flew back down to the floor.
“But I love playing in the snow. We only get to see it once a year”, replied Gojira.
“Yeah, but the snow can wait”, said Rodan. As the two older colts argued, Anguirus looked over toward their mother who had stayed asleep throughout the whole thing.
“Should I wake up Mom, Dad?”, he asked. Dagon looked to his left and saw the mare that he loved sound asleep as if she was completely unaware of the three children that had invaded their bedroom.
“Why don’t you three head off to the living room and me and your mother will meet you there”, advised Dagon.
“Ok, Dad. First one there gets to open presents!”, Rodan called out before flying through the door.
“You're on”, replied Gojira as he ran after him.
“Not fair, you both know I’m not fast!”, exclaimed Anguirus as he hurried after them. Dagon lightly chuckled before looking over at the sleeping mare laying next to him.
“Wake up, my dear, the children are awake”, he said softly. Velvet stirred awake as she was met with the smiling face of her husband.
“Merry Hearth’s Warming, honey”, she said as she greeted Dagon with a warm smile.
“Merry Hearth’s Warming”, he replied. Velvet scooted over as she rested her head against Dagon’s chest, his warm fur making a comfortable pillow.
“Let me guess, they’re already in the living room ready to open presents?”, she asked.
“Did you even have to ask?”, replied Dagon. Velvet smiled as she leaned to plant a kiss on her husband’s cheek.
“I’m sure they’ll be as energetic as ever”, she said as she let out a yawn.
“Heh, more than likely. But, at the end of the day, it’s still a holiday”, said Dagon. The two held each other in an embrace before Dagon broke away. “By the way, are you positive that you’re capable of handling today?”
“Honey, we’ve been over this, I feel fine”, said Velvet with her reassuring smile. “You’ve been asking me this question for the past week, the doctor himself said that my cold should go away with time.”
“But he said that almost a week ago and…”, Dagon placed his hoof against Velvet’s head, it felt abnormally warm, “not much has really changed”, said Dagon.
“Dagon, I’m telling you, I’m fine”, said Velvet. “We only get so few holidays with our children and nothing is going to stop me from being at every single one of them.” She placed her hooves on Dagons. “You can trust me, right?”, she asked. Dagon stared at her deep green eyes, they were filled with sincerity and love. They reminded him why he first fell in love with this mare. Dagon leaned in and pressed his forehead against Velvets.
“There is no pony I trust more than you”, he said softly.
“Thank you dear”, replied Velvet. “Now come on, I’m sure the kids are waiting for us.” Dagon nodded as the two got out of bed. Velvet wrapped her wing around Dagon for all of his warmth. The gesture brought a soft smile to the gruff looking stallion’s face.
A few minutes later, the family was gathered around their tree. It was a relatively small tree with it being barely the same height as Dagon, but nevertheless, it was still decked out in all kinds of lights, ornaments, and tinsel. There were even a few gifts under the tree and each of the colts were hard at work, ripping away the wrapping to open up each of the boxes. Gojira and Rodan managed just fine, though Anguirus needed the help of his mother due to his smaller size. Most of the gifts contained toys, clothes, small goody bags, and treats. After a few minutes there were eventually only three presents left.
“Why did we have to save these for last?”, asked Rodan.
“Because your father and I believe that these gifts are extra special than your other ones”, said Velvet.
“Indeed, your mother worked really hard on them”, added Dagon.
Gojira, Rodan, and Anguirus each opened their gifts at the same time. They ripped away the paper to reveal white boxes. They each opened the boxes to see its contents. Inside were wool, winter hats each having the first letter of each corresponding colt and their respective colors. The three brothers were each surprised by the gifts.
“Surprise!”, cheered Velvet.
“Wow, look at mine! Look at mine!”, exclaimed Anguirus as he pointed to his first initial that was woven into the cotton.
“No way mines better”, replied Rodan.
“You…made these for us?”, asked Gojira.
“Of course”, said Velvet.
“Nopony knits as well as your mother”, added Dagon. Although both Anguirus and Rodan seemed happy about their gift, Gojira seemed more split. This reaction caught the attention of his parents whose smiles were dropped for worried frowns.
“Is something wrong?”, asked Dagon.
“N-No, nothing is”, said Gojira as he looked over the hat again. “I just thought you were gonna use the wool for something you would want.” Velvet’s frown was replaced with a motherly smile as she lightly chuckled.
“Oh, no dear, I knitted these hats specifically for you three”, said Velvet.
“But, what about your cold?”, asked Gojira. Velvet had to hold back a scoff.
“Don’t you worry about me, I already have one man to do that”, said Velvet as she gestured to Dagon who replied with an eye roll. “And besides, I want what’s best for you three, something that lets you know just how much I love you little guys.”
Velvet bent down to hug both Anguirus and Rodan who both returned the hug. She extended her hoof for Gojira to join. He looked down at his gift, his mother’s style of knitting was present all over the hat. With a warm smile Gojira ran up and embraced his mother and his brothers.
“Thank you, mom”, the three said in unison.
“Your welcome, boys”, replied Velvet.
Dagon watched as his wife snuggled her children as tightly as she could. Dagon didn’t just see his family, he saw four ponies that he loved immensely. He saw four ponies that he couldn’t live his life without. He saw four ponies that he vowed to protect whether it be in health or not. His mind went back to the time he first laid eyes upon Velvet, their encounter happened by chance and the rest was history. History that Dagon was replaying in his mind and history that, little did he know, would go on for many more years to come. The youngest colt tugged in his father’s hoof, catching his attention.
“Can we go out into the snow now?”, asked Anguirus.
“Yeah! Can we, can we?”, asked Gojira, excitedly.
“Alright, go on boys, grab your winter coats”, said Dagon. The three brothers each ran off toward the coat rack with their winter hats in tow.
“It’s cute how selfless he already is”, said Velvet as she walked up to her husband. “He really is a lot like you.”
“Heh, yeah”, said Dagon. “Rodan and Anguirus are just like you.”
“How so?”, asked Velvet.
“They are loving, kind, full of life, have beautiful eyes and very supportive”, said Dagon. “And above all else, they make me the happiest stallion alive.” Velvet smiled as a faint blush formed on her face. Her eyes suddenly lit up.
“That reminds me”, she said before quickly running into the kitchen. After a couple of seconds she returned with a present. “I believe you should open this before you go.”
Dagon was a little surprised to see it, but nevertheless accepted the package and started to unwrap it. After tearing away the paper and opening the parsil, he was met with a sight that caused his heart to skip a beat. Inside was a long, carefully knitted scarf composed of deep blue wool; his favorite color. But that wasn’t all, on the end of the scarf, Velvet had knitted a couple of letters that read “For My Beloved” and on the other end depicted a symbol he knew all too well; it was the same one on his left flank. Dagon looked back up at his wife who wore a warm smile.
“I couldn’t wait any longer”, she said softly. “I didn’t really know what else to get you, and I know we don’t have a lot of money to spend so I-”
“I love it”, interrupted Dagon. Velvet’s eyes widened as she looked up at her husband who shared her warm smile.
“Thank you, Vel”, he said. The two locked eyes for a while before slowly starting to lean forward. Their lips were inches apart from one another until a sudden noise interrupted them.
“Ready!”, the three brothers said. Dagon and Velvet were caught off guard as they immediately retracted. Seeing it was just their children, the two shared a small laugh over it.
“Alright boys, I’ll meet you out there”, said Dagon. The three brothers ran toward the door, or in the case of Rodan, flew toward it. Before Dagon followed them, Velvet jumped forward and delivered a small peck on his cheek.
“Have fun”, she said. Dagon lightly blushed before wrapping the scarf his wife made for him around his neck and walked out the door.
No matter where one looked or where one stood, snow had covered every square foot of the village. The buildings, the lakes, the trees, even the sky was raining white, powdery crystals on to the land of Equestria. It was the perfect environment for a child’s imagination to run wild. And the Zawa family had three of them. The second the door opened, the three brothers ran outside on to the porch and took in their surroundings. They were amazed to see their once summer town completely taken over by a blanket of white.
“Alright, boys”, said Dagon as he walked outside. “What do we wanna do first?”
“Snow angels!”, shouted Anguirus.
“Snowball fight!”, exclaimed Rodan.
“Snowman!”, added Gojira. Dagon playfully rolled his eyes, he could tell they were gonna spend quite some time outside.
The three brothers each played in the snow for several hours. Anguirus made snow angel after snow angel until his arms had grown tired. By the time he finished, he had filled the entire front lawn with dozens of pony shaped angels. He was very proud of himself, even after his father made a snow angel of his own and it turned out to be more than three times larger than any of his. Meanwhile, Gojira and Rodan worked on their very own snowman. They each created the three large snowballs that were used to make the body of the snowman before running around the yard to find sticks and stones to make its arms and face. After a couple of minutes, they had a fully dressed and decorated snowman.
“Done, he looks good”, said Rodan.
“Yeah, I know”, said Gojira. “Let’s call him… Snowflake!”
“Snowflake, seriously?”, replied Rodan as he started to chuckle. Gojira shot a glare at his younger brother.
“Oh, like you could come up with a better name”, argued Gojira.
“Alright I will. We should call him…uhh”, Rodan scratched his chin trying to come up with a name. He looked around to see if anything would give him inspiration. Unfortunately, the only notable thing he saw was a broken tree branch buried in the snow.
“Branch…”, said Rodan.
“Real clever name, Rodey”, Gojira said with sarcasm.
“At least it’s better than Snowflake”, replied Rodan.
“Nu-uh”, said Gojira.
“Yeah-huh”, replied Rodan.
“Nu-uh”
“Yeah-huh”
“Nu-uh”
“Yeah-huh”
“Nu-uh”
Their argument eventually caught the attention of their own father. “Hey, boys, what’s all the yelling for?”, he asked.
“Gojira wants to give the snowman a dumb name”, said Rodan.
“But Rodan’s name is even dumber”, replied Gojira.
“Nu-uh”, said Rodan.
“Yeah-huh”, retorted Gojira.
“Alright, that’s enough from both of you!”, exclaimed Dagon as he stepped in between the boys.
“But we have to give it some kind of a name”, said Gojira. Dagon thought about it for a quick second before an idea flew into his mind.
“I know exactly what we should do. We’ll have ourselves a little contest. The winner will be allowed to name the snowman”, he said.
“Contest? What kind of contest?”, asked Rodan. A cheeky smile formed on Dagon’s face as he slowly walked over to a small pile of snow.
“Oh, I was thinking maybe a…SNOWBALL FIGHT!”, he exclaimed before throwing a snowball toward both Gojira and Rodan.
The snowball completely missed since he wasn’t trying to actually hit them, but the thrill was enough to cause the brothers to run in opposite directions. Anguirus even got in on the action as he too joined in the snowball fight. Just like that, their peaceful front yard had turned into a battlefield as the three brothers and their father ran back and forth sculpting and throwing snowballs at one another.
Due to his larger size, Dagon was an easy target for the three brothers and it wasn’t long before he was pelted with snowballs. Meanwhile, Gojira and Rodan were primarily focusing on one another. Rodan’s flight made things much harder for Gojira, but when Rodan did fly he wouldn’t carry many snowballs with him. But that wouldn’t stop him from chasing his brother down with snowballs in his hoofs.
“I got you now!”, exclaimed Rodan. In a last ditch effort, Gojira lept behind a tree and when Rodan followed him he found nothing behind the tree. Rodan scratched his head in confusion.
“Where’d you go?”, he asked himself. Little did he know, Gojira was hiding behind the very snowman they had built. Gojira lightly chuckled at his younger brother’s confusion.
However, as he laughed, the sound of laughing caused his ear to perk up. It sounded like several ponies were laughing at something which made Gojira look around. From across the street, he noticed several other young colts and fillies having their own snowball fight but with igloos and other snow forts. They seemed to not only be incredibly happy, but appeared to also be having way more fun than the snowball fight he was currently in. Gojira didn’t know why, but he started to wonder if they would mind if maybe he and his brothers could join them. He was about to run over and ask them, until a snowball collided with his back.
“Gotcha!”, shouted Rodan in triumph. Gojira almost forgot about his thoughts as he shook his head from the cold snow.
“No fair, I was distracted!”, exclaimed Gojira in protest.
“Doesn’t matter”, replied Rodan as he flew back down to the ground to gloat. “And with that, I’m now allowed to finally name the snow-”
Rodan’s very words were brought to an abrupt halt as he felt a snowball hit him in his rear. He clutched his bum from the extreme cold before turning around to see who had thrown it. Only to be met with the happy look of his younger brother in the form of Anguirus.
“I win, I win!”, cheered Anguirus as he hopped up and down.
“Good job, Aang, you’ve earned the privilege to name the snowman”, said Dagon as he congratulated his son. Rodan stood in complete shock.
“What! But that’s not fair, I was distracted”, he retorted. The only one to reply was Gojira with a scoff.
“Doesn’t matter”, Gojira replied.
“Cheer up boys, we can make more snowmen that you both can name, but for right now, your younger brother can name this one”, said Dagon before turning to the youngest child. “So, Anguirus, what should we call him?”
“Umm…how about…Jeffery!”, exclaimed Anguirus.
“Jeffery it is”, said Dagon. Although Anguirus seemed happy with the name, Gojira and Rodan couldn’t do much but grumble.
“Ok, now what should we do?”, asked Rodan. Dagon pondered for a little while before looking up at the sky. The falling snow gave him an idea.
“Kids, I’m gonna show you how to catch snowflakes”, he said. The three brothers looked confused.
“Catch them… with our hooves?”, asked Anguirus.
“Nope, with our mouths”, replied Dagon. “Just stick out your tongue and wait for a snowflake to fall on it.” Dagon demonstrated by sticking his tongue out and allowing a few snowflakes to land on it. The three brothers glanced at one another, all three wore determined faces.
It was meant to be a fun activity, but the three brothers saw it as another competition. Not before long the boys ran around the yard to see who could catch the most snowflakes. Though Anguirus was having fun, both Gojira and Rodan were incredibly competitive. Once again, Rodan’s flight came in handy, however that wasn’t stopping Gojira from catching as many snowflakes he could. One particular flake that Gojira had his eyes on was blown around in the wind. Not wanting to give up, Gojira gave chase to the fluttering flake as it eventually landed on a metal pole.
Without a second thought, Gojira pressed his tongue against the pole thinking he had finally caught a snowflake. He was proud of himself and was about to pull away to catch some more. Unfortunately, when he tried to pull away, his tongue didn’t move from the pole. He tried again and again before eventually stopping as his tongue started to ache.
“Uw oh…uwwww, Dad?”, called out Gojira. Dagon noticed his son not moving and ran up to him.
“Gojira, what’s the mat-”, Dagon was cut off when he noticed what kind of predicament his child got himself into. To say the least, he had to hold back a laugh that nearly escaped his lips.
“What happened?”, he asked.
“I was ‘hasing a snowwake and gyout my youngue stuck to a holl”, said Gojira, though his words were barely understandable. Both Rodan and Anguirus walked over to see what was happening. Although Dagon could hold back a laugh, Rodan and Anguirus didn’t even bother.
“What h-happened”, laughed Anguirus.
“You could’ve at the very least waited till dinner to satisfy your appetite”, added Rodan.
“Stawp lauthing at me”, said Gojira as he tried to glare at his brothers.
“Cut it out you two”, scolded Dagon as he looked at the younger brothers. “Now then, Anguirus, head back inside and fetch a glass of warm water.”
“Ok, sorry Goji”, said Anguirus as he ran back to the house.
“Oh, and also, if your mother asks why, just say you were thirsty”, added Dagon. Anguirus nodded before walking inside the house.
“Are we onna hel mum apout dis?”, asked Gojira.
“Don’t worry, she won’t find out”, reassured Dagon.
The four continued to play outside until the sun was slowly starting to set and they were forced to come inside. The three brothers immediately went to play with some of the new toys they got while their parents prepared dinner.
“So tell me, did you boys have fun in the snow?”, asked Velvet.
“Yep, the boys seemed to have been enjoying themselves”, said Dagon.
“That’s nice to hear, it rarely ever snows in this town”, said Velvet.
“They probably would’ve stayed outside for the rest of the day had it not been for the promise of your delicious cooking”, said Dagon. A smile crept on to Velvet’s lips.
“Well now, someponys been acting extra sweet today”, she teased.
“It is the most wonderful time of the year”, said Dagon. He set the fully cooked food on the dining table. There wasn’t a wide variety of contents, but enough to feed the current family of five they had.
“I’ll go gather the boys”, said Velvet before leaving the kitchen.
“Alright, don’t take too long, my mouth’s just watering looking at your cooking”, said Dagon.
Velvet playfully rolled her eyes as she walked into the living room. However, before she entered, she stopped as all she heard was the sound of laughter and innocence coming from her children. She peeked around the corner of the hall and watched Gojira, Rodan, and Anguirus all play together and act out adventures with their imaginations. Velvet smiled over the sight but something about this particular moment on this particular day made it feel different.
Velvet couldn’t recall a time in her life that made her feel this way. All she remembered was when she was filled with anxiety. Dark thoughts would plague her mind over the uncertainty of where her future would lead. It was here when she met someone who changed her life forever; she could still remember that night when she saw a tall, gruff looking stallion by chance. After so many years of running, searching, and struggling, they had finally found a place that Velvet couldn’t say she ever had before: a home.
This was her home, she had her own family with her own children and significant other. She had finally found an environment where she felt comfortable and safe, an environment that had ponies that loved and appreciated her, an environment that made her past feel like a bad dream; one that when she woke up, she was in the arms of someone she cherished so heavily. And this day, the day filled with happiness and love was when she finally felt it; a magical feeling of warmth. A similar warmth to that of a fireplace with her family around her, sharing the same love they had for her that she had for them.
She was broken out of her trance by the sound of someone taking a deep breath. She tried turning around only to feel herself being pulled into a deep hug. She was taken aback until she saw her husband wearing a sympathetic expression on his face.
“Velvet, what’s wrong?”, asked Dagon. Velvet was confused at first until she felt something trickle down her cheek. She placed her hoof against her face to confirm that she had been crying without realizing it. She looked up at Dagon who still looked worried. Fortunately, that look faded when Velvet smiled brightly.
“Nothing”, she said, “I’m just so thankful.”
She wrapped her hooves around Dagon who reciprocated. The two were locked in a tight embrace with neither wanting to break it. Velvet allowed a few more tears to escape as she hugged tighter. The images of a past filled with fear, sacrifice, and pain had faded into a future filled with hope. After a minute which felt more like a lifetime to Velvet, Dagon eventually backed away.
“I was hoping to save this for later tonight, but…”, he pulled out a fully wrapped parser with a bow on top, “I think now is as good a time as any.”
Velvet was surprised before accepting the present. She flashed Dagon with a smile to show her gratitude. She opened the box and removed the surprising amount of paper inside until she revealed the innards. One look and her mouth was agape. She pulled out what appeared to be a specially crafted piece of pottery that had been painted in the same color as her mane with the phrase “Happy Hearth’s Warming” engraved on the side. In the walls of the pottery were several, small carvings of a symbol, the same symbol that was on Velvet’s flank.
“Wh-Where did you…?”, she asked.
“I found somepony who works in ceramics”, said Dagon. “She told me that you need to put a candle inside of it and then you…”, he trailed off when he saw a few tears start to form on his wife’s face.
“Velvet?”, he asked with concern. Not a second later, Velvet jumped toward Dagon before embracing him in her arms.
“I love it, so much”, said Velvet. Dagon took a sigh of relief as he returned the hug. “Thank you so much.”
“I’m glad you like it, honey”, said Dagon.
“Not just the gift”, said Velvet. “I’m so thankful that you’re part of my life and for everything you’ve given me.”
Dagon lightly smiled. “I want what’s best for you, something that shows just how much I love you”, he said. The two broke their embrace, only to lean in for a passionate kiss.
“Ewww, love”, said a trio of young voices. The parents broke their kiss to see their children standing in front of them, having seen their heart-to-heart moment. Dagon couldn’t but lightly chuckled.
“Come here you little rascals”, he said before grabbing each of the brothers in his arms. They each squealed with laughter as they tried to break free from their father’s grasp before eventually returning their father’s hug. Both Dagon and Velvet stared back at each other before sharing another kiss.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming, Velvet”, said Dagon.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming, my beloved”, replied Velvet.
With the snow falling to the ground and the moon having risen from the horizon, the night of Hearth’s Warming commenced as the Zawa family prepared for dinner. Here they shared stories about the day with one young filly accidentally mentioning a particular event that caused their father to laugh nervously as their mother glared at him.
Nevertheless, when the plates were cleared and the dishes fully cleaned, the family gathered around the tree. Dagon set a candle inside of Velvet’s new gift before setting it alight. Though none of the family members were unicorns, the resulting light emitted from the pot was nothing short of magical. The boys tried to stay awake for as long as they could until sleep took over their small bodies. With the brothers put to bed, their parents sat next to each other in the living room, spending what they didn’t know would be their last Hearth’s Warming together.
Many years passed and the very same brothers, now grown up and matured, gathered every day on the night of Hearth’s Warming to light that very pot which was now the centerpiece of a memorial. Surrounding it were the winter hats their mother knit and the scarf that used to belong to their father. Here they would pay their respects to the very mare and stallion that gave them the best childhood memories one could ask for.
With the warmth of a fireplace spreading through each of their hearts, Gojira, Rodan, and Anguirus could feel the presence of their loved ones around them. Their mother had made a promise their last holiday spent together, nothing would stop her from being at each and every Hearth’s Warming that they celebrated. Little did she know that her own husband had made that same promise. And as the candle started to die out, another Hearth’s Warming had come to an end. Dagon and Velvet got to see the smiles on their sons; the greatest gifts they could’ve asked for.
“Ok, stand up straight , aaaaand…perfect, darling!”
Gojira stood as tall as he could while Rarity wrapped a measuring string around him. This was the final stage when it came to designing his suit. He, Rodan, and Anguirus had all visited Rarity’s tailor shop and had each been measured and picked out the colors and fabrics they wanted their suits to be made out of. While Rodan and Anguirus were fairly easy, Gojira proved to be more picky than his brothers and also more difficult to measure due to his larger height and size; she even had to pull out an extra measuring string. Nevertheless, Rarity persisted with him and wrote down the exact measurements needed for each of them.
“Sorry if this is any trouble for you”, said Gojira.
“None at all, Gojira, I’ve seen ponies of all kinds of shapes and sizes enter my shop”, said Rarity. At least, that’s how she felt until she noticed how far up she had to look.
‘Though, none quite as tall as you’, she thought to herself.
“Thank you again for the help, Rarity, we’re not exactly the best when it comes to formal attire”, said Anguirus.
“Oh, of course, darling. After all, you couldn’t have chosen anypony better for the job”, boasted Rarity. “Now then, Gojira, tell me, which one would you prefer?”
Using her magic, she lifted two different attires. One was a dark blue suit with a white undershirt and a thick white collar. Near the hems of the pants legs were white accents and around the collar was a black tie with a blue gem in the middle. The other suit was entirely black with a white undershirt and a blue bow tie. There was a white waistband near the back of the suit along with two white rings on the front hems while there were two blue rings on the back hems. Though they were obviously different, to Gojira, they might as well have been the same since they looked completely similar to him. After watching him look back and forth for a while with the only word he could muster being ‘umm’, Rarity took matters into her own hands.
“Personally, if you ask me”, she said while holding each suit up to Gojira one at a time, “I think the first one truly goes well with your dark fur. It makes you look elegant, almost royal if you ask me.”
“Well, you’re the expert”, said Gojira. Rarity smiled.
“Why thank you, darling”, she said.
“Compared to you, everypony is an expert”, joked Rodan. Gojira glared at his younger brother who pretended to look away by whistling.
“I’ll be sure to have each of your suits fully tailored by the end of the day”, said Rarity.
“We genuinely can’t thank you enough”, said Gojira. He pulled out a couple of bits, only for Rarity to notice.
“Oh, don’t worry, darling. That won’t be necessary”, she said. This gesture caught Gojira off guard.
“What? But, isn’t this expensive and I’d hate for you to not receive anything for your troubles”, he objected, only to be waived off by Rarity.
“Nonsense, my dear, I live for this. Besides, consider this payback for when you helped us get rid of that dragon”, she said. Gojira was at first surprised, but he then remembered what Twilight had told him and so merely shrugged.
“Alright then, thank you, that’s very kind of you”, he said.
“Honestly, can we just appreciate what’s currently happening to us?”, asked Rodan. “We’re about to go to the Grand Galloping Gala! Us, a couple of randos. I’ve always wondered what it would be like.”
“Yeah, it’s kinda unbelievable”, added Anguirus. “And I’m kinda surprised that you agreed to come, Goji. I thought you were adamant about not going.”
“At first I was. But after hearing some other pony’s opinion, I thought it’d be unwise to waste a perfectly good ticket”, said Gojira. Rodan snickered to himself; he had a good feeling who the pony was.
“Well, I think you made the right choice. I’ve been dreaming of this moment ever since we first got those tickets”, said Rarity as a dreamy look appeared on her face. “I can just imagine that tonight will be the night where I find that special somepony.”
“That’s not all, think of the music that they’ll play. It’s the perfect opportunity for me and Lisa to dance with each other”, said Rodan. Both he and Rarity looked toward Anguirus.
“Honestly, I’m just excited over the promise of free food”, he said. Rodan and Rarity felt weirdly disappointed by his answer. Gojira, however, couldn’t help but snicker in response.
“As long as you two are happy, then it’s fine by me”, he said, even though in reality he was probably the least excited to be going.
‘Five hours of my life about to be wasted by standing around in an overly glamorous suit surrounded by overly glamorous ponies. Now they really can’t say I did nothing for them’, he thought to himself.
“Well, whatever may happen”, said Rodan as he brought both his brothers together with his wings, “tonight is gonna be the best night ever!”
“You can say that again”, chipped in Anguirus.
“I hope so”, Gojira said to himself.
Meanwhile, in Canterlot, the entire castle had been fully lit up to accommodate for the eventual arrival of its guests. Despite this, there were still a few ponies running around the palace ensuring that everything was up to code. One of these ponies was none other than Caesar himself who was pacing back and forth in his room. However, he wasn’t worried about the gala itself and more so who was coming to it.
“So, you’re positive that all the boys are coming?”, he asked. The spirit of Alpha floated in front of him.
‘Positive, Gojira took some convincing, but I can assure you that you will see all three of them tonight.’
“And they each have their own attire, correct? I’d rather not have one of them show up to the gala in their birthday suit”, said Caesar.
‘They’re friends with someone who designs clothing, they each have already picked out their uniforms.’
“And did they receive the letter?”, asked Caesar. Alpha took longer to answer this question than the others.
‘Unfortunately, not as of right now. There’s a rather…unique character that works the postal service. But once they receive it, I will inform you.’
Caesar was a little upset by the answer, but simply shrugged it off. “I just wish to meet them before the gala to see how their training is going”, he said.
‘You have nothing to be worried about, Caesar. They each have been working hard on mastering their skills and they’ve come a long way since then.’
“You can tell me that, but will they say the same thing?”, asked Caesar. This level of precaution was something that Alpha would rarely see out of his old friend, and he knew what the cause of it could be.
‘Are you nervous about seeing the boys?’
Caesar let out a sigh. “Honestly, a little. It’s been months since the last time I saw those three, I doubt any of them will be pleased that I failed to keep my promise of seeing them”, he said. “Plus, there’s still the issue where I don’t know how Luna will react when she makes their acquaintances and of course there’s still the problem at hoof concerning you and the other kaiju spirits.”
Alpha could feel a sense of wandering dread in Caesar’s mind. With the gala now only a day away it seemed as though the stallion’s worries were starting to become exposed. Caesar didn’t have the greatest relationship with them, but he always tried to be there throughout their lives. After all, he had given them the kaiju spirits and both taught the history of the titans and had helped them learn some manner of self-defense. He always considered himself a guardian of theirs, so it felt off being away from them for so long.
‘I’m aware this is probably a big change for them, but you must realize, Caesar, they aren’t children anymore. They’re able to take care of themselves. Those boys managed to pull off stunts that no mere mortal could even dream of. And that wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for you, Caesar. You must have faith in them, because only then can you have faith in yourself.’
Caesar thought it over, perhaps Alpha had a point. But the lingering anxiety he felt was still there, only not as obvious. Before he could ask any more questions, the door to his room began to open. In a matter of a second, Alpha had completely vanished into thin air as a fellow guard walked into the room.
“Yo, Caesar, are you busy right now?”, asked Sharp Shot.
“Uhh, no, not at the moment, why?”, answered Caesar.
“Toolshed needs some help with the firework display and I thought she could use the assistance of a fellow unicorn”, said Sharp Shot.
“Sure, I’ll be over there soon”, said Caesar, a bit frantically.
“Thanks man, she’s being all kinds of stressed about it”, said Sharp Shot before a snicker escaped from his lips. “First Vincent, now Toolshed, everypony’s getting excited for tomorrow. Guess tomorrow’s gonna be one hay of a night!” Caesar nodded in agreement, although he wasn’t as enthusiastic about the gala as Sharp Shot may have perceived.
“I hope so”, said Caesar.
Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, the three brothers were each making their way back to their home. They had chosen their suits and were essentially all set for the big night tomorrow. They each had their own levels of excitement for the gala. Rodan was ecstatic over the thought, Gojira felt more weary than his brothers, and Anguirus was more so in the middle. Despite that, they all had plans and they each were looking forward to executing them.
“So, Rodey, how do you think Lisa’s gonna look at the gala?”, teased Anguirus.
“Oh, the best out of all the girls, without a doubt”, replied Rodan, a dreamy look was in his eyes as he pictured her in all kinds of dresses.
“Everypony’s gonna be so jealous when they see us together”, he said.
“They're also gonna wonder how the hay he got with her”, joked Gojira. Anguirus let out a snort, although Rodan didn’t appreciate the comment.
“Oh please, you wish you had somepony as great as her”, retorted Rodan. “Besides, there’s more to be excited for. We get to hangout with our friends, be served free food, wear nice clothing, and meet the princesses while we’re at it.”
“Don’t forget Caesar, I’m sure he’ll be happy to see us”, said Anguirus. With Gojira leading the way, neither of his brothers saw the unenthusiastic look he had when they mentioned Caesar. Meeting him added on to the list of concerns that made him wonder if he made the right choice in going.
“Just remember, guys”, said Gojira as he looked behind him, “there’s going to be several ponies at the gala so we’re gonna have to be extra careful when it comes to our kaiju spirits.”
“Yeah, yeah, we know. I’ve already prepared myself for that”, said Rodan. “I would rather be more focused on how we are supposed to get there because I doubt any of us wants to walk.”
“Well, the girls and Spike are going to be riding together, and I’m not entirely sure if there’s enough room for us in the…apple?”, said Anguirus, still confused by the choice of carriage.
“Knowing Caesar, he’s probably already got something planned. You know him, somehow has everything covered”, said Gojira. Though he intended for it to be a joke, he started to question if it was the actual truth once he saw someone standing at their door, causing him to stop.
Rodan and Anguirus were confused at first until they saw what, or rather who, their brother was staring at. At their front door stood a light gray pegasus with a bright yellow mane and tail and a cutie mark depicting three bubbles knocking on the door. She wore a brown vest with a white collar and wore a hat on her head that had an envelope symbol. The sound of hooves clopping caught the pegasus’ attention as she turned around, her crossed eyes widened when she saw the three much taller stallions.
“Hello”, said Gojira.
“Hi, I have a letter here fooooooor…Mr.Zawey from Caesar Salad, do you know him?”, asked Derpy. Gojira placed a hoof against his temple, he felt he had corrected her about the name several times.
“Yep, that’s this guy, Mr.Zawey!”, mocked Rodan as he elbowed Gojira’s chest. Derpy smiled.
“Great!”, she said before handing the letter to Gojira, “have a wonderful rest of your day!” Derpy turned to leave, only to walk face first into the front door. The impact caused her eyes to turn back to normal; only for her to shake her head which made them go back to cross eyed.
“Whoops, sorry”, she said before turning around and flying away. Throughout the whole encounter, the three brothers could only stand and watch with blank expressions, as if they had seen this many times before.
“At least this time she didn’t fly into a tree”, said Anguirus, only for the sound of broken branches and rustling of leaves to prove him wrong.
“Nevermind”, he said bluntly. Gojira rolled his eyes before opening the envelope. The second he saw the folded letter from within, he knew what it was gonna be about:
‘I have requested that a carriage be sent to bring you three to Canterlot, it should arrive at around 9:00. I will meet you at the front gate where we’ll discuss how each of your training experiences have been going. Remember to stay civil and respectful to all those attending the gala, we don’t want to turn any heads. Sincerely, Caesar.’
“What does it say?”, asked Rodan.
“Exactly what I thought it would”, answered Gojira as he handed the letter to his brothers to read.
“Well, at least we now know how we’re gonna get there”, said Anguirus.
“So what’s the big deal? If anything, this makes things a whole lot easier for us since now we don’t have to ask Twilight to make us a chariot out of a slice of bread or something like that”, said Rodan as he looked toward the seemingly unmoved expression on his brother’s face.
“There is no problem”, said Gojira as he looked back at the letter. “But I can’t say I didn’t see this coming.”
The night had finally come; the night of the Grand Galloping Gala. As the stars danced in the sky, several high class ponies from all across Equestria had come to take part in this beautiful late evening. Some were pegasus that flew while others had to travel by other means. The most popular form being traveling by carriage as dozens showed up at the entrance to Canterlot. One of the carriages that slowed to a stop in front of the gate was holding a group of passengers that were the most obscure out of any one else there.
Caesar waited anxiously at the entrance until he saw the familiar sight of the open faced, white carriage with gold trim. Pulling it were two other, fully suited guards that stopped at the front gates. Shortly afterwards, the three brothers stepped off of the carriage each wearing their own uniform. Anguirus wore a simple black tux with a white undershirt and black bow tie. Rodan was a little more formal as he wore a deep red tux with a white color along, a black tie, and a pair of maroon tinted shades. Gojira, however, was the most dressed up of the three with the deep blue suit that Rarity had picked out for him. Caesar greeted the three brothers with a nod as he approached them. Anguirus and Rodan replied with a smile while Gojira stayed stoic.
“Hello boys, it’s nice to see you three dress up for the occasion”, he said, referring to their attire.
“You got that right! I’ve never felt more dapper”, said Rodan.
“Where did you get those clothes from anyway?”, asked Caesar.
“A friend of ours works in fashion and she managed to get these fully tailored in less than a day”, said Anguirus.
“She must be quite talented”, said Caesar; he was mostly glad that they had made at least one friend. “So tell me, how has Ponyville been treating you three?”
“I think it’s been pretty good! I got a job to work on this farm where I buck trees, collect apples, and wrangle a few animals”, answered Anguirus. “The old mare that owns it is a little unhinged, but her granddaughter seems nice.” Caesar perked up when he mentioned another pony that he was potential friends with.
“Would you say you’ve made your acquaintances with this mare?”, asked Caesar.
“I…would like to believe so”, replied Anguirus.
“Personally, I believe that this has been our best move yet. I mean, there’s so far not a single thing bad I can say about our new home”, interjected Rodan.
“Nothing bad? Not even when Rainbow Dash and Pinkie pranked you so good that you got the hiccups?”, asked Anguirus. Rodan’s brow dropped.
“First of all, I let them prank me. Secondly, I would deal with their shenanigans any day of the week if it meant I can be around Lisa more often”, replied Rodan. Anguirus merely rolled his eyes in response.
“So you’ve made some friends in Ponyville, correct?”, asked Caesar.
“Yes, quite a few actually”, answered Rodan. Caesar’s face slightly dropped as he quickly looked around to make sure no one was listening.
“Be honest with me, do they know about our secret?”, Caesar whispered.
“No, they’re completely unaware”, said Gojira, abruptly. “We’ve each gotten to the point where we can be out in public and keep our powers under control.” Caesar still felt a little skeptical, especially when Alpha informed him of a certain dragon incident, but he decided not to dig for answers.
“Very well, I’m happy to hear that you’ve each been enjoying your venture in Ponyville”, he said. “But don’t let that stop you from continuing your training. Remember, the darkest day could happen any time, and when it does, we want to be ready.”
“We know, you tell us that every time we meet you”, said Gojira.
“I just want to make sure that each of you three know what your true objective is”, replied Caesar. “No matter where you live or who you meet, you three have a purpose. One, in which, nopony can find out about. We’ve each made our own sacrifices, let’s make sure they’re not in vain.”
Anguirus and Rodan gave nods that they understood, but Gojira was a bit more piqued than the others. This was the exact conversation that he knew they were gonna have and these were the exact things he would say. It was a conversation he had heard time and time again. They had been unable to see him for months and once more the first thing Caesar could talk about was the same thing they’ve heard time and time again. But now there was that added statement of sacrifices which left him more confused than upset. What did he mean by sacrifice, and why did he say each? From what he remembered, only three of the four ponies here had given up their lives for a cause that they weren’t even sure was fact or mere speculation. He held his tongue from adding anything more to the conversation.
“Anyways, I hope you each have a splendid time at the gala. I hope we can talk some more if my guard duties will allow it”, said Caesar.
“Oh, I’m sure we will!”, said Rodan as he wrapped his arms around his brothers. This move managed to force a small smile out of Gojira. Caesar was about to turn away until a thought came to his mind.
“Oh, and one more thing”, he said as he turned around. “Be careful what you say around the princesses. We’re already running the risk with Luna knowing about our secret; if Celestia finds out then all of Equestria does.” He gazed at all three of the brothers, however it seemed as though he directed his words to only one of them. Nevertheless, all three of them nodded in understanding.
“Yep, we got it. Try to fit in, remain clear minded, down as many horderves as possible, and don’t look stupid in front of Celestia…sounds easy enough”, said Rodan. Though Rodan seemed confident, the rest only hoped it was.
“Very well, see you boys inside”, said Caesar before he turned around and walked toward the palace of Canterlot.
“So, do we want to wait for the girls or…?”, asked Rodan.
“What does he mean by sacrifice?”, asked Gojira, completely ignoring his brother’s question. “What did he give up? He’s not the one that gave away years of their lives for something that they had no control over whether they wanted to be a part of it or not.”
“I guess we’ll wait”, said Rodan.
“I don’t think he meant anything malicious when he said that, Gojira”, said Anguirus.
“I’m not saying he did, I just don’t believe him”, replied Gojira. His symbol flashed as his mind started to race.
‘Believe it or not, there’s a lot about Caesar that you don’t know. He may not mention it, but he’s been through a lot to bring you each the lives you have today.’
“Look, can we not bring this issue up right now and instead try to just have a good time?”, said Rodan, trying to diffuse the tension.
“I’m not trying to get rallied up or anything-”, said Gojira.
“Hey Gojira!”
“Hey Spike, but my point is-…”, he stopped mid sentence when the name registered in his mind.
“Spike?”, he said as he and his brothers faced where the voice came from.
Sure enough, rolling up to the front gate of Canterlot was none other than Spike who was riding in the driver’s seat of a carriage that was roughly in the shape of an apple. However, instead of the weird looking mice-horse hybrids that they saw, the carriage was being pulled by two stallions who were obviously tired but still kept their smiles. The little dragon himself wore a simple tux similar to Anguirus’ only his bow tie was red instead of black. He hopped off the carriage and reached for the door.
“Sorry about being late”, he said before opening. “The others were busy getting ready.” The second the door opened and the girls stepped out, it made sense why they arrived later than the three brothers did.
Though the brothers each looked nice, the mane six’s dresses blew there’s out of the water. Twilight wore a light blue dress with stars scattered around. Applejack’s attire was light brown along with light green boots and a green collar that was held together with a clip in the shape of an apple. Rarity was the most elegant of them all with her gown being composed with all kinds of pinks, magentas, and golds, topped off with a golden tiara and diamond heels. Rainbow Dash’s mane had been braided into a ponytail as she wore a rainbow dress with golden heels. Fluttershy’s dress was mostly of a light green gown along with green heels and a blue hairpin in the shape of a butterfly. Pinkie’s attire was more flounced than the others as she wore an actual skirt that was decorated with images of candy along with a white hat and a striped dress. Lisa’s was the most simplistic as she wore a simple deep red dress along with purple heels and a black waist band.
Each of the boys had a different level of gobsmacked on their faces. Unsurprisingly, Gojira managed to keep his straight face on, though he had to admit that they each looked good in their attire. Anguirus’ eyes widened and his mouth was agape for a second before he quickly looked away, fearing that he might come off as creepy. Spike was in a similar vein to Anguirus except he had already seen how the mane six looked. Rodan, on the other hand, was completely shocked by how each of them looked. However, his attention was focused more so on only one of the mares that exited the carriage. It just so happened that it was the mare that was approaching him.
“You look great, Ro. That maroon really brings out your physique”, said Lisa. Rodan was so lost in her looks that he didn’t even process Lisa’s flirting.
“You look amazing”, Rodan replied, dumbstruck. That line was somehow proved to be more effective flirting than what Lisa had as her cheeks immediately started to redden. However, it also flustered Rodan more than it did Lisa as he finally realized what he had said.
“Uhhh, I-I, uhhhh-…what I mean is-…is, uhhh”
“He thinks you look good”, interjected Gojira. Lisa smiled at Rodan’s reaction.
“Thanks”, she replied. Rodan’s ears lowered from embarrassment.
“I can’t believe we’re finally here!”, exclaimed Twilight, drawing the attention of the others as they all faced the castle of Canterlot. “With all that we imagined, the reality of this night is sure to make this the best night ever!”
And then, what would’ve been abnormal if this was the first time such an occurrence happened, the sound of brass and percussion instruments started to grow louder and more bombastic. The three brothers looked around, each sharing looks of confusion, surprise, and flat out annoyance. Lisa and Spike, on the other hand, stood on the sideline and watched as the music reached a loud crescendo before the vocalists began. The vocalists being seemingly all the ponies around them starting off with Twilight herself.
🎵 “At the Gala!”
🎵 “At the Gala!”
🎵 “At the Gala!”
“Here we go again”, sighed Gojira.
“Come on, Gojira, they're just excited”, said Lisa as she listened to Fluttershy sing her verse of the song.
“Yeah, besides it’s only been two chapters since we’ve had a song number”, added Rodan.
“I’m aware of that, but couldn’t they at least wait a few more minutes, we literally just go here”, said Gojira.
“I don’t know, it does sound nice though”, said Anguirus as he saw other ponies start to partake in the chorus.
“How long do you think this will take?”, asked Gojira.
“Oh, don’t worry, not long at all”, said Lisa.
| 10 minutes later |
🎵 “To meet!”
🎵 “To sell!”
🎵 “To find!”
🎵 “To prove!”
🎵 “To whoop!”
🎵 “To talk!”
🎵 “Into the gala! Into the gala!”
🎵 “And we’ll have the best night ever!”
🎵 “At the gala!”
The song number ended with a grand finish as the chorus sung their final verse, the music reached a high crescendo, and even the Wonderbolts got involved as they scattered clouds and lighting across the night sky. A few fireworks being set off indicated the end to a grandiose song number; a fitting conclusion for a bombastic performance. One in which only four ponies managed to witness since everyone else had participated in the musical number. Lisa and Spike were the only ones to genuinely applaud while Rodan and Anguirus did it more so awkwardly. Gojira, however, gave his feedback in a more direct way.
“That was…good”, he said. “Can we go inside now?”
The group walked through the gates of Canterlot and were met with the decorated interior. Bangers hung from the walls, the red carpet glistened, and there was gold on seemingly every surface. For many of them, this was the first time they got to see the inside of the palace and thus they were not disappointed. Many members of the mane six and Lisa all looked around in amazement at the sight before them. Others like Twilight and the three brothers had more subtle reactions since they had seen Canterlot before. Out of them all however, none were as excited nor as enthusiastic as Spike who smiled from ear to ear..
“We’re finally here!”, exclaimed Pinkie as she jumped up and down.
“This place looks even better on the inside”, said Rarity.
“I wonder if the royal garden looks just as good?”, said Fluttershy to herself.
“I can tell who’s gonna enjoy themselves the most”, Anguirus whispered to Rodan, who wasn’t paying attention as he was too focused on talking to Lisa.
“Yeah, that’s great”, replied Rodan.
“I can also tell”, Gojira whispered to Anguirus. Their attention was then brought to the young dragon who ran up in front of them.
“This is gonna be the best night ever!”, exclaimed Spike. “You know why? Because we’re all gonna spend time at the gala toge-”. Before Spike could even finish his sentence, just about everyone in the group ran off in different directions, leaving nothing but a trail of smoke behind them. The only ones that stayed behind were both Gojira and Anguirus who were just as confused as Spike. But that confusion turned into disappointment as Spike let out a sigh.
“Or not”, he said.
“I blinked for a second, how did that just happen?”, asked Anguirus.
“And I was so excited to show everyone around”, said Spike as he wore a dejected look on his face. Luckily for him, his expression didn’t go unnoticed as one of the brothers bent down to him.
“Well, I don’t really have any plans”, said Gojira. “If you want, you could probably show me around?”
“Really?”, Spike replied as his face lit up.
“Yeah, sure, I wasn’t gonna do much anyways”, said Gojira. Spike’s smile returned to his face as he sprang back up on his feet.
“Then what are we waiting for?”, he said before tugging on Gojira’s pants leg. “I gotta show you the crown jewels, or maybe we can see the princess’s golden apple tree. But whatever we do, we have to stop by my favorite donut shop!”
Gojira chuckled at the excitement on Spike’s face. The child-like innocence in the young dragon’s eyes reminded him of a trio of fillies. They would spend their childhood together and try to come up with new games to play; he was thinking of simpler times. Gojira looked over at his younger brother, he could swear he saw the same young filly standing right next to him.
“Do you wanna come?”, he asked.
“Nah, I’m good, I’m gonna find myself something to eat. Try not to get lost in the corridors”, Anguirus joked before walking away.
“Suit yourself”, Gojira replied before turning toward Spike. “Lead the way, little man.”
“Alright, come on!”, said Spike.
Rodan and Rainbow Dash, after walking through the crowd, found themselves in an outdoor part of Canterlot that was surrounded by stone pillars wrapped with strings of flowers. There was a large crowd of guests that all stood in front of a closed off section with the only entrance being labeled “VIP” and a couple of unicorns standing as bouncers. Though Rodan didn’t pay it much mind, Rainbow Dash couldn’t take her eyes off it.
“Look, look!”, Rainbow Dash exclaimed and pointed at the VIP area. “It’s them, the Wonderbolts!”
“I didn’t think they’d be here”, said Rodan.
“Of course they would, they’re some of the best flyers in all of Equestria!”, said Rainbow Dash. “And someday, I’m gonna be one of them.”
“You? A Wonderbolt?”, asked Rodan. “No offense, Rainbow, but you can’t even land properly without falling on your face.” Rainbow Dash’s smirk dropped when she heard that.
“Oh yeah, I’ll prove to you I can be a Wonderbolt, just you wait”, she said. Rodan couldn’t help but chuckle.
“We’ll be waiting for quite a while”, he said. As soon as he said that, a member of the Wonderbolts walked past them, carrying a freshly baked pie in his mouth. When he neared the entrance, another member flew down to meet him.
“Always hungry after a show, eh Soarin?”, joked Spitfire.
“Heh, yeah”, replied Soarin. However, when he spoke, the pie he was carrying slipped from his maw. The sudden realization hit Soarin like a truck as he gasped in horror.
“My pie!”, he exclaimed. Luckily though, the anticipated splat sound never came. Faster than the eye could blink, Rainbow Dash flew toward the two and caught the pie with only an inch to spare. Both the Wonderbolts and even Rodan were surprised by the speed.
“You saved it, thanks”, said Soarin as he let out a sigh of relief. Rainbow Dash replied with a smile.
“Yeah, no prob”, she replied as she handed the pie over to Soarin. Spitfire wore an impressed smile as she approached Rainbow Dash.
“Say, that was some nice flying you had there”, said Spitfire. Rainbow Dash smiled gleefully.
“Thanks, name’s Rainbow Dash”, she said. “I’ve always wanted to be a Wonderbolt.”
“Well, Rainbow Dash, I can see why. Especially after your flying skills saved Soarin’s pie”, said Spitfire. Soarin didn’t reply, he was too busy scarfing down the very same pie that was rescued.
“If you want, wanna come and hangout with us?”, Spitfire asked. Rainbow Dash wore a smirk though in reality she was trying to hide her excitement.
“Sure, why not”, replied Rainbow Dash. The bouncer opened the closed off area to allow the Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash in; who skipped with excitement. Before entering, Rainbow Dash turned around to be met by the shocked look on Rodan’s face. She merely replied by sticking her tongue out before joining her new friends inside the VIP area. Rodan grumbled to himself as he was now the one that stood corrected.
“Lucky, bastard”, Rodan whispered under his breath. “How come she always manages to get the heads up on me?”
‘She does seem to act a lot like you; hot headed, thrill seeking, opportunistic, arrogant, a little jealous-’
“Ok, I get it”, said Rodan, bluntly. His ear twitched as the sound of laughter filled his ear. He turned around and saw both Pinkie Pie and Lisa walking inside of the palace. The sight of the latter pony got Rodan excited as he almost completely forgot about Rainbow Dash.
“Well, I’m not gonna stand here, I’ve got a date with destiny”, he said cheerfully before strutting his way to the duo.
Anguirus, after having left both Gojira and Spike, found himself in the ballroom of Canterlot. He could obviously tell that this was where most of the work and attention had been spent as it was by far the most decorative part of the castle. There were streamers, flowers, the floor had been fully polished, there was a large golden statue of Celestia, and a stage where many musician ponies were playing soft, peaceful music.
As he looked around, Anguirus managed to catch a scent which immediately caught his attention. He turned to where the aroma was coming from which was where he noticed a food table had been set up. There were all kinds of exquisite dishes that were on full display which caused Anguirus’ taste buds to spike.
“Jackpot”, he said to himself. Granted, he didn't know what half of the stuff was, but that didn’t stop him. He grabbed what appeared to be a bread roll of some kind and immediately took a bite out of it. The resulting taste was…mediocre at best.
Anguirus’ anticipation faded away almost instantly as he tasted the bland bread with only slight traces of cheese and garlic. He placed the half eaten roll back on the plate before grabbing a nearby cup of punch to wash his mouth out. He then noticed a nearby waiter carrying a plate of horderves.
“Excuse me, sir!”, Anguirus called out, catching the waiter by surprise. The waiter turned around and was met with a stallion that matched his height.
“Yes?”, asked the waiter.
“Sorry to disturb you, but may I please have one?”, asked Anguirus as he pointed at the tray he was holding.
“Why, of course”, the waiter replied before presenting the tray to Anguirus. They appeared to be a cracker of some kind with a fruit, jelly substance on the top.
“Thank you”, replied Anguirus as he grabbed one and popped the whole thing in his mouth.
However, similar to the bread rolls, the dish looked better than it tasted. It took Anguirus a couple of seconds to realize that he had cold, overly sweet jelly in his mouth that he didn’t want to swallow. Unfortunately, he also didn’t want to spit it out in front of the waiter who looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Anguirus tried to smile, but all he did was flash the waiter with his jelly covered teeth. The waiter, rightfully so, repulsed at the sight before walking away with the tray.
Anguirus looked around, seeing that no one was watching, he made his way over to a part of the ballroom that led outside. Ensuring no one could see him, Anguirus ducked behind a bush before spitting out the remains of the horderve. He stood outside for a few moments picking at his teeth until every last crumb of the cracker was out of his mouth.
“Ok, maybe that wasn’t a jackpot”, Anguirus said to himself. “I was expecting something a bit more edible than that.”
‘Well, that is the whole point of horderves, they’re meant to be gawked at rather than eaten.’
“Because that makes sense”, said Anguirus. This revelation potentially threw a wrench in his plans as now he was no longer interested in the food they served.
“So, now what?”, asked Anguirus. “I don’t know where the others are, and I’ve already lost my appetite. What are we gonna do for the rest of the-”
His sentence was cut short when his ear twitched as he heard some kind of sound from where he was standing. Anguirus immediately perked up and looked around, he saw nothing but trees, flowers, and shrubbery. Thinking that it was nothing, he turned around to head back inside. But only after taking a few steps, he heard the sound again. This time, he heard it much clearer and it sounded like someone was singing. Even stranger, it sounded…nice.
“~Aha~Aha~Aha~.”
“What was that?”, asked Anguirus. His curiosity got the better of him and he started to make his way deeper into the castle’s garden.
“This seems…a bit much”, said Shining Armor as he overlooked the massive collection of fireworks spread out in front of him. They varied in all sorts of colors, shapes, and especially sizes. One stood out however as it was almost the size of the pony who helped make it.
“Well, Celestia did want this to be the biggest gala yet”, said Toolshed as she stood next to the largest firework that wore the label ‘Big Bertha’.
“And don’t you worry about any misfires, I’ve tripled checked each and every one of them to ensure that they’re one hundred percent safe”, said Toolshed with a proud smirk. Despite that, however, Shining Armor’s caution didn’t falter, not even a little.
“Just in case, I’ll ask another guard to look each of them over, just to be safe”, he said. His response caused Toolshed to feel a little disappointed. Her ears slightly lowered, but at the same time she also understood.
“Sure thing…sir”, replied Toolshed. It had been a few months since her charge incident and yet it felt she hadn’t fully healed from it. Not physically, but mainly in how others saw her, especially Shining Armor.
“Good, thank you, Toolshed”, said Shining Armor before he turned to leave as a couple of guards entered.
He walked through the halls until he entered a part of the castle where he saw a few guests. Security had been increased to accommodate for the many guests that were attending the gala. Because of this, Shining Armor was constantly moving back and forth between guard outposts to ensure no one in the crowd entered a part of the castle they shouldn’t have. Fortunately, this did give him the excuse to potentially run into a certain duo of guests that he would never mind wasting a few minutes to talk to. With him being taller than most other ponies, Shining Armor felt he could pinpoint them out from the crowd. Which was what he did when he caught sight of a little dragon in a tux rounding a corner.
“Hey…Spik-!”, he called out only for his words to be cut short.
He was expecting a pony to follow behind the little dragon, one he was very familiar with. A pony who he had known for many years and who just so happened to be a unicorn like him. What he didn’t expect was that instead of a unicorn it was a normal earth pony, instead of a mare he was a stallion, and instead of them being shorter than him, they stood nearly a whole foot taller. Despite this stallion wearing a fancy suit, he still seemed out of place compared to everyone else attending, especially the little dragon he was close behind. Shining Armor was taken aback by this stallion, only for his shock to soften when Spike noticed him.
“Shining!”, shouted Spike before running in his direction. Though he was still cautious by the presence of the stallion, Shining Armor still managed to greet Spike with a hug.
“How’s it going, little guy?”, he asked, jokingly while rubbing the top of Spike’s head. The sound of heavy hoofsteps caught his attention as he looked up to be met with the over six foot stallion.
“And, who’s your…friend?”, Shining Armor asked, trying to maintain a straight face. Spike broke away from the hug.
“Oh right, Shining, this is Gojira. Gojira, this is Shining Armor”, said Spike as he introduced the two.
“Hello, sir”, said Gojira as he offered Shining Armor his hoof. Hesitantly, Shining Armor accepted it.
“Greetings”, he replied. Despite Shining Armor’s efforts, Gojira could tell that he was a little apprehensive about his presence.
“So, Spike, how’s Ponyville been treating you and Twilight?”, asked Shining Armor. His question did manage to strike Gojira’s attention.
“It’s been great!”, replied Spike, enthusiastically. “We’re living in this beautiful library and have made so many friends.”
“That’s great to hear. By the way, is Twilight here by any chance? It’s been so long since I got to see her”, said Shining Armor. Gojira was admittedly a little puzzled by this question. Why did Shining Armor want to meet Twilight so badly?
“Yep, she’s here, she might be talking to the princess knowing her”, answered Spike. Shining Armor smiled when he heard that; it felt as though it had been forever since the last time he saw her. He looked back up at Gojira who stood by as the two long time friends caught back up.
“And, what about you…big guy?”, he asked, catching Gojira’s attention. “What’s your story?”
“Oh, I’m also from Ponyville. Me and my brothers moved there around the Summer Sun Celebration”, said Gojira, he smiled at the memory. “Looking back, probably couldn’t have chosen a worst date to move.”
“Gojira was even nice enough to help me and Twilight move into the Golden Oaks Library despite him having a sore leg”, added Spike. Shining Armor was a little taken aback when he heard that.
“Is that so?”, he asked, staring toward Gojira.
“Yeah, and he even stood up against that dragon that would’ve shrouded Equestria in smoke!”, said Spike. Both Shining Armor and Gojira wore wide eyes after hearing that. Gojira looked at Spike while Shining Armor stared, almost incredulously, at Gojira.
“I think he gets it, Spike”, said Gojira.
“But I don’t want to leave out any details”, retorted Spike. Shining Armor broke out of his dumbfounded state and replaced it with a smile.
“Well then, Mr. Gojira, it seems like you’ve been through quite a bit lately”, he said. Gojira lightly chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.
“I suppose, though probably not as much as you, captain”, replied Gojira.
“We could really use somepony like you in the royal guard. We don’t really have many guards with your…”, Shining Armor felt a little embarrassed having to look up at a fellow stallion, “…stature.”
“Thank you, though I’m just fine with the life I have with my brothers”, said Gojira. The thought of joining the royal guard reminded him when he was a child and was constantly playing knights with his brothers. He never actually intended on joining the guard, that he felt was merely make believe.
“Don’t fret about it, I understand”, said Shining Armor. Though he intended it to be a joke, the thought of such a pony being a guard in Canterlot admittedly intimidated him. Luckily he managed to hide it well enough.
“Well, I don’t want to keep the two of you hostage”, he said, “enjoy the rest of the night as much as you can. It’s nice to hear you and Twilight are doing good, Spike, and it was nice meeting you, Gojira.” With that, Shining Armor turned and continued to walk down the hallway. When he was out of hearing distance, he took a deep breath of relief. Wherever Twilight was, he had a lot of questions for her.
“See ya, Shining”, exclaimed Spike as he waved him goodbye.
“He seems…nice”, said Gojira.
“Yeah, he always tried to visit me and Twilight whenever he was off guard duty”, said Spike.
“You both seem to know him very well”, said Gojira.
As he spoke, however, a strange feeling caught his attention. His suit covered up his emblem so no one noticed it when it flashed bright blue. Gojira looked around, he felt he could hear some kind of voice in the distance, but apart from Spike, he didn’t see anyone or anything. What made it so strange, however, was that this wasn’t the first time he felt it. He recalled having a similar experience back at the lake, only this time, it felt more intense. It was enough to even cause him to lose his breath for a few moments. He was so focused on this sensation that Spike’s words flew in and out through his ears.
“Of course, after all he is Twilight’s brother”, said Spike. He waited for Gojira’s response, only to receive nothing. He noticed how Gojira wasn’t even looking at him. “Hey, Gojira, are you okay?”
“Huh, what?”, replied Gojira as he regained focus.
“I said, are you alright?”, asked Spike. Gojira knew that now wasn’t the time nor place to have such thoughts and so decided to just ignore them.
“Y-Yeah, I’m fine”, he said. “You mentioned something about crown jewels or whatever.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right, come on, you’re gonna love the sight of them”, said Spike, before pulling on Gojira’s leg and ushering him to follow. Gojira did so, but not before taking one more look around, just to make sure they weren’t being followed. In doing so, he finally allowed Spike’s previous words to sink; safe to say, it caught him off guard.
“Wait, he’s Twilight’s what!”
Rodan pranced into the ballroom before scanning the crowd in hopes of finding a certain duo that he noticed walking inside. Luckily for him, he saw the pair of Lisa and Pinkie Pie sitting at a nearby table talking amongst themselves. He once again needed a moment to process how Lisa looked. Compared to Pinkie, it looked almost as if both of their dresses weren’t made by the same pony. His heart began to race as he started to approach them. He tried coming up with ways on how to ask her out, but each one seemed weaker after the other.
‘How about, what’s cooking, good looking~… no, that’s terrible. Perhaps, hey Lilly, you’ve just been accused of being too beautiful~…no, that’s way too forward. How about…uhhh, maybe…uhhh?’
“Hey, Rodey!”, called out Pinkie when she noticed Rodan slowly approaching her and Lisa. Lisa, who was facing away from Rodan, quickly turned around.
“There you are, I was wondering where you went”, said Lisa as she stood up and started walking towards him. The sight of Lisa slowly approaching him caused Rodan to sweat profusely. The sunglasses he was wearing were doing a great job at hiding his nervousness.
‘Oh, crap, here she comes! Quick think of something…ANYTHING!’
“Uhh…what’s…poppin’…loppin’?”, Rodan immediately regretted ever being born with a mouth. His remark caught Lisa completely off guard and even caught the attention of Pinkie. After a few moments of awkward silence, Pinkie broke it by letting loose a few laughs.
“Aww, how sweet”, she joked. Unfortunately, Pinkie was the only one genuinely laughing as Rodan tried to ease the situation with an awkward smile.
“Umm…it’s popping pretty good…loppin’?”, replied Lisa. She then noticed a waiter walking by with a tray full of what appeared to be some kind of beverage. “I’m gonna go and…get us something to drink…”
“Ok…you…you go do that”, said Rodan as he watched Lisa walk away. Once she was gone, Rodan slapped himself in the face for such a response.
“Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! What the hay was I thinking?”, he exclaimed. His inner mid life crisis was interrupted when he heard a few stray laughs coming from Pinkie.
“Calm down, Rodey, it was a good first attempt”, said Pinkie.
“You’re only just saying that”, said Rodan as he walked over to the table and slammed his head down on it.
“Well, you did manage to fluster her, so great job!”, replied Pinkie as she patted Rodan on the head. He didn’t give much reaction and only lifted his head off the table and on his hoof.
“I don’t get it, I’m never usually this nervous. I came to the gala so confident and yet I feel like I squandered only after being here for only thirty minutes”, said Rodan.
“What did you want to do?”, asked Pinkie.
“I wanted to try and dance with her before telling her how I truly feel about her”, answered Rodan. Pinkie took a moment to process his answer before replying with a gasp.
“You mean…really!”, she said, all excited. Rodan quickly shushed her as he looked around, hoping no one heard that.
“Yes, I mean it, and I’d rather that not everypony finds out about this”, said Rodan. Pinkie nodded at him as a large smile grew on her face. “But, I don’t know exactly how to do it and I don’t want to come off as cheesy or stupid.”
“Don’t worry, Rodey, if dancing is what you’re searching for, then you couldn’t have asked for a better pony for help!”, said Pinkie.
“Wait, no, Pinkie, I never said I needed help”, said Rodan, realizing he might’ve said a bit too much to the wrong pony.
“I’m back, what are we talking about?”, said a voice. Rodan shot back up and was met with Lisa holding a trio of drinks for them.
“We…uh…w-we were…umm.”
“Oh, you know, parties, games, Gummy’s teething problems, that sorta thing”, interjected Pinkie.
“Oh, ok”, said Lisa as she sat down next to Rodan. She sat close to him which caused Rodan to take in her scent.
‘Oh, sweet Celestia, this is not gonna end well’, he thought to himself. That was, until another thought entered his mind.
‘Wait a minute, who’s Gummy?’
Anguirus found himself wandering around the castle’s garden trying to find whatever kind of voice he had been hearing. His vision wasn’t as great as his brothers, so he had more trouble seeing in the darkness, especially with the large numbers of trees and hedges scattered around. But then, he heard it again and this time it sounded closer.
“~Aha~Aha~Aha~.”
One thing that Anguirus took note of was the tone of the voice; it sounded beautiful. The peaceful melody, the lovely vocals, the positive tone, it was unlike anything he had heard before. He walked past trees and even a small bridge but still found nothing. Until he heard the voice again and this time it sounded as though he was right next to the source. He quickly trotted to where he swore the source was coming from. What he didn’t expect was to be greeted with the sound of galloping hooves and a voice that he recognized.
“Why does that sound like-”, his sentence was cut short when the one who had been singing ran past a small hedge to greet him.
“My little meadowlark is right around the-”, Fluttershy stopped in her tracks when she was met with Anguirus looking just as surprised as she was.
“Anguirus?”, she asked.
“Fluttershy?”, replied Anguirus.
“That was you?”, asked Fluttershy.
“What do you mean ‘that was you’, and what are you doing?”, asked Anguirus.
“I-I thought I heard an animal that wanted to be my friend”, answered Fluttershy, who started to feel embarrassed.
“So, that was you who was singing then?”, asked Anguirus. Fluttershy’s eyes immediately widened when she heard Anguirus’ response. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she tried to hide in her mane.
“Y-You, heard that?”, she said, shyly.
“Why do you think I’m out here”, replied Anguirus. He tried to calm the situation by telling a joke, but it only made Fluttershy even more embarrassed.
“O-Oh, yes, w-well…excuse me”, she said before walking past Anguirus. Anguirus immediately became nervous; regretting what he had said.
“N-Not to say your singing was bad, not at all”, he stuttered. “I-I mean, it sounded r-really nice. It’s un-unlike anything I’ve heard before and I really liked it and…and…uhh-”. He immediately stopped talking when he noticed Fluttershy was staring at him, her cheeks redder than ever.
“You…you mean that?”, she asked. Now it was Anguirus who was starting to blush. The two of them stood in awkward silence as both were too nervous to come up with anything. Luckily, the chirping of an animal broke the silence and caught Fluttershy’s attention. She turned around and her face immediately lit up as she saw several animals hanging around a cluster of trees.
“A toco toucan! A spider monkey! And is that a wallaroo?”, she said before flying in that direction. The distraction allowed Anguirus to take a gasp of relief as he watched Fluttershy chase after a couple of animals.
“Well, you seem…busy. I’ll leave you to it then”, he said, before briskly walking away. However, Fluttershy didn’t reply as she was too focused on chasing whatever kind of animal she could find. Unfortunately for her, every animal she tried to greet would immediately run away.
The resulting outcome saddened the rose haired pegasus. “Oh, Fluttershy, you’re such a loud mouth”, said Fluttershy.
“Let’s see here. We’ve seen the golden apple tree, the hedge maze, Discord’s statue, the crown jewels…I feel like I’m forgetting something”, said Spike as he rubbed his chin in thought.
“Is it the donut shop?”, asked Gojira.
“Oh yeah, that’s right, you’re gonna love it”, piped Spike as he once again led the way. “They’ve got some of the best pastries in all of Equestria!”
Gojira playfully rolled his eyes as he followed the little dragon. Though he didn’t really show interest in any of the destinations, he went along with it as Spike seemed so happy. After all, Gojira didn’t have any plans to begin with and so decided to tag along with Spike. However, throughout Spike’s makeshift tour, Gojira still couldn’t get his mind off of the strange sensation that he felt earlier and even weirder, it was still lingering. As a result, he felt his attention was starting to become his own sense; it was always changing and never consistent.
Despite that, however, Gojira stuck through it and thought perhaps leaving the large crowds and high class energy would help relieve himself. Before he could, Gojira caught a glimpse of a pony that stole his attention. He had partially hoped he wouldn’t see this pony, but fate seemed to have not been on his side. The pony in question could be easily spotted in a sea of ponies, pegasus, and unicorns. Her mane and tail flowed as the night raced on. She was surrounded by a couple of guards who kept any guest from getting too close to her. Which made sense, after all, Princess Luna was still trying to grow accustomed to her new life.
And unfortunately for Gojira, she noticed him. Luna just barely caught sight of the tall stallion. The second she saw him, however, her eyes widened as she zoned anything and everything else out. The two of them had a stare down with neither of them knowing what to do. Luna was the first to regain her composure as she dropped her shocked look and stood up straight. She started to walk towards both Gojira and Spike with the two guards following her. Spike was at first oblivious to what was happening until he noticed one of the alicorn princesses approaching them, causing him to gasp.
“Princess Luna”, he said softly before bowing. Luna lightly chuckled at the little dragon’s courtesy.
“Greetings, young drake”, she replied with a nod. She then stared back at Gojira who still seemed to be off by her presence. “And how has the night been treating you two, thus far?”
“It’s been…fine”, replied Gojira. Luna could sense the uneasiness in Gojira’s voice.
“I hope I’m not disturbing anything important”, she said.
“Not at all, your majesty, me and Gojira were just about to head to my favorite donut shop in Canterlot”, said Spike.
“Which we should probably get going, after all, your highness, you must be very busy”, said Gojira.
“Not at all, in fact, I’m quite happy that I managed to speak with you specifically, Mr.Gojira”, said Luna. Gojira stiffened a bit as he held back a sigh, he knew where this was going.
“I would like to apologize for when we first met. Though I don’t enjoy discussing that day, I feel it’s best to acknowledge my actions which I deeply regret. I’m terribly sorry for any harm I caused you”, said Luna.
“It’s not at all a problem, your highness. Besides, no lasting damage was done”, replied Gojira.
“Which I am glad to hear. Caesar seems to have a lot to say about you and your family”, said Luna. “He’s told me everything that I need to know about you three.”
“That’s nice to hear”, said Gojira, though in reality he knew what she was trying to say. She was now part of the secret and there was no changing that.
In the middle of their conversation, almost at random, Gojira’s emblem flashed. Almost uncontrollably, his senses went haywire as his head started to hurt. Although this was incredibly random, Gojira knew exactly what this meant, that strange sensation. Even worse, it resembled that of the one he felt at the lake except amplified; almost as if whatever was causing this was standing right next to him. Gojira frantically looked around, but saw nothing that would be the reason as to why this was happening. The sudden rush was so spontaneous that even his spirit was taken aback by the sensation of the make believe sight of some strange creature that embodied dread. It only took a couple of moments until Luna and even Spike knew something wasn’t right.
“Excuse me, Gojira, is everything alright? You appear to be unwell?”, asked Luna.
“I-I…uhh”, Gojira stuttered as he looked around the crowd.
At this point, others were starting to stare and point at the tall stallion who was looking back, forth, left, right, and any other direction. He could hear every word that these ponies were saying and they started to clutter his mind. He felt immense amounts of sorrow and anger to the point where a couple patches of scales formed on his legs, though fortunately his suit managed to cover up most of them. Although he thought that his mind was playing tricks on him, he could almost see a perfect replica of that exact demon-esc creature he envisioned back in Ponyville, except much closer and clearer. A few beads of sweat started to form which finally caused both Spike and especially Luna to start to worry.
“Hey, Gojira, are you-”, Spike couldn’t get the words out before Gojira spoke suddenly.
“S-Sorry, your majesty, I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather recently”, said Gojira as he put a hoof to his forehead.
“It appears so, would you like me to ask one of the nurses in Canterlot to look over you?”, asked Luna only for Gojira to immediately shut the idea down.
“No, no, that won’t be necessary. I’m simply in desperate need of…fresh air”, said Gojira. He then quickly turned and started to walk down the hallway that he and Spike were going except now it was only him.
“Gojira, what about-”, asked Spike before being interrupted again.
“I’ll meet you there, Spike, I promise!”, exclaimed Gojira, a little louder than usual, as he walked down the hallway at a bit of a brisk pace.
“Oh, okay then”, said Spike, feeling a little disappointed. The sudden change confused even the guards as they both looked at each other and shrugged. Luna, on the other hand, was more worried than the others as Gojira ran away. She knew more than any of them combined about Gojira, and yet was still confused by the way he acted.
Meanwhile, back at the main entrance of Canterlot, Twilight stood next to her mentor Celestia greeting every pony that walked through the front gates. Although her original plan was to speak with Celestia as the gala gave her the perfect opportunity, it seemed as though she never truly got the chance to. Apart from a few brief exchanges, Celestia spent most of her time making acquaintances with every guest. Twilight still stood by her, and even shook hooves with a couple of ponies, but the experience wasn’t as special as she had hoped for. Every attempt that she made to have a discussion usually ended the same way.
“Princess, I’ve been so excited to spend time with you”, Twilight tried to say.
“Yes, me too Twili-, Oh! Good evening. Welcome to the gala”, said Celestia as she greeted another pony.
This pattern would continue over and over again. Twilight couldn’t fault Celestia, she was the princess of Equestria after all, but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed with the night. However, she stuck to her goal and greeted each and every pony that walked through the gates alongside Celestia. Unfortunately, all this led to was a sore hoof from the number of hoof-shakes she received, even fewer moments to speak with her mentor, and a line of ponies that just seemed to get longer and longer. It was safe to say, the grand galloping gala wasn’t what she had hoped.
Fortunately, the outcome of the night was about to quickly change as the sound of heavy galloping caught her attention. Twilight looked to where the sound was coming from, only to catch a brief glimpse of a large figure running by her. The stallion ran past her, not even taking a glance at the princess as he ran from one hallway to another. He even almost ran into a couple of mares who were just as surprised as Twilight was. But unlike the mares; Twilight knew exactly who that abnormally tall stallion was, for she had become acquainted with his presence.
“Gojira?”, she said to herself as she saw the form of Gojira vanish from sight as he rounded the corner.
The frantic speed that Gojira was running at more than peaked her interest. Very rarely if not ever had Twilight seen him react in such a fashion unless there were some other factor that she was unaware of. But usually that factor was anything but positive for it to cause someone like Gojira to act so unusually. She had to admit it, she felt worried for what could’ve caused him to seemingly run away. Though she didn’t want to leave Celestia’s side, she also wanted to see if there was something wrong with her friend. Fortunately, in no offense to Celestia, Twilight felt the choice was obvious.
“I’m sorry, princess, but I’ll be back as soon as possible”, said Twilight.
“Oh, of course Twil-, ladies, welcome to the grand galloping gala”, said Celestia. With that confirmation, Twilight quickly trotted away, not noticing the small smile on Celestia’s face.
“She has come such a long wa-, hello, gentlemen, and welcome to the gala”, said Celestia.
Gojira rounded corner after corner until eventually the migraine he was feeling ceased. Though his head was still hurting, he could finally think straight and process what he had felt. These feelings seemed to be happening more frequently and he didn’t know why. Gojira continued to walk until he saw a balcony area of Canterlot that overlooked the valley below. He walked on to it, taking a deep breath of the fresh air that invaded his senses. After standing there for a few seconds, his emblem flashed.
‘Your heart rate’s fast.’
“Yeah, I realize”, replied Gojira with sarcasm. “It’s that feeling again, the same one I got from the lake.”
‘What do you mean?’
“The lake, when I almost drowned! I was broken out of my concentration by some kind of vision that filled me with so much dread, I had to surface. This is the second time tonight I’ve felt it and this time it’s been worse”, said Gojira. Alpha stayed silent for a few seconds.
‘Perhaps you were experiencing profuse amounts of stress which caused you to lose control of your omniscience. A major influence on our senses are the emotions we feel, and seeing as how you haven’t fully mastered these feelings yet, you might be experiencing some over exaggerated forms of anxiety.’
Gojira would like to believe that Alpha was correct, but he still couldn’t help but second guess himself. “It’s more than just anxiety or stress that I felt. I could feel the presence of another vessel, and it definitely wasn’t Rodan or Anguirus”, said Gojira.
‘It can’t be, as far as my knowledge is concerned, only you three were given the powers of the kaiju spirits.’
“That’s what I also thought, but this sensation has happened multiple times now. Can you really just pass it off as being some kind of natural disaster or stress?”, asked Gojira.
‘While your worries are justified, I feel we should look at more reasonable explanations rather than making wild assumptions.’ Gojira sighed in thought as he placed a hoof against his temple. The feeling of rough scute instead of soft fur caught his attention.
“Alright, but I’m telling you that I know what I saw, and if you are my spirit, then you should’ve also felt some sort of dread if this were to happen”, said Gojira, showing Alpha his hoof.
A part of his leg had formed a large patch of scales that were even flickering blue energy. Alpha looked at the scales, and then back up at Gojira; whatever was causing these feelings was very much abnormal. The sudden sound of hoofsteps immediately caused Alpha to retract back into Gojira’s mane as his emblem flashed and the scales on his hoof immediately vanished. Gojira looked back at the entrance of the balcony, expecting to see a guard or even Luna who he was admittedly a little nervous to see. But instead, he was met with a purple unicorn who wore a worried expression.
“Hey? I saw you run by and wanted to know if you were feeling alright”, said Twilight. Gojira mentally cursed himself, he was hoping no one else had noticed.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just needed some fresh air is all”, he said. Though Gojira tried to hide it, Twilight had a feeling that something was wrong.
“Are you sure? You seemed pretty distraught the last time I saw you”, she said.
“I assure you, I’m perfectly alright”, said Gojira. “Sorry for worrying you, you can head back to the party.” Twilight was about to speak up, but Gojira merely turned back around.
“Oh…ok”, said Twilight as she was about to leave.
However, she stopped in her tracks and looked back. Gojira seemed distant, as if he was only partially taking part in their conversation. Twilight knew that there was something wrong for him to act so strangely. She caught a brief glimpse of the look in Gojira’s eyes when he ran past her, they seemed so panic-stricken. If meeting Nightmare Moon could barely make him flinch, then something even worse was causing him to behave this way. Twilight knew there was no point in going back to Celestia, which left her with one more option. She took a deep breath and turned back toward her friend.
“A-Actually, I think I’m also going to stay out here”, said Twilight as she walked next to Gojira. To say the least, Gojira was fairly taken aback by her answer.
“Oh, uhh, you sure. I do mean it when I say that I’m fine”, he replied. Twilight merely waved off his reply.
“Don’t worry about it, besides I’m also in need of some fresh air”, she said. Gojira had a sharp feeling that he knew what her real reason was, nevertheless, he didn’t want to force her to leave.
“Well, if you say so”, he said before leaning over the concrete railing on the balcony. The two stood there in silence for a few moments, neither making any attempt to start a conversation. Twilight was too nervous to say anything that might trigger some kind of negative response. But then, she heard the tall stallion clear his throat.
“So, how’s the gala treating you?”, asked Gojira.
“O-Oh, i-it’s been…good…not as good as I hoped, but still good”, answered Twilight. “I got to speak with Celestia for a grand total of ten seconds and shook the hooves of probably fifty mares, though I lost count.”
Gojira lightly scoffed at the response. “That’s quite a workout for your hooves”, he replied.
“You’re telling me”, said Twilight. “But, how about you, what’s your experience been like?” Gojira remained silent, it was only for a moment but it felt like an hour.
“It’s been…alright”, he said, dryly. “Mainly just walked around Canterlot with Spike”, the thought of the little dragon brought a smile to his face, “he seemed so excited to be there.”
“Heh, that’s Spike for ya”, added Twilight.
“Yeah, everything was going fine…and then, I met princess Luna”, said Gojira, as a look of disappointment formed on his face. Twilight had a feeling that she found what caused Gojira to act weirdly.
“Don’t know how to talk to her after the whole…you know what happened?”, she asked.
“Not really…”, said Gojira. He couldn’t give the real reason for his behavior so he had to craft some kind of explanation. “I’m not the most sociable pony in Equestria and I guess speaking with the princess got the better of me. Especially didn’t help that I was being stared at and gossiped about.” Twilight listened with a look of sympathy, her night wasn’t good but it seemed Gojira’s wasn’t much better.
“So…your night’s not that great, huh?”, said Twilight.
“Not very, no”, replied Gojira. Twilight started to feel bad. After their talk at his house, she felt she had essentially forced him to go to the gala. And after hearing about Gojira’s experience, it sounded as though he wished he hadn’t.
“I’m sorry, Gojira, guess I kinda overhyped the party tonight. It’s honestly kinda…”, Twilight struggled to come up with the right word.
“Appalling? Dreadful? Dull? Obnoxious? Underwhelming? Complete waste of time?”, said Gojira. Twilight looked at him with a deadpan expression.
“Yeah…those”, she said. Gojira lightly chuckled from her reaction.
“Yeah, it’s kinda a bust, but I’m sure the others are enjoying themselves more than us”, he said.
“I guess, though, I know you didn’t want to come before I talked to you about it and now, after seeing what really happens at the gala…I’m sorry”, said Twilight. Gojira noticed the apologetic tone in her voice.
“It’s alright, after all, what the hay else was I gonna do? Play with a deck of cards?”, he replied. “This has definitely been a new experience, though not necessarily a bad one.”
“Really? I feel like it’s pretty…awful”, said Twilight.
“Yeah, it is, but then you get moments like this”, said Gojira.
He gestured toward the edge of the balcony, drawing Twilight’s attention. Even after the slightest glance, she immediately knew what Gojira was talking about. The view from Canterlot was already breathtaking when the sun was out, but it was when the moon rose where the true beauty of Equestria was on full display. The moon painted the sky in a deep, midnight blue which contained millions upon millions of stars and each and every one of them could create all kinds of constellations. Twilight had to admit, it was a beautiful sight, one she had grown familiar with. Gojira, however, was seemingly mesmerized by the deep depths of space and beyond.
“I’m guessing you’ve never seen Canterlot like this before?”, asked Twilight.
“Nope, never”, replied Gojira. “Everything looks better at night. The valleys, the mountains, even the sky; it’s like some kind of hidden beauty that’s just now able to be seen.” Twilight could see the calmness in his amber eyes, the same eyes that just a few minutes ago were as tiny as pinpoints.
“Well, at least that’s one thing you and Luna have in common”, she replied.
“I’d say it’s more so a trait I share with my father. When I was a colt, I’d sometimes find him sitting outside on the front porch at night looking up at the stars”, said Gojira as he replicated the same relaxed pose that he inherited from his father. “Whenever I asked mom what he was doing, she would usually tell me ‘nothing, sweetheart, he’s just thinking’. I never got what she meant until I started doing it.”
“I’m guessing Anguirus and Rodan didn’t inherit that trait”, said Twilight.
“Yep, apparently I was the only one”, said Gojira. He took in a deep breath before letting out a sigh. “Sometimes I’ll just stay up late at night and just sit outside and watch the stars. You’ll never experience anything more breathtaking.”
Twilight listened to what Gojira said. In all her years at Canterlot, she had always been caught up with studying and thus never once thought about star gazing. She stood next to Gojira and looked up at the midnight sky. The moon glimmered brightly as it was surrounded by millions of stars. Twilight took in the sounds around her, she was surprised at just how quiet it was; a sharp contrast to the noisy and crowded gathering that was the gala. She was starting to see why Gojira enjoyed it so much, not just because of the beauty of the scenery, but because it was peaceful. Twilight inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh air before exhaling softly.
“Yeah, it sure is”, she replied.
Rodan was trying to hide the fact he was a few moments away from sweating bullets. Him, Lisa, and Pinkie Pie all sat with each other at the table as they shared a couple drinks. While Lisa and Pinkie chatted away, Rodan still couldn’t get over his failed attempt at talking to Lisa. He had spoken with her several times before so he was wondering what it was about tonight that made things much harder. He was zoned out in thought and thus didn’t hear what neither Lisa nor Pinkie were saying.
“This isn’t what I imagined it would be”, said Pinkie as she wore a bored expression.
“Honestly, yeah, there’s not much to do. This isn’t even close to what I think of when I hear the word party”, added Lisa.
“I know, where’s the games, the presents, the singing, the fun music, the sugary food? There’s just nothing”, said Pinkie as she slumped on the table. Lisa then turned to Rodan.
“What do you think, Rodey?”, asked Lisa. Rodan, however, was still deep in thought about his interaction with Lisa that he didn’t even hear her speak. “Rodey? Rodan? Are you ok?”
“Huh?..oh, yeah, tonight kinda sucks”, said Rodan. Lisa saw the disinterested look on his face, but chalked to him not enjoying the gala similar to her and Pinkie.
“I’ve been planning and hosting parties ever since I moved to Ponyville, but I’ve never experienced one so…not fun”, said Pinkie. Lisa nodded as she looked at the stage in the ballroom. Only a couple of ponies were on stage playing a melancholy song which she had been hearing for more than a couple hours now.
“If only there was some way to lighten the mood, at least then it might be somewhat fun”, she said. The second her words left her mouth, Pinkie immediately sprang up with a bright smile on her face.
“I’ve got it!”, she exclaimed. Before Lisa could even speak, Pinkie had already run off leaving only a pink streak behind. She stood there, a little nervous over the thought of what she might’ve just started.
“Well, at least things could get interesting. Right, Rodey?”, she said to the only remaining pony next to her.
“Yeah, sure”, said Rodan, dryly. This time, Lisa couldn’t help but feel a little let down over the way Rodan was reacting.
“Rodan, what’s wrong?”, she asked. “You seemed so happy to be here, but now you're acting like I’m not even here.” Rodan was knocked out of his thoughts and turned toward Lisa.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Lilly. I just…well…ummm”, Rodan began to stutter again. He was once more caught off guard by how she looked. It made no sense to him why he was acting this way with the only explanation he could think of being that he was simply nervous.
“Well, what?”, asked Lisa. A thought came to her mind which caused her to form a disheartened expression. “Did you…not want to spend the night with me?”
“Wha- no, no, not at all. Of course I want to spend the night with you”, reassured Rodan.
“Then why are you barely talking to me?”, asked Lisa. Rodan started to become nervous again as he tried coming up with a reason that wouldn’t sound too mean. It was already difficult enough but the look of sadness in Lisa’s eyes caused Rodan to fumble his words even harder.
“I-I want to talk to you, I really do, but I…I, it’s just…”, said Rodan. He could fly a marathon on a daily basis without breaking a sweat, but now he could barely create coherent sentences. He didn’t know why he was acting this way, but he had to come up with something as the longer he stared at Lisa’s hurt expression, the harder it was for him to think. Luckily for him, a much needed distraction was about to happen.
“Come on, everypony! I know what will make you shake those groove-thangs!”, exclaimed a high pitched voice.
Both Rodan and Lisa looked toward the stage; they knew immediately who that voice belonged to. Pinkie Pie stood in front of a microphone with a wide smile on her face. The entire crowd became confused at the sight of the bright pink mare, even the musicians on stage shared similar puzzled looks. The only one who didn’t was Rodan for he knew exactly what Pinkie was trying to do. With a concerned look on his face, he immediately stood up and quickly made his way over to the stage. Lisa was surprised by his reaction and immediately followed him.
“Rodan?”, she asked.
“Pinkie! Wait!”, exclaimed Rodan as he tried to gain Pinkie’s attention. “This isn’t what I meant by-!” But his voice fell on to deaf ears, and by deaf, I mean only Pinkie’s ears as she signaled for the band to start playing. She took a deep breath and then-
🎵 “You reach your right hoof in!”
🎵 “You reach your right hoof out!”
🎵 “You reach your right hoof in!”
🎵 “And you shake it all about!”
🎵 “You do the Pony Pokey meeting lots of folks with clout!”
🎵 “That’s what I’m talking about!”
The guests stood flabbergasted at what this mere commoner was trying to pass as ‘music’. Despite what her lyrics implied, Pinkie was the only one actually doing the Pony Pokey as she tried to get others and even the musicians to dance along with her. Rodan watched with a dumbfounded expression as he watched his worries play out in front of him. He was partially wishing that he had never told Pinkie about his plans for the night. Even worse, he now had to deal with the even more confused look on Lisa’s face as she looked at him.
“Rodan, what is going on?”, she asked. Rodan looked at her and then at the stage. His head went completely blank as a single thought came to his mind.
“W-Wanna dance?”
Anguirus felt incredibly bored. He had been walking aimlessly either inside or outside Canterlot and had found nothing that even remotely peaked his interest. The food was terrible, none of the guests seemed like they wanted to talk to him, and he hadn’t seen his brothers ever since they first got here. Even worse though, he hadn’t eaten anything for several hours and was beginning to starve. He was debating whether to leave or not, until he picked up a certain smell. This smell was a lot sweeter than the nasty horderves he had been served. He traced where the scent was coming from.
He followed the scent into another outdoor part of Canterlot that featured several banners and strings of flowers. The closer he got to the source, the more he recognized the smell. He had been working on the Sweet Apple Acres farm for long enough to recognize the sweet scent of freshly picked apples. He was taken to what seemed to be a makeshift stand that served all kinds of apple based foods. Even better, he recognized the pony that worked the stand. The farmer’s hat and the blonde mane easily gave Applejack away, even if she did appear to be dozing off.
“Hey, Applejack!”, exclaimed Anguirus. The sudden greeting caught Applejack completely off guard as she immediately looked up as soon as her name was called.
“Huh? Oh, howdy Aang”, she said.
“Let me guess, not what you thought?”, asked Anguirus, referring to the party.
“You got that right, this ain’t what I expected atall”, replied Applejack. “I’ve been here for ‘bout three hours now and only made one sale.” Anguirus looked at all of the delicacies on full display. The sight of which caused his stomach to give off a light gurgle.
“Well, make this your second sale, because I’ll take two caramel apples, please”, he said. Applejack replied with a small smile.
“Sure thing”, she said as she handed him two apples. Anguirus immediately grabbed one and was about to take a bite when he heard Applejack clear her throat.
“Ehem, aren’t you gonna?”, said Applejack, referring to the sign on the cart which read several prices.
“Oh, uhhh…”, stammered Anguirus as he patted himself, realizing he had no bits. Thankfully, instead of being upset, Applejack replied with a small laugh.
“I’m just kidding, help yourself”, she said.
“Oh, thank you”, replied Anguirus before taking a large bite of the apple. A smile formed on his face as the juices hit the back of his throat.
“If only I could get more customers like you, Aang, then I’d be swimming in bits”, said Applejack.
“I’m surprised you haven’t made more sales, this is better than anything they have inside”, said Anguirus, referring to the apple he had just taken a bite out of. Applejack immediately perked up.
“What do ya’ mean?”, she asked.
“The food inside is pretty bad. It looks appealing, but when you eat it, it’s just basically a soggy cracker”, said Anguirus as he took another bite.
“Then it’s no wonder why nopony wants my food! They all been fillin’ up on those fancy-schamncy vittles”, said Applejack as an annoyed expression crept on her face.
“No offense, but I doubt that’s the reason”, said Anguirus. Applejack could only disagree in thought, until the sight of a familiar mare caught her attention.
“Well, time to find out”, she said and gestured to the pony walking towards her stand; or rather ponies.
The sight of her friend brought a smile to Rarity’s face as she and the other pony in tow walked up to the stand. The pony in question was a tall, male unicorn with white fur, a blonde mane and tail, and a black collar with a blue bow tie. He walked with his chin facing up and wore a dignified expression at all times. Even just by looking at him, Anguirus felt he was about to stand corrected.
“Two apple fritters please”, said Rarity.
“Two apple fritters, comin’ right up”, said Applejack. As she prepared the order, Anguirus glanced at the unicorn he was standing next to. The unicorn stood to be slightly taller than Anguirus, causing him to look down at him.
“Uhh, hi…the name’s Anguirus”, said Anguirus as he extended his hoof for a moment. The unicorn looked at it in an almost disgusted manner.
“Blueblood…Prince Blueblood”, he replied. With a noticeable roll of his eyes, Prince Blueblood did very little to impress Anguirus.
“Here we are, that’ll be four bits”, said Applejack as she pulled out a tray of two apple fritters. Rarity looked at Blueblood expectantly, only to receive no response.
“Ahem”, she coughed, catching his attention.
“Ahem”, replied Blueblood.
“Ahem!”
“Ahem!!”
Rarity let out an annoyed sigh as her brows furrowed. “I’m going to have to pay, aren’t I”, she said.
“It’s okay, Rarity, I got you covered”, said Applejack. Though it was a hard pill to swallow, since she had already given out an order for free, one glance at Rarity told Applejack that it was the least she could do.
“Thank you, Applejack! At least somepony here has good manners”, said Rarity, emphasizing the words ‘somepony’ and ‘manners’. Despite that, Blueblood didn’t react and merely took one of the fritters. Anguirus walked up beside her and leaned to her ear.
“Find your special somepony?”, he whispered.
Rarity wore a blunt expression that could be read as her saying ‘what do you think’. Suddenly, the sound of retching could be heard as Blueblood violently spat out the Apple fritter he had taken a bite out of. His sudden action caught everyone, especially Applejack off guard. Blueblood looked back at the stand with a disgusted look on his face.
“Fritters! Dumplings! Caramel apples! My royal lips have touched common carnival fare!”, he exclaimed. He turned around with his chin raised high. “I’m going to the buffet for some horderves.” Rarity followed after him shortly afterwards, looking back at both Applejack and Anguirus with an apologetic look. When they were gone, Applejack faced Anguirus with an ‘I told you so’ look. Anguirus couldn’t even blame her.
“My down-home apples are plenty good enough for this crowd. I’ll just dress ‘em up a little and prove it to ‘em”, she said.
“Then I’ll leave you to it”, said Anguirus as he turned with his remaining apple and started to walk away. Applejack waved him goodbye before setting to work.
Anguirus walked through the gardens of Canterlot, taking in his pleasant surroundings. It was getting close to midnight and the moon was now causing the trees to cast large shadows. Because of this, many parts of the garden were shrouded in darkness. It wasn’t that big of a problem for Anguirus, however he didn’t pay much attention to whatever was in front of him. He looked up at the night sky, catching a brief glimpse of the moon.
“Well, at the very least, it is peaceful”, said Anguirus as he was about to sit down on a bench. He looked down at the last apple he was holding, hunger filling his eyes. “So now, nopony can bother me, my little darling~”
‘You know I can hear you, right?’ Anguirus immediately tried clearing his throat.
“Ahem…I-I…y-you see, I was…I”, he stuttered trying to come up with an excuse. Luckily, the sight of birds flying at him made for a good reason.
“I was referring to those birds”, he said, pointing at the flying flock that was racing toward him. The thought finally registered in his mind as he relistened to what he had said.
“Wait a minute? Bir-”
The words didn’t leave his mouth in time as several came flying at him and quickly surrounded him. They got incredibly close to the point where some landed on him, digging their claws into his suit and even his fur. The sudden feeling of several talons pricking his skin caught Anguirus by complete surprise as he jumped off the bench and started to thrash around.
“Get them off! Get them off!”, he shouted as he started to run around. The sheer number of birds completely covered his eyesight. Because of this, he couldn’t see anything that was in front of him, including a certain pony who was too busy distracted on something else.
Fluttershy had hit her breaking point as she stood in front of a makeshift trap. “I'll catch you yet, my pretties. Oh yes, as soon as one of you little birds or monkeys or bears touches this net, you'll be mine! MINE!”, she exclaimed before letting loose a maniacal laugh.
She was so distracted by her plan, that she didn’t hear the heavy galloping that could be heard right behind her. Anguirus burst through the shrub, covered in birds. He was thrashing around as the birds continued to flock around him, showing large amounts of interest in the apple he was holding. They completely obscured Anguirus’ vision and it wasn’t until the last possible moment when he noticed that there was something in his way.
With a mighty shove, he ran right into Fluttershy, catching her completely by surprise as she and Anguirus tumbled into the net. The trap was instantly triggered, causing both of them to be wrapped up in the net and be left dangling from a tree. The birds finally left Anguirus alone after taking a few pecks out of his apple and tearing apart his suit. Both he and Fluttershy were nose to nose when the birds finally left and they could see properly. To say the very least, both were quite embarrassed over the position they were in.
“Uhhh…”, stuttered Anguirus as his cheeks glowed crimson and he lifted the remains of his apple. “Are you…hungry?”
Fluttershy merely replied with a sigh of embarrassment, confusion, frustration, and disappointment.
“Hehe, so what happened next?”, laughed Twilight.
“Well, since Aang won the snowball fight, he got to name the snowman and you wanna know what he named it…Jeffery”, said Gojira. Twilight continued to laugh at the story.
“That’s cute”, she said.
“To dad it was, but you should’ve seen the look on Rodan’s face. He was pretty petty even after Hearth’s Warming”, said Gojira. Both he and Twilight had been talking on the balcony for quite a while as they shared memories about their pasts.
“It pretty much became a running joke throughout the rest of that winter where we always had to greet Jeffery until he melted”, finished Gojira.
“Anguirus must’ve been heartbroken to see him gone”, joked Twilight.
“Oh, he was a little, but I think Rodan was a little relieved”, added Gojira. The two shared a brief laugh before Gojira stared back at the view. Twilight had slowly started to become fascinated in the childhood stories that Gojira shared.
“Sounds like you three had a really good childhood”, she said. Gojira remained silent for a moment, that was only partially true.
“Yeah, it was, though that was primarily thanks to our parents. As far as I’m concerned, they gave us the world”, he said. Twilight smiled warmly, she was happy that she managed to get Gojira to talk more about positive moments in his life. It seemed as though he had completely forgotten about the strange sensations he had earlier.
“It’s funny, you three always seem to be at each other’s throats whenever I see you three around one another”, said Twilight.
“We mess with each other a lot, mostly thanks to Rodan. But I think we’ve gotten to the point where we can’t live without each other. We’ve been by each other's sides for more than twenty years now and I don’t think we’ll be separating anytime soon”, said Gojira. This wasn’t a lie, though he purposely left out the part about the century year old kaiju spirits that they were each housing.
“Well, I’m glad to hear that. Sounds like you three have been through a lot”, said Twilight.
“You have no idea”, replied Gojira. A thought then crossed his mind. “But, that’s enough about me, how about you?”
“Oh, I don’t have as many interesting stories”, said Twilight. “For the most part, it was just me and books.”
“Come on, surely Celestia’s star pupil has some fondly remembered moments from their childhood”, said Gojira. Twilight thought about it, luckily one stood out to her.
“Well, when I was small, me and my brother would compete over everything. To keep it friendly, our parents gave us gold stars whenever one of us did something special. The one who got the most gold stars got the title of Sibling Supreme. My mom even made a paper mache crown for the winner”, said Twilight, a huge wave of nostalgia hit her like a truck. Gojira chuckled from seeing her enthusiasm.
“Me and my brothers would’ve been perfect for that kind of game. I mean, you wanna talk about competitiveness, me and Rodey would have staring contests that would last for hours”, said Gojira.
“I doubt that”, said Twilight.
“No, seriously, why do you think Rodan wears sunglasses wherever he goes? Because that’s the result of keeping your eyes open for two hours straight”, said Gojira. The real reason was because Rodan’s eyesight was too sensitive to handle the sunlight, but he thought it smart to leave that part out. The two shared a laugh before the silence kicked in.
“By the way, your brother wouldn’t happen to be a stallion named Shining Armor, right?”, asked Gojira. Twilight’s eyes slightly widened.
“Yeah, how did you know?”, she replied.
“Me and Spike ran into him by accident”, said Gojira. “I had no idea he was captain of the royal guard.”
“Sorry, he completely slipped my mind”, said Twilight. “Me and him were pretty much each other's best friends throughout our childhood. After a while, Shining Armor went off to join the royal guard while I studied at Canterlot.”
“Are you two still on good terms?”, asked Gojira.
“We are, though we don't see each other that often. In fact, the last time I saw him was when I was still studying in Canterlot”, said Twilight.
“Then life in Canterlot must’ve been pretty good. I mean, you’re basically next door neighbors with your siblings, you’re the student of the princess, and you got to learn as much magic as you want. You were basically living the dream that every unicorn shared”, said Gojira. He expected Twilight to reply with her, admittedly, cute smirk, but instead she continued to look over the balcony.
“It started off as a dream…but…”, Twilight’s voice softened. This sudden change in tone caught Gojira a little off guard.
“Twilight?”, he asked, a little worried.
“My parents were so proud of me when they heard I became Celestia’s protégé, especially my mom. As soon as I could, I moved into the palace and started working”, said Twilight. “I wrote to my parents every night letting them know how I was. But then every night turned into every week, then into every month, and then eventually…”
Her ears lowered as she recalled her past. “Throughout all my life, it’s always been about studying, books, magic, and learning because I thought that if I tried harder than anypony else, then I could make a difference. And it seemed to pay off after I attended Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns and became her student”, said Twilight. Gojira listened intently, he hadn’t seen this side of her before.
“After that, I gave all my time to studying. I had a room in Canterlot, but I basically lived in the library. I started to improve my magic skills and Celestia seemed to be proud of the progress I made. I was so focused on learning about magic that…I guess I never realized how lonely I was”, said Twilight.
“What about Spike or Shining Armor?”, asked Gojira.
“Well, Shining tried visiting me as often as he could, but his guard duties got to a point where I would go weeks or even months without seeing him. And when Spike was old enough, he moved to Canterlot with me and became my personal assistant. If I’m being honest, he and the books were the closest things that I had to friends”, said Twilight. Gojira saw the saddened face of his friend and wanted to say something to help her feel better. But then, Twilight’s expression changed into a brighter one.
“And then, the Summer Sun Celebration happened. Me and Spike moved to Ponyville which leads us to now”, said Twilight. “Sometimes I wonder what made Celestia decide to send me to Ponyville since she seemed so impressed by my progress. But, whatever her reason may be, I’m incredibly thankful. I’ve made more friends than I could ever imagine, my magic has improved immensely, and I can say in full certainty that I’m…happy.”
“Was that going to be one of your questions for Celestia?”, asked Gojira. “Because I think you just answered it.” Twilight was about to answer his question, until Gojira’s words started to sink in. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that he was right.
“I…I guess I did”, said Twilight.
“Exactly, you really need to start giving yourself more credit. Who knows, one of these days you might know just as much as Celestia”, said Gojira. Twilight playfully rolled her eyes.
“Thanks, but I still have a lot to learn, and I’m pretty sure that’s theoretically impossible. There’s nothing Celestia doesn’t know about”, she replied. Gojira lightly chuckled, if only that was true.
“But still, I’m happy to hear about how far you’ve come. Everypony has the opportunity to make a difference, but how we perceive those opportunities is what matters. That’s what makes the strong stand out from the rest, because they were willing to take a chance”, said Gojira. Twilight was a little surprised by Gojira’s random words of wisdom before forming a smile.
“Did you learn that from your mother?”, she asked.
“Nope, that’s something I also inherited from my father. He was probably one of the smartest stallions I ever knew”, said Gojira.
“Then I got a lot more work to do if I want to be on his level”, joked Twilight.
Gojira lightly laughed in response, his gruff snickers were a sharp contrast to Twilight’s lighter giggles. Although he dreaded coming to the gala, Gojira’s experience was more enjoyable than he thought it would be. From spending time with Spike to talking with Twilight, his night turned out better than others. He had to admit, he enjoyed talking to Twilight and she seemed to enjoy talking to him; something he never expected from anyone other than his brothers. Despite the emotional incident that he had earlier, he had completely forgotten about it and had managed to regain a clear head. He looked back over the balcony.
“Well, I think I’ve had my fill of fresh air, I’m gonna head back inside”, said Gojira.
“Yeah, I’m also gonna head inside, hopefully I can finally talk with Celestia now”, said Twilight.
“Then you’ll need somepony to escort you, ma’am”, joked Gojira. Twilight playfully rolled her eyes.
“Here we go again”, she replied.
The two shared a laugh before walking back inside and down the hall. Little did either of them know, however, a certain stallion stood around the corner and had heard most of what they had said. Though he had hoped to speak with Twilight one on one, Shining Armor never could’ve imagined that she had managed to befriend someone as…different as Gojira. Nevertheless, the smile on his younger sister’s face was enough to convince him that, whoever this Gojira fella was, perhaps there was more to him than met the eye. He lightly smiled.
“You always managed to have the weirdest friendships, Twiliy”, he said to himself.
“Come on, everypony! You wanted to party, so let’s paaaaartey!”
Rodan thought it couldn’t get worse, he hoped it couldn’t get worse, until he saw Pinkie pull out a DJ set. Pinkie tried to get the crowd to start dancing, but everyone stood idly by with looks of confusion and awkwardness. Despite Pinkie’s best efforts, many ponies were more so choosing to avoid her rather than dance with her. Out of them all, however, she was mainly focusing on her two friends who could put up with her shenanigans. Rodan could sense the uncomfortable energy radiating from Lisa as Pinkie pushed the two of them closer to each other. He didn’t know why, but Rodan got a certain feeling that if he didn’t step in soon then something very bad was going to happen. So when Pinkie Pie bounced on the floor, Rodan made his move.
“Hey, Pinkie?”, he asked. “I know you’re all about Pinkie style and all that, but maybe we should-”
“Hold that thought, Rodey”, interrupted Pinkie as she placed a hoof over his lips. “I still have my big finish!”
Before Rodan could even say another word, Pinkie had zoomed away. He looked back to see the very weary look on Lisa’s face. He wanted to say something to her, to perhaps apologize or even try and crack a joke, but once more his mind went blank. He was so focused on Lisa, that he didn’t even notice when the doors to the ballroom opened to reveal a massive cake being pushed by Applejack. She wore a confident grin for her hard work as she strolled inside.
“Okay, all you high-class ponies! Here's a highfalutin apple cake for your hoity-toity taste buds”, exclaimed Applejack. She intended to prove a point and for a few seconds she felt like she did. The only problem was that she had done so right when Pinkie performed her big finish.
“Stage dive!”, exclaimed Pinkie as she stood on the stage before jumping into the crowd. Instead of catching her, however, the crowd immediately moved out of her way. All except for one.
Due to the size of the cake, Applejack didn’t see the airborne Pinkie until after she had landed on one end of the cart that was carrying the cake. The resulting impact catapulted the cake into the air, sending it flying across the ballroom. And unfortunately for a certain stallion and mare, it was heading right towards them. Although Rarity didn’t notice it at first, she did when Blueblood used her as a shield. The cake splattered all over her dress and mane, completely ruining it. Rarity stood there completely stunned as cake batter covered her from head to hoof. Shock turned to anger, however, as she turned to face her Prince, her face redder than any and every apple from Sweet Apple Acres.
“You, sir, are the most uncharming prince I have ever met!”, exclaimed Rarity. “Seems like the only thing royal about you is that you are a royal pain!” Blueblood didn’t even process what she was saying, but instead backed away from the mere sight of her.
“Eww, stay back! I just had myself groomed!”, said Blueblood.
“What’s the matter, afraid to get dirty!?”, exclaimed Rarity.
She shook violently, sending the remains of the cake flying everywhere with most of it landing on Blueblood. The stallion backed away out of sheer fear as cake frosting got in his eyes. Because of this, he couldn’t see where he was going and backed right into the golden statue of Celestia. The resulting collision caused the statue to teeter as it shook from side to side. The bolts holding it down broke almost instantly as it tipped forward. A few guests stood in its way as they all gasped from fright. Luckily for them, a certain pegasus saw what was happening.
“This is my chance!”, exclaimed Rainbow Dash before flying in the distance of the statue.
By showing great speed and reflexes, Rainbow Dash managed to catch the statue in her back before it could hit anyone. Although she was proud of herself for a moment, the full weight of the statue finally settled in and even worse, it was starting to tip. Rainbow Dash was essentially pulled by the statue as she tried to regain balance. In the process, she bumped into several pillars, causing them to fall over and collapse into other pillars, knocking their heads off. One of these concrete heads happened to fall right over top of another pegasus who barely had time to register.
“Lisa, look out!”, shouted Rodan. Before Lisa could react, Rodan flew towards her with incredible speed and pushed her out of the way of the falling head. The shove caused Rodan to wrap his arms around Lisa and essentially hold her in a dipping position by accident. Lisa was so stunned over what had happened that she almost didn’t even register the position they were in. Nevertheless, the blush forming on her face showed that she was indeed surprised and a little embarrassed.
“Are you alright?”, asked Rodan.
“Y-Yeah…thanks”, she replied.
Rainbow Dash stood in the middle of an utterly destroyed ballroom with every single pillar knocked down, torn banners scattered all across the floor, and everyone’s dresses having been ruined from the resulting dust. And to add insult to injury, the statue which had wielded a major role in the ballroom’s destruction, completely crumbled into several pieces. In a matter of a few seconds, the night was officially over. Throughout the entire, incredulous order of events, both Gojira and Twilight stood dumbfounded at the entrance to the ballroom. They watched everything go down and while they were completely bewildered, Gojira specifically was also admittedly a little impressed.
“Looks we missed the festivities”, he said with sarcasm. Twilight could only reply with an awkward nod.
“Well…at least it can't get any worse”, she said.
Little did she know, the phenomenon known as jinxing was quite magical. As soon as the words left her mouth, a slight rumbling could be felt. The rumbling quickly grew in intensity as the entire ballroom began to shake violently. Everyone looked around in confusion and fear as their attention was drawn to the pair of golden doors that lead outside. Then suddenly, they burst open to reveal a stampede of all kinds of animals. Birds, monkeys, rabbits, squirrels, and many other animal species quickly overran the entire ballroom, causing a massive panic to spread throughout the ballroom. The last ones to enter the ballroom were two ponies; one being a very tired Anguirus whose suit was in tatters, and the other being a seemingly disheveled and enraged Fluttershy.
“You’re…going…to LOVE ME!”, she exclaimed. Her scream caught even Anguirus off guard as he stepped to the side. When Rodan saw his younger brother, he immediately ran to him.
“Aang, what the hay happened?”, he asked. Anguirus’ answer was rather blunt.
“Don’t ask”, he said.
The entire ballroom was in a massive panic as all the guests ran around while being chased by all kinds of wild animals. If that wasn’t bad enough, Toolshed and a fellow, unicorn guard member entered at the worst possible time. They were both using their magic to carry the large and heavy ‘Big Bertha’ rocket that Celestia had requested. When they entered the ballroom, they immediately froze at the sight of it being completely destroyed and invested with all kinds of animals. Toolshed and the guard looked at each other and tried backing away, only for a monkey to then fall out of seemingly nowhere and land on the guard’s head.
He immediately freaked out and jerked back, causing his horn to emit sparks as he lost focus of his magic. And unfortunately, one unlucky spark landed right on Big Bertha’s fuse. The fuse immediately ignited and started to burn away, catching Toolshed by complete surprise as she dropped the massive firework.
“Oh no, get down!”, she shouted.
When the fuse had run out of rope, the big finally began. Big Bertha launched forward, rocketing through the air at incredible speeds. It bounced off the walls of the ballroom like a pinball, even nearly hitting a few party members had they not ducked in time. The rocket then crashed right through one of the stained glass windows and flew into the air. Big Bertha finally exploded in a spectacular show of color which was enough to even shake the entirety of Canterlot. Throughout all of this, Gojira and Twilight stood completely slack jawed over what had just happened. And if things couldn’t possibly get worse, a certain somepony entered the ballroom.
“Ahem”, said an affirmative voice. Both Gojira and Twilight turned around to see none other than Celestia who was just as flabbergasted as they were.
“Umm…hi…princess”, said Twilight, trying to force a smile. Celestia barely even reacted to Twilight’s greeting. Instead she took a deep breath and bent down to her level.
“Run.”
She didn’t have to tell them twice. Twilight gestured to Gojira who knew what she wanted as he shouted for the others to follow them. The rest of the mane six, Rodan, Anguirus, and Lisa all heard him as everyone was too busy being distracted. They all saw Twilight gesturing for them to leave as she pointed to the ballroom’s exit. Without hesitation, they each immediately made their way to the exit, not looking back at the chaos that had unfolded.
“What’s the plan now?”, asked Rodan.
“Don’t worry, I got an idea”, said Gojira.
“Hey, Pony Joe, hit me with another donut”, said Spike as he sat alone inside of his favorite donut shop.
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?”, asked Pony Joe.
“Another donut, extra sprinkles!”, demanded Spike. His furrowed brows lifted as he wore a dejected look on his face. Pony Joe noticed his change in tone.
“Bummed about the gala?”, he asked. Spike nodded in response. “Ah, don’t be, I’ve heard it’s pretty overrated.”
“It’s not that it was bad”, said Spike, “I was just hoping I could hangout with my friends at the gala. But…they all ditched me.” Suddenly, the sound of a chime ringing brought Pony Joe’s attention to the front doors. At first he was put off by the three, gruff looking stallions that entered first. Only for that to change when he saw a certain familiar face.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Twilight Sparkle”, he said followed by a light laugh, “long time no see.” Spike immediately turned around and was met with the sight of the mane six, Lisa, and the three brothers all in a rather drab state. He quickly got up and ran over to them.
“Hey, how was the gala? How was your best night ever?”, he asked. He then took note of the less than stellar condition they each were in.
“What happened?”, he asked. Twilight replied with a sigh.
“It’s a long story”, she said.
“What do you mean?”, asked Spike.
“Well, let’s see, it first started when Pinkie tried turning the gala into a disco”, said Lisa. Pinkie lightly chuckled.
“It wouldn’t be a party without it”, she said before taking a seat at a nearby table. “But then Applejack brought in this delicious looking cake that got launched into the air and landed on Rarity.”
“Wonder how?”, added Rarity, side glancing at Pinkie who awkwardly laughed in response.
“Then Rainbow Dash accidentally brought the house down with a statue of Celestia”, said Rodan as he and Lisa sat at a table.
“Hey, that was an accident, besides I had it under control…at least, for a bit”, replied Rainbow Dash. Spike watched with wide eyes, he was a little disappointed that he missed it.
“Is that all?”, he asked.
“Mostly, well, at least apart from the wave of animals”, said Anguirus.
“The what?”, asked Spike.
“N-Nothing!”, interrupted Fluttershy, feeling a little embarrassed.
“And then there was this massive firework that set off and nearly took several fellers' heads with it”, said Applejack.
“Which leads us to here”, finished Gojira. Spike looked at them all with wide eyes.
“That sounds like the worst night ever”, he said. He at first expected someone to object, but instead the overwhelming response he got from them all was a resounding-
“It was!”
“But, no matter how it ended, nothing sounds better right now than a couple donuts”, said Gojira as he took a seat at the table.
“Already on it”, called out Pony Joe from behind the counter.
“I suppose, though, I just hope Princess Celestia isn’t mad at us for ruining the gala”, said Twilight as a worried look crossed her face. The thought of her teacher upset over her and her friends was not a pleasant thought.
“That was the best Grand Galloping Gala ever!” The familiar voice brought the attention of everyone to the entrance of the shop where they were met with none other than the princess herself.
“Princess Celestia?!”, they all replied with surprised looks, both at her presence and from what she said.
“Did we go to the same gala, or is she just trying to make us feel better”, Rodan whispered to Anguirus who replied with a shrug.
“Pardon me, princess, but tonight was kinda…awful”, said Twilight. She at first thought Celestia had joked about her earlier statement and braced for a lecture. Only to never receive one.
“Oh, Twilight, the Grand Galloping Gala is always awful”, said Celestia, rather bluntly. Everyone was surprised by her statement; mostly everyone.
“I knew it!”, exclaimed Gojira.
“That is why I was thrilled you were all attending. I was hoping you could liven things up a bit”, said Celestia. “And while the evening may not have gone as you planned, I'm sure you'll agree that in the end it didn't turn out so bad for this group of friends.” Twilight thought about it for a moment before a smile formed on her face.
“You're right, Princess. Friends have a way of making even the worst of times into something pretty great”, she said.
Celestia smiled back, she was proud of her student. As she and Twilight talked, so did the rest of the group as they shared their experiences of the night. As they did so, Gojira looked across at each one of them. Just a few months ago, he and his brothers moved to Ponyville in hopes of finding somewhere they could live without drawing any attention to them; never once did he consider the thought of befriending anyone.
But now, here they were, at one of the most formal events in all of Equestria, surrounded by those that cared for them. He saw how Rodan spoke with Pinkie Pie as Lisa rested on his shoulder, he saw how Anguirus and Applejack were in deep conversation, and he saw his true first friend in the form of Twilight speaking with Spike. For the first time in all their lives, they had ponies that he felt they could trust. Though he didn’t know what the future would bring, he thought it best to enjoy what they currently had. After so many years of isolation, the three brothers were no longer alone.
“So, would you call this the best night ever?”, Rodan asked Gojira, his question bringing his older brother out of his thoughts. Gojira thought about it for a bit.
“Let’s just call this…a night to remember”, answered Gojira.
“Huh, what?”, replied Gojira as he regained focus.
“I said, are you alright?”, asked Spike. Gojira knew that now wasn’t the time nor place to have such thoughts and so decided to just ignore them.
“Y-Yeah, I’m fine”, he said. “You mentioned something about crown jewels or whatever.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right, come on, you’re gonna love the sight of them”, said Spike, before pulling on Gojira’s leg and ushering him to follow. Gojira did so, but not before taking one more look around, just to make sure they weren’t being followed.
Little did any of them know at the moment, Gojira’s worries were justified. Across the room and outside the window, a creature crawled the walls of Canterlot, peering in through the window. Its dark body allowed it to camouflage into its surroundings as it used its sharp claws to grip the concrete wall. He continued to climb along the wall, until he reached the roof and was overlooking an outdoor part of Canterlot. More specifically, the castle’s garden.
Gryphon scanned the entirety of the garden, in hopes of finding a certain attraction. And that’s when he saw it. The stone body of none other than the embodiment of chaos himself. He had been to Canterlot time and time again by the order of Des to find the perfect opportunity to try and free Discord, however that time would rarely come. Even worse, Des was starting to become more and more persistent about freeing Discord and, as a result, he was taking his anger out on his fellow subjects. Gryphon was the only one yet to receive the verbal lashing that was Des’ voice and intended to keep it that way.
Gryphon saw how there were very few ponies actually in the castle’s garden and thus started to formulate a plan. He made his way off of the palace roof before climbing down to the garden. He then leapt forward, using his wings to glide in order to create as little noise as possible. He flew overhead any pony underneath him, his dark skin color allowed him to go completely unnoticed in the night sky. With his claws extended, he landed on the soft grass beneath him in a spot of the garden that was completely surrounded by trees.
The shadows, courtesy of the trees, made Gryphon appear completely invisible to the naked eye. As he slinked through the shrubbery, the sight of the imprisoned god of chaos entered his field of view. Not only that, but a couple of ponies walking by. He knew that if Discord was to be freed, then the entire garden and even the castle would need to be deserted. The question of how was now the main issue. As Gryphon pondered, the sound of birds chirping caught his attention.
When he looked back, he saw an entire flock of all kinds of birds. The sight of them caused a thought to enter Gryphon’s mind. It would’ve been a stretch, but he knew that there were all kinds of animals in the castle’s garden; enough to potentially overrun Canterlot. If he could create a stampede of sorts, then it could create a snowball effect that would leave just enough time to free Discord. Gryphon turned toward the birds, a sharp smile crossed his face. Meanwhile, a stallion wearing a standard suit sat alone on a park bench holding an apple.
“Ahem…I-I…y-you see, I was…I”, Anguirus stuttered trying to come up with an excuse. Luckily, the sight of birds flying at him made for a good reason.
“I was referring to those birds”, he said, pointing at the flying flock that was racing toward him. The thought finally registered in his mind as he relistened to what he had said.
“Wait a minute? Bir-”
The words didn’t leave his mouth in time as several came flying at him and quickly surrounded him. They got incredibly close to the point where some landed on him, digging their claws into his suit and even his fur. The sudden feeling of several talons pricking his skin caught Anguirus by complete surprise as he jumped off the bench and started to thrash around.
“Get them off! Get them off!”, he shouted.
As he thrashed around, Anguirus failed to notice the winged figure hiding behind the bushes, watching him with a smug look on his face. If a couple of birds could cause a pony to act this way, then Gryphon wondered what if all the animals were to be let loose. A sharp grin formed on his face as he saw more animals scurrying about in the trees, on the ground, or flying in the air. This would take time, but he would slowly but surely draw any and all ponies out of the garden.
However, what Gryphon didn’t expect was that only an hour later that the simple act of scaring a few birds would create such a snowball effect. He watched from the ballroom window as the entire gala went downhill. Courtesy of the actions of a certain group of mares, the entire ballroom was being currently overrun by animals. The image of dignified ponies screaming in terror brought a smile to the dragon’s face.
Gryphon used his wings to fly back on to the roof and look over the castle’s garden. Due to the…commotion, all members of the royal guard were forced to leave their posts in order to keep the situation under control. As a result, many parts of Equestria were completely empty, including Discord’s statue. Gryphon smiled decrepitly, their chance had finally come. While the interior of the ballroom was torn about by a massive firework, Gryphon pulled out half of a transportation crystal. He threw it on the rooftop, causing it to shatter and form a portal. Right when he walked through it, a massive firework was set off, illuminating the night sky.
For a brief moment, you could make out the silhouette of some kind of dragon that stood on the top of Canterlot. Only for it to quickly vanish as the fireworks died down. Darkness once more shrouded the castle, and the dragon-like creature had completely disappeared.
Orga made his way through the several corridors of their mountain hideout. He had just returned from yet another failed expedition in search of the Kyojin Tomb. Des had been seemingly acting more and more aggressive towards him and other members of their group. It seemed as though nothing more was on his mind other than the Kyojin Tomb and freeing Discord. Since Orga had used up all of the transportation crystals he was provided with, he was ordered to travel into a deeper part of the mountain by the command of Des.
The cave that he took was very steep and very dark, thus he was forced to carry a torch with him. After a while, the light from the torch was no longer the only light source in the cave. The terrain soon leveled out and Orga was met with a massive chamber. Inside of it were hundreds upon hundreds of crystals, each giving off a radiant aura of all kinds of colors. Orga had brought a bag with him before setting down in front of a large collection of crystals. He had also brought a pickaxe and started to chip away at the crystals.
He broke off parts of each crystal before tossing them into the bag. He looked closely at each crystal bit, if he looked close enough he could barely make out the image of Canterlot. Another one depicted a different part of Equestria and so on. However, one crystal he picked up caused him to stand perfectly still. Instead of showing a city or valley, the crystal instead showed a reflection of himself. Because of this, he was able to see the scar that crossed over his left eye.
Orga stared at it for a moment, he was always perplexed by his own reflection. Memories of a life he once lived flashed in his mind as he recalled his younger years. He saw a face that was almost unrecognizable to the one that the crystal he was holding showed. It was thanks to his scar that caused him to appear so different, a simple mark over his eyes was enough to make him look like a completely different pony. He chose to not give it much thought as Orga merely tossed the crystal to the side; if it wasn’t a teleportation crystal, then he had no interest in it.
He continued to dig at the crystals until the bag he had brought was filled. With the bag on his back and a torch in his maw, Orga made his way back up the incline. Afterwards he walked over to Des’ chamber to drop the bag off. When he entered the chamber, he saw how Des was seemingly deep in thought as he stood perfectly still, small trails of smoke escaping from his lips. Orga didn’t really care, however, as he set the bag down near the makeshift table. The thud from the bag caused the table to wobble and thus also shaking a certain gem. It was a very faint noise, but it was more than enough to cause Des’ eyes to shoot open.
“Who’s there?!”, he called out, a couple of sparks escaping his maw. The sparks that landed in the stone ground immediately reduced pebbles to glass.
“It’s just me, my lord”, said Orga.
“What are you doing here?”, asked Des.
“Finishing my chores”, answered Orga as he pointed to the bag of crystals he had just collected.
“You know not to disturb me whenever I’m concentrating, I need complete silence”, he said. “But while you’re here, you can hopefully make my time worthwhile by telling me if you have any information to report.”
“I’m sorry, my liege, but I have nothing new to say. As far as I’m aware, we’ve potentially searched this entire valley”, said Orga.
“Has Gryphon returned from his scouting trip?”, asked Des.
“No, my lord, he’s been gone for a few hours now”, answered Orga. Des stood still for a moment, he then turned toward the Gem of Madness which sat idly on the table. Orga could tell that something was definitely on his mind.
“My lord, you have seen unwell recently”, said Orga. Des didn’t reply at first, instead he walked over to the table.
“A question has been on my mind lately, and if you can, I hope you can give me a reasonable explanation”, said Des.
“What is it?”, asked Orga.
“Around a couple of months from now, I was forced to rest due to an abrupt illness. Before I slept, I remember the Gem of Madness being on this side of the table”, said Des before he lifted the gem with his magic and set it down on the opposite side of the table.
“And when I woke up, it was sitting over here”, he finished. He turned to face Orga. “Would you happen to have any knowledge of why that is?”
“Uhhh…no, my liege, I don’t know how that happened. Besides, I would have no reason to be in your chamber”, said Orga.
This was, of course, a lie; Orga knew exactly what Des was referring to. However, it also got Orga to wonder if Junior had told the truth in terms of the fact that Des had allowed him to handle the Gem of Madness. Although Orga tried his best to pass off his answer, Des continued to stare at him with his pale, yellow eyes.
“Is that so”, he said, quizzly.
“Yes, my lord, I don’t know anything. From what I recall, I was out on another scouting mission that you assigned me”, said Orga. Des continued to stare, almost glare, at him as a couple trails of smoke escaped his maw; it was clear he didn’t fully believe him. Nevertheless, Des eventually dropped his glare and set the gem down.
“Very well, if you have nothing of use to say, then leave me”, he said as he turned away.
“Yes, my lord”, said Orga as he quickly walked away; leaving Des completely alone as he sat back in the center of his chamber with his eyes closed.
Orga walked through the halls of the cave before he eventually made his way to his corridor. His chamber was mostly empty apart from a makeshift bed made out of hay, a couple of workout weights, and several candles being used to keep it lit. Orga walked over to his bed and was about ready to lay in it until he caught a brief glimpse of what appeared to be a brush. Instead of being confused, Orga instead sighed in annoyance as he knew exactly who it belonged to.
“Why does she keep doing this”, he said to himself. He grabbed the brush and left his chamber.
As he walked through the caves, he managed to pick up what sounded like faint, feminine humming. Once more, instead of being confused, Orga instead rolled his eyes as he neared another one of the chambers of the mountain. This chamber was undoubtedly the most colorful part of the entire mountain, second only to the crystal chamber, as flowers and plants sprouted from seemingly every crack in every wall. A stream of water fed into the chamber along with rays of moonlight, these unique aspects of the chamber could help explain the massive amounts of plant growth.
Orga looked around, trying to find the source of the humming. He had a sneaky suspicion what, or rather who, was causing the sound and he would come to find his suspicions were confirmed. Biollante was tending to her miniature garden while humming a peaceful tune to herself. She lifted a couple of flowers and sniffed them, a smile formed on her face. She continued to hum as she danced to another side of the chamber, placing them alongside a wall of flowers. Orga stayed silent as he watched, he couldn’t recall the last time he saw her act this way. Biollante continued to dance until she abruptly stopped after seeing the form of Orga watching her from the side, this sight of which caused her to gasp in surprise.
“Oh my goodness! What are you doing here?”, she asked. Orga gave her a blank expression
“You left this in my room”, he replied, showing her the hairbrush.
“I did? I couldn't have, I’ve had that brush on me at all times”, said Biollante. Orga rolled his eyes.
“This is like, what, the ninth time you’ve done this to me?”, he asked.
“What do you mean?”, asked Biollante.
“Sometimes I’ll find either your brush, satchel, or even your flower pots in my chamber and you always try to act innocent when I return them”, said Orga. Biollante replied with an over exaggerated gasp.
“Are you calling me a liar?”, she asked, a few tears welled up in her eyes. However, Orga could tell they were tears of an alligator.
“Yes”, he said bluntly.
“I’m not sure if I could possibly live with the guilt of being a liar”, said Biollante as she became more and more dramatic. “Des is going to think that I can no longer be trusted and he’ll kick me out. I’ll have to live in the woods for the rest of my life and leave all of my beautiful, precious flowers behind! No mare should ever be subjected to live like that!”
Biollante continued to weep as Orga put a hoof against his temple. “Look, okay, fine I’ll brush your mane if it means I can go to bed sooner”, he said. Biollante immediately stopped crying and perked up.
“Thank you, Ito”, she replied before sitting beside her bed. Orga merely rolled his eyes before he sat behind her. He started to brush her long mane while Biollante continued to hum to herself.
“So, care to explain what’s with the cheery mood?”, asked Orga.
“It’s just a special occasion”, answered Biollante.
“What kind?”, asked Orga.
“Oh, you know, just the biggest night in all of Equestria”, replied Biollante. Orga was at first confused until he thought about it for a moment and he formed a deadpan expression.
“I swear if you say the Gran-”
“The Grand Galloping Gala”, interrupted Biollante. Orga let out an overexaggerated groan. “Just imagine it, Orga. The music, the scenery, the dresses, and of course all those royal flowers they’re bound to have at Canterlot. There truly is nothing like it.”
“Oh please, why do you always get so giddy over that crapshoot”, said Orga. “The gala is just a massive waste of blood, sweat, and tears where a bunch of rich scumbags listen to elevator music for five hours while they eat food that would work better to catch fish.”
“You’re just jealous because you never got the chance to go to the gala”, replied Biollante.
“Believe me, I'm not”, said Orga, bluntly.
“I remember that day, I had purchased this beautiful hoove-made gown that could cause any pony to drop dead”, said Biollante as she reminisced.
“Then it’s a good thing Celestia didn’t see you”, joked Orga.
“No, but somepony else did. I remember how it happened. It was nearing midnight and many ponies were starting to slow dance with each other. I was standing in the corner and then…I saw him”, said Biollante. “He came up to me, took my hoof, and we made our way to the dance floor.”
“And how was it?”, asked Orga.
“It was amazing”, said Biollante. “He was so graceful and delicate, he was unlike any other stallion I had ever met. So much love and passion was felt that night. Little did I know at the time that that love would last for many…”, Biollante stopped talking as the image of a well-dressed, black maned unicorn entered her mind; a familiar face that was gone too soon. Orga noticed this change in tone, but he already knew what was the cause of it.
“Well, despite my view , at least somepony found that henhouse enjoyable…for some reason”, he replied before setting the brush down.
“You know, you’re really bad at trying to make somepony feel better”, said Biollante.
“Hey, I’m trying here”, said Orga. “And besides, I only came here to return a brush, not to catch spilled baggage.”
Biollante humphed and turned away from Orga. “To think I would open up to you”, she said, snootily. “Here I am talking about the happiest day of my life and it seems you couldn’t even care. I would expect that from Junior, but you Ito?”
Orga sighed in annoyance as he put a hoof to his temple. “Alright, alright, fine, I’m sorry for what I said”, he replied. “I’m happy to hear that you had a good time, and you know what, I bet that if Genchiro was still here, I’d bet he’d say the same thing.” Slowly, Biollante turned back around to face Orga, she was admittedly surprised that he still remembered his name. Nevertheless, Biollante showed her gratitude with a small smile.
“Now that’s more like it”, she said. Before Orga said anything, a sudden realization came to him.
“Did you just guilt trip me into apologizing?”, he asked.
“Maybe~”, replied Biollante as she then began to giggle. Orga was annoyed, but was also too tired to deal with it.
“Whatever, I’m going to bed”, he said as he turned to leave.
“You know, you could really go far in being a therapist, you really got me talking for a bit”, said Biollante. Orga merely scoffed at this statement.
“Yeah right, the last thing that would be on my mind is to help the very ponies that I’m helping to eradicate”, he said.
“Well, nevertheless, I enjoyed our talk. In fact, I should probably start leaving my things in your chamber more often”, said Biollante.
“Yeah righ-, wait, so you have been doing it on purpose!”, exclaimed Orga as Biollante’s words sunk in.
“Oh, won’t you look at the time, it’s about time that I got some shut eye”, said Biollante, completely dismissing Orga. “Goodnight, Ito!”
“Goodnight, Bio”, Orga grumbled before he walked away.
As he left, Biollante was left alone in her chamber with her plants and memories. With Orga now gone, she finally let her cheeky smile drop. She turned to the side of her bed where a sack of miscellaneous belongings lay. She reached inside and pulled out a pink gold wedding band with a pattern showing several engraved flowers. A beautiful piece of jewelry from a magical memory that had since turned painful. Biollante could barely look at it before images of the same unicorn flooded her mind, causing her to drop the wedding band back into the bag. She let out a sigh before lying in her bed along with the thoughts of what could’ve been.
Meanwhile, Des took a deep breath as the smoke trails from his mouth ceased to emit. He had started to feel more and more pain each passing day courtesy of his kaiju spirit and he knew the reason as to why. He had housed a spirit that was the living embodiment of impatience and he was paying the price. Des’ horn started to glow as he meditated, taking deep breaths and honing his magic. Nearby rocks started to float in the air as they were enveloped in a deep yellow aura. Nearby candles that lit the chamber started to intensify in flame, causing the wax to melt much faster. Des’ emblem flashed as soon parts of his neck started to glow a luminescent purple. The entire chamber was starting to glow purple, all while Des sat with his eyes closed as a small smile crawled on to his face.
And then, that concentration was quickly lost as a portal appeared suddenly in his chamber. The spontaneous summoning of the portal made Des’ eyes shoot open and cause him to shout in surprise. His horn flashed bright orange as the rocks that he lifted immediately shattered into dust. The fire in the candles had extinguished, causing the only light to be from the portal itself. Des’ pale eyes flared at the portal as a growl emitted from his lips. His glare did falter, however, once a familiar looking dragon walked through the portal.
“Gryphon! What is the meaning of this?”, exclaimed Des. Though Gryphon couldn’t talk, his smile could speak wonders.
(Canterlot)
The clean up crew at Canterlot had their work cut out for them. Almost every single guard in Canterlot had to leave their posts in order to take back control of the ballroom after the events of the night that had played out. Whether it be dealing with wild animals, moving the destroyed pillars, or calming angry guests, the guards were all over the palace; more specifically, the ballroom. Vincent, Sharp Shot, and Raven Inkwell stood at one of the entrances to the ballroom. Safe to say, they were completely dumbfounded by the sight before them.
“Geez, I’ve heard of bringing the house down, but this is a little extreme”, said Sharp Shot. He laughed at his joke, but Vincent and Raven were more stoic.
“I don’t get it, how could this have happened?”, said Raven as she flipped through her clipboard. “It took us almost a week to set everything up and in a couple of minutes it’s now like…this.”
“Well, look on the bright side, it could be worse”, said Vincent, trying to ease the situation.
“Worse? How could this be worse? I’ve received complaints about the poor food quality, reports of a pink mane pony hijacking the stage, and now I have this to deal with”, replied Raven as she gestured to the destroyed ballroom.
“What I mean is, at least neither of the princesses saw what happened”, added Vincent. Though he didn’t notice, Sharp Shot quickly did as he pointed to a different part of the ballroom.
“Umm, I hate to prove you wrong, but…”, he said.
Vincent and Raven turned where Sharp Shot was pointing, the sight they saw nearly caused Raven to faint. None other than Princess Luna had entered the ballroom and she too shared the same look of shock that they did. Even worse, Shining Armor had also been one of the guards to escort her here and was just as taken aback as she was. Vincent looked toward Raven, a nervous smile on his face. It was a good thing Raven’s fur was white, so others couldn’t see how pale she was getting.
“Nice move, Romeo”, remarked Sharp Shot.
“What in the name of Equestria happened here?”, asked Shining Armor.
“Erm…well…you see, t-there was an…incident”, Raven said nervously.
“What kind of incident?”, asked Shining Armor.
“That…is a good question…th-at Vincent will be glad to answer”, said Sharp Shot as he pushed his fellow guard member forward. Shining Armor immediately looked at Vincent, expectantly.
“Ah, yes, what happened, well…we don’t entirely know yet”, answered Vincent. “All we know is that it had something to do with animals, a cake, and whoever that pegasus was with the rainbow mane.” Shining Armor placed a hoof against his temple before looking up at Luna.
“I’m terribly sorry you had to see this, you’re majesty”, he said.
“That’s quite alright, Shining. After all, it hopefully seems as though no irreversible damage was done”, said Luna.
“Yeah, and look on the bright side, it could’ve been worse if that Big Bertha rocket had exploded inside the palace”, said Sharp Shot. His remark, however, immediately caught the attention of everyone he was standing close to.
“I’m sorry, but what was that?”, asked Shining Armor.
“Uhh…what was what?”, replied Sharp Shot. Shining Armor looked to the side and saw the form of Toolshed helping other guards clean the shattered remains of the glass window. He sighed, feeling a mixture of annoyance and disappointment.
“Excuse me, your highness, but I have some other business to attend”, said Shining Armor before walking toward the mechanic unicorn. As he left, Sharp Shot and Vincent wore a worried expression.
“I’m just now realizing that I talk too much”, said Sharp Shot.
“‘Bout time too”, retorted Vincent.
Sharp Shot looked back at his fellow guard member with a glare. As the two spoke with each other, Luna looked around the ballroom to get a full assessment of the situation. Though it had been many, many years since she attended a gala, Luna had a strong feeling this wasn’t part of the festivities. As she looked around, she eventually laid her eyes on a familiar unicron that was just as flabbergasted as she was. Not only that, but Luna also noticed the seemingly saddened look on Caesar’s face; the sight of which reminded her of her recent chat with Gojira and how it ended. The strange actions of the stallion was surely worth discussing with Caesar over. As she made her way over to Caesar, Shining Armor made his way over to Toolshed.
“E-Excuse me! Toolshed!”, he called out, catching Toolshed by complete surprise.
“Oh, Shining Armor!”, she said, a little nervously. “Umm…hey, so…you might be wondering…”
“About what happened here”, interrupted Shining Armor as he gestured to where there once was a stained glass window.
“Yes, exactly that”, said Toolshed. She tried to ease the silence with a nervous smile, but Shining Armor didn’t reciprocate.
“Do you care to explain?”, he asked. Toolshed started to become nervous as her mind flashed back to the charger incident a while back.
“We-Well, umm…you see”, she said.
“It wasn’t her fault, sir.”
Catching both Shining Armor’s and Toolshed’s attention was the unicorn that had helped her with carrying the rocket. His fur was teal while his mane and tail were an iris blue. His lime green eyes wore an apologetic look as he took off his helmet and held it in shame. He had a deep voice that sounded more suited for jazz than for guard duty.
“It was mine, sir. Sparks from my horn caused the fuse to light which caused…this”, he said while gesturing to the destroyed window. Shining Armor was shocked and looked toward Toolshed.
“Is this true?”, he asked. Toolshed lightly nodded. With that confirmation, Shining Armor wore a more stern look.
“In which case, I’m sorry, Toolshed, for jumping to conclusions”, said Shining Armor. “As for you, soldier, you’re gonna help clean up this mess and you can start by moving the remains of Celestia’s statue.”
“Yes, sir”, the guard said softly.
“Good, now if you excuse me, I have to inform Celestia about how the Grand Galloping Gala ended. Thank you each for your time”, said Shining Armor before walking away. With him out of earshot, the guard turned toward Toolshed.
“Sorry about almost getting you in trouble”, he said.
“It’s alright, and besides it wouldn’t have been my first accident with gun powder”, said Toolshed.
“Oh, I’m confident it couldn’t have been as bad as this”, said the guard. Toolshed let out a nervous laugh.
“Well, believe it or not, this is now the second time I nearly burned the entire palace down”, said Toolshed.
“That’s…that’s actually pretty bad”, said the guard as his eyes slightly widened.
“Don’t have to tell me twice”, joked Toolshed.
“Anyways, looks like I’ve got some cleaning up to do. It was nice talking to you and, again, I apologize for nearly making you suffer a lecture from the captain”, said the guard before he started to walk away.
“That’s alright, the name’s Toolshed by the way”, said Toolshed. The guard turned back around.
“My name’s Thorns. See you around, Toolshed”, said the guard. Toolshed watched as Throns lifted a piece of the broken statue with his magic. She didn’t know who that stallion was, but he seemed like an overall decent pony.
Meanwhile, Caesar overlooked the remains of what was once a week’s worth of hard work that had been completely ruined. However, he didn’t appear to be as upset as some of the other guards or staff members were. That was because he was more so thinking of something else. Caesar hoped that the three brothers hadn’t seen what had gone down in the ballroom; he more so hoped they weren’t responsible for what happened in the ballroom. But he was also upset over the fact that he had been so pleased to hear that they would be coming to the gala, and yet he had only spoken to them once. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t even notice the princess of the night approaching him.
“Hello, Caesar”, said Luna. Caesar was caught by complete surprise as he nearly jumped out of shock.
“Oh, Luna, excuse me, I wasn’t paying attention”, he replied. Luna lightly chuckled in response.
“It’s alright, I can see that you’re just as amazed as I and others are over what happened tonight”, she said.
“Ahem, yes, I feel you can probably guess that this doesn’t usually happen at the Grand Galloping Gala”, said Caesar.
“So I’ve gathered”, replied Luna. “You appear to be upset over the resolution of tonight’s gala.”
“Yes…your majesty, I do wish it could’ve ended differently”, replied Caesar. Luna looked closer at Caesar, she could tell he wasn’t being entirely truthful.
“Does something else bother thou?”, she asked. Caesar replied with a sigh.
“Did you see any of the boys?”, he asked. Luna stayed silent for a moment, she was hoping to talk about this more in private. She quickly glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention.
“Me and…Gojira talked for a bit”, she answered. Caesar stiffened; out of the three, he had hoped that Luna hadn’t met him.
“What did he say?”, asked Caesar.
“Not much, I could tell he was uneasy around me, but I wanted him to know that I don’t share any ill feelings toward him”, answered Luna. “He was accompanied by Twilight’s assistant so I couldn’t share any of my knowledge with the kaiju spirits.”
“That’s good, but how did he act?”, asked Caesar. Luna was quiet for a moment as she didn’t know how to answer at first.
“Gojira acted fine at first until…”, Luna’s voice trailing off did little to ease the tension that Caesar was feeling, “he started to appear more and more distressed before he ran away.”
“Ran away? What do you mean by that?”, asked Caesar.
“He told me that he wasn’t feeling well, but I could tell that he wasn’t being truthful. Though I would hate to use this word, Gojira seemed to be almost…afraid”, answered Luna. Afraid wasn’t a word that Caesar would use to describe any of the three brothers, especially not Gojira. The thought that something managed to cause such a reaction out of the oldest of the brothers filled Caesar with anxiety.
“Do you perhaps any guesses as to why he acted that way?”, asked Luna.
“Unfortunately, I don’t; in all my years, I can’t recall anything that Gojira feared. I’ll see if Alpha can give me some kind of answer, he should’ve felt whatever made Gojira react in such a manner”, replied Caesar. He mentally cursed himself for not being able to talk to Gojira or any of the brothers before they left.
“Though I don’t wish to present any wild accusations, it could be possible that there’s something that we don’t know”, said Luna. “Something that’s beyond even our understanding.” Caesar looked down in thought, he hoped that wasn’t the case.
“Excuse me, you’re highness?”, called out a pony. Both Caesar and Luna turned to be met with Raven Inkwell. “Sorry to interrupt, but you’re needed at the front entrance. A couple of the guests aren’t very happy about how the gala ended, especially somepony named Prince Blueblood.”
“Of course, Mrs.Inkwell”, replied Luna before she turned toward Caesar. “Goodbye, Caesar, I’m glad I could share my thoughts with you.”
Caesar merely watched as Luna walked away with Raven while a couple guards followed close behind. This left Caesar alone once more to wonder about what Luna had shared with him. Perhaps the abundance of stress caused Gojira to have a nervous reaction, or maybe he was trying to make an excuse to avoid talking to the princess. Whatever kind of reason he could think of, there was that one potential explanation that Luna shared with him. Were they missing a crucial piece of information or was there another element that he wasn’t aware of? The thought of which made Caesar’s head spin as he decided to leave the ballroom and head back to his quarters. The gala hadn’t gone how he would’ve liked and he was now left with more questions than ever before.
“What have you boys gotten yourselves into?”, he said to himself.
As he walked through the halls, Caesar failed to notice the small insect that scurried on the wall. Its deep maroon color scheme covered most of its crustacean-esc features such as claws and mandibles. It used its four eyes to watch as Caesar rounded a corner and left out of sight. With the coast now clear, the bug quickly crawled across the floor before making its way to another wall. It made slight clicking noises before the concrete the wall was made out of started to slowly dissolve until a small hole was created. The insect crawled through the hole until it reached the other side.
Once outside the palace, the insect was met with two forms. One a dark green dragon and the other a much more threatening alicorn with pale, yellow eyes. Des flashed a toothy grin as the insect crawled on his skin before residing at the tip of his horn which appeared to be slightly dull. That was, until Des’ horn flashed for a moment and the insect disappeared, restoring the horn to its original sharpened state. He then turned toward Gryphon.
“Secure the premises, ensure that no pony comes even close to him”, commanded Des. Gryphon nodded before flying away.
With that, Des flapped his wings before taking to the air. He flew around the palace before coming across the castle’s garden. Just as he was informed, they were completely barren of any semblance of ponies. Leaving nothing but trees, bushes, flowers, a small pond, and a few statues. Despite that, Des only had his eyes on one which he slowly approached.
Discord stood tall and prideful as he was concealed in his prison made of stone, forced to stand for all eternity as he watched thousands, if not millions, of ponies walk past him each and every year. A being of such infinite power reduced to such a helpless state; he who was once a god was now an attraction. For the longest time, not a single equestrian soul ever once considered the possibility that Discord could potentially be set free. That was until this very night. Des used his magic to lift the Gem of Madness, the multiple colors it had started to glow brighter and brighter as the distance between it and Discord grew shorter and shorter.
Meanwhile, from across the castle of Canterlot, a few ponies were surveying the firework display that they had set up. Due to the untimely event that caused the gala to end early, most of the fireworks were left unused. Thus, there was a ton of stock leftover that a couple pyrotechnic ponies had to clean up.
“I’m so happy that Celestia made us put all this time and effort into a display that she never used!”, exclaimed Short Fuse.
“I know, I’m not happy about it either. But you can either stand there and keep winning about it, or help move them before something bad happens”, replied Crossette.
“Right, before something bad happens. Like all of these are just gonna light at the same time and go off, causing everypony in Canterlot to be distracted”, said Short Fuse with sarcasm as he lifted a couple of rockets.
“Yeah, something like that, now come on”, added Crossette as he too lifted a few rockets.
Short Fuse groaned as he and Crossette walked away. However, neither of them noticed the dark winged figure slowly crawling up to the firework display. The sight of the dozens of fireworks gave Gryphon an idea as he noticed how each of the fuses were wrapped around each other. Seeing that no pony was around, Gryphon immediately set to work by snapping his fingers before a flame similar to a match sparked on the tip of his claw. He angled the flame close to the fuse as the rope started to smoke before eventually catching fire. With the fuse lit, Gryphon quickly made his way back to the castle garden before someone saw him.
As the sparks traveled down the fuse, Des lifted the Gem of Madness closer and closer to Discord until it was just hovering above the statue. The gem was flickering brighter than ever before as it seemingly started to gravitate towards Discord like a magnet. Des stared at the statue intensely; several years of work had built up to this very moment of him standing in front of a god. It was time for chaos to rein over the land. With a deep breath, Des let go of the Gem of Madness as it wrapped itself around Discord’s neck. The colors quickly faded as it reconnected with its owner, allowing the silence to take over.
All the while several rockets had already ignited and shot up into the sky, leaving nothing but a smoke trail behind; any second there would be an explosion of color. Des waited as he eyed Discord, hoping that something would happen. That’s when he saw it, one of the fingers started to twitch. Not only that but several cracks started to form on the base, the body, and the head of the statue. The entire hand was twitching as was the feet and wings. More cracks started to form around the head as the entire statue started to shake violently, causing chips of stone to fall off. Time slowed down as the fireworks were mere seconds away from exploding. The cracks culminated in the eyes of the statue which were the first things to break through. The last thing Des saw were yellow eyes with red pupils glowing with excitement.
There were two explosions of color in Canterlot. A smaller one which happened at the castle’s garden, and a much larger and louder explosion that happened in the sky. Every pony in Canterlot had their attention drawn to the abrupt firework show that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Even Luna, who was in the halls of Canterlot when it happened, was caught off guard by the sudden noise. Not a single soul heard the shattering of the stone prison that held one of the most dangerous creatures in all of Equestria. Des stood still, barely even flinching as several chunks of stone came flying at him; only the bright light caused his eyes to lightly flutter. Des was so distracted that he didn’t notice the form of Gryphon right behind him until after the dragon placed a hand on his shoulder. As the light started to die down, Des scoffed sadistically as he waited with anticipation.
“We’ve done it, Gryphon”, exclaimed Des. “The bringer of chaos is now under my command! This is just the start, my loyal subject, the start of a new age of Equestria. The start of a revolu-”
Des was cut off when Gryphon tapped him on the shoulder, pointing at where the statue once stood. Des at first expected to see the sight of the mighty draconequus standing free as ever to mess with reality as if it were a rubix cube. But instead…there was nothing. Or mostly nothing, apart from the single decapitated head lying in the ground. Confused, Des walked forward and used his magic to pick the head up. He brought it over to himself and made it face him. The goat-like head almost appeared lifeless; that was, until the eyes shot open.
The suddenness of the eyes opening caused Des to drop the head as it rolled backwards. Smoke appeared out of thin air as the head was consumed by it. Laughter could be heard growing louder and louder as the smoke then started to fade away. With a body as long as a snake and appendages from nearly every creature in the animal kingdom; standing in place of the statue was a creature that not even the most mentally unstable ponies could dream of. The head rolled in front of the creature who grabbed and placed it on the base of his neck. With a mighty twist and a couple of pops later, the element of chaos was restored to his former glory. Discord continued to laugh maniacally before he regained his breath.
“Hehe, oh how fun it is to finally be able to stretch!”, he exclaimed as he began to do basic joint exercises. Both Des and Gryphon were still amazed by the sight.
“Discord”, Des said incredulously to himself.
“I apologize for creeping you both out”, said Discord. “You see, when you’ve been in the same pose for more than a millennium, your arms become so asleep they might as well fall off!” As soon as the words left his mouth, his left arm fell to the ground. Gryphon was caught off guard while Des barely flinched.
“Just like I said”, added Discord before picking up his severed arm and holding it like a baby. “This poor little guy had to stay up for so long.” Des broke out of his amazement before stepping forward.
“Discord-”
“Oh, where are my manners? I've completely forgotten about introducing myself!”, interrupted Discord before holding his severed arm out as a greeting gesture. Des just stared at it, not moved over the fact he was being offered the arm of an eagle as a friendly gesture.
“What, never seen somepony do this before?”, asked Discord. “Then again, you’ve also probably never seen somepony do this either.” Before Des could say anything, Discord raised his arm and with a snap of his fingers, turned it into a bouquet of flowers.
“Pretty neat, huh?”, said Discord. Once more, Des gave no reaction. At least, that was before the flowers exploded right in his face, scattering petals and seeds everywhere until there was only a smoke trail behind.
“Whoops! Sorry…poppies”, said Discord, pointing at the stems of the flowers. Des replied with a deep, annoyed breath. Discord took the remaining stems and stuck them in his shoulder, which quickly regenerated into his arm.
“Anyways, where was I?”, he said before scratching his chin. “Oh yeah, that’s right, my name is…”
“Discord!”, exclaimed Des. The volume of his voice caught Discord by surprise.
“Well now, somepony has a short temper”, he said before pulling out a thermometer from nowhere. He stuck one end of it into Des’ mouth.
“I must say, Princess Celestia, these past few centuries have not been treating you well”, remarked Discord. Des wore a deadpanned look as he blew into the thermometer where it was rendered to steaming ash in a matter of seconds. Discord looked at the remains of the thermometer and then at Des.
“And your breath has gotten worse too”, he added before pulling out a bottle of mouthwash from nowhere. “You might need this to rinse your mouth out, you’re majesty.”
“I am not Celestia!”, exclaimed Des. His voice caused Discord to stare at him like a child when they got scolded by their parents. Only for his cocky grin to show.
“And you got a new voice actor! Though, I always thought you were a female”, said Discord.
“Do not associate me with that depressing hag that others call a princess!”, exclaimed Des before taking a deep breath to regain his composure. “My name is Lord Des, and I am the one that released you.”
Discord stared at him, dumbfounded for a moment. “I’m sorry…released me?”, he asked. “Somepony clearly didn’t go to school, else they would’ve realized that the only way to free me from my confinement is by using the elements of harmony.”
“That’s not the only way”, said Des as he pointed at the piece of jewelry around Discord’s neck. The draconequus looked down at the necklace; his cocky grin immediately faded once he recognized the gem with radical colors.
“How…how did you find this?”, he asked, incredulously.
“An old temple in the Everfree forest”, answered Des. “The chaos magic that’s stored inside of that gem managed to bypass the seal the elements of harmony had on you and thus-”
“I know how this thing works!”, interrupted Discord. He put a finger on his temple before letting out a sigh. “This just throws a massive wrench in my plan for Equestrian takeover.”
“As in?”, asked Des.
“The amount of chaos magic that is in this gem is the amount of chaos magic that I can use, aka…not a lot”, answered Discord. “The only way for me to regain my full power is for somepony to remove the gem themselves.” Discord looked toward Gryphon almost expectantly, but he remained silent.
“Nothing? Got anything to say, probe bat?”, asked Discord. Gryphon remained stoic. “Huh, usually this is the part where the side character asks the obvious questions.”
“Gryphon doesn’t speak”, replied Des.
“Oh, I’m guessing that’s his gimmick”, added Discord.
“So what you’re saying is that you’re unable to remove the Gem of Madness yourself?”, asked Des.
“Yep, watch”, said Discord before trying to tug on the necklace. His arms started to show several, rainbow-colored cracks before shattering into a bunch of butterflies.
“See what I mean?”, said Discord before turning his arms back to normal. “If only there was a certain pony in this cruel world that would be so kind as to set me free, I would repay them with whatever they would want.”
Discord started to float as he got into a dramatic pose with his arm draped over his head. He hoped his attempt at reverse psychology would work, but all it seemingly did was esract a laugh out of Des. Not just any laugh, but with his mangled teeth, Des appeared to be cackling before he regained his composure.
“I suppose you take me for a fool, element of chaos”, he replied. “For you see, I didn’t set you free without purpose.” Discord looked quizzly at him.
“Excuse me?”, he asked.
“I’ve been working towards a goal of mine for several years and you, my dear draconequus, could be the missing piece that I’ve been looking for. So if you may, I highly recommend that you follow us back to our base where you’ll help us achieve that goal”, said Des. Discord stared at him dumbfounded before slapping his brow with his palm.
“Ok, listen here buddy, I’m not a genie, I don’t grant pony’s wishes, and I’m sure as heck not gonna do that for somepony of your…stature”, said Discord. Des’ smile didn’t falter.
“I’m not sure you have much of another choice, unless you want to wound up imprisoned by the princesses again”, he replied. Discord merely scoffed in response.
“Oh please, it’s only a matter of time until I regain my strength and start my journey to take back this kingdom that was rightfully mine!”, he exclaimed. Discord snapped his fingers in order to open a portal, however the only thing that appeared were a couple of sparks. Confused, Discord snapped his fingers again and the same thing happened. Out of frustration, he flung his glowing arms forward as a door sprouted from the ground. Discord confidently walked towards it and put a hand on the doorknob.
“And I surely don’t need the help of some freak with wings and their dog to take over Equestria, so if you excuse me…”, Discord’s word instantly trailed off once he realized that the door he summoned was a normal door that, when opened, only revealed more of the castle’s garden. He let out a frustrated groan before slamming the door shut.
“What was that you said? Oh yes, the amount of chaos magic in the Gem of Madness is the amount you can use. Aka…not a lot”, remarked Des as he walked forward. Discord let out a sigh, for once in his thousands of years, he was humbled.
“Now then, I’ll present my offer to you once more. Help us and we’ll take over Equestria together, or spend the rest of your life encased in stone. Your choice, element of chaos”, said Des.
Despite being gone for several centuries, Discord’s welcome back party would have to wait. He hated the idea of becoming essentially a servant to this freak of nature, but at the same time he didn’t have much of a choice. Discord was at an all time low in terms of power; just attempting to summon a portal across Equestria was starting to wear him out. If he wanted to take back his throne of Equestria, he needed all his strength, and the only way that was gonna happen was if Des or any of his cronies removed the gem themselves. Thus, an idea formed in his mind, signified by the lightbulb that appeared out of nowhere.
“Ok then, Mr.Des, how about a deal? I help you take over Equestria, and in exchange, you remove this wretched gem and I become your right hoof draconequus”, said Discord. Des looked at Gryphon with a skeptical look.
“And how am I supposed to believe that you won’t turn around and betray me as soon as I set you free?”, asked Des.
“Oh contraire mon frere, when you become ruler of Equestria, you’ll gain full control of the elements of harmony. For what reason would I have to betray somepony who could so easily render me to stone?”, asked Discord. He then spat on his hand before extending it.
“So what do you say, is it a deal?”, he asked. Des stared intently at the arm of an eagle. He didn’t believe a single word that Discord said, but if it meant keeping him under his rule, then he would take that chance. Des extended his hoof and firmly shook Discord’s hand.
“Very well, element of chaos”, he said. Discord smiled mischievously.
“Excellent! I’d say from this point onwards, Equestria’s days are officially numbered”, he replied. “Now then, where is our base of operations?”
“Right here”, answered Des before pulling out the other half of the transportation crystal. Discord, however, seemed unimpressed as a pair of glasses appeared on his face as he got a closer look.
“Umm…I’m pretty sure you can’t live in that”, he said. Des let out an unamused look. Without missing a beat, Des threw the crystal on the ground, causing it to shatter and form a portal. The sight of the portal brought a slightly impressed smile from Discord.
“Now that’s more like it”, he said before stepping toward the portal. Before he went inside, however, Des cleared his throat which caught Discord’s attention.
“Might I suggest leaving behind a decoy of sorts?”, asked Des, gesturing towards the stone pedestal that Discord once stood on for several centuries.
“Oh, right, almost forgot”, Discord snapped his fingers before a massive glob of clay fell on top of the pedestal. The glob began to spin freely as Discord then got to work by shaping it, as if he were making pottery.
“A little here, bring the curves out more…gotta include that jawline…aaaaannnnddd…done!”, exclaimed Discord. Standing tall and proud on the pedestal was what appeared to be Discord, except for certain features. Discord had given himself arms filled with muscle, the lower body of a centaur, and long majestic hair that looked to be flowing in the wind. Des and Gryphon looked dumbfounded by what they looked at.
“So, what do you think?”, asked Discord. Gryphon refused to say anything about it, but it was obvious that he wasn’t delighted. Des, however, was more direct with his complaints.
“I meant a decoy that looked like you, not this…monstrosity”, he said.
“Alright, fine, you’re no fun”, grumbled Discord. A hammer appeared in his right hand as he gave the sculpture a light tap. The entire thing crumbled and withered away, revealing a sculpture that looked exactly like how Discord was when Des first found him.
“Better?”, asked Discord.
“Very”, replied Des. He ear twitched as he heard the sound of hoofsteps coming closer and closer. “Now then, element of chaos, might we discuss our plan somewhere not in public?”
“I suppose, though, this better be worth my time. Don’t wanna be brought back to Equestria only to be turned to stone again!”, said Discord before he flew into the portal. Gryphon followed shortly after as Des wore a bemused smirk on his face.
“Believe me…it will”, he said to himself before entering the portal. The portal quickly closed as a couple of guards entered the castle’s garden.
“Are you sure you heard something?”, asked Hammerlight.
“I thought I did, guess I was wrong”, replied Starbolt as he looked around. He even walked up to Discord’s statue and looked around it, only to find nothing. The two guards shrugged and left the garden, leaving the statue of Discord alone. Little did they or anypony inside Canterlot know of the pure unadulterated chaos that would soon follow.
The mountain was completely silent as the remaining members slept peacefully inside. Biollante was curled up on her makeshift bed surrounded by her carefully tended plants while Orga was sprawled out in his chamber, snoring for his heart’s content. He was in a deep sleep, dreaming about whatever his mind would make for him. That was until his slumber was abruptly disturbed by the heavy galloping courtesy of his fellow earth pony.
“Orga!”, shouted Junior. The sudden noise caused Orga to practically leapt out of bed as he fell on the stone floor with a heavy thud. He got back up while staring dagger at his companion.
“Junior! What the hay is wrong with you! Can’t you tell there are ponies trying to sleep!”, exclaimed Orga out of frustration. Despite his anger, Junior barely seemed moved.
“Then tell that to whoever used one of the transportation crystals”, he said. Orga was confused by what Junior just said.
“What the hay are you talking about?”, asked Orga. Junior led Orga out of his chamber and into Des’ corridor. Biollante was also there with a messy mane and drowsy look, but still appeared to be just as curious as they were.
“What do you think it’s doing here?”, asked Orga.
“Don’t know, it just appeared out of nowhere”, answered Junior.
“Do you think Des might know?”, asked Biollante.
“I’m pretty sure he was the once that used one of the transportation crystals”, said Junior. Just then, a figure could be seen coming out from the portal. The three were expecting to see Des, only for their winged companion to appear instead.
“Gryphon, what’s going on?”, asked Junior. Gryphon instead stood to the side as Des then walked through the portal.
“Excellent, you’re all here”, he said. “My fellow subjects, I would like you to meet…our newest recruit.”
Des gestured toward the portal as the third and final figure walked through it; or rather, flew through it. Orga, Biollante, and especially Junior were floored at the sight of who Des was referring to. From the snake-like body to the several different appendages, the element of chaos stood before them. The three couldn’t look away from him, thinking that if they did then he would disappear and this would turn out to be a dream. And yet, it wasn’t. The sight of the draconequus standing before them caused them to each say a phrase almost in tandem.
“Oh”
“My”
“God”
“So, I guess this is what you call home, huh?”, asked Discord.
“It’s shelter, not a home”, corrected Des.
“Not with that kind of attitude”, said Discord.
“H-How did…why…i-it can’t be!”, exclaimed Junior as he and Orga and Biollante continued to stare at Discord.
“Planning and patience, Junior”, said Des. “That is why we are currently standing in the presence of the most powerful creature to ever walk on equestrian soil.”
“Oh, stop it, you’re gonna make me blush”, said Discord, trying to act flattered.
“Discord, I would like you to meet my fellow subordinates”, exclaimed Des as he referred to the three ponies still staring at Discord. The others gave little to know response.
“Well not everyone at once”, said Discord as he lightly chuckled. “But anyways, greetings my fellow teammates! You are all currently standing in front of the very being that will help you achieve complete and total Equestrian takeover!”
“Equestrian takeover?”, Junior asked himself.
“I mean I wouldn’t like to toot my own horn, but…”, Discord pulled down on his arm, which opened his jaw and released the sound of a steam engine’s whistle.
“So…what are your plans in helping us?”, asked Biollante, a little wearily.
“Whatever the big stallion asks for, my fellow mare”, answered Discord before pinching Biollante’s cheek. He then turned his attention to the two stallions. “And who are you two, might I ask?”
“Uhh…I’m Orga”, said Orga.
“Orga? That’s an odd name”, said Discord as he floated around the stallion. “I mean, no offense, but you don’t look like somepony I’d name after a caterpillar.”
“Cater-, what?”, asked Orga incredulously.
“And what about you?”, asked Discord, looking at Junior.
“My name’s Junior, and before we ask any more questions, I have one for you Discord”, said Junior as he walked over.
“Junior?…seriously?”, said Discord.
“You can summon anything you want, correct?”, asked Junior. Discord laughed at the questions.
“Oh you know”, he said before a trench coat appeared out of thin air, “just a few things.” He opened the sides of the coat to reveal several miscellaneous items such as a trumpet, tennis racket, pepper spray, bananas, and even a live chicken.
“So that means you’ll summon anything that Des would ask for? Including, perhaps, a certain book of some kind?”, asked Junior. Discord looked puzzled by Junior’s question.
“What do you mean?”, he asked. Des looked at Junior with a harsh glare, but he continued.
“What I mean is, would it be possible for you to summon us…the Kyojin Tomb?”, asked Junior. Everyone looked at Junior. Orga and Biollante were tense, Gryphon was stoic, Des kept up his onslaught of a glare, and Discord had a stare that went on for miles before finally speaking.
“I’m sorry, but what about a tomb?”, asked Discord.
“The Kyojin Tomb, you know, the book you need to revive the kaiju spirits? Aren’t you gonna summon it with a snap of your fingers?”, asked Junior. Discord just looked even more confused. He bent down to Des’ ear level.
“Is he broken?”, asked Discord. Des resisted the urge to let out a sigh.
“Indeed, he is not, draconequus”, said Des before his horn started to glow. Several candles nearby started to grow an intense flame, illuminating the walls of the cave.
“You see, there’s a lot of Equestrian history that you don’t know about”, he said. Discord’s attention was brought to the largest wall of the cave. On it were several cave paintings depicting what appeared to be giant monsters of titanic size. Discord looked intrigued by the sight of these paintings, especially the largest ones showing a three headed dragon fighting a shorter and more robust lizard looking creature.
“What is this?”, asked Discord.
“These are the kaiju. They existed long before the very first ponies to ever walk on Equestrian land”, answered Des before turning to face Discord. “They’ve been on this planet far longer than even you, draconequus.”
“That’s…that’s impossible!”, exclaimed Discord. “And I am the impossible!”
“Indeed it is, these creatures created what would soon become Equestria’s oceans, forests, and even sky. The very mountain you’re standing in right now was manifested by a kaiju”, said Des. “It’s long since been believed that the titans went extinct during an event known as the final war. However, while the bodies of these titans were never discovered, their spirits have lived on for centuries.”
“How?”, asked Discord. Des lifted the candle with his magic and moved over to another cave painting. It depicted a tribe of elderly unicorns surrounding what appeared to be a book of some kind that had many ghost-like figures swarming around them.
“Through this, the Kyojin Tomb. This book contains access to every single kaiju spirit making it one of the most powerful artifacts in Equestrian history. I want you to imagine, draconequus, the possibilities that would come if you were to hold that tomb in your hands”, said Des. “The amount of power that you could unleash, the number of titans that would be set free, the abilities you could obtain. All under your control.”
Discord stared at the cave paintings for what felt like hours, trying to take it all in. The kingdom that he had once ruled over was never even his to begin with. He could mess with reality as if it were a rubix cube and yet he couldn’t wrap his mind around the true history of his kingdom. It was almost too outrageous to believe, which meant a lot coming from Discord.
“And that’s where you come in, element of chaos. With your power and our knowledge, we can obtain the Kyojin Tomb, set the kaiju free, and allow all of Equestria to fall under the rule of the titans. We will be at the forefront of it all and the world will finally be where it should be; at balance”, finished Des.
He and the others waited in anticipation for Discord’s response who still had his back facing them. Before long, Discord started to laugh lightly before eventually bursting into full blown laughter. The reaction was one that none of them, not even Des, had fully expected. Soon, Discord managed to regain his composure and stood up straight, wiping tears out of his eyes with a cloth that appeared out of nowhere before taking a deep breath.
“And here I was thinking that I was the insane one”, he said before letting loose a few stray giggles.
“What’s so funny?”, demanded Des.
“What’s so funny?! What you just said! You mean to tell me that Equestria, MY Equestria, used to be overrun by giant monsters?!”, exclaimed Discord, trying to hold back laughter.
“Uhh, technically, kaiju aren’t monsters, they’re more like animals”, interjected Junior.
“Monsters, animals, tomatoes, potatoes, who cares!”, said Discord. “My point is that whatever kind of cult you and your friends are a part of I’d rather stay out of it. If you genuinely believe that these ‘kaiju’ were the ones that created Equestria, then yes, Des, I do take you for a fool!” Junior was about to argue back, but Des stuck his hoof out in front of him.
“So what you’re saying is that you don’t believe me?”, asked Des.
“What gave you that idea?”, replied Discord, sarcastically.
“Then would you say that you would be in need of hard evidence to prove my claim?”, added Des.
“My lord?”, said Junior.
“Proof? What kind of proof could you possibly bring me that would convince me that this outlandish theory is even remotely true?”, asked Discord. He flashed his cocky grin as he remained stubborn; something Des had hoped for.
“Allow me to show you”, he replied.
Des stood motionless for a moment as the wind began to pick up. The candles inside the cave started to grow in intensity and the surrounding rocks began to shake. Junior, Orga, Biollante, and even Discord were caught off guard by what was happening around them. The only one who didn’t react was Gryphon who remained stoic, but with a small smirk crossing his lips. The wind began to pick up as the candles were completely engulfed in flames. Cracks begin to show in the stone floor as the entire mountain began to shake; it felt as though it was about to tear itself apart. And then, all of a sudden, it stopped. As the wind ceased to blow and the candles completely melted, silence took over. That was, until Des’ emblem flashed.
Without warning, a bright flash of light caused everyone to cover their eyes else they risk becoming blind. As the light died down, Discord was the first to see the cause of it all. What he saw officially proved his skepticism wrong. Floating out from the mane of Des was what looked to be some kind of ghost-like being that was even larger than he was. Its body was shrouded in maroon colored flames, resembling a demon more so than a spirit. Its large wings completely eclipsed its crustacean body. The spirit’s eyes were completely pale similar to Des’ and they were set on only one being inside the cave. The spirit floated closer and closer towards Discord, not once breaking eye-contact. Discord stood completely still, he had never seen anything as hellish as the spirit which was now mere inches away from him. The unnerved look on the draconequus’ face brought a laugh out of Destroyer.
‘Your Equestria?!’, he shouted before breaking out into demonic laughter.
Destroyer started to circle around Discord, who remained still.
‘The hypocrisy of it all, such naivety from a being of such powerful nature, who can’t even comprehend what they don’t understand!’
The pale, translucent eyes of the spirit never left Discord.
‘Answer me this so-called element of chaos; where is your army? Where are those that you claim as being loyal to you? How can you possibly refer to this land as yours when you hold no control over it?’
Discord remained silent, for once he felt as though he couldn’t speak.
‘They don’t want you; they want to forget you. Instead of cherishing your rule, they try to turn your story into a myth. Just like what they did to me.’
Destroyer stopped moving and faced Discord, their eyes never left each others.
‘So tell me, Discord…am I still a fool?’
Discord stared the demon right in its eyes, he felt like he had to. Seeing how Discord refused to answer any of his questions, Destroyer let loose a few more raspy laughs before retreating back into Des’ mane. His emblem flashed as Des took a deep breath, a deep purple mist escaped from his lips in doing so. Junior, Orga, and Biollante all stared wide eyed over what had happened; only Gryohon had seen the spirit of Destroyer before. They waited to see what Discord’s response would be, but the draconequus remained silent. After a few seconds of complete silence, Discord finally spoke up by clearing his throat.
“Well…under further consideration…I’m willing to consider that…perhaps you were telling the truth”, he said. His head turned into the head of a donkey with the phrase ‘jackass’ written on the neck.
“Perfect, now we can finally get started”, exclaimed Junior. “Now then, would you please be so gracious, Discord, and summon the Kyojin Tomb into our lord’s hooves?”
Discord stared at Junior for a few moments before letting out an annoyed sigh. “Is he always like this?”, he asked.
“You have no idea”, replied Orga, who received a glare from Junior.
“Look, even if I wanted to summon whatever kind of book you so kindly asked for, I can’t”, answered Discord.
“What do you mean?”, asked Biollante. Discord placed a hand against his temple.
“How many times do I gotta say this”, he said before lifting the necklace that was around his neck. “This gem limits my magic to a finite amount, meaning I’m unable to conjure up any relics that are as powerful as your very Kyojin Tomb.”
“What about the titans?”, asked Des.
“That’s a whole other can of worms. If what you’re saying is true, somehow, then these creatures are far more ancient than even I am. I’m afraid they’re completely out of my depth of knowledge”, said Discord. The group, aside from Des, looked at each other with worry.
“So…what does that mean about Equestrian takeover?”, asked Orga.
“It’s quite simple”, said Discord before flying over to Junior. “It means no book”, he then flew to Orga, “no titans”, and then to Biollante, “and no Equestria”, he then flew to Des.
“You all get nothing!”, he exclaimed. “Well, except the can of worms, of course”, a can of live worms appeared out of thin air, which Discord began to eat by using chopsticks.
“Are you kidding me? We spent all this time finding the Gem of Madness, spent months waiting for the chance to free this bastard, and now we’re being told that the element of chaos himself can’t even summon a book!”, exclaimed Junior out of frustration. He would’ve continued to rant had it not been for the several stares he received from his comrades. None more so than Des who told him to stop talking without even opening his mouth.
“Exactly”, added Discord, ignoring the fact he was just called a bastard.
“If you’re unable to summon the bodies of the kaiju, could you possibly summon their spirits?”, asked Des. Discord scratched his chin for a moment.
“Possibly. However, not only would such a feat require every last drop of chaos magic this gem has, but I would still require vast knowledge of these creatures”, said Discord.
“Then I will teach you everything you’d need to know about the kaiju”, said Des. Discord let out a halfhearted gasp.
“Really?”, he said, trying to act honored.
“I am the only one that knows about their existence. My beast from within has taught me everything there is to rediscover about this forgotten past. As far as I’m concerned, I am your perfect teacher”, said Des. Without neither Des nor Discord knowing, both Junior and Orga looked at each other for a brief second sharing a worried glance; Des’ statement was only half true.
“And, uhh…how long will that take?”, asked Junior.
“Well, I reckoned…”, Discord pulled out a calculator and pressed a few buttons before a ding sound could be heard, “only a couple of days.”
“Seriously?”, asked Biollante, incredulously. Discord summoned a graduation gown and diploma.
“I’m a fast learner”, he boasted.
“So be it then, element of chaos. With our knowledge in titan history and your strength in magic, we’ll be an unstoppable force! I’d reckon that in a couple of weeks, the true rulers of Equestria will return to reclaim their world”, spouted Des as a small stream of purple smoke billowed from his maw.
“Exactly what I was thinking”, added Discord before he flew into the air, excitedly. “Oh, this is all so infigerating! Though not how I hoped my grand return would play, I’d say our future has never seemed more prosperous!”
Discord then flew to the entrance of the mountain which overlooked the land. “Look out, Equestria, your king has returned from his imprisonment. For it is I, Discord, joined by his fellow comrades, the…”
Discord remained still for a moment as he pondered. He then floated back down to where Des was standing. “Hey, boss man, remind me again, what’s the name of your group?”, asked Discord.
“Pardon?”, replied Des.
“You know a name, to let others know who you are”, answered Discord.
“Why would we need that?”, asked Des.
“To fit with the brand. I mean, no offense, but I doubt anypony would be intimidated by Lord Des and his funky bunch”, said Discord.
“Pfft”, scoffed Orga. “We don’t need a name. Why would we ever do something so trivial as tha-”
“What do you have in mind?”, asked Junior. Orga placed a hoof against his temple, he should’ve seen this coming.
“How about…the Dwellers”, suggested Discord.
“No”, replied Des, bluntly.
“The Anarchists.”
“No.”
“Revolutioners.”
“No.”
“The Dark Scouters.”
“No.”
“The Capitalists?”
“No”, said Des with a disappointed sigh.
Though the idea of giving his group a name never crossed his mind, it got Des to think. Their primary goal was to make the world see that the legends that they made up were true; that titans ruled the Earth. In many regards, in proving that legends were true, they were becoming them. Des looked down at his emblem, he knew what it stood for. He had made his mind up on a name, a name that would signify dignity but also power and pride.
“The Legends”, he said, softly.
“What was that?”, asked Discord.
“The Legends”, repeated Des. “From this day forth, the world will know us only as… the Legends.”
Discord thought about it for a moment. “Could use some work, but sure we’ll stick with that. Though I still like the Capitalists more”, he said.
“The Legends, huh…never thought we’d make our band official”, said Biollante.
“It was probably only a matter of time, and besides, I kinda like that name”, said Orga before turning to one of his comrades. “What do you think, Gryph-”, he cut himself off when he saw the dragon leave the cave by taking to the skies.
“Guess he doesn’t like it”, Orga muttered to himself. Des looked back at Gryphon's departure, perhaps he had the right idea.
“You all may head back to your chambers, but don’t let today fool you. Until Discord has reached his full potential, we will continue to search and supply for any resources that we will need, especially now that we have a new recruit”, he said.
“Took the words right out of my mouth”, added Discord as he let out a yawn. He summoned himself a set of pajamas, a sleeping cap, and a teddy bear. “Would any of you mind if I bunked with you; I promise I won't snore.”
“You’ll sleep with my right hoof stallion, Junior, element of chaos”, answered Des. Junior immediately perked when he heard that.
“Uhh…my lord, s-shouldn’t we have a vote of sorts?”, he asked, nervously.
“Sounds good to me!”, exclaimed Discord before flying down to Junior’s level. “I call the top bunk!”
“What the-, we don’t have bunk beds”, replied Junior.
“Don’t worry, we’ll fix that”, said Discord before flying into the halls of the cave. “Tootaloo, my fellow legends, see you tomorrow morning!” With Discord gone, Des turned to his group members with a much harder expression.
“Keep a close eye on him. Discord may not be as powerful as he used to, but he’s still the most important asset we now have”, he said. Junior, Orga, and Biollante nodded as the last two walked back to their chambers.
“Never thought we would have to be roommates with a god”, said Orga. Biollante nodded in agreement.
“At least he…appears to be nice”, she said before looking back. The draconequus at question grabbed a nearby rock before squeezing it until it turned into a pillow. The sight of which boggled Biollante’s mind.
“Just be sure to sleep with one eye open”, she added. As the two walked away, Des and Junior were left alone in Des’ chamber.
“My liege, while I am astonished at your accomplishment in freeing Discord, I fear there may have been a few key elements that we might have overlooked”, said Junior.
“Me and Discord made a deal when I set him free. He helps us achieve our goal of ‘Equestrian takeover’ and I won’t have him imprisoned by the elements of harmony”, replied Des.
“I see that, however, the plan wasn’t to take over Equestria, but to let the titans reclaim it”, said Junior. “How do you think Discord will react when he finds out we lied to him?” Des merely scoffed in response.
“I’m more than positive that he never intended to keep his side of the deal”, he said. “But since the Gem of Madness prevents Discord from becoming too powerful, I doubt he’ll be going anywhere.”
“About that, my lord. If Discord can’t even lead us to where Kyojin Tomb might be, then of what use does he have?”, asked Junior. Des stared him directly in the eyes as he bent down to his level.
“I think you’ll come to find, Junior, that the element of chaos has a much wider range of capabilities than any of us combined”, he said softly but sternly. Junior wanted to say more, but the forbidding look in Des’ eyes implied he wasn’t wishing to discuss this topic any further. Thus, Junior reluctantly obliged.
“Yes, my liege, I just wish to address my concerns”, he replied.
“Then you may leave now, see how our new recruit is adjusting to his new home”, commanded Des.
Junior nodded before walking away, wondering whatever in the world of Tartarus Discord might’ve done to his chamber. Des was finally left alone in his chamber. With the candles having long since been burned out, the only source of light were the moon’s rays that shone between the cracks of the mountain’s walls. Des was able to go over the events of the past hour. Discord, the ancient ruler of Equestria and the element of chaos himself, was now under his command; or at least for now. Though not as powerful as he once was, Discord would still prove to be a valuable asset for the foreseeable future. It would just be a matter of time until that future would become the present. Des felt a slight throb in his head, he knew what that meant.
“I never thought he could be humbled”, he said to himself.
‘He’s crude, and unspeakably plain. I suppose he couldn’t accept the fact that there are forces of nature that not even he can understand.’
Des scoffed as he looked out over the mountain. “It’s best we rest for now, for tomorrow will be the start of a new era of Equestria; one in which alicorns are no longer the dominant species”, he said. Though Des couldn’t see it, his spirit had formed a sharp grin.
