Years Earlier

Black Skull Island

Nestled in each other’s hooves, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance woke up to spears pointed at their faces.

The morning sunlight breaking through the large leaf Shining had rested over the tree trunk’s entrance had grown incredibly bright. Far too bright than either husband or wife had expected, and when they mumbled and stirred awake, they were greeted not only with the intensity of Celestia’s morning sun beaming down on their faces, but also the silhouettes of multiple figures standing before them.

Surrounding them. Holding spears dangerously close to them. And when their eyes adjusted to the intensity of the golden sunlight, when Shining reactively placed himself in front of Cadance, they saw the silhouettes and shadows fade to unveil a tribe of zebra warriors staring them down. Hardened, almost expressionless faces behind the spears never turning from either pony.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Shining warned, hoof outstretched to the weapons, his horn suddenly burning bright. His adrenaline took over, and seeing him flinch at the ready made the zebras follow in tune. They tightened their stances, thrusted their spears closer, but made no sound otherwise.

There, the standoff remained. For several seconds on end, nearing a minute, until Cadance slowly began to realize the zebras weren’t going to strike unless they felt threatened enough to. Bridging that gap, seeking a peaceful resolution, the Princess of Love laid her hoof over her husband’s, and Shining slowly eased down.

“It’s okay…” Cadance assured him. “They’re not going to hurt us.”

Shining twisted his head back to meet her gaze with his incredulous one, but was surprised to see her stand up and exit the safety of the tree they slept in. “Cadance, wait!” Shining warned, gripping her hoof. “How do you know?”

“They could’ve done whatever they wanted when we were asleep, so…” she responded, the calm, loving warmth in her eyes giving Shining a respite of peace. Just long enough for her step closer. And suddenly, the warriors backed off. Taking a step back to mirror her forward action. The longer she stood in silence, offered her warming smile to all the zebras around her, they slowly began to lower their weapons as well.

“The question is… what do they want from us?” Cadance asked aloud, not entirely sure if Shining had the answer to that, or if the zebras could even understand her.

However, in the seconds of silence that followed, when her husband finally emerged out of the trunk to join her, they were astonished to see the line of zebras in front of them back away. Revealing, to their shock, an ape steadily approaching them on all fours.

Like the zebras, the primate wore similar trinkets and jewelry around its neck and draping its long, slender arms. Its brown fur was painted with intricate white and yellow designs, covering its chest, arms, face, and legs. Almost like a language, one neither pony could speak or recognize. Shining and Cadance were momentarily stunned, their earliest recollection of an ape bringing back unwelcome memories of their first landing on Black Skull Island.

But unlike the mountain of fury and rage that attacked them, this ape was smaller, slower, and gentle to the touch when it looked up at them and offered its hand. To which Cadance thankfully replied in turn, laying her pink hoof in the ape’s palm.

Its fingers coiled around her hoof in an embrace. First contact and first greeting went surprisingly well, much to Cadance’s relief, and Shining’s as well. And then, the ape turned around, still holding Cadance’s hoof, to lead her somewhere. Though hesitant, Shining realized their route of escape was cut off by the zebras behind him. Not necessarily pointing spears at them anymore, but gripping them regardless, giving Shining that same, blank stare.

With some hesitance, and reassurance from his wife, Shining eventually followed.

The path they treaded was surprisingly peaceful. Compared to their daring escapades with Black Skull Island yesterday, there were no dangers that they encountered. It would seem the tribe of warriors that found them knew exactly where to go, and took the safest route possible. Cadance found it so incredibly fascinating. Especially because of all the files she read at Outpost Beacon, none of them mentioned a tribe local to the island.

She wondered if that first contact earlier was, in fact, the first contact. Between their world and the world this tribe inhabited.

Breaking through the thickness of the jungle, once more they entered a vast, empty valley. Only, it was not as empty as they thought it would be. The sunlight settled, their eyes adjusted, and Shining and Cadance paid witness to an astonishing sight. One that left them breathless.

A wall blocked the horizon, one so great that it connected the mountains on each side with a shield of wood, rock, bamboo, and countless other materials. An assortment of small islands filled the center of a massive lake, where rivers ran like veins throughout the lush, green farmlands. For the lands were definitely cultivated, as the remainder of the tribe appeared to them in large numbers. Numbers of zebras, primates of various species, equines, deer, and donkeys.

A mighty tribe of a multitude of species. Various creatures having ignored the differences between them to live in harmony, build lives together, craft huts, and farm the land to survive the harsh reality of Black Skull Island. They all wore similar paint and attire as the warriors that found Shining and Cadance. They all ceased whatever action they performed to gaze in silence to the approaching band of warriors, and the two new strangers among them.

Walking across the wood bridge that practically floated on the river, Shining and Cadance entered the first island, simply stunned into silence. The mud and straw huts housed families of deer, zebras, and equines, all of them stepping out from the shade of the homes to stare and study the ponies. Gorillas that carried large bundles of bamboo, wood, and food from the crops turned to see the newcomers, snorting in slight agitation. Children of various different species crowded together, watching Shining and Cadance with a glowing curiosity, tilting their heads, not uttering a single word.

The newlywed couple were curious as well, mostly because not a single word had been spoken from any creature within the tribe since their arrival. Their curiosity only grew, and never seemed to end, when the ape that led Cadance brought them all to the heart of their encampment. The centerpiece of their tribe and their home.

One that made Shining and Cadance have a double take.

An old, rusted ship rested on the edge of the island, the shattered end of it having sunk slightly in the lake water behind it. But the entrance was wide open, the underbelly of the ship open with a mighty wound. Scratches looking to be more than natural painting the ship’s tattered surface. Primates climbed and hung from the ship, peering down at the two ponies even as they entered the ship’s hold.

Finally, the ape relinquished its grip on Cadance’s hoof. Having finally brought the two visitors to their home, to their heart, where it appeared their leader was waiting for their arrival.

And what a leader it was.

A large orangutan sat on the far end of the ship, on a throne of bamboo, vines, and moss. It looked to be more than twice the size of Shining and Cadance, surprising the two ponies for the ape’s immense height and girth. Red hair covered its body, matted and dangling from its limbs. On its hair, and different from the rest of the tribe, the ape was covered in blue paint, yet bearing the same strange designs or writings.

Small fires filled the throne room on various torches that led to the tribe’s leader. Its slender, lengthy arms rested lazily on the primate’s belly as the primate itself seemed to be in a restful state, and then came the arrival of the zebra warriors, with two new faces to join them. The orangutan lifted its head, spread its arms, laying its fists on the dirt as it leaned forward to observe them closer.

The zebras planted their spears fiercely in the dirt, stepping aside, blocking the path behind Shining and Cadance. The ape that led them bowed its head respectfully, approaching the throne and taking a seat beside the orangutan. Leaving that silence to settle, with the glowing blue eyes of the giant ape watching the two ponies with a sort of curious intensity.

Finally, Cadance couldn’t stand the silence any longer, and made that first, bold approach to sever the distance between their two worlds. “We come in peace…” she spoke aloud, clearly and hopefully understandable to them. “My name is Princess Cadance of the land of Equestria, and this is my husband, Prince Shining Armor.”

The orangutan made no clear response other than low, steady grumble in the back of its throat. Those shimmering eyes radiating a blue glow left Cadance perplexed the longer it stared at her, and then it raised those eyes to her horn. Then, to Shining Armor’s horn. Then, the great primate turned to one of the many equine guards standing in the corner of the ship’s belly, seeing that same unicorn horn.

With a short moment of study having come and gone, the ape turned back to the two ponies before it, and closing its eyes, Cadance gasped lightly and Shining took a shocking step backward when they both heard it at the same time.

“Welcome to our home. I am Osarus, son of Monomith the Mighty, and great leader of the Iwi. What are your names?”

A voice that spoke out of nowhere, coming from no moving lips that they could see. It was not whispered, but spoken clearly, most shocking of all, in their minds. The look they both shared spoke volumes, each pony stunned to have heard the same voice in their heads. Now, Shining and Cadance were no strangers to a magical, telepathic form of communication. They had used the spell many times before, Shining with his former troops in the Canterlot Royal Guard, and Cadance having learned it from her Auntie Celestia.

But to hear it supposedly come from the large orangutan sitting before them, a creature neither Shining nor Cadance knew were capable of such magic, it was a startling revelation to say the least. It left them in a stunned silence, the ape even opening his eyes to await their response. Cadance peered into those eyes again, really studying the glowing blue in his irises.

Like swirling pools of a magic entirely natural to them. Cadance maintained her breathing, recalled Osarus’ question, and responded. “My name is Princess Cadance of Equestria, and this is my husband, Prince Shining Armor.”

She ensured Shining could hear her as well, as he turned to her in acknowledgement of her greeting. Osarus even bowed his head gently to that response, leaning back slightly on his throne. Shining lifted his gaze back to the orangutan, asking, “How did you learn to communicate telepathically?”

Raising his branch of an arm, red hair dangling in long strands, Osarus rested his finger on his chest just above his heart. “Yes, Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor, it is true we speak with no natural tongue. For this speech is one we all share, separate from every language that comes from your land, speaking in one tongue that is natural to all living creatures. We, the Iwi, speak through the powers of the earth.”

“The magic of Equus…” Cadance acknowledged, speaking her thoughts simultaneously to herself and to the others around them. “It’s the magic every living creature has, just like you said. Earth ponies, unicorns, Pegasi… and yes, even primates.”

But this was still seemingly much larger than Shining or Cadance could imagine. A tribe isolated from the rest of the world, speaking not through traditional means, but psychological, in a way that was wholly unique to them. Shining and Cadance knew telepathic speech was accomplished through a spell via highly trained unicorns and magic users, but to see it displayed among these creatures, spoken so easily, so plainly, they wondered if this was accomplished solely through the magic of Equus.

Or if this was a magic far more ancient than Shining and Cadance realized. If the secrets to Equus’ natural magic had been tapped into and unlocked by this tribe. And if there were still greater secrets of their world yet to be discovered.

Black Skull Island was one of them, and this was their opportunity to learn as much as they could.

“The ship we’re in looks to have come from a faraway land. When did it arrive?” Cadance asked.

Osarus laid his hand back to the ground, studying the vast, intricate desolation the vessel had given them as shelter. He recalled the stories, and responded, “This great vessel came to us years ago, long before I was born. For this land we stand upon was once covered in water, but no more. From the lands beyond the endless sea, this vessel came. The inhabitants of it… the Iwi never found. We fear the devils took them long ago.”

Hearing that resonate in their minds longer than they would have liked, Shining eyed his wife cautiously and asked telepathically, “And what devils are you talking about?”

The leader of the Iwi stared down at them, sighed greatly and relinquished his seat upon the throne. Pressing all four limbs into the dirt, the orangutan walked past both Shining and Cadance, if but to approach a series of stone slabs erected from the ground.

Cadance led the way, with her husband following. Standing beside the large ape, they watched together as Osarus lifted his hand once more to point to the stones. To the painted slabs. To the stories they held.

And he told them, “For thousands of years, the Iwi have experienced great calamites upon this cursed island. Wars raged by monstrous creatures have torn our temples, our villages, our homes to desolation. We have lost many. We have been hunted to near extinction. And these devils, the Halakrah, have slain our protectors.”

His hand caressed a series of stone slabs, showing the white imagery of deceased primates with serpent-like beasts surrounding them.

“The great apes…”

Cadance looked up at him, noting the sadness glowing almost as bright as the blue energy pulsating in his eyes. A huff left Osarus’ lips, and he dropped his hand. “They go by many names. Our people call them the Halakrah, the devils, the serpents, the Skullcrawlers. There was a great slaughter, and the apes were all but gone. All… but one.”

Osarus brought them to the next bundle of stones, revealing a new story told through the white painting. An image with a familiar, giant ape battling the Skullcrawlers. Another image above that showed an ape represented as a benevolent ruler, arms outstretched with ponies bowing in reverence. Giving praise to the King of Black Skull Island.

Almost lost in a daydream, the orangutan leader said, “A child who lost his lineage, having grown strong over the years to avenge his family. He is Kong, the king of this land, who protects all life from those who would dare to destroy it. He drove the devils back into the depths, and for so long that was where they lived: beneath us. Over time, however…”

Shining Armor gulped. “The Skullcrawlers returned.”

Osarus nodded, looking down at the two ponies. “Something has awakened them. A call that echoes across the earth. We have heard it ourselves but do not know what it is. Kong has defended us during this treacherous time, but there is only so much he can do. You must listen now, Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor…”

The Iwi primate settled himself on the dirt floor, looking down at the two ponies with such intensity it was like the light in his eyes brightened. All above and around them, Cadance and Shining took notice to the multitude of apes hanging from the holes in the ceiling, to the vast crowd of creatures that surrounded the entrance to the ship, all of them staring to the two newcomers.

“I do not know why you came to our island,” Osarus said, “but just know that Kong will do anything to protect it. Should you come to pillage and destroy, Kong will not hesitate to treat you as lowly as a devil. Are you devils, Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor?”

Managing a tiny smile, Cadance shook her head. “Far from it. We crashed when entering the island, and our ships, well… they made quite the explosion. I suppose this… Kong… saw that as a threat.”

“There were others before us,” Shining added, earning the primate’s attention. “Others attempting to make a base and explore this uncharted island. But they were lost, and we were sent here to find them… and figure out what happened.”

“Hmmm,” Osarus mumbled thoughtfully, looking up to the slivers of sunlight breaking through the ship’s hull. “A noble… and honorable cause. Have you managed to find them?”

To the tribal leader’s dismay, both ponies shook their heads. “No,” Cadance responded sullenly, but suddenly perked up to him. “But we came with many others. Our allies, friends, we were separated from them. I guess… I guess all we really need to do now is find them and get off the island.”

The large orangutan leaned down to them, eyes narrowing. “And have you the faintest idea where they might be?”

It would seem all of their thoughts were cut off at once by the sound of piercing, high-pitched shriek tearing through the air. Several of them. Followed shortly by an all-too-familiar roar, one that Shining and Cadance recognized instantly. The first roar was only recognized by the Iwi, and they gasped and cowered back from it.

Osarus stamped his fists into the ground, huffing fiercely, knowing that dreaded cry by heart. “Halakrah… Kong faces them now. Many devils.”

Cadance gulped softly. Skullcrawlers… Just the name of them sent shivers down her spine, the Alicorn having no intention of seeing them for herself. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the reality of their situation, and Osarus bent down to them to let her know that.

“Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor, you are strong, yes?”

Husband and wife exchanged a curious glance before turning back to the ape, nodding once.

“Then you must help Kong in his desperate hour of need,” Osarus told them, much to their surprise and rising objection. Instead, the primate faced the skies outside, beyond the exit of the vessel once more, snorting. “They have been called to war against our king. One who leads them from the abyss. Their numbers are great, greater than any Kong has fought before. This swarm will surely be the end of our last protector.”

The Iwi leader stared at them both with big, desperate eyes. “I know you face troubles of your own, but if Kong is to fall there is nothing to stop the Skullcrawlers from consuming the island.”

Cadance gasped, hoof raised to her heart. Shining, however, looked to the numbers that surrounded them and turned back to their leader.

“And what about all of you?” Shining asked, “What are you going to do?”

Hesitating a moment, Osarus looked to his people. Saw the mothers clutching their children in fear, saw the warriors grasping their trembling spears. Saw how very meager and little they had become, all because of the beasts they were forced to live with. Though it pained him to say, Osarus needed to think of his people, of their safety, and most important of all… their survival.

“We cannot join you. These lands are not hidden from the enemy, and our walls must be defended should the devils come. We have lost far too many Iwi from the Halakrah. For all we know… we very well may be the last of our kind.”

The two travelers from Equestria almost tried to object, but after seeing the fear clutch the expressions of all who surrounded them, all of them almost pleading to the Alicorn and unicorn for their help, their hearts ached for their plight. Yes, the newlywed both knew they had problems of their own, allies who were still lost out there, but who would they be, as future rulers of Equestria, to abandon those in need?

Turning to each other, that bond and promise both swore to uphold emanating deep with them, Shining and Cadance came to their shared decision. “Okay,” Shining spoke for both of them, “we’ll help your Kong. We’ll make sure he can fight back this swarm.”

That telepathic declaration was shared among all in the Iwi, and they all slowly began to bow their heads as a showing of thankfulness. Even their mighty leader, Osarus, bowed his head to the royalty.

“Thank you,” the orangutan responded gratefully. “Know from now on, no matter what should come, you will always find refuge and friendship with the Iwi.”

A small pair of smiles were shared between Princess Cadance and the tribal leader, before that prospect of friendship was dashed away when another piercing roar filled the air, followed by a thunderous earthquake that shuddered even the vessel they stood within.

Steadying himself, Osarus fiercely said, “You must go now, and do not fear Kong. He is not your enemy. He is king, and that respect and mutual trust will be built if you show you are willing. What we have built with Kong over generations… you, too, can share in it.”

Though with some slight hesitance, almost trying to wrap their heads around how they would even go about establishing that trust with the same ape that attacked and killed many of them, the royalty came together and nodded in unison.

Princess Cadance offered one last bow to the Iwi leader, and said, “Thank you, Osarus. We’ll keep that in mind. Be safe, all of you.”

As a first departure, they left on good terms. That was enough to strengthen Cadance and Shining Armor for the inevitable fight of their lives that awaited them, deep in the maw of Black Skull Island, where the beasts made war.

There was no time for sightseeing. For being cautious. For watching every step they took or potential creature they stumbled upon. They galloped and flew as fast as their hooves and wings could carry them to the sounds of battle and distress deep in the uncharted valleys of Black Skull Island. Until, eventually, Shining Armor and Cadance came upon a great drop to a misty, forsaken hellscape.

Where the fog was as yellow as a sickening poison, and nearly as thick as the clouds above. Where the lands were akin to that of a graveyard, ripe with ancient skeletons of fallen apes. Meshed with bloody shreds of recently slain serpentine beasts; Shining and Cadance assumed those were the Skullcrawlers.

Just for a moment, the two hesitated, observing the battlegrounds below. Just as the Iwi had shown them in the paintings, many great apes had died here, giving their lives in the final battle between their kind and the devils that rose from the abyss beneath Black Skull Island. And now, the sounds that emerged deep within its hold, they could only assume the Skullcrawlers united to end the last in the line of the great ape superspecies.

Where it all began, and now to where it would all end.

In the midst of it all, as the yellow fog began to fade, there was the king. There was Kong locked in heated combat with a Skullcrawler, the creature wrapping its tail tightly around Kong’s abdomen as the ape tried desperately to rip it off.

But that wasn’t all.

Because trapped within the battle of the two towering forces of nature, Shining and Cadance witnessed a sight that made their hearts leap, and then suddenly drop into the pit of their stomachs. Rushing from one pile of bones to another, doing everything in their power to flee before another Skullcrawler would appear to attack them, there they were. The remaining survivors from their expedition.

Scootaloo’s parents were with them. Still alive. Still fighting for their lives.

The situation just changed entirely, escalating in their hearts and spurring Shining and Cadance into action.

Shining galloped down the hill, with Cadance flying right beside him. Peering out into the oncoming battle, spotting the Skullcrawler charging after Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood, she turned to her husband and screamed, “Shining Armor…!”

He responded fiercely, with her safety being his priority, “Stay airborne and keep your distance! Concentrated blasts of magic only! Save your strength!”

Understanding and acknowledging her task, Cadance shouted, “What will you do?!”

Eyes locking on the Skullcrawler dead ahead, Shining Armor ignited his horn into a burning blaze and growled, “What I can…”

As they entered the battle, both husband and wife were shocked to see Kong suddenly rip the Skullcrawler off of him and launch it at the second devil, both serpents crashing and rolling aside. The second devil crashed into a spine and was impaled against the sharpened bones, killing it almost instantly. Giving Snap Shutter, his wife, and the rest of the survivors enough time to find safety in the skull of a felled ape.

But that wasn’t the end. The Skullcrawler rolled back to its claws and screeched, leaping a great distance and once more latching onto Kong. Losing his balance, roaring into the air, Kong fell over with the Skullcrawler wrapped tightly around his limbs, constricting him of most of his movement. They crashed through a rib cage of a fallen ancestor of Kong, shattering the bones and sending splintered fragments across the earth.

Shining slid to cover behind a dead Halakrah. Cadance hovered in place above the battle, watching intensely, almost in a panicked sense, as Kong continued to struggle below.

She blinked, and then saw the same ape standing over the remains of their fleet, beside a great plume of fire that he caused when he slammed their airships into the ground. Killing an untold number of T.I.T.A.N. personnel. Killing so many ponies. Charging and crushing the fleeing survivors beneath his feet as they just tried desperately to survive.

She blinked again, and saw the last child of a once great nation of ape Titans fighting for his life, just as they had when they invaded his home. Brought back to the same lands his people were slain, and now forced to carry on their war alone. She heard his cries, saw him lose his strength, and watched the daggers of teeth near his throat.

And that was where she drew the line. She saw the opening between the Skullcrawler’s chest and Kong’s as the creature pressed its claws onto the ape’s heart. Cadance tightened her expression into a feral glare, charged up her horn, and fired a concentrated blast of magic, just as her husband ordered. The stream of light shot out with blinding speed, and the impact created a pulse of magic so strong it launched the screeching Skullcrawler clear off from Kong’s body.

The king took in a gasp of air, the tail having finally been relinquished from his throat. Turning to the source of the attack, Kong’s eyes settled on the flying equine in the glare of the sun. His own eyes widened.

When the Skullcrawler crashed, Shining Armor galloped to its location and roared for its attention. “Hey! Over here!”

If that wasn’t enough, Shining ensured its attention was brought to him when he fired a bolt of magic that singed the creature’s arm. The Skullcrawler shrieked, rolling over and slashing its tail across the source of the attack. The skull Shining hid behind was knocked clear across the earth, the unicorn ducking and galloping to the next source of cover. The Skullcrawler was relentless, charging Shining as he repeatedly fired more blasts of magic that barely slowed it down.

“Shining!” Cadance screamed, flying over to help her husband, but found no need to.

When she felt the massive gust of wind tear past her.

When she saw the mountain of dark fur charge forward for her.

And just as the Skullcrawler had slashed and knocked Shining Armor into a large boulder, pinning its claws against him and the rock, the creature was caught seconds before it could crush its jaws around the unicorn. It was tackled by a fury, a rage that had been dealt a personal blow having been brought back to this infernal place.

Kong tackled the Skullcrawler, freeing Shining and granting the unicorn a thankful breath of air after having lost it. He turned to watch the creature’s final moments at the hands of the King of Black Skull Island.

In his hand, he held one of the ribs from his fallen kin. He drove the sharpened of the bone into the creature’s stomach and chest repeatedly, the Skullcrawler thrashing and screeching in agony. Lost in the bloodlust, he continued to slaughter the Skullcrawler until he lifted the rib to the flailing beast’s throat and slashed it cleanly across its jugular.

Blood flew into the foggy, burning air.

Red painted Kong’s fur and fist, and the broken bone he clenched in it.

Standing up, Kong tossed the dead Skullcrawler aside, breathing raggedly and standing alone amidst the graveyard now filled with fresh bodies. All dealt by his hand. The dead having been avenged. It was quiet save for Kong’s breathing, and then his attention caught the sound of a feminine cry.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again!” Cadance cried, flying down and embracing Shining in a loving hug. “I thought… I-I thought it would…”

Kissing his wife’s cheek and hugging her fiercely back, Shining whispered, “You did so good, Cadance. It’s all right… I’m all right…”

“Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!”

The Austalian accent arose from the battlefield, and to their resounding relief both husband and wife turned to see Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood making a fast approach to their location. Followed by what remained of the survivors. Smiles and hugs were shared instantly, the two groups finally reunited.

“I knew you were too tough to let Black Skull get the better of ya!” Snap Shutter declared victoriously, galloping and meeting Shining for a hug, to which he was more than happy to offer now. He was just happy to see them all alive and well.

“You guys made it!” Shining said in return, almost laughing and embracing the other survivors. He turned to his wife, watching as Mane Allgood hugged her just as strongly as Snap had hugged him.

“Your Highness!” Mane almost cried, practically flying into and crushing Cadance with a hug. The Alicorn returned it, laughing and smiling all the same as her husband. Clutching her shoulders, Mane looked her up and down and stuttered in her breathless panic. “I-I-I-I don’t know what to say! I’m so sorry for letting you both go through all this! Oh, thank Celestia you’re okay!”

“It’s all right, Mane!” Cadance told her with a smile, and told all of them, “We’re just glad you’re okay! How did you all make it here?”

It was Snap who answered, practically prying his wife from the Princess of Love. “I can answer that, Your Majesty! Turns out after we lost those jackals in the jungle, we looked just about everywhere for ya. Obviously found nothin’, and decided to retire for the night. Well, mornin’ came and we woke up just in the nick of time to realize we were bein’ hunted! Yeah, those dang serpent Titans chased us out of the jungle and into the graveyard, and that was about the time big and hairy leaped in and started poundin’ on ‘em!”

Snap looked over to Kong, seeing the ape watching them from a distance, a none-too-friendly look on his face. “Guess we owe you and the monkey our lives… all things considered,” Shutter said, his guard still up should Kong try anything.

Mane cleared her throat, holding her hoof out to the remaining survivors. “We lost some of the crew from those jackals and the serpents, and… we’re all that’s left. One of our boys managed to snag a radio from Outpost Beacon… so we can call in as soon as you’re ready,” Mane explained, pulling out the small radio from the bag.

“But… I think we all gotta know…” Allgood said, eyeing Shining and Cadance carefully. “What happened to you two?”

The images of the Iwi, of the history of Black Skull Island told to them, all of it flooded back into Shining and Cadance’s minds. Looking to one another, sharing those same thoughts, they attempted to answer before they were cut off.

Before all the earth shook.

And they all turned to the source. Kong included.

It burst from the ground, launching bones of fallen apes across the graveyard. Landing on the corpses and bones of Skullcrawler and ape alike, its ashy white skin appeared under the burning blaze of the sun. Its long, muscular arms spread out, the massive tail swaying back and forth as the gargantuan Alpha Skullcrawler glared down the last of the great apes.

As the survivors backed away in shock, it suddenly clicked to both Shining and Cadance. A Skullcrawler far larger and undoubtedly more powerful than the others. One who led the devils from the abyss. Just as the Iwi warned them.

The Skull Devil growled and began its slow, calculated approach from out of the burning hole in the earth. Its forked tongue flicked back and forth from its agape jaws, rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth poised only for the last ape. It would relish in his blood as it had the blood of his ancestors.

But Kong was unmoved. All he did was grip the bleeding rib even tighter, his eyes burning with a fiery intensity encompassing a slew of different emotions. One of pain, remembering the ashy white Skullcrawler that day so long ago. The devil that stood over the bodies of his people, and led the genocide of the great apes. One of rage, having no ability to fight back then as a child, but having grown for this day, for this moment.

And finally, raw retribution filled his heart and mind more than any other emotion tried to. That with a bellowing roar, Kong slammed his fists into the earth, pounded his chest, and charged. Ramarak the Skull Devil roared and charged in return, and their clash was felt by all, living and dead, in that loathsome, infernal land.

Author's Note

Artwork by Shrekzilla