It had been only a couple of days since the events of Nightmare Night and tension was quite high throughout the many caves of the Legend’s hideout. Orga, Biollante, and Gryphon all stood in front of what used to be Junior’s corridor as a pair of long curtains completely obscured the entrance. None of them knew what was happening inside, nor what the condition of their fellow legend was. Gryphon’s expression remained mostly neutral while both Orga and Biollante felt a little more worried about Junior. Although there were times when they couldn’t stand Junior, he was still an ally, one who had gone through such painful changes that they had never seen before. Suddenly, the curtains abruptly opened wide as Discord stepped out before closing them. He was wearing a full doctor’s uniform that looked as though he was preparing for surgery with a face mask and latex gloves. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the weirdest outfit the Legends had seen him in.

“How’s Junior, is he alright?”, asked Biollante. Discord looked down in shame as he clutched his arm.

“I’m sorry…but”, he said.

Orga, Biollante, and Gryphon stood silently as they heard what he said, Discord didn’t even have to finish his sentence as everyone knew about the unfortunate truth. Biollante stared off into nothing as Orga placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. Even Gryphon, who had remained neutral throughout the day, slightly softened as he processed what was said. The three of them all couldn’t believe what they heard.

“So…Junior is”, started Orga, unsure of how to finish his sentence. Discord replied with a nod.

“I’m afraid so…”, he said, “…he’s of perfectly good health.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed in an instant as everyone heard what Discord said. Biollante immediately perked up and Gryphon’s face immediately hardened. Discord began to snicker before bursting out laughing. This sudden change in tone caught everyone off guard as Discord fell on the floor and started to roll around, slamming his fist down on the stone ground as tears of joy poured from his eyes. The more he chortled, the more confused and upset everyone else became.

“What’s so damn funny?”, demanded Orga.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, that was too good! You should’ve seen your faces!”, said Discord as he wiped the tears from his face.

“Wait, I’m confused?”, said Biollante. Discord continued to laugh until he eventually recomposed himself.

“It’s quite simple, my dear Biollante, whenever you’re presented with the chance to mess with somepony…”, Discord got right into her face, “…take it.”

Biollante replied by taking a few steps back.

“So…how’s Junior?”, asked Orga.

“Don’t worry about him, he’s healing at a steady pace. In fact, I estimate that in…”, Discord pulled an entire grandfather clock from his fake pocket to check the time, “…two minutes, he’ll awake from his coma.”

The Legends each wore looks of relief, aside from Gryphon who looked more indifferent to it all. Nevertheless, he and the others started to walk towards the curtains. However, before they could open them, Discord rushed to them and blocked their path.

“Ah ah ah, what are you doing?”, he asked.

“Trying to check on Junior, we at least want to be there when he wakes up”, answered Biollante. Discord merely scoffed before waving his finger.

“Tisk, Tisk, I don’t think so”, he replied. “It’s been requested by the boss that none of you see Junior when he wakes up.”

Orga and Biollante were confused when they saw that. Gryphon, however, merely rolled his eyes before flying away.

“So what, Junior is just going to wake up in a dark cave with nopony around him?”, asked Orga. Discord peaked through the curtains before slowly closing them, all the while a small smirk appeared on his face.

“I didn’t say there wasn’t somepony in there”, said Discord.

Discord didn’t give further explanation before he floated away, leaving Orga and Biollante to ponder what he meant by that. Surprisingly, it was Orga who was the first to come to the chilling conclusion as eyes slightly widened. Junior laid stationary on his makeshift bed, his entire body riddled with bandages. A small crack in the ceiling of the mountain allowed a beam of sunlight to shine through, coincidentally the beam circumferences Junior’s entire bed.

It was at that moment when Junior finally managed to wake up from what felt like an eternity sleep. The intense light blinded his eyes for a moment as he used his hoof to shield his face. Junior had little memory of what had happened for him to be lying in bed and for some kind of light to completely encompass him. He tried to come up with some kind of reasonable explanation as to what was happening; however he could only think of one answer. Junior stared back up at the bright light, unsure of whether or not to extend a hoof to attempt to reach out to whatever was calling him. It was such a beautiful sight that it brought a tear to his face as Junior began to shakily smile.

“I-Is this…heaven?”, he said.

‘Hah, you wish.’

Like an arrow being shot through his head, Junior was snapped back to reality as his mind started racing, and so too did the memories of what caused him to end up like this. He let out a long, exasperated groan as he recalled the kaiju fight, the beating he took from it, and the fellow titan he had been forced to fight. In fact, the titan he fought in Ponyville was what plagued his mind the most. Although he secretly knew that someone knew about the titans, he didn’t expect to be face to face with one, especially not arguably the most powerful titan of them all. As he stood up, Junior’s legs shook as he placed his weight on them. He was eventually forced to lean against his bed as he placed a hoof against his temple to try and ease his headache.

“What happened?”, he asked, expecting to receive an answer from his kaiju spirit.

“I should ask the same thing.”

Junior instantly froze once he heard that voice. His eyes were still adjusting from the ray of light he looked at to mostly darkness and, as such, he was unable to see properly. However, his hearing hadn’t faltered for even a second as he managed to recognize the voice instantly. Junior slowly turned around to be met with the shadowed figure of his lord. The leader of the Legends stepped out from the shadows as he stared down Junior with his pale, yellow eyes while wearing an unamused look. Junior almost immediately tried to stand up properly as he tried to bow to Des, even despite the ache he was feeling in his legs.

“My lord!”, exclaimed Junior as he bowed, “w-what are you doing here?”

“Waiting to see when you’d wake up so I could ask you about what truly happened that night”, replied Des.

“That night? For how long have I been out?”, asked Junior.

“Roughly a few days, Juvenile’s healing cells managed to repair as much damage as they could”, said Des. “You could say that Juvenile was the one that saved your life.”

Junior merely scoffed at the thought. “He was also responsible for almost ruining it”, he muttered, however Des heard every word he said.

“Quite bold of you to say, Junior, especially after what happened tonight”, said Des. Junior perked up once he heard that as he turned toward Des with a raised brow.

“What do you mean what ha-”, Junior cut himself off as he came to the conclusion, causing his eyes to widen, “…you…are you saying you?”

“Indeed, Destroyer managed to detect the presence of a familiar titan in Ponyville. As you could imagine, I had to see it for myself”, answered Des.

“So…you saw it all”, said Junior, incredulously.

“Most of it, but I was just as shocked as you probably were. A shame that we didn’t know about him sooner, else we could’ve strategized for such a creature”, said Des. Junior merely sat and listened, having completely forgotten about the pains he was feeling all across his body.

“It truly is a shock that not one of us could’ve predicted that there were titan vessels already in Equestria”, added Des.

“I-Indeed…my liege, it is truly unfortunate”, replied Junior with a nervous smile. Des stared at Junior with what could only be described as suppressed disappointment. Nevertheless, the demonic alicorn continued.

“But, I suppose it’s not a huge deal. After all, with Discord now on our side, it’ll only be a matter of time until Equestria becomes ours for the taking”, said Des.

“Y-Yes, lord Des, we are truly, truly grateful”, said Junior, starting to build a nervous sweat.

“However, I do wonder how different our situation would be if we had freed Discord earlier”, said Des. Junior merely nodded in agreement. This tone of voice was rather uncommon for Des, in fact, Junior couldn’t remember the last time Des acted like this since the time they first met. Unsure of what to say next, Junior stayed mostly silent.

“It’s such a shame, really, that our first attempt at freeing Discord ended in failure”, said Des. He turned to Junior, as if waiting for him to say something.

“It is such a shame, my lord; I couldn’t agree more”, replied Junior. Like a light switch, Des’ expression hardened immediately as smoke began to stream from his mouth. He slammed his hoof against the ground, jostling Junior to his hooves as Des clenched his teeth.

“Do you think I’m foolish, Junior?”, demanded Des. Junior remained speechless as he slowly backed away, only for Des to follow him.

“Look me dead in the eyes and call me a fool, Junior!”, exclaimed Des. Junior was unable to speak as he had almost never seen his lord express such anger before.

“I…I’m n-not sure…if I shou-”

“DOIT”

“You’re a fool, my lord!”, exclaimed Junior. Des growled deeply as streams of smoke billowed from his mouth, which caused pieces of stone from the ceiling to crumble.

“Indeed I was, for even thinking that you were being truthful!”, he exclaimed.

“I-I don’t understand, sire”, said Junior. A few stray sparks shot from Des’ mouth as he stared at Junior, practically piercing his soul.

“I know what happened, Junior”, said Des. “I know about your little escapade to free Discord while I was out.”

Junior’s pupils were small before, but they became microscopic once he heard that. “H-How did you find out?”, he asked, wearily.

“Orga told me everything. He said I allowed you both to head to Canterlot to free Discord and that’s where you both heard that somepony had already known about the kaiju and that there were titan vessels already in Equestria”, said Des. Junior found himself up against the wall as Des’ eyes glowed as bright as ever.

“Wh-What else…did he tell you?”, asked Junior.

“Nothing much…”, said Des, “…apart from the fact that the pony in question was telling this to one of the PRINCESSES!”

The titan vessel that had attacked Ponyville and threatened the lives of thousands of ponies just a few days ago was now cowering against a wall at a being who could barely be considered a pony.

“I’m sorry, my lord! I’m sorry, please forgive me!”, pleaded Junior as he bowed in front of Des. “I-I always planned on telling you, my liege, genuinely I did. I just never found the right time.”

“Did you plan on telling before or after Alpha’s return?”, asked Des. Junior stood silent for a moment.

“I’m sorry, Lord Des. Please, spare me another chance!”, begged Junior.

Des was furious with Junior for a multitude of reasons. Keeping vital information, risking the Gem of Madness being lost or shattered, and lying about it for what could’ve been several months. For every sense of the word, Des was not happy. He so badly wanted to punish Junior for his decision that could be considered idiotic. However, there was a lingering factor that allowed Des to hold back his anger, only barely. The smoke trails eventually stopped billowing from Des’ mouth as he lowered to Junior’s level.

“Listen to me, the only reason why I’m willing to let you off the hook this time is because you are now a valuable asset to our team”, he said, drawing Junior’s attention.

“You quite surprised me with how well you managed against Alpha, and seeing as how you are now a vessel, we’ll be needing you in the distant future”, added Des. Junior let out a surprised gasp before continuing to bow.

“Thank you, Lord Des! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!”, he exclaimed.

“But!”, shouted Des, drawing Junior’s attention, “…do not treat this as a free pass, because if I find you disrespecting my orders and going behind my back again, I won’t be so lenient.”

Junior barely even processed Des’ tone as he continued to bow and show his thanks. Des merely scoffed, causing a puff of purple smoke to flow from his mouth. The smoke flowed right above Junior’s head and at the stone wall behind him, reducing part of the wall to mere ash. Junior continued to sweat with nervousness plastered on his face as Des walked away. Des was rather brisk with his pace as he felt that if he stayed there for any longer, then he probably would’ve blown a hole through the side of the mountain. Junior was left to rethink about the events of both that night and the potential strain that had formed in his relationship with Des. Little did he know, a strain had been there all along. The good news was that he wasn’t alone in his chamber as he was unfortunately reminded.

‘Well, that could’ve gone better.’

Junior didn’t have the energy to argue as he just sighed.

“Shut up.”

It was the brink of noon when Doctor Horse received a call about one of his patients. The entire hospital in Ponyville had been incredibly busy the past few days after the events of a night that many would consider to be a nightmare. Many hospital rooms were filled with ponies that had suffered from light injuries to broken limbs. Because of this, the staff had been rushing throughout the building trying to treat as many patients as they could while also receiving more patients as the aftermath followed. The good news was that some ponies were well enough to be released that day, and Doctor Horse was on his way to meet one of them. He rounded a corner to see a white pony with a pink mane and tail standing outside of a room.

“Nurse Redheart”, called out Doctor Horse, grabbing the pony’s attention.

“Good morning, doctor”, greeted Redheart.

“So, from what I’ve been told, Gojira Zawa is ready to be released?”, asked Doctor Horse. Redheart seemed to be a little anxious when he mentioned that name.

“Yes, he seems to have made a brisk recovery”, she replied.

“Marvelous! All that’s left for us to do is for me and him to have a quick chat and he’ll be on his way”, said Doctor Horse as he placed his hoof on the doorknob.

“Indeed, doctor; however, I should tell you that you might be a little surprised when you first see him”, said Redheart, “he’s a little…different.”

“Please, Nurse Redheart, I’ve seen my fair share of unique clients”, assured Doctor Horse as he opened the door. “There is nothing you can throw at this stallion that’ll catch him off guar-”

His words abruptly stopped as soon as he laid eyes on the pony inside of the room before they traveled up to see the head of the patient. The pony in question wasn’t just taller than Doctor Horse, he made him look small. The build of the stallion made him appear quite intimidating, especially with his amber eyes which glanced down at the doctor. Doctor Horse spent a good five seconds staring at the stallion in complete silence before Nurse Redheart lightly nudged him. The stallion couldn’t really blame him, if anything, merging made him even more intimidating.

“Hello, doctor”, greeted Gojira. Doctor Horse attempted to recompose himself by clearing his throat.

“Y-Yes, greetings, Mr.Gojira”, he replied. “From what Nurse Redheart has told me, you don’t appear to have suffered from any permanent damage.”

“Indeed, your vitals are working perfectly fine. In fact, they seem better than when you first came in here”, added Redheart. Although Redheart was a little amazed by the surprisingly fast healing, Gojira was barely even fazed when he received this news.

“So, does that mean you’re letting me go?”, asked Gojira.

“Yes, that’s just what I’m here to do, actually”, said Doctor Horse.

“You’re definitely one of the luckier ones, Gojira. We have several ponies here who could truly benefit from whatever makes up your immune system”, said Redheart. Gojira laughed it off initially; however, the thought he might’ve been responsible for some of those ponies’ injuries wasn’t one that he particularly liked.

“Well then, let’s get you out of here, after all, we don’t want to keep your friend waiting”, said Doctor Horse.

“Alright, doc-”, Gojira had to do a double take when he heard that, “…friend?”

“Yes, there’s somepony here to pick you up. They say they’re an old friend of yours”, added Redheart. Gojira was at first confused by this, but before he could ask anything else, Doctor Horse spoke up.

“Let’s not dolly around any further let’s get…”, he had to recompose himself, still taken aback by the sheer size of this stallion, “…you out of here as you are of perfect health.”

Doctor Horse walked out of the room as Gojira reluctantly followed. “Alright…thank you again, nurse, for taking care of me”, he said to Redheart before leaving.

Nurse Redheart replied with a small smile as Gojira and Doctor Horse exited his room and down the hall of the hospital. Gojira did indeed seem to be a fairly nice pony, Redheart just wished he wasn’t so fearful looking. Doctor Horse wished the same thing as he walked alongside Gojira, being sure to keep a short distance just to be sure. He at least tried to be a little inconspicuous about it, but Gojira managed to notice right away; not that he wasn’t used to it. However, soon he himself was in for a surprise as Gojira and Doctor Horse turned a corner and entered the waiting room where Gojira was greeted with a shocking yet unsurprising guest.

“He’s all set, Caesar Shisa”, said Doctor Horse. Just as the doctor said, Caesar had been sitting on one of the nearby chairs until he heard his name. He looked and saw Doctor Horse standing next to the not so thrilled Gojira.

“Thank you, doctor”, said Caesar as he then looked at Gojira, “nice to see you’re doing alright, Gojira.”

“Y-Yeah”, said Gojira as he then walked up to Caesar and leaned toward his ear, “what are you doing here?”

“I’ll tell you later”, Caesar whispered back.

“Be sure to keep him out of trouble, sir”, said Doctor Horse. Caesar looked at him with a smile and a nod.

“Will do, doctor, thank you again”, he said before looking at Gojira and gesturing towards the door. “Come along, we have much to discuss.”

Gojira was still shocked to see Caesar, but once he thought it over, the shock quickly faded. If anything, he was shocked that he was so shocked to see him. He already knew that Caesar would want to talk to him as soon as he heard that one of the brothers had merged and it just had to be the one he was the most iffy on. Nevertheless, if he was gonna receive a questionnaire once he got out of the hospital, Gojira was gonna take it head on. He merely waved back at Doctor Horse before he and Caesar left the hospital. All the while many ponies were waiting in the wait room all watched as the now over six foot tall pony walked past them. Doctor Horse even took slight relief in seeing the abnormally tall stallion walk away. He then noticed one of his nurses passing by.

“Since when did we have somepony like that living in Ponyville?”, he asked, the nurse shrugged.

“Don’t know, I only recall seeing him around town once in a while. Although, it’s a little weird?”, she said.

“What is?”, asked Doctor Horse.

“I remember him being shorter”, said the nurse. Doctor Horse merely nodded as the nurse walked away. Then her words sunk in.

“Wait, he was what?”

Meanwhile, Gojira and Caesar were now walking the streets of Ponyville and Gojira was now getting a proper view of the damages that were caused to the town. Several buildings were either severely damaged or completely destroyed. While most of the fires had been put out, some buildings and structures were unable to be saved and were thus left to burn. Several tunnels could be found all across Ponyville which left many ponies afraid to walk outside from the fear of falling through the ground. If that wasn’t enough, it seemed as though the entire royal guard was on alert either exploring the different tunnels left by Juvenile, accessing the damage that had been caused, or going around helping whoever they could. The once peaceful town was left a complete mess and Gojira couldn’t keep his eyes off of it.

“Things have changed quite a bit since you were admitted into the hospital”, said Caesar, drawing Gojira’s attention.

“Yeah, I could tell”, he muttered.

“Everypony is still amazed by what happened. Even Shining Armor is incredulous about the sheer beating this town took”, said Caesar.

“I tried to avoid collateral damage”, said Gojira.

“I know you did, it’s a shame your dance partner didn’t give the same effort”, said Caesar. Gojira replied by rolling his eyes as he continued to look around.

“How are Rodan and Anguirus?”, he asked.

“They’re definitely worried about you. I’d imagine seeing you back in full health will help boost their morale”, said Caesar as he turned toward Gojira and noted how his eyes had to travel further up to see his face.

“Though, they might be taken aback by the changes you received”, he added. Gojira nodded, he both felt and looked different. He had definitely grown a couple more inches, his mane and tail had gained a darker shade of gray, his eyes were a darker amber, and his tail was a little longer than normal. He was still recognizable, but he also didn’t come out unscathed by the effects of the previous night.

“While I can’t promise you’ll revert back to your normal self completely, it is good to see that all your training has paid off”, said Caesar.

“I do feel a little more fit than usual”, said Gojira. Caesar nodded.

“That’ll definitely happen after merging with your titan spirit for so long”, he said. “And on that note-”

“Look, before you say anything, I just want you to know I didn’t have another choice”, interrupted Gojira, having anticipated this moment. “It was either watch that stupid iguana tear apart my home or actually fulfill the whole reason why you gave the spirits in the first place. Was it rash, yes, but if you’re really gonna be upset over that, then you should at least know that-”

“Let me finish”, said Caesar. Gojira stopped talking with a huff as a small puff of smoke exited his nostrils.

“While I want to be upset with you, Gojira, I simply can’t”, he added. Gojira’s eyes slightly widened when he heard that. “For if it wasn’t for you, the situation could’ve been much worse.”

A sudden thought then occurred to Gojira, one that caused his heart to drop. “So, how many were…lost?”, he asked, dreading the answer.

“Gojira…”, said Caesar. His tone of voice brought a heavy amount of dread to the oldest Zawa brother.

“I’m sorry”, interjected Gojira, “I-I didn’t mean to take anypony’s-”

“Zero”, said Caesar.

“W-What?”, replied Gojira.

“We’ve been told that there have been zero casualties reported and there very much likely won’t be any reported tomorrow. While there were many injuries, not a single life has been lost”, said Caesar. A small smile occurred on his face.

“The royal guard is calling it a miracle, but I consider it an instance of some well placed judgment”, he added.

“So, you’re not upset about what happened?”, asked Gojira. Caesar thought it over for a bit before taking a deep breath.

“While it has made our situation a little more complicated, there’s no doubt in my mind that you made the correct call, Gojira”, he said.

Gojira was a little taken aback by Caesar’s reaction, he fully expected him to be angered about the events of Nightmare Night. He remembered how Caesar wasn’t too thrilled about what happened at the Summer Sun Celebration and this was technically an even worse scenario. However, from the relatively positive expression on his face, Caesar seemed more pleased with Gojira’s actions than he himself did. It was rather unique behavior for someone like Caesar, especially considering how much he reiterated the importance of keeping the titan spirits a secret. Caesar noticed the perplexed look on the oldest Zawa brother.

“Something wrong, Gojira?”, he asked.

“Why aren’t you mad?”, asked Gojira. This sudden question caused Caesar to raise a brow.

“Come again?”, he replied.

“I was expecting some kind of reaction from you, and yet, you seem so…passive about what happened”, said Gojira. “Aren’t you mad that I deliberately went against your request and revealed the titans?”

Caesar could see the confusion all over Gojira’s face, but he instead replied with a slight snicker. “You saved thousands of lives, Gojira. Why would I ever be mad about that?”, he replied.

“Because now it’s only a matter of time until all of Equestria learns about the titans, which was something you wanted to avoid”, said Gojira.

“That was always bound to happen at some point, and now that it has, we must prioritize the safety of the public while also keeping you and your brothers’ identities a secret”, said Caesar.

“I’m assuming that means more training?”, asked Gojira. Caesar’s expression turned more serious.

“That should be self-explanatory. If anything, that should become yours and your brothers’ primary focus since we don’t know when Juvenile or any other titan might show up”, he replied. “You may have been able to fend off one kaiju, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any more out there.”

That was more so the kind of response that Gojira expected out of Caesar. Even in times such as these, he was still focused on what was to come. Although, the mentioning of Juvenile brought an unnerving thought to Gojira’s mind.

“How exactly is Juvenile alive?”, he asked.

Caesar sighed as he shook his head. “I don’t know how he’s back”, he said, “I just hope that he’s the only one.”

Although Caesar came off as convincing, he knew there was only half truth to what he was saying. He truly did hope that there weren’t anymore titans roaming Equestria, but he definitely knew how they would get here. It wasn’t a pretty thought, but if Juvenile was alive, someone had found the only artifact capable of reviving such a creature. He thought about telling Gojira, but one look at his face and Caesar thought it best to let the oldest Zawa brother's mind process everything that had happened. Much had changed since Nightmare Night, and much more was soon to come.

Meanwhile, in a nearby part of town, many tents had been set up to either give out food and water to those in need, or act as a place for ponies who were separated from their loved ones to stay and rest. One such pony was a light gray mare with a brown mane who frantically walked throughout the outpost in hopes of finding something, or rather someone. Thankfully for her, one of the guards noticed and walked up to their captain.

“Captain”, said Thorn, catching Shining Armor’s attention.

“What is it?”, he asked.

“We have somepony who looks like they’re about to go hysterical”, replied Thorn, gesturing to the mare who was seemingly starting to hyperventilate. A worried look formed on Shining’s face as he then approached the mare with Thorn in tow.

“Excuse me, ma’am”, he called out. The mare turned toward him. “Is there anything wrong?”

“P-Please, it’s my son, I-I don’t know where he is”, she said.

“Do you know the last place you saw him?”, asked Shining Armor.

“H-He was part of a group of kids who went trick-or-treating. I told him to be back before midnight, b-but he never returned”, the mother said as she frantically looked around. “I wanted to go with him, but the chaperone promised me that she would bring him home. It was his first ever Nightmare Night and I…I…”

“Don’t worry, ma’am, we’ll find him”, reassured Shining Armor.

“I’ve been here since yesterday! I haven’t seen him since Nightmare Night!”, the mother exclaimed, tears starting to fall from her eyes. Shining Armor and Thorn shared a depressing thought, glancing at one another as Shining continued to comfort the mare.

“We’ll find your son, ma’am. Can you give us any details on what he looks like or who he was with?”, he asked.

“W-Well…his mane is brown like mine, and his pupils are brown like his father’s. He also has a spot on his left eye”, said the mare. While Shining listened, Thorn looked around hoping to catch a glimpse of any colt that fit her description. His eyes then spotted something that caught his attention.

“You mean that one right there?”, he asked. Shining and the mare looked where Thorn was pointing, both of their eyes widened for separate reasons. Sure enough, a small, white colt was approaching the entrance of the tent. However, he wasn’t alone as he rode on the back of a certain unicorn with her right hand companion walking alongside her. Neither Thorn nor the mare knew who she was, the mare was more focused on the colt on her back, but Shining recognized her in an instant.

“Twily?”, he said, quizzily,

“Hi, Shining!”, Twilight called out. Spike greeted Shining Armor with a little wave.

“We have a colt here looking for his mother”, said Spike, “he says his name is-”

“Pipsqueak!”, exclaimed the mare. Almost instantly, the colt on Twilight’s back perked up before a wide smile formed on his face.

“Mother!”, he cried before hopping off of Twilight and running toward his mom. The mare ran toward him before scooping him up with her hooves and holding him as close as she could.

“Thank Celestia you’re ok!”, exclaimed the mare as she held her son tightly while also lightly sobbing.

“You wouldn’t believe what happened, mother! I saw the giant monster up close!”, exclaimed Pipsqueak. The mare didn’t hear her son as she continued to lightly cry before looking up at Twilight.

“He was up at the farmhouse in Sweet Apple Acres during the attack. He’s of perfect health”, explained Twilight.

“Thank you, thank you so much!”, the mare exclaimed. “H-How can I ever repay you?”

“Oh, don’t worry, that’s not at all necessary”, said Twilight as she rubbed the back of her head.

“Buuuuuuut, if you want”, said Spike, “then it would be really cool if you-”

“Seeing you both happy is more than enough for us! Isn’t that right, Spike?”, interrupted Twilight while giving Spike a disciplined look. Spike responded with a sigh.

“That’s right”, he nodded, begrudgingly.

“I’ll have one of the guards escort you back to your residence”, said Shining Armor as he turned to face Thron. “Thorn, if you’d please?”

“Of course, Captain!”, replied Thorn as he gestured for the mare and Pipsqueak to follow. “Come along, ma’am.”

“O-Ok, thank you again!”, said the mare as she and her son followed behind Thorn, leaving the three behind. Shining Armor faced Twilight with a smile.

“Still a pony pleaser, even in adulthood”, he joked. Twilight playfully rolled her eyes.

“I should say the same to you, captain”, she replied. Shining Armor replied with a chortle before walking up to Twilight and giving her a hug, which she gladly accepted. The two broke off before Shining ruffled the scales on Spike’s head.

“Thank goodness you two are alright”, said Shining Armor, “that’s at least one worry off my shoulders.”

“Yeah, not to be mean, but you don’t look too great, Shining”, said Twilight in a worried tone. Being captain of the royal guard had its perks, but also just as many downsides and Shining Armor was experiencing all of them. His mane wasn’t in the freshest state, dark circles were starting to form under his eyes, and he appeared more winded due to constantly traveling from one outpost to another.

“Let’s just say, things have been pretty hectic lately”, he said.

“You got that right”, said Spike, “it’s like the entire royal guard is out here.”

“Well, it’s not every day you get reports of two giant monsters attacking a nearby town”, said Shining Armor. Twilight nodded in agreement, although she had to hold her tongue when she heard Shining refer to both creatures as monsters. The three of them looked around the town.

“I’ve never seen anything like this, even the princesses were shocked to hear what happened”, said Shining Armor.

“You’re telling me, we had to live through it”, said Spike.

“We were with our friends when they showed up”, said Twilight.

“We got several ponies saying the same thing, that those animals apparently appeared out of thin air”, said Shining Armor as he placed a hoof against his temple. “The only problem is that nopony seems to know where they came from or what they are.”

“I can tell you one thing, one of those creatures really knows how to make you get your steps in”, said Spike.

“What does that mean?”, asked Shining Armor. Spike opened his mouth, only for Twilight to cover it up.

“What Spike is trying to say is that one of the creatures was slimmer than the other which granted it better speed”, she said. Seeing as how her brother already had more than enough on his plate, Twilight thought it best to keep the part about being chased by a titan to herself.

“That’s a whole other problem, all we have are ponies giving their experiences to go off of in terms of what we’re dealing with. Even then, the most we got is that they must’ve been dragons and that one could burrow”, said Shining Armor. “We’re hoping to obtain something from the rubble that’ll give us a clue as to what these creatures are.”

Twilight and Spike glanced at one another, the events of that night still fresh in their minds. “If it helps, we could give you some information we know”, said Twilight.

“You can? What kind?”, asked Shining Armor, his mood brightening up a bit.

“Well, for one thing, they definitely aren’t dragons”, said Spike.

“And that these creatures seemed to be able to communicate with one another using some kind of language. Not only that, but they each seemed to know each other, almost as if they fought before”, said Twilight.

Of course, that wasn’t even scratching the surface of all that they both knew. The creatures really being titans from millions of years ago, the fact there were more like them housed inside ponies, and that one of those creatures was actually their, still conflicted, friend. Nevertheless, Shining Armor listened intently on what they had to say.

“Also, it was really the smaller creature that was interested in destroying Ponyville. The larger of the two looked like it was trying to fight the other one off”, said Spike. Shining Armor’s expression changed to confusion, from what he had been repeatedly told, two giant monsters had attacked Ponyville.

“What do you mean by that?”, asked Shining Armor.

“That, maybe, the larger creature didn’t have any interest in destroying Ponyville and instead treated it as another piece of territory?”, suggested Twilight. Shining Armor still looked a little confused.

“So you mean to say that one of those things was some kind of hero?”, he asked.

“Well, he definitely didn’t appear to be as vicious as the other creature, so it could be a possibility”, said Twilight. Shining Armor placed a hoof under his chin as he thought it over. It seemed a little strange to believe, but if there was one pony he trusted more than anyone else, it was his little sister.

“Interesting”, he said, “that’s definitely the most insightful information I’ve received all day.”

A small smile of relief formed on Twilight’s face. “Well, it did come from a reliable source”, she joked. Shining Armor replied with his own small laugh.

“You got that right”, he said.

As they spoke with each other, Spike continued to look around Ponyville, taking in the many damaged and destroyed buildings. He hadn’t fully realized the true extent of the damage that the previous night had brought; due to him being occupied with fearing for his life. That was something he hadn’t really thought about, the fact he and all of his friends legitimately came close to their demise. If anything, had it not been for a certain somepony, Spike could only imagine just how different current events would be. Almost by sheer coincidence, that thought became a reality as Spike noticed something from the crowd; or rather, someone. The flash of a camera caught both Twilight and Shining Armor’s attention as they saw a pony wearing a fedora, taking photos of the town.

“The press here has been concerningly big. I’ve gotten reporters asking me and my soldiers for interviews”, said Shining Armor, “from what I’ve heard, they’ve already given these creatures names.”

“Names?”, said Twilight, quizzily.

“Yes, I remember one of them”, said Shining Armor as he placed a hoof under his chin, “it was something like Big Fella, or maybe-”

“GOJIRA!”

The sudden sound of Spike’s shouting caught both Twilight and Shining Armor by surprise, but for Twilight, it was more so the name that had been said. They weren’t the only ones as the stallion in question turned to where his name had been called and was majorly caught off guard when he saw a small, pink dragon running towards him. Before Gojira could react, Spike wrapped his arms around his leg and hugged as tightly as he could.

“Hey, Gojira!”, said Spike excitedly as his tail wagged.

“H-Hey, Spike, how’s it going?”, said Gojira as he raised his leg up to where he and Spike were at eye level. It wasn’t long until Caesar also took notice of Spike. However, he was quickly distracted by the sight of the captain of the royal guard quickly approaching.

“Captain!”, he called out before saluting.

“At ease, soldier”, replied Shining Armor before turning to Gojira, “and hello to you too, Gojira. I can see that somepony is very happy to see you.”

Gojira lightly chuckled. “Same here”, he joked.

Eventually, Spike let go of Gojira’s leg, but by the way his tail wagged, he was still very happy to see him. Gojira too shared that feeling, it was nice to see the little dragon again and that he and Twilight were alright. However, that thought brought Gojira’s attention over to the purple unicorn who was standing in front of him. The two shared eye contact before Twilight looked away slightly, the image of the previous night still fresh in her head.

“Umm…h-hi, Gojira”, said Twilight, giving him an awkward wave.

“Hi…Twilight”, Gojira replied with a small wave of his own.

“Excuse us, Captain, I was escorting Mr.Gojira back to his residence after his release from hospital”, said Caesar. Shining Armor looked fairly surprised when he heard that as he looked Gojira in over.

“Well, you could’ve fooled me; you hardly even looked scratched, Gojira”, he said.

“Heh, yeah, I got off pretty lucky with just some minor injuries”, said Gojira before then looking at both Twilight and Spike. “And it’s nice to see that you two are alright.”

“Oh, thank you, Gojira”, said Twilight.

“Of course we are, we have you to thank for that!”, said Spike. Three of the four ponies there stared at Spike with wide eyes while the fourth was at first unsure of what he had heard.

“Wait, what was that Spike?”, asked Shining Armor.

“Umm…captain”, Caesar tried to speak up, “I’m pretty sure what the dragon meant was-”

“Gojira saved our lives”, explained Spike. Now all four ponies stared at Spike with their pupils barely the size of pinpoints. Spike’s excitement from seeing Gojira caused him to not fully register what he had said until after he looked around at everyone’s faces.

“What?”, he asked until he thought it over. That was when he finally realized why.

“…oh”

“…wait, hold on, you mean to say that you almost died?”, asked Shining Armor as he turned toward Twilight.

“W-Well…kind of”, she answered.

“Why didn’t you tell me this?”, asked Shining Armor as he looked all the more worried. Twilight wasn’t entirely sure how to answer, but thankfully somepony else did.

“The events of Nightmare Night were quite traumatizing for some ponies, captain”, said Caesar as he stepped forward, “perhaps Twilight and Spike didn’t want to bring it up for personal reasons.”

Shining Armor looked between the small smile on Caesar’s face, the nervous look on Gojira, and the unsure expressions on both Twilight and Spike. The four of them each waited in anticipation for his response as Shining Armor processed what was said. Eventually, he began to walk forward, causing Twilight to slightly tense believing he was about to say something to her. However, Shining Armor walked past her and instead stood in front of the pony that was almost a foot taller than him. Gojira now felt tense as he and Shining Armor stared each other in the eyes. After a few seconds, Shining Armor’s expression softened as he removed his helmet and held it against his chest.

“Thank you, Gojira. Thank you so much for protecting my family”, he said. A large sense of relief could be felt as Twilight and Spike let out sighs and Gojira eased his posture.

“Of course, captain”, he replied.

“What even happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”, asked Shining Armor as he turned to Twilight and Spike.

“Well…we were running back to Sugar Cube Corner.”
“There was this huge explosion!”
“I saw one of the creatures was about to shoot fire at them.”

Gojira, Twilight, and Spike all looked at one another, quickly realizing they each said something different. Caesar placed a hoof against his temple while Shining Armor looked a little confused.

“I-It happened so fast.”
“Gojira saved our lives just in time!”
“I just kinda…did.”

“…Ummm, o-k”, said Shining Armor.

“Give them time, captain, everypony here in Ponyville is still dealing with what happened last night”, advised Caesar. He quickly gave the three of them a side glance before gesturing to Shining Armor.

“Y-Yes, we just didn’t want you to worry, Shining…sorry”, said Twilight as she forced a smile. Spike with a nod while Gojira stood idly. Although Shining Armor was still shocked to hear what had happened to Twilight and Spike, he decided to not push further if it disturbed them.

“I…understand, but if you’re ever dealing with something severe, don’t be afraid to tell me, Twily”, he said. Twilight responded with a nod.

“Of course, Shining, and…”, Twilight turned to face Gojira with a soft look, “thank you, Gojira.”

Gojira was shocked to hear that as his eyes slightly widened. He knew that Twilight and the other girls would be upset after hearing the truth about him and his brothers, and there still seemed to be some truth to that. However, with Twilight, she seemed to be rather understanding and didn’t appear to be upset as Gojira thought she would be. Was it because she had more knowledge about his and his brothers’ past than the others? Was it because he saved Spike from being crushed by Juvenile and she felt she had some kind of debt to now repay him? Nevertheless, Gojira didn’t let his contrasting thoughts shadow his perception of the unicorn standing in front of him.

“You’re welcome…Twilight. I was just in the right place at the right time”, he replied with a small smile of his own.

“You got that right”, said Spike. Gojira lightly chuckled before placing a hoof on the small dragon’s head. Caesar stood to the side taking note of Gojira’s more positive attitude than when they were originally speaking.

“Well, if you’ll excuse us, me and Gojira should truly get going; I’m quite positive his brothers are dying to see him”, said Caesar.

“Very well then, just be sure to report back by ten, a few of our search teams are saying they found blood samples of one of the creatures; they’re hoping to send them back to Canterlot to figure out what we’re dealing with”, said Shining Armor. This statement caused a sudden jolt in both Caesar and Gojira as they glanced at one another.

“Y-Yes, Captain”, Caesar replied.

Good, and Gojira”, said Shining Armor, catching the stallion’s attention. “I can’t express this enough…thank you.”

“It was nothing, captain. Just somepony protecting their friends”, replied Gojira. He hoped that statement would stay true.

“Please, from now on, you can call me Shining Armor”, said Shining Armor.

“Alright then, capta-, I-I mean, Shining Armor”, corrected Gojira. Caesar led the way as he and Gojira started to walk away.

“Bye, Gojira!”, exclaimed Spike. Gojira turned around and flashed the young dragon a small smile.

“Bye, Spike…bye, Twilight”, he replied.

The purple unicorn replied with a smile of her own as Gojira and Caesar walked away. Learning that her friend was fine did relieve some worry off of Twilight. However, with what the previous events had revealed, it was barely scratching the tip of the iceberg. Funnily enough, Gojira was in a similar mindset. While it was great to see Twilight and Spike, he couldn’t help but feel as though their conversation was rather delicate; as if there was more Twilight wanted to mention but couldn’t. He partially wondered how differently their interaction would’ve played out had Shining Armor not been there. Fortunately, Spike's reaction to seeing him, and the fact that he had earned Shining Armor’s respect, helped Gojira not put much thought into it.

“I’m guessing you told them everything?”, he asked.

“I had to, I’d much rather prefer seven ponies and a baby dragon learning about your true identities than potentially millions”, said Caesar.

“How did they take it?”, asked Gojira.

“Some took it better than others, that pegasus with the rainbow mane took it particularly hard. But they all promised to keep it a secret, and quite frankly, that’s all that matters”, said Caesar.

Gojira still felt awful, he never imagined this was how they’d reveal their secret to the world. He could only imagine how well Rodan and Anguirus were handling the events. Gojira and Caesar walked past the remains of burnt buildings, footprints the size of a fully grown mare, and many more guards that either nodded at Caesar or pretended not to notice the stallion that was trailing him. All the while, Gojira continued to look around at the true scale of the destruction from Nightmare Night. Eventually, they made it close to a house that was far from the center of town. Even despite its rather rundown conditions, the house still looked better than some of the other buildings in Ponyville, at least currently.

Caesar knocked on the door as they both waited for someone to greet them. The faint sound of hooves clopping on a wood floor could be heard before the door opened. It opened a smudge as a pair of amber eyes looked through the crack.

“Caesar?”, said the pony.

“Hello, Anguirus”, replied Caesar. Seeing that it was someone he trusted, Anguirus opened the door all the way, which led him to see that Caesar wasn’t alone.

“…goji?”, he said in complete shock as his pupils shrank.

“Hey, Aang”, greeted Gojira. With not a second word, Anguirus wrapped his hooves around his brother as he held him in a close hug. Gojira was at first caught off guard by his reaction, but he returned the affection by hugging Anguirus back.

“Thank Celestia you’re alright”, said Anguirus as he broke off the hug. “You are alright…right?”

“I’m perfectly fine”, reassured Gojira, “just a couple of side effects that will wear off…eventually…maybe.” Anguirus hadn’t really noticed, but once his brother pointed it out, he couldn’t unnotice it.

“Sweet Celestia, look at you, you’ve grown!”, he exclaimed.

“A little bit”, answered Gojira.

“As if you needed to be any taller”, remarked Anguirus.

“Well, then you need to start catching up, how long has it been since your last growth spurt?”, added Gojira.

“Too long”, replied Anguirus. The two brothers shared a quick laugh, it was great to be home.

“Anguirus, where is Rodan?”, asked Caesar. The question caused Anguirus’ smile to falter a little.

“Oh, he’s…out back training. He’s a little bummed out about what happened the other day”, he said. Angurius flashed a small smile, which caused Caesar to raise some suspicion.

“I see”, said Caesar, “well, you should be doing the same thing; both of you in fact.”

“Yeah, we got it”, said Gojira.

“But now, it’s more important than ever. From what you saw, even a titan like Juvenile can be incredibly dangerous, and only one of you won’t be enough to take on what’s coming”, said Caesar. He looked at Gojira to get the idea across.

“Of course, Caesar, we’ll be sure to train harder than ever”, said Gojira. There were few times when the two of them agreed on something, but whenever it came to the titan spirits, Gojira and Caesar didn’t share many disagreements.

“Good, now then, I must be off”, said Caesar, “don’t expect to hear from for a short while. With what other guards are saying and the fact that they found samples of one of the titans, the fallout-”

“They found traces of the titans?”, interrupted Anguirus. “How does that work?”

“Any matter that the kaiju loose will stay separate, even when the kaiju spirits revert back into their vessels”, said Caesar. “They must’ve found traces of either Juvenile or Gojira’s blood.”

“It’s not actually Gojira’s blood that they found…is it?”, asked Anguirus.

“Probably not, but it’s a gamble that we’re gonna have to take”, said Caesar.

“And if it is?”, asked Gojira. Caesar stayed silent for a moment as the two brothers awaited his answer.

“It’s best we pray that won’t be a possibility”, said Caesar. That wasn’t a good answer. Though it would already be bad if the royal guard found the blood of a titan, if the blood belonged to Gojira, then the Zawa brothers could forget about living a somewhat normal life in Equestria.

“Be on the lookout if any more titans show up, Celestia knows what more damage they could cause. Keep each other safe, and get your training done, we might not have that much time left”, said Caesar. Gojira and Anguirus nodded, although Anguirus’ face still contained a more grimaced look; something that Gojira noticed.

“Good luck”, said Caesar as he began to walk away.

“Hey, Caesar!”, called out Gojira, catching the unicorn’s attention, “…thank you.” Some would think Gojira was thanking him for walking him home, but Caesar knew that wasn’t just what he meant. The flat yet calm look on Gojira’s face showed that he had taken every one of Caesar’s words seriously. One of the few times where neither Gojira nor Caesar were at each other’s throats. A small smile formed on Caesar’s face as he nodded.

“You’re welcome, Gojira”, he said.

The two brothers watched as their guardian walked back to his post. With nothing better to do, they both walked back inside their home. The interior felt cold and empty as the events of Nightmare Night hung over their heads. But it also felt that something was missing, and Gojira knew exactly what it was.

“Well, it’s great to have you back, bro”, said Anguirus as Gojira kept his back facing him, “we had quite the group meeting the other night when you were gone.”

“Where is he?”, Gojira asked, bluntly. Anguirus was caught off guard by his brother’s question.

“Where’s who?”, he asked.

“Who do you think?”, asked Gojira. Anguirus thought about it for a moment which caused a flat look to form on Gojira’s face.

“…Tom Selleck?”

“Rodan!”, exclaimed Gojira.

“O-Oh, Rodey”, said Anguirus, quickly followed by a short laugh, “like I said, he’s outside training.”

Gojira stared at Anguirus with his flat expression for what felt like hours. Anguirus could only standby awkwardly as he thought over what he said. Although an explanation like that would work on someone like Caesar, it didn’t have the same effect on a pony who could track where Rodan was at all times. In fact, the more Anguirus thought about it, even he didn’t believe that Rodan would be spending his free time training. He wasn’t the only one who thought that either.

‘Told you he wouldn’t believe it.’

Despite the amount of damage that Ponyville endured during the events of Nightmare Night, many staples of the town remained relatively untouched aside from some shattered glass and large footprints outside the front door. All except for one, and unfortunately, it was the sweetest place in all of Ponyville. The entire front of Sugarcube Corner had been completely destroyed after Juvenile bit down on it. Even iconic features such as the chocolate pony holding a candy cane on the roof of the bakery had been knocked off and left in appalling condition. One upside was that the owners of Sugarcube Corner were thankfully completely unharmed, but the same could not be said about their home.

The Cakes were speaking with a couple of guards from Canterlot with Lisa and Pinkie Pie there to act as support. This was the first time Mr. and Mrs.Cake viewed the extent of the damage to their bakery. To say the very least, they were quite surprised. Lisa and Pinkie Pie were left to try and consult the husband and wife, the latter of which was having a hard time keeping her stress levels under control.

“I don’t understand how this happened?”, asked Mrs.Cake in disbelief. “One night I go to sleep, only to awake to this.”

“I’m terribly sorry for what happened to your shop, Mrs.Cake”, said Vincent.

“It isn’t just a shop, you know, it’s my home. I’ve been baking here since I could walk, this is where I met my husband, and it’s where I’m starting a family! And now I’m being told that some giant monster decided to make a snack out of my home and all you have to say is sorry!”, exclaimed Mrs.Cake in an agitated tone of voice. Her sudden reaction caused her to clutch her stomach in pain with Lisa, Pinkie Pie, and her husband trying to support her.

“Calm down, Cupcake, just take deep breaths”, said Mr.Cake as he held his wife close.

“Think about it this way, you’ll now be able to redecorate!”, said Pinkie Pie, trying to make light of the situation; it didn’t really work as Mrs.Cake continued to lean against her husband.

“Sorry, sir, she’s having a hard time keeping her emotions under control due to her pregnancy”, apologized Lisa.

“Don’t worry, we understand”, said Sharp Shot. “Anypony whose property suffered any damage will be reimbursed and rebuilt.”

“How long will that take?”, asked Lisa.

“Well, if we had to give a rough estimate, it’ll probably take a few days until any construction teams reach Sugarcube Corner”, said Vincent. Luckily, Mrs.Cake didn’t hear what the guard had to say, the same couldn’t be said about her husband.

“A few days?”, he said, incredulously. Vincent replied with a nod.

“I’m sorry, sir”, he said.

“Where are we supposed to stay? I have a wife who’s due in two months, we can’t stay in Sugarcube Corner with it like this!”, exclaimed Mr.Cake.

“Yes, I understand that, sir, but I’m afraid there’s not much else we can do. Would you happen to know anypony that you could stay with for the time being?”, asked Vincent.

“No, none of our family live in Ponyville”, said Mrs.Cake.

“Don’t worry, Mrs.Cake, I’m sure we can ask one of my friends if we can stay with them”, said Pinkie Pie.

“Like who?”, asked Mr.Cake. Pinkie was about to reply, but the words didn’t get out of her mouth in time before someone else spoke first.

“Like me”, interjected Lisa. The Cakes stared at Lisa with surprised looks on their faces.

“My place isn’t too far from Sugarcube Corner, you all can stay there when your home is repaired”, added Lisa.

“Lisa…I-I don’t know what to say”, said Mr.Cake.

“You don’t have to, you guys and Pinkie helped me first move here to Ponyville, it’s the least I could do”, said Lisa. The looks on their faces said it all. Mrs.Cake walked up to Lisa before hugging her tightly.

“Thank you so much, Lisa”, said Mrs.Cake. Lisa smiled as she hugged her back. Seeing as how the situation had received a temporary solution, Vincent and Sharp Shot believed their work here was done.

“Another satisfied customer”, said Sharp Shot as they both turned away, only to receive an eye roll from Vincent.

“Guess I’ll ask one of the girls if I can stay with them”, said Pinkie Pie, putting on a dejected look. Lisa playfully scoffed as she placed a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder.

“You can stay over too, Pinkie”, she said. Although Pinkie Pie knew that she and Lisa trusted each other, that still didn’t stop her from an excited smile forming on her face. She wrapped her arms around both Lisa and Mrs.Cake before bringing them in close.

“This is great, we’re gonna have the best sleepover ever! I gotta get packed, I can’t wait to tell the news to Gummy!”, exclaimed Pinkie before she zoomed inside Sugarcube Corner, leaving nothing but a streak of pink behind. Mr.Cake lightly chortled from Pinkie’s reaction as he walked over to his wife.

“Well, Pinkie does have the right idea, I’ll gather our essentials if we are to spend the night at Lisa’s”, he said.

“Right, I’ll meet you inside, deer”, said Mrs.Cake. Mr.Cake nodded before turning to head inside Sugarcube Corner. Mrs.Cake gave Lisa one quick hug.

“Thank you again, Lisa. I don’t know how I’ll be able to repay you”, she said.

“It’s nothing, Mrs.Cake, you don’t have to give me anything”, reassured Lisa. Mrs.Cake smiled as she pulled away from the hug. However, as she did so, a figure managed to catch her eye, causing her eyebrow to raise. Once she recognized who the figure was, a coy smile formed on her face.

“I do know somepony who could probably give you something”, said Mrs.Cake. Lisa was confused by what she said.

“What are you talking abou-”

“Hello, Mrs.Cake”, said a voice. Lisa’s eyes widened, both from the surprise of someone being behind her, but because she recognized the voice. She slowly turned around to be met with a maroonish pegasus wearing a pair of shades.

“Hello, Rodan. I suppose you too had an eventful Nightmare Night”, said Mrs.Cake.

“Indeed I did, ma’am”, said Rodan as he landed. Lisa didn’t say anything at first as she looked down at the ground. Rodan then turned his attention to the bakery.

“I'm sorry about what happened to Sugarcube Corner”, he said.

“Yep”, said Mrs.Cake in disappointment as she sighed. “One of those things must’ve thought it was a snack and decided to have a taste.”

Rodan felt it was a bit rhetorical to tell him what happened since he was there when Juvenile attacked the bakery. He also knew that Juvenile could’ve had a potential garnish of pony had he not got distracted, but Rodan decided to leave that part out as he looked at Sugarcube Corner in sorrow.

“I’m very sorry to hear that”, he said, “how long until it’ll be rebuilt?”

“We were just told it could take a few days, but thankfully, Lisa was kind enough to let us stay with her. Isn’t that right, Lisa?”, asked Mrs.Cake. Lisa was taken aback when her name got called.

“Y-Yeah…of course”, she said. The two pegasi struggled to even look at each other as the events of Nightmare Night hung over their heads.

“Well…if there’s anything you need assistance with, then I’m your stallion”, said Rodan. Mrs.Cake lightly chuckled.

“Thank you, Rodan. You are just as kind as Lisa here. You both truly are perfect for one another”, she said. Although a small smile formed on Rodan’s face, one look at Lisa caused that smile to falter slightly.

“Well, I should probably get inside and help my husband with packing. Just because I’m carrying this little guy doesn’t mean I can’t carry a satchel”, said Mrs.Cake before she turned and walked toward Sugarcube Corner.

“Take care, Rodan”, she said as she walked away.

“You too, Mrs.Cake”, replied Rodan. Both he and Lisa were left outside as neither of them said anything. Rodan wasn’t entirely sure what kind of reaction Lisa would have to seeing him, but so far it hadn’t been what he was hoping for. Rodan took a deep breath before turning to face Lisa.

“Hey, Lilly, I-”

However, before the words could get out of his mouth, Rodan was surprised to find that Lisa wasn’t standing next to him anymore. He looked up the street to find Lisa walking away with no little as a glance back. Rodan’s eyes widened as he hastily flapped his wings in order to catch up to Lisa.

“So…it’s really cool that you were willing to take in the Cakes and Pinkie Pie”, he said.

“Yeah”, replied Lisa, coldly.

“Personally, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to live with somepony like Pinkie Pie”, added Rodan as he let out a light chortle.

“Mmm-hmm”, replied Lisa.

Rodan’s smile finally fell as he noticed the cold look on Lisa’s face. The two of them continued to awkwardly walk next to one another until they reached Lisa’s house. Rodan knew that he had to say something, but Lisa didn’t seem like she wanted to hear it as she immediately walked up the steps that led to her front porch. She placed her hoof on the doorknob and was about to turn it when.

“Lisa…”, said Rodan in a softer tone than what Lisa was used to. Finally, she turned around to face the saddened look on Rodan’s face.

“Lisa…”, he said, “…can we please talk?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait?”, she asked.

“Lilly, please”, replied Rodan. “I’m sorry for lying to you, but you gotta understand, this whole thing it’s…hard to explain.”

“Hiding your identity is hard to explain?”, asked Lisa.

“You know there’s more to it than that”, replied Rodan. “Look, I wanted to tell you, I truly did, but Caesar wanted us to keep it secret, and I was scared you wouldn’t want to be with me anymore.”

“So you thought lying for twenty years was smarter”, said Lisa.

“Well…it sounded smart in my head”, said Rodan. This entire conversation was not at all going how Rodan wanted it to as Lisa looked more confused and frustrated than before. Lisa turned and opened her door. Before she could head inside, she felt something grab her wing. Turning around, she was met with the apologetic look on Rodan’s face as he held her wing with his own.

“Please, Lilly…I don’t want to lose you”, he said, softly. Lisa’s face started to soften as she turned back around to face Rodan. There were all kinds of conflicting feelings and thoughts that were circling around in her mind, some of which she struggled to grasp. She sighed as her wings dropped and she looked down.

“I…I don’t know, Rodey. I’m mad at you, I want to forgive you, I want to forget about all of this and just pretend everything is normal. I almost lost everypony that I care about last night, and now I’m told that the world might end one day”, Lisa looked up at Rodan, staring right through his shades to make direct eye contact. “On top of all of that, I learn that the pony I care the most about, the one I’ve known for all my life, isn’t who he says he is.”

Rodan watched and listened to everything Lisa had to say. His enhanced hearing allowed him to hear everything that she had to say. However, he could also hear the subtle yet deep beating of her heart as it started to quicken its rhythm.

“And yet, a part of me still…”

Words that would’ve flowed out at any moment were now logged in her throat as her cheeks became flushed for a moment. She looked down again, hoping these feelings would settle, but they only lasted longer when Rodan held her hoof, bringing her head back up.

“Nothing about me has changed, Lilly. Especially not my feelings for you”, he said. He inched his head closer until there was little space between them. Lisa hardly moved as Rodan was now barely an inch away from her as they continued to stare into each other’s eyes. Rodan knew what he wanted to do, and he felt Lisa was waiting for him. However, before he could act on his impulses, Lisa pulled away from him.

“I’m sorry, Rodan…but I just need some time alone…I think we both need it”, she said.

For the first time in all his life, the overly confident Rodan was left heartbroken. The hurt look on Rodan’s face caused pain for Lisa, but she knew it was best for the both of them. Lisa walked inside her house, turned to look at Rodan one last time, and then closed the door behind her. Rodan wanted to reach out to her once more, but he couldn’t find the courage to do so. With a heavy heart, Rodan slowly made his way off of Lisa’s porch and off her property, his head hanging low from the number of thoughts that infiltrated his mind. What was he supposed to do now? Did the mane six still want to be his friends? What if Juvenile came back, would he have to merge? Throughout them all, however, the one he couldn’t shake off was the one he feared the most; what if Lisa didn’t want to see him again?

The sun was starting to set by the time Rodan got back to his house, his wings had lost all strength in them as he slowly walked up to his front door. His attempt at trying to reconcile with Lisa had failed and he feared that he had just made things worse. In a matter of just a few days, the first titan in several millennia had reappeared, his brother risked his life to save his own, their friends knew their true identities, and worst of all, Rodan had lost Lisa. Phoenix could only drown his negative thoughts and replace them with empty ones, but this did very little to brighten Rodan’s mood. He finally reached the door to his home and placed his hoof on the doorknob, only for it to move on its own.

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal the pony who had been waiting for Rodan. Gojira stood at the entrance with what looked to be a stern face; he was still upset with Rodan having left to see Lisa only a couple of days after Nightmare Night. The sight of his older brother caused the events of the night when Gojira and him had an intense argument to enter Rodan’s mind. Every warning Gojira had given him, Rodan had ignored. Every reason Gojira gave him, Rodan had disregarded. Everything Gojira had said, Rodan argued against. And now, after risking his life to save his brothers, Rodan finally realized that Gojira was right. Not even his shades could hide the stray tears that trickled down his cheeks. Before Gojira could say anything, Rodan wrapped his hooves around him and hugged him. Gojira was thrown off by the sudden movement as he remained silent. This quickly changed; however, when he heard sniffling from his younger brother.

“I’m…I’m sorry, Goji…you were right”, said Rodan. Gojira didn’t say anything; the last time he saw Rodan cry was when their parents died. Instinctively, Gojira wrapped his hooves around his brother, remaining silent as they stood like that for several minutes while Rodan weeped.

A few minutes later, the three brothers were sitting at their kitchen table with bowls of soup resting in front of them. Throughout dinner, Rodan didn’t say anything as his eyes stayed fixated on his soup. He wasn’t the only one either as Anguirus was eating his food noticeably slower than Gojira who sat at the head of the table observing his brother’s emotions. Gojira had been stuck at the hospital when the big talk went down, so he wasn’t fully aware what went down apart from what Caesar told him. However, Rodan and Agurius did, and they heard everything their friends had to say. While physically Gojira had been affected the most, his brothers had definitely suffered mentally.

“From what Alpha told me, Juvenile won’t come back to Ponyville since he’s deemed the territory as mine”, said Gojira. Only Anguirus reacted to his sentence while Rodan gave no reaction.

“So, we won’t run into him again?”, asked Anguirus.

“Probably not, but if just one titan is in Equestria, then that means there could be more”, replied Gojira. “So we’ll be training more often than originally.”

“How was merging for the first time? How’d it feel?”, asked Anguirus.

“Well, it was definitely different. Took a moment to get used to only walking on two legs, didn’t help that my partner was constantly trying to trip me up”, replied Gojira. Anguirus merely scoffed at his answer. Gojira and Anguirus looked at Rodan who was still silent. They both looked at each other, sharing worried looks over the state of their pegasus brother.

“Did you at all know that Rainbow Dash had a pet turtle?”, asked Anguirus.

“Rainbow Dash has a pet turtle?”, replied Gojira.

“Yeah, I heard this bumping noise on the side of the house and saw a turtle with some kind of propeller on its shell bumping into it”, said Anguirus. “Then Rainbow Dash appeared and took him away…she didn’t seem too happy to see me, though.”

“Never thought she’d have a turtle for a pet”, said Gojira.

“Neither did I, it’s probably hard for her to keep up with him. Right, Rodey?”, said Anguirus, trying to make a joke to brighten his mood.

“…yeah”, mumbled Rodan. Before his brothers could say anything, he got up from his chair, leaving his bowl of untouched soup behind.

“I’m gonna go to bed, what time are we waking up for training tomorrow?”, he asked. Gojira and Anguirus were caught off guard, Rodan never cared about training.

“6:30 probably”, answered Gojira.

“Ok, night”, he said, before turning and heading upstairs. Gojira looked out the window, though the sun was setting, it was still far from night. He wanted to head upstairs and talk to him, but decided it was best to let him rest instead.

“You think he’ll be ok?”, asked Anguirus. Gojira merely sighed in response.

“We’re all far from ok, all we can do now is wait and see what happens”, he said before standing up and taking his empty bowl to the kitchen sink.

“Umm, Gojira…about our friends”, said Anguirus. Gojira remained still as Anguirus spoke to him. “Now that they know who we are…you don’t actually think they’ll tell anypony the truth, right?”

Gojira remembered how Caesar told him about how the mane six, Spike, and Lisa reacted to being told about the kaiju. While he wasn’t there to witness it, he was able to somewhat picture how it could’ve gone. Then there was his interaction with Twilight and Spike. Spike didn’t seem to care about what he really was, but he was a kid and probably didn’t fully understand. Twilight, however, was more apprehensive throughout their interaction, and if Shining Armor wasn’t there, she probably would’ve had a more in-depth conversation about what happened during Nightmare Night. Nevertheless, they still seemed to be the same unicorn and dragon that Gojira had befriended, and seeing as how Twilight was basically the head of the friend group, if Gojira trusted her not to tell anyone, perhaps he could say the same for everyone else.

“While I do believe that they won’t tell anypony, whether they still want to be our friend is another story”, said Gojira. Anguirus nodded, that was probably as good of an answer he was gonna get. As Gojira washed his dish and put it away, Anguirus took notice of a certain detail that his older brother had failed to notice.

“Hey, Goji…what’s that on your leg?”, he asked. Gojira lifted his front right leg up, and sure enough, a scar the length of a pencil was on full display. Gojira cocked an eyebrow, wondering why he hadn’t seen it until now.

“It’ll probably be gone by morning, I wouldn’t worry about it too much”, he said.

That was at least what he hopped as he turned to exit the kitchen. He glanced down at the sizable scar on his leg, and unlike his scales, he really couldn’t hide it from view. As a result, Gojira was left with a reminder of just how much their lives had changed. The titans were back, the connections they had with their friends were crumbling, and more changes were sure to come. Their once normal lives had been flipped upside down as all eyes were now of them. All a part of the complete mess that was his and his brother’s very first Nightmare Night.

Author's Note

Sorry for how long this took to get out. I started college last year and was really bogged down with school work. On top of recently discovering that I’m an S-rank procrastinator and as you can imagine, this chapter took much longer to release than it probably should’ve. Hopefully the next one won’t take as long to finish.

Anyways, I want to thank you all for enjoying my series and keeping me going; it’s hard to believe an entire year has already gone by. I’d say we’re past the halfway mark of the first season so expect some exciting installments in the future. I’ve still got eight more seasons of Friendship is Magic to get through, so I’m in this for the long run. Thank you all for the support and here’s to another great year.