September 8th, 1024 ALB. Discovery Coast, 60 kilometers southwest of New Manehattan, New Mareland.

Starlight was watching the doctors take Sunburst's vital signs, as the two helicopters piloted by hippogriffs flew over the ocean to Celestia-knows where.

Starlight could only continue to wonder what was going on, “Why did Twilight tell them she needed us to come with them? How does Twilight know these military guys? What did she want to tell me before? Where are we going?" Her mind was a mess of questions and thoughts.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the moans of Sunburst who finally regained consciousness.

“Star… Starlight…” the orange unicorn asks, disoriented.

“It's okay Sunburst, we are now safe, we will arrive soon and you will receive complete medical attention.”

“What… What happened?” The stallion asks, rubbing his head in confusion.

“Basically a crane hit your vehicle and sent you flying, Sunburst.” She tells him, trying to lighten the mood.

“What a trip.” Sunburst says, looking at the ceiling.

“Well yes, but don't worry, it looks like it was just several bruises and broken bones.”

“Where…where are we?”

“Flying in a helicopter somewhere in the sea, I don't know either.”

His question would soon be answered, as they saw through the window that the two aircraft arrived at their destination, a group of three aircraft carriers along with their escorts, sailing in formation. Starlight was amazed, it was the first time she has seen a ship of this size.

“Control, A-2 ready to land.” Said the hippogriff who was the pilot.

"Copy that. Proceed.” They answer him.

They saw the carrier deck get closer as the heli landed.

September 8th, 1024 ALB. RHS Seatoga, Discovery Coast, 66 kilometers southwest of New Manehattan, New Mareland.

“Welcome aboard, Your Majesty, to the RHS Seatoga of the Royal Hippogriffian Navy, Admiral Seaspray at your service, leader of this joint squadron. Feel welcome on this ship, if you need anything, I will be on the bridge, speaking with Admiral Stronghammer.”

“Thank you very much, Seaspray, we will be with you in a some minutes, but first we need medical help for that pony over there.” Twilight points out to the orange stallion.

"Immediately."

Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike were waiting for Starlight outside the infirmary, grieving over Sunburst's injuries, when their attention is drawn to an emerging Starlight.

"How's he doing?" They ask, reaching out to hug her.

“They tell me he will be fine, though he suffered several bruises and a couple of broken bones, he will have to use crutches for a long time, according to the doctor. – Starlight said, still thinking about what happened yesterday. – And I still wonder go w did you get here? I thought you were in Ponyville or Luna Nova.”

Twilight could only exhale, the moment of truth finally arrived for her.

"You see, Starlight, for years we have been working on a secret project that started before the Great War: SMILE, or Secret Monster Intelligence League of Equestria, and since we were recruited for the Manehattan project, we were also recruited by the agency. I'm the head of this operation."

As if it were a bucket of cold water, Starlight felt like her world was collapsing again knowing that her former teacher knew everything and never said a single word.

Anger started flooding her thoughts.

"At first SMILE only dealt with the monsters we are already used to, then it expanded to espionage and national security, but since these great creatures appeared, our work focused on them."

"Why?... why? You were in charge of everything, you knew about New Manehattan, you always knew and you didn't say anything?!” says a Starlight, complaining.

“I was forced to maintain silence...”

“Yes, of course, you and your secrecy. That damn secrecy took Trixie and more than four years of my life, for what? For another one of my closest friends to almost die escaping from that bucking thing?”

Faced with the accusations, Twilight, Fluttershy and Spike could only remain silent.

“Your desire to learn and study these aberrations has only led to more calamities, deaths and destruction, the ineptitude and little appreciation for life that you've had is incredible; no, you never had. First you lead the creation of those bombs that will destroy the world, and then you let a nuclear plant collapse and kill dozens in order to keep your secrets secret. Unbelievable." Starlight says, her voice now broken by her sobs.

The three of them fully knew that they could not defend themselves against these accusations and they only limited themselves to giving her a light hug.

“I have no defense, Starlight, we made serious mistakes and we failed you, we failed Trixie, I failed dozens; Now their lives weigh on my conscience. I have no right to ask for your forgiveness.”

The unicorn mare gave no answer. She liberated all the weight on these years by crying.

A couple of minutes passed as Starlight's sobs subsided for her to speak again.

“Tell me… – Starlight says, distressed. – Do you have anything else to say?”

“Actually… Yes.”

In the meeting room, a projector had been installed on the central table, pointing at a white board. There sat Twilight, Fluttershy, Spike, Starlight and several other workers.

“Okay, Spike, start the presentation, please.” Twilight asks.

When they start the projection, they could watch a Royal Equestrian Navy propaganda film about a submarine, the ERNS Galaxy. Then the narrator started his speech:

"This is the ERNS Gakaxy, the first nuclear submarine in the world..."

“Now let's talk without more secrecy. At the beginning of 1016, when the first nuclear submarine reached the depths, something awakened.” Twilight says, interrupting the recorded speech of the film.

“Equestria believed it was the Empire, the Empire believed otherwise, or maybe Stalliongrad.” Fluttershy follows.

“All the nuclear tests that year and the next... – Spike mentions, when the projector presented the different films of the nuclear tests in the summer islands. – They were not tests. They were trying to destroy it.”

"Destroy what?" Starlight asks.

"It. – Twilight points to the frozen frame of a huge animal with thorns on its back coming out of the water. – An ancient Alpha predator.”

Starlight, now baffled, leans over to see the projection better.

“Millions of years older than ponies, griffins or any other nowadays creature.” Fluttershy exposes.

The film was showing a cave system and ponies with Geiger counters.

“From a time when Faust was ten times more radioactive than it is today.” Spike adds.

The film was now showing a taxonomic tree.

“This animal and others like it consumed that radiation as food, but when the levels dropped on the surface, these creatures adapted to the depths. In the subsurface, absorbing radiation from the planet’s core.” Fluttershy says.

The film was now showing the logo of SMILE, the coat of arms of Equestria with the two sisters, and the seal of CLASSIFIED.

“When the Princesses found out about this, they entrusted the mission to SMILE to search, understand and learn as much as possible of it, expanding into a multinational coalition.” Spike explains.

After the end of the film, the presentation now returned to the frozen image of the titanic animal coming out of the water.

“The legends and tribes of southern Zebrica call it... Gojira.” Twilight says, turning to look at her.

“The peak of a primitive ecosystem… A God, in every sense of the word.” Adds Fluttershy.

"A monster." Starlight intervenes.

The presentation now showed clips taken by the Special Engineer Corps.

“Four years ago we found a fossil of another giant animal on the Dragon Islands, just like Gojira.” Twilight follows.

“The mining incident…” Starlight says, deep in thought.

“But that creature died a long time ago, because of that.” Spike says.

The image shows the two tusk-shaped formations in the cave. Reminding Starlight precisely of the spore she saw in New Manehattan.

“Parasitic spores. One sleeping, but the other was born. It was catalyzed when the mining company unknowingly drilled to the grave.” the pegasus

“The creature advanced toward the nearest radiation source it found.” The dragon adds.

“The plant where you girls were working in New Manehattan.” The alicorn says, gloomily.

“There it created its cocoon, absorbing the energy of the reactor these years.” The pegasus intervenes.

“Until it came out, like a butterfly, the creature we saw last night.” The princess of friendship said.

“You knew about that thing all along. Why didn't you just kill it a long time ago?" Starlight claims.

“He was absorbing radiation, we believed that killing it would release it and risk millions.” Spike explains.

“That's why our mission was to contain it, study its biology and understand it. – Twilight adds. – we knew that it affected the surrounding electrical network, but thanks to you we can know that it is an electromagnetic pulse. What else do you know, Starlight?”

“According to what I have searched, it seems that it is the call of an animal, it spoke something, it communicated with something. I found a book on echolocation, I think it's just that; In fact, I think something replied, but I can't tell you much more than that.”

“Yes, I found that book in your room when I checked, but I passed it by, I don't know I didn't pay attention to, but you certainly did a great job to clarify everything... Fluttershy, go check please, maybe we’ll hear something.”

As Fluttershy got up to the screens, the presentation continued, now showing the spore in New Manehattan.

“Now that that thing is out, where's it going?” Purple unicorn ask.

“The last we knew it was heading southwest, our radars were completely disabled by the EMP it radiated.” Admiral Stronghammer, who had just entered the room, intervenes.

“As Her Majesty said, we tried to destroy that thing with nuclear detonations. I was personally supervising the operations. I'm sure that thing went to the depths of Tartarus with that bomb.”

As she walked to the board, posting several photographs of the creature taking flight.

“We call it MUTO, or Massive Unknown Terrestrial Organism, however, as you will see, it's no longer terrestrial, it's now aerial. The world still believes there was an earthquake in New Mareland and it would be preferable to keep it that way.”

The admiral continues her presentation.

“Since our radars are blind, we will have to hunt the MUTO visually, Seaspray and I were just discussing that.”

“Thank you, admiral… eh… The MUTO is young and growing, it will look for its food. Radiation sources.” Twilight intervenes.

“We're monitoring known locations, Starlight, but we're worried that if we don't find it…” Fluttershy adds.

"What'll happen?" Starlight wonders.

“Nature has a balance, the power to restore that balance. – Says Fluttershy with the image of Gojira behind her. – I believe he has that power.”

September 9th, 1024 ALB. RHS Seatoga, Fire Sea.

The situation on the bridge of the RHS Seatoga was chaotic, with all kinds of creatures moving here and there in an incessant search effort. There were Twilight and Starlight talking while Fluttershy and Spike reviewed the readings looking for matches.

“I don't think this monster hunting thing is for me, Twilight, I need a break, I need to go back to Ponyville… I'll take Sunburst with me.” The unicorn says.

Twilight can't help but let out a sigh of resignation.

“Okay, as the admiral informed, we will pass through Puerto Caballo tomorrow afternoon, I will try to make arrangements so that you can take a special flight for you and Sunburst. I don’t want you to suffer any more than you have already because of me.”

“Thank you so much, Twilight… sorry for what I said, so many years of anxiety and obsession made me burst out and rant.”

“Don't worry about that, my mistakes have brought us here, I deserved every insult.”

September 10th, 1024 ALB. RHS Seatoga, 80 kilometers east of Puerto Caballo.

Seatoga's flight deck was at maximum working capacity, with Fanthoms II taking off every few seconds and UH-1 in flyby. There were Starlight and her friends adjusting the last details.

“Sorry I was only able to get you a military cargo flight to Manehattan, many flights to Canterlot and central Equestria were canceled due to the bad weather forecast. The helicopter will take you to Puerto Caballo for your flight tonight.” Twilight says, amidst the cacophony of planes coming and going.

“Don't worry, Twi, that's more than enough. Thank you so much."

"In Manehattan there are Rarity, Applejack and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, I will send them a message to receive you there, and I'll give you their phone number and ubication, if needed."

"Thank you, Twilight, and I just want to tell you... No hard feelings."

After a hug between everypony, the two unicorns board the helicopter that soon takes off towards the west.

Back on the hustle and bustle of the bridge, Twilight was still leafing through the multitude of notes that Starlight had, without much success while Fluttershy and Spike returned to their work on the screen.

“Twilight, I think I found it.” Fluttershy says.

The alicorn quickly got up from her seat to see that on the screen was the exact same plateau-shaped pattern, this time higher than the others.

“Something replied.” The dragon said.

Suddenly the get interrupted by the naval officers' talking.

“Admiral Stronghammer, an intelligence report has arrived. The Kaiserliche Marine was mobilized this morning due to the loss of a Bronzetail-class nuclear submarine west of Feathered Isles.” Seaspray informs Stronghammer.

“What is it, admiral?” Twilight asks.

“A griffon nuclear submarine was lost, Your Majesty, activating an SOS. Its radio beacon tells us that it is north of Puerto Caballo. We already sent a team to see.”

“Wait, a submarine in the jungle?”

Author's Note

Now this is getting interesting.

I hope you've enjoyed it so far, we still have many adventures to live!