The Cine-magic Series: Godzilla

Things were coming to a head. With Godzilla and the MUTOs finally in San Francisco, things could only get more chaotic. Despite the countless evacuation notices and warnings telling the inhabitants of the compact city to leave for safety, the city was still crowded with people trying to make a last-ditch escape. It didn't help the fact that the protocol mostly involved children and hospital patients, leaving a good majority of the population high and dry, and in the path of the incoming onslaught.

Office workers, forced to stay at their desks, heard the bellows of a monstrous beast. Some left their desks to see what was going on outside, causing others to follow. Most of them got a clear of view of the rainy outside thanks to them being settled inside the skyscrapers. That allowed them the witness the male MUTO flying through the streets of the city they held dear. The people panicked, anticipating the monstrous creature to attack them. The MUTO landed on a building rooftop, practically crushing the top floors, and let out a mighty shriek.

Many on the ground, which included Elle, watched in shock and horror at the MUTO. Massive chunks of concrete and glass fell from the shredded building and smashed to the ground, causing the people to flee in the opposite direction down the crowded, car-filled streets. Elle ran with the crowd, but kept her attention on the beast. However, when she turned back around, the fearful crowd stopped when another kaiju breached from the bay. Godzilla towered over them, glaring at the parasitic MUTO with a resentful fury.

Again, the populace was sent into an even greater panic. Now there were two monsters staring each other down. It didn't exactly take a genius to conclude what was about to happen next. Elle couldn't keep her eyes away, but she was able to direct herself toward the entrance of a subway station. That's where most of the people around her were rushing for. As the raced into the reinforced station, the male MUTO jumped from it's building perch and flew right for Godzilla.

People screamed and watched in shock as the MUTO charged into the bigger, reptilian kaiju. Godzilla roared and snapped his jaws at the MUTO, clawing and biting at each other. That was the last Elle and the others could see as the massive, steel doors closed shut, protectively locking them inside the subway station. They wouldn't be safe for long. As long as the Godzilla and male MUTO were fighting, no one was safe.

Meanwhile, back the Tactical Operations, Fluttershy and Spike were sitting atop the mountain of sandbags that border the ends of the main headquarters. Soldiers stood all around them, ready to act if the mayhem in San Francisco deviated to here. From their viewpoint, they all could clearly see Godzilla and the male MUTO locking horns with each other. With the setting sun, it created a truly surreal moment.

"I still don't understand," Spike finally spoke. "I get the fact that Twilight is trying to protect us, but we've been through some serious stuff. At least, you have, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy shifted against the heavy bags.

"I suppose. But, this is bigger than anything else me or our friends have gone through. Much more dangerous than any mission we've been through, otherworldly or otherwise."

"I mean... yeah," Spike admitted. "The closest we've got was with Cloud and the others. But, it just feels like Twilight doesn't believe in us."

"Now don't say that, Spike," Fluttershy's tone took on a more reprimanding approach. "You know well that Twilight as looking out for you. She wants to keep you safe. You said it herself."

"I know. I just feel like she refuses to move past the battle with Sephiroth. Whenever she looks at me and gets crestfallen, I know she looks at my scar. It's like it reminds her that she failed me somehow."

Spike laid his fingertips against the thin, dark line that travel under his ear frill. The memories themselves once caused his heart to jump, knowing he was just inches away from a nasty demise. Nowadays, not so much, but seeing Twilight get worked over it made Spike feel guilty. Like he was somehow responsible.

"But, she didn't fail me that day. You saw how much of a skilled swordsman that guy was. I... I couldn't expect her to keep out of harm's way all the time. Not with all the threats we encountered on that mission."

Fluttershy mulled over Spike's words slowly and carefully. While she wouldn't call herself the best at giving advice, that won't stop her from trying. The thoughtful pegasus turned to Spike fully. She could see how mournful the little dragon was feeling.

"Spike, I can understand where you're coming from. I'm now stuck with an affliction, too," Fluttershy pointed to her bandaged leg. "I know the others, especially Rainbow, feel upset about that I ended up getting hurt. Yes, it was mostly my fault, but Rainbow, herself, that she should've taken the bullet instead of me. She blames herself for that and I feel awful for making her feel that way."

As she kept taking, tears began welling up in Fluttershy's eyes.

"Twilight and Rainbow both don't want us to get hurt anymore than we've already have. They just want to protect us."

Spike let out a long sigh. "I love that they do. It shows how much they care about us. But, we've shown that we can be independent. Don't get my wrong, I'm glad Twilight's to protect me. It just feels like she thinks I'm helpless or something."

"I don't think it's about independence or helplessness," Fluttershy said softly, wiping away her tears. "I think it's about love."

"I know. I guess we can still see Godzilla take down those evil MUTOs once and for all though."

Spike looked out to the bayside city, watching the two beasts clashing. It was like reading one of those action comics he had but it was truly happening in front of his eyes and not behind printed paper. Fluttershy wasn't too keen on watching Godzilla and the MUTOs fight, but seeing them made her remember something Dr. Serizawa said back at the mission briefing.

"If the MUTOs have spawned, they'll be building a nest."

Suddenly, it all started falling into place. Back at the train bridge, Fluttershy remember seeing the female MUTO with a orange-colored sack filled with little orbs attach to it's underbelly. The MUTO was pregnant, that much was obvious and that meant the she was currently building a nest right now with who knows how many eggs inside. Now Fluttershy, of course, loved animals and knew better then to damage or disturb a nest, whether predator or prey. But, given the destructive nature of the MUTOs, hatching more of them would spell disaster for this world: Hundreds of MUTOs causing unimaginable devastation.

One would think, being an animal caregiver, Fluttershy would never think of an animals way of life so negatively, even if it was a predator. But this was not a predator, it was a parasite; a parasite that intended on irradicating all other life on this world with it's mere existence. That was something Flutttershy, in good conscience, standby and watch happen.

She swiftly slipped off the sandbag wall, her wings flaring. Spike was taken aback for a second.

"Fluttershy? What are you..."

"We're going back to San Francisco," the pegasus said with unexpected determination.

"W-Wha?" Spike sputtered. "But, I thought you said we should stay here."

"Do you remember what we saw on the bridge the night before?"

"You're going to have to be a but more specific. A lot of things happened on that bridge."

"The MUTO that attacked us. She was pregnant."

Hearing this brought Spike back to the graphic memory. "Ooh, don't remind me."

He clasped a hand over his mouth. The scales around his face turning from violet to green.

"Dr. Serizawa said the MUTO were likely building a nest for the eggs. And if that happens, more MUTOs will be born to cause more havoc."

Spike's scales went from green to pale in a matter of seconds. The thought of more of those monstrous creatures sent chills down his spine, and suddenly his sickness dissipated.

"Oh. Oh, that doesn't sound good at all. Should we tell somepony."

"No," the intent pegasus said firmly. "We put a stop it."

Spike's mouth dropped. "Shy, are you crazy? We can't just dive right into that warzone all by ourselves. I mean, you said it was best we stay here so we didn't get hurt any further."

"I never said we should stay here," Fluttershy clarified. "I'm not happy about being sidelined for this mission either, but I didn't want to argue with our friends about that. I was hurt and they were distraught about that. They were only looking our for us, after all. But, with what the MUTO's might be planning now, I can't just sit here and let it all happen with our friends down their biting off more than they could chew."

Spike slid off the sandbags and came to the raring pegasus.

"This does sound serious, but, I really don't want to disobey Twilight. Not only that, but you already tried throwing yourself into danger and you ending up with an injured leg."

This time, Fluttershy was the one to let out a long sigh.

"Yes. I was too hasty with trying to do the right thing the first time and I let my bravery get the better of me. But, this time, this is more than doing the right thing. This is about protecting the ones closest to me and protecting everycreature on this world from the disaster that is to come if that nest isn't taken care of. Those MUTOs will destroy everything and I don't know if Godzilla will be able to handle it all. So I'm taking a stand and putting myself in the line of fire again to save my friends from the beasts."

Fluttershy turned Spike with a fiery look in her eyes. "Are you willing to protect them, too."

Spike hesitated for a second. He didn't want to go against Twilight's orders and put himself in severe peril. But, at the same time, no matter how young he was, Spike wanted to protect the ponies that cared about him the most. He wanted to protect the one pony that raised him and was there for him from the very start. Twilight protected Spike a number of times, now it was time he protected her. The little dragon put on his military helmet climbed onto Fluttershy's back, sharing the same determined, heroic mindset with the pegasus.

"Let's go!"

Fluttershy, too, put back on her helmet and stood on her hindlegs, the pain in her left seemingly disappearing, and she let out a sharp whinny. She charged forward and took off into the air. Spike held tight to her mane as the once timid pegasus soared through the air and toward San Francisco, determined to put an end to this unending nightmare.

High above the thick sheets of clouds that looked over the city, a massive C-17 military jet soared through the ominous sky. inside, dozens of soldiers, including Ford, Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity, sat preparing for the airdrop. Now, Twilight and her pony friends were not familiar with any kind of military procedures. So, being in a mission that require something as extreme as jumping out of a giant airplane in the middle of a monster warzone, well...

"I can't believe we are actually doing this," Rarity said, who appeared to be on the edge of an emotional breakdown.

She hugged her legs like a scared child and gently rocked back and forth.

"This is insane. This is absurd. This is absolutely ludicrous!"

"Ssh," Ford hastily shushed the panicking unicorn. "One of the soldiers is praying."

Sitting just a couple seats down, the head sergeant was speaking a pray of the Lord.

"Oh, Lord God, we give thanks for the opportunities you have given us..."

"I'm sorry, Ford," Rarity said quietly. "I just can't wrap my head around the fact that we are jumping out of this machine down to the carnage that is likely going on in the city."

"Oh, come on, Rarity," Rainbow said. "It's not like this is first time you've gone high-flying. Remember the Young Flyers Competition?

"Yes. But, at least, I had wings at that time. And when I didn't, you saved me from falling to my death."

"You think I can't save you now?"

Rarity stammered a bit, then let out a sigh. "It's nothing to do with you Rainbow, honest. But, freefalling from such an incredible height... it... it's just flat out reckless."

"...going together as comrades to defend our great nation."

"You have nothing to worry about," Ford assured. "We all have parachutes so we can land safely."

"We'll be like rain drops falling in... "Pinkie demeanor was put to a near stop. "SSSlllooowww mmmoootttiiiooonnn."

"Now there's a good way of puttin' it," Applejack smiled.

"Hmph. Almost all of us," Rainbow corrected. "Who needs a parachute when we have wings, right Twi?"

The boisterous pegasus turned to the alicorn, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Uh, Twilight?"

Twilight glanced over at Rainbow in acknowledgment. "Sorry, Dash, I just have a lot on my mind."

"What's on yer mind, Twi?" Applejack asked generously.

"Yeah, what's gotten you all sad," Pinkie made an exaggerated frown.

"It's just... thinking about the current situation we're in right now, with Godzilla and the MUTOs fighting, and having to track down a literal bomb that's ready to explode at any moment, and everything else that's happened so far. It makes me think we're not cut out for these sorts of missions."

"Oh, Twilight, don't tell me you still thinking that," Rainbow said. "I know we all kind of felt that way at one point, but remember what Fluttershy said; that even now we can still make a difference even if it feels like we can."

"I know," Twilight rose her voice just a smudge to convey her frustration. "But, it's not just this mission, it's all the others to different worlds."

"We thank you for the time and service that you have given us together. Now as we are about to leave one another..."

"On numerous occasions, we've gotten so close to getting killed in some way. Are any of this missions really worth risking our lives?"

"Is that the reason you didn't want Spike or Fluttershy come along?" Rainbow asked. "You didn't want them getting killed."

"...mostly," Twilight lowered her head sadly.

"...let us have the strength..."

"There's something yer forgettin', Twilight," Applejack spoke up. "We've been on dangerous missions back in Equestria."

"Yes. And we've taken down some foul creatures there," Rarity added. "It really isn't any different here or any other place."

"Yeah, like with Chrysalis, or Tirek," Pinkie also added.

"But, it feels more daunting," Twilight said. "It feels so much more dangerous."

"That might because your from a different world," Ford said.

The ponies turned to the lieutenant, who decided to speak up.

"I may not understand it completely, but if I were in a entirely different word, I would feel even basic tasks such as a rescue mission to be more dangerous. I think that's because you're not that familiar with this world than to yours, and that feeling on unknowing and confusing can make you scared or anxious."

Twilight thought over her human friend's insight. It did make sense that being in a different brought a great dealing of confusion. Such feelings in these kind of situations could make anypony, or anycreature, feel terrified. Twilight looked back Ford.

"Aren't you scared, too?"

"Yes," the young lieutenant replied simply. "But, as soldiers, we're trained to cope with those feelings because fear can make you do stupid things. And, during a war, that can get you killed. I may be scared, but I know I'm doing this for Elle and Sam to make sure that they are safe. You would do the same if it meant keeping your family safe."

Ford pulled a small, crumpled up photo of his wife and son from one of the harness pockets.

"Darn tootin' ah would," Applejack said amicably.

"Of course," Rainbow said.

"Yeah!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"If it meant keeping my family, then I would do it in a heartbeat," Rarity added.

Twilight felt a surge of protective bravery wash over her. Suddenly, the feeling to protect her friends shattered any fear, anxiety, or second-guessing.

"Yes. Yes I would."

"That-a girl, Twily," Pinkie lightly punched the alicorn's shoulder.

Suddenly, an alarm blared and the plane's light died, making way from a red warning light.

"What's going on?" Rainbow said with a mixture of apprehension and hostility.

"The airdrop's starting," Ford put a oxygen mask over his mouth.

"Oh, Celestia," Rarity trembled.

She felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see Twilight. Gone was the nerve-wracked, uncertain mare earlier, now replaced with confident and determined princess.

"It's okay. We've got this."

Rarity smiled and nodded. The cargo door to the plane slowly opened. The soldiers were blinded by the searing light of the setting sun. They all stood and carefully made their way closer to the opening. They could see the sun, the pale blue sky, and thick blanket of clouds underneath them. And what lied further could only be guessed.

"Come on!" Rainbow exclaimed impatiently. "What's the hold up."

"We have to wait for the signal," Ford quickly explained.

"What signal?"

It was almost impossible to hear each other through the whistling wind. The sound of the siren beeping twice cut through the deafening howl. That was the signal for the soldiers to put on their protective goggles and prepare for the drop.

"Ah sure hope these guys know what ther doin'," Applejack held her helmet over her hat to keep them from blowing away.

"A little late for wishing that," Rainbow said.

The siren beeped three more times. On the third beep, the soldiers all bolted and jumped off the plane. The Mane 5 quickly followed. It was a lot, to say the least.

"GAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Rarity screamed.

"WEEEEEEEEEEE!" Pinkie cheered.

"Now this is some air time," Rainbow lazily laid on her back, crossing one hindleg over the other.

"Will ya take this serious, Dash," Applejack yelled. "This is only the half of it. We still gotta git down ta the ground safely."

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the fashionista continued to scream.

All around them, the soldiers dropped from the sky, red flare smoke trailing behind them to indicate their current trajectory. The team dropped into the cloud cover. Dark grey filled their eyesight.

"Hey, now I know how feels to be on the weather team," Pinkie stated observantly.

Thunder roared and lightning flashed, lighting up the dark clouds. Most of the Mane 5 remained silent from the bizarre experience. All except for...

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Rarity screamed.

"Fer goodness sake's, Rarity, we're fine," Applejack yelled.

"AAHHH-Oh, I didn't know it was fine being inside a literal storm cloud!" the mortified unicorn shouted angrily.

"Just stay close," Twilight said. "I promise we'll be fine."

The broke through the first massive wall of clouds. Out in the lit sky, the giant cumulonimbus cloud could be seen. Lightning looked like sparks compared to the sheer size of the storm system.

"Wow, I don't think the clouds back on our world get that big," Rainbow's mouth hung wide with awe.

"No kiddin'," Applejack said. "That thing prolly has enough water ta flood a hundred orchards."

That's when the team breached through the lower cloud cover. What met them at the bottom was chaos. The city of San Francisco had been turned into a warzone. Fires raged everywhere and buildings were either damaged or destroyed. The lively turned had become a scarred battleground. Worse still, the combatants weren't done. Ford and the Mane 5 watched in horror as Godzilla and the male MUTO tore into each other, clawing and biting each other.

"Please don't eat us. Please don't eat us. Please don't eat us," Rarity clasped her hooves together and desperately pleaded.

"Sweet Celestia, this is bad," Twilight said.

"Go, Godzilla, you can do this!" Pinkie cheered.

The only response she received was a deafening roar from the kaiju directed at the MUTO.

"Ford, we're getting close to the ground," Twilight warned.

Ford peeled his eyes away from the monster brawl and saw the battle-torn ground quickly zeroing toward them. He deployed his parachute, allowing his straight drop to turn into a glide.

"Rainbow, let's go!" Twilight grasp Applejack and Pinkie, opened her wings and flew after Ford.

"Got it!" Rainbow grabbed onto Rarity and flew after Twilight.

"Ooh! Do be careful where you grab me," Rarity squawked.

"Oh, hush."

As the separated group glided toward the ruined streets, the male MUTO soared past them on a perpendicular street. Ford and the Mane 5 reached the ground in no time. Ford hastily removed his parachute, mask, and goggles, while Twilight and Rainbow carefully set down their non-winged friends.

"Everypony accounted for?" Twilight asked.

"Obviously," Rainbow said playfully.

"But, where did the others go?" Pinkie asked. "It's like they flew off somewhere else."

"They prolly separated already," Applejack said.

The sound of animalistic grumbling followed by a hissed reverberated off the tattered buildings. The small, motely group were able to catch glimpse of Godzilla's shadow as it disappeared behind a building.

"Well, were definitely in the belly of the beast now," Rainbow said.

"Don't jinx it," Rarity hissed.

Ford slung his rifle over his shoulder and quickly trekked over to where Godzilla's shadow had been.

"Wait, Ford! Are mission is to get the warhead back, not take down Godzilla," Twilight called out to him.

The ponies galloped after the lieutenant.

"I got to get another look," Ford rounded the corner.

He stopped upon seeing Godzilla's tail slink past down the other end of the street. His steps shook the entire city. Twilight and others quickly caught up. Even though it was only the tail end, the size alone rivaled anything Ford or the ponies had ever seen. A creature of such magnitude, even if it wasn't the first time they saw him, Godzilla's size was hard to comprehend. Which made him, intentional or not, incredible dangerous.

"I think it's best that we stay out of his way," Rarity advised.

"I agree," Twilight nodded. "We worry about ourselves and the mission. Now let's try and regroup with the other soldiers."

"Take position! Take position!" a voice yelled out.

The group quickly turned around and noticed several soldiers converging near a city bus.

"Come on," Ford ran over toward them.

He, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow all caught up the other soldiers. By now, they were discussing a point of searching and regroup their numbers.

"What's the rundown, Chief?" Rainbow asked

"I saw Team 1 move to the east," one of the soldiers explained. "Two of our team members didn't make it. I heard bits and pieces on the radio."

The mission had barely begun and already two members were already done for the count. How severe it was was yet to be concluded.

"A-Are they gone," Pinkie whimpered.

"I don't know. Snipers on the rooftop moving into position."

"Any ideas on findin' the warhead?" Applejack asked.

"Here we go," another soldier held up a tracking device. "Picking up the nuke."

"Where? Which way?" Twilight asked.

"One klick up the hill."

"Alright, we found the warhead," the first soldier gestured a hand westward. "Let's go! Up the hill, this direction. Move."

With that, the group of soldiers and ponies quickly traverse down the darkened streets, strewn with debris. The only sources of lights were the flashlight mounted on the soldiers' rifles and the distant glow of building fires. Up ahead, a giant wall of smoke and dust with the silhouette of the female MUTO barely visible from within it.

"Why are we hidin' toward that thing?" Applejack gestured to the barely concealed monster. "Ain't we s'posed ta be trackin' down the bomb?"

"That's where the trackers says it is," one of the soldiers answered.

"Wait a minute," Twilight pondered for a quick second. "That warhead. They said it was radioactive, remember?"

"I think they said that, yeah," Rarity said.

"What does radioactive have anything to do with this?" Rainbow asked.

"Dr. Serizawa said that the MUTOs feed on radiation," the princess reminded. "He also said the were likely making nest. So, if the warhead is up ahead, then that could mean... that's their nest up ahead as well."

The ponies and even some of the soldiers cringed at the thought.

"Oh, no. Dear Faust, no," Rarity whimpered.

"Ya mean ta tell us, Twi, that we might have ta deal with a bunch'a baby MUTOs, as well?" Applejack asked in disgust and anger.

"Maybe," the alicorn shrugged sheepishly. "I don't know the incubation period of a MUTO, but..."

"Consarnit! As if dealin' with two of them monsters weren't enough!"

"I-I didn't mean to put a damper on the situation. I just felt like it was worth pointing out."

"Let's just worry about the bomb before anything else," Rainbow said, wanting to redirect the subject.

As the team drew closer to the possible nest, the tracker began beeping more rapidly. That was indication that they were nearing the warhead. Eventually, the team took cover behind a set of parked cars.

"How are ya gonna reckon we deal with the bomb and the nest once we get to it?" Applejack questioned.

"That's why I'm here," Ford pointed out. "The bomb I mean."

"As for the nest, I can only imagine how many eggs are in their," Twilight said.

"Oh, wonderful," Rarity said in sarcastic disgust. "Alien eggs. Feels like we're in a sci-fi horror novel."

"Or movie," Pinkie added.

"The bomb remains the top priority," one of the other soldiers said.

"Hey, hey," the head sergeant whispered, getting the others attention. "Look."

He directed his attention over to the other set of soldiers posted behind the second vehicle. One of them gestured at his eyes then pointed forward; code sign for taking a peek at what was going on. Ford bravely peeked through the minivan's shattered wondered. Twilight and Rainbow curiously followed his gave, also wanting to see what was happening.

"What's goin' on ther?" Applejack asked.

"And please spare details," Rarity said. "I want to be able to sleep tonight."

The entire team was able to hear a plopping sound from beyond. However, Ford, Twilight, Rainbow chose to look out and see what exactly was making that noise. Through the dust and crumbled remains of the Chinatown, the female MUTO was squatting down in a crater it had made, letting out periodic shrieks as it deposited it's eggs inside.

Twilight felt a mix of disgust and wonder. "That's graphic. Also shows that they deposit eggs like most other oviparous animals."

"This is why I never enjoyed biology class," Rainbow withhold the urge to vomit.

Applejack and Pinkie peeked out, curiosity getting the better of them. Upon seeing the MUTO ovipositing , their opinions were comparable were similar to Twilight and Rainbow's.

"Ew," Pinkie dipped her head back behind the car door.

"Wow," the apple farm stated simply. "Welp, that there proves of a nest."

"You know what, don't say anything about it. I don't want to know," Rarity plugged her ears.

She locked her eyes forward, but quickly found wasn't any better. Rarity let a sharp, hush gasp.

"P-P-Ponies."

A low rumbling cane from behind the team followed by a building collapsing. The ponies and soldiers, the latter with guns drawn, turned back at another cloud of dust. A massive, reptilian tail whipped over them. The flash of lightning illuminated the cloud, revealing the silhouette of a certain kaiju.

"He's here," Rarity squeaked.

The soldiers and ponies stood in frightened silence.

"He must have followed us," Twilight whispered.

"How was he able to do that without us hearing him?" one of the soldiers asked, slightly perturbed.

"Pretty well if we've only noticed him now," Pinkie replied. "D-Do you think we would be good at hide-and-seek?"

Godzilla's roar shook the entire city. The ponies held onto their helmets to keep them from flying off.

"He's certainly not playing around," Rainbow stated.

The ponies and soldiers turned back toward the female MUTO. the monstrous beast growled and stood straight up. She let out defensive roar before stepping towards Godzilla. Her bat-like legs broke through buildings like a hot knife through butter, showering the team in stone and glass.

"Neither is she, I'm afraid," Twilight said.

"Let's move, let's move," the head officer signaled the others to follow. "On my six."

The rest of the soldiers quickly marched after him. Ford and the ponies were amongst the last the follow, their attention still turned to the two beasts ready to fight.

"Do you think Godzilla could take to MUTOs down?" Rarity asked.

"Well, Dr. Serizawa knows a lot about him and his role," Twilight said. "I'm willing to trust his word that Godzilla can beat them."

"Let's hope so. For all our sakes," Ford said.

"Go on, Godzilla! Kick that MUTO's butt!" Pinkie cheered loudly.

"There will be time for that later. Let's worry about the bomb please," the purple alicorn reminded.

As the ponies and soldiers raced toward the crater, the female MUTO and Godzilla charged toward each other. They collided like to two charging bulls. Godzilla viscously rushed forward, showing his superior strength and forcing the MUTO against the nearby buildings. Meanwhile, the Mane 5 and the soldiers clambered over mountains of debris and reaching the crater. The crater was incredibly deep. Ruptured pipelines leaked fluids into the bottom which was covered in wreckage with small fires sprinkled throughout.

"Whoa, nelly," Applejack whistled in awe. "That's one deep crater."

"But, where are all the eggs?" Twilight asked. "We saw her depositing them right here."

"Sarge, get a look at this," one of the soldiers said. "We gotta get moving. You got a signal yet?

The sergeant pulled out the tracker. "I got it?"

The tracker was beeping rapidly. It marked a specific point within the crater, indicating the warheads location.

"It's down there."

"No time to waste. Let's go!" Rainbow zipped down to the bottom.

It took some time, but the soldiers and ponies were able to reach the bottom of the crater safely. Once the location, what lied in front was a portion of a building's indoor wall with a set of wooden doors.

"I-Is this were the eggs are?" Rarity gulped, imagining the worst scenario in her head.

"Only one way to found out," Twilight said.

Pinkie walked up to the doors and politely knocked. "Hello? May we come in?"

Twilight groaned and put a hoof to her face. "Pinkie."

"What? My mom always told me to knock before opening a door."

"Open the door," the sergeant said irritably.

Two soldiers stepped up and busted the doors open.

"All right. Move, move," one of the commanded.

The team ventured on through, and what await them was disturbing, to say the least. Amongst the incohesive mass of wreckage and debris, a spire of eggs hung upside-down from the ceiling. At the tip was the nuclear warhead. Ford stopped just beyond the doorframe, taking in the troubling sight. The Mane 5 stood in shock and horror. Never in their lives had they seen something so biologically obscene.

"That is a lot of eggs," Pinkie observed.

"Regret everything. I can't look," Rarity slid her helmet over her eyes. "Never have I witness anything more sickening. Ewh!"

While the thoroughly disgusted unicorn was on the brick of hurling, the others were still taking on the sight. All the while, the soldiers were gunning toward the nuclear warhead, shining their lights around the spire.

"More light. Grazer," one of the soldiers shouted.

"Just think of all the baby MUTOs that will come from this singular nest," Twilight said, a mix of horror and amazement in her tone.

"I don't want to imagine that," Rainbow squeaked.

"This is unreal," Applejack said. "I ne'er would've suspected those MUTOs bein' as reproductive than ah jackrabbit durin' the matin' season."

"No kidding," Ford shined his flashlight at the walls. veins of eggs trailed along the earth like glowing vines. Each transparent orb housed a tiny, baby MUTO squirming inside. Some may find the sight mesmerizing, others may find it abhorrent. For Ford, it was a concerning sign for the future.

"Doesn't anypony else found this fascinating," Twilight said. "It shows these MUTO are similar to colonizing insects."

"Maybe to you, Egghead," Rainbow gave a flat glare to the alicorn. "But, some of us don't like seeing things so surreal it borders nightmare fuel."

"I second that," Rarity called back.

Rainbow turned back to the pristine unicorn, who seemed to take a liking to staying behind the doors. "You coming or what?"

"I think I'll stay out here, thank you. Just in case if the MUTO comes back."

"Rarity, when need all the help we can get," Twilight pointed out. "I think our magic will come in handy in getting the bomb."

Rarity looked around the nest. She did not want to step a hoof in that place, being surrounded by eggs that held alien life. Then again, she wasn't any safe out in the open. If the MUTO was to come back, she likely would be the first to be picked off.

"Ohhhh," Rarity fearfully tapped her hoof against the ground, looking back and forth between the nest and the outside. "Wait for me!"

She quickly clambered through the wreckage after her friends. Meanwhile, the rest of the soldiers were trying to get the warhead off the egg spike.

"Here we go."

Soldiers on ladders opened the warhead up, revealing the timer mechanism coated in slime.

"Whoa, look out, heads up!" one of them warned.

"How much time we got left?" another asked.

The sergeant shined his light at the time. "We have 27 mikes. We gotta get this thing down."

"27 minutes," Ford interated.

"That's not a lot of time," Twilight said warily.

"I'm sure you can keep it from exploding until then, right, Ford?" Rainbow said confidently.

While time was running out for the team, Godzilla and the MUTO's fight had just begun. The female MUTO's feet scraped against the ground, pushing vehicles to the side. She swiped with her forelegs at Godzilla, but they were too short. Godzilla continued his forward assault, dragging the monstrous beast down the city streets. The MUTO reached it's front legs outward, clinging onto two separate buildings. However, it did nothing save her. The MUTO's legs torn against the building walls as Godzilla slammed her to the ground, roaring furiously. The MUTO's head smashed through glass and steel, exposing the subway stations and putting every refugee in danger, including Elle, who could only watch as the people screamed and panicked.

Snipers posted on nearby buildings raced over to the carnage.

"Move, move, I got you!" one of them said. "Move it out, move it out!"

At the same, Fluttershy and Spike had reach the inner faction of the city and were currently witness Godzilla's beatdown.

"Yeah, he's got it," Spike pumped his fist.

"That's good," Fluttershy said. "That means the nest we likely be unoccupied."

"What about the male?"

"It's likely foraging for more food."

Godzilla slammed the MUTO down once more. He planted his foot on top of her to keep the beast from getting up. The MUTO shrieked and growled, which only inclined Godzilla to stomped his foot harder.

"He's got her down!" Spike exclaimed.

Just when they thought Godzilla was going to finish her off, the male MUTO came shrieking in, grasping the kaiju in it's spike legs and dragging him off his mate.

"Oh, no!" Fluttershy said in horror.

They could only watch as the male MUTO clawed Godzilla's armor hide. Godzilla tried to retaliate, but he had no way of attacking from behind his head. The female MUTO swiftly got up and charged at the pair. She rammed into Godzilla, knocking him into a line of buildings.

"No!" Fluttershy yelled.

When the dust cleared, Godzilla stood back up. He glared at the female monster and let out a furious roar. He wasn't paying attention to the male MUTO, which swooped down and plunged it's spike legs into the kaiju skin. Godzilla let out a pained shriek and turned to the male MUTO. This gave the female MUTO the opening. She delivered a leg strike to Godzilla's shoulder, causing the massive beast to cry out and fall onto his palms.

"We have to do something," Spike declare. "He can't handle both MUTOs."

"But, there's nothing we can do," Fluttershy said. "They're much too big for us the handle."

"But, Godzilla can't handle them either. Isn't there anything we can do to distract one or the other, or something?"

"We need to find that nest. It's our best hope of saving this world at the moment."

"But, where are we going to find it?

Fluttershy looked through the ruined remains of the city known as San Francisco. Amongst the destroyed buildings and skyscrapers, she spotted a massive crater lying not far from them. That was likely where the MUTO's had begun digging.

"Let's start there," she pointed at the crater. "I'm guessing that's where the nest most likely is."

"Hurry!" Spike exclaimed.

Fluttershy flew as fast as she could toward the crater. Spike held on to her mane tightly as the wind blew in their faces. Meanwhile, the bomb retrieval team had gotten the warhead off the spire. Twilight and Rarity held the missile in their magic while the Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, and the soldiers kept close hands and hooves to it, just in case the warhead became too much to hold.

"How ya holdin'?" Applejack asked.

"Sweet gems, this thing is heavy," Rarity grunted, sweating pouring down her body.

"Almost got it," Twilight said, breathing heavily.

"Careful! Careful!" the sergeant warned. "And down in three... two... one."

The soldiers and ponies carefully lowered the warhead down on the ground. Once safely on the ground, Twilight and Rarity ceased their magical grasp, both utterly worn out.

"Whew," they both said.

"Good work you two," the sergeant said.

"Now let's get this sucker open," Rainbow rubbed her front hooves together.

"Okay, lieutenant, you're up."

Ford kneeled beside the warhead and took off his helmet, preparing to deactivate the timer. Unfortunately, there came a problem. The other soldiers and ponies gripped the slime-coated cover and pulled with all their might to get it open, but it wouldn't budge.

"Horseapples, this thing's stubborn," Applejack grunted.

"Come on," Rainbow planted her back hooves against the warhead and yanked as hard as she could.

The cover would not move.

"We're running out of time here," Rarity fearfully eyed the timer counting down.

"It's not budging. It's sealed shut," one of the soldiers said. "We need time to open it."

"We don't have time!" another exclaimed scornfully. Let's haul it out of here. We got to get it on a boat."

"Hey, once we get this cover off, Ford will get this thing turned off in no time," Rainbow argued.

"We have less than 25 minutes left on the timer. It's better we float it away than waste precious seconds pulling the seal off."

"He's right," the sergeant said. "Everybody grab the warhead! Let's move! Go!"

"That's our best option now. Altogether now!" Twilight said.

Despite exhausting their strength, Twilight and Rarity took the heavy weapon in their magic once again. The other soldiers and ponies helped heaving the warhead up and carrying out of the nest. Several other soldiers, including Ford and Rainbow Dash cleared away a path from the team. They lifted a piece of building out of the way.

"Move it out, guys!" Ford shouted.

"Make us proud, ponies!" Rainbow heaved, beating her wings hard as she held the wooden overhang.

"We not sacrificing ourselves."

"I know, but, I always wanted to say that."

As the warhead was being hauled out Ford and Rainbow looked back to the upside-down spiral of eggs hanging from above. All the baby MUTOs inside, waiting to hatch. In his head, the young lieutenant thought of the implications of what the future would look like when the eggs eventually hatched. The world had fallen into chaos with just two MUTO's, what chance could it stand if there were hundreds. Even if Godzilla was able to take down the first two, there would be no way he would be able to take down hundreds.

"I know. Gnarly sight," Rainbow said queasily.

"What if those things hatch," Ford said.

"Huh?"

"Think about it. All those eggs will, one day, hatch and out will come more of those MUTOs. This world will be overrun by them. All the EMPs they'll give, all the death and destruction they'll cause."

Rainbow looked back to the nest, now more alarmed than ever. "Oh... that's a problem. A real big problem."

"Lieutenant, let's go!" the sergeant called out.

Shaken out of the earth-shattering stupor, Ford and Rainbow let go of the wooden architecture and chased after the rest of the group. Ford stopped just beyond the door frame and turned back toward the nest again. Those thoughts lingered and they more he kept thinking of the ramifications, the more he felt something had to be done. Rainbow was just about to leave when she turned back to Ford.

"What's the hold up, dude?" the cyan pegasus asked impudently.

Ford stayed silent for a second, his attention fulling on the eggs. "We have to destroy them."

"W-What!?"

"We can't let these things remain alive. If we don't do something now, we may never get the chance again. And when these eggs hatch, that spells end of life on this planet. Those MUTO will overrun this world until there's nothing left but them. Something needs to be done about this nest... for the safety of everyone."

"This is too crazy for me," Rainbow flew up eye-to-eye with the bomb specialist. "Have you taken a look around? This place is huge! How do you plan on destroying each and every egg in this nest?"

"Rainbow!"

A familiar, female voice caught the pegasus's attention. She froze, wide-eyed. Rainbow wasn't sure if from all the chaos and smoke, her mind were playing tricks on her or if she was really hearing what she had heard.

"It can't be,"

Rainbow peered over Ford's head. Ford completely turned around. He, too, had heard someone calling Rainbow's name. The two saw Fluttershy come in for a landing with Spike on her back.

"Fluttershy!? Spike!? Wha- eh... What are you doing here!?"

"When we realized that the MUTOs were likely making a nest and laying eggs, we realized that this world would not be safe even with the two first MUTOs gone," Fluttershy explained. "So, Spike and I venture here to search for it."

"Then we found the crater and concluded that the nest was here," Spike added. "We saw Twilight and others carted the warhead away, but we also spotted you and Ford at the opening. We figured something had happened."

Rainbow and Ford exchanged looks of shock and surprise.

"And you came here to do what exactly?" Ford asked.

"We need to destroy the nest and the eggs," Fluttershy answered as sharply as she could.

"We were thinking the same thing," Ford said.

"But, we told you two stay at the headquarters!" Rainbow exclaimed angrily.

"We know, but we felt that we needed to take action when we connected the pieces."

"That doesn't..."

Rainbow felt a deluge of emotions clash in her head: Anger, fear, worry, consternation, frustration. The last thing she wanted was her best friend in danger again, yet here she was with Spike alongside. She knew Twilight wouldn't be happy about that.

"I didn't want you in anymore danger, Fluttershy."

"But, I don't want to sit idly and watched this all unfold," Fluttershy retorted.

"Why are you being like this all of a sudden? You have one time being in the spotlight and lifting our spirits and suddenly you feel invincible?"

"I am not invincible."

"Why couldn't you have just gone back to being scared to death and cowering in a corner? Why can't you just stay out of danger?"

Fluttershy gasped, feeling a little hurt by Rainbow's words.

Okay, let's calm down a bit," Spike tried to ease the tension.

"Dash..." Fluttershy whimpered.

"WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE HERE!?"

There was a stunned silence. Nobody said a word. Then, there came crying, but not from Fluttershy. Tears began streaming down Rainbow's face as she began to sob.

"I care about you, Fluttershy. I never want you to be in any kind of danger situation that's completely out of my control. We tried saving those people on the bridge, and you ended up getting shot. At that moment, all these thoughts of you getting killed raced around in my head and I... I couldn't bare that. Everything that's happened in this mission, it's just felt like a big downward slope with losing people and getting hurt and putting ourselves in even greater danger. And you, Fluttershy, you mean so much to me. I could never forgive myself if something bad ever happened to you. I can't forgive myself when you got shot. I can't bare losing you!

The weeping pegasus fell to her eyes as she continued to cry. "And I'm sorry for yelling at you, but I'm just so scared, okay. I'm scared of losing you and everypony else."

Fluttershy stood still, mouth slightly agape. She hadn't expected Rainbow to just open up like that and pour her heart out. Spike and Ford wisely stayed silent. Despite the severe danger they were in, a moment like this require respect and silence. Fluttershy soon treaded up to Rainbow. The teary-eyed pegasus gazed up her, tears and snot trailed down her face. Fluttershy pulled her into a soft embrace.

"It's okay, Rainbow. I knew full well that you anger come from your protectiveness of me and, believe me, it warms my heart knowing that. But, there's something you must know. Right now, I'm not fearless. I'm more terrified than I've ever been in my life. But, I also realize that cowering and hiding won't solve anything. Not when this is all going on."

She gestured to the rows of eggs spiraling around the walls and ceiling.

"I'm not just doing this to show I'm brave. I'm doing this to protect you, and Spike, and Applejack, and Ford, and everycreature else on this world."

"It's everybody," Ford corrected.

"Shush!" Spike hissed sharply.

"The first time you and I tried to brave the dangers and save some people, yes, it didn't go well. But, I'm not going to let one failed attempt discourage me from doing the right thing. These eggs hold a devastating future for this world and if something is done now, we may never see Ford again, or Elle and Sam. Maybe I'll always been the shy, timid, and easily-frightened pegasus, but that doesn't mean I'm going to walk away from this and expect others to handle it. I'm putting a stop to this on my own, no matter how loud my body is screaming at me to run away and hide, or no matter how much you and the others think otherwise. Even if I end up getting hurt again or worse, at least I'll know I did something that saved many lives.

By now, Rainbow had wiped away the tears in her eyes as she listened to Fluttershy's speech. She felt a sense of calm wash over her, seeing Fluttershy be so calm, yet poised. The thoughts in the back of her head still lingered and the rainbow-maned pegasus's expression darkened worriedly.

"I just don't want you getting hurt again like last time."

"We all get hurt, Rainbow. It's a matter of if we let that get to us or not for the greater good. I maybe be wounded, but I won't let that stop me."

Rainbow sniffled a bit and wiped more of her snot of her muzzle. She wrapped her hooves around her friends, reciprocating the embrace.

"Again, I'm sorry for yelling at you and say those things."

"I forgive you, Rainbow. I know you’re only looking at for me."

The two break the hug and looked into each others' eyes. Neither acknowledged it, but both pegasi had blushes slowly forming on their cheeks.

"Hey, ladies, I hate to ruin the moment, but we seriously need to do something about this," Ford pointed to the nest.

Spike let out a sigh, disappointed that the moment had been ruined. "Okay, action time, ponies."

Fluttershy and Rainbow shook themselves out of their gazes and turned to the baby dragon and lieutentant.

"Right, the eggs," Rainbow said. "How are we going to get rid of them."

"There's to many to destroy by hand," Ford scanned the area, hoping for anything that could help.

It didn't take long for him to spot a tanker truck lying on it's side amongst the sea of debris.

"I have a plan. Follow me."

He quickly headed toward the topple tanker. Rainbow, Fluttershy, Spike looked at each other, wondering what Ford's plan was. Even still, the listened to him and went after him.

Things were not looking too good for Godzilla. Both MUTOs were easily overwhelming him, with the the male on his back slashing and tearing at his armor-plated skin and the female coming with forceful rams or ferocious bites. The powerful kaiju just wasn't capable of taking on two monsters at the same time. One, final power charge from the female MUTO sent the monstrous equalizer off his feet. The snipers on nearby buildings could only watch as the kaiju roared defiantly as he was being forced to the ground. buildings caught in the battle's wake crumbled as the two MUTOs began beating Godzilla to his death. The male MUTO even leapt high into the air and slammed down on top of Godzilla.

The bomb retrieval team scrambled out of the crater, none of them realizing Fluttershy and Spike arriving at the mouth of the nest as they were too focus on the bomb or watching Godzilla's beatdown unfold. The Mane 5 were in the latter half. They watched in horror as the kaiju was being pummeled into the earth.

"Oh, no, no, no, no! That is not good," Twilight exclaimed.

"You can take 'em, Godzilla!" Applejack encouraged. "Come on, git up!"

"No, the poor thing," Rarity said. "Oh, how could this have end up into such a hopeless state? He was the balancer."

"I don't think Godzilla has ever had to take down two monsters simultaneously," Twilight said solemnly. "If what we've learned is true, Godzilla hasn't had much of a exigency in a long time, and probably not in these kind of extreme circumstances."

"We still have the bomb though," Pinkie said.

The other ponies turned to her. It had already been universally agreed between them all that the bomb wasn't the right course of action. So, to her Pinkie Pie of all ponies bring up to entailment of using it, was one heck of an unwelcomed curveball.

"Whaduya mean by that, Pinkie?" Applejack asked, not taking a liking to the pink mare's implication. "Ah thought we agreed that the bomb was a bad idea."

"Well, yeah, and I still stand by that. I mean we have this mission almost completed."

"Oh, ah thought..."

"I know. But, if I'm being entirely honest, the bomb might end up attracting the monsters anyways."

Applejack and Rarity turned to each other in confusion.

"What?"

"Of course! Pinkie's right!" Twilight exclaimed, coming to the realization that Pinkie had also come to. "Dr. Serizawa said the MUTOs were attracted the radiation and that's exactly what the bomb has, at least that's what we've been told."

"Which is why we need it as far away from the city as possible," the head sergeant said. "Keep going!"

"Right on, captain!" Pinkie saluted.

"I'm a sergeant."

The soldiers and ponies hastily carried the warhead out of the crater. One of the soldiers stayed back just for a moment upon realizing to of their members were suddenly gone.

"Lieutenant? Rainbow?" he called out to them, but he could neither see or hear them.

He looked back to the convoy then back into the crater. Despite wanting to find them to make sure Ford and Rainbow were safe, he had a mission to do. He raced back on over to the convoy to relay the news.

"Two of our members are unaccounted for."

"Which ones?" the sergeant asked.

"Lieutenant Ford and one of the ponies. Rainbow, I think her name was."

Hearing that made the other ponies gasp in shock.

"Rainbow?" Twilight looked around. "Were did she go?"

"How did we not notice them gone until now?" Rarity also looked around.

"Somethin' must've happened to 'em," Applejack said, sounding a little panicky. "We have to go back!"

"We don't have time to go back for them," one of the soldiers yelled. "This warhead is sent to go off soon."

"We can't just leave two of our friends behind!" Twilight shouted defensively.

"We can't jeopardize the mission!" the leading sergeant snapped back. "If we lose men along the way, we continue on."

"So, what?!" Rarity questioned angrily. "We just abandon our friends and comrades because their lives are just expendable to you guys?"

"Orders are orders!"

The further the convoy went on, the more the arguing continued. However, there was one individual that had others idea instead of fighting with words.

"Dashie!"

Pinkie immediately abandoned the hauling team and galloped off toward the crater.

"Hey, get back here!" one of the soldiers ordered.

The mare on a mission did not listen. Encouraged by their friends loyalty, the rest of the Mane 5 quickly followed after.

"Wait up, Pinkie!" Rarity shouted after her.

"We're coming', Dash. Hold on, Ford!" Applejack exclaimed.

Twilight shot a quick glare at the sergeant. "A true team makes sure all of it's members our safe."

She too rushed away.

"Forget them, we have a bomb to deal with," one of other soldiers said.

With that, the rest of the team continued with carry the warhead to the waterfront. While Twilight and the others were racing back to the crater to find their missing friends, Ford, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Spike were setting their plan into motion. Rainbow and Fluttershy had stack a couple of wooden items in a small indent in the ground, while Ford stood on the tanker, standing watch.

"Well this be enough?" Fluttershy dropped the remains of a wooden board into the indent.

"All right, Spike, you know what to do," he said.

Spike nodded with a confident smile on his face. The little inhaled then breathed out a stream of fire, igniting the wooden stack. The emerald green flames changed into a bright orange upon contact with the flammable material.

"Now what?" Rainbow asked, eyeing the fire. "If this is your plan, it's a pretty weak one. I doubt a tiny fire can burn down this whole nest."

"Thankfully, that's only half of it," Ford said smartly.

Taking a metal pipe, the lieutenant struck a red level just underneath the tanker's chassis. He followed up with strucking a chained capsule around a pipe that stuck out from a control module. The cap popped free, causing gasoline to gush from the pump. Ford did this a second time to a second pump. Two gushing streams of gas spilled onto the ground, streaming toward the indent and the fire. The acrid smell permeated and assaulted the three other-worldly heroes, noses, having not been familiarized with such a volatile fluid.

"Woah!" Rainbow and Spike both said.

"Go, go! We need to leave now!" Ford shouted.

He bolted out of the nest as fast as his legs could carry him. Rainbow quickly grabbed Spike and flew out the nest with Fluttershy following close behind. The gasoline flowed down into the indent, quickly filling it up. With the new ticking time bomb behind them, Ford, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Spike made a mad dash out of the crater. As they clambered up the side, Fluttershy noticed Godzilla getting thrashed by the two MUTOs.

"No! Godzilla!"

"What the?" Rainbow turned to see the monstrous beatdown. "He's being beaten to a pulp!"

"Oh, this just keeps getting worse," Spike slid off Rainbow's back.

"Forget about that! We need to get as far away as possible before the gas ignites," Ford warned as he reached the top.

"You sound awfully distressed about this," Spike commented, in-turn feeling a little wary herself.

"That explosion is going to be big. We need to get well away from this crater."

"Well, how far?" Rainbow asked. "Just how serious of a demolition plan did we..."

"DASHIE!"

Rainbow was suddenly tackled in a pink blur. She tumbled to the ground, feeling the weigh of a pony on top of her.

"Dashie, you're okay," Pinkie pulled the dazed mare in a bone-crushing hug.

Dash could barely get a word through her squished throat. "Pinkie? What are you doing here?"

"Rainbow! Ford!" came Twilight's voice.

She along with Rarity and Applejack hurriedly cantered over to them.

"You weren't with us back with the rest of the convoy, so we thought..." Twilight's eyes fell upon the two outliers in the group.

Spike smiled sheepishly, holding his hands behind his back innocently. Fluttershy was, too, a little abashed having been caught, but she knew this was likely the best outcome.

"Hello, girls," she said happily.

"Wha... Wh... How?" the young princess couldn't believe her eyes. "Fluttershy?! Spike?!"

"What'n tha hay are ya two doing here!?" Applejack asked in shock.

"We don't have time for this!" Ford shouted, sounding more distressed. "We need to get away from this crater."

"What are you talking about?" Rarity asked frantically. "We already have the bomb removed."

"There's going to be another explosion!" Spike exclaimed. "We have to get out of here."

The other ponies were at a loss for words at what was being said. Twilight sputtered in disbelief.

"Wha... What? Spike, what in Equestria are you..."

KABOOM

In the blink of an eye, ponies, dragon, and lieutenant were blinded by a white light followed by a gigantic blast that shot from the crater. Ford and the Mane 7 were sent flying as a giant ball of fire and smoke mushroomed out from the crater. The blast rocked the entirety of San Francisco and caught the female MUTO's attention. She looked back and saw the rising mushroom cloud rising above her egg crater. With a shriek of horror and worry she abandoned the brawl and ran toward the crater.

She mowed down several buildings, heeding no notice to the soldiers vigilantly making their way down the street with the warhead in-hand. Meanwhile, the male MUTO noticed his mate heading toward the crater. Believing something to be wrong, he left Godzilla and took off after her. Once the female MUTO made it to the nesting crater, she dipped her head in. She found her nest completely incinerated and her eggs destroyed. The female MUTO began howling and shrieking in despair at the loss of her children.

Not even a couple dozen feet away, Ford, the Mane 6, and Spike all lied on the ground. army coats torn, helmets dented, and bleeding all around, varying from cuts to broken noses.

"What.. was... that," Twilight groaned in pain.

"It was our way of destroying the nest," Fluttershy explain weakly.

"Ohhhh. How did you do it?" Pinkie asked, tilted her heads back to glance at the mare.

"Nnrgh. Something about an explosive liquid," Rainbow rubbed her aching head. “It smelled weirdly metallic and acidic… kinda.”

"Well, then mission accomplished," Rarity groaned. "Too accomplished."

"Quiet," Ford crawled backward. "If she hears us, we're all dead."

Now knowing that the MUTOs had really good hearing, thanks to the ambush at the bridge, the group wisely kept silent. But, Twilight still had one more thing to say. She took Spike's tail in her magic and brought him up to where their eyes met. The alicorn mare stared at him with a mighty glare.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Mister."

Spike gulped.

"Twilight, before you jump to any conclusions, it was my idea to come here in the first place," Fluttershy said quietly.

"And why would you think bringing Spike here was a good idea. It's bad enough you came here with all this going on, but you brought him, too. And did that."

Twilight pointed to the smoking crater.

"What were you thinking?"

"Ssh!" Ford shushed.

The group carefully and quietly crawled away from the crater, making sure to not draw attention from the weeping MUTO. They came upon a concrete paifang post. Ford gestured the others to huddle closer to it, but, as he turned into his back, his vest pack struck the concrete post a little too hard. pieces of concrete and glass showered from above created a good amount of noise. That got the female MUTOs attention. She looked up, her eyes harrowing in on the group.

"Oh, please, no," Rarity covered her face in fear.

The MUTO leaned closer toward them. While she could not express any kind of emotion on her face, the Mane 6, Spike, and Ford could almost feel the rage radiating from her. They figured that she thought their were responsible from her nest's destruction, which to a degree, was true. She growled at the puny beings, sitting pathetically on the ground.

"We're doomed," Applejack said sorrowfully.

Twilight felt Spike cling to her tightly. She could visibly see the fear as his little body shook. Despite being upset with him disobeying her orders, Twilight figured that it wasn't the best thing to be mad at Spike if this was there final moments. As, the MUTO opened her mouth wider, baring her razor-sharp teeth, the ponies, dragon, and human could only brace for the inevitable.

"No, you don't," a voice rang out defiantly.

Fluttershy stood up and limp closer to the MUTO. "I'm not going to let you hurt my friends!"

"Fluttershy, what are you doing?" Rainbow cried out.

The vigilant gave no answer, her attention solely on the MUTO.

"You are beyond shameful for terrorizing everycreature on this world. Who do you think you are laying waste to this city and making it into your personal home when you had no right in the first place!"

The others watched in shock and amazement. That's when Fluttershy summoned all her concentration and gave the MUTO the most powerful Stare she could muster.

"It's really no wonder why Godzilla wants you irradicated because you are nothing but a great, big bully! Now you are going to stand back and leave my friends alone!"

Over the past missions they had been out, Fluttershy's Stare had not worked on both occasion she tried. Her friends, fearing the worst, cowered as they expected the MUTO to ignore her threatening glare and eat them alive. Instead, the beast seemed to hesitate. The MUTO stepped back just little bit. The Mane 7 and Ford's eyes widened. Was the MUTO actually scared.

"Holy gemstones, Fluttershy actually doing it," Spike whispered.

The protective pegasus kept up her disciplinary glare, locking eyes with the female MUTO. The monster growled at her, but then something else happened. The street was alit with a pale, blue glow emanating from behind the MUTO.

"What's going on now?" Rarity asked fearfully.

Ford, Spike, the Mane 6, and even the MUTO turned to see what was the cause for the sudden flare.

"Look at that!" Pinkie pointed at Godzilla's tail rising above the cloud of dust and smoke.

The kaiju's tail was glowing with a bright, blue light. The light trailed up his tail and his back before reaching the back of his head. Godzilla faced the female MUTO, who was preparing for another attack. Godzilla let in a long inhale, then unleashed a powerful beam of blue, flame-like energy from his mouth. His atomic breath beat against the MUTO, pushing it back against a building.

"Woah," Applejack gaped.

"Since when could he do that?" Rainbow asked in surprise.

"It's almost... mesmerizing," Rarity said with twinkling eyes.

"He can breath fire, too? Awesome!" Spike said.

"Perhaps he can do that thanks to the radiation he's absorbed," Twilight pondered aloud.

"Well, it just saved our asses," Ford said.

"Hey, Fluttershy Stare was our savior here," Rainbow snapped.

"Oh, um, I suppose it was," Fluttershy smiled, a blush forming on her face.

She was suddenly picked up by Pinkie, who began spinning around. "That was amazing! You just stood there and stared at that MUTO and it actually was intimidated!"

"Yeah, ya saved us, Fluttershy," Applejack readjusted her hat.

"Stared down a creature of that size and it was the one that stood down," Ford chuckled. "Now that is bravery."

"He-he, thanks, everypony," the shy mare smiled warmly.

"Hooray for Fluttershy!" Spike cheered.

The others began joining in on the cheering.

"That was incredible, Fluttershy," Rainbow said. "That's probably the most fearless I've seen you since the time you stared down that dragon..."

Rainbow suddenly stopped when she felt something wet on her hooves. She lifted it off the ground and shook it off to dry it.

"Why is it wet here all of a sudden?"

Fluttershy's soft, pink blush flashed to red. It soon painted her entire face, making her as red as a cherry.

"Well... U-Uhm. Let's just say I was brave, but not fearless," she chuckled in embarrassment.

Rainbow looked at her confusion. "What? Isn't that the same thing?"

The others looked at her with cringed expression. They had already pieced together what Fluttershy was getting at.

"What?"

"You know what don't worry about it," Twilight said.

Whilst the mini celebration was going on, the snipers on the building continued to watch Godzilla unleashed his atomic breath full blast at the MUTO. The soldiers were still on their mission on reaching the waterfront when they too noticed the blue glow from behind them.

"What the hell was that?" the head sergeant turned.

The soldiers got a full view Godzilla's atomic assult.

"Holy shit! Did you see that?" one of the soldiers asked.

Godzilla soon ran out of breath and was forced to stop. The female MUTO was about to charge him, but the kaiju was quick to release another bout of energy, slamming the MUTO back against the building. With the female MUTO down for the time being, it granted the Mane 6, Spike, and Ford the opening they need.

"Let's go while they're still distracted," Twilight said.

Nothing else was needed to be said. The group quickly got to their feet-slash-hooves and made a limped escape down the street. Getting as far away was their first priority, but the second was to catch up to the rest of the soldiers before they made it to the waterfront.

Godzilla soon brought the female MUTO into submission. His temporary victory was short-lived, though, when the male MUTO swooped in from behind and smashed into Godzilla. Not to be beaten, Godzilla reared back his head and roared angrily. The MUTO flapped away and landed on the top of lower building. Godzilla swiped at the beast, but the MUTO took off in time and grasped onto the kaiju. The two monsters fell into a violent tussle, crashing into buildings, while trying to tear each other apart.

Several blocks away, the remaining soldiers had finally neared the waterfront. With the two monsters fighting like mad, destroying everything in their path, they feared they could potentially be in the beasts' line of violent fire.

"This way," one of the soldiers beckoned.

They reached a large boat dock with a massive boardwalk stretching perpendicular to it. The soldiers raced down the mane gangway. The heavy warhead proved to be a serious constraint on their efficiency on transporting it.

"Faster, faster,"

Limited as they were, the team reached the end of the dock where a large boat was parked. The boat in particular was designated for whale watcher and, because of it's size, offered them the perfect means to cast the bomb as far away from the populace as possible.

"Let's get this thing started." two soldiers clambered on board and quickly headed to the cockpit.

The first one pulled open the control panels, exposing the wires and circuits of the machine.

"Find the ignition, sir," the second solider zipped in.

"Give me that pack."

The second soldier handed his comrade the tool pack. The first soldier rummaged through it before pulling out a small set of jumper cables. Even while they as far away as they could, the soldiers could hear the roaring and the crashing of the MUTO and Godzilla clashing with each other. The second soldier could see the whole battle through the boat's window.

"Come on, come on. Hurry."

The first soldier struck the jumper cables against the electrical terminals. The cables sparked and crackled until they finally jumpstarted the boat. The lights went on and the engine roared to life. The two soldiers looked at each other, silently satisfied with their success. However, the boats alarm went off, sending out a beeping noise that pierced through the smokey, night air.

The female MUTO, while still injured and grieving, heard the noise and with that, sensed the radiation-filled weapon they carried. She stood back up and let out a wailing shriek and started stomping her way to the dock. If she could get the warhead back, then she and her mate could try again with creating another brood. The remaining soldiers carrying the warhead, quicken their pace when they heard the alien-like creature shrieking and roaring abhorrently. The two soldiers on the boat raced back outside. They could clearly see the female MUTO was solely focused on them and that meant that time to get the bomb out of here was running out.

"Hurry it up. Let's go, let's go!" one of them shouted.

The retrieval team hurried as much as they could with a heavy piece or artillery weighing them down. One of the soldiers trailed back a bit to see the MUTO rapidly gaining on them.

"She's coming for the bomb!" he exclaimed, while catching up to the others.

With the female MUTO effortlessly tearing through the city blocks and approaching the docks, the soldiers fell into a desperate inclination. Most of them helped in getting the warhead loaded onto the boat, another frantically untied the ropes securing the boat to the dock.

"Let's get this weapon secured," the head sergeant said.

But as the team was getting situated on the boat, it became horrifically apparent that there was no time. The female MUTO was practically already at the edge of the waterfront and glaring down on them. The time for retreating was over. Now, the soldiers were forced to create more time by withholding the ruthless monster from progressing further towards them. That meant unloading every piece of firepower they had, no matter how ineffective it would be.

While the female MUTO was dead set on getting the warhead back, the male MUTO continued his viscous attack on Godzilla. He griped tight to the kaiju and bit down hard on his neck. However, Godzilla's armored skin proved to be a not-so-easy defense to cut. With the equalizer beast roaring in defiance, Godzilla clamped his jaws down on the MUTO's left wing and yanked him off. He wildly swung the heretical beast against several buildings. Godzila followed up by tossing male MUTO away, sending it careening through the air. However, the male was the one with wings, which allow him to steady himself in the air. The monstrous MUTO glided away for some distance and circled back around toward the kaiju. Godzilla stared down the MUTO. He knew what it was going to do; try to grasp onto him where he couldn't retaliate. Godzilla was smart though. As the male MUTO flew closer still, the kaiju king turned where his back was facing him. Just as the MUTO was about to charge into him, Godzilla swung his powerful tail into him, slamming the beast right into a skyscraper.

The blow was devastating. Godzilla removed his tail, the male MUTO dangled lifelessly against the twisted wreck of the building. Giant, jagged pieces of steel impaled through the MUTO's head and chest, essentially trapping it. It's eyes, once glowing a dark, demented orange, now went completely black, it's head sagging down with the shower of shattered glass and concrete. That was it, the male MUTO was dead. Godzilla turned away from his fallen adversary, injured and exhausted, but his resting period was interrupted from the sound of crumbling. The kaiju turned back to find the skyscraper was beginning to collapse. Godzilla made an effort to escape, but he wasn't fast enough. The entire weight of the skyscraper fell on top of him. He let out a pained roared as he careened down to the earth. People trapped inside the exposed subway stations fell into a panic once again as the place was engulfed in dust and smoke from the falling building. Elle, who was one of many inside, clutched her head, whimpering and screaming as she found herself blinded with thick dust.

Elle was not the only one in dire straits, however. Ford, the Mane 6, and Spike were sprinting down the wrecked San Francisco streets as fast as they could, hobbling and through wreckage and past raging fires.

"If the rest of the guys haven't left the waterfront yet, we might be able to help them and get away from this place," Ford huffed exhaustively.

"Ah don't think they'll be very happy with us," Applejack limped. "We did kinda just 'bandoned them when we went lookin' for ya'll."

Rainbow was helping her apple-farmer friend. She'd slung Applejack's left front hoof over her neck, keeping the country mare steady.

"Speaking of not happy, Fluttershy, does this bring you any kind of déjà vu. You know, with the nightmare and all."

Fluttershy did a quick look around her surroundings.

"Fires everywhere, the streets littered in debris," - she eyed the crushed cars sprinkled around the road - "whatever those things are. Yeah, certainly reminds me of the nightmare I had."

"Wait, you guys came here because she had a nightmare?" Ford asked.

"We... didn't tell you?" Twilight asked sheepishly.

The lieutenant shook his head. Twilight out a self-reprimanded sigh.

"I cannot believe we never explained it to you. Okay, the gist of it is that Fluttershy had this nightmare of Godzilla fighting the MUTOs in a burning city. Of course, she didn't know the monsters at the time. One of our rulers, Princess Luna, sensed the nightmare she had and deduced that it was some kind of sign that we were needed here."

"I wanted to chalk it up to just having a scary dream that meant nothing, but something about just... alluded me," Fluttershy added. "I've had many nightmares in my life, but I never had one that was so extreme and surreal. It the setting felt so off and the monsters were unlike anything I'd ever seen before. I didn't think they were even native to Equestria, that's so out-of-place they seemed."

"Yeah. With how she described it the first time, it honestly made me scared," Spike said.

"That all sounds weirdly biblical," Ford commented.

"Biblical?" Twilight said curiously.

"Like it's part of a religion."

"Oh. What kind of religion?"

"Stick to the main topic for now, Egghead," Rainbow said.

"I have to agree with Rainbow Dash, here," Rarity concurred. "We have more important things to worry about."

"Right, right. Sorry," Twilight blushed. "What we really don't understand is how Fluttershy got that dream and why it happened."

"Didn't you just say you reckoned it was telling you to come to this world?" Ford asked.

"Oh, yeah, that seems pretty obvious in retrospect," Pinkie chimed in. "But, we don't go on missions because of bad dreams... most of the time. See, what happens is that our cutie marks..."

"Urgh, hold that thought," Rainbow came to a stop. "I don't think I ever been this exhausted in my life. And my head is killing me."

"Perhaps it's best if we rest fer a few," Applejack suggested. "We've taken a bit of a beatin'."

"We can't stop now. We're losing time..." Ford stumbled onto his knees, grunting and breathing heavily.

"Ford!" Twilight and Fluttershy were right at his side.

"That explosion sure did a number on us," Rainbow said.

"Oh, my hooves are killing me," Rarity whined. "And all this dust and bleeding will undoubtedly stained my pristine, white coat. Ohhhh."

"If it makes you feel any better, Rarity, you still look as beautiful as over," Spike rubbed his darkened, swollen right eye.

"Thank you, Spikey-Wikey," the fashionista's heart dropped when saw noticed Spike's black eye. "Oh, my goodness, Spike, you're eye."

"I-It's okay. I'll live."

"You're going to get that checked out," Twilight came up to the baby dragon.

She held his head and studied the swollen eye.

"Relax, Twilight, it's just a black eye," Spike said.

"And what about all the cuts and gashes? What about the fact that you're limping, Spike?"

Twilight's tone rose, while Spike slowly shrunk down. The others were taken aback from the sudden outburst. Pinkie, usual being the one to bring down sour moods came right up to the up agitated alicorn.

"What's wrong, Twilight?"

Twilight glimpsed up at Pinkie with a hard glare "What's wrong?"

She then turned back to Spike.

What's wrong is that I specifically told you and Fluttershy to stay at that military vicinity. And yet, here you two are with us, hurt. Not only that you were helping Ford and Rainbow in destroying that nest, which, may I remind you all, created a giant explosion! I told you to stay back with Fluttershy and let the rest of us do the mission, but you came all this way here anyways."

Tears began forming in Twilight's eyes. She began to sob loudly.

"Why... Why did you disobey me?"

Fluttershy felt another sense of déjà vu. That moment reminded her of Rainbow's emotional outburst at her a little while back. Because of that, Fluttershy understood why Twilight was so upset.

"Twilight?" she carefully walked up to the pair. "It was my idea to find the nest and destroy it. None of that was Spike's doing."

"I know. You already told me that, Fluttershy," Twilight wiped away some of the tears. "But, you, Spike, you still chose to go with her. That was your decision. So, again I ask, why did you disobey me?"

Spike was silent for a few seconds. He, too, had tears trailing down his face. Tears of shame, tears of embarrassment, but also tears of frustration.

"Because it likely would've saved this world in the long-term."

Twilight was a little surprised. Out of all the answers she expected her son to say, this was not even in the vicinity of what she had in mind.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Twilight, were you and others planning on destroying the nest at any given point?"

"Wha-"

"Were you?"

"I-It was kind of on my mind. But, we were mostly focusing on the bomb. What does that have to do with anything?"

"If you had left that nest intact, those eggs would all eventually hatch and more MUTOs would sprout from them and then this world would be even more doomed."

"Well, me and Ford stayed back to destroy it," Rainbow spoke up.

"It was more of a last minute thing," Ford muttered.

"Well, we didn't know that," Spike said. "Sure, doing that doesn't justify disobeying you, Twilight, but I wasn't okay with being sidelined on this mission when so much is at stake. Fluttershy mostly felt the same way. It made me feel like you thought I wasn't capable of helping out."

"No, Spike, the only reason I wanted to stay behind was because I was trying to protect you," Twilight argued. “For crying out loud, Fluttershy hit in the leg!”

"I know that, but I still felt that way.”

“I admit it, girls. It wasn’t the best decision to dive into this disaster with my leg,” Fluttershy said. “But, despite that, I knew we couldn’t standby and just hope for the best. It didn’t feel right, no matter how scared or injured I was.”

“But, what if something worse happened to you?” Pinkie asked, very much worried for her friend. “I couldn’t even begin to describe how horrible I would feel if you got even more hurt, or even worse…”

“Pinkie’s right,” Applejack said. “As much as we’re happy ya see ya two ‘gain, we only wanted to keep ye and Spike safe.”

“We know. Trust me, we know,” Fluttershy said softly yet firmly. “But this mission is important to all of us no matter how dangerous it is. It didn’t matter if it was me, Spike, Rarity, Pinkie, or anypony else.

“She’s right,” Spike kept his eyes on Twilight. “Look, I'm not saying what you did was wrong, it just that..."

Spike sniffled as fresh, hot tears streamed down his cheeks. "We're both still new to this changed dynamic between you and me. I see you as my mother, Twilight, you were always there for me since the day you hatched me. We've had this talk before. But, this isn't about just you and me, it's about all of us. We are a team, Twilight, and together we work as a unit. We do these missions together, we figure out problems together, we battle bad guys together. And I know I may not be an Element of Harmony like you or Rainbow, or Applejack, or the others, but I have proven my worth on these missions on several occasion. Yes, I've had bad things happen to me on these adventures, the scar will always be proof of that, but we've all realized that just something that happens on these missions to different worlds."

Twilight looked at her baby dragon, amazed and somewhat by his self-preservation. However, Spike wasn't quite done.

"But, you know what, Twilight, you're still probably in the right. Like you said, you were only trying to protect and lookout for me. And it warms my heart so much how much you do care about me. Even if it's for a good cause, I still disobeyed you, and I'm so, so sorry I did that. It's just that..."

The onslaught of tears continued, but these tears came from a place of sorrow and needing and Spike's quiet sobs turned broken.

"I hate not being near you, Twilight. Without you, I feel so lonely and empty. I mean, you hatched me. I would be nothing if it wasn't for you. You've always been there for me, Twilight, since day one and I just can't imagine life without you. I guess deep down that's why I went with Fluttershy. Because I just couldn't bare the thought of ever seeing you again. The fear of something bad happening, like the bomb going off or one of the MUTO attacking you, it just..."

Spike practically jumped into Twilight's barrel. The young alicorn was taken from the forwardness. She looked down to the sobbing dragon that clutched her like a stuffed doll.

"I just want to be with."

Spike continued to cry uncontrollably. Tears bled from Twilight's eyes. Hearing her baby boy pour his heart out in such a way both warmed and broke her heart. Twilight wrapped her hooves around Spike, holding him tight and letting him cry against her chest.

"It's okay, Spike, just let it all out. That's it."

Everyone had their waterworks going. Not a single eye was dry in that moment. Even Ford couldn't keep himself from letting a few tears free.

"Had we go for running monsters to this?" Rainbow wiped here eyes.

"Don't ruin this moment, darling," Rarity sniffled.

Twilight soon pulled Spike from her barrel and looked down at him with the most caring, motherly eyes one could ever witness. "I get now how much that hurt you Spike. Words cannot describe how sorry I am for ever making you feel that way. But, know this, Spike, I will never let you go, I'll never abandon you. Even if we won't always be around each other, know that we will also be together in here."

She put a hoof to the little drake's chest, right where his heart was.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me Spike. I love you so much that I can't imagine a world without you. You have always been my son and you always will be no matter what."

"Y-You really mean that?" Spike asked.

"I've never been more serious in my life."

The two came together once again for a loving embrace. With tears in their eyes, the rest of the Mane 6 came together for one big group hug. Ford, while he didn't indulge in cartoonish snuggies, reached a hand out and set on Twilight's shoulder. He saw eye-to-eye with the alicorn when it came to parenthood. Honestly, it reminded him quite a lot of him and Sam.

"Well said, Twilight. Well said."

Unfortunately, the heart-melting moment was cut short when an animalistic rumbling reverberated across the smoldering streets.

"Look!" Fluttershy pointed to the wide open roadway they stood right next to.

A giant, clawed hand was set on the ground. To the shock and amazement of everyone, Godzilla lay just beside him, his head barely popping out from the massive wall of smoke and dust.

"Woah," Pinkie's mouth took the shape of an "O."

Godzilla tired eyes scanned the ponies, dragon, and human. Despite his fierce demeanor, the kaiju looked somewhat peaceful. It was like he knew that the creatures before him were harmless. Ford and the Mane 7 stood silent, in awe and at ease. After everything that happened, they were seeing Godzilla as a savior, not a monster.

"Godzilla," Twilight said quietly.

"Hey, you're awesome, man," Rainbow said.

Godzilla didn't make a sound. Instead, he closed his eyes as he disappeared behind a thick curtain of misty dust.

"No!" Fluttershy broke free of the hug and limped over to vanished kaiju. "Godzilla, don't die."

A somber sadness washed over the group. They had see the beatdown Godzilla had received from the MUTOs. As much as they hated to admit to themselves, it might have been too much for the big guy to handle.

"He's a fighter, girls," Rainbow tried lifting their spirits. "He'll get back up. I'm sure of it."

"I don't know about that," Ford said.

Suddenly, the group could hear gunfire and people yelling in the distance. Throughout the whole emotional ordeal they just had, they all had forgotten what they were doing in the first place.

"The other soldiers!" they all exclaimed.

Quickly getting back onto the feet and hooves, Ford, the Mane 6, and Spike all hightailed it to the boat docks. They reached their and were met with a wretched sight. The female was standing right above the soldiers' boat. The soldiers themselves were unleashing their entire weapon stockpile onto the inexorable beast. While they MUTO did protectively pull back a little against the bullets that got to her face, it was still a losing battle. Ford and the Mane 7 only had time to comprehend the situation before the MUTO slammed a foreleg against the boat, tearing down it's elevated viewing deck which most of the soldiers were positioned on.

"No!" Rainbow yelled in dismay.

"The bomb's most likely on board. That's probably why the female was attracted to come here," Twilight said. "We need to get it away from the boat!"

"Might be already a lil too late for that," Applejack stated.

The MUTO lowered closer to the boat. It's mouth wide open, preparing to take the warhead.

"We'll see about that," Rainbow zipped into the air.

She started whipping around the MUTO's face like a annoying fly.. "Come on, you overgrown bat! Just try and eat me!"

The MUTO growled and swung her head around to shoo the pestering pegasus away.

"Now let's get her to move away from the boat," Fluttershy said.

Twilight nodded. She ignited her horn and pelted the MUTO with bursts of magic, being careful as to not accidentally hit Rainbow Dash. Spike followed in the alicorn's hoof-steps. The little dragon spat out small balls of fire to emphasize the MUTO's attention onto them. A zipping pegasus around her face, and fire and magic bombarding her, the MUTO was growing more and more enraged.

Then something else hit her, but it wasn't anything from our heroes. Surprised, the Mane 6, Spike, and Ford turned to where the shot came from. A remaining team of soldiers that hadn't boarded the boat had fire a rocket launcher at the MUTO.

"Whoo! Nice shot!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"I thought they were all on the boat," Ford stated.

"The more the merrier I suppose," Rarity said.

The rogue shot, however, drove the female MUTO over the edge. She changed all focus and stomped over to the last handful of soldiers, which were standing on the boardwalk shared with Ford, the Mane 6, and Spike.

"Come on, guys, this is our chance!" Rainbow called out to them.

To reach the boat, the rest of the group would have to take the main gangway, which, as it turned out, was farther down the boardwalk. That meant having to get closer to the MUTO and the inevitable destruction it wished to subject on the low-life parasites that were putting a massive roadblocks on her biologically-compelled plans. The group watched with wide eyes as the monstrous MUTO lumbered it's way closer to the soldiers.

"Get to the bomb!" one shouted to no one in particular, but that was all the incentive the ponies, dragon, and lieutenant needed.

"Let's git goin', ya'll, we got ah bomb ta deal with," Applejack encouraged.

"Full steam ahead!" Pinkie unintentionally lead the charge and galloped ahead.

The rest of the team quickly followed after her. The female almost hovered over them. Thankfully, she kept her eyes on the soldiers still firing at her. Still, getting so close to a towering creature such as that had the others on edge.

"Merciful Celestia, please don't notice us," Rarity kept her head low.

"Incoming!" Twilight alerted.

The female MUTO, with it's mouth opened wide, dived it's head into the occupied boardwalk, taking all but a few soldiers out at once. The group winced and braced at the spectacle.

"This is the stuff of nightmares," Fluttershy closed her eyes, pain visible behind them. "All these innocent lives being taken."

"I really hate to say this, girls, but we can't dwell on that," Twilight said sorrowfully.

"They will be remembered and memorialized, like all heroic soldiers do," Ford assured.

The gang reached the gangway and raced down it like their lives depended on it... because they were. Whether it be Ford or someone else, they would look back to make sure the MUTO wasn't on to them. For the time being, she was distracted with slashing down the rest of the soldiers and the boardwalk, but that time was running thin fast. Rainbow was already on the boat, trying to get the timer seal open.

"Hurry guys! There isn't a whole lot of time on this thing left!"

She strained with all her might to open the reinforced, plastic seal. Ford, the Mane 6, and Spike hobbled their way onto the boat, practically throwing themselves aboard. Ford crawled over to the bomb. He looked at the cracked display; only thirteen minutes were left.

"Let's try to get this thing open," he grabbed the seal and pulled as hard as he could.

"Come on, stupid thing," Rainbow grunted.

"Unh! Come on."

They could see the MUTO raking it's forelegs through the boardwalk. Time left was next to nothing. Applejack and Pinkie pitched in helping in trying to get the seal opened. But, the unfortunate matter was that the seal was glued in place. No matter of natural strength would be able to get it open. The slime was just too strong.

"Gah! We're running out of time!" Rarity exclaimed.

"What if I try melting to seal off," Spike suggested.

"Nononono! That kind of heat could cause the warhead to explode!" Ford warned.

"Then what can we do?!" Pinkie asked, getting anxious.

Ford looked back at the boat's controls. Even though he, along with the rest of the Mane 7, were against the idea of simply isolating the missile and letting it explode, it was the only option they had. The seal was stuck in place and the bomb's timer tick down inevitably. Any second now, the female MUTO would be right back to targeting the boat and getting the warhead, putting everyone's lives in danger. There was nothing for it. It was now or never.

"We sail it away from the city," Ford got up and limped over to the controls.

"But... But, it's still going to go off!" Fluttershy said fearfully.

"We could still try and get this covering off," Twilight said. "We just need to keep trying."

"We don't have any time left! Even if we did get the seal off, I might not have enough time to disengage the warhead. Not only that, the MUTO is right there. It will soon be coming after us when it's down with them."

The Mane 6 and Spike looked amongst themselves, unsure to accept the facts in front of them.

"I... still think we could try," Rainbow said hesitantly.

"We just don't have time," Ford reiterated.

He jammed the throttle all the way down and turned on the boat's GPS, setting it to auto. The boat's engine revved aggressively. Bubbles boiled out as the massive propeller began carrying the boat forward.

"Twilight, Rainbow, everyone, I'm going to need your help for this," the young lieutenant said.

"What do ya need, Ford?" Applejack asked.

"We need to get this boat away from this dock," he grabbed a harpoon and leveraged it against the gangway. "Grab something and get to pushing."

Twilight the others took action. She, Rainbow, and Fluttershy took to the air and started pushing against the side of the boat. Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, and Spike took whatever long enough object they could find and parroted the same procedure Ford was doing.

"Put yer back into it," Applejack encouraged.

"Unh! I think I sprained my wing again back there," Rainbow struggled to stay airborne.

The combined efforts were able to push the heavy boat away from the dock. Once sufficiently away, Ford, the Mane 6, and Spike pulled away from the edge. The three flying ponies flopped back onto the deck, exhausted. The boat slowly chugged away from the dock.

"Thats... something you don't do... every day," Twilight said between tired breaths.

"At least we did it," Pinkie said, too exhausted to give a more excited uplift.

"Is this really what it's come down to?" Rainbow gestured to the warhead. "Just letting this thing explode?"

"Rainbow, at this point, it's the safest and most riskless option we have," Ford grunted.

The was a few seconds of silence shared within the group. The message was clear and had to be accepted; letting the warhead blow up in an isolated area was the safest bet. But, there was still one issue.

"But, wait a minute, dear," Rarity piped up. "If we're letting this thing explode on this boat, then why are we still on it!?"

That got the others attention. Somehow, it flew over everyone's mind until now that they were still on a boat that was rigged to explode any minute.

"We gotta get out of here!" Fluttershy shrieked.

However, before any ideas of action could be taken, Ford, the Mane 6, and Spike were stopped when they heard the boat's engine completely die. Then, they saw a menacing, giant foreleg submerge into the water a dozen or so feet away. Fear gripped them all as they looked up. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie all withheld the urge to scream as the saw the female MUTO looming over them. It lowered it's head down closer, slimy saliva dripping from it's fanged teeth. It roared angrily at the group of friends.

"No, please, no," Rarity began to dry, covering her face with her hooves.

Spike cowered behind Twilight, clutching her tail like a stuffed animal. Twilight, herself, held Pinkie and Applejack close in a terrified hug. Rainbow and Fluttershy were also hugging each other. However, the shyer pegasus looked over to her best friends. She could see the fear in her eyes, she could the fear in all her friends eyes. Fluttershy looked back to the MUTO. She knew what it mostly came here for.

No. She was not going to let this monster win. After everything they had been through on this journey, the caretaker pegasus was not going to let out all amount to a victory in vain. Fluttershy was scared, very scared, but, like on the helicopter, she was not going to let everything fall apart.

"You stay back!"

The others snapped their heads over to the pegasus. Fluttershy didn't even realize she had said that, but she wasn't going to cower away this time. She let go of Rainbow Dash and limp over to the edge of the boat, glaring at the MUTO.

"You're not getting this bomb! Do you hear me? We've been through literally Tartarus making sure that you didn't succeed in making this world selfishly yours. I'm not going to back down when everything is against us. If you want that bomb, you'll have to got through me!"

Fluttershy continued to glare at the beastly creature. Then, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see Rainbow right at her side, also glaring at the MUTO.

"And me."

Soon, her others friends joined in.

"And me," Twilight said angrily. "We're not letting you hurt anypony ever again!"

"Me as well, darling," Rarity said cordially, yet threateningly.

"Ya'll have to go through me, too," Applejack snorted.

"Me, too," Pinkie added.

"Don't forget about me," Spike said.

Ford didn't have the strength to get back up, but he did pull out a handgun and pointed it at the MUTO.

"I'm not going down without a fight, either."

For the briefest of brief seconds, the MUTO merely stared at the unyielding group. It opened it's mouth even wider, preparing to consume the creatures in it's way. The ponies and dragon all braced, Twilight and Rarity summoning whatever strength and magic they had left. The ponies, dragon, and human had no energy and were bleeding bad, but, they were not going down without a fight. All of a sudden, the MUTO stopped jaggedly. The Mane 6, Spike, and Ford were a little unnerved by this.

"What's it doing now?" Rainbow asked slowly.

"Look!" Rarity pointed over the MUTO's head.

It was Godzilla. He had his jaws locked on the back of the female MUTO's neck. The kaiju dragged the MUTO away and grabbed onto it's mouth, forcing it open. The bat-like monster scraped her spiked legs Godzilla in a form of retaliation, but the King of Monster's gripped was firm. He forced the MUTO's mouth open. The spikes on his back began glowing blue, and, in action movie fashion, unloaded a stream of atomic breath directly down the MUTO's gullet. The powerful jet of energy completed incinerated the monster's neck, decapitating her. Then, just like that, it was down, the atomic breath ceased and the MUTO's body flopped and sunk into the water.

"Holy frosted guacamole on a cupcake," Pinkie said in shock.

"Ya said it, Pinkie," Applejack said.

"That was... a lot to take in," Rarity said dizzily, the blood loss was starting to get to her.

Godzilla let out a final, might victory roar, then dropped the MUTO's head into the bay. I was over. It was all over. The MUTO's had been defeated and the city had been saved. Now with both of the MUTO's dead, there was no more EMP. San Francisco lights turned back on. Once thought to be dull and uncharacteristic, now brought a warming, reaffirming sense. Ford, the Mane 6, and Spike let out sighs of relieve as the boat turned back on. It began leaving the bayfront and heading toward the remains of the Golden Gate Bridge.

"Were still on the boat," Fluttershy said weakly.

She could barely stand. The pegasus collapsed to the floor, no longer having the strength to support herself. The injuries they had received back during the explosion were starting to take their toll. The Mane 7 slowly fell to the floor.

"Twilight... teleport us out of here," Rarity weakly pleaded.

Twilight tried to get the spell going, but all she could get was a few fizzling sparks from her horn. She didn't have the energy to form any kind of magic.

"I can't. I'm too weak."

She looked back at the others. All strength spent, blood staining their fur, now enough energy to swim. They were stuck, and they were going to die. Ford fell onto his side, knowing that this was the moments he had alive.

"We... can't... end like this," Rainbow tried flapping her wings, but the sprain she received prohibited to take flight.

"Godzilla," Fluttershy weakly called out. "Godzilla, please help us."

But there was no way he could hear her. The kaiju stepped back onto land. Godzilla let out a faint roar before he also collapsed from his injuries. Fluttershy gasped in shock and horror.

"No. No, no, no, no!" Rarity cried. "We can't die now! This can't happen for real this time! What about everypony else in Equestria? What about my Sweetie Belle?!"

Applejack put a hoof on Rarity's own. The sobbing fashionista turned to the country mare, who had a solemn, sorrowful look on her face.

"It's over, Rares."

This only made Rarity cry harder. "No! No, NO!"

The earth pony pulled the devastated unicorn into a hug, letting her sob against her coat.

"Ssh. It's 'kay, Rarity. Everythin' will be okay."

Ford looked over to the warhead. Only five minutes were left until the inevitable. He would never get to see his wife or his son, he would never be able to return to them. But, he did ensure their safety. He and his friends fought tooth and nail to ensure the MUTOs wouldn't reign supreme over Earth. Ford protected his family with his life. As long as Elle and Sam were safe, we was willing to accept this outcome.

The Mane 6 and Spike were slowly coming to terms with their fate as well. Pinkie's mane flattened like a limp balloon, tears pricking at the edges of her eyes. She felt Fluttershy put a hoof on her shoulder. The deflated earth pony turned to her.

"I never got to say goodbye to the Cakes or my family."

"It's okay, Pinkie. They will remember us. We'll even get to see them again."

"Goodbye, Mom and Dad," Rainbow said tearfully. "Goodbye, Scootaloo."

Fluttershy pulled the weeping pegasus into an embrace with Pinkie joining in. Twilight held Spike close. She had tears running down her cheeks and she could feel Spike's tears wetting down her fur.

"Twilight... I don't want to die," Spike muffled voice squeaked.

"It'll be okay, Spike. I promise, it will be okay." the mulberry alicorn turned to the lieutenant. "Ford?"

Ford laid on his back, watching the gap between the severed Golden Gate Bridge pass by. He turned his eyes over so he could just barely see Twilight in his peripheral.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you, for everything. For letting us help and for protecting us."

Ford gave a weak smile. "That's what a soldier does. Thank you for helping me patch things up with my dad."

Twilight smiled and nodded. "You're welcome."

Ford, the Mane 6, and Spike, now fully accepting their fates, waited for the bomb to go off. They closed their eyes, peaceful biding their time. Suddenly, the deck was flooded with a white light. The group was stunned from the unexpected development. Ford was barely conscious at this point, but he could just barely make out what his friends were saying.

"What is that?"

"What's going on?"

"Are we in heaven?"

"Is this what happens when the bomb goes off?"

Next thing Ford knew, a rescue operator had fastened a harness around him and he was hoisted upward. The bright light was, in fact, a search light from a helicopter. They had found the lieutenant, ponies, and baby dragon in the nick of time. The two rescuers on the boat loaded the rest of the group for retrieval, whether that was by a harness or by carrying them up by hand. Everything felt like a blur that mesh together for Ford. He could hear Rarity and few others crying in joy in relief, Twilight thanking the rescuers profusely, Fluttershy and Applejack had fallen unconscious due to the fact that they had received the most severe blood loss. Ford then found himself and the others onboard the helicopter and being flown back toward the city.

"Ford? Ford can you hear me?"

He could see and hear Twilight taking to him, but Ford just couldn't muster a response. Suddenly, the dark, California night turned to day, at least that's what it looked like. The bomb had gone off, blanketing the sky in a bright, white light. Despite being the drained of every ounce of strength and energy they had, Ford, the Mane 6 and Spike were able to deduce one thing: They had been rescued. They were alive. They were safe.

To be continued