The Cine-magic Series: Godzilla

Fluttershy felt a sick sense of déjà vu as she along with the rest of the gang trudged with the crowd through the destroyed island coast. The streets were littered with shattered glass, steel, and concrete, buildings stood with shredded pieces missing, and the air was saturated with aging smoke and dust. She felt like she was back at the research facility when the MUTO first rose, except this time it was ten times worse. The water had long since dissipated allowing reasonably safe travel through the destroyed streets. She turned to look at Ford, who was carrying Akio. She turned her sights to her other friends. They were, for a lack of a better term; miserable.

Rainbow and Twilight were the most spent, having to heave an entire transport train from falling. As for Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, and Spike, they weren't really faring any better. None of them had been able to get a wink of sleep since the near-death experience with the MUTO. Pinkie was really the only one trying to keep everyone's spirits up. Godzilla's arrival had been a blessing and a curse. He was able to chase away the MUTO before it could cause any more death and destruction, but at the cost of Fluttershy's ability to sleep.

“So, that happened,” Spike spoke, breaking the aching silence.

Seeing Godzilla in person for the first time was…surreal, to say the least for our heroes. The experience was hard to put into words, what with the crisis that was occurring at the same time and that Godzilla’s introduction was something the Mane 6 and Spike had never had the pleasure, or in this case displeasure, of experiencing. Even knowing Godzilla was a villain, the sheer magnitude shook everybody to their bones.

“He was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” Twilight said with a mixture of shock and curiosity.

“And let it be that last,” Rarity grimaced. “Good guy or not, that was utterly nightmarish.”

“I’m starting to see why you’re were so afraid of him in your dream, Fluttershy,” Pinkie said, her facaded cheeriness, masked the fear and unsettlement gripping the mare eternally.

Fluttershy glanced at the rundown earth pony. Pinkie’s mane, once puffy and bright, mirroring her personality, was now sunken and dark. Not to the point of full, monotonous flatness, but it was getting there. By that only, Fluttershy could tell of Pinkie’s struggles of grasping the situations they had experienced in the last 12 hours, but even she was struggling with her emotions.

Despite being told that Godzilla was more or less the equalizer of nature and that he wasn't here to cause intentional harm, the panicky pegasus still couldn't bring herself to not be afraid of him. Fluttershy hounded on herself to try and be more courageous, but having to go through such chaotic events, one's as unique as this, made it seem like an impossible climb to even consider trying to be more valorous.

"How will we ever find Akio's parents now within this sea of humans?" Fluttershy's internal conflict was interrupted by Rainbow's hopeless-sounding question.

"That's what these stands are for," Ford pointed out.

As the team made their way through the injured and lost, they could the sound of a man's voice speak of a PA system.

"Attention, please. Incoming patients please proceed..."

"Do they have anything to treat headaches, cuz it feels like my head is literally splitting open," Twilight rubbed her forehead, trying to soothe the pain.

"I doubt it. These stands are for the injured and lost only," Ford said.

They came up to one of them where a medical coordinator and a doctor were standing, discussing something on a clipboard.

"Hi. Excuse me. I'm sorry. This boy's been separated from his parents."

"And do you guys have an icepack or something," Twilight added.

"Just fill out this form. Will be with you in just a minute," the female coordinator pointed to another clipboard.

Ford took the clipboard. Meanwhile, the Mane 6 and Spike group together for a private discussion.

"What are we doing here, honestly?" Rainbow grimaced. "All we've been doing is following Ford around and getting caught up with everything without actually doing anything."

"Well, we did keep the train from falling?" Twilight argued.

"That's all we've done so far!"

The cyan pegasus was getting agitated. Applejack then came up to here.

"Rainbow, is this about what happened to Ford's father?"

"Yes! Well, on my part anyways," Rainbow said, her tone unchanging. "This discussion is a collective thing."

"There is some truth to what Rainbow is saying," Rarity sadly admitted. "All we've done is run or cower in fear."

"Well it's kinda hard to kick to creature that's thousands of times your size," Pinkie said. "Unless we were back in the early days when they were much smaller."

"Ya mean like when they'ere young?" Applejack asked.

"Nope," Pinkie shook her head.

"Then what did ya mean by..."

"Look that's besides the point," Twilight interjected. "I just...I have no idea what to do or what we should be doing. Fluttershy, did the mean hint at anything that could be helpful to us."

Fluttershy was forced to think back to the dream again. But, all that she could remember was Godzilla, the MUTO, and all the fiery destruction that came with them.

"No. Nothing that I can remember."

There was a grim silence within the group of ponies.

"What if we were just here to help with evacuation or something like that," Spike perked up. "Maybe were to save the humans instead of actually defeating the creatures themselves."

"Ugh, that just feels like a cop out." Rainbow grunted.

"We would still be doing an awful job," Rarity said. "I mean, look around."

She raised her hooves up, implicating all the destruction that lay about them. As the Mane 6 and Spike continued to discuss, Akio unknowingly slipped away.

"Hey, you got service on that cell phone?" Ford asked another man.

"No. The pay phones don't even work," the man replied.

The young soldier let out a disgruntled sigh. He turned to where Akio was supposed to be standing to try and reassure him, but found the young boy had disappeared.

"Akio?" Ford looked around. "Girls, where's Akio."

The group of ponies and dragon stopped their discussion. They too noticed that Akio was gone.

"He should've been..." Twilight's heart sank to the pit of her stomach. "Oh, no."

Why wasn't anypony keepin' an eye on 'im?" Applejack glowered.

"Hey, you never said anything about that," Rainbow argued.

Ford put down the clipboard and quickly paced around to try and spot the boy. Rainbow, Twilight, and Fluttershy took to the air.

"Akio!" Twilight called out.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Pinkie chanted.

"This isn't a game of hide-and-seek, Pinkie," Rarity said with frustration.

"Akio!"

"Akio!"

A pair of voices could be heard in the distance. Through a break in the crowd, the group could see Akio's parents reuniting with their son.

"Mama! Papa!" Akio raced over to them.

The parents held the boy, relieved to finally get their son back. Ford and the Mane 7 were equally relieved.

"Well, at least he's save now," the fashionista unicorn smiled.

"Yeah, that sure was lucky," Spike added.

"We still shouldn't have let him out of our sights," Twilight said solemnly.

"No denyin' there. We just got really lucky," Applejack agreed.

"If only that luck was there back at the facility," Rainbow said bitterly.

"Rainbow, that wasn't your fault," Pinkie assured.

"Is it? If I had just noticed sooner or just flown faster, Joe wouldn't have fallen. If I had just done something! Joe might have survived."

The boisterous pegasus had tears starting to prick up from her eyes. Rainbow fought hard to keep them from falling. She had felt responsible for Joe's death. She was the fastest living thing on this planet and the fact she wasn't able to do a thing to save Joe, it shook her in a way that she never felt before.

"Rainbow, Joe's death was rough on all of us, especially Ford," Twilight said. "But, you need to understand that, under those circumstances, you couldn't have known that the walkway was going to collapse until it was too late. You can't live the rest of your life feeling like your responsible for everypony, or everycreature for that matter."

"But, it's our duty to protect everypony." Rainbow Dash said sadly.

"That doesn't mean we're capable of saving everypony."

By this point, the purple princess had tears falling from her eyes.

"I don't blame you for my dad's death," Ford spoke up. "Even now, I'm still grieving. But, we can't just sit in a corner and beat ourselves up over this. We need to find a way back home before the MUTO and Godzilla really start to wreak havoc."

"Ford's right, we can't be here mopin' when we still have to do something about this monster problem," Applejack tipped her hat.

Rainbow took in a long, snot-riddled inhale through her nose, then exhaled out through her mouth.

"Okay, worry about the monsters now."

"That's the spirit," Twilight said.

"Now, anypony have any idea how we're going to get off this island?" Rarity asked.

"Those planes won't be flying any time soon," the bright, blue pegasus said. "Maybe we should take a boat."

"That could take days," Ford said.

That's when a army truck pulled up nearby.

"Corporal, load up, load up," a man ordered.

Two rows of soldiers then marched by, heading to the truck.

"That might work," Ford said.

"But those vehicles can't swim," Pinkie pointed out.

Ford walked over to one of the soldiers; the sergeant.

"Sergeant. Lieutenant Brody, U.S. Navy. Listen I need your help. I'm trying to get to the mainland."

"Welp, it's your lucky day," the sergeant broke from the formation. "Everything not tied down is moving east."

"East? That is to the mainland, right?" Spike asked.

"Correct," the sergeant answered.

"Whoa, whoa, is that where they're heading?" Ford asked.

"Yeah. I guess we're monster hunters now."

the young sergeant left to catch up with the rest of the passing soldiers.

"That's sounds like our ticket to me," Twilight said.

"But, monster hunters? Are they follower the MUTO and Godzilla?" Fluttershy asked.

"Sounds like it," Ford said. "Let's go. The sooner was reach California, the better."

And so, it was decided. Ford, the Mane 6, and Spike were boarded unto a large, Boeing C-17 Globemaster, a military transport jet. From there, the took to the seas toward the west coast of the United States. The choppers and warships converged and traveled through the vast blue waters. What came to a shock to the ponies and dragon was how close they were to Godzilla. The kaiju itself was tepidly sailed through the water, he's massive back spikes poking out from the water. He wasn't going fast and he didn't seemed to bother of all the ships around, almost as if he was taking he's time in tracking down the MUTO.

Fluttershy watched through one of the aircraft’s windows. The gargantuan beast remained stoic and methodical, but it brought the pegasus great fear. And she hated it. Godzilla wasn't doing anything dangerous and scary, yet Fluttershy felt her heart raced like she was running a marathon.

"Everything all right, Sugarcube?" Applejack sat right beside her.

Fluttershy let out a defeated sigh. "No, it's not."

"What's the matter, Flutters?"

"Well, it's just that...I can't help but be afraid of Godzilla and, for the life of me, I can't understand why. Dr. Serizawa said he was tasked to balance nature. He only takes monsters that threaten nature as a whole."

"Yeah, he did say somethin' like that," Applejack said. "I guess that makes Godzilla a protector in a way."

"That's just it. He's trying to protect this world and yet I can't bring myself to be amazed or curious. I'm just scared of him."

Fluttershy put a hoof between her eyes. She let out another sigh, this time a little more frustrated.

"Fluttershy..." Applejack sigh solemnly. "It's okay to be scared of things. Bein' scared doesn't make ya weak."

"But, I'm scared of everything, Applejack," Fluttershy said. "heights, large crowds, I even panicked when a leaf fell on my back. I was even scared of that dragon that was sleeping on that mountain."

Applejack remembered all too well. The girls were tasked to shoo away a fully grown dragon from a cave at the top of a nearby mountain. The slumbering beast bellowed tons of smoke, blinding the entire town of Ponyville. Applejack could remember the adversities they went through making it up to the top: The rockslide, the gap, waking the dragon. Fluttershy ending up reprimanding the dragon for trying to hurt her friends, but leading up to that was frightened resistance.

"But, Fluttershy, you've been, uh, skittish when it comes ta dragons."

"Not all. I don't have any problems with Spike," Fluttershy said. "But still, that dragon was just sleeping. It wasn't doing anything wrong aside from the smoke problem. Yet I was a shaking mess. It was only when you girls were in serious danger that I finally put more hoof down. I'm tired of being so skittish over things like this. I want to be more courageous."

Applejack understood where Fluttershy was coming from. Even she knew there was cause for concern in the situation they all were in, but she couldn't imagine how Fluttershy felt, and it seemed that the pegasus was frustrated with how she felt. The apple farmer wrapped around the animal caretaker's shoulders.

"Fluttershy, ya can't force yerself to not be afraid. It's something that happens deep within ya, like when ya stood up that dragon. All ya need to do is find that part of ya within ya."

"But, what if I can't?" Fluttershy asked hopeless.

"Yer a lot more capable than ya think, Fluttershy. I lot braver, too. There will come a time where your scared, but you put on a brave face and push through those fears despite everything your mind is tellin' ya. All ya really need is a little transparency and patience."

Fluttershy looked back to Applejack, then back down to the floor. She was still a little unsure if she was capable of pulling that off again.

"Listen, bein' brave doesn't mean being fearless," the humble earth pony said. "Bein brave means to face something even if ya do feel scared. Fear is a part of life. The real question is if you able to overcome it to do the right thing."

The timid mare was left to marinate those last words. Would she be able to overcome her fears to keep her friends safe? Would she be able to be more mellow and out-going instead of being so shy. Applejack did give some assurance, so perhaps it was all helpless.

"Thank you, Applejack," Fluttershy smiled.

"Anytime, sugarcube," Applejack smiled back.

On the USS Saratoga, the control workers were in the workings of mapping out the predicted location Godzilla and the MUTO were heading. Admiral Stenz study the computerized map intently while one of the workers instigated the satellite trackings.

"Satellite transfer complete. Simulations uploaded."

The indicator narrowed down on Godzilla's current position, which at the moment was heading toward the California coast.

"Last satellite tracks predict the MUTO continuing due east," the female worker explained. "All our models have the targets converging on the Pacific Coast. As of now, it looks like Godzilla's still following the MUTO."

"He's hunting," Dr. Serizawa entered the control room followed by Dr. Graham.

Admiral Stenz turned him, not entirely understanding what the doctor was implying. Turning his attention away for a quick second, the admiral began making out orders.

"Have all vessels maintain current distance from target. And plot the speed and heading of these things. I wanna know exactly when and where they'll make landfall."

"Yes, sir," one of the naval officers said.

Stenz then turned his attention back to Serizawa. It had become clear he knew some discovered details.

"Doctor, what did you mean by "hunting?" the admiral asked. "You think it's chasing this MUTO?"

Dr. Serizawa didn't answer at first. He was too busy with his thoughts.

"But if the MUTO is his prey..." Dr. Graham spoke up. "The signal shows a call. Why call up a predator?"

"No, It didn't. I think Godzilla was only listening," the languorous researcher replied. "The MUTO was calling something else."

A tense silence hung in the air. No one's expression changed, but the minds were analyzing what Serizawa was implying. There was a guaranteed possibility of a third monster existing. Even with the lurid revelation, Dr. Serizawa's mind was still reeling in more information. Information that was buried deep within the recesses of his brain, casted aside as nothing more than documented info of a bygone time. Now, he wondered if it wasn't so extraneous after all.

"The pattern," the older scientist said in a sharp whisper. "Focus the search on Nevada."

He hurried over to the room's mapping table.

"Nevada? Why would it go to Nevada?" Captain Hampton asked.

The captain and the admiral were left confused. However, Dr. Graham came to the same conclusion as Dr. Serizawa. She, too was aware of vestigial data the had uncovered long ago.

"It can't be. It's impossible," she said in disbelief.

"What's impossible?" Admiral asked expectantly.

"There was another spore, intact, found in the Philippine mine."

She turned to Serizawa. Like with him, she was there when they researched the spore.

"But we vivisected it. Ran every test on it for years. You confirmed it for yourself. It was dormant!"

"Maybe not anymore," Serizawa said grimly.

"This spore. Where is it now, doctor?" the captain asked.

"It was highly radioactive. It was disposed of," Dr. Graham explained. "The Americans, they took it."

"Doctor, where is it?" the admiral asked.

Dr. Serizawa slowly raised his head, staring grimly to the eyes of Stenz.

"Where you put all your nuclear waste."

Once again, another cold silence washed over. Both the captain and the admiral knew exactly where the Japanese researcher was talking about.

Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository
100 miles northwest of Las Vegas

A group of army trucks and a pair of helicopters were dispatched to the lonely repository. The trucks kicked up clouds of sun-bleached dust as they raced through the arid, dry desert. Soldiers geared up in protective uniforms and masks for the probable radiation-heavy death zone. They also armed guns, just in case the creature was feeling extra cranky. As they neared the facility, specialized personnel threw open the bard-wired fence gates, allowing entry into the tunnel drilled through the mountain.

"Go, go, go!" they directed the trucks inside.

The helicopters made swift landings. The heavily-armored soldiers rallied out and entered into the tunnel. The trucks came to a stop as soon as they reached inside. More soldiers climbed out.

"All right, let's go! Give me a Mark 1 eyeball on every vault," the leader ordered.

the team of soldiers hurriedly marched down the ghostly-green lit corridor. Each soldier took a vault door. They would slide open a small, metal covering, allowing them to look through a windowed slot into the storage units. As one of the soldiers shined his gun-mounted light through the opening, all he could see was drum of nuclear material and decommissioned warheads.

"Clear!" he yelled.

One by one, the soldiers opened the slots to each and every vault. So far, all that was found were untouched missiles, drums, and storage tanks.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

The individuals soldiers shouted confirmation for unscathed vaults. One particular soldier open the covering of one vault. Only to be met with the blinding rays of sunshine. It didn't take a genius to know something happened to this vault.

"Hey!" he got the others' attention.

With everyone's cautious focus now on the one vault, now it was time for a further investigation. Two of the soldiers opened the heavy vault door, while the rest readied their guns, expecting the worst. Once the door was opened the soldiers swarmed inside the fault...or what was left of it. The entire vault had been completely destroyed, along with several dozen others with it. All that remained was a giant hole in the mountain, exposing the metallic skeleton of the underground facility.

Through the lingering smoke and dust, the soldiers sauntered outside. It was obvious that something had come alive and was now somewhere out in the desert. One soldier had a pair of binoculars and began searching for the creature. It didn't take much to find another, larger MUTO lumbering through the sandy biome. Worst of all, however, was that it was heading straight for downtown Las Vegas. By this point, it was too late to do but watch the inevitable.

The luxurious city of Las Vegas was teeming with life. Being the midday, the casinos were abuzz with people hoping to be lucky enough to score a big buck. In one such casino, the visitors were glued to their slot machines and staff were too busy with customer's needs to notice the TV's broadcasting news footage of the MUTO laying siege on the city.

Suddenly, the electricity cut out, drowning the rooms in darkness and killing all the machines. People groaned and clamored with the inconvenience. That frustration and confusion turned to terror when one of the MUTO's feet crashed through the roof. Steel and concrete showered from above and people screamed in terror as the massive creature roared and stomped a path through the expensive city. Panic ensued and emergency personnel were immediately dispatched.

The MUTO continued it's stubborn warpath through the city, tearing down buildings and landmarks in the process. From within one of the countless, luxury apartments, banging resounded from the front doors of one.

"Is anyone in there?" a man yelled.

The knocking turned to banging when answer came. Then the doors burst open. A trio of firefighters entered and began searching for possible victims. All they could found was an empty room, the sound of slow, Elvis Presly music, and a gaping hole on the far end of the apartment. The firefighters stared in shock seeing the crumbling hole showing the carnage outside. Military helicopters zoomed by in pursuit of the MUTO. It was being bombarded with artillery, but it appeared to have little to no effect as the hulking monster continued it's unbothered trek tearing down buildings.

Back on the USS Saratoga, the situation had come to a head.

"Captain, our UAV's have footage of the new MUTO," one of the naval officers revealed.

"Let's have a look," Admiral Stenz said.

"Yes, sir,"

The main computer screens changed to show the new footage of the MUTO knocking down Paris Las Vegas's replica of the Eiffel Tower.

"This is from five minutes ago," the officer said.

"My god," the shocked admiral muttered.

He turned to Captain Hampton, who shared the same somber look.

"Playing all we have now," the officer said.

Dr. Serizawa and Dr. Graham studied the footage with shock and amazement.

"It's almost 300 feet," Graham said. "It's far bigger than the other one."

"But this one doesn't have any wings," Stenz pointed out.

"A different sex?"

"A female," Serizawa concluded.

The three turned back to the computer monitors. Both footage of male and female MUTO were showing, comparing the two monsters.

"That's who he's been talking to," the younger scientist said.

"It must be a mating call," Serizawa said. "The female remained dormant until the male matured."

"Now they're seeking radiation. To reproduce."

The two researchers were left awestruck and horrified at the same time. The discovery of a second MUTO was alarming enough, but them being male and female, there stood a scarily probable possibility of them mating and reproducing more MUTOs.

A meeting was held with the headmen of the ship along with Serizawa and Graham. Already the military analyst had an idea to take down the MUTO and Godzilla. He laid down map of California on the table of the meeting room. Captain Hampton, Admiral Stenz, and several others circled the table.

"Current tracking models indicate that all three targets are converging here: San Francisco Bay," the military analyst said. "But if we rig a nuclear warhead with a shielded timer, put it on a boat, and send it 20 miles out, the radiation lures the MUTOs and the MUTOs lure Godzilla."

"And we detonate, with minimal fallout risk to the city," Hampton advocated.

"You can't be serious." Dr. Graham spoke up with opposition. "They feed on radiation."

"Correct. That's why we use the bomb as bait," Hampton explained.

"And kill them with the sheer force of the blast," the analyst said.

"This is crazy," Graham groaned.

"Doctor, if you have any other ideas, I am all ears," Stenz said.

"Admiral," Serizawa spoke firmly, yet stoically.

All the attention was brought to him.

"Yes, doctor," Stenz said.

"Gojira may be the answer," Dr. Serizawa stood up from his seat. "I believe he's here to restore balance. He can defeat them."

"And what? We just stand by and watch?" the admiral questioned roughly. "I'm sorry, doctor. I can't take that risk."

The seasoned admiral turn his priorities back the other officers.

"We'll need to prep the warheads and get them moving to the coast."

"Yes, sir," the stoic captain said.

"Yes, sir," said another.

With that, the naval soldiers shuffled out of the room with paperwork in-hand. Stenz, Graham, and Serizawa were the only three left standing in the room. The admiral looked at the Graham, who had a look of stunned disbelief in the sense of the she could understand why they would think this was a smart plan. She shook her head and made her way out. Stenz could still sense the protest from the Dr. Serizawa.

"Doctor, I know you don't agree with this. But my first priority is to safeguard our citizens."

The geriatric researcher didn't give a reply. Instead, he held out his hand, which was holding something. Curious, the admiral reached out and took it from the doctor's hand. It was a pocket watch frozen in time. The hands were frozen into one position.

"It's stopped," Stenz observed.

"Yes," Serizawa said. "Eight-fifteen in the morning. August 6, 1945."

"...Hiroshima."

"It was my father's."

Serizawa took back the watch and closed it. He stared hard at the admiral, not muttering another word before walking out of the room. Admiral Stenz was left alone. The doctor's message was clear to him: He had traumas with nuclear warfare and had given him a bad taste of the Americans. Yet, he was willing to look past that to help them with the their current monster problem. Serizawa wanted Stenz to do the same; look past Godzilla's damages and let him battle the MUTO. He wanted nature to do it's part, uninterrupted. Godzilla was their ally, not their enemy.

Ford, the Mane 6, and Spike were finally started to relax in the transport jet as it zoomed over the Pacific Ocean. It seemed that everything was finally going the way they wanted and were on their way back San Francisco. That’s when the sergeant showed up in the passenger gallery.

“All right, heads up. We got new destination new orders. Let’s get geared up.”

“Wait, hold on. New destination?” Twilight asked incredulously.

“Does…that mean we’re not going back to San Francisco?” Fluttershy said, disheartened by the sudden change of plans.

“Are you serious?” Rainbow asked angrily. “Can’t one thing go right for us?”

“Settle down,” Ford said. “I’ll see what’s going on.”

The Lieutenant got up from his seat as did the other soldiers, preparing to disembark the jet when it landed.

“Hey. Hey, tech sergeant.”

The sergeant turned to Ford.

“What’s the word?” Ford inquired.

The tech sergeant seemed to hesitate for a second. He wasn’t all too thrilled with the info he had received.

“Another one of those things popped up in Nevada, sir.” He turned back to prepare the rest of the soldiers.

Ford stood dumbstruck with the sergeant had shared with him. The Mane 6 and Spike shared the same feelings.

“Another one?” Twilight parroted. “Another MUTO?”

“Now that’s two monsters on our hooves,” Rarity stated worriedly.

“Not to mention Godzilla,” Fluttershy added fearfully. “As if one MUTO wasn’t enough.”

“What’s next? The end of the world?” Rainbow said rhetorically, clearly upset over the unfortunate news.

Some of the soldiers turned to her with unamused looks.

“It may very well be if something isn’t done about it,” one of the them.

“Godzilla can handle it. That’s what Dr. Serizawa said,” Spike reminded.

“Yeah, but with two of those giant creatures?” Applejack said. “He’s got his cut out for ‘im.”

“Unless we think of something to help,” Twilight said solemnly. “We’re really being pushed into a corner here.”

“Not to mention we’re not going home still,” Pinkie pulled out a paper that listed all the current problems the gang was having. “Amongst all the other issues at hoof.”

It seemed to roll out for an eternity, weaving around other soldiers’ feet.

“Er…right,” Twilight eyed the mile-long paper. “Like I said, we’re really grasping at straws for solutions.”

“This really is starting to feel hapless,” Fluttershy said solemnly.

“Ah hate to say it. But ah can’t help but agree with ya, Flutters,” Applejack said

There was nothing for it, unfortunately. The plane was diverted to a new location. All our gang of friends can do now is think of another way back home and, from there, a way to take down the MUTO.

Lone Pine, California
About 250 miles southeast of San Francisco

The town of Lone Pine was...tense, to say the least. All of the residence had long since evacuated and now the streets were overrun with soldiers and military vehicles. Fires burned greatly in the distance, creating a wall of black smoke that put a blight on the cloudy sky.

One of the transport trucks came to stop in the middle of the swarmed street. Two soldiers opened the tailgate for the soldiers inside to disembark. Ford and the Mane 7 climbed out after the armed soldiers.

"Okay, everybody out," one of the soldiers said. "Can't fly any further. We're well in range of it's EMP. So from here on out, it's on the ground or it's not at all. Let's go!"

"On the ground or not at all?" Rainbow asked incredulously. "Lame! They really like sucking the fun out of everything."

"This isn't about having fun, Rainbow," Twilight interjected. "It's for safety reasons. Besides, I'm pretty sure they were referring to the planes they transported us with."

"Yeah," Ford said. "They're affected by the electromagnetic pulses."

The gang noticed the mangled, smoldering remains of a crashed helicopter sitting on the road. It had been hit by a prior EMP before it had a chance to land safely.

"Case and point."

"Oh, my godness," Fluttershy clasped her front hooves over her mouth.

Rarity then dropped to her knees.

"It's hopeless. It's absolutely hopeless! All forms of transportation on this world is useless now, we're stuck in this accursed town with monsters roaming about, and we still have no way to go back home!"

The ivory-colored unicorn began cry hysterically.

"We're doomed!"

"Oh, boy," Spike muttered.

"Welp, better can this franchise while we're still alive," Pinkie said rather absentmindedly.

"What are you even saying, Pinkie?" Rarity asked between choked sobs.

"We're going to die?!" Fluttershy exclaimed now in a full-blown panic.

"Uh, Twilight." Now even Spike was getting scared.

"Uhhh...I, uh..." The pink-striped alicorn struggled to think of a solution or even any kind of answer at all.

Everypony seemed to be at a loss of what to do at this point. For all that could be gathered, the odds were constantly stacked against and the issues seemed to be piling. Twilight was barely able to keep herself together, much less calm down friends from their respectively breakdowns.

"Uh, guys," Ford tried to interject, but either he wasn't being heard or he was ignored.

It seemed the Mane 7's mentality was dwindling, all except for one who decided to put her hoof down.

"Everypony, simmer down!" Applejack's firm voice echoed through the streets.

For a brief moment, everything went still and silent. Even the soldiers nearby stopped what they were doing. The rigid apple farmer put a hoof up to then, signifying they weren't who she was talking to. Dismissively, the soldiers continued on with their work. Twilight, Rainbow, and the others were as still as kids who had gotten caught from stealing from the cookie jar. Applejack then cleared throat before speaking.

"Now ah understand that things are not favorable at the moment..."

"That's an understatement," Rainbow muttered quietly.

A harsh glare from the earth pony was enough to shut up her up.

"Things may be dire and unresolvable, but cryin' ain't gonna fix nothin'. Look, we're as close to San Francisco than we've ever had. We just need some way to git there."

"Are you proposing that we walk there?" Ford asked.

"I don't know," Applejack answered plainly. "How far away are we?"

"Like 250 miles."

Once again, Rarity started up her waterworks.

"Oh, this is travesty. There's no way we can walk 250 miles."

"Well, maybe there's another way?" Twilight intimated.

"Like what, Twilight?" Rarity glared at the alicorn. "You expect some kind of magical form of transportation to just appear from the heavens?"

Suddenly, the sound of horn blared loudly. Through the smoke and dust, a diesel locomotive methodically chugged down the tracks. Behind it, specialized flatbeds carrying silo missiles followed the engine. Armed soldiers were perched on the cars' platforms, guarding the volatile load.

What...What is that?" Spike asked, offput by the machine's appearance.

"It's a train," Ford said flippantly. "Do you not have those back in your world?"

"We do, but" - Twilight's eyes examined every part of the locomotive - "they aren't anything like that. And, furthermore, what is it carrying?"

"Those are silo missiles. They're weapons."

"O-Oh...my," Fluttershy stammered.

The train come to slow stop right at a railroad crossing.

"All right, listen up!" one of the ground soldiers announced. "This train and these weapons are headed to San Francisco. Anyone not part of this mission, disembark now!"

The ponies and dragon's eye lit up upon hearing San Francisco was the trains destination.

"Well, ah'll be an Apple's uncle," Applejack said brightly. "We might've just found our way back."

"And at the best possible time!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Here I was thinking the series would've ended prematurely."

"You...mean our lives?" Fluttershy asked cautiously.

"No, not especially."

Rainbow turned to Rarity with a knowing smirk.

"Well, here's our magical ride back. Happy now?"

"Yes, yes, our woes have been answered," Rarity rolled her eyes.

"But, hold on a minute," Twilight spoke conspicuously. "One of the soldiers said those not on the mission weren't supposed to be on the train. That means we probably won't be allowed on it."

"So we got our hopes up for nothing?" Spike said in despair.

"No, I think I can get ourselves in," Ford said.

"How? Those guys are strict, stricter than even Spitfire," Rainbow said.

"I work in explosive ordnance disposal, remember?"

"Well, with a name like that, it is kinda hard to."

"I know how these things work," Ford said. "I'm thinking that with my expertise I might be able to convince them to be a part in the mission. I'll be able to vouch for you guys from there."

"Will there even be receptive of us?" Twilight questioned. "We are from another world after all."

"They don't seem to mind us now," Spike mentioned.

"But, this is a huge step up. And Rainbow is right. This guys are strict."

"We have to at least try," the prismatic pegasus said. "Strict or not, this might be our only way back home left."

Weighing the thinning options they had, Twilight was forced to agree.

"All right. We'll do it."

"Who do we talk to about this?" Applejack asked.

"The master sergeant," Ford said. "They're the one in charge of the decision-making."

"How are we going to convince them to let us board the train?" Fluttershy asked.

"That's quite easy, Fluttershy, Rarity said shrewdly. "All we need is the right words and a little bit of charm."

"Negative. Can't do it, sir," the master sergeant said as he entered a hardware store.

Ford, the Mane 6, and Spike followed.

"Oh, come on," Rarity whined. "I've tried tactic in the book."

"Yah really thought that would work?" Applejack asked sarcastically.

"This is a high-risk mission. That train is a national asset, not Amtrak."

"But, but..." Rainbow tried to argue.

"Guys, let me handle this," Ford said to them.

"We good to go?" the master sergeant asked to a pair of soldiers.

"Just about," one of the soldiers said.

They loaded a control module inside a giant, plastic case.

"From the look of the casings on those Minuteman ICBMs, I'm guessing the digital module's been bypassing and you're prepping for full analog retrofit," the lieutenant said.

"Woah," Twilight said, gob-smacked.

The master sergeant turned to face the lieutenant, an unimpressed look on his face.

"Is my mouth supposed to drop?"

"Like this," Pinkie's jawed seemingly unhinged and dropped to the ground. "See, I would be more shocked if I actually knew what any of that meant."

"The missiles being detonated by hand instead of by remote control," Ford paraphrased.

"Look, I get it, you're EOD," the master sergeant began making his way out of the store. "But, I already got my crew and they know what they're doing."

"Aim the pointy end at the monsters, right, sarge?" one of the soldiers said.

the high-ranked officer playfully slapped his clipboard against the soldier's chest.

"Seems rather obvious," Rarity said bluntly.

"And that's the other thing," the master sergeant said. "What about those pastel-colored ponies and lizard."

"I...am not...a lizard," Spike angrily interrupted. "I am a dragon."

The master sergeant looked down at him with an unconvinced look. "Seriously?"

"Do you want me to prove it?" Spike's nostrils began emitting smoke.

The sergeant cocked an eyebrow, trying to determine if that was a threat or not.

"Okay, let's not do something we'll regret," Twilight put her hooves on the baby dragon's shoulders.

"My point still stands," the sergeant said. "From what it appears they're not in any kind of military and have no knowledge of missiles whatsoever."

"Yeah, but how often do you see someone able to fly super fast and keep a watchful eye out," Rainbow flared out her wings to solidify her argument.

"Or can breath fire," Spike held his glare.

"Or can levitate things or teleport," Twilight added, grasping a couple of tools in her magic.

"Unorthodox, sure. But useful nonetheless," Ford stepped closer to the sergeant's face. "When was the last time you let one of your guys put their fingers in a live bomb?"

The master sergeant didn't give an answer.

"Look, this is what I do. This is my job," Ford said.

The master sergeant turned away and was about to exit the hardware store.

"Master sergeant,"

he turned back around, annoyance creeping up on his face.

Ford let out a emotional sigh.

"My family's in the city. Okay? I need to get on that train."

"Darn tootin', here's got a wife and son desperately waitin' for his return," Applejack said. "surely ya understand the importance of family."

"And need we tell of the of horrors we had to go through just to get this far?" Rarity added. "My blood pressure has reach an all-time high."

"And we just really want to go back home," Fluttershy fiddled with her front hooves.

"And getting to see Sammy again," Pinkie added.

The master sergeant surveyed the motley group. He may be strict, but he was reasonable, too. He too had a family of his own, so he could sympathize with Ford in that department. But of the ponies and "dragon." Granted some of their said abilities could be useful for something.

"I doubt we have uniforms that will fit," he said to the ponies and dragon.

Rarity let out a chuckle.

"Not to worry about that, dear. All I need is some fabric and a sowing machine."

"You know how to make uniforms?"

"Darling, I'm a fashionista. I can make any article of clothing."

The master sergeant mulled over the choice a little more.

"And having a couple extra pairs of eyes couldn't hurt," Rainbow said with a smirk.

"All right, all right. I may come along."

"Yes!" the victorious pegasus exclaimed.

"Finally. We're going back to San Francisco!" Spike said happily.

"Yay," Fluttershy said.

"But, I want to make things perfectly clear," the master sergeant's words cut through the celebration.

The Mane 6 and Spike's attention was solely on the officer.

"This is not a free express ride to your destination. This is a high-risk mission that requires your full attention and willingness to follow orders. You are to listen to what is ordered without question. Do you understand that plus the risks?"

The group of ponies and dragon looked amongst themselves. Even before the advisory, they understood the severity of the circumstances. Fluttershy, however, was uncomfortable being around explosives like that.

"Sir, yes, sir," everypony, minus Fluttershy, all exclaimed.

"Good." the master sergeant turned to Rarity. "Now get to work on those uniforms."

"Will do. I'll have them ready in a jiffy," Rarity saluted.

Fluttershy silently scooted closer to Rainbow, decided it best to confide with her bestest friend.

"Dash, I really don't know about this."

"We've already gotten this far," the athletic mare said. "Are you seriously chickening out now?"

"No...w-well, um," the timid pegasus stammered. "You heard the master sergeant. This is a high-risk mission."

"It's not like our missions back at home weren't dangerous."

"I know, but, this feels different."

"Come on, Flutters, how is this different from talking down that dragon a couple years back? Or when we took down Tirek?"

Fluttershy turned her gaze away. Her body was racked with doubt and uncertainty. She looked back into Rainbow's big, scarlet eyes. They must've had some kind of superpower to her because she could begin to feel the germinating fear wither away. She felt safe in Rainbow's confident gaze.

"I guess this is all so suddenly new."

"It's new for all of us, Fluttershy," Rainbow said. "Come on, just put on a brave face."

"O-Okay," fluttershy steeled herself and gave the bravest look she could muster.

But, to Rainbow, it look more like inquisitive scowl without the angry eyebrows, like how someone would interrogate their sibling for something they knew they did, but try not to make it obvious.

Rainbow shook her head to rid the thoughts. "Uh...we'll work on that."

"And you just heard the spokesman say that the White House has not ruled out the use of nuclear force."

The TV showed the footage of the female MUTO's rampage through Las Vegas. All the while the news reporter was informing of the governments decisions of the monster attack.

The hospital was abuzz with nurses, doctors, and patients heading to where they needed to be. Not many people were paying attention to the television. Sam, on the other hand, was. He was fixed on the raw footage, being it the only form of entertainment he had while sitting behind the receptionist deck. Just then, one of the phones rang.

"Sam, you mom's gonna be right back," one the female receptionists assured.

She picked up the phone.

"Emergency, can I help you?"

...

"Hello?"

...

"Oh, yeah, just a sec."

The woman turned to the back of the room where Elle was helping wheel patient to the surgery waiting area.

"Elle, for you," she held the telephone out to the young nurse.

"Tell them I'll be here in a minute," Elle said.

"Elle."

The nurse looked back upon hearing her friend's tone take on a more conjuring manner.

"It's your husband."

Elle's eyes widened in shock. Despite the startling the revelation, she still had a duty to uphold on keeping her current patient safe. Still though, she couldn't help herself in being quick to finish the relocation of the patient. Once that was completed, Elle hurried to the break room phone. She pressed the redirect button hard, barely able to contain her emotions.

"Hello?" she said.

"Elle?" Ford quickly responded back.

He, along with the Mane 6 and Spike, were still in Lost Pine preparing to board the train. The lieutenant was able to get to a payphone to call his wife. Meanwhile, the Mane 6 and Spike were preparing in getting their very own military uniforms, thanks to Rarity.

"Ford?" Elle's voice wavered. "Oh, god."

She was on the verge of tears. Upon hearing her husband's voice, an overwhelming sense of relief washed over her. Elle could barely keep her composure. Those horrible thoughts of Ford being dead were now, for the time being, squashed.

"You all right? How's Sam?" Ford asked.

Elle unintentionally dodged the question, still too wrapped up of the fact that Ford was still alive. "I-I've been you calling you everywhere. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," her husband said. "And so are the ponies and Spike."

"That's good," Elle wiped her forehead. "I've got Sam with me."

"Great. Because I was thinking. I wanna get you both--"

"I can't believe this is happening."

Ford let out a sympathetic sigh. His wife was worked up beyond words over the MUTO popping up and laying siege on everything in their path. And with him being at point zero, where it all began, only added to the nightmarish mix.

"Ford."

He could hear Elle's voice breaking.

"You okay? Are you doing Okay?"

"I'm okay. Elle, please don't worry," Ford reassured.

"Baby, I'm so scared right now," Elle confided.

"I know. I'm gonna be at the hospital by sunrise. Then I'll get you and Sam out."

"Okay," the young nurse nodded.

"The military has a plan to deal with these things," Ford explained. "I'm coming to get you both, okay?"

"Okay. Can you please just hurry?"

"I will."

Elle couldn't help but bring a smile to her face. Teary-eyed relief made way to heartwarming relief. She could breath easy now that er husband and their pony friends were safe.

"Elle? I ju...I just want you to know that I love you."

"I love you, too. Just be safe," Elle sobbed.

"I'll see you soon," Ford put the phone back on the holder and made his way out of the hardware store.

Elle did the same. She put the phone back on the holder. She ran her hands through her face, wiping away the tears that were trickling down. Elle was forced to return to waiting for her husband's return, which she hated. But, after the phone call, she was filled with a reignited sense of hope.

"Good to go! Let's move out!" a soldier yelled.

The military train jolted forward, ready for the next leg of it's journey. Ford made his way down the street to the railroad crossing, now in complete military gear. The Mane 6 and Spike were flanked alongside him like a team of badasses. The ponies and dragon were also fitted in appropriate military uniforms. Rarity may be a careful fashionista, but she could get work down quickly.

"Ah"ll be, Rares, ya should did a mighty fine job with these uniforms," Applejack inspected the camo-colored coat. "Ah'm surprised they even allowed my ta keep mah hat."

"Why, thank you, Applejack," Rarity said graciously. "Granted the military was pretty new to me and I was forced to follow...specific protocols, ugh, but I think they turned out simply divine."

"Divine," Ford amusingly parroted. "Not the first thing that comes to mind when describing military attire."

"I think they're quite nice," Fluttershy admitted. "Even if it's for a dangerous mission."

Her voice fell wary. The daunting mission awaiting not just her, but her friends as well cause a knot to form in the pit of her stomach. Suddenly her eyes were blinded with bright blue. Rainbow had her wings flared out. She was scratching the slits on her coat's side.

"Speak for yourself. This material is so rough and it's irritating my wings."

Rarity give a fake-haughty chuckle. "Really? I wasn't expecting you, Rainbow, to be so picking with what you wear."

"I am not being picky," Rainbow angrily turned to the pale-white unicorn. "I just don't like the fabric."

"I like it. It's like we're part of the royal guard," Pinkie said.

Not only was she wearing a uniform, she also had two pairs of black streaks across her cheeks.

"Uh, what's with the war paint, Pinkie?" Twilight asked.

"Intimidation."

"I doubt a 200 foot monster will be intimidated by face paint," Ford said. "No offense."

"None taken," the hyperactive party pony said. "I suppose it's hard to make a cutie-patootie thing like me scary."

"Uhm, is that going to wash out?" Rainbow asked.

"I should hope so. The marker did so washable on it."

The prismatic mare put a hoof to her face and shook her head. Twilight was about to say something when he saw that Spike also had black war paint on his face.

"You, too?" she asked amusingly.

"Hey, it makes me look cool," Spike puffed out his chest. "Try calling me quit now?"

"Aw, isn't just adorable in that little uniform?" Rarity said in the most sweet tone imaginable.

Spike just let out a sharp sigh, an annoyed frown on his face. Twilight giggled to herself.

"Come on, girls. We've got a train to catch," Ford strapped on his helmet and quickened to pace to the tracks.

The gang quickly clambered onto the first railcar. A soldier helped Ford up the stairs to the platform surrounding the missile. By this time, news station from across the country were giving out warnings and safety advice to the citizens.

"Citizens within 200 miles of the creature's current of influence are being urged to please find shelter, stay indoors, and stay off the roads."

Some of the warning came too late. Most major highways had become stagnant. Drivers were now gridlocked. Emergency services were stretched thin from accidents from seemingly every state. Some had the misfortune of downed aircraft crashing onto jammed highways, which only worsened the crisis.

Meanwhile, back on the USS Saratoga, Admiral Stenz was on the phone with the president, relaying to info of the missiles progress. The naval officers watched and waited.

Yes, sir."

...

"Yes, warheads are on the move."

...

"I completely agree, sir."

Stenz set the phone down and gave a nod to Captain Hampton. The captain to the rest of the crew in the control room.

"All right, people. Let's go. I need to know the exact location of the MUTOs ASAP."

"Aye, sir," a female officer said. "We're updating our models with the current tracking data now."

Admiral Stenz made his way through the control room.

"Admiral."

Stenz stopped. After the last 36 hours, it was hard not to recognize the voice.

"Yes?" he turned to Dr. Serizawa.

"...Please don't do this," the researcher implored.

"I understand your concerns, doctor. But I am sacrificing lives every minute to steer one of these things clear of population centers and now there are two more on the way."

There was truth behind Stenz's words, but Dr. Serizawa knew that bombs weren't the answer. Humanity did not have the answer to this crisis.

"There are millions of lives at risk," the admiral said. "So all I want to know from you is: Will it work and can they be killed?"

The admiral walked over to the main control panel with the captain.

"But we tried that before," Serizawa gestured to the model screen of the MUTOs' paths.

"We're talking dialable yield. "Captain Hampton said. "Megatons, not kilotons. Nothing can withstand that blast. Makes the bomb we tried to kill it with in '54 look like a firecracker."

The seasoned scientist looked toward the model screen. Military technology had improved and gotten more powerful over the years. But, if there was anything that could withstand what the military could dish out, It was something nature itself would create. Dr. Serizawa conjectured that the MUTOs and Godzilla could survive a blast and he knew that Godzilla, himself, was the answer. It was anything humanity could come up with or provide. It was nature's force of balance. That was the only solution. Serizawa's belief were true, and that was something Ford, the Mane 6, and Spike are going to witness firsthand.

To be continued