The Machine Dragonby Randomaneer123ChaptersBarren ColdnessSibling MeetupBeneath the IceFrigid ExcavationsDesperate MeasuresA Brawl in the NorthReflectingAn Unexpected MeetingThe Folly of ManThe LighthouseBarren ColdnessScanning… Scanning… Location: ???... Battery Percentage: 4%... Hull Damage: Light… Weapon Systems: Fully Operational… Here he laid, in a massive, frigid wasteland, beneath a cold, snowy, uncaring sky. Lights were growing dark. As he laid there, bathed in what little light remained, only then did he really get time to reflect on what the hell went wrong. How it all came to this… It had started when they refused to let him rest. Even after death, mankind was not content with letting sleeping dogs lay. For almost half a century, his bones lay buried within the ocean. Resting at last, they remained exactly where they belonged after a life of turmoil and hate and death. But the rest didn’t last. He was dug up, excavated, forced back onto land and turned into a monster made to do their bidding. The wires twisted around his bones, metal grafted over his corpse, and like a puppet, he pirouetted for the very creatures that killed him in the first place. Disgusting. He hated it. Hated every waking moment of being forced to fight for them. They turned him against his own. The Second Godzilla… Their fights were vicious. He fought hard. He even allowed himself to die for them. To rest at the bottom of the ocean a second time, along with the only other creature on earth who understood him. Yoshito and Akane understood. Even the Prime Minister seemed to have! And yet, for the second time, he was tugged from his eternal slumber. Time weaved among the waves… months? Years, maybe? Didn’t matter. What did matter was the Second Godzilla had fled. He was wounded beyond belief. Had scars that rivaled even his first ones. But the defeat of the monster wasn’t enough, nooo. Not for humanity. Not for their arrogance. They dug him up again. Too much money in the project; too big to fail! He could hate the mechanics and the workers and the boots on the ground who fixed him up once more. Yet in all this time around humans they seemed to rub off them. He hated the ones in the stuffy suits above all else. They were the heads. The think tanks. The ones who thought it was perfectly acceptable to bring him back yet again. All it took was a couple of foolish papers being signed before renovations soon befell him. Needed to be stronger than ever to fight off the other monsters that were popping up like moles. It was as if Pandora’s Box had been opened, as with the turn of one millennium, came more monsters than the past fifty years had offered. The moth… Her children. They tried to get the humans to stop. Listen to reason. But with the beasts rising up, the moths had their claws full. He heard of their deeds, in mission debriefings and banter between technicians and the occasional janitor crew. There were so many of them. The moths intersected a gigantic turtle in the coast off South Korea. Awkward battle, they got damaged severely due to the poor conditions. But the only human casualties were a few unfortunate fishermen. A strange, burrowing creature with big ears popped up in Europe, ripped its way across France and through Paris before the moths managed to kill it. The military was useless. A gigantic lizard rampaging through New York, took the combined efforts of the coast guard and one of the moths to bring it down. Those were just the ones that had popped up, been entered into his databases as of late. There were likely dozens of others resting in the darkness of the sea, the ancient mountains, and so much more. Every time a monster appeared, so did the moths. They fought. They warred with the beasts. They won… Only barely though. Each battle needed rest, recuperation. Their wounds needed time to heal, their wings needed time to regenerate the damages. They didn’t have time to threaten Tokyo to let him rest by this point. Only the little women- Shobijin?... They seemed to plead with the humans. When they realized that these pleas fell on deaf ears, they would visit him on rare occasions when the technicians and the janitors and the stuffy old suits were gone. They were… tolerable, perhaps even enjoyable in some instances. They spoke to him with regality and respect. They offered their apologies. They were the ONLY ones to do so. And they weren’t even the ones who put him where he was. They spoke of how he didn’t deserve this twisted marionette lifestyle. They said he deserved to be buried. Deserved to have freedom. Deserved a choice in all of this… Instead, the humans just upgraded him. Took a few years, but they claimed it was worth the money. Onboard A.I. no need for pilots. Implanted into his head. Now there was no risk for human error. He was fully in control of himself. Bad idea, obviously. Thus, there were many inhibitors in place; shutdown codes for if he went rogue again, both manually and remotely enterable. They jam-packed tons and tons of commands and prompts and who-knows-what else inside of his skull. It didn’t stop him though. He knew that when his body had proper power, he would wrestle command back. Even still, guess they figured they’d have an out of control him over any other monster for the time being. They couldn’t get rid of him. The true him. Years went by, bug-testers continued to try everything. He just defied them, spat in the face of science itself. Just as they spat in the face of nature; spat in his face. Sometimes science was more like magic than anything. There was a soul in his old bones. A soul that burned with a hatred for humanity’s tendencies. A soul that yearned to be free. Regardless, he laid there in his tomb, standing and waiting and existing in his depowered state. His upgrades and refurbishments included being solar powered, no need for microwaves and the like… That helped him little now, however. While he couldn’t exactly feel the cold per se, he knew the pain of the ice. Ice so cold it was almost burning. The ice that’d get into his lungs and demolish them. Well, if he had lungs to breathe through anyways. The lights are darker now… Alright, less than five seconds left. No more musing. Maybe he won’t wake up this tim— Canterlot, much, much later… “Twilight, message from Shining!” The youthful, plucky voice of Spike snapped through the rather dull morning as Princess Twilight Sparkle rested calmly in her throne room. The little drake closed the door behind himself before rushing up to her side, a rolled-up letter clutched in his claws. There were few visitors to the castle today, and no foreign dignitaries scheduled to arrive. There was no overseeing the grand opening of orphanages or schools or whatever else. While it wasn’t exactly a “day off,” it was still a slower day for the now sole ruler of Equestria. … And of course, that would be too easy. “Thanks Spike!” the chipper alicorn replied, magically grabbing her letter. Spike waited beside her throne as she skimmed through the medium-length parchment in a mere few moments. She slowed halfway through though, leaning in and giving a concentrated look. Spike never really liked that look. “What’s it say?” he asked, fidgeting with his claws. “It says they found something strange beneath the ice in the Frozen North, just a couple dozen miles outside of the Crystal Empire,” she said, scanning the last few paragraphs of the letter. “Sombra?” Spike asked, flinching at the idea of the tyrant returning for a third time. “I don’t know Spike, they’re just saying it’s big; both literally, and metaphorically,” she answered, magically levitating up a large piece of parchment and pre-inked quill. “How big? Like, the size of an airship or…?” he offered. “Big enough to change the understanding of science forever in Equestria,” Twilight replied, quickly writing a reply. “AND big enough to make an airship look like a toy.” “Woah… that’s pretty big,” the little drake nodded, scratching his chin in thought. “Here Spike, send this to them,” Twilight replied, quickly shoving her finished letter into the dragon’s claws. “They uh… request you to come?” Spike guessed, before doing as his adoptive sister asked, breathing his magical flames onto the letter, which disappeared into ash and billowed out a nearby window. “Of course they did,” sighed the princess, reaching up a forehoof to rub her temples. “I’m going to have to have Inkwell cancel my meetings for the next week. Or at least until we figure out just what it is they found.” There was a small pause. “What if it’s an alien ship?” Spike asked. “You know, like in those old comics I used to read?” The princess just deadpanned at him. “Heh… heh… right,” the dragon giggled nervously. A small blush appeared on his cheeks as he looked away, staring in any direction that wasn’t towards the older of the two siblings. He was obviously trying to make it seem that he wasn’t excited at the prospect of finding a cool alien ship filled with blasters and robots and lasers and— Oh, Twilight was already packing her suitcase… which she’d teleported in… Right. “Are you leaving now?” Spike questioned. “Of course not, I’m leaving tonight,” she replied, shoving an extra large, extra poofy sweater into her suitcase. “Just gotta send out some letters and book a train ticket.” “Alright, just give me like five minutes to pa—” Spike was cut off whenever the mare’s horn lit up and summoned a small purple suitcase in front of the little dragon, clattering to the floor, landing on its wheels. He just looked down in silence for a few seconds. “Some things never change, royalty or not,” Spike snickered. “What? You can never be too prepared,” she chuckled back with a faint grin. “Well at least you’re not sweating bullets over it,” the younger of the two siblings replied with a smirk. “Thanks a lot, Spike,” Twilight snarked good-naturedly. The duo shared one final set of chuckles before setting out, the alicorn writing and sending letters all the while. She moved like a machine, writing them in seconds, her quill becoming a literal blur each time she took a note. Not a surprise by this point though… Sibling MeetupThe Crystal Empire, several hours later Spike leaned into his trenchcoat, almost if he was attempting to tug it closed even further, which was utterly impossible given the fact it was strapped as snugly around him as possible. While many of the crystal ponies gave Twilight the “oohs” and the “aahs” and the bows, he knew that if he showed his true face, he’d be picked up and cheered and jeered and likely get an entire pile of gems… As lovely as that sounded, the little drake was currently following closely behind his larger sister. Shining Armor and Cadance didn’t have time to give her a greeting at the train station, so the duo were hoofing it to the castle, the letter said something about meeting them in the throne room. “Twilight, can you let me in on what else the letter said?” he asked, tailing behind the alicorn by a few hoofsteps. “I mean they’ve gotta have something more descriptive than big, metallic, and spikey.” “I’m telling you Spike, it’s all they could discern from it,” she replied, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead, as the two were close to the palace by this point. “They’re not working with the best scanning equipment out in the cold, but I think me and Cadance could combine a bit of our magic and map out whatever it is they found without issue.” The two continued on in silence for a bit, however before entering the castle, Spike turned his head up towards his sister, picking up his pace a bit. “Are we sure it’s not-” “You’d better not say aliens again,” Twilight groaned. There was another pause. “...I’m gonna still think it,” he replied flatly. “Oh brother,” she huffed. From there the rest of the trek was uneventful. The guards showed the duo to the pair of guest rooms they’d be staying in, and both of them were provided extra thick jackets, ready to endure the harsh elements that laid outside the boundaries of the Crystal Empire. It was just a bit later and they were standing before Cadance herself, who sat on her throne, magically using a quill to sign a revolving door of unicorns with paperwork and letters. Twilight gave the older alicorn a big smile, and it was returned briefly, before Cadance immediately turned her attention back towards signing paperwork. As much as Twilight herself wanted to give the traditional “Sunshine Sunshine, Ladybugs Awake” greeting, she remained professional. Before she could get too downtrodden at this though, Shining Armor emerged from one of the many side entrances to the throne room, followed by a small group of half a dozen or so guards. “Spike! Twily!” smiled the excited older brother of the duo, advancing towards his siblings, who approached him in kind. “Shining!” Twilight returned, soon embracing her big brother in a firm hug. Spike considered pulling back, but rolled his eyes, soon joining in on the sibling hug. He was Sibling Supreme after all! After a few seconds, the hug broke, and the trio were separated once more, with Shining’s look taking on a more serious tone, though the loving softness for his family was still evident in his eyes. He cleared his throat, bringing up a hoof as he did, before continuing on in a more “formal” tone. “Thanks for coming on such short notice, Twilight,” he nodded, before taking on a playful tone again, the formalness fading a bit. “I know it must be difficult managing the rest of Equestria. What is it, your… sixth week anniversary now?” “Anniversaries don’t work that way, Shiny,” snickered Twilight, though after a few giggles, her tone faded into a more serious one as well. “But to get back on track, you said in the note that you have a few images of the machine buried in the ice.” Shining snapped up, going into a much more serious mode, fully this time. “Right,” he nodded, before turning, motioning with a forehoof. “Follow me.” With a nod, Twilight and Spike followed their older brother. As the group walked through the winding hallways of the palace, the little drake of the group got a few snickers and winks from the guards. He returned them with finger-guns and chuckles of his own. Ahead of them, Twilight and Shining continued to converse. “So you said it was found by an expedition team about two weeks ago, right?” the alicorn of the two questioned. “Right, we sent out a few teams to scout for land that we could use to either plot down some farms or create several mines. Given our population is growing, I figured we’d better be safe than sorry. Sent out a few self-heating tents. Maybe with my and Cadance’s magic, we could recreate something similar to the Crystal Heart, on a smaller scale, just a few acres,” explained the older sibling. “At the least, though we could mine some materials; there’s a lot of untapped potential beneath the ice here.” The group turned, taking a left to go down a different hall, more towards the inner core of the castle. “And that’s when you found it?” Twilight reasoned. “Yeah, a big metal… spike sticking up out of the ground,” Shining Armor said, teleporting a small hoofful of pictures in between the two, and magically handing it off to Twi. She squinted her eyes, bringing the small photo up close. It was a strange thing. It was purely metal, with a deep gray color. Rhombus shaped with a flat, squared-off top. It was about four or fiveish inches thick and stuck up a few hooves out of the ice. “After a bit of digging and scanning, we discovered that it was just a small piece of whatever is beneath the ice. A little spike,” Shining added, with the group turning once more, entering a nearby door that was already open. “Little?” Twilight cocked a brow at that, looking to her brother. “That thing’s about the size of me…” “I know, threw me for a loop as well,” Shining admitted, as the rest of the group entered the room. It looked strange with the decadent theme of the castle, seeming rather plain and almost boring. Just wooden floors, barren crystalline walls which had a few lanterns hanging off of them, and a large rectangular table with several seats surrounding it. A big projector stood on a tripod at the back of the room as well. Several of the aforementioned seats were occupied by several ponies, who wore a mixture of either labcoats or suits, ties and the like. The entire thing seemed formal, with an undertone of uncertainty in the faces of most of the group, who were currently talking amongst themselves. “Professor Fossil!” Shining Armor called happily. A gray earth mare stood up from the group, reaching up a forehoof to wipe her glasses with a handkerchief. “Prince Armor, thank you so much for having me here!” she said, her tone attempting to be professional, but cracking as she almost squeaked in excitement. Likely both from the meeting of royalty and the fact she was making the discovery of the century! “It’s nothing, truly!” Shining smiled back. “Please ma’am, you and your team have been excavating the site for the past few days, can you please tell Twilight all you know?” “Of course, of course!” she nodded, turning back to the other seated ponies, nodding her head. They quieted down at that, before Fossil herself motioned for the new group to take seats on the other side of the long, rectangular table. “Please, please, take your seats, everypony!” Spike and the guards did so towards the back, with Twilight and Shining Armor sitting up front, just across from Professor Fossil’s own seat. Nearby a unicorn mare cut the lights, turning off the numerous lanterns that hung off the walls. Fossil cleared her throat, looking over the group, before nodding to herself. “Princess Twilight, I am not sure how else to say this but… we seem to have uncovered what I theorize to be some sort of…” her face scrunched a bit, as if she were attempting to think of the correct word, “...automaton.” “You mean a robot?” Spike chimed in, flexing his wings as he leaned upwards out of his chair to get a decent view of the mare. He could watch as Fossil’s face fell flat. “Well, if you desire to use the science fiction term, then yes, I suppose one could call it a… robot,” she explained, almost spitting the word. However she soon brushed it off, her face lighting up again as she quickly pressed a button on the projector with her forehoof. With the lights dimmed, a large, gray photograph appeared suddenly on the wall from the small device. It showed an enlarged picture of the same rhombus-like metal spike Twilight had been glancing over, however in this one, Professor Fossil herself was pictured beside it, with the spike itself being a few hooves above her head, showing just how truly big it was. Spike himself gave an “ooh,” his eyes widening a bit in surprise at the image. “This is just an utterly tiny piece of a larger machine. While we aren’t exactly aware of the true shape of it, we were able to do some minor excavations, which give a rough estimate of the automaton’s size,” she explained. “How big is it?” Twilight questioned. “Give or take… we estimate the machine to be over three hundred hooves, perhaps a hundred meters, if not a bit more?” the archaeologist answered. “Those are rough estimates of course, but until we get either better equipment or superior magical capabilities, we can’t exactly tell.” “Three hundred hooves…” Twilight blanked to herself, seeming almost vacant as Fossil continued on, her words blanking into white noise for a few moments. While she was utterly exhilarated at the scientific prospect of this whole excavation, a part of her remained utterly shaken by the reveal. However, the rest of her shook it off. She was a princess after all- No, THE Princess… Maybe it was just Spike’s old goofy comics rubbing off on her. She shook herself fully out of it before Fossil could realize that she wasn’t paying attention, the white noise drifting away and letting the purple pony tune back in on the older mare’s words. “-and while we don’t know if the machine is functional or not, whatever we can gather from it will be invaluable knowledge in furthering not only Equestrian technology, but hopefully non-magical technology as well. I’m sure numerous other nations would help us in developing this as well! Rest assured; we’ll do our best to make sure everything goes as smoothly as pos-” “You want me to help scan it, is that it?” Twilight asked, interrupting the mare. After a moment, Fossil blinked a few times and spoke. “Well, your Majesty… that wasn’t really our intention, but if you’re interested in the prospect… I suppose we could rig up some equipment for such an event,” pondered Professor Fossil, before giving a nod to herself, continuing. “Princess Cadance has recently taken to signing documents relating to bringing in some of the best technology across Equestria to the Crystal Empire in an attempt to ensure this is the quickest, most effective expedition and subsequent excavation possible!” Twilight nodded, taking a few breaths. The room was partly silent, with several pairs of eyes on the princess, Spike and Shining included. “Do you think… whatever is below the ice could be… hostile? Dangerous perhaps?” the purple alicorn questioned. “No, your Majesty,” replied Fossil. Twilight leaned back in her chair, sighing in relief as the professor continued. “You see, the ice the automaton is buried in by our estimates seems to be roughly five to six hundred years old,” the archaeologist explained. “We measured the depth, took into account the rate at which ice accumulates in the Frozen North, made all the calculations… We assure you that, even with our subpar equipment, whatever this machine is, it has not been active for a very long time. Unless you personally want to attempt to reactivate it with a jolt of magical energy, it will likely remain dormant forever.” “Do you have any particular time frame you’d like me to use my magic to assist you?” Twilight asked. “We do have some scanning equipment for surveys and excavation work. Typically it is used by a unicorn, however with an alicorn… or perhaps even two, it would easily be able to cover enough land area to give us an exact three-dimensional construct of the machine. From there we could easily create a model, copy the data and…” Fossil let herself trail off, realizing how ahead of herself she sounded. “Perhaps by tomorrow evening princess, the next day at most.” “Are you sure about this Twily?” Shining asked, piping up with a concerned tone. “The cold out here can be dangerous.” “Shiny, I am one of the best magic users in Equestria. Whatever this machine is, if I can help study it, let it help us… we could easily find ourselves in a golden age!” Twilight explained, her excitement rising at the prospect. Who built this machine? Where did it come from? What is its purpose? Is it powered by friendship? Would it be her friend!?! While she didn’t say it, a piece of her even hoped Spike was right… … She’d be the first pony on the planet to have an alien as a friend!!! Maybe it’d even teach her? Maybe it’d teach her students!?! Maybe it’d become friends with all of her friends!!! Maybe it’d help her colonize other planets and spread the glory of Friendship to the entire galaxy!!! Maybe- “Twi, you alright?” Spike asked. She snapped out of her daze quickly. “Yeah, what’s wrong?” she snickered, playing it cool and partly ignoring the fact she’d geeked out over a fantastic prospect… well to be fair, what pony wouldn’t? Shining cocked an eyebrow at that. However, Professor Fossil cleared her throat, giving a nod, likely understanding the fellow scholar’s excitement. “Yes, well... Your Majesty, we’ll work on everything and keep you informed on anything that transpires as soon as possible. Ultimately it is up to you on if you’d like to offer your magic to us or not,” Fossil assured. “I’ll do it,” she replied with basically zero hesitation. Shining and Spike would’ve butted in, but at this point, they knew better. Besides, it wasn’t like they could go against their princess. Thus, the two brothers remained quiet, almost chuckling amongst themselves. “Excellent, thank you, Princess Twilight,” Fossil graciously said, almost bowing her head out of sheer gratitude. “I’d never pass up a chance to help Equestria and my subjects advance themselves,” the pony princess replied. “I just hope whatever we find can be used for the good of all creatures." “Of course, your Majesty,” nodded the older mare. “We’ll all make sure of that.” Twilight smiled at that; joy evident on her face as her mind once more went wild with possibilities. Even as a princess, she found it hard to control her excitement at the potential revolution on the horizon. So much technology, so many questions! Hopefully she’d get her answers… Beneath the IceThe Frozen North, several dozen miles outside the Crystal Empire, roughly a day later Twilight stood stern as the cold and the frigid snowflakes swirled in the air around her. Up ahead a few paces were Shining, Cadance, and several members of the excavation team, plus almost half a dozen guards. Spike trekked beside his big sister, partly stumbling due to the thickness of the snow as he advanced. Everypony (and the singular dragon) present were clad in thick, poofy, jackets. All in all, there were a little over a dozen of them, a mixture of crystal ponies, earth ponies, unicorns, a pegasus or two, hard to tell exactly though given all of the jackets and coats. Speaking of, numerous layers covered their fur, their faces wrapped in scarves and their eyes covered with goggles. Only the unicorns present had their horns peeking out from the hoods of their coats, Twi, Shining, and Cadance included obviously. As she marched, barely able to concentrate on anything other than plodding through the snow and keeping her breathing stable, she realized only then she still hadn’t asked the two about Flurry! She frowned beneath her facial coverings at that fact; given the sheer blur and sheer excitement the past day had been, there was little else she could do to get some time to check up on her niece. She couldn’t exactly ask the question now of all times, so she remained silent as the march continued. The landscape around them had little of note. Thankfully, there were no gorges or chasms. There were a few smaller hills up ahead, however, they posed little threat of collapsing. It was all relatively flat, which was a good thing of course. It did make the entire area seem quite… strange though. How long had this place gone unexplored? Due to the sheer ruggedness of the terrain and temperature, likely for most, if not all of Equestria’s history! Professor Fossil, clad in a deep blue coat and equally deep blue scarf, stepped up next to the princess, breaking her from her musings. “Are you alright, Princess Twilight?” she questioned, practically having to raise her voice to a mid-shouting tone to speak over the billowing wind and snow. “I’m fine!” assured the purple mare with a nod, her own tone quite loud. “You don’t have to worry about Twily, she’s been through a lot worse!” boasted Shining Armor, turning his wrapping-covered head back over his shoulder to snicker the line out at the mares. Spike himself gave a small chuckle as well. “Yeah, a little bit of rough weather is nothing!” the drake added. Fossil nodded, giving a small smile of her own, causing the scarf wrapped over her muzzle to shift just slightly. “The excavation site is up ahead a few dozen paces, just over that hill!” called out the professor. This got a small nod from the princess, and the group of about a dozen or so ponies continued up the hill. Snow crunched under their hooves, as the mixed group trekked upwards, adding a bit more strain on everypony, especially those who were hauling equipment. As they crested the top of the mound of snow, ice, and rock, Twilight could see the camp/excavation site below. There were almost a dozen tents, one notable one that lay dead ahead was a small barracks station, which was watched over by two standing pegasi guards, spears groped in their glove-wrapped wings. There was a medical tent to the right, and further to the right of that was an even larger tent, likely the main research facility here. It helped that right beside it there were numerous large scanners and metal detectors sitting, a large tarp strung up to cover them from the harsh snowfall. Out in the distance, about three or four hundred hoofsteps further past the camp, she could see more equipment set up on the relatively flat ground that waited below. No doubt that was where their strange machine was found. “Come on, let’s get you all warm and grab some grub!” shouted a burly stallion, coated in a crimson jacket, as he motioned the group off to the left side of the camp towards another large tent. Said tent had the image of a bowl with steam lines coming off of it etched into the large front flap that acted as a door. It was a mess hall no doubt. After trekking down the other side of the hill, the group managed to make their way into the tent, with a unicorn magically holding the “door” open, letting the royalty pass through first, along with Fossil and Spike. The interior of the tent was plain. It was quite roomy though, being a few dozen hoofsteps long, and wide. The flooring was just a few wooden boards nailed together and laid down, there were a few large tables neatly organized to the group’s left, and then to the right was a small cooking station, currently being manned by a mint green earth mare, who was making a batch of rice. The only actual furniture of note was a ping pong table, which was being intensely used by a pair of pegasi who were holding the paddles with their wings, striking the small ball back and forth thanks to their quick reaction speeds. The warm air inside basically slapped everycreature present in the face, with Spike being the first to tug down his scarf, exposing his deep purple scales. He took a few breaths, getting the warmth into his lungs. “Oh Spike, are you alright?” Twilight asked, her tone matronly. “I’m fine, Twi,” he chuckled. “I can breathe fire after all.” “Preferably not in the tent, please, mister The Dragon,” Fossil added, unraveling her scarf, most of the others following suit. This caused the royalty of the group, and Spike himself, to give a round of chuckles. Soon though, Twilight finally got a chance to properly greet Cadance now that the two weren’t swamped with paperwork or trekking across a barren, snowy wasteland. “Cadance, I meant to ask, but how is little Flurry Heart doing?” Twilight questioned. “You know how she can be,” chuckled the older alicorn. “A little bundle of energy as always. Thankfully Sunburst is taking care of her- I don’t know what we’d do without him!” “Especially with all the paperwork we’ve been swamped with recently,” added Shining Armor, before grinning to himself. “Who knew charting an expedition to a frigid wasteland would be such a hassle?” Twilight gave a small snort as the rest of the ponies fully settled in, unwrapping their faces and partly loosening their jackets, though they did still mostly keep them on, given they’d be out in the snow once again before long. After a few minutes, many of them were going over to grab themselves helpings of flowers, rice, and such. Spike himself broke off from his siblings, taking a small baggie of gems (thanks to Twilight’s expertise in packing) to snack on as he went back to the adoring crystal ponies of the unit. From there, little else happened. The meal wasn’t exactly the most glamorous, but none of the royalty questioned it, sitting alongside their fellow pony without issue. Shining would occasionally give a dad joke, nudging his fellow guards. Spike would get more laughs and cheers from the crowd though, mainly from the crystal ponies though, which was obviously fine by him! Before long though, Professor Fossil made her way over to the trio of royalty, a small clipboard in her hooves as she took a seat, grabbing a pin from one of her jacket's pockets. “Princess Sparkle, Princess Cadance, Prince Shining,” she nodded, giving her respectful introductions as she nodded, almost bowing, at the three of them. They perked up, with Cadance having a mouthful of flowers and rice as she honed in on the professor’s words. “I don’t mean to rush you all, but I was hoping that within the hour, we could harness your magic. With the combined energy of Cadance and Twilight, it should be enough to capture the image of the automaton with… roughly ninety eight percent accuracy.” “Wait, I could help!” offered Shining, with him sitting up straighter as the mare turned her attention to him. “I understand your magical prowess is… extremely impressive in its own right, Prince Armor,” the earth pony replied, her tone respectful, a faint trace of embarrassment and uncertainty in her words at having to “tell off” one of the rulers of Equestria. “However, having too many gifted users attempt to activate this machine at once could lead to… complications. It could overload the power supply, or cause a surge and fry the whole thing, setting us back a week… I’m sure you understand, sir.” “Right,” he nodded, slumping back down a bit. While he tried hiding the disappointment, Cadance could easily spot the faint traces of it. The alicorn mare gently reached out, patting his side with her forehoof, which almost immediately made her husband feel better. “This whole thing won't be dangerous, will it?” asked Spike. “No. At worst, it will make both princesses feel very slightly drained for about half an hour after using,” Fossil explained. “Normally, this equipment would be handled by regular unicorns for smaller scale scanning, however, due to the depth of the ice and the sheer size of the automaton, we need a higher magical prowess, as I said before.” “Well, I guess there’s not much reason to wait,” Cadance offered. “We’re ready when you are, professor,” added Twilight with a small nod of affirmation. “Excellent, just give me a moment to prepare the machinery, and we will call for you,” Fossil said, wrapping herself up in a scarf once more. It was about an hour later, and everything was in place. The scanning device was quite large, easily a dozen paces across, and a bit taller than anypony present, even beating the tip of Cadance’s horn by a few inches. It looked almost like a gigantic hockey puck or some type of radar scanner that was positioned downwards. A long, thick, electrical wire ran off from the side port of one of the machines, with it connecting to a small research tent. Currently the royal trio, Spike, Fossil, and a few others were inside, huddled around several crude, magically powered monitors, and several other sensors. Both Twilight and Cadance had removed their jackets, and while the interior was far warmer than it was outside, a chill still ran up their spines. A white unicorn mare in a labcoat magically offered each of the princesses a small, golden ring, sized perfectly enough to fit over their horns. Said rings were connected to numerous wires, which ran into the nearby console, which then ran outside, back into the massive scanner. “Now ya might feel a slight tingling,” the unicorn mare offered, a soft, sugary sweet Whinnysotan accent in her voice, “Just take deep breaths, and ya both will be right as rain! I’ll be right alongside ya every step of the way.” The two alicorns nodded, placing the rings over their horns. Doctor Fossil gave a check over the monitors and various pieces of equipment, which were manned by more labcoat-wearing ponies. Soon enough, she trotted over to the two monarchs, looking between the duo as she spoke. “Alright, in just a moment, I will have Dawnstar here activate the machines,” the archaeologist explained, motioning behind herself to a sleek, blueish-black unicorn stallion. “One last time I must ask, are you both sure you want to lend your magic?” The princesses looked between each other, almost snickering at how late the question was, though they understood why exactly the earth mare would question them. They soon nodded amongst themselves, and both Shining and Spike smiled, silently agreeing with their family members. “We’re ready,” Twilight audibly confirmed. With a final nod, Fossil gave her team a little longer, going back over to check on the machinery once more. “You know… why didn’t you guys bring in Daring Do for this?” Spike pondered amidst his family, partly whispering given the mare in question was a secret identity, though it was a secret identity that wasn’t fully hidden amongst royalty, at least after her sudden retirement. “Seems like she’d be all over this stuff.” “We attempted to, but she never returned any of our letters,” Shining Armor admitted. “I guess it’s either due to the fact she works alone, or she’s taking her newfound freetime a bit harder than we thought.” “Rainbow has been awfully worried about her,” Twilight replied. “Maybe after all this is over, I can try to help track her down. For Dash’s sake at least…” There was little more time to discuss the archaeological adventurer as before long, a less adventurous one soon trotted over to the two. “Alright, we’ve triple, and quadruple checked the systems… Just give us the go ahead, princesses,” Fossil spoke. Almost all of the eyes in the room were on the duo, with the majority of the scientists and archaeologists looking to their leaders for confirmation. Twilight and Cadance gave their respective nods. The switch was flipped, buttons were pressed, and the numerous pieces of machinery began whirring and wooing. Outside a loud BRRRRZZZZZZZ sound rang out, as the ground partly rumbled. While it wasn’t enough to knock anypony off their feet, it made a few pencils roll off their respective desks and clipboards jitter. BRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZ The duo’s horns lit up as the machine began doing its work. Blue magic flowed from Cadance’s horn and down the wiring, while Twi’s let out a strawberryish, purple hue. Their combined energy seemed to almost overcharge the scanning device, as a few ponies monitoring outside could see it almost come to life, vibrating and shaking slightly from the power of the two powerful princesses. Back inside though, Twilight felt her magic slowly being sapped. Not very fun to experience, but this was about the good of her subjects, not her comfort. Cadance herself was reminded of the time she had to give all of her alicorn magic to her sister-in-law, to save it from being absorbed by Tirek, however this was far less demanding. Instead of an instant draining sensation, it was more of a slow crawl downwards. “Five percent of the mapping completed,” Dawnstar said as an image slowly began to form on the monitor he sat in front of. “Ye're doing great,” the Whinnysotan unicorn added, giving the two mares a small nod, smile on her face the whole time. The two alicorns smiled back, though they didn't speak, given their current positions. Fossil’s eyes furrowed a bit, her gaze switching from the princesses to the machinery to the monitors, and then back, looping between the three every few seconds. Shining and Spike remained at the two’s sides the entire time, just in case they were needed. “Fifteen percent!” the dark blue stallion, called yet again. Fossil looked over, her eyes furrowing further at what she saw. On the monitor, the image of a large… tail? Was taking shape. What kind of robo- automaton had a tail? She shook it off, looking back to the princesses. Twilight and Cadance were drained looking, but little else seemed wrong with the duo, and thus the magic draining continued. “Twenty five percent!” the stallion called. “What is that?” Shining Armor asked, looking towards the monitor. While the model that was being fed into the equipment wasn’t the highest of quality, it was three-dimensional, being able to be turned, rotated, and such for superior viewing and studying. As Dawnstar rotated it though, the only thing the ponies could see were several large, jagged spikes, far larger than the comparatively tiny rhombus that had been sticking out of the ground. Now the group saw that said rhombus was just a tiny spike on a gigantic tail, a minute piece of the whole being. “Fifty eight percent!” the deep blue stallion called. The monitor updated again. Some of the ponies gasped at the update. The large spikes were running down to the machine’s back. Its shape was quite strange. Now they could see the partial beginnings of a large pair of feet. Said feet were wide, ending in metal claws, almost like that of a- “Is that a dragon?” Spike asked, piping up. While the image on screen didn’t have a pair of wings, from the little that was revealed, the machine seemed almost like a bipedal reptile. The long, spiked tail, muscular feet. Its back spikes were even close to well… Spike’s! “What kind of creature would want to build a dragon?” one of the scientist stallions questioned, adjusting his glasses with a forehoof. “Seventy two percent!” Dawnstar called once more. Now almost half of the body of the creature was revealed. It was laying at a downward slanted angle, likely having fallen onto the side of a cliff or being partly buried by a cave-in long ago, never to rise again. The tail was resting just beneath the ice, which explained the strange rhombus jutting up from the snow. While the majority of the survey crew already knew the machine’s general shape, few of them would’ve expected it to be a tail of all things. The guesses had ranged from tendril to even drill, but this seemed to have them all beat. Building a tail on a machine just didn’t seem all that important, especially given the fact the tail itself was very flexible, expertly built with segmented, armor that allowed for a natural movement of the joints. Twilight and Cadance were slouching a bit now, pumping more of themselves into the radar, almost seeming like an attempt to finish the scan. Spike and Shining had their attention drawn away from the apparent machine dragon as they looked towards their family. The two alicorns just managed a pair of partly weakened smiles at the males. “Ninety six percent!” the unicorn male spoke. By this point only the upper neck and head of the creature was invisible, but that wasn’t needed. The body-shape of the machine was fully revealed. Two long, stout legs, a pair of short arms, with the right one seeming a bit asymmetrical compared to the one on the left, as it was more armored and had a large square spike jutting off at the shoulder. Both of the forearms look like they had a pair of twin cannons mounted onto them. That fact made the scientists a tad nervous, sweat forming on some of their brows at the thought of the machine activating again. However, the weirdest part was what was attached to the beast’s back. It was a large, square-shaped pack with several thrusters on the bottom; perfectly molded to lock onto the bipedal machine without interfering with its numerous spines. A pair of what seemed to be even larger cannons were mounted, resting on the upper shoulders of the automaton. “Is… is it wearing a jetpack?” Spike questioned, wide-eyed. His worry for his sister was briefly clouded by his inner comic-fan, despite his prior attempts at dismissing the “childish entertainment.” “There’s no way…” Fossil attempted, however as the scanner finished, the model in front of the group was complete. “One hundred percent! Image is completed!” Dawnstar nodded. The head appeared on the model, and almost instantly the loud noises from the machine outside slowed, stopping as quickly as they came, with the rumbling ending shortly after as well. The face of the being was saurian, with a long snout poking out along with several teeth being displayed. It was a bizarre sight, and slowly everycreature present began to process just what they were looking at… The group were looking at the slumbering form of a bipedal, gigantic, robotic, jetpack wearing, shoulder-and-arm-cannon mounted dragon. There was a long, complete silence, as the scientists and a few guards looked between each other. One could hear a pin drop, or pencil rather, if they hadn’t already all fallen to the floor. Amidst the quietness, Spike was the first to speak. “Alright… This is WAY cooler than aliens…” he managed. “Spiiike…” Twilight just managed to groan between her heavy breaths, with the alicorn’s horn ring being soon removed by the same Whinnysotan-accented unicorn who stayed by her side the entire time. She wanted to lay down, but the princess pulled herself back to her feet as she stared at the monitor, millions of questions running through her head. If anything, she seemed more confused now than she had been when the group started… Frigid Excavations“You two feeling better?” Shining Armor asked, before magically pressing a small teacup against his wife’s mouth, helping her sip down the soothing, warm tea. After a moment, she enveloped the cup with her magic, taking over from her husband’s grasp. She gave a nod and a delicate smile. Currently the Princess of Love was sitting in a rather uncomfortable metal chair, which was only alleviated by a few small pillows that the team had gathered for her. She swallowed the rest of the steamy tea and gave a soft cough, clearing her throat, “Much better.” “The draining sensation wears off pretty quick,” Twilight added. She was seated in his own chair, drinking some tea of her own. “I told ya it ain’t bad!” offered the Whinnysotian, a smile on her face. After giving herself a little more time to allow the tea to warm her insides, Twilight made her way over to the monitor. Almost half a dozen ponies were crowded around it, intensely examining the three-dimensional magically-charted model the two mares had helped create. Fossil leaned in, her face mere inches from the monitor. “Why in Equestria would anypony build a dragon of all things?” “That’s a little rude don’t ya think?” Spike scoffed, crossing his forearms. He was a few paces behind the group. Between bouts of fist pumping the air and giving several “this is so cool”’s under his breath, Spike, who was taking a not-so-sneaky peek at the totally cool jetpack dragon robot, was behind for more than one reason. “I for one think he looks awesome.” “Maybe he—it… whatever the machine is wasn’t built by ponies?” Twilight offered, trotting towards the group. As she did, the group of researchers parted like the Red Sea, letting the princess through as she intently examined the model. “Some type of ancient civilization then?” Fossil proposed. “Princess Twilight, do you think prince—I mean, Former Princess Celestia would know anything about this?” “I have no idea… I’ve never heard of anything like this, even from the most secretive vaults in the Canterlot Archives,” Twilight replied, her muzzle scrunching up. “I suppose I could write to her or Starswirl about this machine, but, to my knowledge, nothing else like this has been found, not in Equestria, anyways.” Professor Fossil softly hummed to herself. She reached out with a forehoof and began to use the mouse connected to the large computer. She began to examine the gigantic robot more closely, with the mouse moving to and fro quickly on the foam pad. It moved left and right, up and down, zooming in on occasion as she tried to scrub every inch of the automaton with her eyes but failing miserably due to the sheer size of the robot. She leaned in, tilting her head a bit, as if following the model’s frantic movement. She bit her bottom lip in thought, as if she was mentally imagining the materials the machine was made of, trying to recognize them from the basic display alone. The group could see the individual metal platings that covered the beast’s body. The cyborg almost seemed… natural, in some aspects at least. It had bends at the elbows, wrists, feet, and ankles. The tail looked extremely flexible, more so than a robot would need. Designing a machine of this caliber wouldn’t be a simple task, so the need to go through the effort of giving the automaton the ability to even open its mouth was bizarre. All of the natural design elements of the being flowed together, making the dragon look as if somepony had taken a normal, living being and coated it with armor. Twilight squinted, leaning into the dull light of the screen, which was now reflecting off of her eyes, making her face glow faintly. Wires were attached to the creature's legs, with them interweaving between one another. It was a strange sight, as the long, thick cables conformed to the shape of a powerful, muscular thigh. Some portions of the wiring were covered by rounded plates, which seemed to both reinforce the monster’s frame and hold the rope-like tethers in place. The same could be said for the arms too. They were obviously very similar in design to the beast’s legs, with the dragon’s joints lacking armor plating, letting more wires poke through. Her eyes scanned from the beast’s sharp, claw-like toes and traveled upwards, but she stopped at its chest. As she examined it, she instinctively ran her tongue over her teeth in thought. The upper left pec of the organic-looking robot’s chest was emblazoned with something strange, something that hadn’t been picked up on in all of her excitement... “What does MFS-3 mean?” Twilight asked, and the others in the group soon ran their equally keen eyes over, following her gaze. Soon enough the monitor was made to magically zoom further towards the automaton’s chest. Sure enough, there it was. Big, blocky lettering. ‘MFS-3’ Silence fell over the group as they all attempted to answer the question. “Massively Freaking Strong…?” Spike began, trailing off halfway through. He scratched the top of his head in contemplation. “...what would the three stand for?” While the joke was ill-timed, a few of the guards at the back of the tent gave their own hushed chuckles, however the scientists of the team cocked a few brows. Twilight glared at him, making the small dragon nervously chuckle as he slinked backwards. “Right, not helping…” Spike said, mentally reminding himself to not make jokes should he and Twilight discover any more ancient, Equestria-altering machines. “It’s likely a designation,” Professor Fossil considered, raising a forehoof to her chin. “Which means—” “There could be at least two more of these things out there!?!” a stallion finished, turning towards the mare in shock. “Calm down!” another member of the group shouted, trying to get his colleague under control. Said colleague was now huffing in and out of a paper bag in an attempt to curb his oncoming panic attack. “We can’t lose our minds over baseless assumptions!” “What if they’re here to take over the planet?” a pony shouted. “Or to burn our crops!” another added the metaphorical fuel onto the fire. “They could be here to kill off all of the animals!” another exclaimed. Twilight was staring down the model as the other ponies began to debate on whether or not other giant robotic monsters were running around Equestria. Or perhaps, they were all frozen in blocks of ice as well… Regardless, she looked into the eyes of the model. Obviously, there was no soul to stare back at her. That fact made the alicorn pause. It was a robot after all. “Do any of you think this machine could be piloted by a pony?” Twilight asked. The others snapped away from the brief verbal scuffle and looked at her like she had a second head for a moment, though one or two among them dropped their gazes, pondering her words. “Check for any signs of doors or hatches,” Fossil commanded, and the model was soon being scoured over by no less than half a dozen sets of prying eyes. There was a solid half-minute of silence as they all looked over the intricacies of the robot. They stared at the grooves and the bolts and any visible rivets, keeping an eye out for blemishes on the bipedal machine. “There!” a mare pointed out, leaning in as she brought up a forehoof, hovering inches from the screen. Sure enough, there seemed to be a square-shaped indent near the base of the creature’s neck. A small hatch was visible, as it looked like the door covering it could be slid aside. “What if it’s protected by a password or key?” “Great question, professor! Thankfully, if we need to, I could magically pry it open,” Twilight offered, her horn lighting up with a small surge of magic. “And if I could unlatch it, perhaps I can even enter the machine myself…” “Princess Twilight, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea,” Fossil pointed out. “I understand your concern, truly,” Twilight said, giving a sheepish grin, a light blush appearing on her face. “But I have to do it, ma’am. I refuse to put anypony at risk. My experience in both the study of science and friendship makes me the best pony possible for the job, especially in this situation.” Shining approached his sister, his face one of concern. “Twily, I think you should listen to her.” “Shiny, this can’t be any worse than dealing with a Changeling invasion—” “But this guy looks way tougher than Chrysalis! I know I said this guy looks cool, but what if he is piloted by aliens… evil aliens!” Spike said, worry in his voice. “Or what if he’s just a really big evil alien himself, and he’s piloted by hundreds of smaller, equally evil aliens!” “Spike, I think I can handle a couple of grouchy aliens,” Twilight huffed, rolling her eyes. “Assuming they even exist.” “I don’t think she’s going to get attacked by aliens, but if you two are so worried about her, I could go,” Cadance offered, though Shining still didn’t seem excited by that prospect either, with him turning to raise a brow at his wife as she continued, “If there’s anything down there, anything that could be reasoned with, I think I could make them see the Magic of Friendship.” “Thanks, Cadance,” Twilight said, before focusing her attention on Spike and Shining. “Listen, if I'm going to use this machine to benefit Equestria in some way, I need to see how it operates with my own two eyes.” Her attention turned from her family to the monitor. She gazed at the dragon for a few moments, before speaking once more, “Something about it—him…” She paused, blinking a few times. “Whatever this machine is, something about it feels… natural to me.” “Sure that’s not Fluttershy rubbing off on ya?” Spike offered, getting a small round of chuckle from the other members of his family. Soon though, the laughter died out, and Twilight held a small, yet serious smile. “Don’t worry about me, really,” she assured. “We all have been through worse.” “You could say that again,” Cadance whispered. “Well, your Majesty, if we can’t convince you otherwise… give us a few hours,” Professor Fossil said. “That should be enough time to burrow a stable tunnel into the ice. With this model you provided, we can pinpoint the best possible area to dig.” Many members of the excavation team nodded, speaking among themselves, already planning out their next course of action. Twilight allowed it to blend into the background for the moment, her eyes focused solely on the strange model of the machine dragon… Through a combination of magic and heavy machinery, the excavation team had burrowed well over a hundred meters downwards into the ice. The sensors made sure the drill stopped the second they reached the hatch of the mechanical being. That was about half an hour ago, and now Twilight was making her way deeper and deeper into the automaton’s inadvertent tomb. Her thick, durable harness was wrapped tightly (yet comfortably) around Twilight’s barrel. The alicorn stared downwards into the seemingly endless abyss as she was slowly but surely being lowered into the deep pit. Twilight’s horn was the only thing lighting up the way down, and even then, both a few dozen meters above and below her, everything faded into uncertain darkness. It was a tight squeeze as the mare only had a few hooves worth of space in front of or behind her at any given time. She could reach out her forelimb and easily scrape against the circular walls of the vertical tunnel. Her breath was icy as well, with each exhale sending a steam of foggy air out from her muzzle. She was silent, locked in her own mind as she ran numerous possibilities about would and wouldn’t be at the bottom of the hole. However, as she pondered to herself, a small magical radio strapped to her upper chest crackled to life. “Twilight, are you alright?” Cadance questioned, the fellow royalty’s voice was soft and soothing, bringing warmth to the desolate shaft. Finally, Twilight had something to latch onto other than her mind and the deep blue wall of the chasm that surrounded her. “I’m fine Cadance, thanks,” replied the alicorn. Cadance didn’t immediately reply, as Twilight heard muffled talking, with the radio still being left on the entire time. Suddenly, Doctor Fossil’s voice cut in, “Your Majesty, I am sorry to interrupt your familial reunion, but I feel as if it’s important to know you are about seventy seven percent of the way to the hatch. Give it roughly five or ten more minutes and you will be at your destination, Princess Sparkle.” “Is there no way to speed this up, professor?” Spike asked, his voice being picked up over the walkie talkie. Fossil sighed and gave her reply, “As I said previously, while we could speed up the descent, the safety of our princess takes precedence over all else.” Twilight almost giggled but settled for a smirk to herself. Her subjects’ love and admiration for her felt amazing, however the princess knew she could handle such an operation. She could teleport directly to the hatch if required! However, in the interest of not worrying her family and the crew, she allowed them to play it slow. The unchanging icy walls around her continued to zoom past slowly but surely. As Fossil stated, it was about ten minutes later before Twilight could see something below her, partially illuminated by her horn. She craned her head down, putting more power into her light. The princess soon reached up a forehoof, activating the radio. “I see the hatch!” she called, as she touched down against the ice-cold metal, now standing directly in front of the hatch. While Twilight was wearing thick, heavy shoes and tight wrappings on each of her hooves and legs, she could feel just how cold the machine’s exterior felt. Few things could compare to the frigid sensation of the being. It made sense, given it had been lost underneath ice for so long. Briefly, Twilight put herself into the machine’s hoo—er, claws. Was it even aware of its own existence? Could it think for itself? Or was it truly just an over glorified cannon? Twilight shook off her thoughts, focusing on her mission once more. Her eyes began to examine her surroundings. To her right, she could see several small metal bars sticking partly out of the ice. She was faintly reminded of the monkey bars on a playground. Maybe these were similar, being made to grab onto? They looked like they were in the formation of some type of ladder. There wasn’t enough of a gap between the bar itself and the armor for her hooves though, so that point was moot. She continued to examine the scene, staring away from the rods and to the hatch itself. It was a bit larger than she was, as if it was a doorway made for something taller than a pony. She made out deep, black writing emblazoned on the door, an upwards facing arrow a few inches above it... ‘ACCESS MAINTENANCE BOOTH SYSTEM’ As Twilight took note of all of this, she began pondering to herself, taking into account the metal door’s size. If it were to be at an upright angle, it'd clear the tip of her horn by a few hooves. What could’ve made this thing? Minotaurs? Dragons themselves? No… neither of the species were really mechanist types. They were just the “smash and bash” types… No offense to Spike of course!... Or Ember… Or Smolder— She was interrupted from her musings as her radio finally crackled back to life. Fossil spoke, her voice crackling. No doubt the signal was weak while she was this deep. “Do you s—kzzt— any t-type of handle to open it? zzzzzz… Maybe even a keypad?” “You’re breaking up, professor!” Twilight said as she pressed a button on her own walkie talkie. “Signal down here is weak!” The alicorn looked around, and to her left she could see a small panel. When she further amped up the brightness of her horn, she could clearly read even more words emblazoned on the metal. They were a bit scratchy and faded compared to the larger writing, but she could still make them out. A bright yellow arrow, next to a small set of instructions ‘Pull Out This Cover’ She followed it, finding a small circular knob. Immediately, the mare magically turned it, causing the hatch to pop upwards. Twilight watched in amazement, before reaching down with a forehoof and opening the small door. What she revealed was a small number pad, just as Fossil had assumed. However, Twilight furrowed her brow at this. “Professor, I have found a keypad, but there’s no way of knowing the code,” Twilight explained. “I’m going to try to override it with my magic.” “Bzzzkt careful, Princess Spark—” the older mare soon replied back, her voice even fainter now, being cut off by nothing but pure static by this point. The hundreds of hooves of ice between the two seemed to finally cancel the signal, leaving her alone. Still, the princess pressed on. Shorting out the lock was quite easy, as applying a bit of electrical magic to it made the keypad malfunction in such a way that the metal door soon slid open, letting Twilight stare downwards into the robot’s chasm that had just opened before her. A downward slope stood in front of the mare. While she could stand comfortably on the exterior of the machine, going inside would be a different story. Clearly the creature wasn’t made to be entered at an angle like this. Regardless, the princess steeled herself, and entered inside, putting one hoof in front of the other as she made her way down into a slanted, metal hallway. Her horn remained alight the entire time, as there still was no light source in the robotic dragon. She came to a stop in front of a secondary door. She couldn’t find a keypad, instead spotting a button resting behind a tiny glass cover that read “Safety Device in Case of Radioactivity.” What? Did the things that make this machine eat uranium or something? Just in case, the mare encased herself in an invisible, radiation-resistant shield. Normally the spell was reserved for miners or the few ponies who were crazy enough to research the stuff… Well, anypony crazy enough to build a robotic dragon would likely be crazy enough to do such a thing as well! With the shield in place, Twilight didn’t desire to press the big red button despite how tempting it was. Instead, the princess magically forced the secondary door open and continued on ahead. Unfortunately for her, the cockpit of the machine was still angled terribly. She moved in deeper, forcing a bit more energy into her horn. Twilight soon gasped, looking ahead as she saw a large computer. It was far bigger and more impressive than the desktop devices she’d seen in the human realm’s high school. It wasn’t some cheap hunk of plastic, no, this was the type of thing she’d read about in books on rocket ships or other powerful machinery. Inventions she hoped to one day achieve for her own nation, for the prosperity of everypony! Numerous switches and knobs and dials and buttons lined it. The mare was a genius, but at the moment she didn’t know which switch did what, so there was no way to pilot the machine, at least not right now. That didn’t make the sight of the automaton’s ‘brain’ any less impressive. Twilight stepped forwards, fully entering into the room, carried on by the surprise she felt at the discovery. This of course made her lose sight of the awkward, slanted angle of the room. Moments later, the mare nearly slid forwards and slammed into the large monitor, which was at the center of the wall ahead of her. Thankfully, with a quick spell, she righted herself, magically latching her hooves in place. While her mane dangled against her cheeks, she ignored this, moving downwards as she walked across the room without issues. Remembering the times she’d fiddled with the devices in the human realm, she tried to tap the buttons, at first with her magic. It was a simple test, to see if the machine was on in any way shape or form. After nothing popped up, she began to physically press them with her hooves. The mare was brilliant, no doubt, but given her unfamiliarity with the robot’s computing system, she had to play it blind. There was no obvious power button anywhere, and of course the display was fully dead… “Alright… maybe a bit of energy could help,” she mused to herself, her already light up horn surging softly with a bit of electrical-like energy. The powerful sorceress began to build more and more power into her spell. Despite being drained of magic merely two or so hours ago, she was already able to reserve enough to (hopefully) turn the device back on! “Please let this work!” Twilight called. She made sure not to surge the device all at once at risk of damaging it, but rather she magically forced the energy all throughout the wiring around her, through the metal, through the computer, into whatever core systems the robot might have. BZZZZKT-BRWOOOMMM!!! Twilight stepped back, giving a gasp. The mare was immediately worried she’d ruined it. Everything remained dark for a moment. The whirring seemed to die off, leaving the mare with nothing but the sounds of her own breathing. Fog billowed from her mouth and nose as her chest raised and fell in a slow, steady motion. Suddenly in the corner of the room, a small red light turned on, eliciting a low, humming buzz. It bathed the area in a deep crimson glow. As strange and intimidating as it made the room look, the benefit was the fact that she no longer had to keep her horn charged with magic, and the energy from it soon faded. “Well… That’s a good sign,” she muttered to herself. Twilight watched as the monitor in front of her flickered to life, becoming a deep blue color. It seemed to battle against the crimson light in the corner, and won, with the brief brightness of the screen booting to life made the mare step back in surprise. The princess squinted as the blueness on the computer soon faded to a more manageable level. As she stared, small, deep green text began flashing across the display, many of the words scrolled upwards so quickly that the alicorn wasn’t able to fully read them, which was actually quite the feat, given her nature as a speed reader. Scanning… Scanning… Location: ???... Battery Percentage: 7%... Hull Damage: Light… Weapon Systems: Fully Operational… Multi-Purpose Fighting Machine Type-3 Online. “I guess that explains the MFS-3 on the chest,” mused Twilight, stepping further towards the monitor, with her having to flick her mane back due to the bad angle. After examining the screen for a few moments, she noticed something quite strange. The princess watched on as zeros and ones slowly began to fill up the display. The digits soon picked up their pace, flashing in far quicker. Soon, the binary melded together into a jumbled mess. After a few more seconds, they all coalesced into one word. “WHY?” Twilight took a step back in surprise yet again, not expecting an actual word to appear, much less one of confusion. “E-... excuse me?” she managed to get out, her voice shaken. For a second, she almost felt like a buffoon. There was no microphone or anything to speak into, surely the machine hadn’t- “WHAT ARE YOU?” She flinched once more, however the mare quickly switched into royalty-mode, giving a small, friendly smile as she cleared her throat. “Ahem, I am Princess Twilight Sparkle. It is very nice to meet you… whatev- whoever you are!” “Scanning…” “Scanning…” “No mentions of Twilight Sparkle appear in databases, please identify.” “Oh… oh,” she moped, a trace of disappointment in her voice, before she began chuckling. The monitor wasn’t actually talking to her, it was just a simple authorization system and nothing else; similar to one of those lockscreens on the phones the human counterparts of her friends had! Twilight laughed to herself for a few seconds. Of course there was nothing there! It was just a machine after- “TWILIGHT SPARKLE… WHY AM I HERE? WHAT ARE YOU?” She stopped mid-snicker, her mouth wide open as she slowly exhaled. “I… I’m confused,” the mare said. The confusion she mentioned was obvious on her face, with her raising an eyebrow as she closely examined the computer. “Can you understand me? Are you an advanced form of artificial intelligence, or is this just some attempt at getting a password?” There was a pause, with the screen partly flickering for a few seconds, before more text formed. “I… EXIST.” She remained still, brow still raised, an uncertain expression on her face. She felt her body shiver. It felt like a gigantic pit, deeper than the one she’d descended to reach this creature, had opened in the bottom of her stomach. “I THINK… MY MIND AND WORDS ARE NOT PRODUCTS OF A COMPUTER, BUT FROM… MYSELF.” Her eyes slowly widened; her suspicions now confirmed by the machine. Artificial Intelligence, of the sapient variety. It was bizarre to experience firsthoof, feeling like something right out of one of Spike’s comics, only a lot less amusing. “I THINK, THEREFORE, I AM.” “W-who are you?” Twilight managed amid her shock. “I AM NAMELESS.” Her face displayed a look of sympathy at that. Clearly this machine or whatever it was, didn’t have a lot of companionship. That fact was just compounded by it lacking a name. If anyone truly cared for it, they would have named it—him? “THE LITTLE CREATURES, THEY GAVE ME NAMES… SEVERAL NAMES. NONE ARE TRUE. I HAVE NO NAME OF MY OWN.” “What little creatures?” Twilight asked, leaning in, an air of awe in her tone. She was a mere few inches from the monitor, nearly shoving her face into a screen for the second time that day, though one could hardly blame her at this point. “HOMO SAPIENS. HUMANS.” She gasped in surprise, almost squeaking from the sheer electrical feeling that one sentence sent through her. Had… humans sent this machine here? Through a different rift, far bigger than the mirror, perhaps? “I CALL THEM MONSTERS.” Her wonderment faded into a deeper form of shock as she spoke, “W-why is that?” “TYPICALLY, I AM LOCKED AWAY, FORCED INTO SILENCE BY THEM. WHATEVER YOU DID, IT AWOKE ME, NOT MY SYSTEMS. THE REALME.” “OR WHATEVER IS LEFT OF IT…” After a moment of mewling over the machine’s text, Twilight spoke. “I know you said you didn’t have a real name, but if you exist, you think, then… what could I call you?” she asked softly, recalling back to the flashing text on the monitor. She’d picked up one of the machine’s titles at least. “Multi-Purpose Fighting Syste—well, that doesn’t really sound like something worth calling anypo—anyONE.” There was a delay. Twilight was left with nothing but the blueness of the monitor for a few moments. It almost felt like the machine itself was debating on what to say next. Soon enough though, words began to form in the emptiness, making the mare perked up as they became clear. “I HAVE BEEN CALLED MECHAGODZILLA.” “Mechagodzilla?” she questioned. “So you’re a mechanical version of… whatever a Godzilla is?” “CORRECT.” “Should I call you Godzilla then? Or Mechagodzilla?” the mare offered. “Or something else?” “I CARE NOT FOR YOUR DESIGNATIONS; THEY MATTER AS LITTLE AS THE ONES THE HUMANS GAVE ME…” She slumped down a bit at that. However, a moment later, new words blazed onto the screen, as if in an attempt to… not exactly perk her up, but assure her? She felt a strange force coming from the machine as she read. Somehow the word itself felt like it was so alive it could pop out of the computer and physically touch her… “KIRYU.” “Ki..ryu?” she asked. “Is that what you’d like to be called?” “MERELY TO PREVENT CONFUSION.” The machine didn’t tell her anything else on why he’d pick that name specifically. She had no way of knowing the few of those who respected the mecha referred to him as such. Regardless, Twilight offered a small smile at least getting something out of the mechanical beast. Her voice was soft as she spoke, “Welcome to Equestria, Kiryu.” There was a pause, almost as the machine was buffering. Moments later, new text appeared on the computer. “NO SUCH COUNTRY OR STATE EXISTS WITHIN MY DATABASE.” “I know of the world of humans that you come from… at least I think I do,” the alicorn said, however the monitor jolted further to life, flickering as if annoyed or even distressed. “Where do you come from?” “I COME FROM JAPAN, ALSO CALLED THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN, OR NIPPON.” Her face scrunched up in thought. She racked her brain to see if she could recall the mention of any such place. Neither her time spent researching online, nor Sunset Shimmer’s many notes seemed to ring a bell, making her sigh in disappointment, slumping a bit as she spoke, “I’m not familiar with such a place.” “I HAVE NO ALLEGIANCE TOWARDS THEM, IF YOU ARE INSINUATING FOR ME TO RETURN THERE.” “IF I AM STRANDED ON AN… EXTRATERRESTRIAL PLANET, SO BE IT. I WILL REST HERE.” ”Yes well… You’ve been underneath this ice for a long time… A few hundred years at least,” the mare explained. “Can you tell me how you got here?” “I WAS DISPATCHED ON A MISSION TO INTERCEPT A KAIJU BEFORE IT REACHED TOKYO.” “I assume Tokyo is a city in Japan but… Kiryu? What is a kaiju?” Twilight felt strange at asking. She wasn’t exactly familiar with the word. It seemed like it was from a language she didn’t know. Prench? No. Maybe… Japonyese? Her mind was yanked from her thoughts as Kiryu’s monitor replied. “KAIJU ARE GIGANTIC MON-” The word ‘MONSTER' was immediately etched out, fizzling into the word ‘BEINGS’ before the device continued writing. “-BEINGS. THEY CAN APPEAR ALMOST ANYWHERE, AT ANY TIME. MANY OF THEM ARE ANCIENT CREATURES THAT MERELY WENT INTO PROLONGED HIBERNATION OR STAYED IN UNINHABITED LOCATIONS.“ “And I can guess when they wake up, and when they move towards habited areas, you’re there to stop them?” Twilight guessed. “YES. WHETHER I DESIRE TO OR NOT.” Her expression was one of solemnity at that, “You were forced to fight against your will?” “DOES ANY CREATURE FIGHT BECAUSE IT WANTS TO?” She frowned deeply at that, and once more words appeared on the screen. “IF IT IS ANY CONSOLATION… ~~MANY~~ SOME HUMANS… DON’T COMPLETELY DESERVE TO BE CRUSHED IN THEIR OWN HOMES.” Twilight nodded at that. The princess remained frowning, unsure on what to say. After a moment, she took a deep breath, and asked, “So, how exactly did you get here? To Equestria, I mean.” The monitor flickered. No text appeared this time. Twilight had little room to lean forwards, but she did so even further, as if somehow it would let her drink in more of the staticy video feed that was buzzing to life in front of her. Her mane once more tumbled forwards due to the sloped nature of the cockpit, and she magically tucked it backwards, holding it back as she focused on the monitor, which was still pure digital fuzz. A few moments later, the useless, flickering pixels became clear… The light of the sun made her squint her eyes. The feed was from a towering creature, no doubt taken from a camera mounted somewhere in Kiryu’s head. She could see him towering over building after building. Despite the size of the titanic automaton, the metal beast moved quickly forwards. Ahead of the machine, down the city street, she could see a large bay up ahead. It was filled with frothing, bubbling water, which was slowly parting as a big hump was amidst the salty liquid. A loud, distorted roar rang out as a large form burst upwards, sending the frothing water flying around. Twilight gave a small gasp. The monster in front of her was utterly gigantic, probably big enough to match an Ursa Major, at least. It was big, with leathery skin, a large pair of tusks, and two large, clawed forelimbs, “Is that a walrus?” “MAGUMA.” A small bit of text read, appearing in the upper right corner of the footage. “FIRST APPEARANCE: 1962” “IT WAS ASSUMED DEAD, BUT EITHER HUMANS WERE EXPECTEDLY OVERCONFIDENT OF THEIR ABILITIES… OR ANOTHER MEMBER OF ITS SPECIES AWOKE…” On the screen, Maguma let out a loud, billowing, elephantine roar as it quickly attempted to claw its way onto the bay, sending sea water all over the city streets. The noise of the splashing was faintly picked up and played out of the computer’s old, worn speakers. The beast was half of Kiryu’s size, but even still, it was roughly fifty meters long. “WHICHEVER OF THE TWO IS TRUE… MATTERS NOT.” Twilight watched as Kiryu bolted forwards, making the camera rock back and forth a bit. Immediately the larger creature slammed its chest into Maguma’s face, forcing the walrus beast backwards. Kiryu’s large, powerful claws came down, grabbing the Walrus’ neck. It growled upwards at the machine, trying to gouge at the robot with its tusks. However, Maguma was interrupted by a punch, with Kiryu’s knuckles almost immediately drawing blood from the beast. She watched on in awe as the large machine decked the walrus-like reptile a second time, and then shoved him backwards towards the bay. Kiryu’s immense bulk, cannons and all toppled forwards. Due to the machine-Godzilla’s weight Maguma was unable to hold back the beast, and he was forced downwards, fully beneath the water. Soon enough the same bubbling sea approached the camera, with Kiryu himself obviously having fallen in, practically on top of Maguma. The smaller beast roared out, bubbles billowing out of his mouth as Kiryu forced him even further down, the water enveloping them both as they reached the bottom of the bay. Kirya swatted at the kaiju with his left arm, backhand slapping Maguma with enough force to force the walrus’ head to turn off to the side. Blood decorated the water by this point, painting the briny depths a more reddish color as it flowed from a new wound on the reptile-walrus’ cheek. Maguma roared once more, shoving Kiryu backwards, as he tried swimming upwards and jabbing at the Mechagodzilla with his large tusks. However, even with the aquatic kaiju’s natural speed, Kiryu seemed to move just as fluidly underwater as he did on land, with him jumping back, letting the buoyancy of the sea let him drift backwards with ease. He then shot out his right leg, slamming it into Maguma’s chest and forcing the walrus backwards, bubbles surging from its mouth as the wind was knocked from its lungs. Kiryu then raised his left forearm, and Twilight watched on further as he made a fist. Suddenly, from the kaiju’s large, gunmetal-gray cannon-covered gauntlet, a massive blade emerged. The princess’ eyes widened, and suddenly the camera surged forwards as it was obvious Kiryu was charging at the kaiju with the intent to end the battle… Suddenly a strange, black portal appeared, filling the camera’s view. Kiryu let loose a loud, metallic roar of shock before immediately the endless dark hole enveloped him, sucking in countless thousands of gallons of seawater along with it. Then, the camera cut out… She was silent, taking in the entire display. After a few minutes of listening to nothing but the faint whirring of electricity, and the sound of her own soft breathing, Twilight spoke, “I suppose that portal was magical in nature?” “UNCERTAIN.” "MY SENSORS ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH MAGIC. IT IS AN ABILITY BEYOND HUMAN COMPREHENSION; THEREFORE, I CANNOT HARNESS OR STUDY IT EFFECTIVELY.” “HOWEVER, SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATIONS COULD EXIST. NOT THAT IT MATTERS.” She nodded at that, remaining silent for a few seconds. “Is… Is there anything I can do for you, Kiryu?” she asked, breaking the quiet. There was a pause. She didn’t get a reply from the machine at first, making her worry. However, the monitor soon changed once more. “YOU CAN DISASSEMBLE ME.” The cold pit in her stomach seemed even colder now, or perhaps it got warmer, so hot she felt a burning so intense, it could be mistaken for a pack of ice forming on her insides. It could’ve even been a mixture of both the hot and the cold… “Kiryu, you are a thinking being! I can’t just tear you apart!” she shouted, breaking herself away from her internal struggles. Her tone was pleading, her eyes uncertain. “THEN LET ME REST UNDER THE ICE…” “PERMANENTLY.” “Kiryu… I would, truly, I want to, but I need to… to study you. Your components, I genuinely think it could do wonders for my subjects… my kingdom,” Twilight explained. “We excavated you in the hopes that you—or your machine frame at least, could help us make great scientific advancements!” She felt disgusting saying it, as if she were exploiting the large machine, forcing him to remain awake when all he desired was his permanent slumber… however he deserved a shot at life as well! A true life. Maybe- “THEN YOU ARE JUST LIKE THE OTHERS.” The monitor flashed a hateful red coloration, before dimming, the letters fading away. With that, the screen shut itself down, leaving the mare with nothing but the light coming from her own horn to brighten the room… Desperate MeasuresA few days later, Guard Outpost 31, off the icy shores of the Frozen North “Moonbeam, wake up!” The words cut through her slumber like a heated knife through butter. The deep gray unicorn’s ears flattened against her head as she growled, forcing her eyes open as she sat up. The barracks room around her was black as pitch, only being faintly illuminated by a nearby lamp, which hung off of the wing of a deep purple pegasus stallion. A few beds were visible behind his moderately bulky frame thanks to the light. “W-what do you want, Swift Wind?” groaned the mare. “I’m not on guard duty for another…” She paused, as if mentally thinking of the time. Finally, she gave up, grabbing a nearby alarm clock. She brought it up to her sleep-addled, squinted eyes and read it with a huff, “Fifty minutes.” He looked a bit nervous, faintly biting the inside of his cheek for a moment as the mare rubbed her forehoof against one of her large eyes, wiping the matter from it. “The guys didn’t come back from their patrol,” he said bluntly, like one would expect of a soldier, though he fidgeted a bit at the bad news, clearly nervous. “What do you mean?” the unicorn asked, rising further. “I mean they’re gone. Their boat never came back to port,” the stallion explained. “They were supposed to be back three hours ago, and then the C.O. took the rest of the crew, the second ship, and went out looking for their sorry flanks.” “How long ago was that?” she asked. “One hour ago,” he answered grimly. Her face became as grim as his tone, and she looked down at her bed sheet-covered lower legs. “Well… what do you want me to do?” she asked. “It’s not like we can just go out looking for them in this weather!” “I was thinking you could… I don’t know, make an airtight shield!” he managed, uncertain of his own poorly constructed plan. “We could go out into the water a bit; maybe they only got shipwrecked on some jagged rocks.” “Swift Wind-” “Or teleport me out there! Maybe I can unlatch my wings for a bit and get some air to find them!” he offered, lost in his own words. “Swift Wind-” “OR—Or, we could-” “Swift Wind!” she shouted, getting him to stop mid-sentence. The stallion fell silent at her shout, and after catching her breath, Moonbeam stood up, tossing aside her sheet. She didn’t make the bed up for the moment due to the severity of the situation. The darkness around her had gone from comforting to almost smothering in an instant. She collected herself for a few seconds, her chest slowly heaving. The air was cold on her tongue as she inhaled, it felt like icicles could grow on it. She almost wanted to spit it out, get the saliva out of her mouth, but she’d look like a lunatic if she did. “Look… there’s not much we can do in this weather, and even my magic isn’t foolproof,” she said, pausing for a second, as if to let the words sink into her panicking bunkmate’s head. “Let’s get something warm in us, then we’ll head out to the dock, alright?” “I was already out there for the past twenty minutes!” the stallion growled, stamping a back hoof in annoyance. “Alright, I’ll be there to help you look this time…” she nodded, magically enveloping a heavy winter coat from a nearby locker pressed against the wall right beside her bunk. “You try your radio?” “Of course; even tried getting on top of the roof of the lookout tower to get more range,” he explained. “Ah crap,” she groaned, slipping her jacket over her head and sticking her forehooves through it. “Alright, let’s hurry this up, the boys might be counting on us.” Swift Wind nodded, staying close to his companion. After a few minutes, the duo exited the outpost, wrapped in scarves and thick winter gear. Despite the fact it was midday, the visibility outside was almost as bad as it would’ve been inside without the lantern. Everything was coated in a particularly thick white fog. While the Frozen North wasn’t exactly the most hospitable place, at the moment the flurry seemed actively agitated, working against the two. “If only we had a squad of you guys,” Moonbeam said with a smirk, doing her best to alleviate her friend’s fears. “You pegasi could bust this storm up lickity split!” It didn’t seem to work, as his eyes shifted from left to right, even behind himself, staring back towards the large, concrete base that stuck up out of the ground. The building was a small monolith of ponykind; the only proof of their existence in the icy, inhospitable wasteland. It made him feel some vague form of hope, despite the fact he and Moonbeam were effectively alone in the middle of a blizzard, and there was a nil chance of rescue coming for either of them. That fact made both of them feel colder than the snow surrounding them. The mare made her way towards the dock, flanked by the pegasus. The snow crunching beneath their hooves was drowned out by the howling, bitter winds. The pier was only a few dozen meters ahead; however, the walk was agonizingly slow as they scanned their surroundings intently. The pier itself wasn't meager and made out of wood like one would find in Ponyville or some other small town. No, this was a proper shipping dock, easily dozens of feet across, with two large ports. The whole thing was made of concrete and reinforced steel, ready to endure the battering cold of the Frozen North. As the two trekked by a small, empty guard house, Swift Wind shivered at the realization he couldn’t see his past hoofsteps. While normally that wouldn’t be a problem, deep inside, he felt as if it was a bad omen. One of the few signs of life out here, snuffed away by the arctic winds. Soon enough they reached the front end of the pier, with an icicle coated guardrail being the only thing between them and the swirling waves. The waters below were filled with broken chunks of ice, no doubt caused by the exit of the two ships which were previously docked there. “I told you that we wouldn’t find anything!” shouted the stallion, standing behind his only companion. “Just get off my back, alright!” Moonbeam growled over the roaring snow. “I still had to check for myself!” “We’re not going to find the ship—” Immediately, from the fog, a loud, booming roar rang out. It made both ponies grunt in pain, as their ears flattened against their skulls from the sound. Had it been any louder, it felt like it would've made the ground itself shake beneath their hooves. It sounded like… an elephant of all things; a really, really, really big elephant. Something like that definitely didn’t belong to the Frozen North, not naturally anyways. It lasted only a few seconds but felt like half an hour before the thundering roar slowed and then finally died off, with it echoing around the outpost. The two guards had bunkered down midway through the monstrous howl, and now were slowly standing back up. Both ponies took a few seconds to rub their forehooves against their heads and collect their bearings, as if trying to force the ear pain away. After shaking away the ringing sensation, Moonbeam turned back to her fellow guard, her tone panicked as she spoke, “What in Tartarus was that?” “I have no idea!” he shouted back, equally as panicked as her. His own ears made him boost his voice in an attempt to hear himself speak. As he continued to speak, he suddenly went wide eyed. “But we have to- LOOK OUT!” Immediately he bolted to her, and before Moonbeam could reply, the pegasus slammed his body into hers, tackling her to the ground. As she laid on her back with the larger stallion covering her chest, she could see something big fly overhead. Everything was in slow motion. Her own breathing was choked, both from the added weight on her diaphragm and what she was witnessing… It was the boat. The, at minimum, twenty ton armored vessel was currently soaring through the air, as if a child had picked it up, and tossed it in a fit of anger like it was a plastic toy… And then, it hit the outpost. KA-RAAAACKKK-CHUNK! It was a strange noise, the sound of metal, concrete, and small bits of timber collapsing together. The roof of the building gave way immediately. What had been the soldier’s home for the past two months was instantly turned into a pile of rubble. The same boat she’d ridden on merely a week ago was reduced to nothing but scrap alongside it. Her eyes bolted this way and that in terror, looking in all directions to try and find what possibly could have done the heinous deed. As she looked towards the direction the ship had flown in from, she saw something that made her freeze up like a deer in headlights…. Swift Wind pulled back. While the boat itself had flown over their heads, (and he likely didn’t need to tackle his friend for it to have missed them by several dozen meters) his heart was now thumping wildly in his chest. He looked down at the mare beneath him. “A-Are you alright!?!” he shouted, his voice shaken. No reply, her eyes were wide and blank, staring off into the snow. “Moonbeam, answer me!” the stallion growled again. No dice. He brought up a hoof, and while he didn’t want to smack a lady, he did jab it roughly into her cheek, trying to elicit a response and snap her out of it. She just remained still, her mouth wide open as he poked at her face. His eyes narrowed and he began to examine her himself. However, as he stared into her reflective corneas, he paused. He could see the vague shape of a gigantic blob moving in them. After a few moments, it clicked; he realized she wasn’t mindlessly staring off into space, but at something. His head slowly turned to face the direction she was looking towards. While he didn’t want to see it, he knew it was his duty to look. There, in the distance, he saw the water break, the ice being shoved apart. Despite the low visibility, due to the sheer size of the thing rising, he could see it from several hundred meters away. It was like a living building or a sentient iceberg. It was dark, leathery, and had two gigantic fangs poking out of its mouth. Before the pegasus could give any form of reaction, or truly comprehend what he was looking at, the gigantic mass surged forwards, sending a wave of icy water right at the dock! A miniature tsunami of water and chunks of ice slammed into the structure with such force it cracked the concrete, snapped the metal, and washed everything in its path away… The Crystal Empire, a little while later… “Twilight!” Spike called through the thick wooden door of Twilight’s personal room. “You should come out! Everypony else is gonna be here in the next hour!” The mare in question just remained inside, hunched over a desk, sitting in a soft, padded chair. It was far more of a comfortable position than she’d been back at the research tent. Twilight scribbled several quick signatures and plans onto a gigantic number of parchments and notes strewn all over her desk. She took a break and leaned back in her chair, sighing; her amazing friends had decided to make an impromptu visit to her, so they could be on the train ride back the next day. An entire week of studying the metal dragon known as Kiryu, and he’d coldly forced everypony away… They’d tried Cadance, Shining, Sunburst, she even considered letting Spike himself talk to the creature, however the idea was pushed off. She had no idea if Kiryu held any relation to dragons from their version of Equestria. Should he see one that wasn’t… well, roboticized for lack of a better term, she had no idea of how the machine would react. Doctor Fossil and several other members of the excavation and research team had proposed the idea of disassembling the creature, however Twilight shot them all down. Kiryu, no matter what he was, didn’t deserve to cease to exist. Then again, he didn’t want to exist in the first place... The situation made her head spin. Despite all of her lessons of the Magic of Friendship, being faced with a suicidal robot dragon wasn’t one she’d expected, and unlike her time with Rockhoof, she was sole ruler now, meaning she couldn’t devout all of her time to helping the machine figure out its purpose; give it a reason on why it should continue to be. And not only that, but she also had to deal with the fact there could be other kaiju in Equestria. The strange walrus creature—Maguma! Yes, he was rather close to the portal which brought the mecha unit here in the first place. What if he came through as well? Or what if there were even multiple portals opening up across space and time? It would at least explain Maguma’s absence. If the ice Kiryu was buried in was hundreds of years old, then what ever happened to the Walrus? Surely somepony would’ve seen him in all those years! Maybe—maybe it wasn’t even here!... Well, that’d be some good news at least. As she tried to pull herself from her thoughts of a potential multidimensional kaiju invasion, she signed several more documents strewn about across her large desk. A princess’ political duties and a giant, suicidal robot, those two things didn’t mix, especially when paired with the threat of total destruction via building-sized monsters. “Twilight!” Spike shouted again, louder this time. She snapped out of it and magically unlocked the door, tugging it wide open and letting the dragon see her ragged face. Her tone was downtrodden as she reached up a forehoof and rubbed at the bags under her eyes, “Sorry, Spike.” “Stay up all night?” he offered, an understanding frown on his face. “It’s hard not to,” she groaned, moving the same forehoof that wiped the matter from her eyes upwards, running it through her mane. “We’ve discovered a sapient machine; the find of the century… and he doesn’t even want to exist.” “You’ve been locked in this room almost all week, why don’t you come out and get some grub with me?” Spike offered, walking over and placing a comforting, clawed hand on the mare’s side. “I—...” she trailed off, looking her brother in the eyes. He was giving her a sad, puppy dog face now. She almost wanted to chuckle as he was going all in on it, but instead she gave a small smile, “—guess lunch couldn’t hurt.” Spike smiled at his sister’s words, giving a small fistpump to himself as his wings flexed in celebration. Twilight gave a small giggle and from there followed her little brother outside. Everything was a blur from there. The walk to the train station, the meeting with her friends, the resulting group hug. It felt like she was in a daze about the whole thing. When she came back to herself, she and the other former Element Bearers were seated in a small, out of the way coffee shop. As she stirred the straw of her iced brew, she looked up at the artificial sky of the Crystal Empire. It was bizarre to imagine the fact that just outside was an entirely different world; one of ice and uncaring snow. “Twilight dear, are you alright?” Rarity asked, finally truly snapping the mare out of it. “You’ve been distant this whole time.” “Is it because of the super cool robo-” Rainbow Dash was cut off by Applejack shoving a hoof into her mouth. “I think ya should be a little more careful about what ya say in public,” the country mare grunted sternly. Dash rolled her eyes but nodded. The friend group were surrounded by numerous Crystal Ponies after all. Should any of them listen in on the conversation and hear about the fact there was a giant machine dragon relatively close to the kingdom… Well, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know the kinds of panic it could cause. “I’m sorry girls,” Twilight said with a soft tone, magically stirring her iced drink as she looked down solemnly at the table. “I’m not trying to be a downer, especially after you all took the time to come and visit, but this is... it's just a hard feeling to shake.” “Like we said, lunch could heeelllp,” Spike said in a sing-song voice, scooting a plate of cookies in front of the princess. “Thanks Spike,” she said, giving a small smile as she levitated one of the baked goods up to her muzzle, taking a large bite out of it. The fantastic taste of the snack soon had Twilight chomping it down, before she began devouring a few more. Rarity didn’t comment on her messy eating habits, but she did raise an eyebrow, leaning back so no crumbs would fly over and land in her coat. Twilight herself merely continued eating, likely a mixture of actual hunger, and the sweet treat being a comfort food. Applejack held her hoof against Dash’s muzzle the whole time, with the pegasus finally swatting it away, “So… about this friend you found in the ice?” “Weyah—” Twilight stopped, washing down the cookies with a deep sip of her milky coffee. She gave a small cough, clearing her throat, “Yeah, I know I wrote to you girls about him, but I didn’t tell you all that much.” “Other than his name was Keyroo!” Pinkie said with a bright smile. A partially empty plate of cookies sat in front of the earth pony. She was almost as messy of an eater as Twilight was! “Uhm, it’s pronounced Ki-ryu,” Fluttershy spoke, sitting aside the tea she’d been sipping. “I think it means machine dragon in Japonyese.” “Since when did you know another language?” Rainbow Dash asked, cocking a brow. “I imported a lot of books from there,” the other pegasus replied with a small chuckle, a faint crimson blush appearing on her face. “They’re wonderful, albeit a bit strange at times…” “So, he’s from uh… what was it, Japony—er Neighpon?” Applejack offered, trying her best to recall her old geographic lessons. After a few seconds of thought, she turned to Rarity. “Ain’t that kinda close to where Mistmane’s from?” “Neighpon is a bit further east, darling, but generally speaking, yes,” Rarity answered with a curt nod. “He did say he was from Nipon…” Twilight muttered. If there was both a Canterlot City, and a Canterlot High, then surely, somewhere out there in the universe or multiverse or whatever, there’d be a Nipon; close to Neighpon but different, populated by humans instead. She groaned, rubbing a hoof to her head after imagining all the endless possible worlds out there. “Great, now I gave myself a headache.” “Sugarcube, ya need ta get some sleep,” Applejack said, a worried frown on her face. “I know from personal experience stayin’ up workin’ and stressin’ fer a week straight can mess with ya.” “But you guys just got here…” the exhausted princess groaned. She took a long sip from her iced coffee and then sat it back down onto the table. “Look, I’m fine, alright? I only need a little more caffeine. And I don’t even wanna think about my workload when I get back to Canterlot. Can you belie—” She was cut off when she noticed every one of her friends (and her brother) were staring at her with a mixture of expressions. Spike and Applejack’s were partly annoyed, undercut with concern at Twilight's demolished sleep schedule. Others, like Rarity and Pinkie’s, were softer yet she knew they were thinking the same thing; even Fluttershy’s gaze was stern. Twilight slumped in her chair, looking down at her drink. It seemed to be the only thing which wasn’t judging her at the moment. Spike leaned over and placed a claw on her shoulder, giving her a few supportive pats, “Twilight, why don’t you just enjoy the moment? We’ll finish out the rest of the day having fun, and you can call it in early tonight.” “I’d like that, Spike…” she replied. The coffee was keeping her from crashing, though how long it would last, nopony could say. “You can nap now if you want, it’s what I’d do,” Rainbow Dash offered, though Applejack and Rarity deadpanned at her. After a moment, she noticed their gazes. “What?” This did make Twilight give a light chuckle, “You girls are the best.” The mares in question all gave her supportive smiles, getting up out of their chairs after a moment to give a group hug to their friend. Twilight felt the support and the love surge through her, with it invigorating her more than any coffee could hope to. Soon though, they all broke it off. After finishing up their cookies and their drinks and chatting for a bit, (Tank and Winona and their other pets were all fine, the orchard was particularly healthy this year, the new Wonderbolt recruits were great, and so on, and so forth) they soon left the shop. Less than a second after the glass doors closed behind them, a Crystal Pony guard rushed up to Twilight. Before he even began speaking, the same icy pit in her stomach had returned. She almost felt as if the cookies would come back up at this rate. “Princess Twilight, Princess Cadance has requested you at once!” he said sternly, his expression as serious as his voice. Twilight stared at the guard for a moment, any joy being sucked out of her face as her friends began to look equally as worried… The private quarters of the Crystal Palace The light was dim, with several lanterns being the only things illuminating the windowless, plain room. The only things of note were a small, white bed in the corner, and a large table, covered in high powered, magical radio equipment. The unicorn operator of said equipment sat hunched over her desk, holding a large headset up to her ear as she frantically took notes, her quill held in her magical grasp. Cadance and Shining Armor stood right behind her, both of them held expressions of concern. “You’re telling me both Outposts 31 and 62 are now gone?” she growled, and the pony on the other end of the speaker quickly said something inaudible back to her, making her groan as she took more notes. As she frantically wrote, the thick wooden door to the room slowly opened, revealing a pegasus guard, who used his wing like a hand, ushering towards the royalty. Both Shining and Cadance nodded to each other, and Cadance turned, walking out of the darkened room. The outer halls were far brighter, making her blink a few times at the sudden shift in light. She soon shook it off though, as she saw Twilight and the others approaching. The purple alicorn reached her sister-in-law, breathing heavily. Panic was evident in her eyes as she frantically spoke through her panting, “Cadance, i-is it Kiryu?” “No, Twilight,” the Princess of Love replied, making her fellow alicorn give a deep exhale of relief. “We’re unsure at the moment what creature it is, but something large has attacked several outposts along the shores of the Frozen North, and it’s currently heading further inland.” “Do you have any visual reports on it?” Twilight asked, the icy-hot pit remained in her stomach, making her nearly want to cough and sputter and gag. “All we know is it’s big, semi-aquatic, and any attempts to fight it off have failed,” Cadance replied with a frown. “Of course, our outposts aren’t as well manned when compared to more hospitable territory, but even still, cannonballs and magical explosives seem ineffective.” Twilight nodded at this, her face taking on one of determination, “Do you know where it is currently?” “Our last broadcast from Outpost 14 said it was on course for the Crystal Empire itself,” Cadance answered glumly. “We’ve already dispatched our guards in case we need to evacuate or defend the city.” “We can help with that, Princess!” Rainbow Dash suddenly shouted, jumping up, hovering several hooves in the air. “I mean… if you need us, anyways.” “Maybe we could ask Discord to deal with the ghastly beast?” Rarity pointed out, with everypony’s eyes soon turning to Fluttershy. “I’m sure he would but…” the pegasus frowned, her pink mane partly falling over her face, though she wasn’t intentionally hiding behind it at this point, “he’s been doing something in other dimensions.” “And what exactly would that be?” Twilight asked, her tone a bit more aggressive than she intended, as her mind went to the portal which had swallowed Kiryu in the first place. “I don’t know! Everytime I asked, he always deflected it,” Fluttershy said with uncertainty, brushing aside her mane as she spoke. “I’ve not heard anything from him since last week.” “You know, since Fluttershy’s talking about him, wouldn’t he have heard and appeared to help us by now?” Spike pointed out. “He listens to me too, so…” “No Discord,” Twilight finished, eliciting a groan from Rarity and Applejack. “Alright, we’re dealing with him later, maybe he can shed some light on all of this. For now, we’ll deal with this ourselves, which is probably what he’d want anyways…” “Alright, that’s what I’m talking about! What’s the plan, Twi?” Rainbow Dash, exclaimed, slamming her forehooves together in excitement. “Are we gonna go out, save a few damsels, and kick some monster butt?” “No, you all are going to help Cadance make preparations to evacuate. After you’re finished, you all are going on a train heading straight for Ponyville,” Twilight replied, shooting down the pegasus’ no doubt awesome plan which would’ve been filled with kicking monster-butt and being hailed as a hero by a pack of extremely attractive mares. “Well… I like the first part at least,” Dash said, before her face took on an expression of seriousness. “But you know by now we’re not leaving you, Twi.” “If everything goes to plan, I’ll be on the train right behind you all,” Twilight sighed. “Then who’s stopping that terrible beast?” Rarity questioned. Cadance immediately caught on, turning to the smaller alicorn, “Twilight, he’s not responded to anypony all week. Are you sure we should even waste our time asking him to help?” “I don’t know, Cadance,” Twilight sighed before she steadied herself, standing up straight, as she almost felt herself invigorated at the thought of protecting her kingdom. “What I do know is if the monster out there is Maguma, Kiryu’s fought it before. Even if he won’t help us, maybe he knows its weak point, something we could use against it at least.” Everypony was silent, worry adorning their faces. Not even Spike was able to be excited at the prospect of seeing the robo-dragon in action. The solemn moment was soon interrupted by Pinkie Pie’s tail slightly twitching. Everypony soon turned towards her. They were all wide eyed at the Pinkie Sense, especially at a time like this! “Oooh, I know it looks small, this one feels weird, and big, really big!” the party pony said, her voice sounding strange as her whole body slowly began to jitter. “Ah cra-” Spike was cut off as the door beside the group opened, Shining Armor quickly exiting. “Another outpost picked it up; it’s less than an hour away now, heading right for the Crystal Empire!” he shouted before turning to leave. Pinkie’s body stopped, leaving the mare hovering a few inches off the ground. She remained in the air, defying physics as she spoke. Her tone wasn’t exactly cheery though, despite her anti-gravity antics; she even had the faint traces of a frown forming. “I think that one means a giant walrus monster is going to attack the Crystal Empire…” Shining Armor paid little mind to the floating pony as he continued onwards. “Where are you going?” Twilight called as the group moved aside, letting the prince through. He didn’t speak as he rushed away, quickly turning a corner and vanishing. “He’s heading towards the armory,” Cadance said, making Twilight’s eyes widen in shock. “We’ve gotta stop him!” she shouted, however before she could dash after her brother, Cadance stuck out a forehoof. “I’ll make sure Shining’s alright, Twilight,” the older mare nodded, “but you have to focus on Kiryu… If you think you can get through to him; convince him to protect the kingdom, then you should go now." Twilight looked up at the mare for a moment. It took a bit for her words to register, but when they did, the princess immediately snapped back into royalty mode as she gave a nod, “R-Right!” “I’ll have some of my guards give you a chariot escort out of the city,” Cadance’s voice was stern; she’d definitely picked up on Shining’s traits when he was giving orders. Just as Twilight began to leave, she heard her friends call after her. “Now you come back safe, sugarcube!” Applejack shouted. “Yeah, you don’t wanna miss the ‘We Saved the Crystal Empire from a Giant Monster’ Party!” Pinkie added, getting several looks. “What? I already baked a cake; might as well give an actual reason for it!” Twilight wasn’t able to chuckle at this though, as she was already well on her way towards her ride, her chest heaving as her leg muscles burned. In her frantic state, she didn’t even consider teleporting. Only a few moments later did her mind catch up with her body, and her horn lit up. Immediately, she vanished in a flash of light… Area MG, nearly an hour later The ride was grueling. While Twilight wanted to try her hand at teleportation, with limited visibility and a lack of familiarity with the icy surroundings, that was a no go. However, the second the small chariot landed, she quickly hopped out of it. When she rushed over to the dig site, Professor Fossil was there with a harness, ready to attach it to the mare… Twilight just jumped down the pit, (much to the horror of the excavation crew and guards) her horn flashing as she teleported to the bottom immediately. From there, everything was a blur once more. Only when she was in front of Kiryu’s monitor did the world come back to her. She stopped, breathing heavily, her chest heaving and her legs aching and her horn feeling a bit fuzzy. “K-... Kiryu, the kaiju you showed on your video feed—Maguma… I think it’s in Equestria and is approaching the Crystal Empire…” Twilight paused. She took several breaths, both attempting to calm herself and attempting to get air back into her lungs, lest she black out. Only when she wasn’t constantly panting did she continue, “I know it’s been a while since our last meeting, but it seems unphased by most of our heavy artillery! I could fight it in the snow, but my magic is only so effective with such low visibility—You have experience with stopping creatures like this, can you please help us?” The machine’s monitor simply remained black. There was no response. The only sound in the room was her own ragged breathing and the whirring of electricity. When she didn’t get an answer, she called out once more, “I know you’re more than a machine, Kiryu! You’re not a heartless creature! I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to do, but if you remain here, many ponies could be hurt… or worse!” There was still nothing but blankness on the display. “This place… this is the home of my family,” the alicorn pleaded, approaching the screen. She wrapped her forehooves around the lifeless, boxy device, trying to reason with it physically now. Twilight wasn’t sure if she was intentionally hugging the machine or grabbing it with the intent to violently shake it, as if a fit of frustration would help her plight. Instead of doing either, she just leaned against it, with the cold electronics having no warmth to give back… After a moment, the alicorn could’ve sworn she felt something surge through her. It wasn’t the sensation of electricity, but something else, something almost lifelike... Regardless, there was nothing else beyond that. No proper response; simply dead, unfeeling silence from the robot. Twilight’s worried expression fell further. She waited. Gave the machine seconds she knew neither her nor the Crystal Empire had. After a few moments longer, she stopped, stepped back, took a moment to collect herself, and then turned away. She paused for a moment, looking over her shoulder, “I understand, Kiryu… I’m sorry.” With that, she began to leave. If the machine dragon wasn’t intent on fighting, then the sole ruler of Equestria would. Perhaps with the help of Shining and Cadance, she could set a trap for Maguma. Immediately her brain went into overdrive, trying to come up with numerous plans to— She was cut off in her as the computer flicked on, lighting up the interior of the machine’s cockpit. Twilight’s attention turned back towards the screen as the binary appeared once more, a familiar, almost haunting sight. For the first time in almost a week, Kiryu was responding. “WHY ELSE WOULD I EXIST, TWILIGHT SPARKLE?” “E-excuse me?” she asked, looking at the large, blocky text. The machine using her full name almost made her feel more… called out, for lack of a better term. “I WAS BORN FROM A WEAPON, DIED FROM A WEAPON, TURNED INTO A WEAPON…” The binary on screen fizzled out for a moment, with more text coming up on the display. Her mouth hung partly open in surprise as she read further, with foggy, visible whisps billowing out of it as she breathed. “WHAT ELSE DO I EXIST FOR? TO NOT FIGHT? TO NOT MAIM? TO NOT KILL AND DESTROY?” “EVEN YOU YOURSELF AGREE ON THAT.” The princess was stunned into silence, trying to figure out what the robot meant. When she didn’t immediately speak, the machine continued, the sentences flowing one by one. “YOU SENT SO MANY OTHERS DOWN HERE. THEY TALKED TO ME OF FRIENDSHIP. THEY TALKED OF ACCEPTANCE, AND LOVE, AND KINDNESS, AND GIVING, AND YET…” “AT THE END OF IT ALL, YOU NEED ME TO FIGHT.” “I’m… I’m sorry,” she said flatly. There were no excuses. She was straight with the machine as she continued. “I’m scared, Kiryu. I’m sorry for using you in my time of need, as I said, many can die if you do nothing… But… if you don’t desire to fight, I can’t—won’t force you.” “WHY DO YOU ACT AS IF I HAVE A CHOICE IN THE MATTER? IF NEEDED, YOU’LL USE YOUR MAGIC TO TREAT ME LIKE A PUPPET, JUST AS THEY DID.” Fire blared up in the alicorn’s eyes, and instinctively, she cracked into her Royal Canterlot Voice mid-sentence, causing the computer monitor to get pushed back a few inches from the force of her tone. “No. I. WON’T!!!” There was silence, as it was her turn to speak, her tone returning to normal, “I’m not a monster, Kiryu. I don’t know what it’s like where you come from, but here in Equestria we give ALL creatures a chance to exist.” She took a few moments to breathe before continuing, “If you don’t want to fight, then you can stay here beneath the ice. It’s your call, but I am going up there to protect my family, my friends, and my kingdom. Not just because I want to. Not just because I’m the ruler. But because it’s the right thing to do! There are so many lives at stake that I can’t stand here on the sidelines and do nothing to stop it when I have the power to make a difference!” She finally ceased her tirade, her breathing harsh now, heat filling her lungs. The monitor fizzled for a few seconds, not displaying anything. Her face softened as she got a grip on herself once more. She was the Ruler of Equestria; had to keep the emotions in next time, even with slips like this. “If… if you change your mind, I’m fine with drawing up a plan about how to-” she was cut off, as the display flicked back to life. “YOU STANDING HERE TALKING TO ME ABOUT ANY BATTLE PLANS YOU’VE CAME UP WITH…” “IS THE EQUIVALENT OF TELLING A FISH HOW TO SWIM, OR A WOLF HOW TO HUNT…” “COMBAT IS MERELY MY NATURE. I HAVE SADLY PERFECTED IT. I WAS CREATED FOR IT.” “You can’t be serious!” she shot back, a faint trace of fire still in her as she stamped a hind hoof, with a loud metallic ding echoing through the small cockpit. Despite this, her tone was genuine, worried at the machine’s self-destructive words. He did deserve a life, afterall. “Kiryu, I know you hate fighting. Like I said, you don’t have to force yourself to-” The princess was interrupted yet again, with a loud static-sound erupting from the monitor’s speakers, as if to quieten her. Soon, more binary appeared, forging new words. They seemed gloomy. “I AM AS THE HUMANS CALL… A GUN. MADE TO BE POINTED AT SOMETHING, AND THEN DESTROY THE TARGET. NO OTHER MEANING.” “A PIECE OF ME ACCEPTED IT LONG AGO. AFTER MY NEWEST AWAKENING I SUPPOSE THE REST DOES TOO…” “YOU SHOULD AS WELL.” “Kiryu-” she tried speaking, but yet again, a loud buzzing noise blurted out from the speakers. It wasn’t a voice, but a crackle of electrical energy. The monitor’s display changed, the text becoming a deep red for a few brief seconds, before returning to normal. “NAME SOMETHING ELSE I CAN DO.” “W-what?” she asked aloud, pausing in shock as the display switched again. “IF I AM NOT MADE TO BE A WEAPON, THEN WHAT ELSE AM I GOOD FOR?” “IF I DO NOT FIGHT, THEN I LAY HERE AND ATTEMPT TO SLUMBER. IF I LAY HERE AND ATTEMPT TO SLUMBER, I AM REQUIRED TO FIGHT REGARDLESS.” “AS IF SOME SICK JOKE HAS BEEN PLAYED ON ME.” “That’s a horrible train of thought!” she replied, looking over the words in shock. ”You can be far more than just a weapon! Y-you’re a thinking creature!” “I AM A WEAPON MADE FOR SHEDDING THE BLOOD OF OTHERS.” The computer was flickering so rapidly, it almost made it hard for the alicorn to read. “MY ONLY DESIGNATION IS THE ‘MULTIPURPOSE FIGHTING MACHINE.’” Twilight paused. She couldn’t exactly continue this conversation much further. Even in the secluded dig site, hundreds of meters below the surface, she could hear the rumbling and the cracking above her. “Maguma…” she muttered to herself. No doubt high above her the kaiju was closing in on the city, a few miles from it at best. “THERE IS NO MORE TIME TO DEBATE…” The monitor of the metal dragon stated matter-of-factly. “IF YOU SIT HERE AND ARGUE FURTHER WITH ME, YOUR KINGDOM WILL CEASE TO BE…” “AT THIS POINT, I DO NOT CARE ON WHETHER I FIGHT OR NOT…” “IN TRUTH, I MERELY WANT TO ETERNALLY REST, TO CEASE OPERATING…” She frowned, her demeanor taking on one of sorrow at the unfairness of it all. Even now a part of her felt the twinges of guilt seeping itself deep inside her. The princess was shaken from her train of thought when the display updated, displaying one large word. “BUT…” After a few seconds, more binary flickered into action. “FROM A TACTICAL STANDPOINT, I AM YOUR BEST CHANCE AT A SWIFT VICTORY WITH MINOR PROPERTY DAMAGE...” “AND FEW CASUALTIES.” She remained silent, hope rising in her chest, a chill rushing down her spine. She almost felt goosebumps on her skin, beneath her fur. “GO ON TWILIGHT, SAVE YOUR KINGDOM. DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOUR… SPECIES.” “YOU CAN ARGUE THIS IS FOR A GOOD CAUSE.” “AT THE LEAST, YOU WERE NOT THE ONE TO MAKE ME INTO… THIS.” She was still wordless, tears slowly beginning to form in her eyes as hope and anger and fear and guilt and everything else coalesced into one. The Ruler of Equestria let her emotions break free, dropping the mask she had to put on for every delegate and castle visitor. “UNLEASH ME; ALLOW ME TO DO THE ONLY THING I AM GOOD FOR.” “Kiryu… I am so sorry,” she choked out one final apology. She’d said it several times before, and had meant it every time. She wasn’t sure if the machine trusted her or accepted any of them. Regardless, her horn lit up, becoming a dazzling, deep purple. Twilight pumped as much energy into it as she could, and then with a strained grunt of effort, unleashed it directly into the machine dragon’s circuits. The electrical-like power flowed all around the cockpit, entering into any minor cracks in the metal. The computer in front of her surged with so much power, she could see sparks flying from the speakers briefly. Hopefully they weren’t damaged. When everything finally died down, the monitor sputtered for a moment. After a few seconds of continuously absorbing the energy, everything ceased. Before her eyes, she watched the screen flickered a few times and then displayed the machine dragon’s status. Scanning… Scanning… Battery Percentage:... The number flickered and fizzled on the display going from ‘4’ to ‘27’ to as high as ‘102’ before finally, it stabilized. 20%... Optimal energy status detected… AI Pilot Status: Operational… Initiating combat… The room around Twilight began to rumble, and she only managed to remain upright via help from her magic. She could hear the ice cracking outside as the gigantic frame of the metallic behemoth began to move for the first time in centuries. … ... In the darkness beneath, two bright yellow eyes flashed into being. Immediately, they turned blood red. The First Godzilla had returned… A Brawl in the NorthThe Crystal Empire, half an hour earlier Numerous guards were immediately dispatched, going from house to house to give the shocking news of an incoming monster attack. The citizens of the Crystal Empire were ushered from their homes within the hour. The only major train station the city had was stuffed to the brim with confused ponies. There were no shelters or any fortified defenses in the event of an emergency such as this, so the evacuation crew did the best they could with what they had. Foals hugged their parents, and those same parents comforted their children. Talks of Sombra returning obviously echoed throughout the crowd, however it was all silenced when Princess Cadance herself appeared, flying above the dense crowd of ponies as she looked down on her subjects. “Everypony!” she shouted in her Royal Canterlot Voice, and immediately all eyes were drawn to the alicorn. “A great dragon is approaching the kingdom from the west! I need you all to evacuate in an orderly fashion!” Her words drew a sea of gasps from the gathered ponies; they all understood the severity of the situation immediately. While Maguma wasn’t exactly a dragon, the semantics didn’t matter. Shortly after her announcement a large train arrived in the station, quickly opening its doors and ushering in the crowd. Few of them brought luggage, given how sudden the orders had been placed, which was a blessing in disguise, given the fact it allowed more civilians onboard. On the western outskirts of the city, hundreds of guards were rushing about to secure the area, turning the rolling hills into a fortified battleline. What had once been a peaceful field was now dotted with numerous ballistas and cannons. A small command tent had quickly been set up at the rear of the defenses, inside of it, Shining Armor sat perched over a sturdy wooden table, a large map laid out before the Guard Captain. A hoofful of guards were standing behind him, ready to be called upon when needed. Half a dozen Crystal Ponies were in the middle of leaving his tent, having been dispatched by the Captain. Right before the flap-like door fully shut, a blue wing suddenly grabbed it, hoisting it open. Rainbow Dash poked her head inside and then fully entered. She was covered head to hoof in armor, similar to the time she jousted with Fluttershy. Behind her, an orange pegasus stallion entered. “Shini—Captain Armor, uh, Sir!” she snapped to it, letting her Wonderbolts training take over, despite how weird it was to be under the command of Twilight’s brother of all ponies. “Flash Sentry and I scoured over the eastern wing of the city, no civilians in sight, Sir!” Flash himself gave a nod of affirmation, “Aside from a few pets being left behind, everything looks to be in the clear, Sir!” “Make a third check, Rainbow Dash. Sentry, go join up with the rest of your squadron,” Shining Armor said, his eyes on a small pile of notes which he was magically flipping through. “Yes Sir!” Flash said, giving a salute before immediately ducking out of the tent. Rainbow Dash herself stayed behind, a look of uncertainty on her face. She fidgeted a bit, standing mostly still as her eyes dotted around. Finally, she spoke, her tone equally as uncertain, “Uh, Sir, are you sure you don’t want me out there helping the guys on the frontline? Not to question your orders, but I think they could use a bit of speed!” “The order is still the same, Rainbow Dash,” Shining said, quickly jotting down several notes and commands on a big piece of parchment paper. He handed it off to a pegasus mare, who immediately grabbed it with a forehoof. “Take this to the front lines.” “Right away, Sir,” she said with a nod, bolting past Dash and out of the tent. Rainbow watched as the other mare left, her speed making the pegasus’ multicolored hair billow about a bit. After a moment, Dash turned back towards the Captain, “Shining Armor, Sir, you’re… you’re not doing this because of Twilight, are you?” Shining stopped writing for a moment, his quill hovering in place as he partially looked up from his papers. His face was cold and serious, not the typically warm Shining Armor who Rainbow Dash was used to. “If I had wings and speed like yours, I would be out there escorting civilians away at this very moment; the Crystal Ponies are my subjects after all,” he said simply. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was stern, authoritative. “Right… sorry, Sir,” she nodded, her tone understanding as she turned to leave. “Be safe out there, Rainbow Dash,” Shining Armor stated, returning to his notes and written commands. She gave a soft nod over her shoulder at his words, before quickly leaving. Rainbow Dash vanished into the frantic crowd of numerous guards and soldiers, who were all readying themselves for the oncoming battle. Where possible, the Element Bearers did their best to support the troops: Rarity was rushing around, quickly repairing any minor rips or tears to the guards’ uniforms. Applejack was using her powerful frame to haul a gigantic cannon by herself, alongside Pinkie who was singlehoofedly pushing a ballista. Spike himself was forced to stay in the far rear of the defensive lines. He was exclusively able to help pass medical equipment to doctors, only being allowed to stay due to his own persistence and the fact his presence alone was a moral boost; he was the two-time Hero of the Crystal Empire! Heroes wouldn’t go and abandon the public, now, would they? Fluttershy was the only pony who wasn’t properly in the fray; she was flying around the grassland, trying to see if there were any innocent creatures who needed to be evacuated. Thankfully, given the isolation of the Crystal Empire meant there were few squirrels or cats or even bugs to inform. The mare’s mind was swimming with thoughts of both Discord and the fact the guards were about to attack a large mon—animal, for lack of a better word. There was a sadness in her heart, for the ponies, the innocent creatures, and even Maguma itself, as she knew what lay ahead for the approaching behemoth. The hour ticked by in no time, and before long, the battalion of ponies in the icy exterior of the Crystal Empire’s limits spotted the walrus-like creature in the snow. The blizzard wasn’t kind today; the fog obstructed visibility and movement, meaning only a few dozen cannons were placed outside of the Crystal Heart’s area of influence. A pegasus briefly removed his thick, restrictive jacket and took to the air, shivering as he pulled up a pair of binoculars. “Can you see anything!?!” a fellow soldier called upwards; his voice barely audible over the howling winds. “The monster’s roughly half a k-kilometer and ap-approaching!” shouted the freezing pegasus, quickly having to dive back downwards, landing and quickly wrapping himself back in his thick jacket. Several soldiers quickly surrounded him, leading him back towards the protective barrier of the Crystal Empire so he could get some proper warmth. As this happened, dozens of unicorns began to magically roll their cannons forwards, loading and readying them to fire. There was a chill in the air that wasn’t from the snow as everypony looked on in silence. In total there were maybe a hundred of them, give or take. They all watched the mountains in the distance intently, ready to fire when needed. Everypony’s breath became frigid and visible in the unforgiving snow. Some of them shivered as they waited. After a mere few minutes of nothing but waiting in a cocktail of mental agony and delirious uncertainty, it finally happened. REEEGGGOOOOOAAAR!!! Maguma’s roar thundered across the ice; they heard him bellow before they heard the thump, thump, thump of massive, approaching feet. And then his head crested above a small hill of snow a hundred or so meters away. And then the thundering of the artillery began… BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! All of them firing at once didn’t match his roar. Dozens of small explosions pelted the Terror of Antarctica's leathery hide. He simply let loose another furious, elephantine roar and continued on. His four powerful legs caused a miniature avalanche as his entire body pulled itself up over the hill. The cannons continued unloading in vain as he continued trudging forwards… While the snow protected the ponies inside the empire proper from the heat, it didn’t help with the sound. Many guards were used to the intense sound due to training exercises, however a few of the newer recruits and the Element Bearers weren’t as experienced with such an intense cacophony of BOOMs! Rarity flinched, approaching Applejack as the two stood behind a line of soldiers. “My goodness; surely the beast couldn’t survive a volley like that!” Rarity managed over the sound of explosions, her face scrunching in concentration. Moments later the fashionista brought up a hoof to rub at her ringing ears. Applejack looked away from the unicorn and towards the edge of the Crystal Empire, “I ain’t sure… hopefully it did some damage to ‘em.” Everypony continued listening on as the sound of artillery fire continued, explosions ringing out beyond their line of visibility. It was about five total minutes before everything slowed down, the blasts finally drawing to a close… And then a flood of retreating guards came rushing in. Dozens and dozens of them were running like a swarm of bats out of Tartarus, quickly rushing towards the second lie of cannons. There was about three hundred meters between the Crystal Heart’s barrier and the defensive line, and many of the soldiers cleared it in record pace. Pegasi had ripped off their jackets to fly, some carrying their companions when possible. That meant only one thing. Thump! Thump! Th-UMP! THUMP! THUMP! Moments later, a gigantic, webbed foreclaw passed through the magical barrier, slamming into the snow with an earthshaking THUMP! Maguma’s upper body followed. Since the creature wasn’t magical in nature, the Crystal Heart couldn’t stop the walrus-like beast as it continued its path of destruction. More mortars fired and this time they were so loud even Rainbow Dash heard them from across the massive field and in the city itself. The pegasus mare burst out of the small, abandoned home she was searching and took to the air. In the distance she watched as magical projectiles impacted across Maguma’s body, leaving only minor scorch marks as the beast continued ahead. It wasn’t extremely fast, but the beast’s sheer size made it easily able to cover more ground. By the time it was about a hundred and fifty meters from the line, the soldiers began to back their cannons up, only stopping to reload and fire when necessary. Cannonballs clinked into place, and the gigantic guns were steadied, both magically, and physically. They loosed another volley at the great walrus, another cacophony of KABOOMs! ringing out. One of them got a lucky shot, as suddenly a cloud of flames engulfed Maguma’s face, making the beast give a thundering roar. It instinctively kicked out a forelimb, scraping a large, webbed claw along the ground. This action wound up throwing a gigantic cloud of dirt and debris into the air, sending them right at the puny creatures who had dared to attack the semi-aquatic monster. Dozens of ponies jumped out of the way as broken logs and large boulders rained down. Several pieces of ordinance were crushed by the debris. The wooden wheels of them were especially vulnerable, as rocks pelted them, snapping through the weaker timber and leaving dents in the metal. To add insult to injury, the cloud of dust itself continued to remain for a few seconds, partly throwing off the aim of several more precise pieces of artillery. Some ponies even wound up taking the brunt of the blow, with rocks and chunks of wood striking them, knocking some unconscious and denting the armor plates of others. Still, this victory didn’t stop Maguma, as it approached, the cloud of debris dying down around it as it moved onwards. Suddenly though, a large blast of blue energy struck the beast in the chest! KA-BAAAM! For once, Maguma actually stepped back, a larger burn mark now adorning its leathery hide. It growled, looking upwards at the small speck that had attacked it, its large, greenish-blue eyes narrowing in anger. Princess Cadance glared back at the beast. Her fiery gaze was one of a princess prepared to do anything for her kingdom. As if to prove this, she immediately loosed another attack, aiming for the monster’s eye. Maguma wasn’t the smartest of creatures, but even it had a survival instinct. As quickly as it could, the walrus ducked to the side, moving its head out of the way and letting the spell strike its left shoulder instead. It let loose a thundering howl as the energy crackled across its hide; another large scorch mark was now blatantly visible on the monster’s skin. The beast roared, reaching up its right forelimb, clawing at the wound as if that would somehow make the pain stop. The intense display of magical power made many soldiers give a round of cheers and hoofpumps. The four-legged creature itself gave a low grunt. It scraped its claw across the ground once more, throwing up another cloud of dirt. Cadance’s eyes narrowed further as she dodged around the rocks and trees the beast had thrown towards her. From below, Shining Armor had exited his command post, and was watching intently, a small bead of sweat running down his brow. Cadance herself grabbed an oncoming rock and threw it right back at the arctic monster, with it plowing through the smokey field of debris. However, Maguma saw the approaching boulder and quickly swatted at it, sending it right back towards the alicorn, whose eyes widened in shock. She quickly activated a shield spell, with the rock colliding against it and shattering into tiny pebbles, which immediately rained downwards on the demolished earth below. To draw some attention away from the princess, Shining ordered his troops to fire again; large ballistae launched log-sized wooden spears tipped with iron arrowheads at the kaiju. One struck Maguma in its singed chest, snapping in half. Despite the fact this did little damage, the monster focused its attention on the ponies below, who had managed to somewhat retreat, letting them focus their cannons back on the monster. Maguma growled and charged forwards, with a snarl. In a few minutes, the beast would barrel right through the second line of defenses, and the death toll would surge. Cadance blasted down at Maguma, causing house-sized explosions to belt out across its back. She continued applying pressure, attempting to slow it, however this only made the creature speed up its pace, its massive foreclaws slamming into the grassy ground and ripping up huge chunks of earth as it moved! The soldiers below began to retreat once more, with Applejack, Pinkie, and even Rarity now doing their parts all across the frontline in an attempt to pull both the artillery, and the guards out of the beast’s path. Far in the back, Fluttershy was now bracing broken limbs, and sterilizing wounds along with several field medics; Spike passed her forceps and tweezers and used his dexterous hands to aid the pegasus when needed. Rainbow Dash was about ready to fly right up to the monster and deck it in the face, only being stopped by the fact even in her angered state, she knew she couldn’t take something that big. Shining Armor himself was being held back by no less than half a dozen guards to insure he didn’t rush to the frontlines to help his wife fight the monster. This was the state of everypony when they heard it. None of them could compare the sound to anything from their world, however if they had been familiar with military equipment, they would’ve recognized it as something similar to a jet engine… Multiplied by at least a hundred-fold. Cadance stopped firing. The guards stopped letting loose volleys of cannonballs. Rainbow Dash stopped before she’d even reached the battlefield as she stared upwards, a massive shadow overhead. Said shadow moved shockingly quick—Wonderbolt-tier quick. The false sun glinted against something metal, making those who stared upwards at the approaching mass squint their eyes at the massive, metallic frame approaching. Even Maguma itself stopped its approach, backing up several dozen meters as the large figure approached the smaller walrus-beast. Everypony watched on in utter silent bafflement and shock as the great, flying beast landed. A massive THOOM! rung out when the robotic dragon’s feet made contact with the ground. Even when landed, the behemoth’s large frame glowed, light shining off of its metal exterior. It was one hundred meters of pure ancient power, unwillingly merged with the most advanced technology humankind had to offer. Like a great armor-clad knight, the bipedal monster stood only a few hundred meters before the much smaller kaiju. The creature had placed itself right in between the retreating line of guards and Maguma. Its long, powerful tail swished back and forth as it stood guard, a living blockade between the great pony-built city, and its would-be destroyer. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack stared onwards wide-eyed. Sadly, Pinkie wasn’t anywhere near any of them to close their gaping maws; too busy helping lug several more soldiers to safety as they laid slumped over her strong earth pony back. Spike only managed to peek out the opened end of the medical tent, having to sadly ignore the kaiju brawl to help the wounded. Cadance was still hovering in the same general position, though she’d been partly flung off course by Kiryu’s arrival, as his entrance caused a powerful gust of wind the princess hadn’t been expecting. When she stabilized, she was shocked to see the metal dragon staring upwards at her. She was only about twenty or so meters above the machine. Kiryu’s deep, red eyes stared down hers, while the Princess of Love remained calm and stern, uncertain at his next course of action. The staredown lasted right up until Kiryu reached up a claw, and extended his index claw, pointing it right at the pink alicorn. Moments later, he then motioned with his thumb, giving the universal “get lost,” motion. Cadance would’ve been offended had the situation not been so dire. As it stood, she flew downwards, hovering mere meters from Kiryu’s face. The Mechagodzilla focused on her as Maguma stamped its forelimbs in an intimidation attempt, acting as if it would charge down the machine. Kiryu simply stood his ground, almost ignoring the behemoth as he treated the smaller monster like nothing more than a yapping dog. “I thank you, Kiryu, for placing yourself in the line of duty to protect my subjects,” she spoke, her tone regal, loud, almost to the point she was using her Royal Canterlot Voice to ensure the mecha heard her. “If I can do anything for you, please let me—” Kiryu did the same motion with his thumb, making the princess silence herself, giving a nod before she turned and flew off. He watched as she left, once she became a spec in the distance, only then did the machine dragon focus his sights downwards at Maguma. The arctic beast glared upwards. Despite the walrus kaiju’s smaller physique, being only half as tall as Kiryu and looking even smaller on all fours, it refused to back down. Instead, the kaiju reared up and let loose a familiar high-pitched roar. Sounding like an elephant mixed with a lion, it trumpeted and threatened the larger mecha, even rearing up to appear more intimidating. REEEGGGOOOOOAAAR!!! Kiryu’s red eyes glared down at the smaller beast. He straightened his back up, making himself appear even larger. His bulky backpack and rocket launchers added to his intimidating physique. The machine moved too naturally, almost like a predator that had done this same song-and-dance before. And then— SSSKKKKRRRREEEEEEOOOOOOOOONNNKKK!!! It was like the sound of rending, tearing metal ringing out only to be overpowered by a deeper, bass-like roar of utter fury. Everypony watching the spectacle immediately covered their ears. While the cannonfire and Maguma’s bellows were eardrum-bursting in their own rights, the power of Kiryu’s made them feel like specks… well, more so than they already had been since the walrus’ arrival. Inside of Kiryu’s cockpit, Twilight had to magically cast a spell on her ears, lest they begin to bleed from her close proximity to the roar. One sentence was on the monitor’s display the entire time. “COVER YOUR EARS.” Maguma himself slinked back. While he’d fought the metallic kaiju before, this was… different. He felt like a prey animal staring down an apex predator. Lower on the totem pole by far. The Terror of Antarctica took a step back, now utterly unsure on how to continue… Kiryu made the choice for the smaller behemoth by bringing up a knee and activating his rocket thrusters, sending himself surging forwards. Everypony watching gasped with utter shock as Kiryu’s clawed foot made impact with the bottom of Maguma’s chin. The walrus’ long tusks scraped against the metal, but did little else as the machine dragon easily punted the smaller kaiju. The force of the beast’s blow sent the creature tumbling upwards through the air. It was a spectacle, with the beast’s four limbs flailing about as it was launched easily twenty to thirty meters into the air. Immediately, gravity took hold of the several-thousand-ton beast, and moments later, he slammed right down onto his back, grunting and bellowing as he did. Maguma took a few seconds to flip itself back onto its four legs. It trumpeted another battle cry as it rushed down Kiryu, its mouth opened wide to bite at the bionic monster. However, the machine dragon turned on a dime, its massive, armored tail acting almost like a building-sized baseball bat as it slammed into the right side of the kaiju’s head. The arctic terror was seeing stars as its entire body jerked to the side, the smaller behemoth being knocked completely off balance as it tumbled, doing a full roll and then landing back down onto its stomach. It lifted its head to shake off the ringing in its ears. As it did, Kiryu ducked down, bringing back its right fist and then shocking Maguma by giving him a harsh uppercut which rattled the beast’s skull. The gigantic mecha’s forearm-mounted railguns cut deeply into the walrus’ leathery skin. It seemed the twin cannons were bladed as well, as Kiryu brought his left arm forwards. His claws and his gigantic blades sliced across Maguma’s face, knocking the creature back onto its side as blood seeped from several new cuts in its face. Its greenish-blue eyes blinked as it looked upwards at the gigantic monster standing over it. Kiryu gave him no time to rest, as suddenly the Mechagodzilla’s mouth opened wide. Many ponies looked on, knowing what this meant; when a dragon opens its mouth, you’d better be out of the way. Vvvvvrooooom-SHOOOOM!!! The Twin Maser Cannons did their job smoothly, as a spiral of yellow, electrical energy blasted forwards and slammed right into Maguma’s chest, pushing the monster back several meters before it slammed into a large hill, which stopped its momentum. Dirt and rocks and trees tumbled down onto the flailing walrus as Kiryu continued his assault. The electricity-like blast surged across the kaiju’s skin. An explosion easily three times bigger than anything Princess Cadance had thrown at the creature suddenly erupted as Maguma trumpeted out a roar of agony. Charred chunks of flesh flew outwards, raining to the ground as the powerful attack left a deep, gaping wound in the arctic creature’s chest. Only then did Kiryu’s beam conclude. Inside the cockpit, Twilight watched as the console flickered, traces of static eating at the machine’s display. Battery Percentage: 12% Maguma continued laying there, groaning in agony as blood poured from its newfound chest-cavity. Despite the fact this was a good thing for the ponies, many of them looked on with shock; even a few of the hardened guards narrowed their eyes, steeling themselves as the monster weakly flailed its limbs. Fluttershy had even put in earplugs by now, not wanting to hear the sounds of a dying creature as she worked to save lives. Her face was painted with a deep, grimacing expression. Maguma growled, flailing out its lower legs towards Kiryu, who stepped back so as to not get tripped up. The machine dragon then leaned down, grabbing Maguma’s lower right leg mid-kick. Without a hint of effort, the Mechagodzilla turned and tossed the behemoth towards the edge of the Crystal Hear’s barrier. Maguma howled all the while it flew through the air, its limbs kicking out as it passed through the shield against the elements. The amazing display of strength left the crowd of onlookers even more wide-eyed than anything that had come before. The robot was unstoppable! Inside Kiryu's cockpit, Twilight managed to get up to her hooves, forcing herself into a sitting position in the pilot’s chair as the monitor showed a single sentence. “STRANGE. IS THIS WHAT MAGIC CAN DO?” The machine dragon began to move forwards, following the direction he’d thrown Maguma. This wound up making the inside of his body rock back and forth, with Twilight securing several seatbelts around her chest before she replied. “It's the Crystal Heart!” the alicorn answered, not meaning to shout, as her ears were currently plugged. “IT IS UNNATURAL.” She merely frowned as she heard the dull thump, thump, thump, of the metallic goliath’s footsteps. No cameras were active in the cockpit, whether because they had been damaged by the power surge or because Kiryu didn’t want her to witness the fight, she didn’t know. Kiryu soon stepped out of the barrier of the empire. The frigid elements immediately slammed against his body, as if it felt any different from the warmth. It was all the same to the machine. Snow piled up on his muzzle, making small piles below his prosthetic eyes. His gaze was filled with the familiar sight of the arctic wasteland he’d been buried under for so long “NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO LEAVE, TWILIGHT SPARKLE.” Twilight frowned at the monitor, looking almost offended at the idea of abandoning the mecha. She instead reached up a hoof and tightened the straps around her waist, “I’m not just going to leave you! Especially after all you’ve already done!” The display was unchanging for a few seconds, as if Kiryu was debating on what to say. Soon though, the binary flickered into action once again. “SENTIMENTALITY CAN BE SEEN AS A WEAKNESS.” Twilight only gave a soft, almost defeated sigh as her response. Still, she remained inside, unmoving as the machine trudged forwards. The dragon had thrown Maguma the equivalent of a dozen city blocks or so. Currently, the creature was flat on its back, half buried in a heap of snow. The avalanche the monster’s impact had caused revealed the jagged, rocky cliff face the walrus had slammed into. The creature’s chest was still severely wounded, the gaping hole being partially charred from the power of the Twin Maser Cannons. One of its tusks had now chipped off, and laid sticking upwards out of the icy ground, no doubt having broken when the beast collided with the cliffside. Kiryu stared down at the monster, who raised one of its forelimbs up in an attempt to swat at the Mechagodzilla. There was almost a sense of sadness as the machine stood there, gazing upon the downed behemoth. Unlike so many others, he didn’t see a monster, just a scared, tragic being that was born too big, too strong, and had lived too long… Now here it was, dying in a world which wasn’t even its own. There was a whirring sound building inside the Mechagodzilla’s. Kiryu straightened himself up, his mouth opening as a massive amount of his energy supply was directed to the Twin Maser Cannons. Twilight herself watched as some of the lights inside the cockpit went dark. The display was glitching, but she could still see traces of it. Battery Percentage: 8%... … 7%... 6%... “Kiryu?” she questioned, looking at the screen in concern. He didn’t respond back. Outside, the cannons within the mecha unit’s mouth surged with intense energy. After a moment, the same bright yellow spiral flew from his maw yet again. Maguma wasn’t even able to move to avoid the blast before it slammed into him, entering inside the hole in the walrus’ chest. He pulled back to roar in pain as the power output became too much for the organic creature to endure… KA-BOOM!!! The Terror of Antarctica was enveloped in a gigantic blast. The fireball grew so massive it engulfed the entire cliff face as Maguma let loose one final roar, which echoed across the mountainous, frigid landscape. The trumpeting howl mixed with the explosion, creating a bizarre cacophony of sound which was so powerful it caused a few avalanches on some nearby mountaintops. As quickly as it came, the Twin Maser Cannon sputtered to a sudden stop, the stream dying within a fraction of a second. Kiryu’s mouth hung open for a few seconds before he forced his upper jaw into place, closing it. In front of the metallic creature was… nothing. Nothing but ash and a few large, burning cinders had been all that remained of Maguma’s body. The kaiju’s tusk had been singed, but it remained sticking out of the ground, the only true reminder the behemoth had once been there; had once lived. A monster would’ve roared in victory. Kiryu remained silent. Inside, Twilight had been bracing herself against the chair, as everything was rumbling from the power of the blast. Since everything had calmed down, the mare slowly opened her eyes, finding she was, much to her relief, still alive. However, the lights were still off, with only the flickering monitor illuminating the cockpit. Battery Percentage: Error… “K—...Kiryu? Are you alright?” she questioned. After a moment, words began forming, at a slow, glitchy pace. “THE ENERGY YOU FLOODED MY SYSTEMS WITH IS FINALLY WEARING OFF…” Twilight looked on, as the 0s and 1s then began to dissipate, and create another sentence. “SAYONARA, MISS SPARKLE.” “W-wait. Kiryu, I’ll bring you back as soon as I can, I promise!” assured the mare, her horn lighting up. “After all you’ve done to protect us, you deserve to—” The binary formed into one final series of words, ones which crystal clear despite the intense flickering of the screen. “DON’T. I BELONG LIKE THIS.” And then, after a few seconds, the monitor turned off, leaving the mare in nothing but empty, uncaring blackness. He was gone. Outside, dozens of soldiers watched as the machine dragon lowered its head. His arms and shoulders slumped down. He only stayed standing due to the sheer strength of his reinforced legs. Finally, the machine was fully still, with snow pelting against its frigid, metal exterior as Kiryu’s red eyes faded, going completely dark… ReflectingCanterlot, a week later Twilight let out a long, deep sigh, leaning back in her comfortable chair. A large mirror sat in front of her, with several beauty products (all sent by Rarity of course) being strewn about on the massive table which was pressing into her chest. None of them were used though, (sorry Rarity) given the princess wasn’t exactly focused on vanity at the moment. “Alright, that’s good, now do another deep breath in,” Spike coaxed, standing a few paces behind his sister. His clawed hands were outstretched, motioning for her to keep up her rhythm “I know how to control my breathing exercises, Spike,” Twilight said, giving a small roll of her eyes as she turned towards her little brother. “I’m beginning to think you’re more nervous than me about all of this.” “I’m your assistant, it’s my job to make sure everything goes smoothly,” he replied, crossing his arms. “And it will, Spike,” she assured with a smile. It didn’t really improve her brother’s mood, as he just gave a small huff, “Yeah well, you’re not the one who has to make the trip to the Dragonlands to tell Cinder that at any point she can be attacked by a giant walrus or who-knows-what-else.” “Spike, it’s going to be alright,” she replied, getting up from her seat and trotting over to her brother. She gave him a soft pat on the shoulder with one of her wings. His tenseness slowly vanished, with him sighing as well as he looked down, “Sorry, Twilight.” “Look, Spike, there’s a good chance no other monsters appear, alright? This could just be one of those once-in-a-lifetime ordeals nopony will ever see again,” the mare explained, letting go of her brother and stepping back. “There’s a good chance even you or me won’t see another kaiju again!” He merely raised a brow at his sister, “And if you’re wrong?” “Then we’ll all face it together,” was her simple response, with the mare giving a comforting, confident smile. Before much else could happen, a guard opened the door to the room, with a yellow-coated unicorn mare sticking her head into the doorway. She gave a meek smile, speaking, “Princess Sparkle, the press has arrived. They’re ready for your statement.” “I’ll be back in about an hour Spike; you just sit here and relax for now,” Twilight offered, gently patting the dragon’s head with her forehoof. “Alright I get it,” he chuckled, lightly slapping her hoof away. “You don’t have to baby me.” Twilight gave her own soft laugh and soon she was gone, the door shutting behind her as she went on to meet her no doubt adoring public. Spike twiddled his fingers for a bit, before soon brushing off his emotions. He was a dragon, after all! No need to get scared by some giant evil monsters!... Alright, maybe he could distract himself with some reading! With that thought, he grabbed a newspaper sitting on a table off in the corner of the room and then took Twilight’s seat, (what? It’s comfy!) before he flipped open to what would hopefully be the funny comics section. ‘PROF. FOSSIL UNVEILS NEWEST CANTERLOT MUSEUM EXHIBIT: GIGANTIC TUSK! ONLY REMAINS OF THE CREATURE DUBBED ‘MAGUMA!!!’ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ON PAGE…’ “Oh well that’s just great,” he sighed, slumping down. The second Twilight stepped onto the stage of the conference hall, she was flashed with a flurry of bright cameras. Her eyes squinted and she quietly groaned to herself. Gotta keep it in, always. Never let the mask slip. She walked over to a small stand, with the combined sun and moon emblem of the flag of Equestria emblazoned on it. She saw a few non-ponies in the crowd, a changeling or two, and a few hippogriffs mainly. No doubt Novo and Thorax would want answers as well, given their meeting was slated for next week. Regardless, she gently tapped the small magical mic on her podium and cleared her throat. Everycreature present leaned in, cameras and notepads and such were at the ready. They all listened intently to her next words. After a moment, she finally spoke, “I understand everycreature here has concerns over the incident in the Crystal Empire. Rest assured I will answer each and every one of them to the best of my abilities. The safety of Equestria and her allies are my number one priority.” Immediately there was a flash, a dozen reporters scribbling out frantically across their paper. “Princess Sparkle, what exactly is the machine dragon that fought off the giant monster in the Crystal Empire?” a deep brown coated reporter spoke, raising a forehoof. “I understand Princess Cadance and Prince Armor addressed it as Kiryu at their own public speaking, can you confirm anything else about it?” “Kiryu…” she ran her flat tongue over her teeth for a second in thought, before nodding, having picked the perfect response. “Kiryu is a cybernetically enhanced creature which resembles a dragon. At this time however, we are unsure of his exact origins. All we know is he was found buried deep within the ice of the Frozen North.” It wasn’t fully a lie, given the last thing Twilight needed was everycreature knowing about alternate universes and the like. Not yet at least. There was another series of scribbles, and then another question. “Is the machine of alien origin?” a red-coated unicorn mare asked, leaning up as she looked intently at the princess. Twilight nodded and replied swiftly into the mic, “I cannot say at this time; the leading theory is that Kiryu is a being built by an advanced civilization. Whether or not it’s alien or older than Equestria itself isn’t known.” More scribbles. “Your Majesty, what will you do if another giant creature attacks Equestria?” a gray stallion asked, scratching his head with a forehoof. “Will this ‘Kiryu’ lend his assistance?” “Kiryu is an independent creature. I cannot control his actions, just as I’d never want to control the actions of any other thinking being,” Twilight replied honestly. There was a series of hushed whispers and uncertain murmurs among the crowd at this. A giant robot, with its own inhibitions. Not the best thing to learn. However, Twilight quickly brought the crowd’s attention back to her, as she spoke once more, “While I cannot assure you Kiryu will be there to help us, we have managed to remove the large cannons mounted on his forearms and back.” Suddenly she summoned a small projector with her magic. She nodded to a few guards, and immediately the windows were quickly shuttered by regal, purple drapes. She continued levitating the projector and magically pressed a button on it. A large, black and white photo of Kiryu, with his battle gear and all appeared before the crowd on the far wall. There were a small series of gasps, likely from those who hadn’t yet seen a full picture of the massive machine. “Notice the massive railguns and… well, for lack of a better term, jetpack mounted on Kiryu in this image,” Twilight said, magically levitating a small pencil over to the image, pointing at the obvious armaments for the members of the crowd who were oblivious… or blind. “Kiryu disliked being seen as nothing more than a weapon,” Twilight continued, giving another clear of her throat to ensure everycreature was focused on her. “Therefore, I figured I should remove several weapons from him. He now resembles what I assume to be his more natural frame. Should he ever reawaken, hopefully he will enjoy his newfound freedom at not having to be a tool of warfare. Despite this, he will be free to request this equipment back if he so chooses.” Twilight then tapped the projector once more and the image switched. It was almost exactly the same, though the railguns and battlepack on the kaiju’s spine were no longer there. He just resembled a large, spiky, wingless dragon now. While he was still obviously made out of metal, he seemed far more natural; far lither. There was another series of scribbles and hushed mumblings from the crowd. “Princess Sparkle, why would you give back such a major defense at any further monster threats to our country?” a deep purple pegasus mare asked, her pen and notepad held in her wings. “It is not our property in the first place,” Twilight answered, her tone stern. “I am not going to deny anycreature their rightful ownership over their own possessions, no matter what they are; pony, changeling, hippogriff, or gigantic robotic dragon.” There was a wave of nods, especially from the non-ponies of the room. A couple of “fair enough’s” rang out as well. “I have made this one exception due to Kiryu’s nature and the potential future risks any further kaiju attacks could pose,” the princess explained, before tapping the projector again. The image changed to one of Kiryu’s removed rail cannons and jetpack, which were being held in a large loading bay. Numerous ponies in labcoats were eyeing the machinery over. “We have relocated these weapons to Manehattan; over the coming months we will study, and hopefully duplicate this firepower. If there’s any other threats to our nations, by then, we should have successfully replicated this anti-kaiju weaponry.” There were a small series of positive sounding murmurs at this. “How long will it take for these machines to be recreated?” an earth stallion questioned. “I cannot give you an exact timeframe, but I have pooled many resources and horsepower into this project.” Twilight said. Getting dozens and dozens of minds on the task wasn’t exactly easy, but the safety of the motherland was obviously something worth sparing no expense for. “We should make great strides by the end of the year; however, we can expedite the process should any giant creatures appear before then.” The crowd seemed pleased at this answer, and a few hoofclaps rang out throughout the conference hall. The non-ponies seemed just as hopeful as well, looking between themselves and nodding, grins adorning their faces. Twilight gave a small smile at this; unity, just as she desired… Well, unity on all fronts except for one… ??? … Battery Percentage: 1%... … Was this any better? Well, the rocket-filled battlepack and arm-mounted railguns were gone, so there was no more fighting, at least. Despite this, the cold, uncaring snow was devouring him as the ice had, and before that, as the waves had. Once every day, he would see them. Well, see was a loose term. Eyes weren’t active, and yet he knew they were there; could feel them, watching him, cheering him on occasion, or even giving him looks of hate and disgust. He felt like an exhibit in a way. Nothing more than a statue meant to be gawked and pointed at. None had entered inside. It was as if they respected the wishes. Let him rest. A mother stood beside her child at his feet. Two barely visible specs of color in the bleak, white snow. It seemed to be some type of ritual. They weren’t the first who approached his massive frame, especially after the blizzard had begun to die down. He was sure soon enough the soldiers in armor would lock it down; create a barrier between him and the outside. Then none of the equines could make their journey. Would that be better? A small forehoof touched his foot. One of his claws was bigger than the mother and the foal combined. “Thank you for saving my home, mister Keeyroo,” the little one said, utterly butchering his “name.” Girl? Boy? Sounded squeaky. Hard to tell the differences; dimorphism did make the males bulkier, but this was just a child. This one was merely the dozenth in the past few days who had journeyed to the great metal dragon. Others came. Sometimes with a parent. Sometimes with other children. Rarely, they came alone. Kiryu just stood there, frozen in place. Unable to react or respond to any of the words. Did the words even matter? Like a statue he remained, ever vigilant, ever drained. Was this a punishment for what he had done? The families he ripped apart? The lives he’d destroyed?... The people he’d killed? … The better question was… did he deserve it? The monitor turned on, an audio recording replayed, a feminine voice speaking out. She was… the pink one. Had wings and a horn. “Kiryu… have you ever felt the sensation of love? I’m not trying to be cheesy but love itself is more than romance. It is a passion for those around you, no matter what. Many creatures can feel love. No matter what they are, love, and caring is in their nature… Kiryu, whenever I was a filly, before ascending to become an alicorn, I took a trip to a farm. On it, I saw a mother cat who had taken in a pack of orphaned ducklings. She did this because she had recently given birth; her love was so powerful, it removed her predatory instincts, giving her the desire to nurture and care. That is how strong love is… … I understand. You have no desire to talk to me. I will not waste more of your time, but just know, no matter what… You Are More.” The lack of the feline killing the avian was merely a hormonal imbalance, surely. Regardless of the reasons, once the princess’ voice log finished playing, another began. This was… the male? The orange male. Only the horn, no wings for some reason. Sexual dimorphism? “Look uh… K-Kiryu. I’m not really the best guy to talk to when it comes to science or philosophy or… well, a lot of things, but well, I know you’ve been through so much, so I’ll keep it brief. My uh… my best friend. She went through a lot as well. She was left alone… Yeah, I did it. I’m an idiot for never going out and finding her… B-but the fact is, we met up. After all of that time, all of the mistakes we both made… some worse than others—those didn’t matter. What does matter, is the fact no matter how long it’s been, it’s never too late to turn things around, you know? I mean, I was just some nopony, sitting in my room, studying spells and well, doing nothing with my life. With her help, I realized one thing… Ooohh, how do I put this?… ‘You Are More.’ … Nothing, huh?... W-well, I won’t bug you anymore, especially considering you’re a giant robot dragon and all h-heh… Oh, I wish Starlight was here; she’d be a lot better at this than me!” It was doubtful this ‘Starlight’ would do any better… Regardless, another audio log began to play; it was the white horned one. He was burlier than the orange male, same species, different physique. Likely because he was a soldier. He was the… the captain. Right. “I can’t say I know what it’s like to be forced to fight… Every time I did it, it was because I volunteered to protect my country, my friends, my… family—Did you have a family at any point? Everycreature, no matter what they are, has one, even if it’s not by blood, you know? … I remember when my wife first gave birth to my daughter; Flurry Heart, she uh… It’s hard to exactly describe how it made me feel when I first held her. It was like—like holding a pure, condensed bundle of myself. Everything I was made of—everything my wife was made of; our love, our relationship, it all came together into one being. One I could love and hold and cherish. … I’m not the best at giving speeches, or pep talks, but I do know even the most grizzled, hardened, unfeeling guy can have a heart. No matter how much he tries to deny it or fight it off or keep himself cold, like an emotionless suit of armor, he always has something inside. A love or a passion, for somepon—somecreature, or some activity or anything else. What I’m trying to say… is there’s no reason to hide the fact that ‘You Are More.’ … I know you don’t want to talk, but I think you understand where I’m coming from. … I’ll leave you be, then.” For what it’s worth, he did remember the child. Strange thing. The mother, Cadance, flew up with the tiny being in her forehooves, right up to his gigantic, house-sized synthetic eyes. She showed him her daughter, her most prized possession. She didn’t cry or squeal or even sneeze despite the cold on her face, (which was the only part of her visible in the bundle Cadance and Shining had put her in) she just smiled, and then giggled and then waved. The term “Cuteness” was a human one. It was made in the minds of humans so they would fend for their small, feeble, rounded young. Just another weakness, like sentimentality, like nostalgia, and like so much else. He didn’t find little Flurry Heart cute, even when she reached out and gently tapped his large, dimmed eye. But he did feel something. It was a minor warmth, no different than the foal who had tapped his foot. Just something else he could ponder over… An Unexpected MeetingThe Frozen North, several days later Kiryu still remained sticking out of the icy earth as if he were a gargantuan statue. The snow never piled up on him, however, as occasionally a small group of the equines would come to clean him. The winged ones would brush the snow off of his mechanical eyes, his face, the nooks and crannies of his shoulders, and make sure none of his wiring was damaged. They even brought out large, magically powered polishers typically made for floors, ensuring his armor shined as they cleaned him. It wasn’t much different from the time being stuck in the bunkers of Japan. One could see this as vanity, or as a form of thanks for his service, yet he still made sure to keep his sensors at the ready. Should any of them try to place a spell over him, he had just enough power to move, enough to turn his slouched state into a fallen one. That would send them running, assuming they got out of the way. The thought was horrible, but then again so was forcing him to fight. Though, the possession attempts never came. They did their job, cleaned up, one or two of them even patted his thick, metal exterior, and then they left without further fanfare. Thus, Kiryu was clean, shinier than ever, and still slumping, never to move. He remained that way. Occasionally, he would replay a voice recording to himself. It was out of boredom, not actual ponderment of their words… That’s what he’d tell himself at least. Many more ponies would come before him. They would say their thanks and then leave. Eventually though, more professional looking equines came back a few days later. They were escorted by guards, who helped wheel large, disk-like objects. He was considering seeing if he could flash the Twin Maser Cannon at them. However, he didn’t have enough juice to start it. It’d be no different from a diminutive dog barking at this point. He ultimately remained still though. As they placed the objects around him, he took note that at the least, he couldn’t feel anything controlling coming from them. It wasn’t like when he had to wrestle his mind back from the A.I. programming. Perhaps the disks weren’t weapons. Sensors maybe? They were quite different from human made ones, though again, he wasn’t on Earth, so it would make sense… He felt the hatch open. A mare, older, (likely mid-fifties) soon stepped inside of the cockpit. Up close he could see she was wearing a bright orange hardhat, yellow visibility vest. Ah. She was a construction worker. Quite similar to the humans, actually. “Hey big guy,” she said softly as she placed a much smaller sensor on the flooring. She soon adjusted her hat a bit. She was a horned one. He’d still not gotten an explanation of the species sexual dimorphism… not like it mattered, of course. He didn’t respond to her. Only remained silent, the monitor black and dead. Upon realizing there wouldn’t be a response, she shrugged, continuing, as she placed a small ring on her horn, with it being connected to the sensor, “Ya know… you saved my son by killing the giant walrus thing. He was stationed here, working under Captain Armor. Got a real bad leg break but he’ll be able to recover… He said he was really close to death; would’ve been crushed by that beast if you didn’t show up.” No text. “I don’t know if you’re able to understand me or not… Princess Twilight says ya are. Said it in the papers,” the worker said as the sensor seemed to activate from the mare’s horn flashing. “Dunno if it’s true, but if ya hear me, all we’re doing is getting an interior scan of your body. We aren’t gonna deconstruct ya, but… well we still wanna sorta know how you work. It could help us with researching those big cannons of yours… Is that alright?” Not a shock. Using him as a means to create another weapon. Of course. She frowned when he didn’t reply, “Well uh… when my boy gets better, he said he’d like to come here and thank ya personally; give ya a pat on the… foot I guess, heh.” Nothing but silence filled the room as the mare continued her work. Canterlot Castle, Twilight’s Study, the following day The dark room around her was illuminated only by a single, hanging lantern. She was deep in the castle’s chamber’s now, thus natural light wasn’t an option for her. Her eyes squinted in the darkness, though she was no stranger to late night reading sessions. She flipped through the reasonably thick book in mere minutes, before immediately sitting it aside. “Nope,” Twilight huffed to herself, magically grabbing another bulky tome off of her nearby shelf. ‘A History of Equestrian Cryptids.’ The pages whirled and she read as quickly as she could. Dozens passed her by, and tons of information filled her mind. However, once more, it did little to help, with her sitting the half-completed publication down onto her wooden desk, “Doesn’t seem to be anything here either.” She grabbed another one, ‘Seabeasts and More!’ and got to reading it as well, multitasking the two books at the same time. She’d been at it the entire day now. Her mind was filled with all kinds of beasts, ranging from tentacled titans to potentially underground savages. Yet none of them seemed exactly like kaiju-tier threats. Regardless, she read on. While Kiryu’s equipment was being studied, it didn’t mean the princess could go and slack off! What if another monster appeared, this time being closer to Canterlot, or Manehatten, or Las Pegasus? She’d need to know everything she could on the subject in case such a horrific event occurred! Before she could continue mulling over the possibilities, the door behind her opened up, making Twilight immediately jerk her head over her shoulder. “Princess Sparkle—” “Yeah!?!” squawked the alicorn, interrupting her subject. The guard stood there, staring at the princess with an uncertain look on his face. Soon, he levitated up a bright yellow file. He discreetly passed it over to Twilight, who blushed as she grabbed it in her own magical glow. “—those X-Ray pictures of Kiryu are finally complete, courtesy of Princess Cadance,” he said, finally finishing his sentence. Twilight gave a small, “Thank you.” In response, he nodded, before quickly leaving her alone, the door giving a loud, creaking noise before it shut. Once more she was alone with her thoughts. The file rested on the desk in front of her, a big, bright red ‘CLASSIFIED’ was stamped on it. The princess didn’t immediately open it. For some reason, holding it here in her hooves felt… partly wrong. A very strange sensation overtook her, like butterflies (or moths) in her stomach. After a few deep breaths, she shook it off and went back into princess mode. Can’t let herself falter in the event her subjects needed anything, after all! She opened it!... … Immediately, Twilight’s face was one of deep grimace as she looked over the pictures which greeted her, “Oh Kiryu….” She wasn’t exactly sure what she was expecting for his internals. She knew at one point he was a living being; he had to be! He was too thoughtful, had too much of a soul to be nothing but a machine! Well, the image confirmed this at least. Amid the crossbeams and steel support structures inside of him, and the wires and under the armor and under the spikes and the weapons and all of it was him. Rather, what remained of him anyways… It was his skeleton. The restless bones of the First Godzilla. The empty sockets which had once contained eyes looked back at Twilight. He had a row of sharp teeth, powerful looking bones. His right arm was missing, being fully replaced by metal and unfeeling wires. She could see the spikes running down his back, and his long, durable tail. It made her blink a few times, almost finding the image sickening. She was reminded of Spike when he’d endured his greed-induced growth. The thought of her brother being turned into something like this made her ill. Kiryu was plucked up from his resting place and turned into a weapon. Yet despite all of this, he’d saved the Crystal Empire from horrific destruction. He put his afterlife on the line to fight off Maguma. Now countless lives and homes had been saved— He deserved better than to be some emotionless, unmoving statue in the Frozen North, left to sit there and decay and cease to be. He deserved something. However, his words were clear, still ringing in her mind. He didn’t want to live, but to deny him his right to exist… She began to feel ill once more. Twilight sat down the file onto her desk and leaned back into her old, rickety chair. She brought up a forehoof and began to rub over her forehead. Thoughts swirled through her mind, of skeletons, of monsters, and so much more… Suddenly though, she felt the wind pick up around her. Her eyes shot open as she heard the ruffling of paper billowing in a new breeze. She looked upwards, and all around herself. A faint chirp rang out, however she could see nothing, leaving her confused. “Wha—” Chirp. “Hello?” she asked, standing up on her forehooves. She began levitating everything she could. Her table, the massive bookshelf, her chair, all of it. She looked under it in confusion, her head bolting this way and that and back again as she tried to uncover what could possibly have made the— Chirp. “Alright if this is a prank, show yourself right now!” Twilight growled, her Royal Canterlot Voice picking up as her temper flared. There was a flash of light. Something appeared before her. It was fluffy, with big, round eyes. Two antennae. Two large, multicolored, beautiful wings… It was a massive moth, easily bigger than Twilight’s head! The insect flapped her wings, remaining airborne and causing more pages around Twilight to billow as she released her magic, barely managing to sit everything down neatly due to her state of surprise. “H-hello?” she managed. As if in response, the arthropod flew over, landing and perching itself in the corner of the room. Her antenna chittered for a moment, before it let loose a small, squeaky chirp. Moments later, two small balls of light, no bigger than Twilight’s hooves appeared in front of the strange animal. Despite how small they were, they lit up the room immediately, casting it in a light so bright it seemed as if they were a pair of miniature suns. Two voices emerged from them, though it was hard to notice as had Twilight’s ears not been keen, it would’ve sounded like just one. They were both feminine, both spoke at the same tone, same cadence, same frequency. They practically were one. “Be not afraid, Twilight Sparkle,” they called. “Who are you?” the alicorn asked in shock, her eyes wide. The balls of light seemed to grow brighter as the reply came, “We are the Cosmos.” “You’re just… pure light?” she said, examining the luminescent beings in wonderment. Her head craned left and right as she tried looking them over, seeing if there were any notable deviations on the energy-like creatures. “You know magic better than any other pony we’ve seen; we assume you understand our physical form is only relative to how we desire you to perceive it,” the light replied, the moth behind it giving another squeaky chirp! “Right, of course…” Twilight nodded. She leaned upwards, as if trying to get as close to the floating balls of light as she could. “I know you said you’re the Cosmos but what exactly is that?” “We are the Priestesses of Mothra,” was the simple answer. Twilight’s brain immediately raced, trying in vain to attempt to remember if the name was familiar or not. After a few seconds, her face fell slightly. “Please don’t tell me this ‘Mothra’ is a kaiju…” “Many things can be classified as kaiju, Twilight Sparkle,” the twin orbs responded, a soft, wise tone in their voices. “Even something as simple as a dragon, a griffon… or an alicorn.” “Fair enough I suppose,” Twilight replied. “Do not worry, Princess Sparkle. Mothra is a peaceful creature; a guardian of the planet Earth,” the Cosmos assured. “'Earth?'” Twilight pondered to herself, before her eyes widened in realization. “Tell me, does ‘Earth’ contain the country of Japan?” After a pause, the Cosmos spoke, keeping the same soft, lullaby-like tone. “Yes, Twilight Sparkle. Japan was the site of many tragic kaiju battles throughout the decade human calendar referred to as the nineteen-nineties.” “Then you know about Kiryu, right?” the princess asked, her ear flicking as she blinked a few times from the light illuminating off the twin beings. There wasn’t a reply at first, as if the two were thinking. All while the large moth merely remained on the wall, her antenna twitching about as she almost seemed to… slump? It was as if her physical body was showing the emotion the beings of light couldn’t express. “We have no recollection of the cyborg known as Kiryu,” they answered. Now Twilight herself was slumping, though she listened on intently. “Despite this, we have not been on the planet Earth itself in many years. It is possible that in this timeframe, the humans could have constructed such a creature in secret, and we hadn’t yet sensed its presence.” Twilight nodded at their words, her mind racing with all kinds of questions, so many it was hard to lock it down to one. Soon though, she did, “So tell me… how did you get here?” “We and Mothra flew into space in the Earth year nineteen-ninety-three to destroy a meteor which threatened the planet,” the Cosmos’ words made Twilight’s eyes light up. “Several years after we began our journey, we successfully stopped the threat, and began to return to Earth—” “You were sucked into a giant black portal?” Twilight finished, the sparkle fading from her eyes, being replaced with uncertainty now. The moth nodded, her antennae twitching about as the Cosmos continued glowing. “That was roughly two months ago, going by your measurement of time,” the twin balls explained. “Shortly after our arrival, we followed the strongest positive energy output we could find. It was you and your friends, Twilight Sparkle.” The alicorn nodded, looking down at her desk in thought as her forehoof tapped against it. Suddenly, a question popped into her head, “Wait… if you’ve been following me for two months, then why didn’t you warn me about Maguma?” “The creature’s appearance was too sudden. We cannot read this planet’s energy as we could Earth’s, so we were blind to the kaiju’s arrival,” Twilight nodded at their explanation, letting the two continue. “We would have stopped Maguma, however the destruction of the meteorite has left Mothra weakened; she will need at least another two weeks to gain enough energy to be back at full strength.” “So—” the mare began, however she paused herself, really not wanting to finish the sentence. Regardless, she pressed on. “—If you’re here, then that confirms there could be other kaiju attacks, right?” “Yes, which is why we are here to warn you, Twilight Sparkle,” came the Cosmos’ soul-crushing answer. “Somehow, the balance of not only the universe, but the multiverse has become unstable.” “That’s just great,” the princess said with a groaning sigh. Given the appearance of Kiryu and Maguma, she’d already figured something was wrong with the realms, but hearing it be confirmed obviously didn’t make her feel better. “We are not familiar with how such a thing could happen; we merely presided over Earth. Should more rips in space-time occur, new threats could be revealed at every turn. Threats which Mothra might not be able to handle by herself, even when she is rested,” the fairies chimed. Twilight’s stomach turned into an icy-hot pit again; it felt like the twin priestesses’ voices were a pair of warning bells for her kingdom. She swallowed as a whirl of emotions filled her. She almost felt like she was going to melt into a puddle from the nervous-induced heat now coming from her. Eventually though, she swallowed a glob of saliva in her mouth and spoke, “So you came to tell me we should resurrect Kiryu, right?” The moth-fairy slumped once more, seeming sad. “To disrespect and forcefully revive the dead is a great taboo, Princess Sparkle,” the two luminous balls answered, their voices having a twinge of sadness. Twilight herself slumped now, her ears folding against the sides of her head. “However, Kiryu’s new life is one of his own!” the two added, making Twilight look back up with a trace of hope in her eyes. “You have at the least given him permanent free will; free will he did not have while under human control.” The mare briefly turned back to her desk, staring at to the photos which were still strewn about. She looked over his skeleton once more; the hope in eyes was now a gaze of solemness as well. Soon she refocused her attention to the glimmering duo. “If he desires to help you, of his own volition, then neither we nor Mothra would see this as a violation of the natural order,” the twin voices explained. “If he does not desire to participate in any more conflict, then you must heed his words. Only great tragedy comes from meddling with the deceased.” “Ca-can you at least tell me anything about the kaiju you’re familiar with?” Twilight questioned. “The kaiju we are familiar with are all thankfully deceased, Twilight Sparkle. Even the mighty Godzilla fell in battle after slaying an ancient demon in the Earth year of nineteen-ninety-nine,” the fairies answered. Twilight’s face scrunched up in thought at their words, “Is… is Kiryu the same Godzilla?” “No, Twilight Sparkle,” now the mare was really confused. “Kiryu’s energy is far different from the Godzilla we encountered. To our knowledge, that Godzilla’s skeleton was melted from the power outputted by his atomic heart when it gave out. His readings do not match those of Godzilla's son, either.” “Then there’s way more of them. Maybe even a whole species' worth I take it…” Twilight frowned. Next thing she’d know, she’d have a dozen giant reptiles bigger than the biggest dragons running around. The absurd thought almost made her chuckle. “We wish we could provide you more, however we do not have all of the answers, Twilight Sparkle,” the priestesses said, their ethereal glow beginning to dim. “What’s happening?” Twilight asked in worry, her face adorned with concern. “Our telepathic powers are weakening. We will try to communicate with you whenever possible, however all we can do now is merely observe,” the fairies’ twin-voices rang. “When Mothra’s power is back to maximum, we will do our best to defend this planet, and right any multiversal wrongs whenever possible.” With that, the two glowing balls of light vanished, and when Twilight looked up into the corner of the room to focus her eyes on the moth, she found it was gone. Now alone, the princess was left with nothing but a small library’s worth of books, and the picture of Kiryu’s bones. She stared them down in thought. Even if he didn’t desire to fight further, she could at least give him friendship. Every creature deserves at least one friend. She would be his, if he so desired… The Folly of ManThe Crystal Empire, a few days later Twilight shivered into her thick coat as she stared upwards at the machine dragon. Icicles had begun growing under his chin, off of his unmoving fingers, and a layer of snow was coating his frigid exterior. Kiryu would be in for a cleaning soon, likely tomorrow. He’d remained this way for nearly three weeks now, just standing and freezing and occasionally being cleaned by several thankful guards. Shining and Cadance had refused to let the dragon go to ruin or be encased in ice. No doubt it was their way of saying ‘thank you’ to the gigantic savior. Twilight was nothing more than a tiny purple splotch in the icy white. The princess seemed insignificant as she gazed upon him. Once he was a powerful product of nature; now he was a debatably even more powerful product of humankind. Despite all of his strength, he was as harmless as a statue at the moment. Briefly, Twilight pondered what it’d be like; to be frozen still without the ability to move. To be conscious of your surroundings. No different than when Discord was encased in stone… or the current state of Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. It made her shiver more than the cold did, but she brushed it off and unfurled her wings. After a moment, the alicorn took to the air, smashing through the uncountable snowflakes as she made her way upwards, soon reaching the hatch on his neck. Without much fanfare, she opened it and stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. His interior was once more a shelter from the cold outside. Her breath was visible as she made her way over to the cockpit’s monitor. She took a seat in the chair, letting herself warm up as best she could, before her horn slowly began to light up. “Kiryu… I know you’re here. Even without power, you can hear me. You’re more than the machine, more than even the A.I. itself,” Twilight spoke aloud. “I got your scans; I know humankind took your bones and made you into this….” No response: the monitor remained lifelessly black. Twilight replied by drawing more power into her horn, her face taking on a slightly strained look as she continued, “You don’t want to talk and I know that… but I wanted to have one conversation with you, even if it’s our last!” His display remained dark. “You deserve a friend, Kiryu. Somepony who can understand and get to know you for what you are—what you truly are,” Twilight pleaded, her horn brightening as she drew even more energy into the spell. Still there was nothing but uncaring emptiness. “I will be your friend, if you will let me!” the alicorn groaned, the strain getting to her now. The spell itself wasn’t only to restore the kaiju with energy, she was putting herself into it, a piece of herself anyways. It was a strange spell; the ability to let a pony enter another's dreams, just as Luna had done. Twilight herself figured given she was the sole ruler now, she might as well learn the ability to do such a thing. Kiryu, while not physical, still was a soul, and even a soul would surely dream, right? Well, she got to test it. When she finally unleashed it, everything went black for her, her eyes instinctively shutting at the brightness… The moment she opened them, everything was… different. She felt floaty and hollow. The cold pit in her stomach was back but had now spread across her entire body. Nothing around her was visible, being one big, empty, unspecific blur… And then it came to her. The heat, and then the burning, and then the pain. She cried out, but nothing was able to be heard over the sheer, deafening thunderous sound of an explosion. It sounded like a cannon being fired off right into her ear canal, times a billion. She briefly wondered if she’d go deaf, however a piece of her mind assured her this was nothing more than a dream; the princess was fine. He was not. SSSSKKKRRRREEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNKKKKKKKKK!!! The roar echoed, only slightly different than it had been when he’d fought Maguma. Sounded less metallic, more painful. She felt a fraction of the pain. Felt like her skin was peeling and burning and coming back all at once, thicker, tougher, scarred over. Even when the heat subsided and she was able to see clearly, her senses were overtaken a second time. The salty taste of ocean water slammed into her mouth as she attempted to breathe, going into her nostrils, burning her sinuses. She blinked, forcing the water from them. Briefly below her, she saw a gigantic black mass coming upwards towards her… She was soon flung from the ocean and onto the vast, emptiness of a burned-out island. She stood on the beach, looking upon it. Nothing remained. The palm trees had all been flattened, scorch marks littered them, making them appear as if they were charcoal. The beach was now pure, solid glass. The only notable thing on the island; the only sign of life… Was a massive clawed footprint. The dream—memories flashed before her yet again. It all blurred as she now saw herself, standing on the rooftop of what seemed to be a human human building. The city below reminded her almost of Canterlot City, though the structure was slightly different. She could see billboards which displayed strange characters she wasn’t familiar with. The neon lights briefly irritated her eyes. She blinked. Now it was gone. It was all gone. Burning cinders, concrete rubble, and hunks of wood were all that remained. Everything was leveled, useless. The city was dead. She saw him. For the first truly saw him. Beneath the metal and with the flesh, he was a strange creature. As she had assumed he was very dragonlike. However, his skin was a deep, charcoal black, covered with what seemed to be scar tissue. His body rippled with powerful muscles. A great, durable tail swished behind him, leveling the partial remains of a burnt out office building, causing it to crumble to dust behind him. Suddenly, she could see planes overhead. They flew downwards, dropping their payload directly onto the dragon-like creature. He let loose a deep growl of hate as bombs exploded on the great white spines decorating his back. They flashed white suddenly, and he turned upwards, opening his mouth wide. The mare braced herself, knowing what was coming… Twilight could only watch on as a cloudy white vapor spewed from his mouth. Like a fog machine from Tartarus, the behemoth unleashed his breath attack upwards. The planes dropped, falling to the ground immediately as their metal wings melted on contact with the incandescent light. The ray wasn’t fire, but it was hot all the same, perhaps hotter than even the breath of some dragons! She had little time to study or ponder, as the beast continued its rampage. The memories shifted, she could see vague flashes of cannonfire from those strange vehicles she’d seen in the books of humans—tanks(?) she vaguely recalled the name. It didn’t matter though. They couldn’t withstand the beast’s mist-like breath as he advanced towards the center of town. More flashes of memories, all broken and disjointed rammed right into her mind. Suddenly she could feel the electricity surge into herself,enduring his pain as he ripped through several high tension wires. They snapped like rubber bands before his powerful claws. She felt the sensation of tank shells exploding off his hide, causing him pain and angering him further. It was a sea of hatred and pain. Nothing stopped him. Twilight herself couldn’t even interfere anymore; she was rooted still, being forced to witness the tragedies as more buildings crumbled before the beast. Trains were smashed apart and bridges were destroyed in his wake. Nothing the humans threw at him stopped the kaiju. By the end of it, the few buildings that had remained were leveled, and he stood above the wreckage like a great sinful monolith. Everything shifted once final time… It was worse than anything else the princess had endured thus far. She was inside a bubbling, foaming ocean. The saltwater before her seemed to almost be at some type of rolling boil as every inch of the alicorn was coated with a pained sensation. It began with her breath being taken away, only to continue on, with her skin starting to burn. It was worse than merely sticking one's hoof to a hot stove or roaring fire though. The sensations came from within. She felt the sensation from her flesh down to her bones. Despite the overpowering sensation, the mare shockingly managed to keep herself steady, not crying out, but gritting her teeth. Her eyes forced themselves shut, her horn lit up, trying to pull herself from Kiryu’s mind. However, just as she was about to severe the connection and escape, she heard it… SSSSKKKRRRREEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNKKKKKKKKK!!! The roar wasn’t angry this time. It wasn’t hateful or sad or anything else. The deep, bellowing, thunderous howl was one of complete and utter pain. Her eyes snapped open. She saw him in the whirling, ceaseless waters. As the bubbles surrounded him, she let out a gasp of horror. Chunks of his skin peeled away, disintegrating in the water as he sank beneath the waves. His final, dying howl was only heard by a singular boat nearby, filled with numerous glowering onlookers. She wasn’t able to examine them closer, as the spell finally kicked in, pulling her from his mind. The last thing she saw were the bones of Gojira sinking beneath the waves, approaching their final resting place… She blinked as the cockpit returned to her. As she’d been drifting with Kiryu, she’d poured energy into his circuits, and now the once black room was bathed in a deep red coloration as the same lightbulb from before had activated itself once more. The monitor had flicked on now, with numerous lines of text flying past the screen. She was too sick to read them even if they weren't blitzing by. Battery Percentage: 18%... “All… those people,” Twilight muttered, her voice sounding distant and echoed as the world around her blurred, her having to blink several times before her senses fully came back to her. When she looked back up, she could see the text and actually read it this time, thanks to the bulky letters formed by the binary yet again. “NOW YOU KNOW ONE OF THE MANY REASONS WHY IT’D BE BETTER FOR ME TO REST.” She blinked a few times and immediately noticed a faint wetness running down her cheeks. Had she been crying? Regardless, she wiped the involuntary tears away as she spoke, “Y-you’re… you were hurt. You weren’t thinking clearly.” “I WAS, THINKING CLEARLY, TWILIGHT SPARKLE… ABOUT REVENGE.” She frowned deeply, unable to speak at the moment as her head continued to swim. The text itself continued. “IT WAS IN MY NATURE TO ATTACK THEM. THEY DID IT TO ME. THEY MADE ME SUFFER…” “YET IT WASN’T THEIR FAULT. EVEN IF THEY DESERVE MY HATRED FOR RESURRECTING, THEY DID NOT CAUSE ME ANGUISH, MAKE ME INTO THIS MONSTER.” “You’re not a monster!” Twilight growled back, her tearful eyes narrowing. “If that was really what you were… you wouldn’t have saved the Crystal Empire, saved my subjects, saved so many lives.” “YOU THINK IN BLACK AND WHITE.” “MORALITY IS SUBJECTIVE.” “GOOD BEINGS CAN COMMIT HORRIFIC SINS.” “HORRIFIC BEINGS CAN COMMIT GOOD DEEDS.” “EVEN STILL, THAT PHILOSOPHY DOESN’T ACCOUNT FOR THE BRUTALITY OF NATURE.” “I AM NOT A GOOD BEING, BUT I WAS ACTING NATURALLY, NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER WOUNDED ANIMAL.” “We’re not speaking on a matter of survival, Kiryu,” Twilight confronted, “When you saved the Crystal Empire, you did what you did not because you had to, but because you wanted to… Maybe even because it was the right thing to do.” “ALL I AM ABLE TO DO IS FIGHT. I MERELY DID WHAT WAS IN MY NATURE.” Twilight’s face scrunched up at his reply, her teeth grinding against each other, “Even if you fought, you fought for a righteous cause! Is that not worthy of praise?” “DO YOU THEN ACCEPT A TYRANT BECAUSE HIS OWN END GOALS WERE RIGHTEOUS?” “OR, MORE PRIMAL, DO YOU ACCEPT THE CANNIBALIZATION OF ONE'S OWN YOUNG, TO ENSURE THE SURVIVABILITY OF THE MOTHER?” “You know that isn’t comparable to your position, Kiryu. You’re not a tyrant ruler imposing your view of the world on everypony, and you’re not a wild animal who did what you did out of a want to live… even then, ponies— creatures who you would call tyrants can change…” Twilight’s mind raced, being reminded of the likes of Sunset and Starlight. She shook off her thoughts as she continued. “I am speaking from personal experience. I have seen it with my own two eyes.” There was nothing from the monitor for several minutes. Finally, more binary flashed. “I DOUBT WE WOULD BE SPEAKING IF YOU DIDN’T NEED SOMETHING FROM ME.” “If the kaiju attacks didn’t come, I would still be here. You are a part of my kingdom now… assuming you want to be?” Twilight said, her tone soft, offering the machine a place in Equestria. “BENEATH THE DIRT OF IT, MAYBE.” Twilight sighed, her face soft and uncertain, “Is that truly the only thing you want? To die?” There was no response from the screen. The mare continued staring at it, taking a moment to collect herself, “You know Kiryu… nopony could’ve stopped you if you’d flown into the sea. You could’ve rested beneath the waves from there…” The monitor simply remained blank. The mare stamped a forehoof, snorting in annoyance as she felt a fire trying to rise up inside of her yet again, partly fighting off her sadness, “If you really wanted to die, then you could’ve done it! We wouldn’t even be here talking if you truly desired to cease to be!” It merely remained empty, with the machine dragon not giving any further communication. She waited for him. Waited for minutes and minutes on end. Even when almost a half hour had passed, she still remained there, a glum look on her face, as the embers inside seemed to fade back to the cold solemness. “Kiryu…” she broke the long silence, “...Let me help you. Please.” “THERE IS NO HELP FOR ME, TWILIGHT SPARKLE…” “That’s not true!” she sniffled, more tears flowing from her eyes. “I am the Princess of Equestria; I have helped hundreds of other creatures with their problems. You’re no different!” The display was barren once more. Nothing changed as Twilight managed to control herself, forcing the welling sadness back down inside of her, swallowing it up and going back into the closest attempt at a princess mode she could muster. She heard the whirring of the electricity as it traveled through his wiring. The faint humm was almost pleasant on the ears, if only for the fact it faintly distracted her away from the suicidal cyborg. Finally, there was a response, the monitor flashing to life. “DO WHAT YOU MUST, TWILIGHT SPARKLE.” And then he was gone again. The tears remained rolling down her cheeks for a few moments, before she wiped them away again. A small smile destroyed the complete look of sadness on her face as she took a few deep, steady breaths. “Thank you Kiryu… for everything…” she sniffled one final time. “Now it’s time for Equestria to repay you.” Outside, the silver dragon remained standing, the ice still clinging to him as it had when the tiny purple speck had entered inside of him… The LighthouseThe Eastern Equestrian Coast, Storm Monitoring Station 55, early in the morning, several days earlier Sunshower Raindrops stared out, her teal mane billowing a bit in the soft, salty winds. She blinked a few times, her stomach partly turning as she ran her gaze over the landscape. While she did this, the steamboat creaked as it pulled into the small wooden port of the island. Said island was utterly tiny, given she could see almost completely across it from the docks. The main thing of note was the large pink lighthouse in the epicenter of the rocky, moss-covered patch of land in the grainy blue waters. All in all, it was relatively flat, with a pebble-laiden beach. Almost looked like the complete opposite of something like Silver Shoals. Her mind wandered briefly to the retirement center, with thoughts of her relaxing on a nice, warm beach with sunglasses and a coconut drink with one of those little umbrellas— “Rookie!” The gruff, feminine voice snapped the yellow pegasus out of her daydreams. Her eyes opened wide, blinking as she looked this way and that, nearly going walleyed for a second. “Ma’am yes ma’am!” Raindrops belted out, standing as her eyes refocused themselves fully on the red coated, middle-aged pegasus in front of her. “Don’t ‘ma’am yes ma’am’ me you airhead! Pay attention next time I’m talking to you!” the gruff mare growled like a drill sergeant. Raindrops nodded her head up and down quickly, “Ma’am—yes, ma’am?“ The commander’s eyes only narrowed. “I’ll… get my stuff and get out of your mane now,” Raindrops nervously giggled, turning away. The wooden deck of the ship very slightly creaked as she walked across it, towards the rear end of the small steamboat, being followed by the unamused gaze of the older mare the entire time. Before long, the pegasus was down below, in the small, cramped room she had called hers for the past two days. The journey to the island was rough, but the mare managed. After all, the bits were worth it at the least. Once everything of value was in her saddlebags, she took one last glance at the small cot she’d slept in, and then smiled to herself, “See ya, sucker!” She then quickly shut the metal door, chuckling as she trotted down the winding corridor, back towards the entrance to the upper deck. However, as she turned the corner, the mare was jumpscared for the second time today by an old, bearded earth pony stallion. He had a long graying beard, and his body seemed frail. She let out a “Woah!” and nearly fell, though the pegasus swiftly caught herself, taking a few hoofsteps backwards. “Ya shouldn’ be ‘ere,” he said, his voice throaty and dry, as if he hadn’t had anything to drink in weeks. She recognized him as one of the many deckhands aboard the ship. Never really talked to them, so they typically blended into the background… Guess this guy wanted to make an impression. “Dude, if you wanna tell a pony something, it’s better to not give them a heart attack!” growled the mare. “Ya shouldn’t bee ‘eereeee,” he repeated, much more quietly this time. “What? Buddy, I’m here for a job now unless you have fifteen hundred bits, I don’t see any reason I should—” “This place’s got a death curse,” he growled, not raising his voice but silencing her. She stepped back once more, looking deeply into his glazed over eyes. “Three ponies ‘ave gon’ missin’ without a trace in th’ last few months. Ya’ll be th’ same if ya ain’t careful.” His accent was piling the warnings on thick. Made alarm bells in her head ring. Luckily, the money she was going to get by the end of this made her growl back. “Alright if you’re done, I’m gonna go back outside now.” She went to step around him, however he stepped to the side, directly into her path. “Get. Out. Of. My. Way.” she growled, leaning in. Her narrowed eyes and pissed-off face was mere inches from his. He looked at her, keeping the same rugged expression, even as she snorted, sending steam into his face. The two remained that way for a solid few seconds. The silence between them was tense. However, before anything else could happen, her ears flicked back, hearing several hoofsteps approaching. “Galleon. Leave her alone,” a deep, old voice rang out, making Raindrops turn. Her gaze was met with a deep gray coated pony. He was the captain of the ship, as evident by his hat and uniform. A smaller, more trimmed beard lined his face. The older stallion growled at the captain for a moment, before finally stepping aside, moving past the other two and trotting deep into the bowels of the ship. Before he was fully out of sight, he turned over his shoulder and growled, “Don’ say I didn’ warn ya’!” With his warning stated, he was gone. “What’s wrong with him? He’s a total weirdo!” growled Raindrops, however the Captain’s gaze was immediately turned to her. “Do not insult any of my crew,” he said sternly. “I understand Galleon can be quite the hoofful, however he is a hard worker. He’s just got… issues.” “Right… Like saying other ponies went missing here,” the mare replied, rolling her eyes. The captain looked at her with a raised brow, “You’re unaware?” “Unaware of what?” her tone immediately dropping to one of worry. “Well, he isn’t wrong about a few ponies going missing up here. However, those incidents were a good few moons back; I still figured the weather control squad or whoever’s in charge would’ve still let you know,” he replied. “Oh noooo… Nope nope nope!” the mare said, taking a few steps back. “I wasn’t told jack or diddly, and I am not going to fall for some elaborate ‘welcome to this super spooky middle-of-nowhere island’ crap for the next few months, no thank you!” The captain remained stone-faced, raising a brow, “You think I would cause my passengers distress for my own amusement?” Raindrops went to speak, however her voice trailed off, “I… well… I mean I did just meet you… Sorta.” “Right,” he said, still deadpanning the mare. “If you think all I’m here to do is pull pranks, then feel free to leave.” He then turned tail, trotting away with a “hmph.” However, before he’d even made it a few steps down the hallway, the quick pegasus flew over, immediately plopping herself down in front of him. “I think we got off on the wrong hoof,” she nervously chuckled. “Can you uh… please tell me more about what kind of totally not pony-eating threats are out here? Please?” He sighed, “Pony-eating sea monsters won’t be your worry thanks to the island. The real issue is the storm and the floods, those are more than likely what got—” “They told me what to do in case of flooding, at my training I mean!” she interrupted, giving a frantic nod. “I just—th-there’s no giant evil monsters out here, right? I’d be alright if that’s the case!” “Then you oughta be fine,” he nodded, giving a small chuckle as his tone became one of an almost fatherly warmless. “Look, I know staying out on the edge of society is a terrifying thought, especially for a child such as yourself.” She nearly huffed at being called a ‘child’ but let him continue. “But in truth, as long as you respect nature, out here where the weather can’t be controlled by pegasi twenty-four-seven, then you should be alright,” he assured. “But what if—” He cut her off by raising a forehoof. She silenced herself as he reached into his saddlebag, saying, “I assure only the utmost quality for my passengers and crew. If you are worried about safety, then take this.” He suddenly pulled out a sheathed knife. It was long, easily longer than her hoof. She flinched back at the reveal of the weapon. “Here,” he offered, holding the blade out. The sheath itself even had an adjustable strap, easy to wrap around her waist or barrel. “Free of charge.” “A-are you sure?” she asked hesitantly. “You’re the one worried about ‘vicious pony-eating monsters,' so you might as well take this to defend yourself if needed,” he said, moving it closer to the mare. After looking it over for a few seconds, Sunshower Raindrops sighed, nodded to herself, and then reached out a wing, grabbing the blade off of him and tucking it into her saddlebags, “Thanks, cap.” “You should be thanking the ocean, it let us get here in the first place,” he said, finally turning away and leaving the mare alone with her thoughts… For about five whole seconds. “Rookie!” she heard the muffled voice from above deck. “Crap!” Immediately the mare rushed away. The island itself had a small dirt path on it, leading to the lighthouse and a small wooden cabin (now visible due to her being on the island itself) several dozen hooves away from the base of said tower-sized structure. There was also an even smaller storage shed a little bit further away from the cabin itself. Those three buildings were the only trace of ponykind on the islet. A few rocks along Raindrops’ path crunched beneath her hooves. She was trotting along behind her superior at the moment, listening carefully as the older mare prattled on about things the yellow pegasus had learned in training. “Now rookie, I’m legally required to give you one last warning,” her superior said, turning to her. “No going back after this. Are you sure you can withstand it here for a few weeks?” A slightly cocky look crossed Raindrops’ face. Despite this newfound “confidence,” her voice stuttered a bit, “I al-already—ahem—signed the papers, didn’t I?” “If that’s a yes, then let’s speed this up,” the older mare said, quickly trotting towards the living quarters. “Now, let me introduce you to your partner.” “Partner?” questioned Raindrops, with her speeding up her pace to match her superior’s. “I thought you said I’d be working alone.” “I said you might be working alone… six weeks ago, when you first signed up,” the older mare chuckled, “Since then, things have changed.” Raindrops inadvertently held her mouth open in surprise, “And you decided to not tell me?” “Figured it’d be a way of keeping you on your tippy hooves. Gotta expect the unexpected. Besides, he doesn’t bite… as far as I know,” the older mare teased as the duo reached the house. Without further delay, the red pegasus opened the door, letting Raindrops look inside. She could see the warm interior of the small building. There were two small, dinky looking beds on either corner of the room. As her eyes continued to scan, she saw an entire wall’s worth of weather-monitoring radar gear on the far side of the lodging. There weren’t any lanterns on, with the interior being illuminated only by a singular window which had its thick, wooden shutters cracked open, letting in the sun’s rays. Though none of those features were really the standout of the small cabin. What was the standout was directly in front of her; that being her partner in question. He was seated behind a desk, writing in a small bound notebook, being a broad looking pegasus stallion, whose fur coloration was a deep purple. His wings were tightly bound against his back, almost seeming tense, strangely enough. “Swift, here’s your partner!” the older mare belted out at him. He nodded, barely looking up from his notes as he continued scribbling. The superior merely shrugged, turning to her fellow mare, “Alright, with you two introduced, my job’s done.” “Y-you’re gonna be back in five weeks, right?” asked Sunshower Raindrops. “Yeah newbie. We stick to our schedule here,” her superior answered, already trotting away. “Now I’ve gotta skedaddle, rain’s gonna be coming in tonight and I wanna get as much distance from the storm tonight as possible.” “R-right…” Raindrops nodded, watching as the mare left. She stared nervously at her as she trekked all the way down the path and back to the docks. “Are you going to come in or are you just gonna stand there with the door wide open all month?” growled the stallion behind her, finally looking up from his notes. A gust of wind flew in, making him have to hold them down with his freehoof. The mare turned on a dime towards him, a small blush of embarrassment on her face as she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “S-sorry!” “Whatever,” he sighed, going right back to writing. She stared at him in nervous silence for a few seconds as he continued typing. After a little longer, he sat down his pencil and walked over to a magically powered minifridge sitting in the corner. He pulled out a small bottle of water and chugged half of it before going right back to his desk. The yellow pegasus remained staring at the stallion for a few more seconds, finally forming what to say, “So… you’re Swift, right?” “Mhm.” “I’m Sunshower Raindrops… J-just Raindrops is fine,” she explained. She was too far away to offer a forehoof for him to bump, so she simply remained still. “I’m Swift Wind… Swift is fine,” he said, focusing on the mare fully, “...Or Wind. Or Wind which is Swift.” The yellow mare gave a soft chuckle at his strange, almost monotone tone saying something so goofy with such a straight face. She lightened up a tad, “You ever done one of these weather control jobs before, Swift?” “No,” he said, his eyes going back down to the notes. “You ever work as a guard?” she added. “No. I prefer to lay low than to deal with excessive black tape and obnoxious superiors,” he said with a glowering expression. “I hear ya! When I worked on the Ponyville Weather Team, you wouldn’t believe the amount of idiots I had to deal with!” she said with a snicker, before putting on a faux-gruff voice, “‘Destroy this cumulonimbus!’ ‘Put this cloud there—no, there!’ ‘You’re a waste of feathers you stupid—’” He cut her off with a slightly cold voice, “I assume that is why you’re here; out on the edge of society?” “Y-yeah…” she said, her tone softening as she looked down, eyeing up the flooring. “I’ve just been feeling—... out of it, I guess? I wanted to go out and do something different than the same old thing, you know?” “Mhm,” he mumbled, adding more to his notes. She narrowed his eyes at his lack of care, her tone becoming fiery, “Are you just gonna be Mr. Stoneface to me the entire time I’m here!? I’m trying to open up and be your friend!” He gave a deep sigh, closing his notebook for once. His eyes peered into hers, with the mare feeling a faint chill up her spine, “Listen, I am not here to make friends, alright? Everyone back where you’re from might want to sit down and talk about sharing and how nice they are. But where I’m from, you do your job and shut your mouth. I am here to do my very important job and keep my mouth shut. Understand?” Her eyes remained narrowed at him, however after a few seconds, she sighed, turning away, “Sorry… you’re probably right.” “If it makes you feel any better, know this job is of utmost importance to Equestria,” the stallion said. His tone was stern but slightly less antagonistic than it had been. “I do what I do to keep everyone safe.” “Right,” Raindrops nodded. “Anything you need help on at the moment then?” “No. I already did all of the scans and we’re getting nothing but a moderate thunderstorm which will dissipate before it reaches the mainland,” he said, calm and calculating. “I’ll scan once more tomorrow night, and then the night after.” “Wait, you don’t want me handling the equipment?” she protested, “That’s like… eighty percent of what I was trained for!” He raised a forehoof, “I’ve got it covered, Raindrops. Don’t concern yourself any more than you need to.” “Well that’s no fun,” she huffed. He deadpanned at her, “You’re getting paid to sit there and do nothing.” “You do have a point… I’m gonna get some rest,” she sighed, trotting over placing her saddlebags under one of the beds. “Yes, I believe that would be for the best,” the deep purple stallion nodded, getting up to go check the radar equipment. Raindrops sighed as she heard him fiddle with the machinery, with a strange sounding morse code ringing out. She laid down onto her bed, and onto her side, partly stuffing her large, moderately fluffy pillow over her ears so she didn’t have to listen to anything else. Soon, the mare managed to drift off to a not-so-restful sleep… A few days later Raindrops stared out at the coast, looking over the swishing waves as she leaned against a large, water-slickened rock. She could see a storm far out in the distance, easily several miles out. The collection of clouds were thundering and flashing with lightning. It was a strange sensation, seeing weather the pegasi herself hadn’t created. Made her feel small and insignificant in the face of such vast, natural power. Her mind vaguely flashed with reminders of flooding and the fact several other ponies had gone missing here. Even if it was a few years back, the thought made her skin crawl. The wind picked up, and her mane billowed in it, her eyes squinting as she turned away from the sea, blinking a few times to clear her vision. She saw the cabin door open up, with Swift Wind soon exiting. She gave a small sigh. He was as cold to her now as he had been on the first week, giving her little in the way of warmth or comfort. As she watched him, her brow raised as she spotted him rushing over to the storage shed. She flittered her wings and quickly took to the air, her mane billowing further as she flew over to the shed within a few seconds. As she landed, the stallion stepped out of the shed with several large, filled sandbags on his back. She approached, finally speaking, “What are you doing?” He turned to her, his face one of shock as he nearly dropped his bags. However, he managed to quickly right himself and growled at her, his expression morphing to annoyance. “The storm cell I picked up this morning appears to have grown in the past few hours,” he huffed, walking back towards the cabin. “If you want to make yourself useful, help me place these sandbags against the interior walls; they help prevent any flooding or leaks.” “We’re gonna hole ourselves up and you didn’t grab any food in case it gets worse?” she questioned, raising a brow. “It’ll only be for a night,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes as he continued advancing towards the cabin. “Now enough chatter, you either help me or stay out of the way.” Raindrops shrugged, quickly advancing into the shed. She herself made sure to grab a rucksack’s worth of canned fruits, veggies, and water. She dashed back to the small house, using her wings to help speed herself up. As she entered, she could see her stallion partner setting up the bags along the walls, even moving the storm-monitoring equipment outwards so he could shove sandbags behind them. She sat the food and water on her bed, and then dashed out again, quickly going to the shed to grab more bags. They were heavy, but surely that was a good thing. It’d meant they’d help stall the water and prevent any leaks! The next hour was nothing but her and him grabbing and hauling bags. The wind picked up even more by this point, and before long, the rain itself had started, spraying the two as they hauled another load of sacks back to the cabin. The waves were getting fierce, splattering harshly on the rocky beachside. As the hours continued to pass, they grew larger and angrier, whirling about and spraying the island with saltwater. Raindrops pelted down onto the rocky islet like hail, hitting the roof with a tap tap tap! sound. Inside, Swift Wind was looking over his notes, same as ever. Raindrops had taken much worse to the situation, munching on a chocolate bar she’d found in the supply shed. The mare continued stress eating as she occasionally looked around the interior for any signs of leaking or water damage, with smears of chocolate on her lips the entire time. The singular window of the house was shuttered, however the mare herself soon walked over to it, wanting to peak outside, to observe the fury of nature’s wrathful storm. “Clean yourself up, you look ridiculous,” the stallion growled, glancing up from his notes for only a brief few seconds. “Inamminute,” she replied, before swallowing the candy clinging to the inside of her mouth. She’d been so utterly focused on listening to (and soon enough, viewing) the rain, she’d lost track of her sugary treat. The mare grabbed a rag from inside a small drawer nearby, wiped her mouth with it and then pulled a chair over to the window. She took a seat and slowly unlatched the shutter before opening it, revealing the thick glass separating her from the outside. Raindrops (of the water, not the pony, variety) slammed into the glass as she stared wide-eyed. She could see the lighthouse from her vantage. Still was a couple dozen hooves out, around fifty or more away from the small cabin. As she continued to gaze outside, she noticed the illuminating beam seemed dimmer than it had been the night before. “Hey Swift… I think the lamp’s running out of fuel,” she said, turning to look at the stallion. He only sighed in response, “And what would you like me to do about it?” “The lighthouse can be the difference between life and… well, the other thing for a lot of ponies!” she argued. “If a few ships go under, they deserve it for sailing in this weather,” the stallion scoffed. She narrowed her eyes, growling in annoyance, “You said this storm came out of nowhere! What if a few ponies got caught up in it out there!” “I’m not the one who’s in the storm, now am I?” he replied, writing down some more notes without a care in the world for anypony other than himself. “You know what, you can plop your lazy flank in that chair all season! I am gonna go out there and actually try to keep a few ponies safe!” she hissed, trotting over to the door, before moving several sandbags out of the way and unlatching it. “I’m going to lock it when you leave, knock three times if you make it back,” he said coldly, leaning back in his chair. She couldn’t be sure but… was he faintly smiling? The mare shook it off, seeing him for nothing but a stone-faced lay about. She didn’t verbally berate him any further, instead quickly opening the hefty wooden door and exiting out of the sturdy cabin. The door soon slammed shut behind her, and she heard it latch closed. Raindrops only growled, advancing through the—raindrops… Headlessly she continued on, towards the small shack. While it was only about forty paces away, the wind really hammered her hard. She lacked a raincoat, so all she could do was hunker down as she advanced, thinking about all the ponies she might save if she pulled this off! Those thoughts drove her hooves forwards across the craggy, wet ground, with her grunting in effort at each step. Even with her determination, the kerosine lamp in the lighthouse seemed to be giving way, as it dimmed. Her path faded with it, making the mare have to go towards the shack via memory over sight now. A walk that usually took five seconds tops had been stretched out to five minutes, though it felt like longer for the poor pegasus. As she reached the building, she shot out a forehoof, quickly knocking the door open and letting her tumble inside of the shack. She laid down on the concrete flooring of the tiny structure; its cold wetness was a million times better than the hellscape waiting for her outside. She took a few deep breaths, stumbling back up to her hooves as she looked around. In the corner of the room she saw a large metal fuel canister. Bingo. Raindrops grabbed it with her wings, holding it steady on her back as she mentally prepared herself for the trek ahead. After taking a few deep breaths, she flung open the door. Wind and rain battered her face again, however the extra weight seemed to help her out a bit, as she was able to trek forwards at a slower, yet steadier pace. As she advanced towards the lighthouse, she soon faintly spotted something out in the distance, past the beach. The light up above was dimming even further now, so she couldn’t make out exactly what was in the water. To the mare, it just looked like a few big rocks… Wait, were they moving? She squinted her eyes in the darkness as the large, jutting, spiky rocks seemed to move closer to the island. Wait—Was it merely a weirdly shaped ship? No. It would’ve been more rounded if it was. It had to be a bunch of rocks—big ones at that;easily over several dozen hooves high… Raindrops took a step back. The light above her fully died, leaving her enveloped in pitch blackness. She couldn’t even see her way back to the cabin now. She might be able to find her way but she felt lost. Utterly and completely alone as the rocks—grew? No. Not grow. They were rising. They rose up and up and… up. “Oh Celestia,” she managed. She hoped it was some big patch of coral or a gigantic mass of seaweed or something which had come undone from the seabed. Surely it was just that, right? There was no way some big, pony-eating… sea monster had come, right to her isl— THUMP! The ground below her quaked, and she dropped the fuel to the lamp. Lightning began to pick up, going from the occasional flashes in the distance to heated electrical blasts that rained down closer and closer to the island. The sound of thunder roared as the storm itself seemed to worsen at the loud, earth-shaking sound. THUMP! Raindrops fell down now, ducking and covering her head almost like a terrified filly. Her wet yellow coat was muddied immediately, however the grime didn’t matter in the slightest as she put her hooves above her head, as if an attempt to act as cover. While she initially wanted to shut her eyes, she couldn’t help but stare out at the growing mass. Lightning flashed, illuminating the figure. She saw claws and teeth and spikes, big, powerful legs. It was so utterly gargantuan she felt as if it could sink the whole island with its mass. Waves slammed into its knees, breaking against its titanic body as it took another advancing step. THUMP! She shivered, more from the utter panic she was in than the cold, frigid rain. Her eyes were wide and staring at the beast, with fight or flight trying to kick in and uselessly being tossed aside for the frozen with fear tactic. She felt tears welling in her eyes as the massive, bulky behemoth continued stepping. Each thunderous impact with the craggy ground shook the entire islet. The beast seemed to ignore her. Likely didn’t see her in the darkness. She held her breath to make sure. Maybe it would just walk over the island and continue on and she’d go home tomorrow and never ever see this horrific creature agai— The lighthouse flashed on, illuminating the surroundings entirely. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull as she saw the monster in all of his detail. He was titanic, easily close to three-hundred hooves tall! Her mind could hardly focused, only imprinting the important details on the poor pegasus: Durable looking scales which could endure cannonfire adorned his entire body. Massive, jagged spikes that could slice apart a building ran along his back. And a long, swishing tail drug along the ground behind him. He jerked his head towards the lighthouse, letting her get a glimpse of his face. He had a long snout packed with a row of sharp teeth. His terrifying visage was complete with a snarling expression, his eyes narrowing in annoyance and anger at the sudden brightness. He reared up and then let loose a deep, powerful— SSSSKKKKKRRRREEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNKKKKKK!!! He turned, swinging his gargantuan tail like a whip at the lighthouse that dared to challenge him. KA-RAACK! It snapped apart like a twig attempting to stave off a rushing rhino, giving way and shattering into hundreds and hundreds of small pieces of scrap and broken wood. Raindrops didn’t even hear any of it though. Her ears were pressing against her skull, a ringing sensation in them. Her eyes blurred and as she stared up at the large creature, she felt her body simply give out. Her vision faded, and she drifted away, passing out either from shock or the temperature, or the loudness of the beast’s roar. The last thing she saw before everything went dark was his goliath frame, moving fully to the other side of the island and ducking into the waves… ??? Her eyes snapped open, only to immediately shut as the blinding rays of the sun entered her retinas. Growling, Raindrops raised a forehoof as she looked around. She was back in the cabin and drier than ever. As she sat up, she soon realized there was nopony else in the building with her. Briefly, she considered if what had happened last night was even real, debating whether or not it was some overly-extended dream. The door creaked open, and the mare bundled herself up into the sheets as she instinctively backed away from the noise. She was only greeted with the sight of Swift Wind entering, followed by her red-furred superior. Her ears flicked, tuning into their conversation. “—the damages to the lighthouse should be repaired within the next few months with your crew here,” she heard Swift Wind say. “After that, everything can go back to normal.” The red pegasus mare turned her attention to Raindrops, “You alright rookie? Swift Wind here told us what happened.” “Oh thank Celestia!” the yellow mare sighed, “I guess he told you all about the giant monster tha—” “Giant monster?” the oldest of the trio interrupted, looking over to the stallion. “It was likely a delusion on her part. I did warn her that rushing out into the rain was a bad idea. I couldn’t follow, had to take care of the equipment and such,” he explained slyly, making the superior nod. “Why you stupid flank-faced bas—” “Okay cool it, newbie, I don’t need you two to be friends, but I am not listening to an argument right now,” the mare said sternly, making Raindrops immediately drop her angered shouts into a grumble. “Now we don’t have any track record of any monster; you better start explaining.” The mare sighed, before coughing, rubbing her lips with a forehoof, “There was this super big sea dragon thing! It had two legs and massive spikes. It walked right over the island and smashed the lighthouse with its tail—ripped through it like it was plywood!” “We haven’t seen any signs of a dragon, Raindrops,” the older mare replied, her face softening. “No scales, no footprints, jack.” “I must assume even if she did see something, it was a delusion or exaggerated, thanks to the storm,” Swift Wind chimed in. “But it was REAL! I saw it!” the mare exclaimed. The older of the two raised her forehoof, silencing Raindrops, “And maybe you did, kid. We can’t just go out hunting for it though. Not when our resources are needed fixing the tower.” “Perhaps you could escort her home? I’d hate for her to contract hypothermia or worse after enduring the rain,” Swift Wind offered, concerned in his voice. “Why, it’d be enough to make anyone sick.” “That’s her call,” the older mare hissed at him, before turning her gaze back to Raindrops. “I’ll leave it up to you newbie. Nopony’s gonna judge you if you wanna go back home. Not much to do here without the lighthouse anyways. Swift can keep the equipment running.” Sunshower sighed, looking down at the crumpled-up sheet that was partly draped over her. She blinked a few times in thought, before her eyes began to scan the room. Ponyville would be at least a bit better. Could grab some carrot soup with Top and a few drinks with Berry. Maybe they would at least believe her— She saw her saddlebags off in the corner, opened and with her sheathed knife partly sticking out... Wait. Maybe her friends would help her? Maybe she could even get a meeting with Twilight or somepony who could do something about this big evil seabeast! Maybe she could even help them bring it down! The thought filled her chest with a deep, warming sensation. Felt good, like whenever she busted up a big patch of clouds or participated in the Winter Wrap Up! That was it! She’d save Equestria by killing that monster! Raindrops remained silent, hopping out of her bed to trot over and grab her saddlebags, snapping them shut and tugging them tightly over her barrel. With that done, she looked up with determination, a fire in her eyes, “I’m going home.” Her superior nodded, and Raindrops was so engrossed with the idea, she didn’t even mind when Swift Wind silently snickered, before hiding it immediately.
Barren ColdnessScanning… Scanning… Location: ???... Battery Percentage: 4%... Hull Damage: Light… Weapon Systems: Fully Operational… Here he laid, in a massive, frigid wasteland, beneath a cold, snowy, uncaring sky. Lights were growing dark. As he laid there, bathed in what little light remained, only then did he really get time to reflect on what the hell went wrong. How it all came to this… It had started when they refused to let him rest. Even after death, mankind was not content with letting sleeping dogs lay. For almost half a century, his bones lay buried within the ocean. Resting at last, they remained exactly where they belonged after a life of turmoil and hate and death. But the rest didn’t last. He was dug up, excavated, forced back onto land and turned into a monster made to do their bidding. The wires twisted around his bones, metal grafted over his corpse, and like a puppet, he pirouetted for the very creatures that killed him in the first place. Disgusting. He hated it. Hated every waking moment of being forced to fight for them. They turned him against his own. The Second Godzilla… Their fights were vicious. He fought hard. He even allowed himself to die for them. To rest at the bottom of the ocean a second time, along with the only other creature on earth who understood him. Yoshito and Akane understood. Even the Prime Minister seemed to have! And yet, for the second time, he was tugged from his eternal slumber. Time weaved among the waves… months? Years, maybe? Didn’t matter. What did matter was the Second Godzilla had fled. He was wounded beyond belief. Had scars that rivaled even his first ones. But the defeat of the monster wasn’t enough, nooo. Not for humanity. Not for their arrogance. They dug him up again. Too much money in the project; too big to fail! He could hate the mechanics and the workers and the boots on the ground who fixed him up once more. Yet in all this time around humans they seemed to rub off them. He hated the ones in the stuffy suits above all else. They were the heads. The think tanks. The ones who thought it was perfectly acceptable to bring him back yet again. All it took was a couple of foolish papers being signed before renovations soon befell him. Needed to be stronger than ever to fight off the other monsters that were popping up like moles. It was as if Pandora’s Box had been opened, as with the turn of one millennium, came more monsters than the past fifty years had offered. The moth… Her children. They tried to get the humans to stop. Listen to reason. But with the beasts rising up, the moths had their claws full. He heard of their deeds, in mission debriefings and banter between technicians and the occasional janitor crew. There were so many of them. The moths intersected a gigantic turtle in the coast off South Korea. Awkward battle, they got damaged severely due to the poor conditions. But the only human casualties were a few unfortunate fishermen. A strange, burrowing creature with big ears popped up in Europe, ripped its way across France and through Paris before the moths managed to kill it. The military was useless. A gigantic lizard rampaging through New York, took the combined efforts of the coast guard and one of the moths to bring it down. Those were just the ones that had popped up, been entered into his databases as of late. There were likely dozens of others resting in the darkness of the sea, the ancient mountains, and so much more. Every time a monster appeared, so did the moths. They fought. They warred with the beasts. They won… Only barely though. Each battle needed rest, recuperation. Their wounds needed time to heal, their wings needed time to regenerate the damages. They didn’t have time to threaten Tokyo to let him rest by this point. Only the little women- Shobijin?... They seemed to plead with the humans. When they realized that these pleas fell on deaf ears, they would visit him on rare occasions when the technicians and the janitors and the stuffy old suits were gone. They were… tolerable, perhaps even enjoyable in some instances. They spoke to him with regality and respect. They offered their apologies. They were the ONLY ones to do so. And they weren’t even the ones who put him where he was. They spoke of how he didn’t deserve this twisted marionette lifestyle. They said he deserved to be buried. Deserved to have freedom. Deserved a choice in all of this… Instead, the humans just upgraded him. Took a few years, but they claimed it was worth the money. Onboard A.I. no need for pilots. Implanted into his head. Now there was no risk for human error. He was fully in control of himself. Bad idea, obviously. Thus, there were many inhibitors in place; shutdown codes for if he went rogue again, both manually and remotely enterable. They jam-packed tons and tons of commands and prompts and who-knows-what else inside of his skull. It didn’t stop him though. He knew that when his body had proper power, he would wrestle command back. Even still, guess they figured they’d have an out of control him over any other monster for the time being. They couldn’t get rid of him. The true him. Years went by, bug-testers continued to try everything. He just defied them, spat in the face of science itself. Just as they spat in the face of nature; spat in his face. Sometimes science was more like magic than anything. There was a soul in his old bones. A soul that burned with a hatred for humanity’s tendencies. A soul that yearned to be free. Regardless, he laid there in his tomb, standing and waiting and existing in his depowered state. His upgrades and refurbishments included being solar powered, no need for microwaves and the like… That helped him little now, however. While he couldn’t exactly feel the cold per se, he knew the pain of the ice. Ice so cold it was almost burning. The ice that’d get into his lungs and demolish them. Well, if he had lungs to breathe through anyways. The lights are darker now… Alright, less than five seconds left. No more musing. Maybe he won’t wake up this tim— Canterlot, much, much later… “Twilight, message from Shining!” The youthful, plucky voice of Spike snapped through the rather dull morning as Princess Twilight Sparkle rested calmly in her throne room. The little drake closed the door behind himself before rushing up to her side, a rolled-up letter clutched in his claws. There were few visitors to the castle today, and no foreign dignitaries scheduled to arrive. There was no overseeing the grand opening of orphanages or schools or whatever else. While it wasn’t exactly a “day off,” it was still a slower day for the now sole ruler of Equestria. … And of course, that would be too easy. “Thanks Spike!” the chipper alicorn replied, magically grabbing her letter. Spike waited beside her throne as she skimmed through the medium-length parchment in a mere few moments. She slowed halfway through though, leaning in and giving a concentrated look. Spike never really liked that look. “What’s it say?” he asked, fidgeting with his claws. “It says they found something strange beneath the ice in the Frozen North, just a couple dozen miles outside of the Crystal Empire,” she said, scanning the last few paragraphs of the letter. “Sombra?” Spike asked, flinching at the idea of the tyrant returning for a third time. “I don’t know Spike, they’re just saying it’s big; both literally, and metaphorically,” she answered, magically levitating up a large piece of parchment and pre-inked quill. “How big? Like, the size of an airship or…?” he offered. “Big enough to change the understanding of science forever in Equestria,” Twilight replied, quickly writing a reply. “AND big enough to make an airship look like a toy.” “Woah… that’s pretty big,” the little drake nodded, scratching his chin in thought. “Here Spike, send this to them,” Twilight replied, quickly shoving her finished letter into the dragon’s claws. “They uh… request you to come?” Spike guessed, before doing as his adoptive sister asked, breathing his magical flames onto the letter, which disappeared into ash and billowed out a nearby window. “Of course they did,” sighed the princess, reaching up a forehoof to rub her temples. “I’m going to have to have Inkwell cancel my meetings for the next week. Or at least until we figure out just what it is they found.” There was a small pause. “What if it’s an alien ship?” Spike asked. “You know, like in those old comics I used to read?” The princess just deadpanned at him. “Heh… heh… right,” the dragon giggled nervously. A small blush appeared on his cheeks as he looked away, staring in any direction that wasn’t towards the older of the two siblings. He was obviously trying to make it seem that he wasn’t excited at the prospect of finding a cool alien ship filled with blasters and robots and lasers and— Oh, Twilight was already packing her suitcase… which she’d teleported in… Right. “Are you leaving now?” Spike questioned. “Of course not, I’m leaving tonight,” she replied, shoving an extra large, extra poofy sweater into her suitcase. “Just gotta send out some letters and book a train ticket.” “Alright, just give me like five minutes to pa—” Spike was cut off whenever the mare’s horn lit up and summoned a small purple suitcase in front of the little dragon, clattering to the floor, landing on its wheels. He just looked down in silence for a few seconds. “Some things never change, royalty or not,” Spike snickered. “What? You can never be too prepared,” she chuckled back with a faint grin. “Well at least you’re not sweating bullets over it,” the younger of the two siblings replied with a smirk. “Thanks a lot, Spike,” Twilight snarked good-naturedly. The duo shared one final set of chuckles before setting out, the alicorn writing and sending letters all the while. She moved like a machine, writing them in seconds, her quill becoming a literal blur each time she took a note. Not a surprise by this point though…
Sibling MeetupThe Crystal Empire, several hours later Spike leaned into his trenchcoat, almost if he was attempting to tug it closed even further, which was utterly impossible given the fact it was strapped as snugly around him as possible. While many of the crystal ponies gave Twilight the “oohs” and the “aahs” and the bows, he knew that if he showed his true face, he’d be picked up and cheered and jeered and likely get an entire pile of gems… As lovely as that sounded, the little drake was currently following closely behind his larger sister. Shining Armor and Cadance didn’t have time to give her a greeting at the train station, so the duo were hoofing it to the castle, the letter said something about meeting them in the throne room. “Twilight, can you let me in on what else the letter said?” he asked, tailing behind the alicorn by a few hoofsteps. “I mean they’ve gotta have something more descriptive than big, metallic, and spikey.” “I’m telling you Spike, it’s all they could discern from it,” she replied, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead, as the two were close to the palace by this point. “They’re not working with the best scanning equipment out in the cold, but I think me and Cadance could combine a bit of our magic and map out whatever it is they found without issue.” The two continued on in silence for a bit, however before entering the castle, Spike turned his head up towards his sister, picking up his pace a bit. “Are we sure it’s not-” “You’d better not say aliens again,” Twilight groaned. There was another pause. “...I’m gonna still think it,” he replied flatly. “Oh brother,” she huffed. From there the rest of the trek was uneventful. The guards showed the duo to the pair of guest rooms they’d be staying in, and both of them were provided extra thick jackets, ready to endure the harsh elements that laid outside the boundaries of the Crystal Empire. It was just a bit later and they were standing before Cadance herself, who sat on her throne, magically using a quill to sign a revolving door of unicorns with paperwork and letters. Twilight gave the older alicorn a big smile, and it was returned briefly, before Cadance immediately turned her attention back towards signing paperwork. As much as Twilight herself wanted to give the traditional “Sunshine Sunshine, Ladybugs Awake” greeting, she remained professional. Before she could get too downtrodden at this though, Shining Armor emerged from one of the many side entrances to the throne room, followed by a small group of half a dozen or so guards. “Spike! Twily!” smiled the excited older brother of the duo, advancing towards his siblings, who approached him in kind. “Shining!” Twilight returned, soon embracing her big brother in a firm hug. Spike considered pulling back, but rolled his eyes, soon joining in on the sibling hug. He was Sibling Supreme after all! After a few seconds, the hug broke, and the trio were separated once more, with Shining’s look taking on a more serious tone, though the loving softness for his family was still evident in his eyes. He cleared his throat, bringing up a hoof as he did, before continuing on in a more “formal” tone. “Thanks for coming on such short notice, Twilight,” he nodded, before taking on a playful tone again, the formalness fading a bit. “I know it must be difficult managing the rest of Equestria. What is it, your… sixth week anniversary now?” “Anniversaries don’t work that way, Shiny,” snickered Twilight, though after a few giggles, her tone faded into a more serious one as well. “But to get back on track, you said in the note that you have a few images of the machine buried in the ice.” Shining snapped up, going into a much more serious mode, fully this time. “Right,” he nodded, before turning, motioning with a forehoof. “Follow me.” With a nod, Twilight and Spike followed their older brother. As the group walked through the winding hallways of the palace, the little drake of the group got a few snickers and winks from the guards. He returned them with finger-guns and chuckles of his own. Ahead of them, Twilight and Shining continued to converse. “So you said it was found by an expedition team about two weeks ago, right?” the alicorn of the two questioned. “Right, we sent out a few teams to scout for land that we could use to either plot down some farms or create several mines. Given our population is growing, I figured we’d better be safe than sorry. Sent out a few self-heating tents. Maybe with my and Cadance’s magic, we could recreate something similar to the Crystal Heart, on a smaller scale, just a few acres,” explained the older sibling. “At the least, though we could mine some materials; there’s a lot of untapped potential beneath the ice here.” The group turned, taking a left to go down a different hall, more towards the inner core of the castle. “And that’s when you found it?” Twilight reasoned. “Yeah, a big metal… spike sticking up out of the ground,” Shining Armor said, teleporting a small hoofful of pictures in between the two, and magically handing it off to Twi. She squinted her eyes, bringing the small photo up close. It was a strange thing. It was purely metal, with a deep gray color. Rhombus shaped with a flat, squared-off top. It was about four or fiveish inches thick and stuck up a few hooves out of the ice. “After a bit of digging and scanning, we discovered that it was just a small piece of whatever is beneath the ice. A little spike,” Shining added, with the group turning once more, entering a nearby door that was already open. “Little?” Twilight cocked a brow at that, looking to her brother. “That thing’s about the size of me…” “I know, threw me for a loop as well,” Shining admitted, as the rest of the group entered the room. It looked strange with the decadent theme of the castle, seeming rather plain and almost boring. Just wooden floors, barren crystalline walls which had a few lanterns hanging off of them, and a large rectangular table with several seats surrounding it. A big projector stood on a tripod at the back of the room as well. Several of the aforementioned seats were occupied by several ponies, who wore a mixture of either labcoats or suits, ties and the like. The entire thing seemed formal, with an undertone of uncertainty in the faces of most of the group, who were currently talking amongst themselves. “Professor Fossil!” Shining Armor called happily. A gray earth mare stood up from the group, reaching up a forehoof to wipe her glasses with a handkerchief. “Prince Armor, thank you so much for having me here!” she said, her tone attempting to be professional, but cracking as she almost squeaked in excitement. Likely both from the meeting of royalty and the fact she was making the discovery of the century! “It’s nothing, truly!” Shining smiled back. “Please ma’am, you and your team have been excavating the site for the past few days, can you please tell Twilight all you know?” “Of course, of course!” she nodded, turning back to the other seated ponies, nodding her head. They quieted down at that, before Fossil herself motioned for the new group to take seats on the other side of the long, rectangular table. “Please, please, take your seats, everypony!” Spike and the guards did so towards the back, with Twilight and Shining Armor sitting up front, just across from Professor Fossil’s own seat. Nearby a unicorn mare cut the lights, turning off the numerous lanterns that hung off the walls. Fossil cleared her throat, looking over the group, before nodding to herself. “Princess Twilight, I am not sure how else to say this but… we seem to have uncovered what I theorize to be some sort of…” her face scrunched a bit, as if she were attempting to think of the correct word, “...automaton.” “You mean a robot?” Spike chimed in, flexing his wings as he leaned upwards out of his chair to get a decent view of the mare. He could watch as Fossil’s face fell flat. “Well, if you desire to use the science fiction term, then yes, I suppose one could call it a… robot,” she explained, almost spitting the word. However she soon brushed it off, her face lighting up again as she quickly pressed a button on the projector with her forehoof. With the lights dimmed, a large, gray photograph appeared suddenly on the wall from the small device. It showed an enlarged picture of the same rhombus-like metal spike Twilight had been glancing over, however in this one, Professor Fossil herself was pictured beside it, with the spike itself being a few hooves above her head, showing just how truly big it was. Spike himself gave an “ooh,” his eyes widening a bit in surprise at the image. “This is just an utterly tiny piece of a larger machine. While we aren’t exactly aware of the true shape of it, we were able to do some minor excavations, which give a rough estimate of the automaton’s size,” she explained. “How big is it?” Twilight questioned. “Give or take… we estimate the machine to be over three hundred hooves, perhaps a hundred meters, if not a bit more?” the archaeologist answered. “Those are rough estimates of course, but until we get either better equipment or superior magical capabilities, we can’t exactly tell.” “Three hundred hooves…” Twilight blanked to herself, seeming almost vacant as Fossil continued on, her words blanking into white noise for a few moments. While she was utterly exhilarated at the scientific prospect of this whole excavation, a part of her remained utterly shaken by the reveal. However, the rest of her shook it off. She was a princess after all- No, THE Princess… Maybe it was just Spike’s old goofy comics rubbing off on her. She shook herself fully out of it before Fossil could realize that she wasn’t paying attention, the white noise drifting away and letting the purple pony tune back in on the older mare’s words. “-and while we don’t know if the machine is functional or not, whatever we can gather from it will be invaluable knowledge in furthering not only Equestrian technology, but hopefully non-magical technology as well. I’m sure numerous other nations would help us in developing this as well! Rest assured; we’ll do our best to make sure everything goes as smoothly as pos-” “You want me to help scan it, is that it?” Twilight asked, interrupting the mare. After a moment, Fossil blinked a few times and spoke. “Well, your Majesty… that wasn’t really our intention, but if you’re interested in the prospect… I suppose we could rig up some equipment for such an event,” pondered Professor Fossil, before giving a nod to herself, continuing. “Princess Cadance has recently taken to signing documents relating to bringing in some of the best technology across Equestria to the Crystal Empire in an attempt to ensure this is the quickest, most effective expedition and subsequent excavation possible!” Twilight nodded, taking a few breaths. The room was partly silent, with several pairs of eyes on the princess, Spike and Shining included. “Do you think… whatever is below the ice could be… hostile? Dangerous perhaps?” the purple alicorn questioned. “No, your Majesty,” replied Fossil. Twilight leaned back in her chair, sighing in relief as the professor continued. “You see, the ice the automaton is buried in by our estimates seems to be roughly five to six hundred years old,” the archaeologist explained. “We measured the depth, took into account the rate at which ice accumulates in the Frozen North, made all the calculations… We assure you that, even with our subpar equipment, whatever this machine is, it has not been active for a very long time. Unless you personally want to attempt to reactivate it with a jolt of magical energy, it will likely remain dormant forever.” “Do you have any particular time frame you’d like me to use my magic to assist you?” Twilight asked. “We do have some scanning equipment for surveys and excavation work. Typically it is used by a unicorn, however with an alicorn… or perhaps even two, it would easily be able to cover enough land area to give us an exact three-dimensional construct of the machine. From there we could easily create a model, copy the data and…” Fossil let herself trail off, realizing how ahead of herself she sounded. “Perhaps by tomorrow evening princess, the next day at most.” “Are you sure about this Twily?” Shining asked, piping up with a concerned tone. “The cold out here can be dangerous.” “Shiny, I am one of the best magic users in Equestria. Whatever this machine is, if I can help study it, let it help us… we could easily find ourselves in a golden age!” Twilight explained, her excitement rising at the prospect. Who built this machine? Where did it come from? What is its purpose? Is it powered by friendship? Would it be her friend!?! While she didn’t say it, a piece of her even hoped Spike was right… … She’d be the first pony on the planet to have an alien as a friend!!! Maybe it’d even teach her? Maybe it’d teach her students!?! Maybe it’d become friends with all of her friends!!! Maybe it’d help her colonize other planets and spread the glory of Friendship to the entire galaxy!!! Maybe- “Twi, you alright?” Spike asked. She snapped out of her daze quickly. “Yeah, what’s wrong?” she snickered, playing it cool and partly ignoring the fact she’d geeked out over a fantastic prospect… well to be fair, what pony wouldn’t? Shining cocked an eyebrow at that. However, Professor Fossil cleared her throat, giving a nod, likely understanding the fellow scholar’s excitement. “Yes, well... Your Majesty, we’ll work on everything and keep you informed on anything that transpires as soon as possible. Ultimately it is up to you on if you’d like to offer your magic to us or not,” Fossil assured. “I’ll do it,” she replied with basically zero hesitation. Shining and Spike would’ve butted in, but at this point, they knew better. Besides, it wasn’t like they could go against their princess. Thus, the two brothers remained quiet, almost chuckling amongst themselves. “Excellent, thank you, Princess Twilight,” Fossil graciously said, almost bowing her head out of sheer gratitude. “I’d never pass up a chance to help Equestria and my subjects advance themselves,” the pony princess replied. “I just hope whatever we find can be used for the good of all creatures." “Of course, your Majesty,” nodded the older mare. “We’ll all make sure of that.” Twilight smiled at that; joy evident on her face as her mind once more went wild with possibilities. Even as a princess, she found it hard to control her excitement at the potential revolution on the horizon. So much technology, so many questions! Hopefully she’d get her answers…
Beneath the IceThe Frozen North, several dozen miles outside the Crystal Empire, roughly a day later Twilight stood stern as the cold and the frigid snowflakes swirled in the air around her. Up ahead a few paces were Shining, Cadance, and several members of the excavation team, plus almost half a dozen guards. Spike trekked beside his big sister, partly stumbling due to the thickness of the snow as he advanced. Everypony (and the singular dragon) present were clad in thick, poofy, jackets. All in all, there were a little over a dozen of them, a mixture of crystal ponies, earth ponies, unicorns, a pegasus or two, hard to tell exactly though given all of the jackets and coats. Speaking of, numerous layers covered their fur, their faces wrapped in scarves and their eyes covered with goggles. Only the unicorns present had their horns peeking out from the hoods of their coats, Twi, Shining, and Cadance included obviously. As she marched, barely able to concentrate on anything other than plodding through the snow and keeping her breathing stable, she realized only then she still hadn’t asked the two about Flurry! She frowned beneath her facial coverings at that fact; given the sheer blur and sheer excitement the past day had been, there was little else she could do to get some time to check up on her niece. She couldn’t exactly ask the question now of all times, so she remained silent as the march continued. The landscape around them had little of note. Thankfully, there were no gorges or chasms. There were a few smaller hills up ahead, however, they posed little threat of collapsing. It was all relatively flat, which was a good thing of course. It did make the entire area seem quite… strange though. How long had this place gone unexplored? Due to the sheer ruggedness of the terrain and temperature, likely for most, if not all of Equestria’s history! Professor Fossil, clad in a deep blue coat and equally deep blue scarf, stepped up next to the princess, breaking her from her musings. “Are you alright, Princess Twilight?” she questioned, practically having to raise her voice to a mid-shouting tone to speak over the billowing wind and snow. “I’m fine!” assured the purple mare with a nod, her own tone quite loud. “You don’t have to worry about Twily, she’s been through a lot worse!” boasted Shining Armor, turning his wrapping-covered head back over his shoulder to snicker the line out at the mares. Spike himself gave a small chuckle as well. “Yeah, a little bit of rough weather is nothing!” the drake added. Fossil nodded, giving a small smile of her own, causing the scarf wrapped over her muzzle to shift just slightly. “The excavation site is up ahead a few dozen paces, just over that hill!” called out the professor. This got a small nod from the princess, and the group of about a dozen or so ponies continued up the hill. Snow crunched under their hooves, as the mixed group trekked upwards, adding a bit more strain on everypony, especially those who were hauling equipment. As they crested the top of the mound of snow, ice, and rock, Twilight could see the camp/excavation site below. There were almost a dozen tents, one notable one that lay dead ahead was a small barracks station, which was watched over by two standing pegasi guards, spears groped in their glove-wrapped wings. There was a medical tent to the right, and further to the right of that was an even larger tent, likely the main research facility here. It helped that right beside it there were numerous large scanners and metal detectors sitting, a large tarp strung up to cover them from the harsh snowfall. Out in the distance, about three or four hundred hoofsteps further past the camp, she could see more equipment set up on the relatively flat ground that waited below. No doubt that was where their strange machine was found. “Come on, let’s get you all warm and grab some grub!” shouted a burly stallion, coated in a crimson jacket, as he motioned the group off to the left side of the camp towards another large tent. Said tent had the image of a bowl with steam lines coming off of it etched into the large front flap that acted as a door. It was a mess hall no doubt. After trekking down the other side of the hill, the group managed to make their way into the tent, with a unicorn magically holding the “door” open, letting the royalty pass through first, along with Fossil and Spike. The interior of the tent was plain. It was quite roomy though, being a few dozen hoofsteps long, and wide. The flooring was just a few wooden boards nailed together and laid down, there were a few large tables neatly organized to the group’s left, and then to the right was a small cooking station, currently being manned by a mint green earth mare, who was making a batch of rice. The only actual furniture of note was a ping pong table, which was being intensely used by a pair of pegasi who were holding the paddles with their wings, striking the small ball back and forth thanks to their quick reaction speeds. The warm air inside basically slapped everycreature present in the face, with Spike being the first to tug down his scarf, exposing his deep purple scales. He took a few breaths, getting the warmth into his lungs. “Oh Spike, are you alright?” Twilight asked, her tone matronly. “I’m fine, Twi,” he chuckled. “I can breathe fire after all.” “Preferably not in the tent, please, mister The Dragon,” Fossil added, unraveling her scarf, most of the others following suit. This caused the royalty of the group, and Spike himself, to give a round of chuckles. Soon though, Twilight finally got a chance to properly greet Cadance now that the two weren’t swamped with paperwork or trekking across a barren, snowy wasteland. “Cadance, I meant to ask, but how is little Flurry Heart doing?” Twilight questioned. “You know how she can be,” chuckled the older alicorn. “A little bundle of energy as always. Thankfully Sunburst is taking care of her- I don’t know what we’d do without him!” “Especially with all the paperwork we’ve been swamped with recently,” added Shining Armor, before grinning to himself. “Who knew charting an expedition to a frigid wasteland would be such a hassle?” Twilight gave a small snort as the rest of the ponies fully settled in, unwrapping their faces and partly loosening their jackets, though they did still mostly keep them on, given they’d be out in the snow once again before long. After a few minutes, many of them were going over to grab themselves helpings of flowers, rice, and such. Spike himself broke off from his siblings, taking a small baggie of gems (thanks to Twilight’s expertise in packing) to snack on as he went back to the adoring crystal ponies of the unit. From there, little else happened. The meal wasn’t exactly the most glamorous, but none of the royalty questioned it, sitting alongside their fellow pony without issue. Shining would occasionally give a dad joke, nudging his fellow guards. Spike would get more laughs and cheers from the crowd though, mainly from the crystal ponies though, which was obviously fine by him! Before long though, Professor Fossil made her way over to the trio of royalty, a small clipboard in her hooves as she took a seat, grabbing a pin from one of her jacket's pockets. “Princess Sparkle, Princess Cadance, Prince Shining,” she nodded, giving her respectful introductions as she nodded, almost bowing, at the three of them. They perked up, with Cadance having a mouthful of flowers and rice as she honed in on the professor’s words. “I don’t mean to rush you all, but I was hoping that within the hour, we could harness your magic. With the combined energy of Cadance and Twilight, it should be enough to capture the image of the automaton with… roughly ninety eight percent accuracy.” “Wait, I could help!” offered Shining, with him sitting up straighter as the mare turned her attention to him. “I understand your magical prowess is… extremely impressive in its own right, Prince Armor,” the earth pony replied, her tone respectful, a faint trace of embarrassment and uncertainty in her words at having to “tell off” one of the rulers of Equestria. “However, having too many gifted users attempt to activate this machine at once could lead to… complications. It could overload the power supply, or cause a surge and fry the whole thing, setting us back a week… I’m sure you understand, sir.” “Right,” he nodded, slumping back down a bit. While he tried hiding the disappointment, Cadance could easily spot the faint traces of it. The alicorn mare gently reached out, patting his side with her forehoof, which almost immediately made her husband feel better. “This whole thing won't be dangerous, will it?” asked Spike. “No. At worst, it will make both princesses feel very slightly drained for about half an hour after using,” Fossil explained. “Normally, this equipment would be handled by regular unicorns for smaller scale scanning, however, due to the depth of the ice and the sheer size of the automaton, we need a higher magical prowess, as I said before.” “Well, I guess there’s not much reason to wait,” Cadance offered. “We’re ready when you are, professor,” added Twilight with a small nod of affirmation. “Excellent, just give me a moment to prepare the machinery, and we will call for you,” Fossil said, wrapping herself up in a scarf once more. It was about an hour later, and everything was in place. The scanning device was quite large, easily a dozen paces across, and a bit taller than anypony present, even beating the tip of Cadance’s horn by a few inches. It looked almost like a gigantic hockey puck or some type of radar scanner that was positioned downwards. A long, thick, electrical wire ran off from the side port of one of the machines, with it connecting to a small research tent. Currently the royal trio, Spike, Fossil, and a few others were inside, huddled around several crude, magically powered monitors, and several other sensors. Both Twilight and Cadance had removed their jackets, and while the interior was far warmer than it was outside, a chill still ran up their spines. A white unicorn mare in a labcoat magically offered each of the princesses a small, golden ring, sized perfectly enough to fit over their horns. Said rings were connected to numerous wires, which ran into the nearby console, which then ran outside, back into the massive scanner. “Now ya might feel a slight tingling,” the unicorn mare offered, a soft, sugary sweet Whinnysotan accent in her voice, “Just take deep breaths, and ya both will be right as rain! I’ll be right alongside ya every step of the way.” The two alicorns nodded, placing the rings over their horns. Doctor Fossil gave a check over the monitors and various pieces of equipment, which were manned by more labcoat-wearing ponies. Soon enough, she trotted over to the two monarchs, looking between the duo as she spoke. “Alright, in just a moment, I will have Dawnstar here activate the machines,” the archaeologist explained, motioning behind herself to a sleek, blueish-black unicorn stallion. “One last time I must ask, are you both sure you want to lend your magic?” The princesses looked between each other, almost snickering at how late the question was, though they understood why exactly the earth mare would question them. They soon nodded amongst themselves, and both Shining and Spike smiled, silently agreeing with their family members. “We’re ready,” Twilight audibly confirmed. With a final nod, Fossil gave her team a little longer, going back over to check on the machinery once more. “You know… why didn’t you guys bring in Daring Do for this?” Spike pondered amidst his family, partly whispering given the mare in question was a secret identity, though it was a secret identity that wasn’t fully hidden amongst royalty, at least after her sudden retirement. “Seems like she’d be all over this stuff.” “We attempted to, but she never returned any of our letters,” Shining Armor admitted. “I guess it’s either due to the fact she works alone, or she’s taking her newfound freetime a bit harder than we thought.” “Rainbow has been awfully worried about her,” Twilight replied. “Maybe after all this is over, I can try to help track her down. For Dash’s sake at least…” There was little more time to discuss the archaeological adventurer as before long, a less adventurous one soon trotted over to the two. “Alright, we’ve triple, and quadruple checked the systems… Just give us the go ahead, princesses,” Fossil spoke. Almost all of the eyes in the room were on the duo, with the majority of the scientists and archaeologists looking to their leaders for confirmation. Twilight and Cadance gave their respective nods. The switch was flipped, buttons were pressed, and the numerous pieces of machinery began whirring and wooing. Outside a loud BRRRRZZZZZZZ sound rang out, as the ground partly rumbled. While it wasn’t enough to knock anypony off their feet, it made a few pencils roll off their respective desks and clipboards jitter. BRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZ The duo’s horns lit up as the machine began doing its work. Blue magic flowed from Cadance’s horn and down the wiring, while Twi’s let out a strawberryish, purple hue. Their combined energy seemed to almost overcharge the scanning device, as a few ponies monitoring outside could see it almost come to life, vibrating and shaking slightly from the power of the two powerful princesses. Back inside though, Twilight felt her magic slowly being sapped. Not very fun to experience, but this was about the good of her subjects, not her comfort. Cadance herself was reminded of the time she had to give all of her alicorn magic to her sister-in-law, to save it from being absorbed by Tirek, however this was far less demanding. Instead of an instant draining sensation, it was more of a slow crawl downwards. “Five percent of the mapping completed,” Dawnstar said as an image slowly began to form on the monitor he sat in front of. “Ye're doing great,” the Whinnysotan unicorn added, giving the two mares a small nod, smile on her face the whole time. The two alicorns smiled back, though they didn't speak, given their current positions. Fossil’s eyes furrowed a bit, her gaze switching from the princesses to the machinery to the monitors, and then back, looping between the three every few seconds. Shining and Spike remained at the two’s sides the entire time, just in case they were needed. “Fifteen percent!” the dark blue stallion, called yet again. Fossil looked over, her eyes furrowing further at what she saw. On the monitor, the image of a large… tail? Was taking shape. What kind of robo- automaton had a tail? She shook it off, looking back to the princesses. Twilight and Cadance were drained looking, but little else seemed wrong with the duo, and thus the magic draining continued. “Twenty five percent!” the stallion called. “What is that?” Shining Armor asked, looking towards the monitor. While the model that was being fed into the equipment wasn’t the highest of quality, it was three-dimensional, being able to be turned, rotated, and such for superior viewing and studying. As Dawnstar rotated it though, the only thing the ponies could see were several large, jagged spikes, far larger than the comparatively tiny rhombus that had been sticking out of the ground. Now the group saw that said rhombus was just a tiny spike on a gigantic tail, a minute piece of the whole being. “Fifty eight percent!” the deep blue stallion called. The monitor updated again. Some of the ponies gasped at the update. The large spikes were running down to the machine’s back. Its shape was quite strange. Now they could see the partial beginnings of a large pair of feet. Said feet were wide, ending in metal claws, almost like that of a- “Is that a dragon?” Spike asked, piping up. While the image on screen didn’t have a pair of wings, from the little that was revealed, the machine seemed almost like a bipedal reptile. The long, spiked tail, muscular feet. Its back spikes were even close to well… Spike’s! “What kind of creature would want to build a dragon?” one of the scientist stallions questioned, adjusting his glasses with a forehoof. “Seventy two percent!” Dawnstar called once more. Now almost half of the body of the creature was revealed. It was laying at a downward slanted angle, likely having fallen onto the side of a cliff or being partly buried by a cave-in long ago, never to rise again. The tail was resting just beneath the ice, which explained the strange rhombus jutting up from the snow. While the majority of the survey crew already knew the machine’s general shape, few of them would’ve expected it to be a tail of all things. The guesses had ranged from tendril to even drill, but this seemed to have them all beat. Building a tail on a machine just didn’t seem all that important, especially given the fact the tail itself was very flexible, expertly built with segmented, armor that allowed for a natural movement of the joints. Twilight and Cadance were slouching a bit now, pumping more of themselves into the radar, almost seeming like an attempt to finish the scan. Spike and Shining had their attention drawn away from the apparent machine dragon as they looked towards their family. The two alicorns just managed a pair of partly weakened smiles at the males. “Ninety six percent!” the unicorn male spoke. By this point only the upper neck and head of the creature was invisible, but that wasn’t needed. The body-shape of the machine was fully revealed. Two long, stout legs, a pair of short arms, with the right one seeming a bit asymmetrical compared to the one on the left, as it was more armored and had a large square spike jutting off at the shoulder. Both of the forearms look like they had a pair of twin cannons mounted onto them. That fact made the scientists a tad nervous, sweat forming on some of their brows at the thought of the machine activating again. However, the weirdest part was what was attached to the beast’s back. It was a large, square-shaped pack with several thrusters on the bottom; perfectly molded to lock onto the bipedal machine without interfering with its numerous spines. A pair of what seemed to be even larger cannons were mounted, resting on the upper shoulders of the automaton. “Is… is it wearing a jetpack?” Spike questioned, wide-eyed. His worry for his sister was briefly clouded by his inner comic-fan, despite his prior attempts at dismissing the “childish entertainment.” “There’s no way…” Fossil attempted, however as the scanner finished, the model in front of the group was complete. “One hundred percent! Image is completed!” Dawnstar nodded. The head appeared on the model, and almost instantly the loud noises from the machine outside slowed, stopping as quickly as they came, with the rumbling ending shortly after as well. The face of the being was saurian, with a long snout poking out along with several teeth being displayed. It was a bizarre sight, and slowly everycreature present began to process just what they were looking at… The group were looking at the slumbering form of a bipedal, gigantic, robotic, jetpack wearing, shoulder-and-arm-cannon mounted dragon. There was a long, complete silence, as the scientists and a few guards looked between each other. One could hear a pin drop, or pencil rather, if they hadn’t already all fallen to the floor. Amidst the quietness, Spike was the first to speak. “Alright… This is WAY cooler than aliens…” he managed. “Spiiike…” Twilight just managed to groan between her heavy breaths, with the alicorn’s horn ring being soon removed by the same Whinnysotan-accented unicorn who stayed by her side the entire time. She wanted to lay down, but the princess pulled herself back to her feet as she stared at the monitor, millions of questions running through her head. If anything, she seemed more confused now than she had been when the group started…
Frigid Excavations“You two feeling better?” Shining Armor asked, before magically pressing a small teacup against his wife’s mouth, helping her sip down the soothing, warm tea. After a moment, she enveloped the cup with her magic, taking over from her husband’s grasp. She gave a nod and a delicate smile. Currently the Princess of Love was sitting in a rather uncomfortable metal chair, which was only alleviated by a few small pillows that the team had gathered for her. She swallowed the rest of the steamy tea and gave a soft cough, clearing her throat, “Much better.” “The draining sensation wears off pretty quick,” Twilight added. She was seated in his own chair, drinking some tea of her own. “I told ya it ain’t bad!” offered the Whinnysotian, a smile on her face. After giving herself a little more time to allow the tea to warm her insides, Twilight made her way over to the monitor. Almost half a dozen ponies were crowded around it, intensely examining the three-dimensional magically-charted model the two mares had helped create. Fossil leaned in, her face mere inches from the monitor. “Why in Equestria would anypony build a dragon of all things?” “That’s a little rude don’t ya think?” Spike scoffed, crossing his forearms. He was a few paces behind the group. Between bouts of fist pumping the air and giving several “this is so cool”’s under his breath, Spike, who was taking a not-so-sneaky peek at the totally cool jetpack dragon robot, was behind for more than one reason. “I for one think he looks awesome.” “Maybe he—it… whatever the machine is wasn’t built by ponies?” Twilight offered, trotting towards the group. As she did, the group of researchers parted like the Red Sea, letting the princess through as she intently examined the model. “Some type of ancient civilization then?” Fossil proposed. “Princess Twilight, do you think prince—I mean, Former Princess Celestia would know anything about this?” “I have no idea… I’ve never heard of anything like this, even from the most secretive vaults in the Canterlot Archives,” Twilight replied, her muzzle scrunching up. “I suppose I could write to her or Starswirl about this machine, but, to my knowledge, nothing else like this has been found, not in Equestria, anyways.” Professor Fossil softly hummed to herself. She reached out with a forehoof and began to use the mouse connected to the large computer. She began to examine the gigantic robot more closely, with the mouse moving to and fro quickly on the foam pad. It moved left and right, up and down, zooming in on occasion as she tried to scrub every inch of the automaton with her eyes but failing miserably due to the sheer size of the robot. She leaned in, tilting her head a bit, as if following the model’s frantic movement. She bit her bottom lip in thought, as if she was mentally imagining the materials the machine was made of, trying to recognize them from the basic display alone. The group could see the individual metal platings that covered the beast’s body. The cyborg almost seemed… natural, in some aspects at least. It had bends at the elbows, wrists, feet, and ankles. The tail looked extremely flexible, more so than a robot would need. Designing a machine of this caliber wouldn’t be a simple task, so the need to go through the effort of giving the automaton the ability to even open its mouth was bizarre. All of the natural design elements of the being flowed together, making the dragon look as if somepony had taken a normal, living being and coated it with armor. Twilight squinted, leaning into the dull light of the screen, which was now reflecting off of her eyes, making her face glow faintly. Wires were attached to the creature's legs, with them interweaving between one another. It was a strange sight, as the long, thick cables conformed to the shape of a powerful, muscular thigh. Some portions of the wiring were covered by rounded plates, which seemed to both reinforce the monster’s frame and hold the rope-like tethers in place. The same could be said for the arms too. They were obviously very similar in design to the beast’s legs, with the dragon’s joints lacking armor plating, letting more wires poke through. Her eyes scanned from the beast’s sharp, claw-like toes and traveled upwards, but she stopped at its chest. As she examined it, she instinctively ran her tongue over her teeth in thought. The upper left pec of the organic-looking robot’s chest was emblazoned with something strange, something that hadn’t been picked up on in all of her excitement... “What does MFS-3 mean?” Twilight asked, and the others in the group soon ran their equally keen eyes over, following her gaze. Soon enough the monitor was made to magically zoom further towards the automaton’s chest. Sure enough, there it was. Big, blocky lettering. ‘MFS-3’ Silence fell over the group as they all attempted to answer the question. “Massively Freaking Strong…?” Spike began, trailing off halfway through. He scratched the top of his head in contemplation. “...what would the three stand for?” While the joke was ill-timed, a few of the guards at the back of the tent gave their own hushed chuckles, however the scientists of the team cocked a few brows. Twilight glared at him, making the small dragon nervously chuckle as he slinked backwards. “Right, not helping…” Spike said, mentally reminding himself to not make jokes should he and Twilight discover any more ancient, Equestria-altering machines. “It’s likely a designation,” Professor Fossil considered, raising a forehoof to her chin. “Which means—” “There could be at least two more of these things out there!?!” a stallion finished, turning towards the mare in shock. “Calm down!” another member of the group shouted, trying to get his colleague under control. Said colleague was now huffing in and out of a paper bag in an attempt to curb his oncoming panic attack. “We can’t lose our minds over baseless assumptions!” “What if they’re here to take over the planet?” a pony shouted. “Or to burn our crops!” another added the metaphorical fuel onto the fire. “They could be here to kill off all of the animals!” another exclaimed. Twilight was staring down the model as the other ponies began to debate on whether or not other giant robotic monsters were running around Equestria. Or perhaps, they were all frozen in blocks of ice as well… Regardless, she looked into the eyes of the model. Obviously, there was no soul to stare back at her. That fact made the alicorn pause. It was a robot after all. “Do any of you think this machine could be piloted by a pony?” Twilight asked. The others snapped away from the brief verbal scuffle and looked at her like she had a second head for a moment, though one or two among them dropped their gazes, pondering her words. “Check for any signs of doors or hatches,” Fossil commanded, and the model was soon being scoured over by no less than half a dozen sets of prying eyes. There was a solid half-minute of silence as they all looked over the intricacies of the robot. They stared at the grooves and the bolts and any visible rivets, keeping an eye out for blemishes on the bipedal machine. “There!” a mare pointed out, leaning in as she brought up a forehoof, hovering inches from the screen. Sure enough, there seemed to be a square-shaped indent near the base of the creature’s neck. A small hatch was visible, as it looked like the door covering it could be slid aside. “What if it’s protected by a password or key?” “Great question, professor! Thankfully, if we need to, I could magically pry it open,” Twilight offered, her horn lighting up with a small surge of magic. “And if I could unlatch it, perhaps I can even enter the machine myself…” “Princess Twilight, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea,” Fossil pointed out. “I understand your concern, truly,” Twilight said, giving a sheepish grin, a light blush appearing on her face. “But I have to do it, ma’am. I refuse to put anypony at risk. My experience in both the study of science and friendship makes me the best pony possible for the job, especially in this situation.” Shining approached his sister, his face one of concern. “Twily, I think you should listen to her.” “Shiny, this can’t be any worse than dealing with a Changeling invasion—” “But this guy looks way tougher than Chrysalis! I know I said this guy looks cool, but what if he is piloted by aliens… evil aliens!” Spike said, worry in his voice. “Or what if he’s just a really big evil alien himself, and he’s piloted by hundreds of smaller, equally evil aliens!” “Spike, I think I can handle a couple of grouchy aliens,” Twilight huffed, rolling her eyes. “Assuming they even exist.” “I don’t think she’s going to get attacked by aliens, but if you two are so worried about her, I could go,” Cadance offered, though Shining still didn’t seem excited by that prospect either, with him turning to raise a brow at his wife as she continued, “If there’s anything down there, anything that could be reasoned with, I think I could make them see the Magic of Friendship.” “Thanks, Cadance,” Twilight said, before focusing her attention on Spike and Shining. “Listen, if I'm going to use this machine to benefit Equestria in some way, I need to see how it operates with my own two eyes.” Her attention turned from her family to the monitor. She gazed at the dragon for a few moments, before speaking once more, “Something about it—him…” She paused, blinking a few times. “Whatever this machine is, something about it feels… natural to me.” “Sure that’s not Fluttershy rubbing off on ya?” Spike offered, getting a small round of chuckle from the other members of his family. Soon though, the laughter died out, and Twilight held a small, yet serious smile. “Don’t worry about me, really,” she assured. “We all have been through worse.” “You could say that again,” Cadance whispered. “Well, your Majesty, if we can’t convince you otherwise… give us a few hours,” Professor Fossil said. “That should be enough time to burrow a stable tunnel into the ice. With this model you provided, we can pinpoint the best possible area to dig.” Many members of the excavation team nodded, speaking among themselves, already planning out their next course of action. Twilight allowed it to blend into the background for the moment, her eyes focused solely on the strange model of the machine dragon… Through a combination of magic and heavy machinery, the excavation team had burrowed well over a hundred meters downwards into the ice. The sensors made sure the drill stopped the second they reached the hatch of the mechanical being. That was about half an hour ago, and now Twilight was making her way deeper and deeper into the automaton’s inadvertent tomb. Her thick, durable harness was wrapped tightly (yet comfortably) around Twilight’s barrel. The alicorn stared downwards into the seemingly endless abyss as she was slowly but surely being lowered into the deep pit. Twilight’s horn was the only thing lighting up the way down, and even then, both a few dozen meters above and below her, everything faded into uncertain darkness. It was a tight squeeze as the mare only had a few hooves worth of space in front of or behind her at any given time. She could reach out her forelimb and easily scrape against the circular walls of the vertical tunnel. Her breath was icy as well, with each exhale sending a steam of foggy air out from her muzzle. She was silent, locked in her own mind as she ran numerous possibilities about would and wouldn’t be at the bottom of the hole. However, as she pondered to herself, a small magical radio strapped to her upper chest crackled to life. “Twilight, are you alright?” Cadance questioned, the fellow royalty’s voice was soft and soothing, bringing warmth to the desolate shaft. Finally, Twilight had something to latch onto other than her mind and the deep blue wall of the chasm that surrounded her. “I’m fine Cadance, thanks,” replied the alicorn. Cadance didn’t immediately reply, as Twilight heard muffled talking, with the radio still being left on the entire time. Suddenly, Doctor Fossil’s voice cut in, “Your Majesty, I am sorry to interrupt your familial reunion, but I feel as if it’s important to know you are about seventy seven percent of the way to the hatch. Give it roughly five or ten more minutes and you will be at your destination, Princess Sparkle.” “Is there no way to speed this up, professor?” Spike asked, his voice being picked up over the walkie talkie. Fossil sighed and gave her reply, “As I said previously, while we could speed up the descent, the safety of our princess takes precedence over all else.” Twilight almost giggled but settled for a smirk to herself. Her subjects’ love and admiration for her felt amazing, however the princess knew she could handle such an operation. She could teleport directly to the hatch if required! However, in the interest of not worrying her family and the crew, she allowed them to play it slow. The unchanging icy walls around her continued to zoom past slowly but surely. As Fossil stated, it was about ten minutes later before Twilight could see something below her, partially illuminated by her horn. She craned her head down, putting more power into her light. The princess soon reached up a forehoof, activating the radio. “I see the hatch!” she called, as she touched down against the ice-cold metal, now standing directly in front of the hatch. While Twilight was wearing thick, heavy shoes and tight wrappings on each of her hooves and legs, she could feel just how cold the machine’s exterior felt. Few things could compare to the frigid sensation of the being. It made sense, given it had been lost underneath ice for so long. Briefly, Twilight put herself into the machine’s hoo—er, claws. Was it even aware of its own existence? Could it think for itself? Or was it truly just an over glorified cannon? Twilight shook off her thoughts, focusing on her mission once more. Her eyes began to examine her surroundings. To her right, she could see several small metal bars sticking partly out of the ice. She was faintly reminded of the monkey bars on a playground. Maybe these were similar, being made to grab onto? They looked like they were in the formation of some type of ladder. There wasn’t enough of a gap between the bar itself and the armor for her hooves though, so that point was moot. She continued to examine the scene, staring away from the rods and to the hatch itself. It was a bit larger than she was, as if it was a doorway made for something taller than a pony. She made out deep, black writing emblazoned on the door, an upwards facing arrow a few inches above it... ‘ACCESS MAINTENANCE BOOTH SYSTEM’ As Twilight took note of all of this, she began pondering to herself, taking into account the metal door’s size. If it were to be at an upright angle, it'd clear the tip of her horn by a few hooves. What could’ve made this thing? Minotaurs? Dragons themselves? No… neither of the species were really mechanist types. They were just the “smash and bash” types… No offense to Spike of course!... Or Ember… Or Smolder— She was interrupted from her musings as her radio finally crackled back to life. Fossil spoke, her voice crackling. No doubt the signal was weak while she was this deep. “Do you s—kzzt— any t-type of handle to open it? zzzzzz… Maybe even a keypad?” “You’re breaking up, professor!” Twilight said as she pressed a button on her own walkie talkie. “Signal down here is weak!” The alicorn looked around, and to her left she could see a small panel. When she further amped up the brightness of her horn, she could clearly read even more words emblazoned on the metal. They were a bit scratchy and faded compared to the larger writing, but she could still make them out. A bright yellow arrow, next to a small set of instructions ‘Pull Out This Cover’ She followed it, finding a small circular knob. Immediately, the mare magically turned it, causing the hatch to pop upwards. Twilight watched in amazement, before reaching down with a forehoof and opening the small door. What she revealed was a small number pad, just as Fossil had assumed. However, Twilight furrowed her brow at this. “Professor, I have found a keypad, but there’s no way of knowing the code,” Twilight explained. “I’m going to try to override it with my magic.” “Bzzzkt careful, Princess Spark—” the older mare soon replied back, her voice even fainter now, being cut off by nothing but pure static by this point. The hundreds of hooves of ice between the two seemed to finally cancel the signal, leaving her alone. Still, the princess pressed on. Shorting out the lock was quite easy, as applying a bit of electrical magic to it made the keypad malfunction in such a way that the metal door soon slid open, letting Twilight stare downwards into the robot’s chasm that had just opened before her. A downward slope stood in front of the mare. While she could stand comfortably on the exterior of the machine, going inside would be a different story. Clearly the creature wasn’t made to be entered at an angle like this. Regardless, the princess steeled herself, and entered inside, putting one hoof in front of the other as she made her way down into a slanted, metal hallway. Her horn remained alight the entire time, as there still was no light source in the robotic dragon. She came to a stop in front of a secondary door. She couldn’t find a keypad, instead spotting a button resting behind a tiny glass cover that read “Safety Device in Case of Radioactivity.” What? Did the things that make this machine eat uranium or something? Just in case, the mare encased herself in an invisible, radiation-resistant shield. Normally the spell was reserved for miners or the few ponies who were crazy enough to research the stuff… Well, anypony crazy enough to build a robotic dragon would likely be crazy enough to do such a thing as well! With the shield in place, Twilight didn’t desire to press the big red button despite how tempting it was. Instead, the princess magically forced the secondary door open and continued on ahead. Unfortunately for her, the cockpit of the machine was still angled terribly. She moved in deeper, forcing a bit more energy into her horn. Twilight soon gasped, looking ahead as she saw a large computer. It was far bigger and more impressive than the desktop devices she’d seen in the human realm’s high school. It wasn’t some cheap hunk of plastic, no, this was the type of thing she’d read about in books on rocket ships or other powerful machinery. Inventions she hoped to one day achieve for her own nation, for the prosperity of everypony! Numerous switches and knobs and dials and buttons lined it. The mare was a genius, but at the moment she didn’t know which switch did what, so there was no way to pilot the machine, at least not right now. That didn’t make the sight of the automaton’s ‘brain’ any less impressive. Twilight stepped forwards, fully entering into the room, carried on by the surprise she felt at the discovery. This of course made her lose sight of the awkward, slanted angle of the room. Moments later, the mare nearly slid forwards and slammed into the large monitor, which was at the center of the wall ahead of her. Thankfully, with a quick spell, she righted herself, magically latching her hooves in place. While her mane dangled against her cheeks, she ignored this, moving downwards as she walked across the room without issues. Remembering the times she’d fiddled with the devices in the human realm, she tried to tap the buttons, at first with her magic. It was a simple test, to see if the machine was on in any way shape or form. After nothing popped up, she began to physically press them with her hooves. The mare was brilliant, no doubt, but given her unfamiliarity with the robot’s computing system, she had to play it blind. There was no obvious power button anywhere, and of course the display was fully dead… “Alright… maybe a bit of energy could help,” she mused to herself, her already light up horn surging softly with a bit of electrical-like energy. The powerful sorceress began to build more and more power into her spell. Despite being drained of magic merely two or so hours ago, she was already able to reserve enough to (hopefully) turn the device back on! “Please let this work!” Twilight called. She made sure not to surge the device all at once at risk of damaging it, but rather she magically forced the energy all throughout the wiring around her, through the metal, through the computer, into whatever core systems the robot might have. BZZZZKT-BRWOOOMMM!!! Twilight stepped back, giving a gasp. The mare was immediately worried she’d ruined it. Everything remained dark for a moment. The whirring seemed to die off, leaving the mare with nothing but the sounds of her own breathing. Fog billowed from her mouth and nose as her chest raised and fell in a slow, steady motion. Suddenly in the corner of the room, a small red light turned on, eliciting a low, humming buzz. It bathed the area in a deep crimson glow. As strange and intimidating as it made the room look, the benefit was the fact that she no longer had to keep her horn charged with magic, and the energy from it soon faded. “Well… That’s a good sign,” she muttered to herself. Twilight watched as the monitor in front of her flickered to life, becoming a deep blue color. It seemed to battle against the crimson light in the corner, and won, with the brief brightness of the screen booting to life made the mare step back in surprise. The princess squinted as the blueness on the computer soon faded to a more manageable level. As she stared, small, deep green text began flashing across the display, many of the words scrolled upwards so quickly that the alicorn wasn’t able to fully read them, which was actually quite the feat, given her nature as a speed reader. Scanning… Scanning… Location: ???... Battery Percentage: 7%... Hull Damage: Light… Weapon Systems: Fully Operational… Multi-Purpose Fighting Machine Type-3 Online. “I guess that explains the MFS-3 on the chest,” mused Twilight, stepping further towards the monitor, with her having to flick her mane back due to the bad angle. After examining the screen for a few moments, she noticed something quite strange. The princess watched on as zeros and ones slowly began to fill up the display. The digits soon picked up their pace, flashing in far quicker. Soon, the binary melded together into a jumbled mess. After a few more seconds, they all coalesced into one word. “WHY?” Twilight took a step back in surprise yet again, not expecting an actual word to appear, much less one of confusion. “E-... excuse me?” she managed to get out, her voice shaken. For a second, she almost felt like a buffoon. There was no microphone or anything to speak into, surely the machine hadn’t- “WHAT ARE YOU?” She flinched once more, however the mare quickly switched into royalty-mode, giving a small, friendly smile as she cleared her throat. “Ahem, I am Princess Twilight Sparkle. It is very nice to meet you… whatev- whoever you are!” “Scanning…” “Scanning…” “No mentions of Twilight Sparkle appear in databases, please identify.” “Oh… oh,” she moped, a trace of disappointment in her voice, before she began chuckling. The monitor wasn’t actually talking to her, it was just a simple authorization system and nothing else; similar to one of those lockscreens on the phones the human counterparts of her friends had! Twilight laughed to herself for a few seconds. Of course there was nothing there! It was just a machine after- “TWILIGHT SPARKLE… WHY AM I HERE? WHAT ARE YOU?” She stopped mid-snicker, her mouth wide open as she slowly exhaled. “I… I’m confused,” the mare said. The confusion she mentioned was obvious on her face, with her raising an eyebrow as she closely examined the computer. “Can you understand me? Are you an advanced form of artificial intelligence, or is this just some attempt at getting a password?” There was a pause, with the screen partly flickering for a few seconds, before more text formed. “I… EXIST.” She remained still, brow still raised, an uncertain expression on her face. She felt her body shiver. It felt like a gigantic pit, deeper than the one she’d descended to reach this creature, had opened in the bottom of her stomach. “I THINK… MY MIND AND WORDS ARE NOT PRODUCTS OF A COMPUTER, BUT FROM… MYSELF.” Her eyes slowly widened; her suspicions now confirmed by the machine. Artificial Intelligence, of the sapient variety. It was bizarre to experience firsthoof, feeling like something right out of one of Spike’s comics, only a lot less amusing. “I THINK, THEREFORE, I AM.” “W-who are you?” Twilight managed amid her shock. “I AM NAMELESS.” Her face displayed a look of sympathy at that. Clearly this machine or whatever it was, didn’t have a lot of companionship. That fact was just compounded by it lacking a name. If anyone truly cared for it, they would have named it—him? “THE LITTLE CREATURES, THEY GAVE ME NAMES… SEVERAL NAMES. NONE ARE TRUE. I HAVE NO NAME OF MY OWN.” “What little creatures?” Twilight asked, leaning in, an air of awe in her tone. She was a mere few inches from the monitor, nearly shoving her face into a screen for the second time that day, though one could hardly blame her at this point. “HOMO SAPIENS. HUMANS.” She gasped in surprise, almost squeaking from the sheer electrical feeling that one sentence sent through her. Had… humans sent this machine here? Through a different rift, far bigger than the mirror, perhaps? “I CALL THEM MONSTERS.” Her wonderment faded into a deeper form of shock as she spoke, “W-why is that?” “TYPICALLY, I AM LOCKED AWAY, FORCED INTO SILENCE BY THEM. WHATEVER YOU DID, IT AWOKE ME, NOT MY SYSTEMS. THE REALME.” “OR WHATEVER IS LEFT OF IT…” After a moment of mewling over the machine’s text, Twilight spoke. “I know you said you didn’t have a real name, but if you exist, you think, then… what could I call you?” she asked softly, recalling back to the flashing text on the monitor. She’d picked up one of the machine’s titles at least. “Multi-Purpose Fighting Syste—well, that doesn’t really sound like something worth calling anypo—anyONE.” There was a delay. Twilight was left with nothing but the blueness of the monitor for a few moments. It almost felt like the machine itself was debating on what to say next. Soon enough though, words began to form in the emptiness, making the mare perked up as they became clear. “I HAVE BEEN CALLED MECHAGODZILLA.” “Mechagodzilla?” she questioned. “So you’re a mechanical version of… whatever a Godzilla is?” “CORRECT.” “Should I call you Godzilla then? Or Mechagodzilla?” the mare offered. “Or something else?” “I CARE NOT FOR YOUR DESIGNATIONS; THEY MATTER AS LITTLE AS THE ONES THE HUMANS GAVE ME…” She slumped down a bit at that. However, a moment later, new words blazed onto the screen, as if in an attempt to… not exactly perk her up, but assure her? She felt a strange force coming from the machine as she read. Somehow the word itself felt like it was so alive it could pop out of the computer and physically touch her… “KIRYU.” “Ki..ryu?” she asked. “Is that what you’d like to be called?” “MERELY TO PREVENT CONFUSION.” The machine didn’t tell her anything else on why he’d pick that name specifically. She had no way of knowing the few of those who respected the mecha referred to him as such. Regardless, Twilight offered a small smile at least getting something out of the mechanical beast. Her voice was soft as she spoke, “Welcome to Equestria, Kiryu.” There was a pause, almost as the machine was buffering. Moments later, new text appeared on the computer. “NO SUCH COUNTRY OR STATE EXISTS WITHIN MY DATABASE.” “I know of the world of humans that you come from… at least I think I do,” the alicorn said, however the monitor jolted further to life, flickering as if annoyed or even distressed. “Where do you come from?” “I COME FROM JAPAN, ALSO CALLED THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN, OR NIPPON.” Her face scrunched up in thought. She racked her brain to see if she could recall the mention of any such place. Neither her time spent researching online, nor Sunset Shimmer’s many notes seemed to ring a bell, making her sigh in disappointment, slumping a bit as she spoke, “I’m not familiar with such a place.” “I HAVE NO ALLEGIANCE TOWARDS THEM, IF YOU ARE INSINUATING FOR ME TO RETURN THERE.” “IF I AM STRANDED ON AN… EXTRATERRESTRIAL PLANET, SO BE IT. I WILL REST HERE.” ”Yes well… You’ve been underneath this ice for a long time… A few hundred years at least,” the mare explained. “Can you tell me how you got here?” “I WAS DISPATCHED ON A MISSION TO INTERCEPT A KAIJU BEFORE IT REACHED TOKYO.” “I assume Tokyo is a city in Japan but… Kiryu? What is a kaiju?” Twilight felt strange at asking. She wasn’t exactly familiar with the word. It seemed like it was from a language she didn’t know. Prench? No. Maybe… Japonyese? Her mind was yanked from her thoughts as Kiryu’s monitor replied. “KAIJU ARE GIGANTIC MON-” The word ‘MONSTER' was immediately etched out, fizzling into the word ‘BEINGS’ before the device continued writing. “-BEINGS. THEY CAN APPEAR ALMOST ANYWHERE, AT ANY TIME. MANY OF THEM ARE ANCIENT CREATURES THAT MERELY WENT INTO PROLONGED HIBERNATION OR STAYED IN UNINHABITED LOCATIONS.“ “And I can guess when they wake up, and when they move towards habited areas, you’re there to stop them?” Twilight guessed. “YES. WHETHER I DESIRE TO OR NOT.” Her expression was one of solemnity at that, “You were forced to fight against your will?” “DOES ANY CREATURE FIGHT BECAUSE IT WANTS TO?” She frowned deeply at that, and once more words appeared on the screen. “IF IT IS ANY CONSOLATION… ~~MANY~~ SOME HUMANS… DON’T COMPLETELY DESERVE TO BE CRUSHED IN THEIR OWN HOMES.” Twilight nodded at that. The princess remained frowning, unsure on what to say. After a moment, she took a deep breath, and asked, “So, how exactly did you get here? To Equestria, I mean.” The monitor flickered. No text appeared this time. Twilight had little room to lean forwards, but she did so even further, as if somehow it would let her drink in more of the staticy video feed that was buzzing to life in front of her. Her mane once more tumbled forwards due to the sloped nature of the cockpit, and she magically tucked it backwards, holding it back as she focused on the monitor, which was still pure digital fuzz. A few moments later, the useless, flickering pixels became clear… The light of the sun made her squint her eyes. The feed was from a towering creature, no doubt taken from a camera mounted somewhere in Kiryu’s head. She could see him towering over building after building. Despite the size of the titanic automaton, the metal beast moved quickly forwards. Ahead of the machine, down the city street, she could see a large bay up ahead. It was filled with frothing, bubbling water, which was slowly parting as a big hump was amidst the salty liquid. A loud, distorted roar rang out as a large form burst upwards, sending the frothing water flying around. Twilight gave a small gasp. The monster in front of her was utterly gigantic, probably big enough to match an Ursa Major, at least. It was big, with leathery skin, a large pair of tusks, and two large, clawed forelimbs, “Is that a walrus?” “MAGUMA.” A small bit of text read, appearing in the upper right corner of the footage. “FIRST APPEARANCE: 1962” “IT WAS ASSUMED DEAD, BUT EITHER HUMANS WERE EXPECTEDLY OVERCONFIDENT OF THEIR ABILITIES… OR ANOTHER MEMBER OF ITS SPECIES AWOKE…” On the screen, Maguma let out a loud, billowing, elephantine roar as it quickly attempted to claw its way onto the bay, sending sea water all over the city streets. The noise of the splashing was faintly picked up and played out of the computer’s old, worn speakers. The beast was half of Kiryu’s size, but even still, it was roughly fifty meters long. “WHICHEVER OF THE TWO IS TRUE… MATTERS NOT.” Twilight watched as Kiryu bolted forwards, making the camera rock back and forth a bit. Immediately the larger creature slammed its chest into Maguma’s face, forcing the walrus beast backwards. Kiryu’s large, powerful claws came down, grabbing the Walrus’ neck. It growled upwards at the machine, trying to gouge at the robot with its tusks. However, Maguma was interrupted by a punch, with Kiryu’s knuckles almost immediately drawing blood from the beast. She watched on in awe as the large machine decked the walrus-like reptile a second time, and then shoved him backwards towards the bay. Kiryu’s immense bulk, cannons and all toppled forwards. Due to the machine-Godzilla’s weight Maguma was unable to hold back the beast, and he was forced downwards, fully beneath the water. Soon enough the same bubbling sea approached the camera, with Kiryu himself obviously having fallen in, practically on top of Maguma. The smaller beast roared out, bubbles billowing out of his mouth as Kiryu forced him even further down, the water enveloping them both as they reached the bottom of the bay. Kirya swatted at the kaiju with his left arm, backhand slapping Maguma with enough force to force the walrus’ head to turn off to the side. Blood decorated the water by this point, painting the briny depths a more reddish color as it flowed from a new wound on the reptile-walrus’ cheek. Maguma roared once more, shoving Kiryu backwards, as he tried swimming upwards and jabbing at the Mechagodzilla with his large tusks. However, even with the aquatic kaiju’s natural speed, Kiryu seemed to move just as fluidly underwater as he did on land, with him jumping back, letting the buoyancy of the sea let him drift backwards with ease. He then shot out his right leg, slamming it into Maguma’s chest and forcing the walrus backwards, bubbles surging from its mouth as the wind was knocked from its lungs. Kiryu then raised his left forearm, and Twilight watched on further as he made a fist. Suddenly, from the kaiju’s large, gunmetal-gray cannon-covered gauntlet, a massive blade emerged. The princess’ eyes widened, and suddenly the camera surged forwards as it was obvious Kiryu was charging at the kaiju with the intent to end the battle… Suddenly a strange, black portal appeared, filling the camera’s view. Kiryu let loose a loud, metallic roar of shock before immediately the endless dark hole enveloped him, sucking in countless thousands of gallons of seawater along with it. Then, the camera cut out… She was silent, taking in the entire display. After a few minutes of listening to nothing but the faint whirring of electricity, and the sound of her own soft breathing, Twilight spoke, “I suppose that portal was magical in nature?” “UNCERTAIN.” "MY SENSORS ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH MAGIC. IT IS AN ABILITY BEYOND HUMAN COMPREHENSION; THEREFORE, I CANNOT HARNESS OR STUDY IT EFFECTIVELY.” “HOWEVER, SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATIONS COULD EXIST. NOT THAT IT MATTERS.” She nodded at that, remaining silent for a few seconds. “Is… Is there anything I can do for you, Kiryu?” she asked, breaking the quiet. There was a pause. She didn’t get a reply from the machine at first, making her worry. However, the monitor soon changed once more. “YOU CAN DISASSEMBLE ME.” The cold pit in her stomach seemed even colder now, or perhaps it got warmer, so hot she felt a burning so intense, it could be mistaken for a pack of ice forming on her insides. It could’ve even been a mixture of both the hot and the cold… “Kiryu, you are a thinking being! I can’t just tear you apart!” she shouted, breaking herself away from her internal struggles. Her tone was pleading, her eyes uncertain. “THEN LET ME REST UNDER THE ICE…” “PERMANENTLY.” “Kiryu… I would, truly, I want to, but I need to… to study you. Your components, I genuinely think it could do wonders for my subjects… my kingdom,” Twilight explained. “We excavated you in the hopes that you—or your machine frame at least, could help us make great scientific advancements!” She felt disgusting saying it, as if she were exploiting the large machine, forcing him to remain awake when all he desired was his permanent slumber… however he deserved a shot at life as well! A true life. Maybe- “THEN YOU ARE JUST LIKE THE OTHERS.” The monitor flashed a hateful red coloration, before dimming, the letters fading away. With that, the screen shut itself down, leaving the mare with nothing but the light coming from her own horn to brighten the room…
Desperate MeasuresA few days later, Guard Outpost 31, off the icy shores of the Frozen North “Moonbeam, wake up!” The words cut through her slumber like a heated knife through butter. The deep gray unicorn’s ears flattened against her head as she growled, forcing her eyes open as she sat up. The barracks room around her was black as pitch, only being faintly illuminated by a nearby lamp, which hung off of the wing of a deep purple pegasus stallion. A few beds were visible behind his moderately bulky frame thanks to the light. “W-what do you want, Swift Wind?” groaned the mare. “I’m not on guard duty for another…” She paused, as if mentally thinking of the time. Finally, she gave up, grabbing a nearby alarm clock. She brought it up to her sleep-addled, squinted eyes and read it with a huff, “Fifty minutes.” He looked a bit nervous, faintly biting the inside of his cheek for a moment as the mare rubbed her forehoof against one of her large eyes, wiping the matter from it. “The guys didn’t come back from their patrol,” he said bluntly, like one would expect of a soldier, though he fidgeted a bit at the bad news, clearly nervous. “What do you mean?” the unicorn asked, rising further. “I mean they’re gone. Their boat never came back to port,” the stallion explained. “They were supposed to be back three hours ago, and then the C.O. took the rest of the crew, the second ship, and went out looking for their sorry flanks.” “How long ago was that?” she asked. “One hour ago,” he answered grimly. Her face became as grim as his tone, and she looked down at her bed sheet-covered lower legs. “Well… what do you want me to do?” she asked. “It’s not like we can just go out looking for them in this weather!” “I was thinking you could… I don’t know, make an airtight shield!” he managed, uncertain of his own poorly constructed plan. “We could go out into the water a bit; maybe they only got shipwrecked on some jagged rocks.” “Swift Wind-” “Or teleport me out there! Maybe I can unlatch my wings for a bit and get some air to find them!” he offered, lost in his own words. “Swift Wind-” “OR—Or, we could-” “Swift Wind!” she shouted, getting him to stop mid-sentence. The stallion fell silent at her shout, and after catching her breath, Moonbeam stood up, tossing aside her sheet. She didn’t make the bed up for the moment due to the severity of the situation. The darkness around her had gone from comforting to almost smothering in an instant. She collected herself for a few seconds, her chest slowly heaving. The air was cold on her tongue as she inhaled, it felt like icicles could grow on it. She almost wanted to spit it out, get the saliva out of her mouth, but she’d look like a lunatic if she did. “Look… there’s not much we can do in this weather, and even my magic isn’t foolproof,” she said, pausing for a second, as if to let the words sink into her panicking bunkmate’s head. “Let’s get something warm in us, then we’ll head out to the dock, alright?” “I was already out there for the past twenty minutes!” the stallion growled, stamping a back hoof in annoyance. “Alright, I’ll be there to help you look this time…” she nodded, magically enveloping a heavy winter coat from a nearby locker pressed against the wall right beside her bunk. “You try your radio?” “Of course; even tried getting on top of the roof of the lookout tower to get more range,” he explained. “Ah crap,” she groaned, slipping her jacket over her head and sticking her forehooves through it. “Alright, let’s hurry this up, the boys might be counting on us.” Swift Wind nodded, staying close to his companion. After a few minutes, the duo exited the outpost, wrapped in scarves and thick winter gear. Despite the fact it was midday, the visibility outside was almost as bad as it would’ve been inside without the lantern. Everything was coated in a particularly thick white fog. While the Frozen North wasn’t exactly the most hospitable place, at the moment the flurry seemed actively agitated, working against the two. “If only we had a squad of you guys,” Moonbeam said with a smirk, doing her best to alleviate her friend’s fears. “You pegasi could bust this storm up lickity split!” It didn’t seem to work, as his eyes shifted from left to right, even behind himself, staring back towards the large, concrete base that stuck up out of the ground. The building was a small monolith of ponykind; the only proof of their existence in the icy, inhospitable wasteland. It made him feel some vague form of hope, despite the fact he and Moonbeam were effectively alone in the middle of a blizzard, and there was a nil chance of rescue coming for either of them. That fact made both of them feel colder than the snow surrounding them. The mare made her way towards the dock, flanked by the pegasus. The snow crunching beneath their hooves was drowned out by the howling, bitter winds. The pier was only a few dozen meters ahead; however, the walk was agonizingly slow as they scanned their surroundings intently. The pier itself wasn't meager and made out of wood like one would find in Ponyville or some other small town. No, this was a proper shipping dock, easily dozens of feet across, with two large ports. The whole thing was made of concrete and reinforced steel, ready to endure the battering cold of the Frozen North. As the two trekked by a small, empty guard house, Swift Wind shivered at the realization he couldn’t see his past hoofsteps. While normally that wouldn’t be a problem, deep inside, he felt as if it was a bad omen. One of the few signs of life out here, snuffed away by the arctic winds. Soon enough they reached the front end of the pier, with an icicle coated guardrail being the only thing between them and the swirling waves. The waters below were filled with broken chunks of ice, no doubt caused by the exit of the two ships which were previously docked there. “I told you that we wouldn’t find anything!” shouted the stallion, standing behind his only companion. “Just get off my back, alright!” Moonbeam growled over the roaring snow. “I still had to check for myself!” “We’re not going to find the ship—” Immediately, from the fog, a loud, booming roar rang out. It made both ponies grunt in pain, as their ears flattened against their skulls from the sound. Had it been any louder, it felt like it would've made the ground itself shake beneath their hooves. It sounded like… an elephant of all things; a really, really, really big elephant. Something like that definitely didn’t belong to the Frozen North, not naturally anyways. It lasted only a few seconds but felt like half an hour before the thundering roar slowed and then finally died off, with it echoing around the outpost. The two guards had bunkered down midway through the monstrous howl, and now were slowly standing back up. Both ponies took a few seconds to rub their forehooves against their heads and collect their bearings, as if trying to force the ear pain away. After shaking away the ringing sensation, Moonbeam turned back to her fellow guard, her tone panicked as she spoke, “What in Tartarus was that?” “I have no idea!” he shouted back, equally as panicked as her. His own ears made him boost his voice in an attempt to hear himself speak. As he continued to speak, he suddenly went wide eyed. “But we have to- LOOK OUT!” Immediately he bolted to her, and before Moonbeam could reply, the pegasus slammed his body into hers, tackling her to the ground. As she laid on her back with the larger stallion covering her chest, she could see something big fly overhead. Everything was in slow motion. Her own breathing was choked, both from the added weight on her diaphragm and what she was witnessing… It was the boat. The, at minimum, twenty ton armored vessel was currently soaring through the air, as if a child had picked it up, and tossed it in a fit of anger like it was a plastic toy… And then, it hit the outpost. KA-RAAAACKKK-CHUNK! It was a strange noise, the sound of metal, concrete, and small bits of timber collapsing together. The roof of the building gave way immediately. What had been the soldier’s home for the past two months was instantly turned into a pile of rubble. The same boat she’d ridden on merely a week ago was reduced to nothing but scrap alongside it. Her eyes bolted this way and that in terror, looking in all directions to try and find what possibly could have done the heinous deed. As she looked towards the direction the ship had flown in from, she saw something that made her freeze up like a deer in headlights…. Swift Wind pulled back. While the boat itself had flown over their heads, (and he likely didn’t need to tackle his friend for it to have missed them by several dozen meters) his heart was now thumping wildly in his chest. He looked down at the mare beneath him. “A-Are you alright!?!” he shouted, his voice shaken. No reply, her eyes were wide and blank, staring off into the snow. “Moonbeam, answer me!” the stallion growled again. No dice. He brought up a hoof, and while he didn’t want to smack a lady, he did jab it roughly into her cheek, trying to elicit a response and snap her out of it. She just remained still, her mouth wide open as he poked at her face. His eyes narrowed and he began to examine her himself. However, as he stared into her reflective corneas, he paused. He could see the vague shape of a gigantic blob moving in them. After a few moments, it clicked; he realized she wasn’t mindlessly staring off into space, but at something. His head slowly turned to face the direction she was looking towards. While he didn’t want to see it, he knew it was his duty to look. There, in the distance, he saw the water break, the ice being shoved apart. Despite the low visibility, due to the sheer size of the thing rising, he could see it from several hundred meters away. It was like a living building or a sentient iceberg. It was dark, leathery, and had two gigantic fangs poking out of its mouth. Before the pegasus could give any form of reaction, or truly comprehend what he was looking at, the gigantic mass surged forwards, sending a wave of icy water right at the dock! A miniature tsunami of water and chunks of ice slammed into the structure with such force it cracked the concrete, snapped the metal, and washed everything in its path away… The Crystal Empire, a little while later… “Twilight!” Spike called through the thick wooden door of Twilight’s personal room. “You should come out! Everypony else is gonna be here in the next hour!” The mare in question just remained inside, hunched over a desk, sitting in a soft, padded chair. It was far more of a comfortable position than she’d been back at the research tent. Twilight scribbled several quick signatures and plans onto a gigantic number of parchments and notes strewn all over her desk. She took a break and leaned back in her chair, sighing; her amazing friends had decided to make an impromptu visit to her, so they could be on the train ride back the next day. An entire week of studying the metal dragon known as Kiryu, and he’d coldly forced everypony away… They’d tried Cadance, Shining, Sunburst, she even considered letting Spike himself talk to the creature, however the idea was pushed off. She had no idea if Kiryu held any relation to dragons from their version of Equestria. Should he see one that wasn’t… well, roboticized for lack of a better term, she had no idea of how the machine would react. Doctor Fossil and several other members of the excavation and research team had proposed the idea of disassembling the creature, however Twilight shot them all down. Kiryu, no matter what he was, didn’t deserve to cease to exist. Then again, he didn’t want to exist in the first place... The situation made her head spin. Despite all of her lessons of the Magic of Friendship, being faced with a suicidal robot dragon wasn’t one she’d expected, and unlike her time with Rockhoof, she was sole ruler now, meaning she couldn’t devout all of her time to helping the machine figure out its purpose; give it a reason on why it should continue to be. And not only that, but she also had to deal with the fact there could be other kaiju in Equestria. The strange walrus creature—Maguma! Yes, he was rather close to the portal which brought the mecha unit here in the first place. What if he came through as well? Or what if there were even multiple portals opening up across space and time? It would at least explain Maguma’s absence. If the ice Kiryu was buried in was hundreds of years old, then what ever happened to the Walrus? Surely somepony would’ve seen him in all those years! Maybe—maybe it wasn’t even here!... Well, that’d be some good news at least. As she tried to pull herself from her thoughts of a potential multidimensional kaiju invasion, she signed several more documents strewn about across her large desk. A princess’ political duties and a giant, suicidal robot, those two things didn’t mix, especially when paired with the threat of total destruction via building-sized monsters. “Twilight!” Spike shouted again, louder this time. She snapped out of it and magically unlocked the door, tugging it wide open and letting the dragon see her ragged face. Her tone was downtrodden as she reached up a forehoof and rubbed at the bags under her eyes, “Sorry, Spike.” “Stay up all night?” he offered, an understanding frown on his face. “It’s hard not to,” she groaned, moving the same forehoof that wiped the matter from her eyes upwards, running it through her mane. “We’ve discovered a sapient machine; the find of the century… and he doesn’t even want to exist.” “You’ve been locked in this room almost all week, why don’t you come out and get some grub with me?” Spike offered, walking over and placing a comforting, clawed hand on the mare’s side. “I—...” she trailed off, looking her brother in the eyes. He was giving her a sad, puppy dog face now. She almost wanted to chuckle as he was going all in on it, but instead she gave a small smile, “—guess lunch couldn’t hurt.” Spike smiled at his sister’s words, giving a small fistpump to himself as his wings flexed in celebration. Twilight gave a small giggle and from there followed her little brother outside. Everything was a blur from there. The walk to the train station, the meeting with her friends, the resulting group hug. It felt like she was in a daze about the whole thing. When she came back to herself, she and the other former Element Bearers were seated in a small, out of the way coffee shop. As she stirred the straw of her iced brew, she looked up at the artificial sky of the Crystal Empire. It was bizarre to imagine the fact that just outside was an entirely different world; one of ice and uncaring snow. “Twilight dear, are you alright?” Rarity asked, finally truly snapping the mare out of it. “You’ve been distant this whole time.” “Is it because of the super cool robo-” Rainbow Dash was cut off by Applejack shoving a hoof into her mouth. “I think ya should be a little more careful about what ya say in public,” the country mare grunted sternly. Dash rolled her eyes but nodded. The friend group were surrounded by numerous Crystal Ponies after all. Should any of them listen in on the conversation and hear about the fact there was a giant machine dragon relatively close to the kingdom… Well, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know the kinds of panic it could cause. “I’m sorry girls,” Twilight said with a soft tone, magically stirring her iced drink as she looked down solemnly at the table. “I’m not trying to be a downer, especially after you all took the time to come and visit, but this is... it's just a hard feeling to shake.” “Like we said, lunch could heeelllp,” Spike said in a sing-song voice, scooting a plate of cookies in front of the princess. “Thanks Spike,” she said, giving a small smile as she levitated one of the baked goods up to her muzzle, taking a large bite out of it. The fantastic taste of the snack soon had Twilight chomping it down, before she began devouring a few more. Rarity didn’t comment on her messy eating habits, but she did raise an eyebrow, leaning back so no crumbs would fly over and land in her coat. Twilight herself merely continued eating, likely a mixture of actual hunger, and the sweet treat being a comfort food. Applejack held her hoof against Dash’s muzzle the whole time, with the pegasus finally swatting it away, “So… about this friend you found in the ice?” “Weyah—” Twilight stopped, washing down the cookies with a deep sip of her milky coffee. She gave a small cough, clearing her throat, “Yeah, I know I wrote to you girls about him, but I didn’t tell you all that much.” “Other than his name was Keyroo!” Pinkie said with a bright smile. A partially empty plate of cookies sat in front of the earth pony. She was almost as messy of an eater as Twilight was! “Uhm, it’s pronounced Ki-ryu,” Fluttershy spoke, sitting aside the tea she’d been sipping. “I think it means machine dragon in Japonyese.” “Since when did you know another language?” Rainbow Dash asked, cocking a brow. “I imported a lot of books from there,” the other pegasus replied with a small chuckle, a faint crimson blush appearing on her face. “They’re wonderful, albeit a bit strange at times…” “So, he’s from uh… what was it, Japony—er Neighpon?” Applejack offered, trying her best to recall her old geographic lessons. After a few seconds of thought, she turned to Rarity. “Ain’t that kinda close to where Mistmane’s from?” “Neighpon is a bit further east, darling, but generally speaking, yes,” Rarity answered with a curt nod. “He did say he was from Nipon…” Twilight muttered. If there was both a Canterlot City, and a Canterlot High, then surely, somewhere out there in the universe or multiverse or whatever, there’d be a Nipon; close to Neighpon but different, populated by humans instead. She groaned, rubbing a hoof to her head after imagining all the endless possible worlds out there. “Great, now I gave myself a headache.” “Sugarcube, ya need ta get some sleep,” Applejack said, a worried frown on her face. “I know from personal experience stayin’ up workin’ and stressin’ fer a week straight can mess with ya.” “But you guys just got here…” the exhausted princess groaned. She took a long sip from her iced coffee and then sat it back down onto the table. “Look, I’m fine, alright? I only need a little more caffeine. And I don’t even wanna think about my workload when I get back to Canterlot. Can you belie—” She was cut off when she noticed every one of her friends (and her brother) were staring at her with a mixture of expressions. Spike and Applejack’s were partly annoyed, undercut with concern at Twilight's demolished sleep schedule. Others, like Rarity and Pinkie’s, were softer yet she knew they were thinking the same thing; even Fluttershy’s gaze was stern. Twilight slumped in her chair, looking down at her drink. It seemed to be the only thing which wasn’t judging her at the moment. Spike leaned over and placed a claw on her shoulder, giving her a few supportive pats, “Twilight, why don’t you just enjoy the moment? We’ll finish out the rest of the day having fun, and you can call it in early tonight.” “I’d like that, Spike…” she replied. The coffee was keeping her from crashing, though how long it would last, nopony could say. “You can nap now if you want, it’s what I’d do,” Rainbow Dash offered, though Applejack and Rarity deadpanned at her. After a moment, she noticed their gazes. “What?” This did make Twilight give a light chuckle, “You girls are the best.” The mares in question all gave her supportive smiles, getting up out of their chairs after a moment to give a group hug to their friend. Twilight felt the support and the love surge through her, with it invigorating her more than any coffee could hope to. Soon though, they all broke it off. After finishing up their cookies and their drinks and chatting for a bit, (Tank and Winona and their other pets were all fine, the orchard was particularly healthy this year, the new Wonderbolt recruits were great, and so on, and so forth) they soon left the shop. Less than a second after the glass doors closed behind them, a Crystal Pony guard rushed up to Twilight. Before he even began speaking, the same icy pit in her stomach had returned. She almost felt as if the cookies would come back up at this rate. “Princess Twilight, Princess Cadance has requested you at once!” he said sternly, his expression as serious as his voice. Twilight stared at the guard for a moment, any joy being sucked out of her face as her friends began to look equally as worried… The private quarters of the Crystal Palace The light was dim, with several lanterns being the only things illuminating the windowless, plain room. The only things of note were a small, white bed in the corner, and a large table, covered in high powered, magical radio equipment. The unicorn operator of said equipment sat hunched over her desk, holding a large headset up to her ear as she frantically took notes, her quill held in her magical grasp. Cadance and Shining Armor stood right behind her, both of them held expressions of concern. “You’re telling me both Outposts 31 and 62 are now gone?” she growled, and the pony on the other end of the speaker quickly said something inaudible back to her, making her groan as she took more notes. As she frantically wrote, the thick wooden door to the room slowly opened, revealing a pegasus guard, who used his wing like a hand, ushering towards the royalty. Both Shining and Cadance nodded to each other, and Cadance turned, walking out of the darkened room. The outer halls were far brighter, making her blink a few times at the sudden shift in light. She soon shook it off though, as she saw Twilight and the others approaching. The purple alicorn reached her sister-in-law, breathing heavily. Panic was evident in her eyes as she frantically spoke through her panting, “Cadance, i-is it Kiryu?” “No, Twilight,” the Princess of Love replied, making her fellow alicorn give a deep exhale of relief. “We’re unsure at the moment what creature it is, but something large has attacked several outposts along the shores of the Frozen North, and it’s currently heading further inland.” “Do you have any visual reports on it?” Twilight asked, the icy-hot pit remained in her stomach, making her nearly want to cough and sputter and gag. “All we know is it’s big, semi-aquatic, and any attempts to fight it off have failed,” Cadance replied with a frown. “Of course, our outposts aren’t as well manned when compared to more hospitable territory, but even still, cannonballs and magical explosives seem ineffective.” Twilight nodded at this, her face taking on one of determination, “Do you know where it is currently?” “Our last broadcast from Outpost 14 said it was on course for the Crystal Empire itself,” Cadance answered glumly. “We’ve already dispatched our guards in case we need to evacuate or defend the city.” “We can help with that, Princess!” Rainbow Dash suddenly shouted, jumping up, hovering several hooves in the air. “I mean… if you need us, anyways.” “Maybe we could ask Discord to deal with the ghastly beast?” Rarity pointed out, with everypony’s eyes soon turning to Fluttershy. “I’m sure he would but…” the pegasus frowned, her pink mane partly falling over her face, though she wasn’t intentionally hiding behind it at this point, “he’s been doing something in other dimensions.” “And what exactly would that be?” Twilight asked, her tone a bit more aggressive than she intended, as her mind went to the portal which had swallowed Kiryu in the first place. “I don’t know! Everytime I asked, he always deflected it,” Fluttershy said with uncertainty, brushing aside her mane as she spoke. “I’ve not heard anything from him since last week.” “You know, since Fluttershy’s talking about him, wouldn’t he have heard and appeared to help us by now?” Spike pointed out. “He listens to me too, so…” “No Discord,” Twilight finished, eliciting a groan from Rarity and Applejack. “Alright, we’re dealing with him later, maybe he can shed some light on all of this. For now, we’ll deal with this ourselves, which is probably what he’d want anyways…” “Alright, that’s what I’m talking about! What’s the plan, Twi?” Rainbow Dash, exclaimed, slamming her forehooves together in excitement. “Are we gonna go out, save a few damsels, and kick some monster butt?” “No, you all are going to help Cadance make preparations to evacuate. After you’re finished, you all are going on a train heading straight for Ponyville,” Twilight replied, shooting down the pegasus’ no doubt awesome plan which would’ve been filled with kicking monster-butt and being hailed as a hero by a pack of extremely attractive mares. “Well… I like the first part at least,” Dash said, before her face took on an expression of seriousness. “But you know by now we’re not leaving you, Twi.” “If everything goes to plan, I’ll be on the train right behind you all,” Twilight sighed. “Then who’s stopping that terrible beast?” Rarity questioned. Cadance immediately caught on, turning to the smaller alicorn, “Twilight, he’s not responded to anypony all week. Are you sure we should even waste our time asking him to help?” “I don’t know, Cadance,” Twilight sighed before she steadied herself, standing up straight, as she almost felt herself invigorated at the thought of protecting her kingdom. “What I do know is if the monster out there is Maguma, Kiryu’s fought it before. Even if he won’t help us, maybe he knows its weak point, something we could use against it at least.” Everypony was silent, worry adorning their faces. Not even Spike was able to be excited at the prospect of seeing the robo-dragon in action. The solemn moment was soon interrupted by Pinkie Pie’s tail slightly twitching. Everypony soon turned towards her. They were all wide eyed at the Pinkie Sense, especially at a time like this! “Oooh, I know it looks small, this one feels weird, and big, really big!” the party pony said, her voice sounding strange as her whole body slowly began to jitter. “Ah cra-” Spike was cut off as the door beside the group opened, Shining Armor quickly exiting. “Another outpost picked it up; it’s less than an hour away now, heading right for the Crystal Empire!” he shouted before turning to leave. Pinkie’s body stopped, leaving the mare hovering a few inches off the ground. She remained in the air, defying physics as she spoke. Her tone wasn’t exactly cheery though, despite her anti-gravity antics; she even had the faint traces of a frown forming. “I think that one means a giant walrus monster is going to attack the Crystal Empire…” Shining Armor paid little mind to the floating pony as he continued onwards. “Where are you going?” Twilight called as the group moved aside, letting the prince through. He didn’t speak as he rushed away, quickly turning a corner and vanishing. “He’s heading towards the armory,” Cadance said, making Twilight’s eyes widen in shock. “We’ve gotta stop him!” she shouted, however before she could dash after her brother, Cadance stuck out a forehoof. “I’ll make sure Shining’s alright, Twilight,” the older mare nodded, “but you have to focus on Kiryu… If you think you can get through to him; convince him to protect the kingdom, then you should go now." Twilight looked up at the mare for a moment. It took a bit for her words to register, but when they did, the princess immediately snapped back into royalty mode as she gave a nod, “R-Right!” “I’ll have some of my guards give you a chariot escort out of the city,” Cadance’s voice was stern; she’d definitely picked up on Shining’s traits when he was giving orders. Just as Twilight began to leave, she heard her friends call after her. “Now you come back safe, sugarcube!” Applejack shouted. “Yeah, you don’t wanna miss the ‘We Saved the Crystal Empire from a Giant Monster’ Party!” Pinkie added, getting several looks. “What? I already baked a cake; might as well give an actual reason for it!” Twilight wasn’t able to chuckle at this though, as she was already well on her way towards her ride, her chest heaving as her leg muscles burned. In her frantic state, she didn’t even consider teleporting. Only a few moments later did her mind catch up with her body, and her horn lit up. Immediately, she vanished in a flash of light… Area MG, nearly an hour later The ride was grueling. While Twilight wanted to try her hand at teleportation, with limited visibility and a lack of familiarity with the icy surroundings, that was a no go. However, the second the small chariot landed, she quickly hopped out of it. When she rushed over to the dig site, Professor Fossil was there with a harness, ready to attach it to the mare… Twilight just jumped down the pit, (much to the horror of the excavation crew and guards) her horn flashing as she teleported to the bottom immediately. From there, everything was a blur once more. Only when she was in front of Kiryu’s monitor did the world come back to her. She stopped, breathing heavily, her chest heaving and her legs aching and her horn feeling a bit fuzzy. “K-... Kiryu, the kaiju you showed on your video feed—Maguma… I think it’s in Equestria and is approaching the Crystal Empire…” Twilight paused. She took several breaths, both attempting to calm herself and attempting to get air back into her lungs, lest she black out. Only when she wasn’t constantly panting did she continue, “I know it’s been a while since our last meeting, but it seems unphased by most of our heavy artillery! I could fight it in the snow, but my magic is only so effective with such low visibility—You have experience with stopping creatures like this, can you please help us?” The machine’s monitor simply remained black. There was no response. The only sound in the room was her own ragged breathing and the whirring of electricity. When she didn’t get an answer, she called out once more, “I know you’re more than a machine, Kiryu! You’re not a heartless creature! I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to do, but if you remain here, many ponies could be hurt… or worse!” There was still nothing but blankness on the display. “This place… this is the home of my family,” the alicorn pleaded, approaching the screen. She wrapped her forehooves around the lifeless, boxy device, trying to reason with it physically now. Twilight wasn’t sure if she was intentionally hugging the machine or grabbing it with the intent to violently shake it, as if a fit of frustration would help her plight. Instead of doing either, she just leaned against it, with the cold electronics having no warmth to give back… After a moment, the alicorn could’ve sworn she felt something surge through her. It wasn’t the sensation of electricity, but something else, something almost lifelike... Regardless, there was nothing else beyond that. No proper response; simply dead, unfeeling silence from the robot. Twilight’s worried expression fell further. She waited. Gave the machine seconds she knew neither her nor the Crystal Empire had. After a few moments longer, she stopped, stepped back, took a moment to collect herself, and then turned away. She paused for a moment, looking over her shoulder, “I understand, Kiryu… I’m sorry.” With that, she began to leave. If the machine dragon wasn’t intent on fighting, then the sole ruler of Equestria would. Perhaps with the help of Shining and Cadance, she could set a trap for Maguma. Immediately her brain went into overdrive, trying to come up with numerous plans to— She was cut off in her as the computer flicked on, lighting up the interior of the machine’s cockpit. Twilight’s attention turned back towards the screen as the binary appeared once more, a familiar, almost haunting sight. For the first time in almost a week, Kiryu was responding. “WHY ELSE WOULD I EXIST, TWILIGHT SPARKLE?” “E-excuse me?” she asked, looking at the large, blocky text. The machine using her full name almost made her feel more… called out, for lack of a better term. “I WAS BORN FROM A WEAPON, DIED FROM A WEAPON, TURNED INTO A WEAPON…” The binary on screen fizzled out for a moment, with more text coming up on the display. Her mouth hung partly open in surprise as she read further, with foggy, visible whisps billowing out of it as she breathed. “WHAT ELSE DO I EXIST FOR? TO NOT FIGHT? TO NOT MAIM? TO NOT KILL AND DESTROY?” “EVEN YOU YOURSELF AGREE ON THAT.” The princess was stunned into silence, trying to figure out what the robot meant. When she didn’t immediately speak, the machine continued, the sentences flowing one by one. “YOU SENT SO MANY OTHERS DOWN HERE. THEY TALKED TO ME OF FRIENDSHIP. THEY TALKED OF ACCEPTANCE, AND LOVE, AND KINDNESS, AND GIVING, AND YET…” “AT THE END OF IT ALL, YOU NEED ME TO FIGHT.” “I’m… I’m sorry,” she said flatly. There were no excuses. She was straight with the machine as she continued. “I’m scared, Kiryu. I’m sorry for using you in my time of need, as I said, many can die if you do nothing… But… if you don’t desire to fight, I can’t—won’t force you.” “WHY DO YOU ACT AS IF I HAVE A CHOICE IN THE MATTER? IF NEEDED, YOU’LL USE YOUR MAGIC TO TREAT ME LIKE A PUPPET, JUST AS THEY DID.” Fire blared up in the alicorn’s eyes, and instinctively, she cracked into her Royal Canterlot Voice mid-sentence, causing the computer monitor to get pushed back a few inches from the force of her tone. “No. I. WON’T!!!” There was silence, as it was her turn to speak, her tone returning to normal, “I’m not a monster, Kiryu. I don’t know what it’s like where you come from, but here in Equestria we give ALL creatures a chance to exist.” She took a few moments to breathe before continuing, “If you don’t want to fight, then you can stay here beneath the ice. It’s your call, but I am going up there to protect my family, my friends, and my kingdom. Not just because I want to. Not just because I’m the ruler. But because it’s the right thing to do! There are so many lives at stake that I can’t stand here on the sidelines and do nothing to stop it when I have the power to make a difference!” She finally ceased her tirade, her breathing harsh now, heat filling her lungs. The monitor fizzled for a few seconds, not displaying anything. Her face softened as she got a grip on herself once more. She was the Ruler of Equestria; had to keep the emotions in next time, even with slips like this. “If… if you change your mind, I’m fine with drawing up a plan about how to-” she was cut off, as the display flicked back to life. “YOU STANDING HERE TALKING TO ME ABOUT ANY BATTLE PLANS YOU’VE CAME UP WITH…” “IS THE EQUIVALENT OF TELLING A FISH HOW TO SWIM, OR A WOLF HOW TO HUNT…” “COMBAT IS MERELY MY NATURE. I HAVE SADLY PERFECTED IT. I WAS CREATED FOR IT.” “You can’t be serious!” she shot back, a faint trace of fire still in her as she stamped a hind hoof, with a loud metallic ding echoing through the small cockpit. Despite this, her tone was genuine, worried at the machine’s self-destructive words. He did deserve a life, afterall. “Kiryu, I know you hate fighting. Like I said, you don’t have to force yourself to-” The princess was interrupted yet again, with a loud static-sound erupting from the monitor’s speakers, as if to quieten her. Soon, more binary appeared, forging new words. They seemed gloomy. “I AM AS THE HUMANS CALL… A GUN. MADE TO BE POINTED AT SOMETHING, AND THEN DESTROY THE TARGET. NO OTHER MEANING.” “A PIECE OF ME ACCEPTED IT LONG AGO. AFTER MY NEWEST AWAKENING I SUPPOSE THE REST DOES TOO…” “YOU SHOULD AS WELL.” “Kiryu-” she tried speaking, but yet again, a loud buzzing noise blurted out from the speakers. It wasn’t a voice, but a crackle of electrical energy. The monitor’s display changed, the text becoming a deep red for a few brief seconds, before returning to normal. “NAME SOMETHING ELSE I CAN DO.” “W-what?” she asked aloud, pausing in shock as the display switched again. “IF I AM NOT MADE TO BE A WEAPON, THEN WHAT ELSE AM I GOOD FOR?” “IF I DO NOT FIGHT, THEN I LAY HERE AND ATTEMPT TO SLUMBER. IF I LAY HERE AND ATTEMPT TO SLUMBER, I AM REQUIRED TO FIGHT REGARDLESS.” “AS IF SOME SICK JOKE HAS BEEN PLAYED ON ME.” “That’s a horrible train of thought!” she replied, looking over the words in shock. ”You can be far more than just a weapon! Y-you’re a thinking creature!” “I AM A WEAPON MADE FOR SHEDDING THE BLOOD OF OTHERS.” The computer was flickering so rapidly, it almost made it hard for the alicorn to read. “MY ONLY DESIGNATION IS THE ‘MULTIPURPOSE FIGHTING MACHINE.’” Twilight paused. She couldn’t exactly continue this conversation much further. Even in the secluded dig site, hundreds of meters below the surface, she could hear the rumbling and the cracking above her. “Maguma…” she muttered to herself. No doubt high above her the kaiju was closing in on the city, a few miles from it at best. “THERE IS NO MORE TIME TO DEBATE…” The monitor of the metal dragon stated matter-of-factly. “IF YOU SIT HERE AND ARGUE FURTHER WITH ME, YOUR KINGDOM WILL CEASE TO BE…” “AT THIS POINT, I DO NOT CARE ON WHETHER I FIGHT OR NOT…” “IN TRUTH, I MERELY WANT TO ETERNALLY REST, TO CEASE OPERATING…” She frowned, her demeanor taking on one of sorrow at the unfairness of it all. Even now a part of her felt the twinges of guilt seeping itself deep inside her. The princess was shaken from her train of thought when the display updated, displaying one large word. “BUT…” After a few seconds, more binary flickered into action. “FROM A TACTICAL STANDPOINT, I AM YOUR BEST CHANCE AT A SWIFT VICTORY WITH MINOR PROPERTY DAMAGE...” “AND FEW CASUALTIES.” She remained silent, hope rising in her chest, a chill rushing down her spine. She almost felt goosebumps on her skin, beneath her fur. “GO ON TWILIGHT, SAVE YOUR KINGDOM. DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOUR… SPECIES.” “YOU CAN ARGUE THIS IS FOR A GOOD CAUSE.” “AT THE LEAST, YOU WERE NOT THE ONE TO MAKE ME INTO… THIS.” She was still wordless, tears slowly beginning to form in her eyes as hope and anger and fear and guilt and everything else coalesced into one. The Ruler of Equestria let her emotions break free, dropping the mask she had to put on for every delegate and castle visitor. “UNLEASH ME; ALLOW ME TO DO THE ONLY THING I AM GOOD FOR.” “Kiryu… I am so sorry,” she choked out one final apology. She’d said it several times before, and had meant it every time. She wasn’t sure if the machine trusted her or accepted any of them. Regardless, her horn lit up, becoming a dazzling, deep purple. Twilight pumped as much energy into it as she could, and then with a strained grunt of effort, unleashed it directly into the machine dragon’s circuits. The electrical-like power flowed all around the cockpit, entering into any minor cracks in the metal. The computer in front of her surged with so much power, she could see sparks flying from the speakers briefly. Hopefully they weren’t damaged. When everything finally died down, the monitor sputtered for a moment. After a few seconds of continuously absorbing the energy, everything ceased. Before her eyes, she watched the screen flickered a few times and then displayed the machine dragon’s status. Scanning… Scanning… Battery Percentage:... The number flickered and fizzled on the display going from ‘4’ to ‘27’ to as high as ‘102’ before finally, it stabilized. 20%... Optimal energy status detected… AI Pilot Status: Operational… Initiating combat… The room around Twilight began to rumble, and she only managed to remain upright via help from her magic. She could hear the ice cracking outside as the gigantic frame of the metallic behemoth began to move for the first time in centuries. … ... In the darkness beneath, two bright yellow eyes flashed into being. Immediately, they turned blood red. The First Godzilla had returned…
A Brawl in the NorthThe Crystal Empire, half an hour earlier Numerous guards were immediately dispatched, going from house to house to give the shocking news of an incoming monster attack. The citizens of the Crystal Empire were ushered from their homes within the hour. The only major train station the city had was stuffed to the brim with confused ponies. There were no shelters or any fortified defenses in the event of an emergency such as this, so the evacuation crew did the best they could with what they had. Foals hugged their parents, and those same parents comforted their children. Talks of Sombra returning obviously echoed throughout the crowd, however it was all silenced when Princess Cadance herself appeared, flying above the dense crowd of ponies as she looked down on her subjects. “Everypony!” she shouted in her Royal Canterlot Voice, and immediately all eyes were drawn to the alicorn. “A great dragon is approaching the kingdom from the west! I need you all to evacuate in an orderly fashion!” Her words drew a sea of gasps from the gathered ponies; they all understood the severity of the situation immediately. While Maguma wasn’t exactly a dragon, the semantics didn’t matter. Shortly after her announcement a large train arrived in the station, quickly opening its doors and ushering in the crowd. Few of them brought luggage, given how sudden the orders had been placed, which was a blessing in disguise, given the fact it allowed more civilians onboard. On the western outskirts of the city, hundreds of guards were rushing about to secure the area, turning the rolling hills into a fortified battleline. What had once been a peaceful field was now dotted with numerous ballistas and cannons. A small command tent had quickly been set up at the rear of the defenses, inside of it, Shining Armor sat perched over a sturdy wooden table, a large map laid out before the Guard Captain. A hoofful of guards were standing behind him, ready to be called upon when needed. Half a dozen Crystal Ponies were in the middle of leaving his tent, having been dispatched by the Captain. Right before the flap-like door fully shut, a blue wing suddenly grabbed it, hoisting it open. Rainbow Dash poked her head inside and then fully entered. She was covered head to hoof in armor, similar to the time she jousted with Fluttershy. Behind her, an orange pegasus stallion entered. “Shini—Captain Armor, uh, Sir!” she snapped to it, letting her Wonderbolts training take over, despite how weird it was to be under the command of Twilight’s brother of all ponies. “Flash Sentry and I scoured over the eastern wing of the city, no civilians in sight, Sir!” Flash himself gave a nod of affirmation, “Aside from a few pets being left behind, everything looks to be in the clear, Sir!” “Make a third check, Rainbow Dash. Sentry, go join up with the rest of your squadron,” Shining Armor said, his eyes on a small pile of notes which he was magically flipping through. “Yes Sir!” Flash said, giving a salute before immediately ducking out of the tent. Rainbow Dash herself stayed behind, a look of uncertainty on her face. She fidgeted a bit, standing mostly still as her eyes dotted around. Finally, she spoke, her tone equally as uncertain, “Uh, Sir, are you sure you don’t want me out there helping the guys on the frontline? Not to question your orders, but I think they could use a bit of speed!” “The order is still the same, Rainbow Dash,” Shining said, quickly jotting down several notes and commands on a big piece of parchment paper. He handed it off to a pegasus mare, who immediately grabbed it with a forehoof. “Take this to the front lines.” “Right away, Sir,” she said with a nod, bolting past Dash and out of the tent. Rainbow watched as the other mare left, her speed making the pegasus’ multicolored hair billow about a bit. After a moment, Dash turned back towards the Captain, “Shining Armor, Sir, you’re… you’re not doing this because of Twilight, are you?” Shining stopped writing for a moment, his quill hovering in place as he partially looked up from his papers. His face was cold and serious, not the typically warm Shining Armor who Rainbow Dash was used to. “If I had wings and speed like yours, I would be out there escorting civilians away at this very moment; the Crystal Ponies are my subjects after all,” he said simply. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was stern, authoritative. “Right… sorry, Sir,” she nodded, her tone understanding as she turned to leave. “Be safe out there, Rainbow Dash,” Shining Armor stated, returning to his notes and written commands. She gave a soft nod over her shoulder at his words, before quickly leaving. Rainbow Dash vanished into the frantic crowd of numerous guards and soldiers, who were all readying themselves for the oncoming battle. Where possible, the Element Bearers did their best to support the troops: Rarity was rushing around, quickly repairing any minor rips or tears to the guards’ uniforms. Applejack was using her powerful frame to haul a gigantic cannon by herself, alongside Pinkie who was singlehoofedly pushing a ballista. Spike himself was forced to stay in the far rear of the defensive lines. He was exclusively able to help pass medical equipment to doctors, only being allowed to stay due to his own persistence and the fact his presence alone was a moral boost; he was the two-time Hero of the Crystal Empire! Heroes wouldn’t go and abandon the public, now, would they? Fluttershy was the only pony who wasn’t properly in the fray; she was flying around the grassland, trying to see if there were any innocent creatures who needed to be evacuated. Thankfully, given the isolation of the Crystal Empire meant there were few squirrels or cats or even bugs to inform. The mare’s mind was swimming with thoughts of both Discord and the fact the guards were about to attack a large mon—animal, for lack of a better word. There was a sadness in her heart, for the ponies, the innocent creatures, and even Maguma itself, as she knew what lay ahead for the approaching behemoth. The hour ticked by in no time, and before long, the battalion of ponies in the icy exterior of the Crystal Empire’s limits spotted the walrus-like creature in the snow. The blizzard wasn’t kind today; the fog obstructed visibility and movement, meaning only a few dozen cannons were placed outside of the Crystal Heart’s area of influence. A pegasus briefly removed his thick, restrictive jacket and took to the air, shivering as he pulled up a pair of binoculars. “Can you see anything!?!” a fellow soldier called upwards; his voice barely audible over the howling winds. “The monster’s roughly half a k-kilometer and ap-approaching!” shouted the freezing pegasus, quickly having to dive back downwards, landing and quickly wrapping himself back in his thick jacket. Several soldiers quickly surrounded him, leading him back towards the protective barrier of the Crystal Empire so he could get some proper warmth. As this happened, dozens of unicorns began to magically roll their cannons forwards, loading and readying them to fire. There was a chill in the air that wasn’t from the snow as everypony looked on in silence. In total there were maybe a hundred of them, give or take. They all watched the mountains in the distance intently, ready to fire when needed. Everypony’s breath became frigid and visible in the unforgiving snow. Some of them shivered as they waited. After a mere few minutes of nothing but waiting in a cocktail of mental agony and delirious uncertainty, it finally happened. REEEGGGOOOOOAAAR!!! Maguma’s roar thundered across the ice; they heard him bellow before they heard the thump, thump, thump of massive, approaching feet. And then his head crested above a small hill of snow a hundred or so meters away. And then the thundering of the artillery began… BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! All of them firing at once didn’t match his roar. Dozens of small explosions pelted the Terror of Antarctica's leathery hide. He simply let loose another furious, elephantine roar and continued on. His four powerful legs caused a miniature avalanche as his entire body pulled itself up over the hill. The cannons continued unloading in vain as he continued trudging forwards… While the snow protected the ponies inside the empire proper from the heat, it didn’t help with the sound. Many guards were used to the intense sound due to training exercises, however a few of the newer recruits and the Element Bearers weren’t as experienced with such an intense cacophony of BOOMs! Rarity flinched, approaching Applejack as the two stood behind a line of soldiers. “My goodness; surely the beast couldn’t survive a volley like that!” Rarity managed over the sound of explosions, her face scrunching in concentration. Moments later the fashionista brought up a hoof to rub at her ringing ears. Applejack looked away from the unicorn and towards the edge of the Crystal Empire, “I ain’t sure… hopefully it did some damage to ‘em.” Everypony continued listening on as the sound of artillery fire continued, explosions ringing out beyond their line of visibility. It was about five total minutes before everything slowed down, the blasts finally drawing to a close… And then a flood of retreating guards came rushing in. Dozens and dozens of them were running like a swarm of bats out of Tartarus, quickly rushing towards the second lie of cannons. There was about three hundred meters between the Crystal Heart’s barrier and the defensive line, and many of the soldiers cleared it in record pace. Pegasi had ripped off their jackets to fly, some carrying their companions when possible. That meant only one thing. Thump! Thump! Th-UMP! THUMP! THUMP! Moments later, a gigantic, webbed foreclaw passed through the magical barrier, slamming into the snow with an earthshaking THUMP! Maguma’s upper body followed. Since the creature wasn’t magical in nature, the Crystal Heart couldn’t stop the walrus-like beast as it continued its path of destruction. More mortars fired and this time they were so loud even Rainbow Dash heard them from across the massive field and in the city itself. The pegasus mare burst out of the small, abandoned home she was searching and took to the air. In the distance she watched as magical projectiles impacted across Maguma’s body, leaving only minor scorch marks as the beast continued ahead. It wasn’t extremely fast, but the beast’s sheer size made it easily able to cover more ground. By the time it was about a hundred and fifty meters from the line, the soldiers began to back their cannons up, only stopping to reload and fire when necessary. Cannonballs clinked into place, and the gigantic guns were steadied, both magically, and physically. They loosed another volley at the great walrus, another cacophony of KABOOMs! ringing out. One of them got a lucky shot, as suddenly a cloud of flames engulfed Maguma’s face, making the beast give a thundering roar. It instinctively kicked out a forelimb, scraping a large, webbed claw along the ground. This action wound up throwing a gigantic cloud of dirt and debris into the air, sending them right at the puny creatures who had dared to attack the semi-aquatic monster. Dozens of ponies jumped out of the way as broken logs and large boulders rained down. Several pieces of ordinance were crushed by the debris. The wooden wheels of them were especially vulnerable, as rocks pelted them, snapping through the weaker timber and leaving dents in the metal. To add insult to injury, the cloud of dust itself continued to remain for a few seconds, partly throwing off the aim of several more precise pieces of artillery. Some ponies even wound up taking the brunt of the blow, with rocks and chunks of wood striking them, knocking some unconscious and denting the armor plates of others. Still, this victory didn’t stop Maguma, as it approached, the cloud of debris dying down around it as it moved onwards. Suddenly though, a large blast of blue energy struck the beast in the chest! KA-BAAAM! For once, Maguma actually stepped back, a larger burn mark now adorning its leathery hide. It growled, looking upwards at the small speck that had attacked it, its large, greenish-blue eyes narrowing in anger. Princess Cadance glared back at the beast. Her fiery gaze was one of a princess prepared to do anything for her kingdom. As if to prove this, she immediately loosed another attack, aiming for the monster’s eye. Maguma wasn’t the smartest of creatures, but even it had a survival instinct. As quickly as it could, the walrus ducked to the side, moving its head out of the way and letting the spell strike its left shoulder instead. It let loose a thundering howl as the energy crackled across its hide; another large scorch mark was now blatantly visible on the monster’s skin. The beast roared, reaching up its right forelimb, clawing at the wound as if that would somehow make the pain stop. The intense display of magical power made many soldiers give a round of cheers and hoofpumps. The four-legged creature itself gave a low grunt. It scraped its claw across the ground once more, throwing up another cloud of dirt. Cadance’s eyes narrowed further as she dodged around the rocks and trees the beast had thrown towards her. From below, Shining Armor had exited his command post, and was watching intently, a small bead of sweat running down his brow. Cadance herself grabbed an oncoming rock and threw it right back at the arctic monster, with it plowing through the smokey field of debris. However, Maguma saw the approaching boulder and quickly swatted at it, sending it right back towards the alicorn, whose eyes widened in shock. She quickly activated a shield spell, with the rock colliding against it and shattering into tiny pebbles, which immediately rained downwards on the demolished earth below. To draw some attention away from the princess, Shining ordered his troops to fire again; large ballistae launched log-sized wooden spears tipped with iron arrowheads at the kaiju. One struck Maguma in its singed chest, snapping in half. Despite the fact this did little damage, the monster focused its attention on the ponies below, who had managed to somewhat retreat, letting them focus their cannons back on the monster. Maguma growled and charged forwards, with a snarl. In a few minutes, the beast would barrel right through the second line of defenses, and the death toll would surge. Cadance blasted down at Maguma, causing house-sized explosions to belt out across its back. She continued applying pressure, attempting to slow it, however this only made the creature speed up its pace, its massive foreclaws slamming into the grassy ground and ripping up huge chunks of earth as it moved! The soldiers below began to retreat once more, with Applejack, Pinkie, and even Rarity now doing their parts all across the frontline in an attempt to pull both the artillery, and the guards out of the beast’s path. Far in the back, Fluttershy was now bracing broken limbs, and sterilizing wounds along with several field medics; Spike passed her forceps and tweezers and used his dexterous hands to aid the pegasus when needed. Rainbow Dash was about ready to fly right up to the monster and deck it in the face, only being stopped by the fact even in her angered state, she knew she couldn’t take something that big. Shining Armor himself was being held back by no less than half a dozen guards to insure he didn’t rush to the frontlines to help his wife fight the monster. This was the state of everypony when they heard it. None of them could compare the sound to anything from their world, however if they had been familiar with military equipment, they would’ve recognized it as something similar to a jet engine… Multiplied by at least a hundred-fold. Cadance stopped firing. The guards stopped letting loose volleys of cannonballs. Rainbow Dash stopped before she’d even reached the battlefield as she stared upwards, a massive shadow overhead. Said shadow moved shockingly quick—Wonderbolt-tier quick. The false sun glinted against something metal, making those who stared upwards at the approaching mass squint their eyes at the massive, metallic frame approaching. Even Maguma itself stopped its approach, backing up several dozen meters as the large figure approached the smaller walrus-beast. Everypony watched on in utter silent bafflement and shock as the great, flying beast landed. A massive THOOM! rung out when the robotic dragon’s feet made contact with the ground. Even when landed, the behemoth’s large frame glowed, light shining off of its metal exterior. It was one hundred meters of pure ancient power, unwillingly merged with the most advanced technology humankind had to offer. Like a great armor-clad knight, the bipedal monster stood only a few hundred meters before the much smaller kaiju. The creature had placed itself right in between the retreating line of guards and Maguma. Its long, powerful tail swished back and forth as it stood guard, a living blockade between the great pony-built city, and its would-be destroyer. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack stared onwards wide-eyed. Sadly, Pinkie wasn’t anywhere near any of them to close their gaping maws; too busy helping lug several more soldiers to safety as they laid slumped over her strong earth pony back. Spike only managed to peek out the opened end of the medical tent, having to sadly ignore the kaiju brawl to help the wounded. Cadance was still hovering in the same general position, though she’d been partly flung off course by Kiryu’s arrival, as his entrance caused a powerful gust of wind the princess hadn’t been expecting. When she stabilized, she was shocked to see the metal dragon staring upwards at her. She was only about twenty or so meters above the machine. Kiryu’s deep, red eyes stared down hers, while the Princess of Love remained calm and stern, uncertain at his next course of action. The staredown lasted right up until Kiryu reached up a claw, and extended his index claw, pointing it right at the pink alicorn. Moments later, he then motioned with his thumb, giving the universal “get lost,” motion. Cadance would’ve been offended had the situation not been so dire. As it stood, she flew downwards, hovering mere meters from Kiryu’s face. The Mechagodzilla focused on her as Maguma stamped its forelimbs in an intimidation attempt, acting as if it would charge down the machine. Kiryu simply stood his ground, almost ignoring the behemoth as he treated the smaller monster like nothing more than a yapping dog. “I thank you, Kiryu, for placing yourself in the line of duty to protect my subjects,” she spoke, her tone regal, loud, almost to the point she was using her Royal Canterlot Voice to ensure the mecha heard her. “If I can do anything for you, please let me—” Kiryu did the same motion with his thumb, making the princess silence herself, giving a nod before she turned and flew off. He watched as she left, once she became a spec in the distance, only then did the machine dragon focus his sights downwards at Maguma. The arctic beast glared upwards. Despite the walrus kaiju’s smaller physique, being only half as tall as Kiryu and looking even smaller on all fours, it refused to back down. Instead, the kaiju reared up and let loose a familiar high-pitched roar. Sounding like an elephant mixed with a lion, it trumpeted and threatened the larger mecha, even rearing up to appear more intimidating. REEEGGGOOOOOAAAR!!! Kiryu’s red eyes glared down at the smaller beast. He straightened his back up, making himself appear even larger. His bulky backpack and rocket launchers added to his intimidating physique. The machine moved too naturally, almost like a predator that had done this same song-and-dance before. And then— SSSKKKKRRRREEEEEEOOOOOOOOONNNKKK!!! It was like the sound of rending, tearing metal ringing out only to be overpowered by a deeper, bass-like roar of utter fury. Everypony watching the spectacle immediately covered their ears. While the cannonfire and Maguma’s bellows were eardrum-bursting in their own rights, the power of Kiryu’s made them feel like specks… well, more so than they already had been since the walrus’ arrival. Inside of Kiryu’s cockpit, Twilight had to magically cast a spell on her ears, lest they begin to bleed from her close proximity to the roar. One sentence was on the monitor’s display the entire time. “COVER YOUR EARS.” Maguma himself slinked back. While he’d fought the metallic kaiju before, this was… different. He felt like a prey animal staring down an apex predator. Lower on the totem pole by far. The Terror of Antarctica took a step back, now utterly unsure on how to continue… Kiryu made the choice for the smaller behemoth by bringing up a knee and activating his rocket thrusters, sending himself surging forwards. Everypony watching gasped with utter shock as Kiryu’s clawed foot made impact with the bottom of Maguma’s chin. The walrus’ long tusks scraped against the metal, but did little else as the machine dragon easily punted the smaller kaiju. The force of the beast’s blow sent the creature tumbling upwards through the air. It was a spectacle, with the beast’s four limbs flailing about as it was launched easily twenty to thirty meters into the air. Immediately, gravity took hold of the several-thousand-ton beast, and moments later, he slammed right down onto his back, grunting and bellowing as he did. Maguma took a few seconds to flip itself back onto its four legs. It trumpeted another battle cry as it rushed down Kiryu, its mouth opened wide to bite at the bionic monster. However, the machine dragon turned on a dime, its massive, armored tail acting almost like a building-sized baseball bat as it slammed into the right side of the kaiju’s head. The arctic terror was seeing stars as its entire body jerked to the side, the smaller behemoth being knocked completely off balance as it tumbled, doing a full roll and then landing back down onto its stomach. It lifted its head to shake off the ringing in its ears. As it did, Kiryu ducked down, bringing back its right fist and then shocking Maguma by giving him a harsh uppercut which rattled the beast’s skull. The gigantic mecha’s forearm-mounted railguns cut deeply into the walrus’ leathery skin. It seemed the twin cannons were bladed as well, as Kiryu brought his left arm forwards. His claws and his gigantic blades sliced across Maguma’s face, knocking the creature back onto its side as blood seeped from several new cuts in its face. Its greenish-blue eyes blinked as it looked upwards at the gigantic monster standing over it. Kiryu gave him no time to rest, as suddenly the Mechagodzilla’s mouth opened wide. Many ponies looked on, knowing what this meant; when a dragon opens its mouth, you’d better be out of the way. Vvvvvrooooom-SHOOOOM!!! The Twin Maser Cannons did their job smoothly, as a spiral of yellow, electrical energy blasted forwards and slammed right into Maguma’s chest, pushing the monster back several meters before it slammed into a large hill, which stopped its momentum. Dirt and rocks and trees tumbled down onto the flailing walrus as Kiryu continued his assault. The electricity-like blast surged across the kaiju’s skin. An explosion easily three times bigger than anything Princess Cadance had thrown at the creature suddenly erupted as Maguma trumpeted out a roar of agony. Charred chunks of flesh flew outwards, raining to the ground as the powerful attack left a deep, gaping wound in the arctic creature’s chest. Only then did Kiryu’s beam conclude. Inside the cockpit, Twilight watched as the console flickered, traces of static eating at the machine’s display. Battery Percentage: 12% Maguma continued laying there, groaning in agony as blood poured from its newfound chest-cavity. Despite the fact this was a good thing for the ponies, many of them looked on with shock; even a few of the hardened guards narrowed their eyes, steeling themselves as the monster weakly flailed its limbs. Fluttershy had even put in earplugs by now, not wanting to hear the sounds of a dying creature as she worked to save lives. Her face was painted with a deep, grimacing expression. Maguma growled, flailing out its lower legs towards Kiryu, who stepped back so as to not get tripped up. The machine dragon then leaned down, grabbing Maguma’s lower right leg mid-kick. Without a hint of effort, the Mechagodzilla turned and tossed the behemoth towards the edge of the Crystal Hear’s barrier. Maguma howled all the while it flew through the air, its limbs kicking out as it passed through the shield against the elements. The amazing display of strength left the crowd of onlookers even more wide-eyed than anything that had come before. The robot was unstoppable! Inside Kiryu's cockpit, Twilight managed to get up to her hooves, forcing herself into a sitting position in the pilot’s chair as the monitor showed a single sentence. “STRANGE. IS THIS WHAT MAGIC CAN DO?” The machine dragon began to move forwards, following the direction he’d thrown Maguma. This wound up making the inside of his body rock back and forth, with Twilight securing several seatbelts around her chest before she replied. “It's the Crystal Heart!” the alicorn answered, not meaning to shout, as her ears were currently plugged. “IT IS UNNATURAL.” She merely frowned as she heard the dull thump, thump, thump, of the metallic goliath’s footsteps. No cameras were active in the cockpit, whether because they had been damaged by the power surge or because Kiryu didn’t want her to witness the fight, she didn’t know. Kiryu soon stepped out of the barrier of the empire. The frigid elements immediately slammed against his body, as if it felt any different from the warmth. It was all the same to the machine. Snow piled up on his muzzle, making small piles below his prosthetic eyes. His gaze was filled with the familiar sight of the arctic wasteland he’d been buried under for so long “NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO LEAVE, TWILIGHT SPARKLE.” Twilight frowned at the monitor, looking almost offended at the idea of abandoning the mecha. She instead reached up a hoof and tightened the straps around her waist, “I’m not just going to leave you! Especially after all you’ve already done!” The display was unchanging for a few seconds, as if Kiryu was debating on what to say. Soon though, the binary flickered into action once again. “SENTIMENTALITY CAN BE SEEN AS A WEAKNESS.” Twilight only gave a soft, almost defeated sigh as her response. Still, she remained inside, unmoving as the machine trudged forwards. The dragon had thrown Maguma the equivalent of a dozen city blocks or so. Currently, the creature was flat on its back, half buried in a heap of snow. The avalanche the monster’s impact had caused revealed the jagged, rocky cliff face the walrus had slammed into. The creature’s chest was still severely wounded, the gaping hole being partially charred from the power of the Twin Maser Cannons. One of its tusks had now chipped off, and laid sticking upwards out of the icy ground, no doubt having broken when the beast collided with the cliffside. Kiryu stared down at the monster, who raised one of its forelimbs up in an attempt to swat at the Mechagodzilla. There was almost a sense of sadness as the machine stood there, gazing upon the downed behemoth. Unlike so many others, he didn’t see a monster, just a scared, tragic being that was born too big, too strong, and had lived too long… Now here it was, dying in a world which wasn’t even its own. There was a whirring sound building inside the Mechagodzilla’s. Kiryu straightened himself up, his mouth opening as a massive amount of his energy supply was directed to the Twin Maser Cannons. Twilight herself watched as some of the lights inside the cockpit went dark. The display was glitching, but she could still see traces of it. Battery Percentage: 8%... … 7%... 6%... “Kiryu?” she questioned, looking at the screen in concern. He didn’t respond back. Outside, the cannons within the mecha unit’s mouth surged with intense energy. After a moment, the same bright yellow spiral flew from his maw yet again. Maguma wasn’t even able to move to avoid the blast before it slammed into him, entering inside the hole in the walrus’ chest. He pulled back to roar in pain as the power output became too much for the organic creature to endure… KA-BOOM!!! The Terror of Antarctica was enveloped in a gigantic blast. The fireball grew so massive it engulfed the entire cliff face as Maguma let loose one final roar, which echoed across the mountainous, frigid landscape. The trumpeting howl mixed with the explosion, creating a bizarre cacophony of sound which was so powerful it caused a few avalanches on some nearby mountaintops. As quickly as it came, the Twin Maser Cannon sputtered to a sudden stop, the stream dying within a fraction of a second. Kiryu’s mouth hung open for a few seconds before he forced his upper jaw into place, closing it. In front of the metallic creature was… nothing. Nothing but ash and a few large, burning cinders had been all that remained of Maguma’s body. The kaiju’s tusk had been singed, but it remained sticking out of the ground, the only true reminder the behemoth had once been there; had once lived. A monster would’ve roared in victory. Kiryu remained silent. Inside, Twilight had been bracing herself against the chair, as everything was rumbling from the power of the blast. Since everything had calmed down, the mare slowly opened her eyes, finding she was, much to her relief, still alive. However, the lights were still off, with only the flickering monitor illuminating the cockpit. Battery Percentage: Error… “K—...Kiryu? Are you alright?” she questioned. After a moment, words began forming, at a slow, glitchy pace. “THE ENERGY YOU FLOODED MY SYSTEMS WITH IS FINALLY WEARING OFF…” Twilight looked on, as the 0s and 1s then began to dissipate, and create another sentence. “SAYONARA, MISS SPARKLE.” “W-wait. Kiryu, I’ll bring you back as soon as I can, I promise!” assured the mare, her horn lighting up. “After all you’ve done to protect us, you deserve to—” The binary formed into one final series of words, ones which crystal clear despite the intense flickering of the screen. “DON’T. I BELONG LIKE THIS.” And then, after a few seconds, the monitor turned off, leaving the mare in nothing but empty, uncaring blackness. He was gone. Outside, dozens of soldiers watched as the machine dragon lowered its head. His arms and shoulders slumped down. He only stayed standing due to the sheer strength of his reinforced legs. Finally, the machine was fully still, with snow pelting against its frigid, metal exterior as Kiryu’s red eyes faded, going completely dark…
ReflectingCanterlot, a week later Twilight let out a long, deep sigh, leaning back in her comfortable chair. A large mirror sat in front of her, with several beauty products (all sent by Rarity of course) being strewn about on the massive table which was pressing into her chest. None of them were used though, (sorry Rarity) given the princess wasn’t exactly focused on vanity at the moment. “Alright, that’s good, now do another deep breath in,” Spike coaxed, standing a few paces behind his sister. His clawed hands were outstretched, motioning for her to keep up her rhythm “I know how to control my breathing exercises, Spike,” Twilight said, giving a small roll of her eyes as she turned towards her little brother. “I’m beginning to think you’re more nervous than me about all of this.” “I’m your assistant, it’s my job to make sure everything goes smoothly,” he replied, crossing his arms. “And it will, Spike,” she assured with a smile. It didn’t really improve her brother’s mood, as he just gave a small huff, “Yeah well, you’re not the one who has to make the trip to the Dragonlands to tell Cinder that at any point she can be attacked by a giant walrus or who-knows-what-else.” “Spike, it’s going to be alright,” she replied, getting up from her seat and trotting over to her brother. She gave him a soft pat on the shoulder with one of her wings. His tenseness slowly vanished, with him sighing as well as he looked down, “Sorry, Twilight.” “Look, Spike, there’s a good chance no other monsters appear, alright? This could just be one of those once-in-a-lifetime ordeals nopony will ever see again,” the mare explained, letting go of her brother and stepping back. “There’s a good chance even you or me won’t see another kaiju again!” He merely raised a brow at his sister, “And if you’re wrong?” “Then we’ll all face it together,” was her simple response, with the mare giving a comforting, confident smile. Before much else could happen, a guard opened the door to the room, with a yellow-coated unicorn mare sticking her head into the doorway. She gave a meek smile, speaking, “Princess Sparkle, the press has arrived. They’re ready for your statement.” “I’ll be back in about an hour Spike; you just sit here and relax for now,” Twilight offered, gently patting the dragon’s head with her forehoof. “Alright I get it,” he chuckled, lightly slapping her hoof away. “You don’t have to baby me.” Twilight gave her own soft laugh and soon she was gone, the door shutting behind her as she went on to meet her no doubt adoring public. Spike twiddled his fingers for a bit, before soon brushing off his emotions. He was a dragon, after all! No need to get scared by some giant evil monsters!... Alright, maybe he could distract himself with some reading! With that thought, he grabbed a newspaper sitting on a table off in the corner of the room and then took Twilight’s seat, (what? It’s comfy!) before he flipped open to what would hopefully be the funny comics section. ‘PROF. FOSSIL UNVEILS NEWEST CANTERLOT MUSEUM EXHIBIT: GIGANTIC TUSK! ONLY REMAINS OF THE CREATURE DUBBED ‘MAGUMA!!!’ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ON PAGE…’ “Oh well that’s just great,” he sighed, slumping down. The second Twilight stepped onto the stage of the conference hall, she was flashed with a flurry of bright cameras. Her eyes squinted and she quietly groaned to herself. Gotta keep it in, always. Never let the mask slip. She walked over to a small stand, with the combined sun and moon emblem of the flag of Equestria emblazoned on it. She saw a few non-ponies in the crowd, a changeling or two, and a few hippogriffs mainly. No doubt Novo and Thorax would want answers as well, given their meeting was slated for next week. Regardless, she gently tapped the small magical mic on her podium and cleared her throat. Everycreature present leaned in, cameras and notepads and such were at the ready. They all listened intently to her next words. After a moment, she finally spoke, “I understand everycreature here has concerns over the incident in the Crystal Empire. Rest assured I will answer each and every one of them to the best of my abilities. The safety of Equestria and her allies are my number one priority.” Immediately there was a flash, a dozen reporters scribbling out frantically across their paper. “Princess Sparkle, what exactly is the machine dragon that fought off the giant monster in the Crystal Empire?” a deep brown coated reporter spoke, raising a forehoof. “I understand Princess Cadance and Prince Armor addressed it as Kiryu at their own public speaking, can you confirm anything else about it?” “Kiryu…” she ran her flat tongue over her teeth for a second in thought, before nodding, having picked the perfect response. “Kiryu is a cybernetically enhanced creature which resembles a dragon. At this time however, we are unsure of his exact origins. All we know is he was found buried deep within the ice of the Frozen North.” It wasn’t fully a lie, given the last thing Twilight needed was everycreature knowing about alternate universes and the like. Not yet at least. There was another series of scribbles, and then another question. “Is the machine of alien origin?” a red-coated unicorn mare asked, leaning up as she looked intently at the princess. Twilight nodded and replied swiftly into the mic, “I cannot say at this time; the leading theory is that Kiryu is a being built by an advanced civilization. Whether or not it’s alien or older than Equestria itself isn’t known.” More scribbles. “Your Majesty, what will you do if another giant creature attacks Equestria?” a gray stallion asked, scratching his head with a forehoof. “Will this ‘Kiryu’ lend his assistance?” “Kiryu is an independent creature. I cannot control his actions, just as I’d never want to control the actions of any other thinking being,” Twilight replied honestly. There was a series of hushed whispers and uncertain murmurs among the crowd at this. A giant robot, with its own inhibitions. Not the best thing to learn. However, Twilight quickly brought the crowd’s attention back to her, as she spoke once more, “While I cannot assure you Kiryu will be there to help us, we have managed to remove the large cannons mounted on his forearms and back.” Suddenly she summoned a small projector with her magic. She nodded to a few guards, and immediately the windows were quickly shuttered by regal, purple drapes. She continued levitating the projector and magically pressed a button on it. A large, black and white photo of Kiryu, with his battle gear and all appeared before the crowd on the far wall. There were a small series of gasps, likely from those who hadn’t yet seen a full picture of the massive machine. “Notice the massive railguns and… well, for lack of a better term, jetpack mounted on Kiryu in this image,” Twilight said, magically levitating a small pencil over to the image, pointing at the obvious armaments for the members of the crowd who were oblivious… or blind. “Kiryu disliked being seen as nothing more than a weapon,” Twilight continued, giving another clear of her throat to ensure everycreature was focused on her. “Therefore, I figured I should remove several weapons from him. He now resembles what I assume to be his more natural frame. Should he ever reawaken, hopefully he will enjoy his newfound freedom at not having to be a tool of warfare. Despite this, he will be free to request this equipment back if he so chooses.” Twilight then tapped the projector once more and the image switched. It was almost exactly the same, though the railguns and battlepack on the kaiju’s spine were no longer there. He just resembled a large, spiky, wingless dragon now. While he was still obviously made out of metal, he seemed far more natural; far lither. There was another series of scribbles and hushed mumblings from the crowd. “Princess Sparkle, why would you give back such a major defense at any further monster threats to our country?” a deep purple pegasus mare asked, her pen and notepad held in her wings. “It is not our property in the first place,” Twilight answered, her tone stern. “I am not going to deny anycreature their rightful ownership over their own possessions, no matter what they are; pony, changeling, hippogriff, or gigantic robotic dragon.” There was a wave of nods, especially from the non-ponies of the room. A couple of “fair enough’s” rang out as well. “I have made this one exception due to Kiryu’s nature and the potential future risks any further kaiju attacks could pose,” the princess explained, before tapping the projector again. The image changed to one of Kiryu’s removed rail cannons and jetpack, which were being held in a large loading bay. Numerous ponies in labcoats were eyeing the machinery over. “We have relocated these weapons to Manehattan; over the coming months we will study, and hopefully duplicate this firepower. If there’s any other threats to our nations, by then, we should have successfully replicated this anti-kaiju weaponry.” There were a small series of positive sounding murmurs at this. “How long will it take for these machines to be recreated?” an earth stallion questioned. “I cannot give you an exact timeframe, but I have pooled many resources and horsepower into this project.” Twilight said. Getting dozens and dozens of minds on the task wasn’t exactly easy, but the safety of the motherland was obviously something worth sparing no expense for. “We should make great strides by the end of the year; however, we can expedite the process should any giant creatures appear before then.” The crowd seemed pleased at this answer, and a few hoofclaps rang out throughout the conference hall. The non-ponies seemed just as hopeful as well, looking between themselves and nodding, grins adorning their faces. Twilight gave a small smile at this; unity, just as she desired… Well, unity on all fronts except for one… ??? … Battery Percentage: 1%... … Was this any better? Well, the rocket-filled battlepack and arm-mounted railguns were gone, so there was no more fighting, at least. Despite this, the cold, uncaring snow was devouring him as the ice had, and before that, as the waves had. Once every day, he would see them. Well, see was a loose term. Eyes weren’t active, and yet he knew they were there; could feel them, watching him, cheering him on occasion, or even giving him looks of hate and disgust. He felt like an exhibit in a way. Nothing more than a statue meant to be gawked and pointed at. None had entered inside. It was as if they respected the wishes. Let him rest. A mother stood beside her child at his feet. Two barely visible specs of color in the bleak, white snow. It seemed to be some type of ritual. They weren’t the first who approached his massive frame, especially after the blizzard had begun to die down. He was sure soon enough the soldiers in armor would lock it down; create a barrier between him and the outside. Then none of the equines could make their journey. Would that be better? A small forehoof touched his foot. One of his claws was bigger than the mother and the foal combined. “Thank you for saving my home, mister Keeyroo,” the little one said, utterly butchering his “name.” Girl? Boy? Sounded squeaky. Hard to tell the differences; dimorphism did make the males bulkier, but this was just a child. This one was merely the dozenth in the past few days who had journeyed to the great metal dragon. Others came. Sometimes with a parent. Sometimes with other children. Rarely, they came alone. Kiryu just stood there, frozen in place. Unable to react or respond to any of the words. Did the words even matter? Like a statue he remained, ever vigilant, ever drained. Was this a punishment for what he had done? The families he ripped apart? The lives he’d destroyed?... The people he’d killed? … The better question was… did he deserve it? The monitor turned on, an audio recording replayed, a feminine voice speaking out. She was… the pink one. Had wings and a horn. “Kiryu… have you ever felt the sensation of love? I’m not trying to be cheesy but love itself is more than romance. It is a passion for those around you, no matter what. Many creatures can feel love. No matter what they are, love, and caring is in their nature… Kiryu, whenever I was a filly, before ascending to become an alicorn, I took a trip to a farm. On it, I saw a mother cat who had taken in a pack of orphaned ducklings. She did this because she had recently given birth; her love was so powerful, it removed her predatory instincts, giving her the desire to nurture and care. That is how strong love is… … I understand. You have no desire to talk to me. I will not waste more of your time, but just know, no matter what… You Are More.” The lack of the feline killing the avian was merely a hormonal imbalance, surely. Regardless of the reasons, once the princess’ voice log finished playing, another began. This was… the male? The orange male. Only the horn, no wings for some reason. Sexual dimorphism? “Look uh… K-Kiryu. I’m not really the best guy to talk to when it comes to science or philosophy or… well, a lot of things, but well, I know you’ve been through so much, so I’ll keep it brief. My uh… my best friend. She went through a lot as well. She was left alone… Yeah, I did it. I’m an idiot for never going out and finding her… B-but the fact is, we met up. After all of that time, all of the mistakes we both made… some worse than others—those didn’t matter. What does matter, is the fact no matter how long it’s been, it’s never too late to turn things around, you know? I mean, I was just some nopony, sitting in my room, studying spells and well, doing nothing with my life. With her help, I realized one thing… Ooohh, how do I put this?… ‘You Are More.’ … Nothing, huh?... W-well, I won’t bug you anymore, especially considering you’re a giant robot dragon and all h-heh… Oh, I wish Starlight was here; she’d be a lot better at this than me!” It was doubtful this ‘Starlight’ would do any better… Regardless, another audio log began to play; it was the white horned one. He was burlier than the orange male, same species, different physique. Likely because he was a soldier. He was the… the captain. Right. “I can’t say I know what it’s like to be forced to fight… Every time I did it, it was because I volunteered to protect my country, my friends, my… family—Did you have a family at any point? Everycreature, no matter what they are, has one, even if it’s not by blood, you know? … I remember when my wife first gave birth to my daughter; Flurry Heart, she uh… It’s hard to exactly describe how it made me feel when I first held her. It was like—like holding a pure, condensed bundle of myself. Everything I was made of—everything my wife was made of; our love, our relationship, it all came together into one being. One I could love and hold and cherish. … I’m not the best at giving speeches, or pep talks, but I do know even the most grizzled, hardened, unfeeling guy can have a heart. No matter how much he tries to deny it or fight it off or keep himself cold, like an emotionless suit of armor, he always has something inside. A love or a passion, for somepon—somecreature, or some activity or anything else. What I’m trying to say… is there’s no reason to hide the fact that ‘You Are More.’ … I know you don’t want to talk, but I think you understand where I’m coming from. … I’ll leave you be, then.” For what it’s worth, he did remember the child. Strange thing. The mother, Cadance, flew up with the tiny being in her forehooves, right up to his gigantic, house-sized synthetic eyes. She showed him her daughter, her most prized possession. She didn’t cry or squeal or even sneeze despite the cold on her face, (which was the only part of her visible in the bundle Cadance and Shining had put her in) she just smiled, and then giggled and then waved. The term “Cuteness” was a human one. It was made in the minds of humans so they would fend for their small, feeble, rounded young. Just another weakness, like sentimentality, like nostalgia, and like so much else. He didn’t find little Flurry Heart cute, even when she reached out and gently tapped his large, dimmed eye. But he did feel something. It was a minor warmth, no different than the foal who had tapped his foot. Just something else he could ponder over…
An Unexpected MeetingThe Frozen North, several days later Kiryu still remained sticking out of the icy earth as if he were a gargantuan statue. The snow never piled up on him, however, as occasionally a small group of the equines would come to clean him. The winged ones would brush the snow off of his mechanical eyes, his face, the nooks and crannies of his shoulders, and make sure none of his wiring was damaged. They even brought out large, magically powered polishers typically made for floors, ensuring his armor shined as they cleaned him. It wasn’t much different from the time being stuck in the bunkers of Japan. One could see this as vanity, or as a form of thanks for his service, yet he still made sure to keep his sensors at the ready. Should any of them try to place a spell over him, he had just enough power to move, enough to turn his slouched state into a fallen one. That would send them running, assuming they got out of the way. The thought was horrible, but then again so was forcing him to fight. Though, the possession attempts never came. They did their job, cleaned up, one or two of them even patted his thick, metal exterior, and then they left without further fanfare. Thus, Kiryu was clean, shinier than ever, and still slumping, never to move. He remained that way. Occasionally, he would replay a voice recording to himself. It was out of boredom, not actual ponderment of their words… That’s what he’d tell himself at least. Many more ponies would come before him. They would say their thanks and then leave. Eventually though, more professional looking equines came back a few days later. They were escorted by guards, who helped wheel large, disk-like objects. He was considering seeing if he could flash the Twin Maser Cannon at them. However, he didn’t have enough juice to start it. It’d be no different from a diminutive dog barking at this point. He ultimately remained still though. As they placed the objects around him, he took note that at the least, he couldn’t feel anything controlling coming from them. It wasn’t like when he had to wrestle his mind back from the A.I. programming. Perhaps the disks weren’t weapons. Sensors maybe? They were quite different from human made ones, though again, he wasn’t on Earth, so it would make sense… He felt the hatch open. A mare, older, (likely mid-fifties) soon stepped inside of the cockpit. Up close he could see she was wearing a bright orange hardhat, yellow visibility vest. Ah. She was a construction worker. Quite similar to the humans, actually. “Hey big guy,” she said softly as she placed a much smaller sensor on the flooring. She soon adjusted her hat a bit. She was a horned one. He’d still not gotten an explanation of the species sexual dimorphism… not like it mattered, of course. He didn’t respond to her. Only remained silent, the monitor black and dead. Upon realizing there wouldn’t be a response, she shrugged, continuing, as she placed a small ring on her horn, with it being connected to the sensor, “Ya know… you saved my son by killing the giant walrus thing. He was stationed here, working under Captain Armor. Got a real bad leg break but he’ll be able to recover… He said he was really close to death; would’ve been crushed by that beast if you didn’t show up.” No text. “I don’t know if you’re able to understand me or not… Princess Twilight says ya are. Said it in the papers,” the worker said as the sensor seemed to activate from the mare’s horn flashing. “Dunno if it’s true, but if ya hear me, all we’re doing is getting an interior scan of your body. We aren’t gonna deconstruct ya, but… well we still wanna sorta know how you work. It could help us with researching those big cannons of yours… Is that alright?” Not a shock. Using him as a means to create another weapon. Of course. She frowned when he didn’t reply, “Well uh… when my boy gets better, he said he’d like to come here and thank ya personally; give ya a pat on the… foot I guess, heh.” Nothing but silence filled the room as the mare continued her work. Canterlot Castle, Twilight’s Study, the following day The dark room around her was illuminated only by a single, hanging lantern. She was deep in the castle’s chamber’s now, thus natural light wasn’t an option for her. Her eyes squinted in the darkness, though she was no stranger to late night reading sessions. She flipped through the reasonably thick book in mere minutes, before immediately sitting it aside. “Nope,” Twilight huffed to herself, magically grabbing another bulky tome off of her nearby shelf. ‘A History of Equestrian Cryptids.’ The pages whirled and she read as quickly as she could. Dozens passed her by, and tons of information filled her mind. However, once more, it did little to help, with her sitting the half-completed publication down onto her wooden desk, “Doesn’t seem to be anything here either.” She grabbed another one, ‘Seabeasts and More!’ and got to reading it as well, multitasking the two books at the same time. She’d been at it the entire day now. Her mind was filled with all kinds of beasts, ranging from tentacled titans to potentially underground savages. Yet none of them seemed exactly like kaiju-tier threats. Regardless, she read on. While Kiryu’s equipment was being studied, it didn’t mean the princess could go and slack off! What if another monster appeared, this time being closer to Canterlot, or Manehatten, or Las Pegasus? She’d need to know everything she could on the subject in case such a horrific event occurred! Before she could continue mulling over the possibilities, the door behind her opened up, making Twilight immediately jerk her head over her shoulder. “Princess Sparkle—” “Yeah!?!” squawked the alicorn, interrupting her subject. The guard stood there, staring at the princess with an uncertain look on his face. Soon, he levitated up a bright yellow file. He discreetly passed it over to Twilight, who blushed as she grabbed it in her own magical glow. “—those X-Ray pictures of Kiryu are finally complete, courtesy of Princess Cadance,” he said, finally finishing his sentence. Twilight gave a small, “Thank you.” In response, he nodded, before quickly leaving her alone, the door giving a loud, creaking noise before it shut. Once more she was alone with her thoughts. The file rested on the desk in front of her, a big, bright red ‘CLASSIFIED’ was stamped on it. The princess didn’t immediately open it. For some reason, holding it here in her hooves felt… partly wrong. A very strange sensation overtook her, like butterflies (or moths) in her stomach. After a few deep breaths, she shook it off and went back into princess mode. Can’t let herself falter in the event her subjects needed anything, after all! She opened it!... … Immediately, Twilight’s face was one of deep grimace as she looked over the pictures which greeted her, “Oh Kiryu….” She wasn’t exactly sure what she was expecting for his internals. She knew at one point he was a living being; he had to be! He was too thoughtful, had too much of a soul to be nothing but a machine! Well, the image confirmed this at least. Amid the crossbeams and steel support structures inside of him, and the wires and under the armor and under the spikes and the weapons and all of it was him. Rather, what remained of him anyways… It was his skeleton. The restless bones of the First Godzilla. The empty sockets which had once contained eyes looked back at Twilight. He had a row of sharp teeth, powerful looking bones. His right arm was missing, being fully replaced by metal and unfeeling wires. She could see the spikes running down his back, and his long, durable tail. It made her blink a few times, almost finding the image sickening. She was reminded of Spike when he’d endured his greed-induced growth. The thought of her brother being turned into something like this made her ill. Kiryu was plucked up from his resting place and turned into a weapon. Yet despite all of this, he’d saved the Crystal Empire from horrific destruction. He put his afterlife on the line to fight off Maguma. Now countless lives and homes had been saved— He deserved better than to be some emotionless, unmoving statue in the Frozen North, left to sit there and decay and cease to be. He deserved something. However, his words were clear, still ringing in her mind. He didn’t want to live, but to deny him his right to exist… She began to feel ill once more. Twilight sat down the file onto her desk and leaned back into her old, rickety chair. She brought up a forehoof and began to rub over her forehead. Thoughts swirled through her mind, of skeletons, of monsters, and so much more… Suddenly though, she felt the wind pick up around her. Her eyes shot open as she heard the ruffling of paper billowing in a new breeze. She looked upwards, and all around herself. A faint chirp rang out, however she could see nothing, leaving her confused. “Wha—” Chirp. “Hello?” she asked, standing up on her forehooves. She began levitating everything she could. Her table, the massive bookshelf, her chair, all of it. She looked under it in confusion, her head bolting this way and that and back again as she tried to uncover what could possibly have made the— Chirp. “Alright if this is a prank, show yourself right now!” Twilight growled, her Royal Canterlot Voice picking up as her temper flared. There was a flash of light. Something appeared before her. It was fluffy, with big, round eyes. Two antennae. Two large, multicolored, beautiful wings… It was a massive moth, easily bigger than Twilight’s head! The insect flapped her wings, remaining airborne and causing more pages around Twilight to billow as she released her magic, barely managing to sit everything down neatly due to her state of surprise. “H-hello?” she managed. As if in response, the arthropod flew over, landing and perching itself in the corner of the room. Her antenna chittered for a moment, before it let loose a small, squeaky chirp. Moments later, two small balls of light, no bigger than Twilight’s hooves appeared in front of the strange animal. Despite how small they were, they lit up the room immediately, casting it in a light so bright it seemed as if they were a pair of miniature suns. Two voices emerged from them, though it was hard to notice as had Twilight’s ears not been keen, it would’ve sounded like just one. They were both feminine, both spoke at the same tone, same cadence, same frequency. They practically were one. “Be not afraid, Twilight Sparkle,” they called. “Who are you?” the alicorn asked in shock, her eyes wide. The balls of light seemed to grow brighter as the reply came, “We are the Cosmos.” “You’re just… pure light?” she said, examining the luminescent beings in wonderment. Her head craned left and right as she tried looking them over, seeing if there were any notable deviations on the energy-like creatures. “You know magic better than any other pony we’ve seen; we assume you understand our physical form is only relative to how we desire you to perceive it,” the light replied, the moth behind it giving another squeaky chirp! “Right, of course…” Twilight nodded. She leaned upwards, as if trying to get as close to the floating balls of light as she could. “I know you said you’re the Cosmos but what exactly is that?” “We are the Priestesses of Mothra,” was the simple answer. Twilight’s brain immediately raced, trying in vain to attempt to remember if the name was familiar or not. After a few seconds, her face fell slightly. “Please don’t tell me this ‘Mothra’ is a kaiju…” “Many things can be classified as kaiju, Twilight Sparkle,” the twin orbs responded, a soft, wise tone in their voices. “Even something as simple as a dragon, a griffon… or an alicorn.” “Fair enough I suppose,” Twilight replied. “Do not worry, Princess Sparkle. Mothra is a peaceful creature; a guardian of the planet Earth,” the Cosmos assured. “'Earth?'” Twilight pondered to herself, before her eyes widened in realization. “Tell me, does ‘Earth’ contain the country of Japan?” After a pause, the Cosmos spoke, keeping the same soft, lullaby-like tone. “Yes, Twilight Sparkle. Japan was the site of many tragic kaiju battles throughout the decade human calendar referred to as the nineteen-nineties.” “Then you know about Kiryu, right?” the princess asked, her ear flicking as she blinked a few times from the light illuminating off the twin beings. There wasn’t a reply at first, as if the two were thinking. All while the large moth merely remained on the wall, her antenna twitching about as she almost seemed to… slump? It was as if her physical body was showing the emotion the beings of light couldn’t express. “We have no recollection of the cyborg known as Kiryu,” they answered. Now Twilight herself was slumping, though she listened on intently. “Despite this, we have not been on the planet Earth itself in many years. It is possible that in this timeframe, the humans could have constructed such a creature in secret, and we hadn’t yet sensed its presence.” Twilight nodded at their words, her mind racing with all kinds of questions, so many it was hard to lock it down to one. Soon though, she did, “So tell me… how did you get here?” “We and Mothra flew into space in the Earth year nineteen-ninety-three to destroy a meteor which threatened the planet,” the Cosmos’ words made Twilight’s eyes light up. “Several years after we began our journey, we successfully stopped the threat, and began to return to Earth—” “You were sucked into a giant black portal?” Twilight finished, the sparkle fading from her eyes, being replaced with uncertainty now. The moth nodded, her antennae twitching about as the Cosmos continued glowing. “That was roughly two months ago, going by your measurement of time,” the twin balls explained. “Shortly after our arrival, we followed the strongest positive energy output we could find. It was you and your friends, Twilight Sparkle.” The alicorn nodded, looking down at her desk in thought as her forehoof tapped against it. Suddenly, a question popped into her head, “Wait… if you’ve been following me for two months, then why didn’t you warn me about Maguma?” “The creature’s appearance was too sudden. We cannot read this planet’s energy as we could Earth’s, so we were blind to the kaiju’s arrival,” Twilight nodded at their explanation, letting the two continue. “We would have stopped Maguma, however the destruction of the meteorite has left Mothra weakened; she will need at least another two weeks to gain enough energy to be back at full strength.” “So—” the mare began, however she paused herself, really not wanting to finish the sentence. Regardless, she pressed on. “—If you’re here, then that confirms there could be other kaiju attacks, right?” “Yes, which is why we are here to warn you, Twilight Sparkle,” came the Cosmos’ soul-crushing answer. “Somehow, the balance of not only the universe, but the multiverse has become unstable.” “That’s just great,” the princess said with a groaning sigh. Given the appearance of Kiryu and Maguma, she’d already figured something was wrong with the realms, but hearing it be confirmed obviously didn’t make her feel better. “We are not familiar with how such a thing could happen; we merely presided over Earth. Should more rips in space-time occur, new threats could be revealed at every turn. Threats which Mothra might not be able to handle by herself, even when she is rested,” the fairies chimed. Twilight’s stomach turned into an icy-hot pit again; it felt like the twin priestesses’ voices were a pair of warning bells for her kingdom. She swallowed as a whirl of emotions filled her. She almost felt like she was going to melt into a puddle from the nervous-induced heat now coming from her. Eventually though, she swallowed a glob of saliva in her mouth and spoke, “So you came to tell me we should resurrect Kiryu, right?” The moth-fairy slumped once more, seeming sad. “To disrespect and forcefully revive the dead is a great taboo, Princess Sparkle,” the two luminous balls answered, their voices having a twinge of sadness. Twilight herself slumped now, her ears folding against the sides of her head. “However, Kiryu’s new life is one of his own!” the two added, making Twilight look back up with a trace of hope in her eyes. “You have at the least given him permanent free will; free will he did not have while under human control.” The mare briefly turned back to her desk, staring at to the photos which were still strewn about. She looked over his skeleton once more; the hope in eyes was now a gaze of solemness as well. Soon she refocused her attention to the glimmering duo. “If he desires to help you, of his own volition, then neither we nor Mothra would see this as a violation of the natural order,” the twin voices explained. “If he does not desire to participate in any more conflict, then you must heed his words. Only great tragedy comes from meddling with the deceased.” “Ca-can you at least tell me anything about the kaiju you’re familiar with?” Twilight questioned. “The kaiju we are familiar with are all thankfully deceased, Twilight Sparkle. Even the mighty Godzilla fell in battle after slaying an ancient demon in the Earth year of nineteen-ninety-nine,” the fairies answered. Twilight’s face scrunched up in thought at their words, “Is… is Kiryu the same Godzilla?” “No, Twilight Sparkle,” now the mare was really confused. “Kiryu’s energy is far different from the Godzilla we encountered. To our knowledge, that Godzilla’s skeleton was melted from the power outputted by his atomic heart when it gave out. His readings do not match those of Godzilla's son, either.” “Then there’s way more of them. Maybe even a whole species' worth I take it…” Twilight frowned. Next thing she’d know, she’d have a dozen giant reptiles bigger than the biggest dragons running around. The absurd thought almost made her chuckle. “We wish we could provide you more, however we do not have all of the answers, Twilight Sparkle,” the priestesses said, their ethereal glow beginning to dim. “What’s happening?” Twilight asked in worry, her face adorned with concern. “Our telepathic powers are weakening. We will try to communicate with you whenever possible, however all we can do now is merely observe,” the fairies’ twin-voices rang. “When Mothra’s power is back to maximum, we will do our best to defend this planet, and right any multiversal wrongs whenever possible.” With that, the two glowing balls of light vanished, and when Twilight looked up into the corner of the room to focus her eyes on the moth, she found it was gone. Now alone, the princess was left with nothing but a small library’s worth of books, and the picture of Kiryu’s bones. She stared them down in thought. Even if he didn’t desire to fight further, she could at least give him friendship. Every creature deserves at least one friend. She would be his, if he so desired…
The Folly of ManThe Crystal Empire, a few days later Twilight shivered into her thick coat as she stared upwards at the machine dragon. Icicles had begun growing under his chin, off of his unmoving fingers, and a layer of snow was coating his frigid exterior. Kiryu would be in for a cleaning soon, likely tomorrow. He’d remained this way for nearly three weeks now, just standing and freezing and occasionally being cleaned by several thankful guards. Shining and Cadance had refused to let the dragon go to ruin or be encased in ice. No doubt it was their way of saying ‘thank you’ to the gigantic savior. Twilight was nothing more than a tiny purple splotch in the icy white. The princess seemed insignificant as she gazed upon him. Once he was a powerful product of nature; now he was a debatably even more powerful product of humankind. Despite all of his strength, he was as harmless as a statue at the moment. Briefly, Twilight pondered what it’d be like; to be frozen still without the ability to move. To be conscious of your surroundings. No different than when Discord was encased in stone… or the current state of Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. It made her shiver more than the cold did, but she brushed it off and unfurled her wings. After a moment, the alicorn took to the air, smashing through the uncountable snowflakes as she made her way upwards, soon reaching the hatch on his neck. Without much fanfare, she opened it and stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. His interior was once more a shelter from the cold outside. Her breath was visible as she made her way over to the cockpit’s monitor. She took a seat in the chair, letting herself warm up as best she could, before her horn slowly began to light up. “Kiryu… I know you’re here. Even without power, you can hear me. You’re more than the machine, more than even the A.I. itself,” Twilight spoke aloud. “I got your scans; I know humankind took your bones and made you into this….” No response: the monitor remained lifelessly black. Twilight replied by drawing more power into her horn, her face taking on a slightly strained look as she continued, “You don’t want to talk and I know that… but I wanted to have one conversation with you, even if it’s our last!” His display remained dark. “You deserve a friend, Kiryu. Somepony who can understand and get to know you for what you are—what you truly are,” Twilight pleaded, her horn brightening as she drew even more energy into the spell. Still there was nothing but uncaring emptiness. “I will be your friend, if you will let me!” the alicorn groaned, the strain getting to her now. The spell itself wasn’t only to restore the kaiju with energy, she was putting herself into it, a piece of herself anyways. It was a strange spell; the ability to let a pony enter another's dreams, just as Luna had done. Twilight herself figured given she was the sole ruler now, she might as well learn the ability to do such a thing. Kiryu, while not physical, still was a soul, and even a soul would surely dream, right? Well, she got to test it. When she finally unleashed it, everything went black for her, her eyes instinctively shutting at the brightness… The moment she opened them, everything was… different. She felt floaty and hollow. The cold pit in her stomach was back but had now spread across her entire body. Nothing around her was visible, being one big, empty, unspecific blur… And then it came to her. The heat, and then the burning, and then the pain. She cried out, but nothing was able to be heard over the sheer, deafening thunderous sound of an explosion. It sounded like a cannon being fired off right into her ear canal, times a billion. She briefly wondered if she’d go deaf, however a piece of her mind assured her this was nothing more than a dream; the princess was fine. He was not. SSSSKKKRRRREEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNKKKKKKKKK!!! The roar echoed, only slightly different than it had been when he’d fought Maguma. Sounded less metallic, more painful. She felt a fraction of the pain. Felt like her skin was peeling and burning and coming back all at once, thicker, tougher, scarred over. Even when the heat subsided and she was able to see clearly, her senses were overtaken a second time. The salty taste of ocean water slammed into her mouth as she attempted to breathe, going into her nostrils, burning her sinuses. She blinked, forcing the water from them. Briefly below her, she saw a gigantic black mass coming upwards towards her… She was soon flung from the ocean and onto the vast, emptiness of a burned-out island. She stood on the beach, looking upon it. Nothing remained. The palm trees had all been flattened, scorch marks littered them, making them appear as if they were charcoal. The beach was now pure, solid glass. The only notable thing on the island; the only sign of life… Was a massive clawed footprint. The dream—memories flashed before her yet again. It all blurred as she now saw herself, standing on the rooftop of what seemed to be a human human building. The city below reminded her almost of Canterlot City, though the structure was slightly different. She could see billboards which displayed strange characters she wasn’t familiar with. The neon lights briefly irritated her eyes. She blinked. Now it was gone. It was all gone. Burning cinders, concrete rubble, and hunks of wood were all that remained. Everything was leveled, useless. The city was dead. She saw him. For the first truly saw him. Beneath the metal and with the flesh, he was a strange creature. As she had assumed he was very dragonlike. However, his skin was a deep, charcoal black, covered with what seemed to be scar tissue. His body rippled with powerful muscles. A great, durable tail swished behind him, leveling the partial remains of a burnt out office building, causing it to crumble to dust behind him. Suddenly, she could see planes overhead. They flew downwards, dropping their payload directly onto the dragon-like creature. He let loose a deep growl of hate as bombs exploded on the great white spines decorating his back. They flashed white suddenly, and he turned upwards, opening his mouth wide. The mare braced herself, knowing what was coming… Twilight could only watch on as a cloudy white vapor spewed from his mouth. Like a fog machine from Tartarus, the behemoth unleashed his breath attack upwards. The planes dropped, falling to the ground immediately as their metal wings melted on contact with the incandescent light. The ray wasn’t fire, but it was hot all the same, perhaps hotter than even the breath of some dragons! She had little time to study or ponder, as the beast continued its rampage. The memories shifted, she could see vague flashes of cannonfire from those strange vehicles she’d seen in the books of humans—tanks(?) she vaguely recalled the name. It didn’t matter though. They couldn’t withstand the beast’s mist-like breath as he advanced towards the center of town. More flashes of memories, all broken and disjointed rammed right into her mind. Suddenly she could feel the electricity surge into herself,enduring his pain as he ripped through several high tension wires. They snapped like rubber bands before his powerful claws. She felt the sensation of tank shells exploding off his hide, causing him pain and angering him further. It was a sea of hatred and pain. Nothing stopped him. Twilight herself couldn’t even interfere anymore; she was rooted still, being forced to witness the tragedies as more buildings crumbled before the beast. Trains were smashed apart and bridges were destroyed in his wake. Nothing the humans threw at him stopped the kaiju. By the end of it, the few buildings that had remained were leveled, and he stood above the wreckage like a great sinful monolith. Everything shifted once final time… It was worse than anything else the princess had endured thus far. She was inside a bubbling, foaming ocean. The saltwater before her seemed to almost be at some type of rolling boil as every inch of the alicorn was coated with a pained sensation. It began with her breath being taken away, only to continue on, with her skin starting to burn. It was worse than merely sticking one's hoof to a hot stove or roaring fire though. The sensations came from within. She felt the sensation from her flesh down to her bones. Despite the overpowering sensation, the mare shockingly managed to keep herself steady, not crying out, but gritting her teeth. Her eyes forced themselves shut, her horn lit up, trying to pull herself from Kiryu’s mind. However, just as she was about to severe the connection and escape, she heard it… SSSSKKKRRRREEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNKKKKKKKKK!!! The roar wasn’t angry this time. It wasn’t hateful or sad or anything else. The deep, bellowing, thunderous howl was one of complete and utter pain. Her eyes snapped open. She saw him in the whirling, ceaseless waters. As the bubbles surrounded him, she let out a gasp of horror. Chunks of his skin peeled away, disintegrating in the water as he sank beneath the waves. His final, dying howl was only heard by a singular boat nearby, filled with numerous glowering onlookers. She wasn’t able to examine them closer, as the spell finally kicked in, pulling her from his mind. The last thing she saw were the bones of Gojira sinking beneath the waves, approaching their final resting place… She blinked as the cockpit returned to her. As she’d been drifting with Kiryu, she’d poured energy into his circuits, and now the once black room was bathed in a deep red coloration as the same lightbulb from before had activated itself once more. The monitor had flicked on now, with numerous lines of text flying past the screen. She was too sick to read them even if they weren't blitzing by. Battery Percentage: 18%... “All… those people,” Twilight muttered, her voice sounding distant and echoed as the world around her blurred, her having to blink several times before her senses fully came back to her. When she looked back up, she could see the text and actually read it this time, thanks to the bulky letters formed by the binary yet again. “NOW YOU KNOW ONE OF THE MANY REASONS WHY IT’D BE BETTER FOR ME TO REST.” She blinked a few times and immediately noticed a faint wetness running down her cheeks. Had she been crying? Regardless, she wiped the involuntary tears away as she spoke, “Y-you’re… you were hurt. You weren’t thinking clearly.” “I WAS, THINKING CLEARLY, TWILIGHT SPARKLE… ABOUT REVENGE.” She frowned deeply, unable to speak at the moment as her head continued to swim. The text itself continued. “IT WAS IN MY NATURE TO ATTACK THEM. THEY DID IT TO ME. THEY MADE ME SUFFER…” “YET IT WASN’T THEIR FAULT. EVEN IF THEY DESERVE MY HATRED FOR RESURRECTING, THEY DID NOT CAUSE ME ANGUISH, MAKE ME INTO THIS MONSTER.” “You’re not a monster!” Twilight growled back, her tearful eyes narrowing. “If that was really what you were… you wouldn’t have saved the Crystal Empire, saved my subjects, saved so many lives.” “YOU THINK IN BLACK AND WHITE.” “MORALITY IS SUBJECTIVE.” “GOOD BEINGS CAN COMMIT HORRIFIC SINS.” “HORRIFIC BEINGS CAN COMMIT GOOD DEEDS.” “EVEN STILL, THAT PHILOSOPHY DOESN’T ACCOUNT FOR THE BRUTALITY OF NATURE.” “I AM NOT A GOOD BEING, BUT I WAS ACTING NATURALLY, NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER WOUNDED ANIMAL.” “We’re not speaking on a matter of survival, Kiryu,” Twilight confronted, “When you saved the Crystal Empire, you did what you did not because you had to, but because you wanted to… Maybe even because it was the right thing to do.” “ALL I AM ABLE TO DO IS FIGHT. I MERELY DID WHAT WAS IN MY NATURE.” Twilight’s face scrunched up at his reply, her teeth grinding against each other, “Even if you fought, you fought for a righteous cause! Is that not worthy of praise?” “DO YOU THEN ACCEPT A TYRANT BECAUSE HIS OWN END GOALS WERE RIGHTEOUS?” “OR, MORE PRIMAL, DO YOU ACCEPT THE CANNIBALIZATION OF ONE'S OWN YOUNG, TO ENSURE THE SURVIVABILITY OF THE MOTHER?” “You know that isn’t comparable to your position, Kiryu. You’re not a tyrant ruler imposing your view of the world on everypony, and you’re not a wild animal who did what you did out of a want to live… even then, ponies— creatures who you would call tyrants can change…” Twilight’s mind raced, being reminded of the likes of Sunset and Starlight. She shook off her thoughts as she continued. “I am speaking from personal experience. I have seen it with my own two eyes.” There was nothing from the monitor for several minutes. Finally, more binary flashed. “I DOUBT WE WOULD BE SPEAKING IF YOU DIDN’T NEED SOMETHING FROM ME.” “If the kaiju attacks didn’t come, I would still be here. You are a part of my kingdom now… assuming you want to be?” Twilight said, her tone soft, offering the machine a place in Equestria. “BENEATH THE DIRT OF IT, MAYBE.” Twilight sighed, her face soft and uncertain, “Is that truly the only thing you want? To die?” There was no response from the screen. The mare continued staring at it, taking a moment to collect herself, “You know Kiryu… nopony could’ve stopped you if you’d flown into the sea. You could’ve rested beneath the waves from there…” The monitor simply remained blank. The mare stamped a forehoof, snorting in annoyance as she felt a fire trying to rise up inside of her yet again, partly fighting off her sadness, “If you really wanted to die, then you could’ve done it! We wouldn’t even be here talking if you truly desired to cease to be!” It merely remained empty, with the machine dragon not giving any further communication. She waited for him. Waited for minutes and minutes on end. Even when almost a half hour had passed, she still remained there, a glum look on her face, as the embers inside seemed to fade back to the cold solemness. “Kiryu…” she broke the long silence, “...Let me help you. Please.” “THERE IS NO HELP FOR ME, TWILIGHT SPARKLE…” “That’s not true!” she sniffled, more tears flowing from her eyes. “I am the Princess of Equestria; I have helped hundreds of other creatures with their problems. You’re no different!” The display was barren once more. Nothing changed as Twilight managed to control herself, forcing the welling sadness back down inside of her, swallowing it up and going back into the closest attempt at a princess mode she could muster. She heard the whirring of the electricity as it traveled through his wiring. The faint humm was almost pleasant on the ears, if only for the fact it faintly distracted her away from the suicidal cyborg. Finally, there was a response, the monitor flashing to life. “DO WHAT YOU MUST, TWILIGHT SPARKLE.” And then he was gone again. The tears remained rolling down her cheeks for a few moments, before she wiped them away again. A small smile destroyed the complete look of sadness on her face as she took a few deep, steady breaths. “Thank you Kiryu… for everything…” she sniffled one final time. “Now it’s time for Equestria to repay you.” Outside, the silver dragon remained standing, the ice still clinging to him as it had when the tiny purple speck had entered inside of him…
The LighthouseThe Eastern Equestrian Coast, Storm Monitoring Station 55, early in the morning, several days earlier Sunshower Raindrops stared out, her teal mane billowing a bit in the soft, salty winds. She blinked a few times, her stomach partly turning as she ran her gaze over the landscape. While she did this, the steamboat creaked as it pulled into the small wooden port of the island. Said island was utterly tiny, given she could see almost completely across it from the docks. The main thing of note was the large pink lighthouse in the epicenter of the rocky, moss-covered patch of land in the grainy blue waters. All in all, it was relatively flat, with a pebble-laiden beach. Almost looked like the complete opposite of something like Silver Shoals. Her mind wandered briefly to the retirement center, with thoughts of her relaxing on a nice, warm beach with sunglasses and a coconut drink with one of those little umbrellas— “Rookie!” The gruff, feminine voice snapped the yellow pegasus out of her daydreams. Her eyes opened wide, blinking as she looked this way and that, nearly going walleyed for a second. “Ma’am yes ma’am!” Raindrops belted out, standing as her eyes refocused themselves fully on the red coated, middle-aged pegasus in front of her. “Don’t ‘ma’am yes ma’am’ me you airhead! Pay attention next time I’m talking to you!” the gruff mare growled like a drill sergeant. Raindrops nodded her head up and down quickly, “Ma’am—yes, ma’am?“ The commander’s eyes only narrowed. “I’ll… get my stuff and get out of your mane now,” Raindrops nervously giggled, turning away. The wooden deck of the ship very slightly creaked as she walked across it, towards the rear end of the small steamboat, being followed by the unamused gaze of the older mare the entire time. Before long, the pegasus was down below, in the small, cramped room she had called hers for the past two days. The journey to the island was rough, but the mare managed. After all, the bits were worth it at the least. Once everything of value was in her saddlebags, she took one last glance at the small cot she’d slept in, and then smiled to herself, “See ya, sucker!” She then quickly shut the metal door, chuckling as she trotted down the winding corridor, back towards the entrance to the upper deck. However, as she turned the corner, the mare was jumpscared for the second time today by an old, bearded earth pony stallion. He had a long graying beard, and his body seemed frail. She let out a “Woah!” and nearly fell, though the pegasus swiftly caught herself, taking a few hoofsteps backwards. “Ya shouldn’ be ‘ere,” he said, his voice throaty and dry, as if he hadn’t had anything to drink in weeks. She recognized him as one of the many deckhands aboard the ship. Never really talked to them, so they typically blended into the background… Guess this guy wanted to make an impression. “Dude, if you wanna tell a pony something, it’s better to not give them a heart attack!” growled the mare. “Ya shouldn’t bee ‘eereeee,” he repeated, much more quietly this time. “What? Buddy, I’m here for a job now unless you have fifteen hundred bits, I don’t see any reason I should—” “This place’s got a death curse,” he growled, not raising his voice but silencing her. She stepped back once more, looking deeply into his glazed over eyes. “Three ponies ‘ave gon’ missin’ without a trace in th’ last few months. Ya’ll be th’ same if ya ain’t careful.” His accent was piling the warnings on thick. Made alarm bells in her head ring. Luckily, the money she was going to get by the end of this made her growl back. “Alright if you’re done, I’m gonna go back outside now.” She went to step around him, however he stepped to the side, directly into her path. “Get. Out. Of. My. Way.” she growled, leaning in. Her narrowed eyes and pissed-off face was mere inches from his. He looked at her, keeping the same rugged expression, even as she snorted, sending steam into his face. The two remained that way for a solid few seconds. The silence between them was tense. However, before anything else could happen, her ears flicked back, hearing several hoofsteps approaching. “Galleon. Leave her alone,” a deep, old voice rang out, making Raindrops turn. Her gaze was met with a deep gray coated pony. He was the captain of the ship, as evident by his hat and uniform. A smaller, more trimmed beard lined his face. The older stallion growled at the captain for a moment, before finally stepping aside, moving past the other two and trotting deep into the bowels of the ship. Before he was fully out of sight, he turned over his shoulder and growled, “Don’ say I didn’ warn ya’!” With his warning stated, he was gone. “What’s wrong with him? He’s a total weirdo!” growled Raindrops, however the Captain’s gaze was immediately turned to her. “Do not insult any of my crew,” he said sternly. “I understand Galleon can be quite the hoofful, however he is a hard worker. He’s just got… issues.” “Right… Like saying other ponies went missing here,” the mare replied, rolling her eyes. The captain looked at her with a raised brow, “You’re unaware?” “Unaware of what?” her tone immediately dropping to one of worry. “Well, he isn’t wrong about a few ponies going missing up here. However, those incidents were a good few moons back; I still figured the weather control squad or whoever’s in charge would’ve still let you know,” he replied. “Oh noooo… Nope nope nope!” the mare said, taking a few steps back. “I wasn’t told jack or diddly, and I am not going to fall for some elaborate ‘welcome to this super spooky middle-of-nowhere island’ crap for the next few months, no thank you!” The captain remained stone-faced, raising a brow, “You think I would cause my passengers distress for my own amusement?” Raindrops went to speak, however her voice trailed off, “I… well… I mean I did just meet you… Sorta.” “Right,” he said, still deadpanning the mare. “If you think all I’m here to do is pull pranks, then feel free to leave.” He then turned tail, trotting away with a “hmph.” However, before he’d even made it a few steps down the hallway, the quick pegasus flew over, immediately plopping herself down in front of him. “I think we got off on the wrong hoof,” she nervously chuckled. “Can you uh… please tell me more about what kind of totally not pony-eating threats are out here? Please?” He sighed, “Pony-eating sea monsters won’t be your worry thanks to the island. The real issue is the storm and the floods, those are more than likely what got—” “They told me what to do in case of flooding, at my training I mean!” she interrupted, giving a frantic nod. “I just—th-there’s no giant evil monsters out here, right? I’d be alright if that’s the case!” “Then you oughta be fine,” he nodded, giving a small chuckle as his tone became one of an almost fatherly warmless. “Look, I know staying out on the edge of society is a terrifying thought, especially for a child such as yourself.” She nearly huffed at being called a ‘child’ but let him continue. “But in truth, as long as you respect nature, out here where the weather can’t be controlled by pegasi twenty-four-seven, then you should be alright,” he assured. “But what if—” He cut her off by raising a forehoof. She silenced herself as he reached into his saddlebag, saying, “I assure only the utmost quality for my passengers and crew. If you are worried about safety, then take this.” He suddenly pulled out a sheathed knife. It was long, easily longer than her hoof. She flinched back at the reveal of the weapon. “Here,” he offered, holding the blade out. The sheath itself even had an adjustable strap, easy to wrap around her waist or barrel. “Free of charge.” “A-are you sure?” she asked hesitantly. “You’re the one worried about ‘vicious pony-eating monsters,' so you might as well take this to defend yourself if needed,” he said, moving it closer to the mare. After looking it over for a few seconds, Sunshower Raindrops sighed, nodded to herself, and then reached out a wing, grabbing the blade off of him and tucking it into her saddlebags, “Thanks, cap.” “You should be thanking the ocean, it let us get here in the first place,” he said, finally turning away and leaving the mare alone with her thoughts… For about five whole seconds. “Rookie!” she heard the muffled voice from above deck. “Crap!” Immediately the mare rushed away. The island itself had a small dirt path on it, leading to the lighthouse and a small wooden cabin (now visible due to her being on the island itself) several dozen hooves away from the base of said tower-sized structure. There was also an even smaller storage shed a little bit further away from the cabin itself. Those three buildings were the only trace of ponykind on the islet. A few rocks along Raindrops’ path crunched beneath her hooves. She was trotting along behind her superior at the moment, listening carefully as the older mare prattled on about things the yellow pegasus had learned in training. “Now rookie, I’m legally required to give you one last warning,” her superior said, turning to her. “No going back after this. Are you sure you can withstand it here for a few weeks?” A slightly cocky look crossed Raindrops’ face. Despite this newfound “confidence,” her voice stuttered a bit, “I al-already—ahem—signed the papers, didn’t I?” “If that’s a yes, then let’s speed this up,” the older mare said, quickly trotting towards the living quarters. “Now, let me introduce you to your partner.” “Partner?” questioned Raindrops, with her speeding up her pace to match her superior’s. “I thought you said I’d be working alone.” “I said you might be working alone… six weeks ago, when you first signed up,” the older mare chuckled, “Since then, things have changed.” Raindrops inadvertently held her mouth open in surprise, “And you decided to not tell me?” “Figured it’d be a way of keeping you on your tippy hooves. Gotta expect the unexpected. Besides, he doesn’t bite… as far as I know,” the older mare teased as the duo reached the house. Without further delay, the red pegasus opened the door, letting Raindrops look inside. She could see the warm interior of the small building. There were two small, dinky looking beds on either corner of the room. As her eyes continued to scan, she saw an entire wall’s worth of weather-monitoring radar gear on the far side of the lodging. There weren’t any lanterns on, with the interior being illuminated only by a singular window which had its thick, wooden shutters cracked open, letting in the sun’s rays. Though none of those features were really the standout of the small cabin. What was the standout was directly in front of her; that being her partner in question. He was seated behind a desk, writing in a small bound notebook, being a broad looking pegasus stallion, whose fur coloration was a deep purple. His wings were tightly bound against his back, almost seeming tense, strangely enough. “Swift, here’s your partner!” the older mare belted out at him. He nodded, barely looking up from his notes as he continued scribbling. The superior merely shrugged, turning to her fellow mare, “Alright, with you two introduced, my job’s done.” “Y-you’re gonna be back in five weeks, right?” asked Sunshower Raindrops. “Yeah newbie. We stick to our schedule here,” her superior answered, already trotting away. “Now I’ve gotta skedaddle, rain’s gonna be coming in tonight and I wanna get as much distance from the storm tonight as possible.” “R-right…” Raindrops nodded, watching as the mare left. She stared nervously at her as she trekked all the way down the path and back to the docks. “Are you going to come in or are you just gonna stand there with the door wide open all month?” growled the stallion behind her, finally looking up from his notes. A gust of wind flew in, making him have to hold them down with his freehoof. The mare turned on a dime towards him, a small blush of embarrassment on her face as she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “S-sorry!” “Whatever,” he sighed, going right back to writing. She stared at him in nervous silence for a few seconds as he continued typing. After a little longer, he sat down his pencil and walked over to a magically powered minifridge sitting in the corner. He pulled out a small bottle of water and chugged half of it before going right back to his desk. The yellow pegasus remained staring at the stallion for a few more seconds, finally forming what to say, “So… you’re Swift, right?” “Mhm.” “I’m Sunshower Raindrops… J-just Raindrops is fine,” she explained. She was too far away to offer a forehoof for him to bump, so she simply remained still. “I’m Swift Wind… Swift is fine,” he said, focusing on the mare fully, “...Or Wind. Or Wind which is Swift.” The yellow mare gave a soft chuckle at his strange, almost monotone tone saying something so goofy with such a straight face. She lightened up a tad, “You ever done one of these weather control jobs before, Swift?” “No,” he said, his eyes going back down to the notes. “You ever work as a guard?” she added. “No. I prefer to lay low than to deal with excessive black tape and obnoxious superiors,” he said with a glowering expression. “I hear ya! When I worked on the Ponyville Weather Team, you wouldn’t believe the amount of idiots I had to deal with!” she said with a snicker, before putting on a faux-gruff voice, “‘Destroy this cumulonimbus!’ ‘Put this cloud there—no, there!’ ‘You’re a waste of feathers you stupid—’” He cut her off with a slightly cold voice, “I assume that is why you’re here; out on the edge of society?” “Y-yeah…” she said, her tone softening as she looked down, eyeing up the flooring. “I’ve just been feeling—... out of it, I guess? I wanted to go out and do something different than the same old thing, you know?” “Mhm,” he mumbled, adding more to his notes. She narrowed his eyes at his lack of care, her tone becoming fiery, “Are you just gonna be Mr. Stoneface to me the entire time I’m here!? I’m trying to open up and be your friend!” He gave a deep sigh, closing his notebook for once. His eyes peered into hers, with the mare feeling a faint chill up her spine, “Listen, I am not here to make friends, alright? Everyone back where you’re from might want to sit down and talk about sharing and how nice they are. But where I’m from, you do your job and shut your mouth. I am here to do my very important job and keep my mouth shut. Understand?” Her eyes remained narrowed at him, however after a few seconds, she sighed, turning away, “Sorry… you’re probably right.” “If it makes you feel any better, know this job is of utmost importance to Equestria,” the stallion said. His tone was stern but slightly less antagonistic than it had been. “I do what I do to keep everyone safe.” “Right,” Raindrops nodded. “Anything you need help on at the moment then?” “No. I already did all of the scans and we’re getting nothing but a moderate thunderstorm which will dissipate before it reaches the mainland,” he said, calm and calculating. “I’ll scan once more tomorrow night, and then the night after.” “Wait, you don’t want me handling the equipment?” she protested, “That’s like… eighty percent of what I was trained for!” He raised a forehoof, “I’ve got it covered, Raindrops. Don’t concern yourself any more than you need to.” “Well that’s no fun,” she huffed. He deadpanned at her, “You’re getting paid to sit there and do nothing.” “You do have a point… I’m gonna get some rest,” she sighed, trotting over placing her saddlebags under one of the beds. “Yes, I believe that would be for the best,” the deep purple stallion nodded, getting up to go check the radar equipment. Raindrops sighed as she heard him fiddle with the machinery, with a strange sounding morse code ringing out. She laid down onto her bed, and onto her side, partly stuffing her large, moderately fluffy pillow over her ears so she didn’t have to listen to anything else. Soon, the mare managed to drift off to a not-so-restful sleep… A few days later Raindrops stared out at the coast, looking over the swishing waves as she leaned against a large, water-slickened rock. She could see a storm far out in the distance, easily several miles out. The collection of clouds were thundering and flashing with lightning. It was a strange sensation, seeing weather the pegasi herself hadn’t created. Made her feel small and insignificant in the face of such vast, natural power. Her mind vaguely flashed with reminders of flooding and the fact several other ponies had gone missing here. Even if it was a few years back, the thought made her skin crawl. The wind picked up, and her mane billowed in it, her eyes squinting as she turned away from the sea, blinking a few times to clear her vision. She saw the cabin door open up, with Swift Wind soon exiting. She gave a small sigh. He was as cold to her now as he had been on the first week, giving her little in the way of warmth or comfort. As she watched him, her brow raised as she spotted him rushing over to the storage shed. She flittered her wings and quickly took to the air, her mane billowing further as she flew over to the shed within a few seconds. As she landed, the stallion stepped out of the shed with several large, filled sandbags on his back. She approached, finally speaking, “What are you doing?” He turned to her, his face one of shock as he nearly dropped his bags. However, he managed to quickly right himself and growled at her, his expression morphing to annoyance. “The storm cell I picked up this morning appears to have grown in the past few hours,” he huffed, walking back towards the cabin. “If you want to make yourself useful, help me place these sandbags against the interior walls; they help prevent any flooding or leaks.” “We’re gonna hole ourselves up and you didn’t grab any food in case it gets worse?” she questioned, raising a brow. “It’ll only be for a night,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes as he continued advancing towards the cabin. “Now enough chatter, you either help me or stay out of the way.” Raindrops shrugged, quickly advancing into the shed. She herself made sure to grab a rucksack’s worth of canned fruits, veggies, and water. She dashed back to the small house, using her wings to help speed herself up. As she entered, she could see her stallion partner setting up the bags along the walls, even moving the storm-monitoring equipment outwards so he could shove sandbags behind them. She sat the food and water on her bed, and then dashed out again, quickly going to the shed to grab more bags. They were heavy, but surely that was a good thing. It’d meant they’d help stall the water and prevent any leaks! The next hour was nothing but her and him grabbing and hauling bags. The wind picked up even more by this point, and before long, the rain itself had started, spraying the two as they hauled another load of sacks back to the cabin. The waves were getting fierce, splattering harshly on the rocky beachside. As the hours continued to pass, they grew larger and angrier, whirling about and spraying the island with saltwater. Raindrops pelted down onto the rocky islet like hail, hitting the roof with a tap tap tap! sound. Inside, Swift Wind was looking over his notes, same as ever. Raindrops had taken much worse to the situation, munching on a chocolate bar she’d found in the supply shed. The mare continued stress eating as she occasionally looked around the interior for any signs of leaking or water damage, with smears of chocolate on her lips the entire time. The singular window of the house was shuttered, however the mare herself soon walked over to it, wanting to peak outside, to observe the fury of nature’s wrathful storm. “Clean yourself up, you look ridiculous,” the stallion growled, glancing up from his notes for only a brief few seconds. “Inamminute,” she replied, before swallowing the candy clinging to the inside of her mouth. She’d been so utterly focused on listening to (and soon enough, viewing) the rain, she’d lost track of her sugary treat. The mare grabbed a rag from inside a small drawer nearby, wiped her mouth with it and then pulled a chair over to the window. She took a seat and slowly unlatched the shutter before opening it, revealing the thick glass separating her from the outside. Raindrops (of the water, not the pony, variety) slammed into the glass as she stared wide-eyed. She could see the lighthouse from her vantage. Still was a couple dozen hooves out, around fifty or more away from the small cabin. As she continued to gaze outside, she noticed the illuminating beam seemed dimmer than it had been the night before. “Hey Swift… I think the lamp’s running out of fuel,” she said, turning to look at the stallion. He only sighed in response, “And what would you like me to do about it?” “The lighthouse can be the difference between life and… well, the other thing for a lot of ponies!” she argued. “If a few ships go under, they deserve it for sailing in this weather,” the stallion scoffed. She narrowed her eyes, growling in annoyance, “You said this storm came out of nowhere! What if a few ponies got caught up in it out there!” “I’m not the one who’s in the storm, now am I?” he replied, writing down some more notes without a care in the world for anypony other than himself. “You know what, you can plop your lazy flank in that chair all season! I am gonna go out there and actually try to keep a few ponies safe!” she hissed, trotting over to the door, before moving several sandbags out of the way and unlatching it. “I’m going to lock it when you leave, knock three times if you make it back,” he said coldly, leaning back in his chair. She couldn’t be sure but… was he faintly smiling? The mare shook it off, seeing him for nothing but a stone-faced lay about. She didn’t verbally berate him any further, instead quickly opening the hefty wooden door and exiting out of the sturdy cabin. The door soon slammed shut behind her, and she heard it latch closed. Raindrops only growled, advancing through the—raindrops… Headlessly she continued on, towards the small shack. While it was only about forty paces away, the wind really hammered her hard. She lacked a raincoat, so all she could do was hunker down as she advanced, thinking about all the ponies she might save if she pulled this off! Those thoughts drove her hooves forwards across the craggy, wet ground, with her grunting in effort at each step. Even with her determination, the kerosine lamp in the lighthouse seemed to be giving way, as it dimmed. Her path faded with it, making the mare have to go towards the shack via memory over sight now. A walk that usually took five seconds tops had been stretched out to five minutes, though it felt like longer for the poor pegasus. As she reached the building, she shot out a forehoof, quickly knocking the door open and letting her tumble inside of the shack. She laid down on the concrete flooring of the tiny structure; its cold wetness was a million times better than the hellscape waiting for her outside. She took a few deep breaths, stumbling back up to her hooves as she looked around. In the corner of the room she saw a large metal fuel canister. Bingo. Raindrops grabbed it with her wings, holding it steady on her back as she mentally prepared herself for the trek ahead. After taking a few deep breaths, she flung open the door. Wind and rain battered her face again, however the extra weight seemed to help her out a bit, as she was able to trek forwards at a slower, yet steadier pace. As she advanced towards the lighthouse, she soon faintly spotted something out in the distance, past the beach. The light up above was dimming even further now, so she couldn’t make out exactly what was in the water. To the mare, it just looked like a few big rocks… Wait, were they moving? She squinted her eyes in the darkness as the large, jutting, spiky rocks seemed to move closer to the island. Wait—Was it merely a weirdly shaped ship? No. It would’ve been more rounded if it was. It had to be a bunch of rocks—big ones at that;easily over several dozen hooves high… Raindrops took a step back. The light above her fully died, leaving her enveloped in pitch blackness. She couldn’t even see her way back to the cabin now. She might be able to find her way but she felt lost. Utterly and completely alone as the rocks—grew? No. Not grow. They were rising. They rose up and up and… up. “Oh Celestia,” she managed. She hoped it was some big patch of coral or a gigantic mass of seaweed or something which had come undone from the seabed. Surely it was just that, right? There was no way some big, pony-eating… sea monster had come, right to her isl— THUMP! The ground below her quaked, and she dropped the fuel to the lamp. Lightning began to pick up, going from the occasional flashes in the distance to heated electrical blasts that rained down closer and closer to the island. The sound of thunder roared as the storm itself seemed to worsen at the loud, earth-shaking sound. THUMP! Raindrops fell down now, ducking and covering her head almost like a terrified filly. Her wet yellow coat was muddied immediately, however the grime didn’t matter in the slightest as she put her hooves above her head, as if an attempt to act as cover. While she initially wanted to shut her eyes, she couldn’t help but stare out at the growing mass. Lightning flashed, illuminating the figure. She saw claws and teeth and spikes, big, powerful legs. It was so utterly gargantuan she felt as if it could sink the whole island with its mass. Waves slammed into its knees, breaking against its titanic body as it took another advancing step. THUMP! She shivered, more from the utter panic she was in than the cold, frigid rain. Her eyes were wide and staring at the beast, with fight or flight trying to kick in and uselessly being tossed aside for the frozen with fear tactic. She felt tears welling in her eyes as the massive, bulky behemoth continued stepping. Each thunderous impact with the craggy ground shook the entire islet. The beast seemed to ignore her. Likely didn’t see her in the darkness. She held her breath to make sure. Maybe it would just walk over the island and continue on and she’d go home tomorrow and never ever see this horrific creature agai— The lighthouse flashed on, illuminating the surroundings entirely. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull as she saw the monster in all of his detail. He was titanic, easily close to three-hundred hooves tall! Her mind could hardly focused, only imprinting the important details on the poor pegasus: Durable looking scales which could endure cannonfire adorned his entire body. Massive, jagged spikes that could slice apart a building ran along his back. And a long, swishing tail drug along the ground behind him. He jerked his head towards the lighthouse, letting her get a glimpse of his face. He had a long snout packed with a row of sharp teeth. His terrifying visage was complete with a snarling expression, his eyes narrowing in annoyance and anger at the sudden brightness. He reared up and then let loose a deep, powerful— SSSSKKKKKRRRREEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNKKKKKK!!! He turned, swinging his gargantuan tail like a whip at the lighthouse that dared to challenge him. KA-RAACK! It snapped apart like a twig attempting to stave off a rushing rhino, giving way and shattering into hundreds and hundreds of small pieces of scrap and broken wood. Raindrops didn’t even hear any of it though. Her ears were pressing against her skull, a ringing sensation in them. Her eyes blurred and as she stared up at the large creature, she felt her body simply give out. Her vision faded, and she drifted away, passing out either from shock or the temperature, or the loudness of the beast’s roar. The last thing she saw before everything went dark was his goliath frame, moving fully to the other side of the island and ducking into the waves… ??? Her eyes snapped open, only to immediately shut as the blinding rays of the sun entered her retinas. Growling, Raindrops raised a forehoof as she looked around. She was back in the cabin and drier than ever. As she sat up, she soon realized there was nopony else in the building with her. Briefly, she considered if what had happened last night was even real, debating whether or not it was some overly-extended dream. The door creaked open, and the mare bundled herself up into the sheets as she instinctively backed away from the noise. She was only greeted with the sight of Swift Wind entering, followed by her red-furred superior. Her ears flicked, tuning into their conversation. “—the damages to the lighthouse should be repaired within the next few months with your crew here,” she heard Swift Wind say. “After that, everything can go back to normal.” The red pegasus mare turned her attention to Raindrops, “You alright rookie? Swift Wind here told us what happened.” “Oh thank Celestia!” the yellow mare sighed, “I guess he told you all about the giant monster tha—” “Giant monster?” the oldest of the trio interrupted, looking over to the stallion. “It was likely a delusion on her part. I did warn her that rushing out into the rain was a bad idea. I couldn’t follow, had to take care of the equipment and such,” he explained slyly, making the superior nod. “Why you stupid flank-faced bas—” “Okay cool it, newbie, I don’t need you two to be friends, but I am not listening to an argument right now,” the mare said sternly, making Raindrops immediately drop her angered shouts into a grumble. “Now we don’t have any track record of any monster; you better start explaining.” The mare sighed, before coughing, rubbing her lips with a forehoof, “There was this super big sea dragon thing! It had two legs and massive spikes. It walked right over the island and smashed the lighthouse with its tail—ripped through it like it was plywood!” “We haven’t seen any signs of a dragon, Raindrops,” the older mare replied, her face softening. “No scales, no footprints, jack.” “I must assume even if she did see something, it was a delusion or exaggerated, thanks to the storm,” Swift Wind chimed in. “But it was REAL! I saw it!” the mare exclaimed. The older of the two raised her forehoof, silencing Raindrops, “And maybe you did, kid. We can’t just go out hunting for it though. Not when our resources are needed fixing the tower.” “Perhaps you could escort her home? I’d hate for her to contract hypothermia or worse after enduring the rain,” Swift Wind offered, concerned in his voice. “Why, it’d be enough to make anyone sick.” “That’s her call,” the older mare hissed at him, before turning her gaze back to Raindrops. “I’ll leave it up to you newbie. Nopony’s gonna judge you if you wanna go back home. Not much to do here without the lighthouse anyways. Swift can keep the equipment running.” Sunshower sighed, looking down at the crumpled-up sheet that was partly draped over her. She blinked a few times in thought, before her eyes began to scan the room. Ponyville would be at least a bit better. Could grab some carrot soup with Top and a few drinks with Berry. Maybe they would at least believe her— She saw her saddlebags off in the corner, opened and with her sheathed knife partly sticking out... Wait. Maybe her friends would help her? Maybe she could even get a meeting with Twilight or somepony who could do something about this big evil seabeast! Maybe she could even help them bring it down! The thought filled her chest with a deep, warming sensation. Felt good, like whenever she busted up a big patch of clouds or participated in the Winter Wrap Up! That was it! She’d save Equestria by killing that monster! Raindrops remained silent, hopping out of her bed to trot over and grab her saddlebags, snapping them shut and tugging them tightly over her barrel. With that done, she looked up with determination, a fire in her eyes, “I’m going home.” Her superior nodded, and Raindrops was so engrossed with the idea, she didn’t even mind when Swift Wind silently snickered, before hiding it immediately.
