Chapter 23
“I am not just any monster, Hope. I am king of the monsters!”
— King Sombra
Trotsylvania
Outpost Castle
The third Discord had his work cut out for him. What should have been a mildly simple mission had devolved into a panicked state of shock, nausea, and confusion. He felt a chill rush up and down his body as the crystals within the catacombs of the ancient castle grounds began to shudder. Began to violently glow.
A dark, cold knife stabbed into his heart the moment he felt the blast from several hundred miles away. Like the wind was just knocked out of him, his chaotic power nullifying for but a mere moment. In that moment, the clone of Discord gazed rapidly to the origin of the dark presence, the expulsion of unnatural, dangerous magic from so very far away.
In that mere moment, his chaos magic was taken from him and the remaining crystals around him exploded.
All at once.
All in a fiery, thunderous, tremendous blast of dark magic.
The clone was vaporized instantaneously, leaving nothing—not even ash—as the dark power broke through the earth and made its presence known to all the world. In the falling light of the evening sun, the quaint city of Trotsylvania tremored and nearly collapsed in on itself from the sheer power of the explosion. The populace all screamed, all reached for something to grab, all nearly fell to the cobblestone streets before twisting their heads and their eyes and their attention to the source.
The great mound which held the ancient, forsaken castle of legends long forgotten erupted. Each tower of the black castle trembled as the ground beneath them gave way to the dark magic, slowly falling in a horrific avalanche down the mountain and towards the helpless town. Already, ponies began their fleeing retreat, screaming into the sky as the terrifying boulders fell down the mound in a dust cloud of epic proportions.
Only, their fear did not cease.
It only grew. So, so unbelievably large.
The very same moment a hellish screech broke out through the air, the entire town of Trotsylvania froze. Every last stallion, mare, colt, and filly alike. Every last action trapped in a single, precious second of time.
And in that second, they allowed the screech to cry and spread throughout all the land, let it permeate in the skies until their curiosity overcame their fears. Just this once. For what they had heard sounded nothing like an avalanche. It sounded like no explosion they had ever heard before. Slowly, steadily, families and loved ones clutched onto each other as one after another turned around back to the mountain. They all stared onto the remains of the dark castle.
The mound faced the entire city, the dust cloud falling slower and slower. The rocks struck just the edges of the town before silence finally settled. The world became still. Every breath was held, every eye had turned, and every heart leaped when the castle fell apart.
By the rising, jagged horns.
By the emergence of the scarred, bone-white skull.
By the screech of Titanus Baphomet once the monster burst forth from the mound.
Panic and terror flooded the streets of Trotsylvania once more, the sheer shock of their situation adding to the frantic actions they took. They knew that Equus was home to many beasts, many creatures, and yes, many monsters. But never in their days had they ever witnessed a creature of such magnitude and size, of such ferocity and power. Carriages careened as the ponies pulling them galloped for their lives, as families picked up their children and loved ones and fled the streets.
For just as they did so, the Titan planted his black, lengthy claws upon the side of the mound and cried. It gave that nightmarish screech once more to all the earth. It pried itself out of the mound and ripped chunks of solid earth from their foundations, shattering the skies with raining rock, dirt, and mountain upon the unfortunate city beneath it.
Collapsing forward after prying himself free, Baphomet planted his claws upon the nearest towers and crumbled them by his weight alone. Doing everything to rise up, to hold steady, the Titan breathed in and exhausted his sulfurous, acid breath into the atmosphere. His eyes were closed, the beast resting momentarily, as his mind was battling with itself.
The creature’s shaggy black fur hung from his body in a drenched fashion, each limb long and slender, from his needle-like talons to his goat-like hooves. All was black save for his head, which resembled a dull, white skull with great antlers upon it. The antlers were even duller than the skull, darker in shade and holding several dozen scars and bloody indents.
At last, Baphomet’s eyes flared open.
His usual amber, goat-like eyes were instead infected by the dark power of King Sombra.
Then, he turned to the sound of the king’s call and screeched at it, plowing through the city to follow it.
Badlands
Outpost Boneyard
The T.I.T.A.N. facility was in ruins, burned to a crisp with billows of smoke and flame raging out of the mountain cluster. Then, from the fires of hell came the shadow of a mighty claw. A claw that crashed upon the side of the mountain and dug its talons into the rock itself, cracking the stone by strength alone.
And from the smoke and embers, emerging from the fires… and slithering its way into the air, the serpent hissed and flicked its black, forked tongue. Then, another serpent emerged. A third rose up. A fourth. Five. Six in all that slithered and hissed and bared their dual fangs at one another, shaking their heads to awaken, and turning their attention to the center head. To the great dragon arising from its rest.
The night welcomed the return of Titanus Typhon after a long slumber. Sixty years of it.
With jagged horns dotting his red, armor-like skin and hide, each spine slowly arose from his back and sharpened to a blade-like point. The seventh and final head was mightier and larger than the smaller, meager serpents surrounding him, acting truly as the only sole head upon the Titan. His serpents were extensions of his will, extensions of his power and terror. They were not equal to him and therefore did not deserve to serve as a head upon the body. His tail extended several sharpened daggers as it waved back and forth in the air behind him.
With a sudden, laborious lurch forward, Typhon cried out as the mountain collapsed and he struck the solid, dead earth below. Having no legs of his own, the Titan’s body slithered like that of his smaller serpents, each creature hissing and snapping at one another in sudden agitation. Typhon growled to put them in check, each serpent cowering and bowing their heads to the dragon.
Slowly turning in the direction of the cry, Typhon bared his rows and rows of razor teeth as a tremoring growl built at the bottom of his stomach. Rising up to form the earth-shattering, sky-tearing roar of the gargantuan legend finally returning to Equestria. But his will was not to extend his influence to the world around him. He did not wish to lay his new domain as he tried once before.
His eyes were overwhelmed by the influence of the shadow king, and by extending his wings and unfurling his power, Typhon took flight and followed the call.
Hailberg
Outpost Woodland
Titanus Amhuluk shrieked and tore himself out of the earth, out of the hold of the decimated outpost, and crashed upon the frozen forest beneath him with thunderous force.
Ice and snow fell from the hunks of earth Amhuluk threw around so effortlessly, striking the forest and crushing entire sections of trees. All the earth tremored upon his descent and crash landing, spewing up a mountain of frost and dust. Creatures both large and small fled from the eruption, took to the skies if they could and galloped freely from the rise of such a beast. Trees were severed in half by a mere slash of his limb. Each swing reached further and further, taking with it several more trees.
Amhuluk cried and slammed his claws upon the snow. Jaws agape, eyes wide and awake, the Titan howled and slashed at the forest floor again and again. In the distance, the kingdom of Hailberg watched the disturbance unfold from their balconies, from their safe haven, and held their breaths in pure shock and awe at such a beast.
Four, trunk-like legs and two extensive arms were thrown about as the Titan thrashed ruthlessly. Amhuluk’s body was unlike anything the moose of Hailberg had ever seen, being black in coloration with ten, pupilless eyes that normally glowed yellow, but now shone a bright green with purple mists. Four tendrils flowed from his face and down his back. His forelimbs were loose, more vine-like in appearance with four bladed claws in each hand. His teeth held a tongue flicking and flying, a bony-spike jutted out from the end. Blue veins pulsated all across his body, even down his back and upon the tree-like structures bursting forth, even down his spine.
Everything the monster touched was ripped to shreds, and the moose could do absolutely nothing but watch. Their weapons were not enough. Their leaders were gone. All they could offer was their horror to see the beast acting in such a way. He rolled and thrashed like a screaming, crying infant having a tantrum.
Instead, his agonies originated from something much greater, much darker, than a mere hissy fit.
And after several moments of confronting it, of battling it, and eventually falling to it, Amhuluk finally laid in a settled state. One eye after the other fell, and all the yellow was replaced with a bright emerald, violet mists trailing from each orb. Amhuluk slowly raised his head, and in the light of the early morning, heard the cry.
He responded.
His body morphed as he replied to answer the call, each claw reaching several hundred feet and yanking the Titan’s entire body forward. His feet did the same. All four of them. Each limb extending and pulling and bringing Amhuluk that much closer to his alpha.
Saddle Arabia
Outpost Dune
T.I.T.A.N. airships and Solar Bolts bombarded the strengthened hide of Titanus Sargon, but the meager bombs and worthless bullets did nothing but slightly irritate the great scorpion.
The morning sun showcased utter devastation in the sands outside of Saddle Arabia. Though the populace was spared the tremendous destruction of such a creature’s awakening, the earth itself bore the price. Flaming debris lay scattered across the dunes, with decimated airships and burning carcasses of Solar Bolts pockmarked across the trail.
Surrounding the trail of destruction Sargon left in his wake.
Even from miles away, the Saddle Arabians heard the tremor and rose from their beds to see the fires burning on the horizon of the morning sun. From the fires of the destroyed T.I.T.A.N. facility, the great, black pincers arose from the sands and gently closed. The tail and stinger of the mighty Titan grew higher and higher, eventually reaching a height so great that even the ponies of Saddle Arabia could see it, safe and sound in their little shred of paradise amidst a desert of unforgiving heat, wind, and death.
And, thankfully, they were safe and sound, instead forced to watch as T.I.T.A.N. agents and pilots lost their lives in a futile attempt to stop the beast. There was no stopping it. Each of its eight legs planted themselves into the sand and dragged the rest of the gargantuan monster across the sands. The arms and pincers were raised high to ward off the airships, the thick tail doing the same to swipe at the Solar Bolts.
Though it was all ultimately pointless. Sargon’s highly-armored skin would not be penetrated by such minimalistic explosives. He would not be stopped. He had his journey the very second the underground outpost erupted and the alpha cry filled the air.
Lifting his mighty head and standing tall upon four of his eight legs, Sargon turned his bright, emerald eyes to the source of the call as T.I.T.A.N. attacked him from above. Purple mists flowed from his gaze, the Titan roaring in response as he leveled back to the sand and raised his pincers to shield himself from the continued bombardment.
All while his stinger struck every last airship that dared to cross his journey.
San Palomino Desert
Outpost Mirage
There was a great earthquake deep below ground in the San Palomino Desert. The ponies trembled, their bodies shivering, their young crying as the near city of Somnambula experience the quake just as suddenly. Just as terrifyingly. And just as quickly…
And from the womb of a great mound of sand, Titanus Yamata no Orochi burst forth with a roaring cry, spewing sand and fire and debris across all the dunes. Across all the city. The very same city his seemingly-endless body fell upon.
Crashing into the city and sinking there, almost dormant in a sense, the Titan remained unmoving as the storm of dust flushed through the dark streets and consumed the houses and buildings. There was chaos and screams for a moment, and then silence flowed gently in the breeze. Ponies emerged from their hiding spaces, lifting their heads from behind their market stands, and stepping back out into the streets from the houses they had taken refuge in. A massive wave of curious—though obviously mortified—ponies steadily approached the destruction. Then just as suddenly, just as terrifyingly, and just as quickly, the earth moved.
It split.
And the Titan rose.
He lifted his neck slowly and steadily, causing a terrified uproar to fill the crowds and force them backwards. All while they gazed to the towering beast. His brown and tannish skin was armored along his back, with numerous, claw-like legs perfect for digging and burrowing into the ground. All of Somnambula paid witness to the titanic monstrosity arising above even the height of their pyramid.
They watched as it opened its circular jaws.
If they believed they were mortified before, the mere image of the monster was enough to leave them petrified, and worst of all, frozen where they stood. The creature held no eyes. He was blind. Green and purple veins pulsated across his lengthy, worm-like body. The jaws split apart. The teeth opened outwards and extended to allow the hellish, unholy serpents to spew from his mouth. But they were not serpents. They were also blind.
All eight mouths that spewed from his maw, out into the darkness of the night, opened their own jagged maws and released a bleating, shrieking scream. A high-pitched wail amplified eight times that made every last equine shield their ears to prevent losing their hearing. When the Titan was finished screaming, it was the ponies who screamed. They fled.
But the Titan did not give chase. All eight mouths slid back into the gaping jaws of the worm, the teeth closing quickly as Yamata no Orochi spun to the direction of his new and ripe interests.
Like a feeling he could not shake, like a feral instinct he could not overcome, he tunneled back into the ground, tearing through the city itself, ripping up chunks of entire landscapes and marketplaces before finally reaching the desert once more. Once more in the sands, Yamata no Orochi sped deep down to a sudden and shocking disappearance, with only one destination in mind.
Like the others, he answered the call. They answered the call of MUTO Prime, all five of their minds, spirits, and wills consumed solely… by Sombra.
These designs are fire! At first, I wasn't worried about Godzilla and Mothra's chances. Now, I am because Godzilla doesn't do so well when it's five on one. And as it stands right now, Godzilla and Mothra are severely outnumbered. So would Ghidorah and Rodan be interested in a team-up?
So here, Yamato no Orochi is more akin to a Grabloid from Tremors? Nice interpretation.
“And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”
--- Revelation chapter 6, verse 8
The Usurper King called out to the Titans, and the Titans did answer. Fear is his weapon, and Death is his decree. The End of the world is nigh, and none can stop the apocalypse war from happening.
None...but the One True King.
Godzilla, your rule has been challenged. Show this upstart Sombra how a REAL king acts.
Ghidorah isn’t going to like this since only he can be the usurper. Might see a fight between Titans controlled by Ghidorah can ones controlled by Sombra.
Well Celestia's and Luna's plan to protect the status quo is well and truly gone now.
Okay hate to say it.....we need Kong.
...holy hell, well this is a new everything's all gone wrong record isn't it?
(Side note, I love the new designs, they are *fire!*)
10817406
The world needs him.
Well... shit.
All those Titans are truly & terrifyingly awesome! Everyone’s about to get their asses pulverized.
My only gripe is not getting to see all of Orochi’s body.
10817416
The rest of his body looks like a centipede
Like this one
https://www.deviantart.com/biozolrak97/art/Titanus-Yamata-No-Orochi-846381340
10817445
Thank you, helps a ton!
Great work BTW.
They have heard their master's call...
Dang, things went from bad to worse…
I still don’t think Sombra would be able to contend with Ghidorah, that guy is like Sauron, in that “he does not like to share power”. Plus, Ghidorah’s psychic powers far outstrip Sombra’s magic, to a point that the minute Sombra tries to overthrow Ghidorah, the psycho will simply tear Sombra’s mind apart like tissue paper. Muto Prime is strong, but Ghidorah is clearly stronger…
10817306 Dude, Ghidorah and Godzilla have a serious grudge match, an unrelenting hatred for each other, that they would NEVER team up for anything. Their rivalry is one of the few in the history of fiction that they never teamed up even once for a brief second. They’re the antithesis of each other.
Oh, great. Now you're giving me Okami flashbacks.
10817406
We're gonna need a lot more than just Kong.
Things are about to get real messy, I'm on the edge of my seat here *shaking like pinkie pie*
Well shit....
GODZILLA HELP!
10817306 I wouldn't particularly say a team-up between Ghidorah and Rodan. More like... a separate kingdom.
10817308 It was Shrek's idea!
10817316 Terrifying how much that verse fits with this chapter.
10817339 Might be setting something like that up...
10817398 Now a good chunk of the world knows the truth.
10817406 The world needs him (Bricklayer beat me to it XD)
10817409 You ain't seen nothing yet.
10817502 And now they shall follow him...
10817532 You're right. Ghidorah is clearly stronger. We'll see how well Sombra contends against him.
10817618 That, and Tremors.
10817644 Don't fall off just yet.
10818147 The king is coming to face his usurpers...
The Titans have awoken, and they answer their alpha’s call to arms.
Sombra has a new, practically unstoppable army now.
I’m going to assume that none of the other Titans that we saw in KOTM will be making an appearance?
Another outstanding chapter!
10817445
Incredible pics, man!
10818264 Hmmmm... never say never. We may just see even more Titans.
Glad to see references to the comics, even if those were decanonised due to Season 9.
"On every continent, the titans are triggering Earthquakes, Wildfires, Tsunamis... and disasters we don't even have names for yet. They're responding to his call. It's a Mass Awakening. "
Yes I did absolutely machup multiple sentences from the movie along with the song's title.
Glad you took the novel approach of having them shown rampaging where they awakened. Ghidorah must be jealous that he didn't get to do it himself. He's also probably gonna have a feeling of déjà-vu once he sees Typhoon.
That aside, I'm quite surprised at how you picture Yamato no Orochi, it's quite obvious that you needed something original given that Ghidorah and Typhoon already are kinda similar so a third Hydra would look weird but I'm pleasantly surprised with the take you chose, even if it loses some of its "mythical" appearance that the original concept had.
Only "complaint" is that no Mothra part to go with the song... But this can only mean that we're getting a full chapter focusing on the Kaijus we already knew of so I'm not complaining too much. Really curious as to how they'll react, especially Ghidorah given that there's now a second challenger to the throne he already wants to take for himself. Gojira is gonna have some work (even if, like I said in my last comment, Sombra is most likely gonna get massacred).
As for the art, they're all absolutely great, it's great to have designs for Kaijus that didn't have any in the movie absolute respect to the artist for making so many pieces for a single chapter !
10818354 That was decanonised?! Damn, I liked that comic. Oh well.
Yeah, Shrekzilla absolutely kicked ass in this chapter! A lot of these designs were inspired by some fan interpretations and concept art for the MonsterVerse, so a nice blend between each seemed like the right way to go. Glad you enjoyed them!
10818483
Well, the way it goes is that if a comics doesn't go against what the show establishes then it can be considered canon. And the Sombra comics go against lore because in them (don't watch if you haven't read the comics for anyone else reading this) he's basically redeemed and alive while in S9 he repapears as if he had never been resurected like in the comics and he's very much evil. So this means that they've basically been decanonised. Thankfully this doesn't apply to all comics.
10818483
Well, technically, yes it was "decononized", but I think it's possible to make every comic canon if you really want it. Some people (and I'm one of them) have a theory that the Sombra from season 9 was a clone, or a fake copy of the original Sombra made by Discord, and that the original Sombra was reformed like he was in the comics.
Well, that was terrific! So many behemoths, so many demons.
I can't see much hope for the people of equus, so let's at least have some for us:
"Man shall inherit the earth, for dread Lucifer – in his form most true – is but a horn'd man."
10818681 Hope always looks bleakest in our darkest hour. But all they need is a chance.
So Sombra has an army huh? Well if Godzilla can get the other Titans under control it might not be a big problem, but Ghidorah could also get others on his side.
I imagine if anything the ponies Rainbow beams would at least free the Titans from Sombra’s control and maybe even more. Granted if they just free them that solves one part of the problem, but at least these Titans won’t be United under the muto prime.
10819120 Rainbow lasers ftw
Emperor preserve us all...
(Props for the Kaiju designs! Shrek really knocked it out of the park!)
10819484 XD
10819656 He really did!
5 monsters under Sombra's control... this story is too good to end in his defeat and believe that the order will end when they beaten Sombra. I still think its the shifted balance of good and evil.
Gotta say, I sympathise with the Titans here. This is how my eyes look after reading Marville.
Sombra: "Obey your king!"
Kong: "Kong hears ya, Kong don't care"
This was another heart-pumping chapter from you, JD. ;)
Did Pony Dracula know there was a monster beneath his castle?
10937341
Probably not
I'm assuming that Sargon was inspired by Ts-eh-Go from Godzilla: The Series. However, did you know that there is another giant scorpion kaiju called Sasori who appeared in a Godzilla novel? That's right, Sasori is a giant scorpion that appeared in the book Godzilla Invades America , written by Scott Ciencin.
Sasori is able to fire bolts of electricity from his tail that are both accurate and powerful, as he is able to hit fighter jets in mid-air and knock Godzilla off his feet.
11184273 Fun facts! 👍
So, Baphomet is a swole wendigo?
11473844 basically lol
HOW THE HELL IS GODZILLA AND MOTHRA SUPPOSE TO FIGHT ALL OF THEM!!?
My God, there's so many of them, and they’re all under Sombra's control. For anyone who is a newbie with the Godzilla Kaiju this is a pretty interesting chapter to see an army of them. Beautiful art work.