Chapter 50
“Wherever the Titans go, life follows… They are the only thing that can reverse the destruction that we started. They are the only guarantee that life will carry on… but for that to happen, we must set them free.”
— Dr. Emma Russell
Ponyville, Equestria
Home of Lyra and Bon Bon
One Year Later
“Like this?”
“No, you need to reach back all the way. Until your hoof can grab the back of your opponent’s mane… Good… and now try and yank forward.”
“Kinda hard with a hoof!”
“And yet we perfected it. Now come on, try it again. That’s it… that’s it… Now, yank forward and almost roll yourself in the momentum! Like—!”
With a sudden jerking motion, Bon Bon found her world get thrown for a loop. Lyra yanked her forward, laid her out on the training mat beneath her, then proceeded to plant the bottom of her hind leg’s hoof over the mare’s chest. The fluidity and speed of the attack nearly knocked the wind out of Bon Bon, but her training dictated otherwise. She laid with her eyes wide, her breath stabilizing, and her hooves planted around the leg pressed firmly onto her.
And, of course, her smile couldn’t face anywhere else except onto her wife. Lyra smiled in return, practically breathless herself.
“Like that?” Lyra breathed with a smirk.
Bon Bon couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. She had to admit, it was an improvement. A damn fine improvement ever since Lyra decided to join up with T.I.T.A.N. a year back. The facility in Ponyville helped her, but it was really Bon Bon’s private training sessions where she excelled. Maybe being in a familiar location helped her ease into it. Maybe learning the ropes from someone she could trust was the defining factor.
Either way, training Lyra for T.I.T.A.N. was no simple task, but it soothed any and all lingering doubts that remained.
For one, it prepared Lyra for the new world they now lived in. Monsters were real, and they lived with ponykind. It was a stable peace, and one that could easily be thrown out of balance. That was the future of T.I.T.A.N.’s risks. That was what they were training for. With Lyra wishing to join the organization out of her own free will, Bon Bon felt it was her duty to prepare her for tomorrow, even if she herself felt like it was impossible to prepare for something as big as the Titans. But, better to be prepared and trained than not at all.
And besides, it brought work home for Bon Bon. It kept her close to the one she loved, doing what she loved, and where they both could experience it and grow together. Nothing more was hidden. Nothing needed to be concealed. They shared in the training, in that world, and understood the dangers and risks that came with it. It was a life they both agreed to, and one neither of them would change.
“Yeah…” Bon Bon congratulated and stood up. Lyra removed her leg for her to do so, helping her wife up to all four hooves. She saw Bon Bon crack her neck lightly, rolling her shoulder. “That’s looking… and feeling a lot better. Ow… heh.”
“Sorry, Bonny,” Lyra apologized, quickly beginning to gush. “But, okay, you gotta admit I’m looking pretty awesome, too! I mean, this jumpsuit—”
“Training gear,” Bon Bon corrected with an amused smile.
Looking over her black attire, Lyra blushed, but didn’t stop to correct her wording. “Just fits me almost too perfectly! It’s like I was born for this!”
Bon Bon chuckled, looking over her surroundings. Bringing work home was a hassle, but she had to admit… it was fun. It was an adventure, and one they both could be a part of. The training mat sat in the middle of the living room, other gear and tools for training recruits scattered throughout the room. Maybe throughout the house. Anything was hardly organized anymore, but that was the fun of it. Living on the edge, taking the necessary risks to prepare each other for what lied ahead. For whatever lied ahead. Bon Bon had her doubts, she had her fears, but she didn’t regret it.
She needed to know, too. “No regrets?” she asked Lyra.
Lyra shook her head, still holding her smile as she turned to face her. “No. No, I really feel like this is right way to go. It just feels… right, you know? Working with you, training with you, prepping for some Titan-related incident that’s bound to happen at some point… I can hardly wait!”
“Well, it’s almost been a year of relative peace. It’s definitely a waiting game. You’re not getting bored yet?”
“As if!” Lyra scoffed, waving her hoof. “Bon Bon, the Crystal Empire was the most excitement I’ve ever had!”
“You nearly died,” Bon Bon chuckled, shaking her head.
“That too!” Lyra clarified. “But it ain’t exciting unless it’s a life-or-death situation! Besides, that was when I was a newbie! Now, with all the training you’ve given me, normalizing myself with the life you live with T.I.T.A.N., I really think I’m ready to face whatever’s out there.”
It was difficult with the naïve innocence Lyra was still plagued by. Bon Bon would have thought she at least understood the dangers considering their endeavors in the Crystal Empire. She would have at least thought Lyra knew how dangerous it was when they battled Ghidorah. But no, you never really could keep a good mare down. She was brave—or foolish—and never really showed that side of her that Bon Bon constantly let slip time and time again when facing the Titans. Of course, she wasn’t as terrified of them now. Whatever fears she may have had died that night when she laid her hoof on Godzilla…
Old memories, some that made Bon Bon chuckle lightly. “You’re saying that now… and yet you have no idea how big my world really is.”
Lyra playfully punched her foreleg. “As long as I’m doing it with you… what do I need to worry?” she genuinely asked, enough to earn a genuine look of surprise from her wife.
“You really wanna do this with me, huh?”
“More than anything else,” Lyra told her, truly meaning it. Her grin practically brightened the room, the unicorn holding out her hoof to the window and the world beyond. “There’s gotta be more out there for us to do than being retired here in Ponyville. And yeah… I’m ready for whatever that is.”
She was pleasantly surprised to hear that. Thankful, as well. Feeling at ease to know Lyra held no lingering doubts like she did, that she was fully willing and ready to face the world as long as Bon Bon was with her. It gave her the confidence to believe in that as well, the courage to face another beautiful day in Ponyville and whatever tomorrow may have held.
Then came the inevitable sound that Bon Bon almost dreaded to hear.
A simple set of knocks on the door.
It could have been anything. Derpy delivering the mail, Octavia inviting them to her and Vinyl’s musical recital this Friday, or what Bon Bon felt it truly was. Call it an extra layer of instinct, one that slowly grew like a cancerous infection in her soul ever since she joined T.I.T.A.N. Together, they approached the front door and gently pulled it open.
To say she was simultaneously relieved and petrified to see Daring Do standing on their porch was an understatement. She didn’t do a good job at hiding either emotion.
“Daring Do?” Bon Bon questioned. Lyra practically beamed like a school filly, leaning and pulling onto Bon Bon in unhinged excitement. She seemed to know just like Bon Bon did, but reacted to it completely differently.
Pushing Lyra off of her, Bon Bon asked but already knew. “What’s going on?”
She seemed undercover, hiding beneath a hood and wearing a heavy set of shades over her eyes. Still, Daring Do displayed herself appropriately to an old colleague, and an old friend. She pulled down her hood and sighed, holding a soft smile. “Sorry to interrupt… Special Agent Bon Bon… Agent-in-Training Lyra, but something just came up. Well, a couple things, really,” Daring Do specified, reaching into her satchel.
“T.I.T.A.N. business?” Bon Bon asked, her eyes darting from the satchel and back up to Daring.
“Is it ever anything else now?” Daring said with a growing smirk. Lyra nearly squealed while Bon Bon gulped. She removed two folders from her satchel and handed them off to the two mares. “Word’s been traveling within the organization. We’re gathering agents, soldiers, scientists, as many as we can for the missions ahead. Wanted to deliver these to you two personally.”
Lyra opened her folder and read away while Bon Bon did the same with hers. The first words Bon Bon read on her document were “CLASSIFIED: OPERATION SKULL”. Her brow furrowed at the name, her eyes washing over the mission details. “What do we have here?” she mumbled aloud.
“The one you have, Lyra, is a recent phenomenon we’ve been looking into. Something a little familiar. Apparently… a giant egg has been discovered by King Thorax near the Changeling Empire. Story is still developing, but the changelings are watching over it. Keeping it safe. May be something worth looking into.”
Lyra’s mood seemed to die down at her folder, not finding the mission to be particularly… exciting. Not what she had hoped for. Daring Do’s next words were like a godsend. “Unless… you’re looking for something a little more exciting…”
The expression taking Lyra’s reaction was priceless, the unicorn turning to the pony beside her and reading over the folder all the same. Bon Bon jostled her bottom jaw around in thought, lifting the folder up for Daring Do to see.
“Operation Skull?” Bon Bon asked.
Daring Do slowly smiled. “T.I.T.A.N.’s been looking into multiple creatures moving to Black Skull Island. A mass exodus or migration pattern… or something else. Something bigger.”
Lyra lifted her curious eyes from the folder. “What do you mean… ‘bigger’?” she asked.
“Word of seismic readings sprouting from the island… or a rival alpha. Of course, it’s just an offer. By no means are either of you forced to take these tasks. Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were going to helm the mission to Black Skull Island anyway… but we could always use the backup.”
This was it. Exactly what she had been waiting for. An exciting mission that could delve into dangerous territory into uncharted lands. Titans were involved, and something bigger loomed on the horizon. That something was just waiting for their involvement, and Lyra practically begged when she turned to Bon Bon for her reaction.
Though it wasn’t something Bon Bon was hoping to hear that day, it was still a mission. It was still her home and her people that were at stake, that she swore to defend. Turning to meet Lyra’s reaction, Bon Bon bit her lip to see the exhilaration and enthusiasm practically glowing from her wife’s expression. It was enough to get a smile out of Bon Bon, and earn an eager grin out of Lyra. It wasn’t going to be easy, but neither one of them were willing to back down from the challenge.
And besides, how could she say no to that face?
The smiles were shared and each mare expressed their answer with a firm nod to one another. “We’ll take it,” Bon Bon said, snapping her folder closed while Lyra did the same with hers. They handed the classified documents back to Daring, the Pegasus taking each.
Daring grinned as she slipped them back into her satchel, the mare chuckling, “Excellent. Glad to have you both on board. Now then… which mission did you want first?”
The two turned back to one another, Lyra suggesting, “Black Skull Island just sounds ominous… but who’s to say if we’ve never even seen it?”
As if she would have picked anything else. Bon Bon shook her head with a chuckle, turning her smirk back to Daring Do, and Daring just loved to see that smile. Knowing exactly what it meant. Bon Bon fiercely nodded either way. And she had to admit, deep down… it felt good to be back.
“Let’s gear up and get evil.”
Sounds like the ponies are going to meet Kong soon...
The artwork looks cheesy, but that’s the point of it.
The epilogue will have three illustrations.
I'm going put this right here.
Operation: Skull. if that means what it think i means... All Hail the King.
Side note, am i the only one thinking that Lyra is acting real adorable right know? Plus the black suits she and Bon Bon are wearing in the artwork give me Black Widow vibes.
Mmmmmmmonke
bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/gvk-3.png
Exciting setups!
Why do I feel that the Transformers are about to file a complaint?
Well this time there are no humans both in Equestria and in the cheap knock-off human world Equestria that would build Mechagodzilla, like in the movie .
I smell sequels!
See, when you say it like that...
Wow, great job on Bon Bon and Lyra doing training and going to explore the world beyond. And looks like new adventure is coming when Daring Do brings in some news, and looks like a new adventure is about to bring, great work
"What is a King to a God?"
OOOHHHHHHHH YES, Skull Island, here we come woot woot XD
11141597
Well... One could argue that given how magic works, it's not out of the realm of possibility that they do create a 'Plan B' in case Godzilla goes down again (or in the case with Kong, territorial) and end up using the remains of the crystal empire for the material. As one could imagine the nations of the world have more favorable thoughts on having something that they could directly control instead of an act of nature.
Plus I can see this as being the chance for one of the villains to come back and possess the Mecha. Or god forbid it turns into Space Godzilla.
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11141508
Hey maybe you could have Godzilla vs Kong take place 10 years later?
11141506 Kong and so many others
11141514 Shockingly fits
11141528 Lyra is the cutest.
11141552 Monke
11141590 When did the Transformers say this again?
11141598 Oh, I smell sequels too
11141658 Thank you!
11141606
11141706 What indeed
11141854 Here we go!
11141882 A very interesting take. Let's see where it goes.
11142085 It's gonna be one year later.
11142202
Really? Cause I feel like the time skip should be 10 years in order for the advancements in technology to happen so “you know who” is able to create “you know what.” Just saying. Also GvK takes place 10 years after Godzilla first appeared.
11142202
Monke
As I called, sequel-teasing but some quality stuff here.
I hadn't exactly considered a time jump but it makes sense when you think about it, most of the movies technically have time jumps in them, it's just that they're related to IRL release dates so we don't notice it.
And would also look weird if they had that just after the Mass Awakening Incident (MAI sounds nice as an acronym, no ?) so makes double sense for the sequel to be set at least a year after.
I think that's valid for most people IRL. It's way easier to learn in a place and/or with someone you like, even if you don't like the topic. So morale of the story: listen to the indirect advice given by the story about magical talking ponies that live with Kaiju.
Careful what you say, Lyra. You're not in the right universe to be calling those things jumpsuits, lest you want nuclear fallout caused by Zebras to fall upon you.
Why would anyone have regrets working in a job that could mean studying and even seeing Kaiju ? Especially since she evidently didn't get PTSD from the whole MAI there's probably nothing that could stop her from loving that branch of work. Besides, the pay must be hella good.
That's the spirit ! Being afraid of death is for wusses ! Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any possible injury or death related in any way, shape or form to my statement.
Of bloody course she wasn't, lady smiled at what is basically death incarnate. If anyone wouldn't be afraid of Kaiju, it'd be her and no one nor anything can tell me otherwise.
"Have you heard of our lord and savior Gojira ?"
Do not worry, Bon Bon, everyone fears those knocks.
As if it'd be anything else in a Kaiju fanfic series. Clearly they need to read the script more often.
Well that was to be expected, but I'm still very happy that Mothra is still "alive". Unless it's a plot twist and it's actually Battra but let's not think about that possibility. Although now that I say that I could definitely see a plot involving Battra somehow being connected to Chrysalis but that's a possibility for another time.
Now that's interesting. Monster Island (AKA Skull Island) being the possible target for the sequel is a really nice touch.
We know that GvK's twist won't happen as MechaG can't happen in this universe without some direct alien involvement (which I doubt you're gonna do, at least not yet) so it's out of the question, which means that the sequel is basically open for almost anything, something that I truly like.
As for those seismic readings, I would have guessed M.U.T.O. Prime originally but... Well, we know what happened to her so that's out of the question, so I really am stumped as to what that could be, which I like as it sets up suspens for the sequel.
To be Continued in The One True King 2: Electric Boogaloo !
As I said at the start, this chapter mostly serves the purpose of sequel-teasing but firstly it does it well by not setting a cliffhanger and bringing a good suspens and secondly it also has the side effect of making some character development, which is always enjoyable.
Now only the last chapter is left, wondering what it will bring (possibly a Kaiju POV ?) but whatever it is, I'm sure it'll make for a fine conclusion to this wonderful story.
As for the art comment, it's pretty minimalistic (once again don't particularly like using that term as it kinda undermines the work that went into that piece) but it does what it's asked and I gotta admit that those suit designs are really nice. So great job as always !
PS: I am saying now that I shall be on vacation for the next two weeks and that it is quite likely that I will not be home during the first week which means I won't be able to make a review of the final chapter if it release during that time, especially since it'll be my final review of the story. So I'll do it once I come back. My apologies.
11142360 Oh, I'm sure the pay is great for T.I.T.A.N. agents. Basically risking their lives and the world whenever they have a serious kaiju threat to deal with And don't worry about it! You enjoy your vacation, as I'm sure the epilogue won't be uploaded in a week's time. Might be a little bit longer than that
11142202
Nah, I'm just joking that it sounds a lot like "transform and roll out".
Ghidorah's shadow lingers over the world...
He will forever torment the ponies, until he rises from the grave once again...
11141882
If magic is involved than MechaGodzilla will immediately break from their control
It’s time for the ponies to meet another king.
static.wikia.nocookie.net/godzilla/images/f/f8/Kong_2021.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20210314012851
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Next thing you know, a friking jungle appears in the middle of the Frozen North.
11142202
Give it 100 never nothing less!
Ya leave for a Battlestar Galactica craze and you miss so much…well, now I’m back! How can one ever truly stay away from Godzilla, after all!
And is that a set up for a potential sequel relating to a certain giant ape I see?
Who knows…Who. Knows.
Ya did good with this one, JD. I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to a follow up to your teaser.
Long as Kong doesn’t ‘win’ that is. I really liked how the movie ended the feud this time. Godzilla’s still king, but is willing to leave Kong alone if Kong leaves him alone.
11146137 Thank you! Be sure to stick around for the epilogue, it's gonna be big
Off on another adventure to meet another famous Titan, who will hopefully be another friend.