Humanity's Stand

The World Rises

Lauren Faust sighed and leaned back in her chair, watching the stream of people walk into the large meeting room. Most gathered in small knots, chattering amongst themselves about this or that scientific doohickey and those or these intelligence datums. Live video of politicians in fancy suits and stern faced soldiers in a dulled rainbow of colors and styles appeared on the lines of TV monitors along both walls, save for the huge central screen opposite the entrance. Lauren and her husband Craig were already seated at the table, having been checked for any injuries, thanked profusely for solving a dangerous hostage situation, then shuffled down here with barely a word of explanation. "Look at all these people," Lauren said while waving a hand at them. "What are they all here for? What is going on?" She turned to her right and asked her husband, "Do you know what's going on?"

"I never know what's going on," Craig answered her with a sly smile.

She just looked at him with a deadpan expression and said flatly, "Thank you."

Her annoyance was cut off when she heard someone at the front say, "Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please take your seats we will begin." People around the room all shuffled to their place at the table while the last few video-conferencers showed up on their screens.

A large black man in a deep blue, star and ribbon studded uniform walked to the front of the room, silencing all remaining conversations in an instant. His piercing black eyes looked around the room, taking in all the people who had gathered for the meeting, physically or electronically. "Thank you all for coming today on such short notice. I know that many of you are quite busy in your own lines of work, but right now you are all needed for something much larger. Something that holds the fate of the planet in the balance."

"What's this all about Stacker?" the American President interrupted. "I'm already dealing with near riots across the States as it is with that Dimension Tide debacle. I don't have time to waste listening to your long-winded speeches at the moment, so cut to the chase."

"Indeed," the Chinese Chairman agreed. "Though the situation in my own country is not so… chaotic as it is in America, many of my people are upset at the actions of the GDF leadership. At this time, actions may prove more prudent than words."

"Don't worry Premier Shang, there will be plenty of action in the near future, but for now my words will have to suffice." The Marshall sighed for a moment before addressing the whole room. "I am well aware of the negative reaction the world has had to my decision to launch the Dimension Tide on Solgell with friendly kaiju in the vicinity, just as I was aware of what it would be at the time I made the decision. It was not a choice I made lightly. I, more than most, respected Godzilla and his allies for helping us in our time of need. Betraying them in this way hurt more than I can describe." He paused, and Lauren thought she could see the beginnings of tears appear in the man's eyes. "But it had to be done. Had Godzilla continued to fight Xenilla for much longer, the damage the two would have done would extend far beyond Solgell, or even the islands surrounding it. Their energy output was so high that had they continued they may had ignited the local atmosphere, causing a firestorm strong enough to shroud the planet and cause a miniature ice age." Many people in the room gasped, Lauren herself letting her mouth fall open in horror at the thought. "We already have enough trouble going on in the world as is. We did not need a world-wide famine on top of that." There was a general murmur of agreement on that point, though Lauren thought she could hear some scientists disbelieving the possibility of the atmosphere being lit on fire.

"Aside from that point, however, there was another reason I was willing to use the Dimension Tide on them, and that was the fact that there was a strong possibility they would still be alive."

Complete and utter silence was the reaction. "Stacker," the American president started. "You cannot seriously be suggesting that Godzilla and the others could survive within a black hole."

"I'm not," Pentecost replied simply. "I'm saying that the Dimension Tide did not ever create black holes to begin with." The Marshall nodded to a tech at the back of the room, who typed some commands on his console and brought up a video on the central screen. The video started by showing an abandoned building in a forested countryside with numerous technicians and scientists walking around in the foreground. Just barely within view was a large, very complex collaboration of cables, panels, and wiring with a large barrel sticking out the end. "13 years ago we began our first tests of the prototype Dimension Tide, using a much smaller device to safely test the stability of the black hole in atmosphere."

The tape clipped forward to the actual test, the field around the building having been cleared of all personnel. The machine in the corner of the view whirled and spun for almost a minute before a concentrated ball of darkness was launched out of the barrel, flying towards the building and drawing in waves of air as it traveled. When the black hole seed contacted the faded stonewalls of its target the ball disappeared for an instant before reforming just as quickly in a much larger form. Whole sections of the building were violently torn from their foundation and dragged into the hole's gaping maw. An artificial hurricane formed around the black sphere while more and more of the structure was absorbed within its dark depths. This continued for several minutes, the building slowly disappearing from existence as the black hole did its work. Just as the black hole began to wind down after all but annihilating everything within fifty meters, a light flashed within. The light kept flashing out of the darkness before something came flying out. As soon as the object departed the event horizon the black hole completely evaporated.

Silence reigned for a moment before the thing reappeared within the camera's view. It appeared to be a gigantic dragonfly with dull black molted skin, neon-red compound eyes, a pair of nasty-looking crab pincers, and an extremely sinister stinger on its tail. Whoever had controlled the camera during the test zoomed in on the creature, only to lose track of it as the thing sped off. The video cut off as the cameraman caught one final glimpse of the huge insect before it disappeared into the forest.

"That, ladies and gentlemen, was a Meganulon, the proto-form of the insectoid Kaiju Megaguirus. A creature that does not and never did exist in our world, but did in another. A world we connected to for the briefest moment when the Dimension Tide was fired."

"So what you are saying is that the DT is a wormhole gun?" one of the scientists near the back asked. Many people throughout the room were excitedly muttering at the prospect, while Lauren and Craig shared a look of wonder.

"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying," Pentecost answered. "I have Dr. Hermann Gottlieb on hand here to explain the mechanics of the process."

The twiggy man in question started to stand from his seat near the wall when the American President said, "I'm pretty sure everyone here understands what a wormhole is, Stacker. What I want to know is why we were not informed." Hermann sputtered for a moment but sat back down at Pentecost's affirming nod.

"The information was kept secret due to the immense implications it would have, not just for weapons application but for the true nature of the universe at large. We had to be sure of what we were seeing, so the project was publicly shelved as impractical and quietly continued under the observation of the best experts we could gather."

"And what exactly did they find out?" a female scientist with curled brown hair and a lit cigarette asked.

Pentecost smiled slightly in amusement at the woman before saying, "There were many discoveries to be had out of the project, but the short version is that DT was confirmed to generate wormholes and that what went in at one end would go out the other. Doctors Gottlieb and Geiszler were both a part of the project and can answer any questions you all might have."

Hermann perked up at the sound of his name but immediately frowned when his compatriot was also listed. Newt on the other hand practically leapt out of his chair in his excitement to speak. "Sadly we do not have time to go in depth on the project results at this meeting." Newt froze in midstride before trudging back to his seat, where Hermann was sitting with a satisfied smirk. Pentecost ignored the two and continued. "Briefing packets will be sent out to anyone who is interested, though I ask that the information be kept confidential for the time being. We will have an official scientific release at a later time." There was a fair bit of grumbling on that point but as a group they stated their accent. Most of the politicians appeared uninterested, though some of those in uniform were already putting through their info requests.

"Among the things we discovered," Pentecost said," was the knowledge that larger singularities were significantly more stable for longer periods, meaning whatever was sucked into the event horizon was much more likely to be undamaged and travel safely. It was theorized that a shot large enough to swallow a kaiju would remain stable for long enough for the target to travel through to the other side without injury."

"If that is true then why was this system not used earlier?" the French President asked.

"Aside from the ruinous expense of putting a black hole satellite in orbit you mean?" Most of the room laughed. "The answer is quite simple ma'am. Just as we could send something from our world to another place, something from another world could come through from their world to our own. Indeed, aside from Megaguirus during the first test, we had no less than eighteen creature transferences during five years of testing." Several in the audience gasped and Lauren saw the eyes of the female scientist from before twinkle in anticipation. "Most could not survive in our atmosphere and asphyxiated, but several were more compatible. And few of those could be considered anything other than hostile."

Once again Pentecost nodded to the technician in back, who brought up another video on the screen. A small room was the setting, white walls surrounding an empty dais in a hexagon pattern. The lights in the room dimmed slightly as a black hole seed was launched onto the dais from above. The scale of the hole was a bit hard to determine at first, but the fact that the room remained in its shape after its creation suggested a small size. Nothing happened for several seconds, the black hole quietly sucking in air like a spherical vacuum. Then lights flashed within, accelerating in frequency as they had in the first test. When the black hole finally disappeared in a final bright bang a creature replaced in on the dais. The thing was bone-white, with eight spindly legs that looked like skeletal fingers. The body was covered by a ridged exoskeleton that repeated down its whip-like tail. Lauren thought it looked kind of like a spider mixed with a crab.

The thing rotated back and forth on the dais, looking for something in spite of its lack of eyes. It leaped off the platform in a split-second and scuttled around the room at high speed. Lauren failed to suppress a shudder as she watched the thing move. It was just so… unnatural. The camera panned to watch the creature's movement, following it as it rammed itself at the walls repeatedly, trying in vain to escape its prison. It stopped moving though when one of the walls suddenly became transparent, a gaggle of scientists visibly staring at it from the other side. As soon as the humans became visible the thing launched itself at the glass almost faster than the eye could see. It slammed against the transparent wall furiously, its long legs scrapping fruitlessly to try and find purchase on the smooth surface. The scientists both in the video and in the meeting room recoiled at the ferocity of the thing. The female scientist in particular looked horrified by the creature, a sentiment Lauren could easily sympathize with.

In video the observers spoke soundlessly for a moment before coming to some unknown agreement. One entered several commands on a console, causing a stream of yellow gas to pour into the testing room. But even as the chlorine cloud descended to the thing's level it proved it could care less about the change in atmosphere. Starting to look worried about their visitor the group of observers turned to more active measures. A panel in the ceiling of the testing room opened and an automatic gun turret descended into place. Upon activation the device instantly homed in on the creature that was still trying to break through the hardened glass. A short burst of rounds erupted from the gun, the bullets shredding the small creature easily. It shuddered a few more times weakly before becoming still. The scientists all breathed a sigh of relief for a moment before they noticed small clouds of steam rising from the body. The camera zoomed in, showing that small pools of the thing's blood were actually eating away at the floor of the test chamber, the normally rock-hard material bubbling and melting from the foreign substance. The video then cut off on a still of the being's body covered in bullet holes and leaking acid onto the floor.

Terrified murmurs ran through the meeting room as scientists, politicians, and career soldiers alike all quietly freaked out. "And that wasn't even the worst organism we summoned," Pentecost added in a grave note.

"I believe we can see why you were hesitant to use this as a weapon," the South African President said, a grim frown.

"Yes," Pentecost agreed. "If such aggressive creatures could be drawn to us with a small hole, who knows how many other, more dangerous beings could come through a hole designed to attack kaiju. But then Final Wars happened and we realized that we needed a weapon that could get past their defenses. Hence our placing of a full-fledge Dimension Tide in orbit."

"Marshall, were there any transfers of foreign creatures during the strike of launches last week?" an American three star general asked.

Pentecost shook his head. "So far nothing has been detected, but as of yet we have not checked the sites themselves due to the risks of other nearby mutants. It is possible smaller animals came through but give the rather… inhospitable areas mutants tend to live in it is unlikely any are still alive."

A scientist in the audience raised his hand to get Stacker's attention. When he got it he asked, "These wormholes that Dimension Tide creates, are they just tunnels through space-time to other places in the universe, or are they like the Rift? By that I mean do they go to other universes?"

"Both, if I remember correctly."

The person who had asked the question looked at the Marshall in confusion. "Both? But that's impossible. It can't be both our universe and another at the same time."

"It's not," Pentecost corrected himself. "What I meant was it could do either, with really no consistency as to which is which. We know it can reach other universes based on energy readings gathered during the tests, which suggested slightly alternate laws of physics or ratios of matter to antimatter. For the most part though the data and specimens collected could have come from anything between an alternate Earth or another solar system within even our own galaxy. For most practical purposes it made little difference."

"This is all fascinating Stacker but I fail to see the point," the American President bellyached. "So Godzilla and the others may still be alive on some god-forsaken rock in the vast reaches of nowhere. What does it matter to us?"

Pentecost took the President's brusqueness in stride and answered with a smile, "It matters because we not only know for a fact that the kaiju are still alive, we know exactly where they are."

"How do you know this?" demanded the Russian President.

"Last week, just after the last of the mutant attacks were brought under control, Gamera was contacted by Mothra and a local of the world she and the other kaiju had arrived in. They said that, for the time being at least, Destroyah and Xenilla were under control and that they would be searching for a way home."

"How exactly did they contact Gamera?" asked one officer. "What tech did they use?"

Pentecost grimaced. He'd hoped to avoid this part but had all but expected it to happen. "They didn't use technology. The connection was…" he hesitated for a moment," magical in nature."

A chorus of groans rang through the conference room as the galleries of scientists all reacted negatively to Pentecost's words. Lauren heard a woman seated near her mumble, "I hate magic," under her breath.

"I don't like it any more than you do," Pentecost said to assuage his audience. "Magic is far too unreliable for many of our tastes but according to Gamera's description they have it down to a science and should be able to modify a spell to send all the kaiju home."

"Are we sure that's a good idea?" one of the American officers asked. "Having Godzilla and the other Earth Defenders back would be fine, but how do we keep Xenilla and Destroyah from following them through? Also, how exactly are they keeping the mutants, one of whom is an equally powerful, evil clone of Godzilla, and the other is an engine of pure rage and destruction, contained?"

Now Pentecost was starting to get nervous. Acknowledging that the kaiju had landed in a world of magic to a room full of scientists was bad enough. The hatred of the unexplainable by those who dedicated their lives to understanding everything had been a well-documented phenomenon, one that had been going on since magical beings like Mothra had first appeared. In comparison the scientific miracles of Mysterian technology had been accepted practically overnight, mostly because the Mysterians had been able to explain it. Though most of the physical principles their technology worked off of had yet to have been discovered at the time they were later found and proven independently by human scientists long after their mainstream adaption in general society. Magic on the other hand had been practically untestable due to its rarity. The few examples that had been recorded broke so many rules that most despaired of ever being able to figure it out.

In short, magic in general served as one big berserk button for the scientific community, and anything that was related to it was treated with suspicion and contempt (save Mothra, who garnered awe and respect). Telling them that some of the most powerful kaiju in the world had been reduced to tiny, Technicolor, equines probably wouldn't go over well. Assuming they even believed him in the first place.

"So far as we can tell based on what Gamera described the kaiju have been transformed into versions of the local species, greatly limiting their powers and making them much more manageable." Please don't ask what me they turned into, he mentally begged.

"How did they get transformed?" someone asked.

Pentecost smiled slightly. Better, though not by much. "Magic." More groaning ensued.

Sadly for the Marshall one member of the audience was fed up with just sitting in her seat doing nothing and decided to ask her own questions. "What do we know about this world the kaiju are in? What are the inhabitants like? The magic? How are they handling the fact that creatures that were once hundreds of feet tall are now living amongst them?"

Pentecost looked at Lauren Faust with a hopeless glare and was mildly miffed to see her smirking back at him. Her husband next to her shrugged at Pentecost in a silent apology. Sorry man, but this is what you get when you mess with her.

The Marshall sighed heavily, resigned now to his fate. "The world the kaiju have arrived in is actually familiar to us through a common piece of entertainment. One that, I'm told, is loved by children and adults the world over."

Lauren was starting to become confused at how Pentecost was staring at her in particular as he spoke.

"The truth is, ladies and gentlemen, that Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, Anguirus, Xenilla, and Destroyah have all been transported to Equestria." Pentecost could almost physically feel his long built up mystic fading as he completed the statement with, "The land of magical ponies."

The empty void of outer space would have sounded like a rock concert compared to the volume of the meeting room after that statement. Visual reactions varied from blank stares, open mouths, tilted heads and the occasional face palm. Lauren herself could do naught but look at Pentecost in utter bewilderment, her mind twirling around in circles as she tried to comprehend what she had just heard and failed miserably. It just couldn't be true. Equestria, the world that Lauren, her husband, and so many others had spent years creating and exploring for the entertainment and joy of millions of people, simply could not exist in the real world. It was too nonsensical, too reliant upon cartoon logic to work properly. Heck, in many cases physics had to take a back seat to comedy (often at the hooves of one pink-haired party planner). The thought of such a place being real was beyond alien, and the added horror of six of their world's most powerful monsters arriving there without warning was too terrifying to consider.

Eventually one voice rose up to end the silence and bring to words the question everyone was asking. "Stacker," the American President said, "I have been a politician for nigh on twenty years now and fought as a soldier for ten years before that, and in all that time I have never heard something more ridiculous than what you just said. At the same time, we live in a world where giant monsters roam free, aliens from other worlds have both attacked us and become a part of our society, and where a black hole gun fired from a space station is a valid military strategy. In comparison to all of that, this is only slightly weirder than a day at the carnival. That said, I, and I'm sure everyone else in this room as well, needs to know: is what you're saying true?"

Pentecost took in a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then released. "Yes."

The President nodded. "Alright then." He held up his hands and shrugged in acceptance. "So now what?"

"Now," Pentecost said, "we ready the world for their return. We will pay back Godzilla and the Earth Defenders by giving them a peaceful planet, one free of the endless war they have fought on our behalf for decades on end. We will destroy the mutants once and for all. We will End the War."

"But that is impossible," the Japanese Minister retorted. "The rearmament programs are only just starting to replace our losses from Final War, and the new battle platforms are untested. Humanity does not possess the capability for this war of yours."

"Alone we do not," Pentecost acknowledged. "But we will not be alone. Gamera, who has taken over leadership of the Earth Defenders, has promised their support in the coming war. They want peace just as much as we do, and are ready and willing to fight for it. All we need to do is agree."

The politicians all switched off their audio as they conversed with their various advisors and with each other. Minutes passed as their argument visibly went back and forth, the scientists jokingly providing a running commentary on the more lively expressions amongst them. While this was happening Lauren finally found her voice again and called out, "Uh, Mr. Marshall?"

Pentecost looked down from the video screens around the room and turned his gaze to the red-haired woman he had called here himself. He smiled good naturedly at her and said, "You may call me Stacker if you wish, ma'am."

Lauren smiled weakly back at him. Craig chuckled and said, "I think we'll stick with Marshall."

"Very well," he agreed understanding. "I suppose my name is a bit ill-suited for idle conversation."

"Marshall, why us?" Lauren asked, interrupting the man's musings.

"Because, miss, you are the two people on this planet best suited to help us figure out why the kaiju were sent to Equestria."

"Sent?" Craig said. "But I thought that the transportation is random?"

"We thought so too, but a closer look at the data Dimension Tide transmitted during firing showed a subtle shift in the wavelength, one which could not have been done by us."

"But who could have done something like that?" Lauren asked.

"We don't know." Pentecost's face became grim. "And that's what worries us. Something larger is at work here and we need to find out what it is."

"But we're just animation directors," Craig complained. "What can we do?"

"You can tell us about Equestria. What the people are like, what technology or magical artifacts they have. Everything and anything that could be of use to someone not from their world."

Husband and wife shared a look, both wondering at the bizarre circumstances this day had presented to them. "We'll do our best Marshall, but to be honest I don't know how much help we will be. It's not like we know absolutely everything about how Equestria could work. We often just made stuff up where needed."

"Something is better than nothing Mrs. Faust," Pentecost glanced up at the screens and saw that the argument was winding down. "And at this point I'll take anything I can get."

A tech tapped Pentecost's shoulder to alert him to the now unmuted politicians. "Have you come to a decision then?"

"Yes," the American President said gruffly. "You win Stacker. You'll have your war. I don't think that we're ready, but maybe we never will be. And there may never be a better time than right now. But this is an awful risk. If this fails, I don't know if we could ever recover."

"Well then we better not fail, hmm?" He turned to the rest of the room, seeing the steeled faces and determined eyes of scientist, politician, and soldier alike. "For better or worse, this fight will determine the fate of the entire planet. Whether humanity will continue to exist, or will finally disappear. This fight will not be easy. Our enemy outnumbers us significantly, even with the help of the Earth Defenders. We will lose people, just as we have for decades before this. Before all is said and done, there will be suffering, destruction and death. But this will be it. After this is finished, we will have peace. No more will we have to live in terror, praying that our hopes and dreams aren't crushed by forces beyond our control. We will be able to hold our heads high and say that this is our world to inhabit, our place to exist. This will be the End."

Were this a movie, Pentecost had no doubt that his speech would be met with silence at first, only to be interrupted by a single clap that grew into a sea of applause. Not so here. Here the response was immediate, a roar of approval that threatened to break through the room's soundproofed walls. Even the politicians, as unfeeling as they often pretended to be, could not help but visibly (and vocally) show their support. Pentecost felt a surge of hope and confidence swell within him. They could do this, he knew they could. For the first time since Stacker had become head of the Global Defense Force, things were finally going his way.

"Stacker!"

The Marshall jolted as he heard his name called over the cacophony of the room. He swiveled towards the voice and was surprised to see Tendo Choi rushing to him. "What is it Mr. Choi?"

"We've got a leak!" the man exclaimed in a panic. "Someone hacked into our network. We managed to keep it contained to just the external coms, but because of the video conferencers…"

"They've been able to record the meeting," Pentecost finished for him. His face became a stone mask as he asked, "How much did they capture Mr. Choi?"

Tendo shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "All of it, sir. The whole thing has been streaming live since the start. Anyone with an internet connection could see it."

Pentecost nodded stoically at the news. Just as planned.

---

Jami354: But arent you just a bit curios man? Think of the things they could tell us!

B0B_Bre: No, im not. Cows are friggen retarded dude. Tehy'd just talk about grass or some shit if they could talk.

Jami354: But what if they werent? i'd be interested is al im sayin.

Rina_Me0w: GUYS! YOU'LL NEVER BELIVE WHAT I JUST HEARD!

B0B_Bre: oh hey rina. Watsup?

Rina_Me0w: I just saw the most amazing…

Rina_Me0w: Dear God what is wrong with your spelling and grammar?

Rina_Me0w: How many times have I told you to check what you're writing BEFORE you post it?

Jami354: Oh hai grammar nazi good to see you again.

B0B_Bre: be nice man. So rin whatca see?

Rina_Me0w: Either type right or I won't tell you.

B0B_Bre: seriously?

Jami354: its the internet. nobody cares bout puntation

Rina_Me0w: I'm sorry, what was that? I don't speak imbecile.

Jami354: Jeez, fine MOM! You gonna tell us or what?

Rina_Me0w: You're lucky I still count that as a word. Anyway, you guys know how the GDF used that black hole thingy on Godzilla and the other monsters right?

B0B_Bre: Thingy? Hyphocrit much?

Rina_Me0w: It's spelled hypocrite dumbass. Now just answer the question.

Jami354: Yes. We know. NOW SPILL IT ALREADY!

Rina_Me0w: Okay, okay. Well it turns out that the satellite thing shoots wormholes, not black holes, so the kaiju were shot to another dimension instead of, you know, dying.

B0B_Bre: Wait, they are in another world now?

Jami354: I TOLD YOU MAN! I FRICKEN TOLD YOU! AINT NOTHING CAN KILL THE KING!

Rina_Me0w: Is ain't even a word?

B0B_Bre: Who cares? Just tell us how you know this.

Rina_Me0w: Here's a link to the video I found: watch?v=Nx4kFO74WVk

Rina_Me0w: You'll never guess where they ended up.

Jami354: Where?

Rina_Me0w: Guess.

B0B_Bre: Really Rina?

Rina_Me0w: Come on. Guess.

Jami354: How the hell are we supposed to guess? They could be anywhere!

B0B_Bre: At least give us a hint.

Rina_Me0w: Oh fine. They're in a world we know as fiction, only everything there is real.

Jami354: DBZ

Rina_Me0w: What? No. Don't be ridiculous.

B0B_Bre: Lord of the Rings?

Rina_Me0w: No.

Jami354: Evangelion?

Rina_Me0w: NO!

B0B_Bre: Discworld?

Rina_Me0w: No. I really should get around to reading that though.

Jami354: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann?

Rina_Me0w: What even is that?

Jami354: YOU DON'T KNOW GURREN LAGANN? Girl you are missing out.

B0B_Bre: I give up.

Jami354: WARHAMMER 40K! THAT WOULD BE THE MOST AWESOME THING EVER!

Rina_Me0w: What, you mean that grim-dark place that tries its best to be the worst universe ever?

Rina_Me0w: Try the exact opposite.

Jami354: But what's the opposite of the brutalawesomegrimdark?

B0B_Bre: NO. NO WAY.

Rina_Me0w: Figured it out have you?

B0B_Bre: You can't be serious!

Jami354: What is it man?

Rina_Me0w: You know that one show that you told me your sister loves to watch?

Jami354: The one with the horses? Yeah what about it?

Rina_Me0w: :)

Jami354: No.

Jami354: No fucking way.

Rina_Me0w: Eyyup.

Rina_Me0w: Godzilla is now a My Little Pony.

Rina_Me0w: Can't wait to get the plush version of him. It'll be so cute.

B0B_Bre: I

B0B_Bre: I can't

Jami354: Dude.

Jami354: That world is fucked.

---

In the impenetrable darkness of an ancient temple in a forsaken realm, a presence snorted in frustration. Echoing cracks and groans rattled around the room as the immense stone throne in the center felt the weight it carried shift. Small pinpricks of faint red light appeared as the eyes of a great beast opened. This is an annoyance, the ruler of the darkness admitted to itself.

The last few days had seen numerous small victories by his forces in various realms, each doing their part in enabling his grand plan. There had been some setbacks, such as the loss of the Gyaos swarms, but they had been manageable failures with their own benefits. But the series of events that were occurring on the world the ruler had originated from promised to be much more upsetting. The humans, stubborn little pests that they were, had not deigned to cower in their cities as he had expected, and even now they planned to eliminate the very forces he planned to use in their destruction.

His first attempt to drive them off this course had been waylaid by the combined forces of ill-timing and bad luck, with the resultant loss of some of his few followers in the Earthen realm. Unfortunate, but of little concern. However, the issue was now that much larger with the duplicitous actions of that one damnable human. Now the entire species would become aware of what the ruler had engineered and be more determined than ever to rid their world of his servants, both human and monster alike.

Once more he swept a tendril of his consciousness through the human stronghold, studying everything he saw for a whisper of information he could use against them. As he did he recognized a familiar signature down in the lower levels. Hmm. It appeared one of his servants from the assault was still alive.

Alive to tell them everything she knew.

A deep, threatening growl emanated from the ruler's throat. That cannot be allowed.

---

Aaaaaand welcome back to Humanity's Stand. Next chapter will be the start of the war, I promise! No more background set up or world building. Just straight into the action. Who's gonna fight first? I don't know, but I promise it will be awesome. Also, I managed to pump this out in just over two weeks. That is very fast for me so YAY! Next one may or may not take longer. Action is very variable when it comes to that sort of thing. Aside from the major fighting goodness there will be a secondary plot of humanity trying to figure out just what the hell is going on. Give you three guesses who's going to get caught up in that, and the first two don't count. Til next time!