The city of Baltimare. One of Equestria's East Coastal cities, now a place of battle. The majority of citizens had begun to evacuate or seek shelter from where the battle was taking place. The evening sky was lit up by the flames that burned in the streets.

An armored vehicle began to drive down the street. It was much more advanced compared to Equestria's mode of transportation. Rather than a carriage pulled by horses, it was powered by an engine that allowed it to move on its own. Six black wheels, made up of rubber, polymer, and other materials allowed the vehicle to roll along the street. On the side of this dark, lightly armored tank was a infinite symbol marked in white. This was the insignia for MONARCH, as people from all around had come to know. The Light Armored Vehicle was armed with a cannon on top.

Inside the back of this vehicle, there sat a squad of soldiers to be clad in dark armor. This armor was nothing like that what the guards of Celestia's kingdom wore. The armor and helmets were composed of titanium and ceramic plating, which allowed for protection against most melee weapons such as swords and knives. Lighter grey tight undersuits covered their bodies, composed in a layer of Kevlar and a magic resistant material that added some protection against elemental based magic. Though this had their limits. Their helmets were compact, with visors hanging over their eyes. The MONARCH insignia sat boldly on their helmets. Belts with pouches attached at the hips of the soldiers were standard issue as well, carrying extra ammunition and grenades.

The soldiers carried weapons that were unlike any other weapon seen by most Equestrians. They wielded rifles, which bore glowing lights running along the side of the main body. One soldier drew out a magazine from his pouch. The magazine glowed, with a plug built into it. He inserted the plug into the socket beneath the rifle, prompting the weapon to light up, signaling that it was now live and loaded. The weapon was charged with a concentration of magic. Each soldier was also equipped with a side arm, either a hand gun or a sword, enchanted with magic. These were a MONARCH soldier's trusted weapons, especially with the threat that they were faced with today.

"Be advised, the target has been sighted in your area. He's neutralized Gamma Squad. Proceed with caution," said a voice over the COMs, heard through the helmets of the soldiers.

"Acknowledged, Control," said the commanding officer, holding a hand to the side of his helmet.

"You hear from the brass that we're apparently supposed to take in any of these monsters if they surrender?" asked one of the soldiers. Another scoffed.

"Isn't that a load of- What kind of moron thought of that?" asked the second soldier.

"It apparently was Princess Celestia's idea," said a female soldier. She sat at the end in the back of the vehicle. Her eyes were hazel. Traces of light earthy green locks could be seen beneath her helmet. She was of Neighponese descent, while these men here were from a few different other nations that made up the Global Union.

"Of course it was her. Leave it to bleeding heart politicians to fuck everything up. We're soldiers, not humanitarians!" said a soldier.

"She just believes that some of them might be worth sparing. This could prove to be good if we can ethically handle the Transmutants in Equestria," said the green haired woman. Her comrade snorted.

"Ethical? Gimme a break, Shiragami. We're fighting monsters, not people," said the soldier. The woman, Erika Shiragami, rolled her eyes.

"Stow it. We're beholden to the chain of command. But remember, we're free to light these freaks up if they don't comply," said the commanding officer, gruffly.

"That's what I'm talking about," smirked one of the soldiers.

'Maybe I should've been a scientist like dad said,' thought Erika, shaking her head.

The LAV abruptly stopped. The soldiers looked around, as they felt the tremors. They heard the muffled sounds of the vehicle's cannon to be firing rapidly.

"We've been engaged by the target! Move out!" shouted the driver.

"Alright, let's move!" shouted the C.O. The soldiers rose up as the light in the back of the vehicle flashed green, while the back door began to open up. The soldiers descended down the lowered door, as the LAV continued to fire its cannon. The night was lit up by the rapid flashes of magic bolts.

The soldiers found that there were still civilians in the area. They screamed as they fled down the streets, as the LAV fired off at their unseen target.

"Secure a perimeter! Can't risk an ambush from this freak's friends!" said the commanding officer.

Suddenly, two violet beams shot through the night. The beams sliced through the LAV, their heat melting through the armor like butter. After a swift slice, the LAV burst into a fiery explosion.

"Fuck!" barked one of the soldiers, turning to find a dark figure to have lunged out from the flames.

A young Neighsian man had burst from the flames. He bore jet black hair, along with hellish red eyes. He was clad in a dark jacket and jeans. In his hand, he held an obsidian katana. As he descended towards the first soldier he saw, he swung his sword, slashing the rifle in half. He then swiftly delivered precise strikes into the weak and exposed gaps of his armor. Each slash was deep, incapacitating the soldier quickly. The soldier screamed in agony as he fell to the ground.

"Tango sighted! Take him down!" shouted the commanding officer. The soldiers quickly raised their rifles and fired off at their target. The raven haired Transmutant raised a hand, causing the wounded soldier to suddenly levitate in front of him. The soldier caught the majority of the bolts from his comrades.

"Cease fire! Cease fire!" shouted the C.O. The mutant began to flee, dropping his human shield to the ground.

"Damn it! Don't let him get away!" shouted the C.O.

The soldiers gave chase to the Transmutant, who had abandoned their dying comrade to the ground.

"Shiragami! Stay with the casualty!" ordered the C.O.

"Sir!" Erika rushed to her downed comrade. She knelt down and began to remove his helmet, as he held his scorched armored chest.

"I-I'm not..." The soldier grunted, as he struggled to breathe.

"Shh! Don't speak! I-I'm gonna help you..." said Erika, gritting her teeth. She attempted to draw out her medical kit, but her comrade grabbed her arm. He looked to have been full of fear. He knew full well what fate lied for him.

"I-I'm so cold..." said the soldier, his breathing quick. Erika had a lump in her throat, as her eyes began to sting. She took her comrade's hand and held it tightly.

"Momma. Momma," the soldier began to mutter, as he shook. His eyes began to run with tears. Erika suppressed a sob, as her comrade called for his mother, having reverted to a primal state that would only be seen when someone was in the throes of a violent demise. The soldier's breathing grew shallow, as his eyes became cloudy. His grip began to loosen. Shiragami tightened her own grip, in a vain attempt to keep this man in the world of the living. In what seemed like an eternity, the man had finally stopped moving, his last breath exhaled. Erika bowed her head, allowing her tears to fall.

The young soldier rose up to her feet, trembling with rage. She took her weapon and began to run from the area, to where the remaining members of her squad had ran to. She soon rejoined her squad, who had made their way into an alley. Her commanding officer met her with a glare.

"I thought I ordered you to-"

"He's dead!" said Erika, as she cocked her rifle. Her C.O. cursed under his breath.

"Well, maybe you can help us with this," said the C.O.

Before the soldiers was their target. The black haired Transmutant stood, with a female civilian held close. His arm was locked around her neck. She whimpered fearfully, as the Transmutant kept a cold stare at the soldiers. Erika raised her rifle, as her Heads Up Display (HUD) from her visor began to scan the mutant before them. His codename and real name was depicted.

"Battra, release the civilian and you will not be shot down! Surrender, and we can end this peacefully!" said the commanding officer. The Transmutant chuckled.

"I don't think you're in any position to make demands," said 'Battra', as he raised his katana, bringing the blade close to his hostage's gut.

"Please, don't kill me! I-I have a family!" The woman pleaded, desperately. Battra glanced at her with the same frigid look that he's had this whole standoff.

"I did too. But your so called protectors took them away from me!" Battra suddenly forced the woman's head to the side, snapping her neck in the process.

"NO!" Erika cried.

"Take him down!" The C.O. shouted.

Battra dropped the woman's body to the side and leapt out of the soldiers' line of fire. The magic projectiles burst from the muzzles, drowning the alley in their light. The soldiers had ceased their firing, finding that the Transmutant had disappeared from their line of sight.

"Where'd he go?!" shouted one of the soldiers. There was the sound of a male screaming in agony. The popping of bones began to echo through the dark alley. Shiragami's eyes widened in alarm.

"He's transforming!" cried Erika.

The air was deafened by a loud shriek. The soldiers raised their heads and their rifles to the source. Above them, a large black winged figure dove down towards them. The soldiers leapt for cover, as the figure crashed onto the ground. They found themselves faced off against a large insectoid creature.

The beast was tall, with an almost humanoid shape. It stood to be eight feet tall; its exoskeleton was black and bulky. The insect eyes of the creature were glowing red, and narrowed into a permanent glare. Upon its head were golden horns, and the back of its thorax was covered in rough spikes. The creature bore four large arms, with sharp claws. Two of its arms were longer, resembling more of mantis appendages. Its mouth opened sideways, like the insect that it was. A pair of tusks stuck out from the sides of its face. But, it's most terrifying feature were the wings. They were large, resembling that of a bat and a moth. Great red jagged marks decorated its wings, appearing like fire. A pair of red eye-like patterns decorated the wings' tips.

"DIE!" The black moth shouted, its voice deep and guttural.

Battra began to leap for one of the soldiers. He bit down on his head, crushing his helmet and skull in one bite. The soldier collapsed to the ground, groaning as he twitched from the damage done to his brain. The rest of the soldiers began to fire off at the black moth. Battra ascended to the air, avoiding the bolts. He dropped down onto one of the soldiers, crushing him under his weight. He then grabbed the soldier and hurled him at one of the others.

"You damn bug!" the C.O. shouted as he drew out his enchanted sword. He rushed towards the mutant and swung his glowing blade, slashing Battra across his thorax. A yellowish green fluid began to ooze from the wound.

"Damn you!" Battra snarled, clutching his wound. He found himself getting peppered by the remaining soldiers' rifles. The bolts began to pierce through his armored thorax, causing him to screech in pain. His horns began to flash violet, as his eyes glowed. He turned to the soldiers and fired forth violet beams from his eyes. The soldiers were, save for Erika and the commanding officer, instantly vaporized. Battra panted as he hunched over, exhausted from the attack.

The commanding officer and Shiragami rushed towards Battra, having drawn their enchanted swords. They both thrusted their swords at him. Battra barely mustered enough strength to avoid being impaled into his thorax. Erika's sword managed to impale his shoulder, but Battra had caught the C.O. with two of his arms, holding the blade just inches from his thorax. With one of his free scythe appendages, he swiped Erika away, scratching her breast plate. Battra then hauled the C.O. up off of the ground. He crushed his wrist, causing him to drop his sword.

"Ever plucked the wings off of a bug?" asked Battra, mockingly.

"Go to Tartarus!" shouted the C.O.

"You first," said Battra, as he began to shift his hands onto the limbs of the soldier. Erika gasped as she had raised herself up, finding her commanding officer to be at the mercy of the Transmutant.

Battra began to tear off the arms of the soldier, who cried out in agony. After tossing his arms aside, Battra raised his mantis-like appendages. With a swift motion, he swung his appendages down onto the soldier, piercing through his armor and silencing his cries.

"NO!!" Erika screamed. Battra clicked his mandibles as he tossed away the man's body.

"You're next. I'll make it quick," said Battra, as he approached the soldier. Erika was about to swing her sword, but found Battra to have quickly restrained her with his two hands. One hand had grabbed her neck, while the other caught the blade of her sword. His long mantis-like appendages were raised.

"You monster!" shouted Erika, managing to speak through the tight grip that was on her.

"A monster am I? Funny, coming from the ignorant drone," said Battra, as he yanked away the young woman's sword.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Shiragami.

"Well, I guess I might as well tell you since you're going to die," said Battra, as he pinned the soldier to the wall. It didn't matter how much she struggled, Shiragami was overpowered by her foe.

"MONARCH's responsible for the creation of Transmutants. They're using you to cover up their dirty secrets," said Battra. Shiragami met the mutant with a glare.

"You're lying! We're protecting everyone from monsters like you!" said Shiragmi. Battra chuckled.

"You humans are responsible for the monsters. I will stop at nothing until MONARCH is brought down, and all humans suffer as we have," said Battra as he raised one of his scythe-like appendages. He then swiftly thrust the appendage into her gut, piercing through the protective armor that she wore. Erika had gasped sharply from the shock. She looked down at the appendage that stuck inside of her. She felt the warmth of her own blood to be spilling onto the carapace and at her feet.

Shiragami grunted as she twitched from the pain. Battra roughly tossed her aside, leaving her to fall to the ground on her side. Her breaths became labored, as she began to grow cold. Shiragami whimpered as Battra took off into the air. He screeched, as his great wings carried him off.

Shiragmi felt herself grow weaker by the second. Her eyes grew heavy, and sleep threatened to overtake her. She struggled to remain awake and alert, desperate for the slim chance that someone would come and treat her. Her comrades all lied around her, dead. The reality of her joining them began to settle in. Her eyes ran with tears. Shiragami's head slumped as she went limp, drawing her last breath.

---

It was morning. Twilight Sparkle found herself alone in the Golden Oaks Library, reading through a book that sat on a podium. Aside from the 'Friendship' lessons that she was due to report to Princess Celestia, Twilight kept at the habit of studying the magic arts. After all, being that her talent specialized in magic, she'd be a fool not to learn everything that she could.

Aside from that fact, studying was more or less Twilight's favorite pastime. Right now, she was studying advanced healing spells. Considering the recent dangers that seemed to be occurring these days, and of course Rainbow Dash's reckless stunts, Twilight thought they'd be handy skills to learn.

Twilight muttered to herself as she read through the paragraphs, making sure that she comprehended every sentence. She absent mindedly began to follow the hand gestures to begin the summoning process.

The scholar was eager to try one of these spells out. However, she would have to wait until she came across an injured individual to try for sure. She thought that she could always inflict minor cuts onto herself, but that would be mere child's play. Twilight wanted a challenge. However, she wasn't fond of the idea of inflicting more damage onto herself. She certainly couldn’t inflict any on others just so she could experiment.

Twilight sighed in dismay, lamenting her lack of test subjects. She supposed that she had to wait until Rainbow tried a new crazy stunt again.

There was a sudden knock at the library door. Twilight turned with an odd look. Normally people would just enter during the open hours for the library. Twilight closed her book and began to make her way to the front door. She opened it and found Junior to be standing outside.

"Oh! Good morning, Gojira!" Twilight greeted warmly. The boy met her with a smile of his own.

"Morning, Twilight."

"What brings you here? In need for a book?" asked Twilight. Junior raised a brow.

"What do you mean? You invited me over, didn't you?" asked Junior. Twilight paused for a brief moment and gasped.

"Oh, right! Sorry," said Twilight with a sheepish smile. She cleared her throat she stepped aside.

"Come on in!" said Twilight, allowing Junior to enter. She noticed that his hand was wrapped in a bandage.

"Hey, what happened to your hand?" asked Twilight. Junior seemed to have stiffened at the question. He forced a casual smile.

"Oh this? Uh... a wild dog kinda bit me on the way over. Like an idiot, I tried to pet it," said Junior with a sheepish smile.

This in fact, was a lie. Junior had in fact stayed the night with the other Transmutants in the Everfree forest. When he was on his way back home, he found himself encountering a manticore. He managed to chase it off, by swiftly delivering a blow to its mouth. But, he had cut himself with the creature's fangs after shattering them.

Twilight seemed to have bought the lie. She sighed, looking at the boy in disappointment.

"You should know better than to go near stray animals," said Twilight, as she took the boy's hand and looked it over. The bandages were wrapped completely around it, with only the fingers free.

"Sorry," said Junior.

"You cleaned your wounds before wrapping them, right? Never know what kind of bacteria could get in," said Twilight.

"Yeah, I cleaned it," said Junior. Twilight hummed to herself, as a thought came to her mind.

"Can I see it?" asked Twilight.

"Why?"

"I wanna see how bad it is," said Twilight. Junior was a bit reluctant, but thought it should have been fine. His wounds hadn't had a chance to regenerate yet, so it wouldn't expose anything abnormal about himself.

"OK."

Junior winced as he began to remove the bandages from his hand. He exposed the bare skin beneath. Twilight hissed as she took the boy's hand and looked it over. She grimaced as she saw the gashes that were left behind on the back of his hand and around his knuckles.

"Ooh. That dog did a number on you."

"Not as bad as the beating I took from Nightmare Moon," said Junior, nonchalant. Twilight slightly smiled. For better or for worse, the boy was quite the enduring individual. Leave it to him to not whine over a dog bite.

"Hey, this actually works for both us!" said Twilight, a twinkle in her eye.

"How?" asked Junior oddly.

"I've been studying healing spells. Why don't I try using one to heal your hand?" asked Twilight eagerly.

The girl's eagerness to help was quite an endearing trait. He didn't have the heart to shoot her down. It also would prove to help cover up his healing factor if her magic accelerated the process. Junior didn't have to think long about this.

"Sure, I'd appreciate it," said Junior, smiling. Twilight grinned in response.

Twilight gently placed her hand over the back of Junior's. She closed her eyes as a light raspberry colored aura engulfed her hands. Junior felt a warm sensation over his hand, caused by the magic. It was a soothing feeling that relived the stinging sensation on his wounds. Twilight reopened her eyes as the aura faded. She removed one of her hands, revealing the boy's hand to be fully healed.

"Wow, you're a natural!" said Junior awed. Twilight smiled bashfully at the praise.

"Anything for a friend," said Twilight. She admired the newly healed hand that she held. She never realized how rough and yet firm they felt. Clear signs of his strength.

"Uh... Twilight?" Junior called.

"Hmm?" Twilight raised her head.

"You're uh... You're done healing me, right?" asked Junior. Twilight quickly released his hand and took a step back.

"Y-Yeah! You're good!" said Twilight, an embarrassed smile on her face. Junior awkwardly chuckled.

"How about some tea?" asked Twilight, before she marched off.

"Sure..." responded Junior, rubbing his own hand with an absent minded look.

Later, the two found themselves sitting at a table, located in a room in the tree away from the main library area. It was much like a small kitchen, complete with a stove and refrigerator. Spike stood at the stove, with a tea kettle beginning to whistle. The young dragon removed the kettle and began to pour the liquid into three separate cups. He then loaded them onto a tray. Spike made his way to the table and presented Junior and Twilight the cups.

"Thank you, Spike," said Twilight. The two took the cups and blew at the hot liquid before taking small sips.

"Not bad, Spike," said Junior.

"Thanks!" Spike grinned.

"So, Gojira. The Princess mentioned that she was your guardian. How exactly did that happen?" asked Twilight curious. Junior sighed as he set his cup down, clearing his throat.

"My father knew her. He was a Ronin at the time," said Junior.

"What's a 'Ronin'?" asked Spike.

"Ronin means 'drifter' or 'wanderer'. It refers to a samurai who had neither a lord nor master over him. It was actually considered a mark of shame for a samurai to live this status, and to atone was to commit seppuku, which is a ritualistic suicide through disembowelment," said Junior. He noticed the wide eyed stares that Twilight and Spike were giving him.

"Wow. That's intense," said Spike.

"Oh yeah, the era of feudalism wasn't a joke," said Junior. Twilight frowned.

"Oh, so your father suffered a lot of shame?" asked Twilight.

"Not really. He lived near the end of the feudal period before the Global Union reached out to Neighpon. This allowed my country to unite under a single banner, the Neighponese Empire," explained Junior. He took another sip of his tea.

"I guess people were so tired of all of the bloodshed and the constant wars caused by powerful families and warlords that they were fine with accepting outside help to progress past our old system. As you can imagine, some lost their authority if not they were totally conquered, leaving a lot of Samurai without work. This created a lot of ronins. The stigma may have faded a bit during all of this, but the ronins were too prideful to take up a new trade. So they either committed seppuku or became mercenaries," said Junior, leaning back in his seat. He began to dig back to the memories that he had, of the historical stories that his father had taught him when he was a child. Twilight appeared fascinated by his tales. It wasn't surprising, since she seemed to eat and breathe knowledge.

"So, the royal family had finally regained their power, and thus a new age began. My family was a clan of mercenaries, still holding onto some traditions from our feudal past," said Junior.

"I've read a bit about samurais. That might explain a few things about you," said Twilight. Junior bore a slightly amused smile.

"Well, the way of the samurai was a family tradition," said Junior. He began to stare at his cup, his eyes having grown a bit cold.

"My father's clan was hired to act as protection for Celestia when she first came to Neighpon to convince them to reach out to the extended hand of the Union. She was basically just the best person they thought would be able to convince Neighpon. Apparently, they seemed to have hit off," said Junior This part of the story wasn't entirely told by his father. He had to do a bit of his own research.

"As for how I actually met her, it was 9 years ago. Leaders from every nation that was under the Global Union came to Neighpon for a sort of banquet or something to celebrate Neighpon's assimilation. Celestia was among them," said Junior. Twilight noticed the look in his eyes. It was as though the memory he was retelling was a bitter one.

"Long story short, my father passed away. I was alone, with no family. No one to look after me. If Celestia hadn't been in Neighpon at the time..." Junior paused. Twilight felt a knot in her stomach as she found the dark look that the boy had. The girl placed a comforting hand on his own. She met him with a frown.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to open up old wounds," said Twilight, softly. Junior met her with a small smile.

"No, it's OK. I guess it helps to talk about it," said Junior.

---

Rodan found himself peering from behind a corner. He found the front door to the house just across from him. The boy smiled as he tugged at his red shirt. He began to sneak through the room, passing the small kitchen.

Mosura Yasu suddenly rose up from behind the counter. She adjusted her orange jacket, as the fur hood hung behind. A brief shudder came from her, feeling a chill from the house's current temperature.

"Now, where's that canned soup?" Mosura muttered to herself. She noticed Rodan to be sneaking to the door. The girl narrowed her eyes.

"Where do you think you're going, mister?" Mosura's tone was that of a strict parent. Rodan stopped in his tracks. He turned and met Mosura with a nervous smile.

"Just... to town," said Rodan. Mosura furrowed her brows, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Rodan..."

"Ah come on, Mosu! I need to get out and roam around before I lose it!" Rodan complained. He looked away as he scratched at his head.

"We kinda need groceries anyway, don't we?" asked Rodan. Mosura sighed, appearing reluctant.

"Oh, alright. I'll trust you. But take Angirasu with you," said Mosura.

"That seems like the opposite of trust," deadpanned Rodan.

"It's a precaution," Mosura replied.

"Well, don't you wanna come too then? We could all use some fresh air," said Rodan.

"We live in a forest. We get plenty of fresh air," said Mosura, humorously.

"OK, then how about some human interaction?" asked Rodan. Mosura lost her smile.

"No I... I'd rather not. You just be careful out there, OK?"

"Ok, 'mom'." Rodan rolled his eyes as he began to make his way to the back of the house, leading deeper into the cave.

Mosura sighed heavily. Rodan and Angirasu may not have been that much younger than herself, but she saw them as kid brothers. She couldn't help but worry, considering their lot in life. Mosura rarely went out into town these days. She especially hated when either Rodan or Angirasu would. But, it was an unfortunate necessity at times.

Being a Transmutant came with its own problems. But mostly with the environment they found themselves. They couldn't afford to be careless. There was the potential of danger around every corner if they were exposed. She could only imagine what someone like Junior would be going through in his daily life.

---

A team of men in uniform began to escort a small group of men in white clothes down a hall. They passed a heavy metal door, where Gojira Senior was peering through the narrow glass slot.

He appeared confused, as he watched as the armed men in uniform walked by with the men in white. Senior winced as he tried to peer closer to see where they were going. The bright lights outside caused strain on his newly heightened eyesight. He was able to hear the footsteps through the door, but only barely. They didn't travel too far. While he could barely see them, he could see the guards standing by. His heightened hearing picked up their voices. While they spoke Equish, he had studied enough in his day to understand them.

From outside of Senior's cell, the guards and men in white found themselves at the end of the hall. They saw that the metal door at the end had more dents bulging out. So far, things were quiet. But, the guards knew that they couldn't afford to be lax.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just gas the thing?" asked a guard.

"No, I don't want any toxic substances contaminating the subject. I want him fully intact for vivisection," said the leading geneticist.

"Director Onyx wants this thing terminated," said the guard.

"And he will be. Right after I figure out what went wrong with this one," said the geneticist. He turned to one of his subordinates.

"Open it up," said the geneticist. His subordinate took a breath as he began to type on the keys on a panel built into the door. A lock icon appeared on the screen, turning green and unlocking. There was a beep in the air. The heavy metal door began to groan as one of the geneticists began to pull the door open.

"OK, move in!" said one of the guards. A couple of armed men rushed into the dark cell, as the flashlights on their weapons pierced through the darkness.

The rest of the guards stood outside, with the geneticists waiting in anticipation. There was the sudden sound of agonized cries.

"GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!!" One of the deployed guards shouted inside of the cell. An inhuman shriek filled the air, causing the geneticists to flinch.

"I'll have your ass if you kill the subject!" shouted the leading geneticist, as two more guards rushed in, flipping the switches on their rifles. The rest stood outside of the cell, tense as they heard the desperate cries of one of the guards. The darkness was suddenly ignited with blue flashes of light. The cries of the creature were silenced. But, the agonized cries of the attacked guard continued.

A couple of guards began to drag their comrade out of the room. A trail of blood stained the floor. He wailed as his left leg bore a tear through his pant leg. Beneath the tear were large bite marks that bled profusely.

"Get him to medical, damn it!" barked the leading guard. He turned to find the remaining two guards to have come out of the shadows of the cell. They dragged out the unconscious body of 'Lucky Dragon'. His mouth was stained with blood from the guard that was dragged away.

"Out of the way! I'm killing this little shit!" said the leading guard, drawing out his hand gun. The leading geneticist quickly got in the guard's path.

"I said that this subject needs to be in tip top shape for vivisection!" said the geneticist.

"Move, you fucking geek! I'm putting it down just as the Director ordered!" said the guard.

There was a sudden bang in the air. Everyone turned to find the other metal door to have bulged out. More bangs filled the air, as more dents bulged out.

"Fuck! You! We're not through!" the leading guard glared at the geneticist. He and the rest of the guards rushed to the second cell.

"We've got a situation here! Alpha's breaching containment! Hit the gas!" said the leading guard, frantic. The men surrounded the cell door, as Senior continued to slam against it on the other side. An alarm began to go off. Hints of clouded gas could be seen through the narrow window. The struggling from inside of the cell had ceased. No longer was there any banging. The guards began to relax, as the gas clouds obscured the window.

"Subject's been contained," said the guard, holding his COM on his uniform.

The door suddenly flew towards the guards. The leading guard had taken cover along with a couple others. The rest found themselves crushed by the large heavy metallic door, slamming into the concrete wall. The surviving guards shot up, as Senior came storming out of the gas covered cell.

"Alpha's broken containment! I repeat, Alpha's broken containment!" shouted the leading guard.

Senior shouted as he lunged for one of the guards. Before he could aim his rifle at him, Senior slammed him to the ground with tremendous force. He then rushed for the next guard, who fired off his rifle. The magic bolts missed by a hair. He then slammed into him and swung his body at the next guard. All that was left was the leading guard. He shot at Senior, who staggered as the bolts shot through him.

The man staggered back, his expression that of shock. The leading guard stood with his weapon still drawn, staring at Senior's bleeding bare chest. The man dropped to the ground, as his wounds bled on the concrete floor. The leading guard shuddered as he backed away from the downed target. A pool of blood began to surround his body, staining the cold hard ground.

"You fool! You just killed the only successful subject!" exclaimed the geneticist.

"Shut up! Now I'm going to finish off the other one!" said the guard as he raised his weapon, focusing his sights on Junior. Before he could fire, he noticed the horrified looks of the geneticists. Their lines of sight were not on the guard, however. He quickly turned, finding Senior to have risen back up. The guard was met with a swift back hand. His head spun, allowing him to see behind himself. The last thing he saw were the terrified geneticists, as he collapsed to the ground himself.

Senior growled as he stood, his flesh beginning to grow covered in rough dark scales. His eyes burned with wrath, as the men before him cowered. Their necks craned back, as a shadow was cast over them.

Onyx found himself storming through the hall of the facility. The sound of the alarm blaring assaulted his ears. He pressed on through the halls, which continued to reverberate off the walls. He soon came across the hall, where rubble and a torn off cell door lied pressed against the wall. Hints of blood stained from beneath. He narrowed his eyes as he began to make his way deeper into the hall, passing the body of a guard who he had saw earlier. With his head on straight at least. Onyx found the geneticists to be still alive and well, but covered in bruises and scrapes, caused by the debris that had fallen and been kicked up. They were trembling violently.

"Where are they? Where are Alpha and Lucky Dragon?!" demanded Onyx, grabbing the leading geneticist by the collar of his coat. The man shakily pointed down another hall. Onyx turned and found a trail of footprints to be left in the cement ground. They were large and wide, almost like an elephant's foot. But, they bore toed claws like a dragon. He released the geneticist and began to follow the tracks.

Lights above him flickered. The walls bore gashes and claw marks along the way. He soon came to the end of the tracks. He found a gaping hole, leading out to a wilderness ahead. He narrowed his eyes as he found a large figure to be moving through the woods. A loud ear piercing shriek echoed through the forest, spooking a great flock of birds. Onyx clenched his fists, as he stared off at the forest. He was filled with both satisfaction, yet disappointment.

---

"So, what are we doing out here?" asked Angirasu. He wore a brown coat and tannish grey jeans. He looked around the town uncomfortably, as if he were expecting the town to ambush him. He didn't think he'd ever be comfortable with being out in the open like this.

"We're going to the library." Rodan answered. Angirasu looked at him in surprise.

"Really? I never took you for a reader."

"I'm not. I just heard that the new librarian that moved in a couple months back was a cutie." Rodan grinned. Angirasu face palmed in response.

"Of course. I figured that your mind would be on girls. Is that why you dragged me out here?" asked Angirasu in dismay.

"You know what Mosura said about-"

"I know, I know. But it never hurts to see a girl right?" asked Rodan, cupping his hands around his eyes, emphasizing his eyes in a playful manner. Angirasu sighed, a sad smile on his face.

"I guess not."

Meanwhile, back at the Golden Oaks Library, Junior was setting down an empty tea cup. He sighed as he leaned back a bit in his seat, allowing the liquid to settle in his gut.

"That’s enough about me, Twilight. What can you tell me about yourself?" asked Junior. He wanted to move on from spilling anymore information that may contain more 'sensitive' details. But, he was also curious about this girl, who oddly took an interest in him. He wondered what kind of girl could be so friendly to a guy such as himself.

"Oh, well I was born and raised in Canterlot. I always had this desire to learn, especially magic. I spent most of my time studying basic magic, hoping to learn all that I could. Later, my parents got me an interview to attend the School For gifted Elves. After displaying my magic in an...accidental overpowered spell, the Princess made me her personal student." said Twilight. She had a nostalgic smile as she thought back to her past. Junior was surprised. He never knew that this girl was quite the prodigy.

"You must be pretty smart and talented at magic if you've managed to impress Celestia for her to mentor you. That's pretty cool," said Junior. Twilight smiled bashfully, playing with locks of her hair. She never had been complimented by a boy her own age over something as her intellect and magic skills. Her heart was a flutter and her face grown warm. She worried that she may have looked foolish in front of him.

"I-I'm OK. I mean, I still have a lot to learn," said Twilight.

"Modest too?" Junior smiled playfully. Twilight's heart skipped a beat as she saw this. She hadn't noticed how much his usually stern face had softened up. A genuine friendly smile as this must have been a rare thing to behold. She felt honored to have been able to witness it. Twilight quickly looked away, tracing the rim of her cup.

"A-Anyway, I ended up spending most of my years focused on my studies. I never actually interacted with the other kids that were my age. I'm starting to regret it now that I think about it." Twilight frowned, looking down at her cup. She began to dwell more on her own past.

'Had I really been that alone for all of my life?' thought Twilight. Junior took notice of her gloomy state. He could feel that the atmosphere was beginning to change. The boy met her with a shrug and nonchalant look.

"Yeah, but who cares?" asked Junior. Twilight raised her head, taken aback.

"Excuse me?"

"No sense in dwelling on what you didn't do. What matters is what you do now. You seem to have gotten close to some of the girls here in Ponyville, right? So cheer up," said Junior. Twilight smiled.

"Yeah, you're right."

"I mean, at least you're still young. What are ya? Seventeen or something?" asked Junior.

"Actually, I just turned eighteen back in early July," answered Twilight.

"See? You could be a bitter old hag with a bunch of cats, so don't sweat it," said Junior, waving his hand. Twilight giggled.

"I thought you were a lot more pessimistic. I didn't think you could look on the bright side," said Twilight. Junior shrugged.

"I guess I have my moments."

Twilight began to bite her lip as she had a thought. This conversation had reminded her of Pinkie Pie.

"Speaking of age, how old are you? When's your birthday?" asked Twilight, casually.

"Me? I'm Eighteen too. I'll be nineteen in December." Junior simply answered.

"December..." Twilight fished for a specific day. Junior looked to her with a raised brow.

"The eleventh." Junior answered, slight caution in his voice.

"OK, just wondering," Twilight smiled, taking another sip of her tea. She made a mental note to inform Pinkie Pie the next time that she saw him.

"Alright then..." Junior awkwardly sat.

There was a sudden knock at the library door. Spike got up from his seat, walking back toward the main room of the library. He opened the door and saw two Neighian boys standing at the door. Spike had stumbled back a bit, having noticed how tall the boy with the brown spiky hair was.

"This is the cute librarian that you were talking about?" Angirasu whispered in a humored tone. Rodan glared at him in response.

"No! I mean, I hope not." Rodan hissed.

"Can I help you guys?" asked Spike.

"Yes! We um, we came to borrow a book!" Rodan answered. Angirasu rolled his eyes.

'Well, I guess that's a more convincing excuse,' thought Angirasu.

"Well, you came to the right place! We got a whole bunch of books in stock! What are ya interested in?" asked Spike, allowing the boys to step inside of the library.

"Uh... Let's see." Rodan glanced at Angirasu for help. But, he was met with a flat look.

'Oh no. I'm not bailing you out,' thought Angirasu, looking away. Rodan quickly turned back to Spike, who was waiting patiently for his answer.

"Uh... W-What do you recommend?" asked Rodan. Spike bore an odd look.

"Me? Well, no one really asked me that before," said Spike, scratching at his scaled head. He hummed, appearing thoughtful.

"Well, I'm not a big reader books. I'm more of a comic book guy.. But, I hear that Daring Doo is pretty good," said Spike.

"You have any of those?" Rodan quickly asked, latching onto the first thing he heard.

"Yeah! We have all of the current volumes in right now! I'll be back and get Twilight to hook you up," said Spike, rushing out of the main room. Rodan gave a confident smirk, chuckling.

"Smooth as ice, huh?" asked Rodan.

"Sure, Ro." Angirasu shrugged. He began to admire the interior of the library. From the shelves that filled the room, the decor of the overall library, and most glaring of all, the interior of the tree.

"I can't believe they turned this tree into a library," said Angirasu in awe.

"Yeah. But it seems pretty dangerous. What if there's a storm?" asked Rodan. He noticed a petite Elf girl to be stepping out of another room. The boy admired her scholar uniform, as her skirt flowed with every step that she took. While Twilight wasn't a total knock out babe that he was expecting, the girl was no doubt cute. From the way her bangs hung over her forehead, her small stature, and the big inquisitive eyes that sat in her head. He felt that this trip was not a disappointment.

"Hello~" Rodan muttered as he lightly grinned. From behind the Elf, a familiar face came into view.

"Gojira?!" Rodan exclaimed, his jaw dropping.

"Takeshi-san?" Angirasu's brows raised in surprise. Junior's eyes widened in shock as he saw the other two transmutants.

"Rodan? Riku-san? What are you two doing here?" asked Junior, almost alarmed. Twilight looked up to Junior in confusion.

"You know these two?"

"Um... Kind of." Junior answered simply. He began to compose himself. Twilight shrugged in response. Spike came out of the back room, a book in his hand.

"I'll start you off with the first volume of the book in case it's not your taste. Here you go." Spike handed the book to Rodan, who took it in exchange for a couple of bits. He was absentminded, having been staring at Junior in shock.

"Thank you. C'mon Rodan." Angirasu patted the slack jawed mutant on his shoulder. Rodan shook his head furiously, placing on a neutral expression.

"Uh...yeah. Thanks a lot!" Rodan turned around and took off to the door. The room was suddenly quiet. The trio stood in the library in an awkward silence. Twilight glanced at the young drake.

"New to reading?" asked Twilight.

"Oh yeah, it was obvious." Spike snorted.

"Hm. Well, good job, Spike. Glad you could handle it, my little assistant~," Twilight knelt next to the drake and began to affectionately run her hand over the spines on his head. The dragon grunted as he pulled away with an embarrassed look.

"Cut that out!" said Spike. Twilight laughed at the dragon's flustered state, while Junior watched on with a smile.

"So, Gojira. Do you like to read?" asked Twilight. Junior flinched, having realized that now her attention was on him.

"Uh... Y-Yeah. From time to time," said Junior. Twilight stood and grabbed his hand, towing him through the library.

"Tell me some of the books you've read. Maybe I've read them too. Oh! After lunch, I'll let you borrow some!" said Twilight, eagerly.

"O-OK!" Junior stumbled through the library.

Spike lost his scowl and watched as the two left. He noticed how 'handsy' the girl was being, whether she knew it or not. The way she was behaving around the boy was something that he never really saw the girl do with other male acquaintances. The dragon cupped a paw to his muzzle, wide eyed.

"No way." Spike began to snicker.

---

Junior sighed as he lied down on the sofa in his home. A couple of books were resting on the coffee table in front of the furniture. He had a rather enjoyable morning/noon. He had liked being in Twilight's company. He wasn't expecting it to go as well as it did.

The girl spent her time talking his head off about books. She had a big variety of tastes. She did in fact read some books that he read himself. It was fun to talk about those stories. Some of them he hadn't read in a while, so it was a nice refresher. Twilight even went about telling him that the author of certain books drew inspiration from topics, concepts or tales. She was quite a knowledgeable girl. A real nerd. But, Junior found her passion rather charming. He was relieved to know that Twilight was more down to earth compared to the more sophisticated, snooty or self-absorbed people that lived in Canterlot.

'Not bad for my first visit.'

As Junior was about to doze off for a nap, he heard rapid bangs on the door. Junior shut up, alert. He groaned in annoyance as he got up and made his way to the door.

"Who could be bugging me at this hour?" asked Junior. He opened the door and was greeted with the sight of Angirasu and Rodan.

"Oh. Hey, guys," greeted Junior.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" demanded Rodan. Junior recoiled from the sudden tone.

"Huh??" Junior titled his head, clueless at what Rodan had meant.

"Why didn't you tell me that you knew the cute librarian?!" Rodan grabbed Junior by his sweater, shaking him furiously.

"Twilight? Why-gah-does-oof- that-ma- will you cut that out?!" Junior grabbed Rodan's hands, pried them off of his sweater, then grabbed his arm and placed his other hand on Rodan's chest and flipped him onto his couch. Rodan grunted as he landed comfortably on the sofa. Junior panted, turning his attention to Angirasu.

"What the hell is his problem?" asked Junior.

"Romeo here, tried to score with that librarian." Angirasu sighed. Junior chuckled in response.

"Yeah, I don't think you’re her type Rodan. She might be more into the Brainiac type."

"Yeah? Too bad she's not into the total opposite of that," said Angirasu, teasingly. Rodan scowled.

"Ha!" responded Rodan, getting off of the sofa.

"Is that why you came here?" asked Junior.

"Well sort of. But actually, I wanted to see if you could help me get Angirasu and Mosura to lighten up." Rodan replied. Junior raised a brow.

"Lighten up?"

"Yeah, he and Mosura are extremely paranoid! They act like the whole town is gonna light some torches and grab some pitchforks." said Rodan.

"Well, you're asking the wrong guy to help. I feel the same way." Junior reasoned.

"See? Told ya that we weren't the only ones to feel that way" said Angirasu.

"Yeah, but we gotta be able to blend in! Ya know? Hide in plain sight. We could have a better chance at getting by that way. I mean, Goji's doing that pretty fine," argued Rodan.

"It's not as easy as it looks, Rodan. There's a lot of lying involved," said Junior, sighing heavily. If he had a choice, he would jump at the chance to live in hiding for the rest of his life.

"Hey, you know any other babes that you can introduce us to? That may help him get over his paranoia and meet a cute girl." suggested Rodan. Junior sent him an annoyed look.

"Did you not listen to me? Look, that might not be a good idea," said Junior.

"Why not?"

"Oh gee I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with us being freaks?" seadpanned Junior. Angirasu nodded in agreement.

"Don't remind me..." Rodan sighed.

"Speaking of freaks," Angirasu spoke, grabbing Junior's and Rodan's attention. "Have you heard of the attack in Baltimare recently?"

"Yeah..." Junior sighed.

"Mosura told you that there were mutants out there causing harm, right?" asked Angirasu. Junior nodded.

"Yeah. In fact, there's a big organized group of them that's been going around terrorizing people. They were mainly in Neighpon for a while and have recently moved onto Equestria. I guess MONARCH proved to be too strong for them to remain there," said Angirasu.

"Hmm." Junior looked down in worry. He feared that these Transmutants would end up in either Canterlot or Ponyville. He dreaded that happening. He especially didn't count on MONARCH to be around to help.

"Takeshi-san," Junior turned his attention back to Angirasu. "Why don't you visit the lair sometime? You're welcome anytime. How about we spar or something?"

"Ugh. I'm feeling too exhausted to think about exercising right now," said Junior in dismay. Rodan snorted.

"Fatty," said Rodan. Junior met him with a glare.

"Hey, I know the hoodie isn't flattering, but I'm no flabby mess," said Junior, unzipping his sweater, revealing the shirt beneath. Defined muscle tone could be seen beneath the shirt. The boy's pectorals were solid like stone.

"Ah. You're in good shape. Why were you so tired after tossing Rodan over onto your sofa?" asked Angirasu, curious.

"I uh... I'm not sure. I've kinda been feeling a bit of fatigue lately," said Junior, scratching the back of his head.

"You feel sick?" asked Rodan.

"I haven't been sick in years. Not since I was mutated," said Junior.

"Really? Man, you lucked out. We still get sick," said Rodan in dismay.

"Maybe some exercise will help set you straight. We do some intense training. Why not come by sometime?" suggested Angirasu. Junior hummed to himself.

"I suppose. I'll drop by whenever possible," said Junior, smiling. While the thought of exercising right now was tiring, he at least had an excuse to see to the mutants in the Everfree. He saw their combat performance. Junior thought that maybe he could build off on his current skills from them. Angirasu met him with a smile.

"Great. C'mon Rodan, we're going home," said Angirasu, walking out of the door. Rodan followed but stopped, turning back to face Junior.

"You know... Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a chance with having a relationship with a girl," said Rodan, his tone rather serious. Junior shook his head.

"Is that a risk that you're willing to take? Trust me Rodan, it's easier that you forget about it," said Junior. Rodan sighed as he left the house.

"See ya around," said Rodan.

Junior closed and locked the door to his home. He made his way back to his sofa and sat down. He began to ponder if he made a mistake by opening up to Twilight and Fluttershy. To become their friend. For all he knew, Junior could have been setting himself up to be hurt in the end.

"Take your own advice, moron."

Junior sighed as he made his way to his bedroom. He sat at his desk and took his journal in hand. He began to scribble down his thoughts and the events of his day. There was no sense worrying about his decision. He couldn't back out now. So long as he didn't reveal too much, then he had nothing to worry about.

---

It was a cold rainy night. The wind howled and blew with a vengeance. The sky flashed, as lightning bolts streaked across the sky. Thunder roared like great lions, hiding among the dark clouds above. The heavy rain fell and dropped onto the tree tops above. The earth had grown muddy, as large tracks of a strange beast were left behind.

Senior grunted with every step that he took. Something felt wrong with his body. He felt heavy. His skin felt dry and hard. His mouth and teeth felt unnatural. It was though he had a different body. Senior carried his son in his arms, who had been unconscious since their escape. He knew that they couldn't go on like this. Not in this weather.

Senior's eyes scanned the forest around them. He eventually caught sight of a cave, illuminated by the flash of lightning. He lumbered through the forest, stepping on fallen logs, snapping them under his soles. He stumbled towards the entrance of the cave, finding it to be much dryer compared to outside. His eyes cut through the darkness, not seeing any signs of beasts that may have made their home here. Senior set his son down to the ground. But as he did, he gasped at the sight of his hands. They looked somewhat human, but they were large, covered in leathery and rock-like scales. He looked himself over, seeing the unnatural state of his being. He trembled, as he gazed upon his razor sharp claws. He then began to gaze down at his son, who had awakened. The boy cried out in fright, scrambling away.

"Father! Father, help me!" The boy cried.

"Junior, it's me!" said Senior, though his voice was deep and gravelly. He had raised his hands in an attempt to calm his son, but this only caused the boy to cower on the ground.

"Leave me alone!" The boy cried, on the verge of tears. He suddenly began to twitch and thrash. He gave an inhuman shriek, as sharp teeth sprouted from his gums. His head and body began to restructure themselves.

Senior could only watch, as his own child began to change into something that wasn't human. Junior had soon stopped changing, stuck in a form that was quite similar to Senior's. A dragon-like beast, covered in scales with the appearance of hardened lava. With a back covered in three rows of jagged plates. When he saw the plates, he began to recall an old piece of art that hung in their home.

Junior cried out in horror. His voice mixed with a high pitched wail. He held his box shaped head and began to weep, praying that he was dreaming.

"What have they done to us?" Senior said to himself in horror.

---

Onyx sighed heavily as he stood in the hall of where the test subjects had escaped from. He gazed through the gaping hole that overlooked the forest beyond. By now, they could be anywhere. The recent storm and lack of man power here had costed him the opportunity to retrieve them. He regretted not having more men stationed here. The deaths of the few guards he had showed that they were a force not to be taken lightly.

Onyx turned to find the leading geneticist to be making his way over. He narrowed his eyes at him. If this fool had done what he had asked, they may have been able to have avoided this incident. But then again, they had no idea of the full effect of the mutagen that they had created. This was inevitable.

"What do we do now?" asked the geneticist. Onyx sighed.

"No matter. We had another specimen prepared for this scenario, remember?"

"Yes, sir. We have him confined now. We just need to finish the mutagen that will be introduced to him.," said the geneticist.

"I don't want any foul ups, do you hear? Make sure we have a contingency for this one," said Onyx, sternly. He turned and made his way to a man in armor.

"Assemble a team. I want the Alpha recovered. Don't bother with recovering Lucky Dragon," said Onyx. The soldier nodded, before turning to leave.

The soldier traveled throughout the facility. He approached a metallic door and entered the room it led to. He was in the onsite barracks, where several other soldiers were lounging.

"Up and at 'em. The Director's lost his lab rats, so we have to get them back. Come on, let's move it people!" barked the soldier.

The others began to cease what they were doing and proceeded to exit the barracks. The soldiers made their way to the armory, where they began to suit up in dark armor. The hard surfaced armor pieces sat over the softer and flexible material of their uniforms beneath on the shoulder pieces of these soldiers was an insignia of their faction. It was MONARCH's infinity symbol. It appeared close to a horizontal stylized hour glass.

The soldiers were suited up and armed. They made their way outside of the building, out into the motor pool. There were dark vehicles, covered in armor. The wheels were exposed, and the back of the motorized vehicle carried a turret attached to it.

"So, how're we finding the lab rats?" asked a soldier, hopping into one of the seats of the vehicle.

"The subjects give off a radiation signature. When the meter's reading is high, it means we're close," said the C.O, holding a hand held device. There was a needle that rested in the device, with EMF levels graphed up.

"Well, considering the mess they left behind, I assume they won't be difficult to track," said a young female soldier, looking to the path of knocked over trees outside of the compound.

"You just be sure to keep your feet planted when things get hot, rookie. I don't tolerate cowards," spat the C.O. The woman slightly narrowed her eyes in response. She had a bit of a coldness to her red eyes. It was like he wasn't looking into the eyes of a human. The C.O. had a feeling that he was stuck with one of the crazies that slipped through the psyche evaluation. She was around 5 foot 9, making her around the acceptable height for infantry when it came to the female standard. She was a Neighponese woman, with a firm grasp on the common tongue of the GU, which was Equestrian. This soldier was an attractive character, with short pink hair with red tips, though her attractiveness was dulled by the rotten eyes of hers and her 'resting bitch' face. Not an approachable woman in the slightest.

Lucky for her, she wasn't here to pick up a partner. She was here to follow orders and to 'shoot someone', as she once eloquently put it with her comrades. This soldier, Kenra Kenpachi, was fresh out of basic training. She had a history of being rebellious, something unbefitting of a soldier. Hopefully that training knocked that out of her.

---

It was a sunny morning. The land was dry compared to the previous night, during the storm. The air was warm, filled with the call of birds.

Gojira Senior found himself walking along the forest floor with his son. The two wore grass skirts, which they had hastily put together some time before. The two were in silence, having not said a word in hours. The two were still in shock from the previous night and had only rest for a few short hours. As soon as the rain had stopped, they left the cave and fled further from that facility.

Junior was stumbling over himself, as his eyes struggled to remain open. The boy grunted as he tripped and fell to his hands and knees.

"Junior!" Senior cried, kneeling next to his son. The boy winced.

"I'm tired." Junior groaned. Senior sighed.

"I know. On your feet, son. We're almost home," said Senior, helping the boy onto his feet.

Right now, returning to the Takeshi home seemed to be the best course of action considering their predicament. It wouldn't be a permanent safe haven, considering that their kidnappers had snatched them from the house, but it would be a start.

By now, the morning was transitioning to the early noon. The two fugitives found themselves arriving to their home. Senior sighed in dismay, finding the damage that was inflicted onto this place. He hated seeing the place that he built with his own two hands in this state.

The two had entered their house. Junior was sleeping in his futon, moved to the living room. Senior was busy packing essentials. From food, water, clothes, and other things needed for survival. As much as he hated to admit it, the two would have to abandon their home, for it was no longer safe here. They would have to keep moving until they could find somewhere to dwell. No doubt whoever had taken them would be on the hunt for them.

Senior found a familiar medallion to be resting on the ground among the debris of the damaged furniture. He picked it up, looking over the object, which depicted a dragon's paw. He hung it over his neck and began to make his way over to the far end of the room.

Senior opened up a wooden case, revealing a shrine. There lied a hair pin that rested on a shelf, below a picture frame. The image was that of a beautiful young Neighponese woman. Her long dark hair hung over her shoulders, as her gentle grayish blue eyes seemed to look into Senior's. A kind smile was plastered on her face.

The man clasped his hands together, bowing his head and closing his eyes. He made a silent prayer, pleading the gods and the spirit of his beloved to watch over him and his son.

During his prayer, Senior was distracted as he picked up a sound in the air. It sounded close, yet far. He raised his head and furrowed his brows. He quickly gathered his bags and rushed to Junior. He began to shake the boy awake.

"Junior, get up! We must leave!" said Senior urgently.

Meanwhile, a couple of armored vehicles drove through the woods along a clear path. The tires kicked up dirt with their spinning motion, leaving tracks behind. Inside one of these automobiles, the commanding officer was looking at the needle of the EMF meter. The device's needle had quickly pointed to the yellow line, steadily rising over time.

"Alright, we're close! Set your rifles to stun! Alpha is to be brought back alive!" said the C.O.

"Let's rock!" said Kenra.

The vehicles pulled up to a house, where the door lied wide open. A couple of soldiers hopped out and rushed to the house. Once inside, they found no one in sight.

"Target doesn't seem to be here!" said a soldier, before kicking over a shelf.

"It's a big house! Search every-" the C.O. stopped once he noticed a trail of fresh foot prints to be leading away from the house.

"Belay that order! Get back in here!"

The two soldiers rushed back to the vehicles, hopping in. The engines roared as the wheels took a moment to grab the muddy surface. The vehicles rode off away, following the path. As they drove, a large heavy boulder came crashing into the side of one of the vehicles.

With a tumble and roll, the vehicle had fallen onto its side from the impact. The other vehicles slid across the mud before coming to a stop. The soldiers quickly jumped out, finding that vehicle lied mangled, with the boulder stuck in the side. On the cracked and shattered windows, a dark fluid had stained the surface.

"Oh shit," said a soldier, eyes wide as dinner plates.

"Eyes peeled! The target is close!" said the C.O. he noticed that the meter he held was now pointing at the end, clicking against its end point. Their target was close.

A soldier grunted as he was met with an incoming object. He found himself pinned to a tree, with a katana impaled through him.

The soldiers turned to find Gojira Senior to be rushing towards them. All at once, they began to fire off their rifles. The man slide and rolled along the earth, while taking cover behind one of the parked vehicles. The bolts bounced off of the metal, having failed to reach their target. As the soldiers were about to advance, the vehicle rocked briefly.

"Take cover!" shouted the C.O.

The jeep was sent sliding towards the soldiers. They had managed to dive for cover, away from the vehicle. However, Senior emerged and lunged for the closest soldiers.

With a mighty shout, with yellow tinted eyes, and hands bearing sharp claws, Senior began his attack. He slashed and slammed into his targets. As the soldiers attempted to subdue him, they misfired and missed him due to his violent and swift movements. Kenra backed away with an unnerved look on her face.

"We're not allowed to kill this one?!" exclaimed the soldier. Whoever's idea this was obviously not the one who would be in mortal danger like they were in right now.

"Private Kenpachi! Follow your orders!" shouted the C.O., before being knocked back by the mutant. The younger soldier scoffed as she took off running.

"Not a chance!" said Kenra. While desertion could get her court martialed, it was better than meeting a violent death from that freak. Best case for her is that she ends up being the sole survivor of this team.

As Kenra stopped, she noticed a kid to be peering from further away from the area. The child quickly ducked behind the bushes. Kenra smirked.

"Hmph. Maybe I can come back with some credit," said Kenra, flipping a switch on her rifle, changing its function from stun to kill. She began to leave the battle, making her way to the child's hiding place. All the while, Senior continued to fight with the soldiers.

Junior fled from the area. His eyes wide and alert. He scanned the area, finding hill just a bit of a distance away. He heard the woman's footsteps to be quickly approaching. His father was preoccupied with the others. Remaining here wasn't an option.

The boy began to run from the bush. Bolts of magic came flying over him, causing Junior to yelp in fright. He ran passed trees and bushes, remaining as low to the ground as possible. Kenra gave chase, while firing off a couple of shots at the boy.

"Come on, little freak! Auntie Kenra will make it quick!" said the soldier.

The two continued to run through the woods, ascending up a steep hill. Junior slipped along the way over the wet mud. He whimpered, scrambling back up to his feet. Kenra continued to shoot at the boy, who dove behind a tree. She cursed to herself as she continued firing. The bolts chipped away at the bark that coated the tree. Junior suddenly appeared from cover, hurling a stone. Kenra instinctively shielded her face, feeling the rock pelt her helmet.

"Little shit!" Kenra returned to firing her rifle. Junior yelped as he took cover again. The soldier began to move up, while firing off more shots in a controlled manner. This forced the boy to remain where he was, lest he risk getting shot.

Kenra soon made her way to the tree. She stepped up and aimed the barrel of her rifle at the quivering child. A look of malice was on the soldier's face.

"Freaky. He says that you're some kind of demon, yet you're acting like an actual kid," said Kenra, forcing the barrel against the boy's cheek. Junior whimpered, as his eyes watered.

"Well, see ya," said Kenra. Junior clenched his eyes shut, waiting for what was to come next. There was a click in the air. Kenra looked at her weapon, finding that the lights on the side were off.

"Ah fuck, I'm dry," spat Kenra. Junior suddenly kicked the rifle out of the woman's hand, causing her to grunt.

"HEY!" The woman shouted. She quickly drew out a knife and pounced on the child, just as he prepared to run. Junior screamed as he squirmed, while Kenra placed her weight on him.

"Shut up, you freak!" said Kenra as she prepared bring the blade down. Junior suddenly thrashed, causing her to lose her hold on him. The boy panted as he attempted to crawl away, his eyes growing a tinge of yellow. Kenra grabbed him again and turned him onto his back. Before she could bring the knife down again, Junior swiped his hand at her.

"AH!!" Kenra screamed as she felt the side of her face to be slashed. She cupped her hand over her face, then was met with a kick to her gut. The kick was surprisingly strong, for a child that is. The woman was knocked onto her back and spiraled down the hill, losing her helmet along the way. Junior heard the woman let out a scream, as she passed some bushes. The child stood up, before carefully making his way over to the bushes. He peered over, finding a cliff ahead, leading down to a ravine. Kenra was nowhere in sight. The boy sighed in relief before rushing back down the hill.

Senior panted as he stood among the bodies of the slain soldiers. He bore some minor wounds, but stood victorious among them. They lied with armor damaged from his newly found raw strength, their limbs snapped, and faces swelled to a pulp. He began to look around in a panic.

"Junior! Junior, where are you?!" cried Senior. He turned to find his son to be stumbling down from the hill. The father rushed over, his arms open wide. The two embraced each other tightly. The boy sniffled as he buried his face into his father's shoulder. Senior sighed in relief, caressing his child's head.

"We must go," said Senior. The two released each other and began to gather what they could from their home. For it would be a long time before they would return. Senior didn't expect them to be able to. So, father and son resumed their journey on the run. The fact of their lives being forever changed was engrained into their minds.

Meanwhile, from the cliff on the hill, rustling could be heard. Kenra hung from a branch that stuck out. She held one eye closed, as her wounds on her face bled over it. She strained as she pulled herself up over the cliff, using the foliage above for support. The soldier panted as she found herself on the safety of the earth. She stumbled down the hill, finding the bodies of her comrades. She turned to find the fleeing figures of the targets, as they left the area. Kenra snarled, as she cupped her face.

"Respond!"

Kenra turned, finding the dead commanding officer at her feet. She knelt down and took the COM device that he had on his person. She answered.

"This is Private Kenpachi Kenra. My squad's dead. The targets got away," panted Kenra, holding the device close.

"Understood Private. We'll send for an Evac to your position," said a voice. Kenra narrowed her eyes as she continued to watch as the father and son fled.

"Make it quick," said Kenra.

Next Chapter: Chapter 6: Breaking Down Walls Estimated time remaining: 16 Hours