----------------------------------------------------------Duel------------------------------------------------------------
>The park had seen prettier days.
>A quarter of a gazebo had vanished, leaving a growing pond in the center
>Large puddles were scattered across the soaked ground while the turtle pond splashed at the tallest edges of the shoreline.
>Splashing into one of those puddles was a large, lavender hoof.
>Gabby had looked down to negotiate the fence, and her face twisted as her hooves visibly sunk into the mushy ground.
>Looking back up, she saw that the source of the shaking she'd felt was standing there, mimicking her own wide-eyed stare.
>She looked over this other beast across the landscape from her.
>Like her, it seemed this creature was at least somewhat like a large horse.
>The mane and what she could see of the tail were tipped with glowing blue lights.
>Antennae protruding from its head also were glowing at their tips, petals open like new flowers while the cores were pointed at her.
>Between them was a large horn with that same electric blue spiraling its way up the cone.
>Its wide eyes were projecting the color onto her like a pair of floodlights.
>She could almost swear she could see that same glow coming from the creature's flanks, but she wasn't sure.
>The most worrying thing was that it seemed to have some kind of armor plating on it.
>Every times its ears moved she could see hardened panels across their backs.
>Right across the bridge of the nose was another, but more worrying were the hooves that each gave the same dull shean.
>Whatever it was, it looked like it was ready for battle.
>Something she hoped she didn't have to do today.
>Neither beast moved until Gabby noticed the way the other one's hair seemed to squirm on its own accord.
>Her face twisted as she entertained the thought that the beast's hair might be alive.
>She swallowed her anxiousness and took a deep breath.
''Nice to meet you, I'm Gabby and-''
>The blue kaiju huffed, standoffish with her adversary.
``-Orchid.''
``It's a pleasure. I was wondering if--''
>The glowing creature was quick to cut her off with a flick of its tail.
''I know what you are. You're here to terrorize the city!''
>Gabby accusingly pointed a hoof towards the grey beast.
''Isn't that what you're doing? I know I certainly didn't cause all this!''
>Orchid shook her head.
''I've never met another kaiju before, but I was taught that I should never listen to them if they tried to communicate.''
>Gabby frowned and curled her horns.
''Kai-ju? What? Wait, how do I know you're not the monster?''
``Because I'm the only kaiju with the defense corps.''
``Defense what-now?''
>The blue one stomped a hoof into the loamy soil.
``See? I knew it!''
``That's not enough proof! What if you just made that up?''
``Did not!''
``Did too!''
``Nuh uh!''
``Uh huh!''
>A safe distance away, a recon unit watches the `battle' unfold.
>Two sniper teams seem to be the main sets of eyes for the troops.
>Nonetheless, every soldier with a strong enough scope is watching intently.
>''My money's on the purple one.''
>''No way! She doesn't look like she knows how to fight at all! Mine's on the gray one.''
>Roughly half of the unit nod in agreement.
>''We still don't know what she's capable of. My money's still on that one. I've learned not to judge so quickly.''
>Surprisingly civilized discussion takes place among the troops as they look on.
``Did not!''
``Did too!''
>Unbeknownst to the two of them, a convoy of buses is trying to silently slip along the edges of the park.
>All of the passengers are plastered to the parkside windows looking at the two towering monsters bickering at each other like siblings.
>Neither kaiju remembering what an inside voice is is causing headaches for many of the riders and what onlookers peeked out through building windows.
>The city was otherwise silent as the never-ending echoing series of rebuttals dominated the soundwaves, blaring over sirens and radios alike.
>Gabby had been yelling until she was red in the face, her adversary sporting a strong blue tint across her cheeks as well.
``This isn't going anywhere!''
``You're using sound waves to attack the peace!''
>The lavender hybrid looked flabbergasted for a fraction of a second.
``Okay now I know you made that one up!''
>Orchid dug her hooves into the soil.
``I was warned about you.''
``By whom?''
``The Defense Corps.''
``There you go again...''
>The sea kaiju stomped a hoof for silence.
``I'm gonna save everyone!''
>Gabby nodded despite herself, until Orchid continued, that is.
``And to do that, I'm gonna take you down!''
``Wait wh--''
>She was again cut off by a series of thunderous booms as her would-be adversary went into a charge.
>If she were hit where she stood currently, it would be disastrous for both her and the buildings nearby.
>Angrily shaking her head, she too broke into a sprint, adding her own earth-shaking steps to the chaos.
>She didn't have far to dash as the blue one surged across the ground, tossing mud and flower beds into the air.
>The next move was quick with practiced efficiency.
>Orchid stopped before impact, digging furrows into the ground as she halted and spun around.
>The tail was brought to bear, prehensile strands balling together into a solid, brightly colored mass as they swung towards Gabby.
>The lavender horse's eyes went wide as Orchid executed her maneuver.
>Gabby quickly skidded to a halt, and slammed her hooves into the ground to brace for the impact.
>Surely her tail hairs couldn't hurt that much, right?
>Wrong.
>The bulk of the tail hairs struck her on her side.
>The blow nearly knocked the wind out of her, and certainly knocked her off her hooves.
>Her massive body hid the ground with a thud, and the momentum caused her to skid across the ground like a makeshift bulldozer.
>Grass and trees alike were either flung aside or mowed down beneath her.
>Skidding to a stop just shy of the bordering fence, one thing was on her mind.
>Whatever that was, it wasn't made of normal hair.
>She was back on her hooves in short order, and barred her teeth.
>Her side may have been bruised, but she wasn't going down that easily.
>She bounded off for her assailant once more, her thundering steps ringing against the tall buildings surrounding the park.
>Before reaching the kaiju, though, she reared back a forehoof for a punch aimed at the side of her face.
>While not a fist, Orchid was no stranger to the human art of a boxing match.
>Craning her neck to the opposite side, the oceangoing kaiju ducked into a sidestep, narrowly avoiding catching it on her nose as she slipped by.
>Her growled rebuttal came as a leg-sweep, a forehoof lurching forward and then to the side as she tried to catch Gabby off-balance.
>The attack hit its mark, and while it didn't hurt as much as the tail did, it sent her skidding and again nearly caused her to break through a boundary fence of the park.
>More upset at the fact that she nearly caused unintentional damage to the city for the second time within a few seconds.
>Gabby stood up again, wiping a bit of mud from her cheek, and started inhaling.
>At the same time, a blue orb was forming half inside, half outside her mouth, and it was rapidly growing bigger.
>Orchid blinked in confusion, and that hesitation cost her dearly.
>When the orb was jawbreaker sized to the hybrid pony, she exhaled forcefully.
>From it shot out a narrow sky blue beam, aimed square at the kaiju's chest.
>As close as they were, the stream struck point blank.
>The instant it made contact, Orchid yelped at the frostbitten pangs around where her neck melded with her chest.
>Instinctively, the blue kaiju tried to get away from it but the beam continued to pour ice across her as she hastily stepped back.
>Frost spilled across her front, the supercooled air creating a mist that wrapped around her and licked at her sides.
>The beam petered out a few short seconds later, leaving a shivering Orchid, wisps of cold trailing from a piece of ice affixed to her front like a medallion.
>Teeth chattering, the kaiju shook it off as best she could.
``What was that?!''
>The chilled kaiju was only dimly aware of someone calling out in the distance.
>''Holy shit, that was ice beam! It's just like my Japanese card games!''
>''I don't think it's supposed to be that big, though...''
>Gabby nodded in the direction of the shouting.
``That's right, or, that's at least what I've been calling it.''
>She then glanced in the correct direction, and her eyes went wide when they fell upon the busses.
>She wondered internally what all those busses were doing in a line, and so close to the two of them, for that matter.
>She started softly trotting away from the bus line, and the edge of the park.
>The would-be defender was taken aback.
>If they already knew about it then obviously the military's intelligence was on par today.
``Now, could you just...''
>Gabby was already snickering, a playful grin tugging at her mouth.
``...chill out?''
>Somewhere in the distance, someone hollered.
>The opponent would have made a retort, but she was too busy testing the icicle splattered across her chest.
>An uncontrollable shiver twitched underneath Orchid's nose plate as she tapped the cold formation with the hard edge of her hoof disbelievingly.
>A series of loud ``tink'' noises echoed over the park.
>She looked back up at Gabby, eyes wide.
''You shot ice at me!''
>The goodra-pony exhaled, a few trailing cold vapors visible but rapidly fading.
>She shrugged.
``It's a thing I can do.''
>Gabby donned a thoughtful expression for the time being.
>It certainly wasn't a thing she could do more than once.
>It--no, she--might dodge it, and then what?
>It would be catastrophe if it struck a building.
>A rapid banging distracted her from imagining a frozen skyscraper.
>Orchid tried to chip away at the ice with another hard hoof.
>Gabby decided to make use of the precious seconds while her opponent was busy.
``So, can we stop fighting now?''
>The tapping stopped for only a moment.
``Nope.''
>Soon, the park echoed with the sound of hooves on the ground
>The blue kaiju was on the move again.
>Orchid was trying her best to stay confident but she still shuddered with every cold pang that continued to jolt through her from what little pieces were left on her.
>Clearly she needed to get back to the basics.
``Pretend like it's a jaeger...''
>She muttered her thoughts aloud to herself as she pounced left and right in a serpentine dance, dodging phantom beams that could erupt at any moment.
>Her pattern wasn't so much a zig-zag as it was like she was practicing ballet.
>She glanced out of the corner of her eye, studying the way her perceived target was obviously just staring at her, trying to draw a bead.
>In reality Gabby was just trying to figure out what in the world she was doing.
>But that wasn't stopping Orchid from narrating her thoughts.
``If I can just just disrupt the targeting system, I can stop the ice laser.''
>''Ice beam!'' a distant voice corrected through a megaphone.
>She probably only had one shot at this.
>No, wait, that's it!
>She skidded to a halt, dirt-caked hooves slipping over puddles and digging into what soaked grass remained.
>Inwardly, she grimaced, but sacrificing the park grounds was the best option.
>Literally, in this case.
>Orchid flattened her tail and scooped it low into the dirt.
>The tail lurched upwards and forwards into a flicking motion, starting from the tip of her dock to the sparkling end.
``Mud toss!''
>The shack-sized glob of mud took flight while an onlooker cried out.
>''That's not what's it called!''
>Unfortunately, Gabby was in too much of a daze from the kaiju's movements to defend herself.
>The mud struck the hybrid right in the face.
>Gabby staggered about the park grounds, using her forelegs to clear away the mud until she remembered that her hooves were even muddier.
>She went back on all fours, using her horns instead.
``Pffffbt pffbt pffbt! Muuud! Blech, it's in my mouth!''
>Being partially made of goo was starting to have its drawbacks as she tried to wipe the mud from around her eyes, nose, and mouth.
>She even went so far as to stick her tongue out and rapidly wipe away the taste of the grounds.
>Her face was still coated in mud, but she could at least open her eyes.
>The other kaiju had already crept close during the distraction.
>Jotting that down mentally, Gabby looked around for something that she could use.
>There were only so many things she could do before the city itself became at risk from her actions.
>She wanted to pacify her quickly before things got that far.
>During her lament, her eyes settled on a large tree, already-uprooted from Orchid's evasive maneuvers.
>It was well within the reach of her retractable horns.
>She saw the tree and instinctively seemed to know what she had to do next.
>This must've been what leveling up was like.
''Frenzy Plant!''
``Frenzy wha-''
>Orchid was cut off by a mouthful of vegetation.
>The improvised plant slapped the kaiju across the face, the trunk landing with a solid thunk.
>''It's super effective!''
>The top half of the tree was left dangling like a broken bat.
>Orchid reeled, hitting the ground with a heavy thump that shook what plants were still standing.
>Any ice still affixed to her broke clean off from the impact.
>Groaning and cradling her horn, she noticed a jeep sitting idle at the nearby edge of the park.
``I'm getting pretty beat up here.''
>''You have to keep going!''
``I don't thi-''
>''The guardian legion is on it's way!''
``Yeah it's... that's...''
>The kaiju trailed off uneasily.
>Her snout scrunched up and her eyes narrowed.
>''Um, commander, she called it the `defense corps'.''
``...''
>''Oh yeah. Those guys.''
>Nubby, crocodilian teeth poked out from her frowning lips.
``Are the jaegers moving in soon?''
>''Yeah, we got moves like jagger.''
>The kaiju glared at them in the most nonplussed way she could manage.
``You have no idea who the defense corps is, do you?''
>''Maaaybe?''
>Gabby trotted across the grounds to the fallen kaiju.
>She wore not a face of triumph, but one of concern.
``Are you alright?''
>Orchid flicked her ears incredulously.
``What kind of kaiju are you?''
``The not destructive, not rampagey kind?''
>They each glanced at the thoroughly ruined landscape around them.
>The park looked like more of a construction site, with trees, flowers and grass alike replaced with an ocean of mud and a lot of giant hoofprints.
``I didn't know it was going to do that much damage... I was aiming for tiring you, not knocking you out.''
``And I was just trying to stall for the mechs.''
``Mechs?''
>Orchid nodded as if this was the most sensible thing in the world.
``Yeah, the jaegers are supposed to fight kaiju to protect humanity!''
>Of course she said this with more than a little bit of pride, stamping one hoof into the dirt and sticking her chest out.
``But... aren't you a kaiju?''
``I just do training.''
``With this `defense corps' of yours, right?''
``I don't understand how any of you haven't heard of them by now.''
>The hybrid shrugged.
``Hopefully those mechs won't be needed, `cause I never intended to fight in the first place.''
>Orchid cocked her head to the side, wet, alien hair slowly squirming.
>Gabby thought for a moment before she panned a hoof behind her, at the actual city.
>Aside from a few cracked windows, the buildings nearby were in good shape.
>Well, as good a shape as having holes randomly torn out of you could leave a building in.
``Do you recognize this city? `Cause I sure don't.''
>She turned back to Orchid, frowning.
``And nobody actually knows this `defense corps', right? I want to wager you're not familiar with this city either. Otherwise I'm sure I'd be swarmed by those mechs by now.''
>The seahorse nodded her head, a slightly pained look on her face.
>Obviously she wasn't comfortable with this realization either, but still, Gabby continued.
``So neither of us know where we are, but... Something's still bugging me.''
>Again her eyes locked with Orchid's.
``You could've attacked the city, but you didn't, and you just said you were gonna fight me to save everyone.''
>Gabby paused for a brief moment, idly pawing at the ground with one hoof.
``If I were here to rampage, I would've already been doing it, and there'd be fewer buildings left standing before we'd cross paths.''
>She could see Orchid tense slightly as if expecting her to make good on this.
``Despite not knowing these people, you were willing to protect them and this city just as much as I was.''
``Yeah, from you.''
>Gabby pointed a hoof towards a nearby building with its fair share of holes in it.
``I didn't do anything like this. I can't do anything like this. ...Can you?''
>Orchid squints at the distant cookie-cutter missing section of a building.
>Finally, something seems to click as her features literally light up.
"Almost."
"Almost?"
>Orchid stood, walked over to a still-standing park merry-go-round and lowered her head.
"NAM!"
>She pops her head back up, pieces of twisted metal poking out from her lips.
>A news camera zooms in on Gabby making various disgusted and queasy faces as the viewers can hear Orchid chewing to the tune of groaning and breaking metal.
``Nam nam nam nam..."
>Her eyes do manage to fall back on where the merry-go-round was.
>Sure enough, the remnants of a bite mark in the remaining piece don't match what's virtually all over the nearby structures.
>Although she wasn't putting that missing half-circle in the fence past the blue kaiju now.
>Her gaze shifted beyond Orchid and the park's fence to the convoy of military troops just... sitting there?
>She pointed at them with a forehoof.
``...How long have they been there and why aren't they shooting at us?''
>''It's fun to watch!''
``Watch..?''
>Gabby glanced past the convoy.
>A van with ``Channel 7 DOX News'' printed on the side with obnoxiously red lettering was parked on the sidewalk.
>Looking further away, she could see at least a dozen such trucks and vans positioned around the park and at least as many camera crews staring back.
>She was beginning to feel a little self-conscious.
>She fell back to a sitting position near the blue-gray horse.
>It was the last anyone ever saw of the ``Tired? Try public benches! It's not just for hobos!'' bench.
>The mayor felt a pang of joy at the demise of the last relic in a line of very poorly thought out city works advertisements, though Gabby merely sighed aloud.
``I should've known the media would be all over this...''
>One of the tank commanders nearby spoke up.
>''You're giant, talking horses straight out of a bad B-movie; of course you're going to be on the news.''
>''More like a fanfic of a fanfic that was a crossover between something really stupid, like ponies and-''
>''Shut it, Nelson. Anyway, what did you expect us to do?''
>Meanwhile, the bus convoy had snaked its way out of the park district, but it was certainly not a smooth ride.
>Every big quake jostled vehicles and passengers alike.
>The chief thought surely that one of the impacts would've caused them to flip.
>Luckily, the only things that did get flipped were a few stomachs.
>As the lead bus turned onto the road that would eventually take them towards the lab, the chief had a lot of thoughts to sort out.
>After all, he was directly responsible for unleashing two monstrosities on the city.
>But even before that realization, a million questions.
>How did the portals bring them here?
>How do we rebuild?
>How much will it cost to rebuild?
>Will this cost me my life's work?
>What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
>How do we send them back?
>As the busses began traveling the winding road to the lab, another, much more important realization crossed his mind.
>He had no idea where in the lab he'd put all the rescued civilians.
