Chapter 9: The Golden Pony of Kubla-Kahn

“Back in 2008, there was a family known as the Reeds. They kept a most exotic pet; a four-foot iguana named Godzilla. They loved their pet, and the pet loved them back. As much as an iguana could, anyway. One day, Godzilla was left alone, and somehow made its way into the attic of the Reed household, probably in search of some goodies to chow down on. It was there that Godzilla ran into something that would change the lives of many generations to come: the Golden Pony of Kubla-Kahn.
“It’s not known how the Reed household obtained this; it’s possible that it had passed down through the years and they were, in fact, descendants of the titular Kubla-Kahn. Or their predecessors could have simply stolen it somewhere down the line. Regardless of how the family had found it, it was there in the attic when Godzilla found it.
“Upon laying her limb upon the pony, something happened. What exactly it was I couldn’t tell you, though Godzilla later described it to me as the knowledge of the entire universe rushing into her consciousness. This made the iguana self-aware, and she realized the power that this pony held. Knowing what kind of power this pony held, she knew she had to take it and keep it away from all humans, making sure it never fell into the wrong hands. The next chance she got, she bolted out the door with the Golden Pony in tow, and was never seen from by her beloved Reed family again.
“Godzilla hid in the forest for years, and eventually became to be a mother figure of all the animals found there. She was venerable and wise, and all knew that she was the most kind-hearted soul imaginable. One day, a baby was found, abandoned in the forest. Why negligent parents would just ditch a baby in the middle of the forest as opposed to simply taking it to an adoption agency is beyond me, but I digress. Godzilla knew that she was the only one that could take care of this child, and took the self-imposed challenge with stride.” At this, Stacy couldn’t help but asking a question.
“Was the baby…you?” Lizard Man gave a knowing smile accompanied by a nod and continued.
“Yes, it was I. Godzilla raised me as her own. I am quite human, despite my appearance, but because of her tutelage I gained many lizard-like abilities. I became stronger than three and a half bears, faster than an oiled up gazelle going down a set of stairs, and my legs made me a veritable jumpin’ jack flash. As I myself became older, I became the main protector of this forest and its animals, including my mother Godzilla.
“When I was in my late teens, I met your father-in-law, Voltron Murray, while he was on a camping trip with some friends in my forest. I watched them to make sure they didn’t cause any harm to the environment, but I soon saw that they were good people. However, there was another intruder that I was unaware of: Sasquatch. Sasquatch attacked Voltron and his friends, and while his chummies got away, Voltron decided to try and distract the Sasquatch. Before Sasquatch could land the killing strike on Voltron, I jumped in and karate kicked Sasquatch in the face, sending him running like a little girly Sasquatch.
“Voltron was very grateful, and he also surprisingly wasn’t scared of my presence. On the contrary, he ended up talking to me for hours about everything. I soon decided that this here was a man I could trust, and brought him to meet my mother. She too could sense his trustworthiness, and decided that he would be the first person aside from myself that she confided the Golden Pony of Kubla-Kahn too.
“Many more years went by much as the years before had gone. We forest dwellers heard of the rising power of the Blood-Eyed Cat Syndicate, but decided to not interfere with the problems of humans. It is a decision we soon learned to regret, however, as they came to invade our beloved forest home. My mother obviously could sense something, and told me that I was to protect the Golden Pony of Kubla-Kahn to and not to worry about her, no matter what happened. These ominous words stuck with me, but I knew better than to try and disagree with her, so I heeded them. Days later, the majority of the creatures inhabiting the forest were captured by the Blood-Eyed Cat Syndicate to perform experiments on them. I watched with teary eyes as my mother was captured, and I never saw her again.
“The only survivor of this experimentation, as you might have guessed now, was Grumbles, and as he wandered his old forest home after years of incarceration, I found him and we two became close friends. We both swore that we would do anything we could to destroy the Blood-Eyed Cat Syndicate, no matter what the cost to ourselves. Through spying and just plain sneakiness, we discovered that the Blood-Eyed Cat Syndicate had learned of my existence, and that I was guarding the pony. This is when both Grumbles and I met your grandpa Dustin, and I sent them off to deliver the pony to the only human I ever trusted – Voltron Murray.
“I kept in contact with Voltron while I was hiding from the Blood-Eyed Cat Syndicate. He kept the secret well, sharing it only with his son and your husband, Optimus Murray, when he came of age. One night his house was broken into, and the pony stolen. Luckily it had not been by the Blood-Eyed Cat Syndicate, but by petty criminals who did not know of the power it held. It was sold on to the black market, and your husband, by request of Voltron, spent the better part of two years traveling the world and looking for it, eventually winning it at an auction a few years back.
“This, of course, leads us to the here and now, where the Blood-Eyed Cat Syndicate discovered the pony was in the possession of the in-laws, who then gave it to you to protect while they reaped the consequences in your stead, in the hopes of leading them off your trail. This, obviously, did not work for as long as they intended, as you’ve been followed from the beginning.
“But you need not fear anymore, because I have finally decided that I am going to take the fight directly to the Blood-Eyed Cat Syndicate, with the help of both you, the Keeper of the Golden Pony of Kubla-Kahn, Grumbles the bear, and your best friend, Quincy O’ Snappers. That is, if you want to help…”
“Of course I want to help; the Blood-Eyed Cat Syndicate are naughty, naughty people, and if we can take them out once and for all then I want to help.”
“Good; you are as brave as I could have hoped. Now, come: it’s time to get your friends back from the Blood-Eyed Cat Syndicate’s Volcano Mountain Lair of Doom."