//-------------------------------------------------------// It's about the Journey -by Readingthebookishard- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Welcome to Rupture //-------------------------------------------------------// Welcome to Rupture Nothing made sense      "You need to get up," called a deep voice, "Megathí̱rio gi̱ will be here soon." It or more accurately a he was over her, urging her off the rocky surface. "I found you in a creek nearby and found shelter." His face held a look of urgency, as if worry was plastered onto him. His legs were bruised and battered, as was the rest of his body.      She was close to panicking, having a stranger standing over her shaking her awake wasn't an everyday occurrence. Luna immediately began to cast a spell to attack the stranger, lightning should do well. Her horn began radiating with light and sparks as she raised it to shock her intruder, and noticed something peculiar.      He was about a foot taller than her, and skinner, appearing starved. His coat was a dark beige and sandy, mirroring the ground. The coat was topped by a small, choppy white mane that reminded her of rough quartz but not as transparent. His horn stayed true to his coats color but his wingtips presented a small golden hue.      "Hey!" He yelled in surprise, "Stop that!" The outcry from the Alicorn was followed by a slap to her horn, disabling the spell. "Take in a stranger and what do I get, more threats." Mumbled the stallion.     Luna had to remind herself that alicorns are a rare occurrence in Equestria, before Cadence there had never been another Alicorn besides her and Celestia. Cadence had shown them another Alicorn was possible, but to have one of this age urging her up was unheard of. With the rarity of Alicorns, his existence remaining unknown for century's was not possible. Nothing the princess of the night could think explained the one before her. He needed to be shown some sort of respect.      "Please forgive me sir, thank you for your hospitality." Luna hopped up to apologize, "I didn't realize you were an Alicorn," She said with a small bow. He replied with a huff and walked away from her grumpily.      The need for explanation had her wander to observe the new landscape that had taken her. They were in a camp, if you could call it that. Two beds made of dead grass lay in a small clearing hidden by tall bushes and craggy rock, the area was about ten feet across and fifteen feet wide with a few dead branches offering some cover. The Alicorn in front of her parted some bushes and stuck his head through, likely searching for his monster. Whatever this place is it can't be anywhere nearby, the sky... is slightly green? The Lunar princess stood agape to this, "Where in Equestria am I?"      The newly discovered Alicorn retraced from his search with a puzzled face. "What's Equestria? Sounds nicer than this infested  place that's for sure." The stranger took a moment to think his answer, "Call it Rupture, I suggest you take the name literally. Seems everyday everything I knew about the place is broken down and leaves me to figure it out..."      "What in Tartarus do you mean you haven't heard of Equestria!" Boomed her Canterlot voice. The princess of the night raised a hoof to her surely oncoming headache, also blocking out the one in front of her.      Luna's outcry prompted an answer from her protector, who stood quizzically before her. "Exactly that, I've got no clue to what Equestia is. Your obviously new here so why don't you explain yourself?"      "Theres really nothing else for me to tell you than I need to get to Equestria before long. And also what do you mean by that, 'I'm new here."       "You're a newcomer, every once and awhile some new creature pops into existence here, good or bad, happy?" He said with a fake smile, clearly annoyed "Now lets go, on foot."      "Why do we need to move on foot, we both have wings don't we? What threat is forcing us to evacuate?"      Her words were met with a deathstare from the Alicorn. "I said ON FOOT!" He stomped his hooves forcefully, almost trampling the Princess in the burst of rage. "We move as I say or we both die, now we must go... What was you name?"      "Luna," she replied softly, hoping not to provoke him "And yours?"      "Winston." He said quickly, "can we leave now before were crushed?" With each word he slowly took a step back, away from the camp, obviously becoming more desperate.      "Show me why we're threatened and maybe I'll come with you."       Winston took no time running to the hedge guarding the camp, and spread a small hole apart to see through. "Are you ready?" He was given a small mod from Luna and urged her over to the bushes he had peeked through earlier. "Take a look, I'm sure Megathí̱rio gi̱ will be happy to have more souls to torment."      The princess of the night raised a hoof to the bushes and poked her head through to witness the monster. Miles of grassland were dotted with wide holes of crushed dirt, all circular. A few buildings lay in disrepair, mostly towers offering home for wildlife. Animals were either nonexistent or hiding in whatever rubble was nearby.      It was after her gaze at the landscape that she payed attention to the titan that was facing right at her. Two legs the width of carriages made of clay, steel, and rock supported and earthen body connected by wires. It had the face of an iron golem with singular, unblinking crimson eye surrounded by a black frame. One of its arms was attached to the body almost completely by wires and was made of rock, with a large sandstone claw at the end. The other arm was severed near the top, and had two iron rods protrude from it to a basalt cylinder wielding a spiked flail. The entire monster was at least thirty ponies tall and extremely sluggish.      Luna removed her head from its perch and immediately questioned Winston, why has he not fought against the titan? With its immense size came its slowness, and could be easily fought.      "The monster is of the earth, it is made of it. Any damage dealt to the creature is reversed as it mends itself by... taking the earth."      "How so?"      The Alicorn reached to his horn, "I've theorized that the creature has an arcane element to it, it saps magic from the land and any other source it can find, which would be a hinder to me if I actually used spells often. Such a creature shouldn't be able to stand on its own with the materials it's made of, mostly wet clay, so it uses telekinesis to hold itself together. It uses the same telekinesis to levitate patches of earth to itself. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if there was somepony inside of it operating it like a machiene."      "I see," said Luna, "What happens if it catches us?" The question out a grim look on the beige Alicorns face as he muttered something about being absorbed, which she desperately hoped that he was wrong.      "We have ten minutes at most before he finds our magic and chases us, we need to leave." The Alicorn forcefully took Luna's left hoof and yanked her away from the campsite until she began to walk on her own. "I feel that I owe you an explanation, but it want to ask you something first."      "Ask me anything and expect the same back."      "Where were you from, before this place," he specified.      "I ruled over a land called Equestria with my sister, which is a peaceful land and has been for centuries. Personally I carried the task of raising the moon, while my sister the sun, each and every day.      "Can you prove it to me, that you could raise the moon." Asked Winston semi-teasingly. "Seems too good to be true." Oh he can't be serious she was shocked by his demand raise the moon, while the Sun still shines!. "But the Sun is up, I'll break the cycle and have to move the moon and sun back into place."      "Don't care, as long as you can do what you say, we can stay in one place for much longer without being detected." Winston abruptly stopped himself and Luna, and whispered, "go for it."      The Princess of the Night dug her hooves into the soil and focused all of her might to her horn. It wasn't long until the sky began to dim and her horn was covered in a second layer of overglow, and finally a third. Her attention maintained solely on the grey orb in the sky until it shifted directly onto the Sun, blocking its radiant light and letting the darkness of night wash over the land.      The spell finished and her horn dimmed, throbbing from strain, a painful reminder to not overdo her magic. Behind her Winston stood agape to the eclipse that had just unveiled. He mouthed disbelief at the scene, "a... a.. Fucking eclipse, how!"      "It was my duty to raise the moon each night in Equestria, beckoning ponies to sleep and home." She responded proudly, "don't be alarmed, it is a rather taxing experience on my horn to move the moon so qui-."      An immensely loud groan echoed around them, shaking the trees and ground lightly. The noise continued for ten seconds before stopping, bringing the land to a deadly silence.      "What was that?" Luna asked, panicked.      The beige Alicorn mouthed his monsters name wide-eyed, and grabbed Luna's foreleg, "we need to fly out of here, NOW!"      "But I thought you said we shouldn't fly."      "That was when we didn't have a titan on our ass, now fly!" He yelled, shoving Luna forwards, and spreading his wings.      The pair ascended at half mach speed into the air, the wind slicing at their faces. Luna dared a second to glance behind her, and witnessed Megathí̱rio gi̱, it's singular eye shining as bright as the eclipse at them. To her horror it raised its flail faster than should be possible and swung it directly at her, using her gaze to its advantage. She dodged to her left as the spiked flail passed her and cratered the ground with a deafening crash.      "WE NEED TO MOVE." Yelled Winston furiously, commanding her to stop feeding her attention to the monster. He yanked her away from Megathí̱rio gi̱ and took off, leaving Luna to follow before the titan could swing again.      Both Alicorns pushed their wings to their limits, motivated by the constant groans of the colossus and it's quaking steps. After half an hour the groans became nonexistent and the two descended into a broken down home.      "We can rest for now, but Megathí̱rio gi̱ will be headed in this direction. Also, your outstanding use of magic put a beacon on your head, and a death warrant."      Right now she didn't care, the strain on her wings had left her exhausted, even the hardwood floor felt like a cloud. She immediately began sleep, but was jolted awake a minute later by Winston.      "We have an hour or so until it gets here Luna, but until then, welcome to Rupture."