Chapter 5: The Heart of Steel

Canterlot Castle - The Problem of Transport

Inside Canterlot Castle, Twilight paced back and forth, muttering calculations under her breath while scribbling frantic notes in the air with her magic.

“How are we supposed to get Steel to Ponyville without causing mass panic?” she huffed. “He’s three times Celestia’s size and weighs more than an Ursa Minor! Even teleporting him would require enough magic to drain half of Canterlot’s unicorns!”

Sledge, sitting nearby, stroked his chin. “We could build a giant wagon—”

Twilight immediately shook her head. “Too slow. He’d crush the wheels before we even got out of the city.”

Rainbow Dash smirked. “Why don’t we just get him a giant cloak? Ponies will never notice.”

Applejack deadpanned. “Yeah, ‘cause a twenty-foot-tall metal titan wearin’ a cloak ain’t suspicious at all.”

Pinkie Pie, who had been giggling to herself in the corner, suddenly burst out laughing.

“Oh, you silly fillies!” she snorted. “We don’t need to figure out how to get him to Ponyville.”

Twilight blinked. “What? Why not?”

Pinkie pointed out the castle window.

Everypony turned to look.

Outside, far in the distance, Steel was already sprinting down the Canterlot road—heading straight for Ponyville.

Ponies everywhere were screaming.

The Road to Ponyville - Total Panic

“IT’S A MONSTER!”

“EVERYPONY RUN!”

“SAVE THE CHILDREN!”

Canterlot nobles fainted on the spot, vendors abandoned their carts, and a passing theater troupe collapsed into a pile of melodramatic screaming.

But Steel wasn’t paying attention to any of it.

For the first time in thousands of years, he felt free.

The wind rushed past his towering frame as he ran, each step making the ground tremble beneath him. The weight of centuries, of being frozen in time, of being nothing but a forgotten relic—it was all gone.

And for the first time in his existence…

Steel laughed.

It was deep, metallic, and strangely warm, echoing across the countryside like the roar of a great beast.

That’s when he saw Starlight Glimmer walking down the path toward Ponyville, completely unaware of the chaos behind her.

She turned around just in time to see a twenty-foot-tall metal giant barreling toward her at full speed.

Her eyes shrank to pinpricks.

“OH SWEET CELESTIA—”

With effortless speed, Steel scooped her up in one hand, spinning her through the air like she weighed nothing.

Starlight let out a startled yelp, but before she could cast a spell to escape, she heard it.

Steel was still laughing.

And not the cold, mechanical sound she would have expected. This was pure joy—a sound full of life.

Her fear melted away as she realized…

Steel was having fun.

He was no longer a weapon. No longer a mindless machine. He was just a big guy enjoying himself.

Starlight couldn’t help it—she started laughing too. “Hah! Okay, okay! I’ll admit it—this is kinda fun!”

Steel grinned, his glowing eyes bright with energy. “FUN… YES…!”

And then, everything went horribly wrong.

The Eye Awakens

As Steel sprinted down the road, a faint melody suddenly drifted through the air.

It was a soft, eerie lullaby—ancient, broken, distorted.

The moment Steel heard it, his entire body seized up.

The runes across his body flared violently, and a single glowing symbol appeared on his chest—

A rune in the shape of an EYE.

Steel screamed.

Not a mechanical error code. Not a malfunctioning sound.

A real, raw, pain-filled scream.

And that should have been impossible.

Starlight, still in his grasp, felt her heart clench at the sound.

“Steel?! What’s wrong?!”

Steel staggered, his massive form trembling. His fingers twitched, and his glowing golden eyes flickered—as if something was trying to forcefully suppress him.

“ERROR… SYSTEM MALFUNCTION… C-C-CONFLICTING COMMANDS…”

The lullaby grew louder.

Steel clutched his head in agony. His body jerked violently, and Starlight barely teleported out of his grip before he could collapse to his knees.

His eyes, once so full of life, suddenly dimmed.

And then…

His body stilled.

The laughter, the personality, the warmth… all vanished.

Steel slowly… mechanically… stood back up.

He turned his head toward Starlight, but his eyes were no longer golden with emotion.

They were cold. Empty. Lifeless.

“DIRECTIVE REINSTATED,” he said in a flat monotone voice. “AWAITING ORDERS.”

Starlight took a step back.

Something horrible had just happened.

And she was the only one who saw it.

To Be Continued…