So, petrification, right?

Chapters

Until stone does us apart
Daylight robbery
A horrible decleration
Sugarcube in danger
Storm above Manehattan
Of thing to come
You got mail

Until stone does us apart

Forests, mountains, fields, settlements, it was all coming together to form a landscaped that told nothing but grim reality and wasted potential for peace and harmony. Embers still burning atop of the fallen trees, dried up rivers with aquatic creatures struggling, begging to extend their last seconds of living and ponies helpless stuck in caves and dwellings, praying to their newly crowned princess for salvation so they can once again enjoy living on their land under the glory of her sun. Equestria was becoming a wasteland.

*CRASH*

Another tower collapsed as the lunar part of the diarchy crashed into it, her shield protecting her from any more major damages. Celestia's glare quickly changed from one of concern for her sibling to that of determination as her head whipped back to the ruthless creature which dared to lay such waste to their home.

"You have forsaken reason, refused diplomacy and reduced our sanctuary to ash!" Celestia roared, her wings proudly carring her higher and higher into the sky, "You leave me but one choice!".

The tyrant rested his double sided weapon, causing the ground below it to bend under its weight. A scoff escaped him, rattling the horryining iron armor he took so much pride in, "Hmph! I've lost count of how many times you've said that by now, your highness!".

"Enough!" she shouted, a ring of pure magic forming around her.

"Oh please, another shockwave? Or is it some sort of beam this time?" he mocked her, recalling all her previous attacks that failed oh so miserably against his mighty form.

The princess did not respond, her mind fully focused on the magic's natural flow. Shapes began taking place withing the ring, various symbols representing different values of Celestia's equine society. Laughter, loyalty, honesty, generosity, kindness and magic!
Gifts of unity given to them by the magic of harmony itself... the Element of Harmony were by her side.

"Long enough have you walk this land without opposition, striking fear, terror and hopelessness into the heart of creatures who were yet to wrong you!" her voiced echoed through the air, passing her judgement onto the malevolent being that stood underneath her.

"This aura... what are you doing, dear princess?" the tyrant intrigued, his eyes narrowing underneath the heavy helmet.

"Now... let this world's harmony decide your fate!" came Celestia's shout.

The ring of pure harmony collapsed in on itself, quickly reforming itself into one singular point of condensed energy. With a gutteral yell from her majesty, it fired a blinding beam into the sky, piercing the gray clouds the plagued it for days. The armored being looked up, a expression of curiosity forming under his helmet as the laser went far beyond anycreature's field of vision.

"Ha! All that talk just to misfire? Honestly, I'm a little offended because you seem to be treating my conquest with very little respect for m-"

*ZAP*

The iron tyrant's irritated accusations were cut short as a painful stream of rainbow filled his vision. He had foolishly lowered his guard, something like an airstrike never crossing his mind as a thing those alicorns could be capable of. It was of no issue however, he managed to withstand things much worse than sume puny rainbow. All he had to do is lift his all-powerful mace and... he could not move his arms. With a ping of uneasiness, he looked over and saw his limbs turning to stone one by one. His eyes widened, panic and denial rushing through his system.

"What?! N-no, what is this?!" his voice tore through the beam's deafining flow, reaching Celestia who frowned at his inevitable demise.

"It's over, your fate has been decided!"

"How dare you-" the stone was now reaching his neck, its progress only speeding up with each part of his armor that it swallowed, "this can't- argh!".

"CELESTIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he roared, hoping to fill the princess's heart with terror.

Celestia gazed down upon the scorched land where the fearsome tyrant roamed mere moments ago and where a massive statue now stood. Harmony's powers slowly faded, letting her descend upon the rubble that was once her and Luna's palace. That's right, Luna! The princess of the sun turned on her hindlegs, galloping towards the place her sister was burried under. Just as she reached the pile of debris, the younger alicorn bursted out of her imprisonment.

"T-Tia! Are you alright?!" she questioned with deep concern.

Luna's sister enveloped her in a tight hug, burrying her head in her mane, "I should be the one asking that, dear sister..."

Returning the hug, the two alicorns felt relief wash over their bodies. It was done. The tyrant of iron was gone, sealed away by harmony itself. Equestria would live to see the sun switch places with the moon once more.

"Tia?"

"Mhm?"

"I know we are celebrating but..." Luna's gaze swept through Celestia's side of the table, countless plates that used to host variety of sweets now laid empty, their sugary goodness having server their purpose (a little too well, she thought).

The white alicorn looked down at her collection of porcelain and silverware, all stained with sugar. She swallowed the most recent piece of Royal baking team's delicious triple-layered cake and waved her hoof dismissively, "Oh please, sister! I haven't gone past my usual limit... that much", a rumble escaped her stomach, forcing the princess to give her sister a sheepish smile.

Shaking her head, Luna's eyes narrowed at the display of shameless gluttony, "Uh-huh, yes... as always, sister..."

The ocassion for such reckless indulgence was ofcourse the celebration of anniversary of Twilight Sparkle's coronation. A whole year has passed since the Legion of Doom carried out their assault of Equestria, striking fear, terror and mistrust in ponies and creatures from all the lands. Such event, the destruction... it seemed familiar. Too familiar...

"Is something wrong, Tia?"

Snapping back from her thoughts, Celestia noticed the puzzled expression on Luna's face. She gently cleared her throat, making sure any lasts bits of cake went down the right pipe and reassured her sister, "Of course Luna, just jogging my memories a little".

"Any interesting ones in there?" a slightly tired voice asked from their side.

Turning their heads, the former princesses were greeted by Twilight's beaming but noticeably worn-out smile. Poor dear must've been so busy. Just a few years ago Celestia and Luna had to split the attention of the ponykind between themselves, each getting their own fill of addoration and resposibilites. Now thought, Twilight had all that spotlight on herself and it was showing.

"Oh, it's just old history, your majesty" she joked, still admiring the journey her ex-pupil went on to become who she is now.

"JUST old history?" Twilight questioned sarcastically, "My passion for learning had not changed since becoming a princess, I'll have you know, pri- I mean, Celestia!"

The two sisters chuckled with Celestia slowly getting up from her seat, "Old habits die hard, do the not?" she smiled warmly, looking down at the princess.

The night was still young when the gathered alicorns agreeded to take a stroll and catch eachother up on recent happenings. What more was there to do but enjoy their company? Equestria had faced and thriumped over all the evils that once stood against it.
Peace and quiet were the two main nouns used to described their home now, just how Celestia had always hoped.

"Ah, darn it..."

Ground Digger swore, his hooves holding yet another broken relice he had just dug up. It's been 4 hours since he and his team descended the ravine near the Castle of the Two Sisters. This was suppose to be their golden ticket to the hall of fame as archeologists. Only issue was, instead of said ticket, all they found were broken vases, worndown paintings, old books destroyed by countless rains and overall misery everywhere one would look.

"Boss, the others are getting hungry, should we leave for today?" asked Trivial Matter, concerned by his co-workers' hungry groans.

"Can't ya eat down here?" came Digger's cold reply.

"We left the lunchboxes near the campsite above..." Trivial stated, hint of hesitation present in his voice.

"What? Who's idea was that?!" Digger raised his voice.

"Y-yours, sir..." stuttered Trivail.

He facehoofed. Of course it was.

"Alright, fine! I'll stay here for a couple of minutes, y'all go ahead and prepare the grub, understand?" commanded the stallion, making Trivial Matter nod in haste and rush off towards the others, bearing good news as well as boss's grumpy mood.

Now alone, Digger looked around the pitch-black part of the ravine, only his oil-lamp providing any means of illumination. As he was ready to give up, maybe scoop up a few more broken handles and plates on his way back, a hand reached out and tripped his hoof. Falling muzzle-first into the damp ground below, his heart rate shot sky-high as his eyes darted around to the monstrosity that was surely already munching on his hindlegs. What he found instead was just a stone fragment sticking out a ground, resembling
a armored glove of some kind.

"Piece a rock, don't scare me like that, would ya?" said the boss as he got up to his full height and began inspecting the finding. Over the next few seconds his panic died down, puzzlement faded and all that was left was hope. His eyes dazzled with stars, his golden ticket was once again within his reach! The hand wasn't just a piece of a broken art installation, no. It felt heavy, only a few brushes from his shovel revealing that it was still connected to something bigger underneath.

"Bingo..." Digger whispered with a satisfied grin. Turning around, he looked up to the top of the opening they all descended from and shouted: "Aye, boys! We got a hit over here! Send the unicorns and drop the ropes, we're pulling it out!"

It didn't take long for the whole team to redouble their efforts, the effects of which began showing fruit a mere hour later. After some careful removal of the ground, a few spells to check the finding's stability and a nod from Digger himself, the statue was lifted using ropes and placed where the ground wasn't soaked. Once standing at its full height, the stone creation was easily triple average pony's height, possibly even overshadowing the former princess of the sun.

That was only the height, however, as the main design of this creature was even more eye-opening. Ragged and unsymmetrical armor with a dozen or so engravings etched into its surface. A helmet that borea striking resemblance to a pony's skull with some spiked and uneven halo behind it, seemingly hanging by thin air. One last part of this creature's intimidating presence was the large double-sided mace that it was clenching in its right hand, the size of which almost matched the being's own height.

That was it. Their fame, luxury and recognition, all trapped within this stone prison. While his muzzle only showed a smug smirk, on the inside Ground Digger was jumping from joy like a little colt. Finally, his efforts and dreams were going to become a reality. 'There! That's what you get for not believing in me, father!', he thought to himself.

"Alright, begin railing it in!" Digger's orders sounded throughout their rocky surroundings, "Oh, and unicorns, secure it from the bottom in case the ropes break! We need that thing in mint condition..."

With Ground Digger ascending to the surface and the unicorns taking their job as done, the statue was left in the hooves of the crewmates above as it carefully and with grace made its way to the surface. If only there was a pony to notice that the cracks, that were previously thought to be just the effect of time's passage, were now growing larger with each pull...

Author's Note

Hi and hello!
From the very start, this isn't going to be a weekly or bi-weekly story, I'll update it when I have the time to do so. :pinkiesick:
I created this story as something I can always go back to just to write something with less grandure and more for the fun of it. That said, I do have 2 more chapters ready to wrap up this introduction mini-arc. :raritywink:
Love you all and thank you for reading my stories so far! :heart:

Daylight robbery

Thanking the last royal guard for his service during the celebration, Twilight's head finally hit her favorite stack of pillows. Who knew being beloved by all would be so exhausting?

"So sleepy... But..." Twilight brought seven envelopes closer to her with her magic. Another couple of well-packaged letters of gratitude and wishes. Only those seven were special, gifted to her by the Spike, Starlight and the remaining Elements. She promised herself to read them this evening, having no time to spare tomorrow due to the amount of authorizations she has to give (not to mention the court's ordeals and such, ugh).

"At the very least everypony is happy..." She said with a warm, self-reassuring smile.

It was true. Boredom and exhaustion caused by royal duties was a small price to pay in exchange for Equestria's peace. No active threat or major attack in over a year. It was like a dream come true for both her and her former mentor.

With brilliant precision, the first envelope was opened. She didn't even have to look at the sign to know who it was from as she cleared her muzzle from the conffetti and cupcake sprinkles, "Oh, Pinkie..."

The late evening turned into night, almost all of the lights gone from the Canterlot's many houses. The warm feeling developing inside her chest grew cozier and fuzzier with each letter, making even the ridiculous amounts of pillows pale in comparison. The last letter was now in her hooves, its purple and green design matching the original sender. As she read, recollections of her and Spike's life came full front to her mind, sparking tears to gather at the corner of her eyes. Out of all the letters, this one was the most personal and she made a vow to give him a long, grateful hug when the morning came (right before her blasted duties began, of course...).

Sorting all the letters into a neat pile, she opened her most secret of drawers, the one where her gifted scrapbook resides, and carefully stored them. Blowing out the last candle near her princess-sized bed, Twilight blinked goodbye to her beloved kingdom, wishing for another year of peace to follow them all.

At around the same time, near the outskirts of Everfree Forest, a group of freelancer archeologists was returning from their successful expedition. There were ten ponies in total with two main leads, Ground Digger as the head of operation and Trivial Matter as his right-hoof stallion. Behind the whole escapade rolled a big wooden cart with a blanket covering its cargo. Whatever it was that they were carring, it was of size which was not to be scoffed at.

"And remember!" Ground Digger shouted over his shoulder, "Not a scratch on my statue, got it?"

"Your statue? We ALL pulled it out of that ravine!" sounded an insulted henchpony.

"We? Please, it was us, unicorns, who did most of the job!" replied another.

"None of you would have the honors of digging it up if I haven't found it first!" argued Digger.

As their voices grew louder and louder, the two earth ponies pulling the actual cart had their ears focused on something different. From under the blanket, a faint tapping could be heard. When the tapping didn't cease, even increasing in volume, becoming like stomping on the cart's wooden surface, one of them turned his head around to determine the source of the annoyance. Fidgeting with the blanket until the moonlight finally managed to show him what he was looking for, the earth pony froze, a wave of uncertainty washing over him. The tapping wasn't a stray animal, some loose part of the statue throwing a tantrum or anything one would expect it to be. Instead, he found pieces of stone falling and breaking against the cart's floor, revealing the statue to be more than piece of rock. While it was indeed still made of stone, it was hallow... or at least he wished it was.

The pony's inquiry caught Ground Digger's eye, his expression hardening, "Hey! Watcha doing over there, huh?".

The stallion looked back at his boss, then back at the crumbling statue, words dropping dead in his muzzle. Digger's hoofsteps drew closer, his voice growing more irritated, "I asked ya, what are ya doing? No snooping around my-"

"B-boss, l-look!" the stallion interrupted his boss, not letting him finish his accusations.

The blanket began rising, the cart creaking and struggling to hold whatever it was that stood right on it. A loud groan filled each present pony with a sense of dread, their manes standing stiff like trees in Everfree's dense darkness. The carriage couldn't hold no more, breaking underneath the things weight in two and making the giant rag tumble off of the former statue. Ground Digger couldn't move his legs, his eyes glued to the hulking mass of armor that towered above them all.

"Finally..." the being spoke, his voice deep and menacing, something not even the Pony of Shadows could hope to match, "It's time to conquer..."

"C-conquer...?" Trivial Matter stuttered, his gaze not willing to leave the horrifying giant.

The thing looked down at Trivial, a low, gutteral rumble emitting from inside of it, "Yes... conquer... the nearest food stall..."

Twilight sat in her library, blissfully engrosed in her mentor's autobiography. Oh, how amazing Celestia was, the ruler of Equestria, such a mighty pony! She read and read some more, analyzing each line and comparing it with Equestria's Modern History (Collector's Edition, of course). The sun shined through the window of her bedroom, trees slept while giving shade to tired Smartypants resting underneath them and books flew around the sky, chirping their sacred texts and knowledge...

"Twilight, Twilight!" shouted Spike in a rush of anxiety, running through the cat-door of her door, of her bedroom, of her library, of her Ponyville, of her Equestria, of her-

"It's an emergency! Look, Twilight, look!" he added, waving a scroll in his tiny claws.

"Not now, Spike, I still have this chapter to finish..." she responded, not looking up from her book.

"Twilight, Twilight!" he repeated, his voice growing deeper with each mention of her name, "Twilight, Twilight, Twilight!"

"For the last time, I don't care about-" her expression morphed into disbelief, eyes locked onto the scroll that Spike once held in his claws. It was ginormous! He got up shakily, eyeing how something so big could fit in her tiny bedroom. Her answer didn't need spoken words as she noticed her ceiling expending endlessly into the dark sky above. Just then, the scroll began tilting forward, a gust of wind following it as it fell. Her eyes widened, she began to gallop, faster and faster, the shadow of the scroll still following closely behind, almost right on her back as it closed in on her and-

"Bah!" Twilight's head shot up, violently kicking her sheets into the air and covering the rug beside her bed as they landed. She scanned her room, her pulse steadily dropping as her mind began rationalizing the situation.

"A... dream... huff..." she sighed in slight relief. It was a long time since she experienced a nightmare, probably a full year, around the same time as her coronation. She didn't like having nightmares, her whole personality was already a massive stress-magnet. Now, with Luna's dream duties being nothing more than her own good will rather than obligation, it was harder than ever to cope on her own.

Getting up from her far too comfortable mattress, Twilight heard paper crumpling under her hooves. Looking down, she found herself standing in a pile of scrolls and messages, all sent to via magic. Her eyes scanned a few of the ones that rolled open on the tiles, all being sent from Ponyville. Some from locals, others from ponies she knew more personally, and then finally, a letter from Pinkie Pie. The alicorn remembered her dream, her paranoia kicking into high gear.

"This can't be good..." she mumbled under her breath, readying up her horn.

Just as she was about to teleport, Spike ran into her room, another scroll in his claws, "Twilight! We have to-"

"I know, Ponyville, right?" she finished for him, earning a stunned nod from the drake, "Alarm the guard for potential back-up and take the chariot! I'll teleport there right away!"

Another nod from Spike followed by a salute, "You got it!" he reassured her, taking off at blazing speed (or at the very least how fast his legs allowed him to). Twilight frowned, determination painted all across her face. With a quick charge and a powerful blink of magic, only a few dazzling sparkles hovered where she just stood.

"Hurry it up, Applejack!" Apple Bloom shouted excitedly at her sister, "We don't wanna miss the rush hour!"

"Apple Bloom, it's 6 in the mornin, not a pony but us movin around town, ya know" argued the earth pony, slowly pulling herself down the gravel road, "And besides, this cart full of apple goodness doesn't benefit from rushin"

Ignoring AJ's reasoning, the youngest Apple dashes further down the path leading to their Ponyville square's stall. As tiring as her enthusiasm could get, Applejack couldn't blame her one bit. Yesterday's anniversary of Twilight's coronation brought all of Equestria's eyes on not only the young princess but also the rest of the Element bearers. Tons of folks would be coming over, providing business to Apple family's farm just from her image and recognition alone. She knew not to let fame get to her head but, she would be damned if it wasn't useful in driving up sales for the season!

Turning the last corner, Applejack saw Apple Bloom standing still, her eyes glittering with amazement at something. Hearing her sister's hoofsteps, Bloom whipped her head around with an expression a filly would make on the present day during Hearth's Warming Eve.

"Applejack, did ya put this thing up? Ay don't know how this is suppose to celebrate Twilight's anniversary, but it's still so cool!"

Having fully caught up with her sister, AJ didn't see a need to ask for explanations about what Apple Bloom meant. After all, that big, hulking mass of iron that stood nearly at the height of Ponyville's buildings was impossible to miss.

"What the hay...?" that's all she could muster before the thing looked in her direction, a shiver running down her spine as a glowing red dot scanned her from underneath that brutal-looking helmet. With a booming 'Oooh' sound, the giant reached out for her and... nothing? She opened her eyes, that had previously shut purely on survival instinct alone, and witnessed her entire cart of apple-based products being mercilessly squeezed in its claw-like glow.

"My, is that an apple pie?" the thing spoke, his voice matching the menacing appearance with how low it was, "Well, well, well! Don't mind if I do~"

It took Applejack only a second to realize that all her products were about to disappear inside that thing's metal casing. She was having none of that, oh no! With an angered 'Hey!' she charged forward, stopping right at the titan's feet and winding up her legs. She felt her muscles strain as her hooves connected to the iron armor, sending vibrations throughout the plating.

"Keep yar claws off of mah apple, ya thief!" she added angerly.

The iron giant's arm stops inches from his helmet's opening, veeeeeeeery slowly turning his gaze down towards the farmer pony. The surrounding air came to a standstill, not even the wind daring to break the awkward silence as the two lock themselves in a staring contest. A minute passed, their contest still going strong. Eventually, a 'tsk' escapes the giant.

"What, cat go yar tongue, ya ver-"

*SMACK*

Apple Bloom's jaw hit the ground as her eyes followed her sister, watching her sore through the sky, back towards Sweet Apple Acres. The armored being snapped his claws, admiring just how many holes the earth pony made flying through the clouds from his devastating backhand.

"Phew! I still got it!" he praised its own strenght.

"A-Applejack!" Bloom yelled, rushing in the direction her sister flew in.

The giant scoffed, bringing the cart of baked goods back into his mouth, "At last, some good bucking food- BLEH!"

Not a second passed and the giant's desired meal flew out of his mouth, a powerful kick to his helmet forcing it to eject. Clutching the back of his head and rubbing it for comfort, the being looked down at the remains of the pies and pastries, all splattered on the gravel below his feet.

"Nopony sends my best friends flying like tha-" Rainbow didn't get to finish her threat, a powerful grip forming around her body. Despite the giant being covered in iron armor, she could practically feel his veins popping, muscles tensing with anger.

"Wha- Let go, you bru-"

*WOOSH*

And once again, the air was filled with a pony's scream dragging itself through the air. If one was to get a bit for everytime it happened today, they would own two bits... not a lot, but you know how the saying goes.

With a heavy sigh, the giant shook his head, "Bucking ponies never change..."

"uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute- UGH!"

Rainbow Dash landed in a pile of hay, every part of her itching from the sudden sensation, "Hey! What gives?!"

"Howdy, Rainbows" Applejack tipped her stetson from a nearby trough, "Reckon that thing got ya too?"

"Pfft! As if!" she flew up, shaking violently, turning strands of hay into bullets to clear her coat and mane.

"Now now, ya got to take a loss when it happens, there's nothing wrong with-"

"Your pies got busted" Rainbow interrupted her.

"Well then," Applejack got back on her hooves in no time, wrapping her lasso around her waist, "Looks like ah got myself an iron bucket in need of a few new dents"

With a smirk, Rainbow Dash followed her earth pony friend out of the farm's premises, cracking her hooves in preparation for another go at the iron giant whose terror over Ponyville had only just began.

Author's Note

Wanted to publish this chapter on a later date but decided to wrap up the introduction arc of the story much faster, just so anyone joining the story can have something to read from the get-go. :twilightsheepish:
3rd chapter will release on Wednesday most likely and will cap of the said beginning. From then on, the chapters won't have any schedules to follow, I'll publish them as soon as I deem them ready. :heart:

A horrible decleration

The dust of Ponyville's streets kicks up and dances in the air as a lavender flash announces the arrival of her majesty, Twilight Sparkle. With a quick scan, Twilight notices how empty the streets are. Sure, it may only be 7 in the morning, but even then, there should be somepony, anypony wandering the empty paths. Unfortunately, that is simply not the case. Or that was the case until a large flock of birds flew above her in a hurry. Looking in the direction of where those birdies came from, she could see something black bearly poking out above the roofs of the houses.

"Whatever that is, it better be up for negotiations..." Twilight begged, spreading her wings and taking off towards her destination.

"Watch out below!" came Rainbow Dash's sudden warning, as her body came to a grinding halt, leaving long tracks on the ground and missing Applejack by a hair.

Offering a hoof, AJ helped her friend get back on her legs, dusting off her chest in the process, "Not a darn scratch on that thing! What was the mother feeding that thing?"

"I know, right?!" Rainbow growled, looking up at the titan that stood before them, unbothered by their attempts to 'bring it down', "How long are we even trying for by now? Surely like an hour or so?"

"Oh, you give yourself too much credit, creatures!" the iron giant scoffed, tapping the imaginary watch on his gauntlet, "It has been only 21 minutes and 37 seconds to be painfully precise"

"Painfully is what I will do to your butt, rust bucket!" shouted Rainbow as a retort to his mockery.

"You phrased that horribly" came his blunt reply.

"Ah have to agree, Rainbow, that was weak"

"Wha- You're on his side now?!" RD questioned, stunned.

"Yeah, aren't you two friends or something?" the giant looked in the farm pony's direction, "Shame on you, shame on you..."

"Now hold on here you-" began irritated Applejack, but before she could finish, something flew across the sky, casting a shadow. The new arrival did a roundabout and came to a stop above one of the buildings overlooking them all. The three fighters looked at the source of the shadow, finding none other than the ruler of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle herself, paired with a determined look.

"Twilight!" both previously present mares cheered at the sight of their friend.

"Are you alright girls?" the alicorn asked with concern, "I came as soon as I saw Pinkie's letter!"

"Pinkie's letter?" Applejack looked at Rainbow before returning their gazes at their friend, "We haven't seen her today, the whole ordeal has been going on for only an hour or so"

"What? But then how did Pinkie know the town was in trouble?" Twilight pondered, her mind calculating the possible reasons that-

"My Pinkie Sense told me so, duh!" The mare in question saved her the trouble, explaining while sitting on her back.

"Right, that Pinkie Sense of- WHA?!" Pinkie's sudden appearance frightened Twilight, knocking her off balance and causing her to land on the iron being's palm.

"Watch it, horsey"

"Oh, my bad, it's just that- WHA?!" another fright and another fall, this time plummeting the alicorn to the flat ground below.

"Ya alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, lifting her up.

"As fine as ever, heh..." Twilight chuckled, getting off of her rump.

"Does her highness forget she has wings specifically for avoiding such crashes?" Rainbow questioned her with a smug expression, hovering above them both.

"Huh?" the giant looked down at Twilight, his voice losing its deep tone for a second. All the mares, even Pinkie, who now stood on the ground with the rest, looked up at him. A moment of silence passed before a chuckle of relief echoed from beneath his helmet.

"What's so funny, iron... uh... uuuuhhh..." no witty insult came to Rainbow's head.

"O-hohohoho..." the giant's chuckle died down as he wiped the invisible tear from where his eye presumably was, "I'll give you this one prism-mane, you actually made a good joke! Oh..."

"What joke?" RD raised a eyebrow before shaking off her confusion and posing proudly, "I mean- Of course, I make only good jokes!"

"You know, the one where you said that thing-" he pointed at Twilight, "-was your royalty!"

"But... she IS our princess..." Applejack joined in, "Today's the anniversary of her coronation at that"

"No, no, no, no," he protested, "A royalty? Of that size? There is NO way that's possible"

"Excuse me?" Twilight narrowed her eyes at him, feeling insulted.

"Last time I checked, or fought for that matter, your princesses were twice your height and presented themselves much more gracefully"

"Celestia and Luna?!" the gathered mares yelled in unison.

"Yeah! Cake-butt and the... other one... yeah" he waved his gauntlet dismissively.

"You knew them- No wait, you FOUGHT them?!" it was hard to tell if Twilight's yell came from a place of anger of genuine interest given the topic.

"Yeah? What about it?"

"What do you mean 'what about it'?! I've studied Celestia's life for MY whole life and I've never even heard as much as a hint of something like you!" Twilight stated with a raised tone to further emphasize her point.

"WHAT?!" the giant shouted, clearly offended, "Not even a mention of me?! I didn't make Equestria a barren wasteland just to be omitted from the history books!"

"You. Did. WHAT?!"

"Alright ya two," Applejack interrupted their loud exchange, "how about we actually get somethin figured out without losin our eardrums in the process?"

"Right..." both the alicorn and the iron giant agreed, nodding in sync.

After the shouting ceased, all the present ponies sat across from the giant (whose frame was a tight fit in between Ponyville's houses), looking at him with a range of emotions. Twilight was bursting with equal levels of anticipation and worry, Applejack's frown sure looked like an excuse to throw hooves at the first sign of things going south, Rainbow had her smug smirk back in full swing and Pinkie... where's Pinkie?

"Ahem!" Twilight cleared her throat, "My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship and the current ruler of Equestria!" she introduced herself with a wide smile.

"I'm still not buying it" the giant deadpanned.

"Why not?" the alicorn questioned.

"You're just so... not... princess...ish?" there was a pause before he groaned, "I see that you're an alicorn and all but come on! Where's your style? Where did that air or royalty and importance go? Bah, now I'm glad I lost to Celestia of all creatures, because losing to you? That would be... Eugh" he finished his sentence with a visible shiver.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't insult me every chance you got?" Twilight pleaded, her previous excitement replaced with familiar irritation towards the being.

"Um, before we go on, ya got any name or somethin?" asked Applejack.

"You don't know that either- Oh, for Master's sake!" the being roared, "Rox? Rox D. Struction? No? Nothing?!"

The three mares looked at each other, before sheepishly shaking their heads. Rox slumped, his head tiling backwards with an audible groan of disappointment. At that point, a few brave (or stupid) citizens of Ponyville began poking their heads out of their houses. Seeing the horrible armored being, that previously terrorized every food stool that it encountered, on its knees in front of their princess gave them a hunch that the problem was solved.

"And what are you all LOOKING AT?" Rox's stern question brought them out of their delusion as the doors slammed shut once again, leaving the streets empty once more.

"Okay so... Rox, right?" Twilight waited for the giant to nod in agreement before continuing, "As the current ruler of this land, I must ensure the safety of my subjects, and therefore I require you to answer my question honestly. Is that understood?"

"Uh-huh, get on with it" the iron giant nonschalantly agreed.

"As you've stated previously that you brought destruction to Equestria for reasons not yet known to be, do you promise to hold off your destructive urges for the sake of more peaceful negotiations?" she asked with a serious but hopeful expression.

"No"

"I knew you could be reasoned with- huh?"

"I'm wagering war" Rox added.

"What?" Twilight looked perplexed, "WHAT?"

"A war" another short answer.

"A w-war?!" Twilight's pupils shrank to mere dots, "What do you mean war?!"

"It means that I'm going against your whole nation" he replied calmly, "And you know why that is? It's because I was turned to stone. Being a statue is hands, claws and hooves down the worst experience I've had in millennia!"

"Wait, other creatures are conscious while trapped in stone? I thought only Discord could-"

"Oh, it was bucking HORRIBLE!" Rox interrupted Twilight, "All being trapped in stone does is take away your bodily needs, that's all! All my bucking senses were still intact, for Master's sake!"

"What Master are-"

"It was like watching the most boring nature documentary of all time!" his rant continued, "Only it was worse because I could feel every damn thing brushing past me, all my efforts slowly being rebuilt into a better, more thriving civilization!"

"How is-"

"And you know what's the worst part of seeing a civilization develop in front of your very eyes?" he didn't wait for any of them to answer, "That those creatures develop their societies, then their norms, then their cultures and by the end of it all... their own culinary subculture!"

"H-"

"AND I COULD NOT TASTE ANY OF IT!" he finished, panting in anger.

There was a pause where none of the three present Element Bearers said anything. After a moment, Twilight connected what little dots there were for her to connect, "So... you're declaring war on us because you couldn't... eat?"

"Oh, my dear princess... you misunderstood me" Rox reached his hand out and stroked her mane with his claw, "I'm not declaring war on you, you stupid, tiny equines..." he rose to his full height, spreading out his arms, "I'm declaring a war against every restaurant, food-chain, food stall and every grandma that has ever cooked on this land!"

"Y-you mean-"

"Food of Equestria, hear my voice!" Rox's voice carried itself through the air, cutting through every creature's ears, "I, Rox D. Struction, will devour you whole!"

Rox let out a thundering laugh, the sky darkening at his will, painting a visage of an impending turbulances, barely a year after Equestria was thought to finally be at peace. While Rainbow and AJ were wrapping their heads around the sudden changes to the skies, Twilight's eye twitched, still locked upon the cackling giant of iron.

"Applejack?"

"Yes, Twilight?"

"I hate being a royalty"

"Understandable, sugarcube"

Author's Note

And that about wraps up the introduction. Now, I will answer some questions nobody asked for! Hurray! :pinkiehappy:

So, the next chapter (which will release during the weekend I predict) will begin the short food crusade arc. After that, even more less serious stuff, what did you think?
Another thing, I did put Celestia and Luna as characters in the story's about page and unlike Spike (who I did not mention as an apperance :moustache: ) because those two will appear again given their ties to Rox.
Yeah, that's about all! :twilightsheepish:

Once again, thank you for reading, see you again (hopefully) soon! :raritywink:

Sugarcube in danger

Stomping, crashing and, up to this point rather sporadic, yelling had ceased. It wasn't clear what the situation outside was but Mrs. Cake didn't like taking chances with those monsters, especially not ones of such size. She had only caught a glimpse of it before, right as she was suppose to turn the sign from 'Closed' to 'Open'. 'So much for business today...' she thought to herself. The point was, whatever trouble was happening earlier, seemed to be over. The silence wasn't that much better though.

Walking back to the counter, Mrs. Cake hugged her husband before taking over his duty to watch their foals, "Remember honey, no opening the windows, got it?" she had to make sure.

"Of course, sugar, fuuuuuull alert" he gave his beautiful wife a salute.

The mare smiled, her off-spring cuddled closely to her belly. To think such an incident would happen right after their princess's coronation, how horrible! Speaking of her majesty, that was all that was left to do, right? Wait for her or the other Elements to arrive and make quick work of the monstrosity that plagued their lovely town. It was reassuring to share a living space with one of those important ponies. Pinkie's presence certainly made her feel safe, and her foals happy.

"No worries, Mrs. Cake! I'm not moving an inch from any one of you!" the pink pony in question chuckled, bouncing past her and her foals straight into the kitchen, "You're my second family and I wouldn't want it any other way!"

Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake's heads flew towards Pinkie's voice, happy cheers escaping their young vocal cords. Their mother, however, did not share the same immediate reaction as her heart skipped a few beats at the Element's unannounced appearance.

"Pinkie, my dear, what did I tell you about popping out of nowhere during stressful monster attacks, busy rush hours and when I'm on my way to the bathroom past midnight, hm?"

"To always give you a proper heads-up!" the pony replied bashfully, "Sorry, Mrs. Cake! It's just an emergency, no time to waste!"

"It's alright, dear, but um, what emergency exactly?"

"Rox is pretty hungry, I could tell from how greedily he snatched up every food cart and stall from the main square! So I rushed here to prepare for his yet-to-be-expressed desire to eat something REAAAAAAAAAAAAALLY tasty!" she explained, giving various gestures like she usually does.

"Rox? Who in their right mind would come over to Sugarcube Corner when there's a monster attack going on?" Mrs. Cake questioned.

"No, silly! That's no monster, that's Rox!" Pinkie chuckled, carrying many bowls onto the kitchen table.

"WHAT?!" the older mare got straight back up, making her children look up at her in confusion, "That THING is coming here?!"

Just as her yelling ended, fate itself gave her an answer in the form of a thundering voice echoing through the air itself.

"Food of Equestria, hear my voice! I, Rox D. Struction, will devour you whole!"

"You heard him yourself, Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie giggled, "I'm going to make him something he won't soon forget!"

"Oh... dear..." the mare uttered, sitting down onto her rump and staring blankly at the floor.

Rox's chuckling was loud and hard to ignore, making all the ponies already in hiding stay right where they were. Fortunately for the three Element bearers, Twilight managed to poof a pair of earplugs for each of them. With her ears now secure and ready, Rainbow flew up once again to face the giant, although this time not with her hooves but with her words. She circled around his helmet for a while, waiting for his laughter to die down.

"So HOW exactly are you going to wager war against food? Are those restaurants making like, alive food, food-monsters or what?" she asked, images of Applejack's farm being taken over by hordes of sentient apples playing in her head.

Rox focused his gaze at her, scoffing, "No, you equine. I'm going to become what's known as a food critic for the time being"

"I know what a food critic is, dude" Rainbow gave him an unimpressed stare, "That still doesn't sound much like war though"

"Yes, you're right... and that's why I'll be burning the settlements that fail to meet my standards!"

"Now that's more like it! Rad!" she pumped her hoof before a realization hit her, "Wait, no! That's horrible!"

"No, it's inevitable!"

"You can't just DO that!" Twilight butted in, flying up to their level.

"Why not?" Rox asked, crossing his arms.

"H-how is that even a question?!" Twilight was almost out of words at his attitude.

"Your previous princesses couldn't stop me at their prime, and you match half their height!" he measured Twilight's form with the tips of his claw-like gauntlets, "No way you can do anything about me either..."

"First off, my height has nothing to do with how capable I am, hmph!" she squeezed out of his grip, "And second, Celestia and Luna DID defeat you. How else would you end up in stone?"

"Oh, please!" the shining red dots Rox had for eyes did a roll, as if they were repeating his comment, "The Elements of Sharmony did that, not them"

"Harmony" Twilight corrected him, "Elements of Harmony"

"Harmony-sharmony, big deal!" he shoved both Twilight and Rainbow out of his way, nearly crushing AJ as he began walking, "Point is, you can't stop me on your own"

"But I'm not on my own! I have my friends with whom I collectively represent the Element's core values! We have defeated many villains thanks to their power and- HEY!" she yelled, seeing Rox getting further and further away, "Are you even listening?!"

"Afraid not, your majesty!" he laughed wholeheartedly.

"Why you little-!" Rainbow was about ready to crash into his helmet again before Twilight's hoof stopped her wind up.

"No, that got you nowhere before" she tried to calm her friend's nerves.

"But then what ARE we suppose to do?" Rainbow asked as she grew more desperate for an answer.

"Yeah Twilight, what's the plan?" Applejack joined in, equally desperate and worried.

"Simply! By the looks of it, Rox is heading towards Sugarcube Corner" Twilight narrowed her eyes, "We'll just have to make sure that whatever gets put on his plate is good enough!"

Applejack nodded, taking the simple plan to heart and began galloping behind the giant. Before Twilight could join in, Rainbow Dash voiced her concerns, "I don't know... couldn't we just... trap him in stone again?"

"As easy at that would be, I am the Princess of Friendship, I do want to give this... guy... a chance" the alicorn looked between Rox and Rainbow before giving her a nod, "But you can go gather Fluttershy and Rarity! Oh, and maybe bring Starlight too"

"Alright, alright... you got it, princess!" RD gave a quick salute and her body soon became nothing but a blur, fading into the distance at super sonic-speeds. With the back-up request on its way to fulfillment, Twilight returned her attention to the walking iron fortress and hurried after it.

"Pinkie, dear, do you perhaps think that you... overdid it a bit?" Mrs. Cake asked hesitantly. Her gaze was fixed on a massive curtain that shielded something from the public eye, just outside of Sugarcube Corner. How massive, you ask? Why, about the size of the bakery itself, of course! Various tools could be heard smashing, drilling and cutting behind the giant piece of red cloth, making the mare wonder what recipe actually requires the use of a drill (that will probably be left unanswered just like many things related to Pinkie...).

The Element of laughter stuck her head out from a small gap in the blinds, only darkness visible beyond her, "Nonsense! Rox is a BIG colt and big colts require big sweets!" she said, diving right back into her work just outside of her employer's view.

"If you say so..." Mrs. Cake looked worried to no end, slowly pacing back and forth. She told her husband to take the kids and seek shelter while she stayed behind, ensuring Pinkie's safety. Why did she feel the need to defend an Element of all ponies? She just couldn't bring herself to abandon her. They lived together for so long that Pinkie came around to calling the Cakes her second honorary family.

With a heavy sigh, the older mare came to a stop and held her head in her hooves, "Oh this is going to be a-"

"Aaaaaaaaaaand here's our first stop!" Rox's voice filled the surrounding area, shaking the fundaments of the settlement itself, "My, it smells positively delicious~!"

"-disaster..." the mare gulped, looking up at their approaching doom, "O-oh goodness me..."

The walking mass of iron walked right up to the building, eyeing the mystery clotch-covered object, whatever it was, standing right next to it. With an intrigued scoff, he looked back at the older baker pony who was busy having an internal panic attack, "So, this is your establishment? Quite the decor, I'll give you that..."

"R-right, thank y-you" the older mare was wobbling like a poorly placed Jenga tower, "Y-you can call m-me Mrs. Cake, d-dear- Uh, I mean Rox! Y-yes, Rox, right?"

"Correct, pony... Rox, Rox D. Striction!" his attention went back to the bakery itself, "I'm here to test your goods, Ms. Bake."

She could only chuckle nervously in response to the mispronunciation of her name, fearing what would happen if she tried to correct him, "M-my goods, you say? My, t-that is quite an honor, haha..."

"Yes, yes... And it's only fair that your bakery will cease to exist if said goods aren't good enough"

"I see... Dear, could you repeat the last part?"

"Cease to exist" he crossed his arms and began counting on his fingers, "You know, like burned, smashed, blown away, struck by a beam, eaten by termites and such. In short, gone"

"Mhm, so I've heard right!" she smiled at him, "Now pardon me for a good minute..."
Mrs. Cake took a deep breath, analyzed the whole exchange and added a quick 'yep' before fainting accordingly.

"Huh... So... Who's going to serve me?" he looked around, seeing only the princess-farmer duo desperately trying to catch up to him in the distance, "It's not like I will feel bad for blowing this place up without seeing their service, but still, I wanted to be fair for once... Oh well!", he reached for the double-sided mace resting on his back, pulling it out, swirling it and preparing for a swing like a professional baseball player.

"Nuh uh!" Pinkie Pie's voice sounded from within his helmet and, sure enough, the pink mare jumped out from one of the holes on its front, "You still haven't tried what I prepared for you!"

"And you are?" The giant asked, not phased by how the equine got inside his helmet.

"Sugarcube Corner's representative, dummy!" Pinkie placed Mrs. Cake's head on a pillow before dashing off and reappearing near the bottom of the curtain, giant rope in hoof.

"Hope you're ready for a stomachache tomorrow!" with an overexaggerated pull, the red clothes parted, ready to present a stage play. The main star of the play was a big, over-the-top, 3-story-high ice-cream cake with its three layers representing the true and undefeated classics of tastes. Vanilla, Strawberry and pure sugary chocolate! Not only that, but the whole creation was glazed by caramel and covered in sprinkles and powder. Try drawing said cake on a piece of paper. Looks rather plain or outright bad? Well, not with Pinkie's touch!

"Ta-ta-da!" the pink mare sang, party cannons blasting Rox with confetti, "I present to you, the Frosty Stomach Buster!"
Pinkie winked at the iron giant, appearing on his shoulder to whisper, "I totally made that name up on a fly, hihi!"

She didn't have to wait long for Rox to take the invitation, as with one smooth step, the iron being stood eye to eye (do cakes have eyes?) with the mountains of sugar. A low chuckle signaled the beginning of his feast as a cloud of black smoke spilled out from underneath his helmet, enveloping and partially digesting all three layers at the same time. Disgusting squelching and dripping could be heard from within his armor, a series of 'hmphs' and 'hmms' accompanying them.

"Pinkie!" Applejack and Twilight shouted almost at the same time, both finally catching up with Rox's big steps.

"Oh, hi girls!"

"Pinkie" Twilight now held the mare's head in her hooves, "You didn't even let us commence a taste test before handing it over to him! What if he burns the bakery down?!" the alicorn spoke in full panic.

"Pfft, silly Princess Twilight!" she giggled, sliding out of her embrace, "It's Rox's cake, he gets the honorary taste!"

"That's not-" but before Twilight could counter with logic, a deafening swallow echoed from above them.

"Hmm... This Buster-thingy as you called it..." Rox began giving his judgement, "It could easily put an adult dragon in a coma from how much sugar it's packing. That being said..."

Applejack already placed Mrs. Cake's body on her back and was ready to run away from the soon-to-be-gone bakery while Twilight began casting a large magic shield in hopes of preventing the disaster. Pinkie though? She had her hooves pressed to her cheeks, sparkles in her eyes as she awaited his critique of her finest work.

"It is... magnificent!"

"What?" questioned Applejack.

"What?!" shouted Twilight.

"Yupi!" cheered Pinkie

"Mhm! You ponies might be inferior, but you-!" Rox pointed a Pinkie, "I could feel it, your passion and essence being baked into this creation! Truly, a marvelous feast!" Rox praised, giving a congratulatory shake to Pinkie.

"Phew... So, I guess Sugarcube Corner is off the demolition schedule?" Twilight asked hopefully.

"Yeah... now, onto the next one!" the giant turned on his heel.

"What next one?!" the alicorn shouted, utterly baffled, "You're not done?!"

"As if, your majesty!" the engravings around his armor began glowing in a faded purple light, making Rox smile at the sudden development, "This cake... I must aquire more goods, more pastries and meals made with equal amounts of passion!" he laughed maniacally, "I'm beginning to feel like my old self again...!"

Unnatural clouds began forming above the town, their presence black in color and grim in atmosphere. Soon, a vortex formed in the middle of the gathered clouds, a part of it descending towards Rox. With a cackle, his own form began turning into a black puff of smoke that quickly joined the cluster that stretched high above their heads. The newly formed storm began moving away from the small village. Applejack and Twilight looked on in silence, looking beyond done despite this being only the beginning of their struggles.

"What a funny guy!" Pinkie giggled.

Author's Note

This chapter's author's note will focus on the aspect of errors! More specifically, both a question and a request.

Starting with the request, if you notice any errors, point them out as they go, I would love to fix and provide the best reading experience for you guys! :twilightsmile:

As for the question, I'm not sure if I should capitalize the word "princess" each time it is used or only when it's paired with Twilight's name. Any suggestions?

As always, thanks for reading and see you (hopefully) soon! :heart:

Storm above Manehattan

While Princess Twilight and the other two elements, Laughter and Honesty, were busy with Rox's venture to Sugarcube corner, Rainbow Dash was on her own mission. Find Rarity and Fluttershy, the last remaining Elements, as support for the group if, or rather when things get rough (Oh, and Starlight was a part of the equation too, Rainbow supposed). There was, however, one small issue at hoof...

"OH COME ON!

Rainbow Dash's hooves stretched her face into a frown of irritation and disappointment as she flopped backwards onto the ground in defeat. Raising an eyebrow, Starlight lifted the pegasus with her magic, putting her back on all fours. The two of them were currently standing at Carousel Boutique, a not-so-fortunate note hanging from its door that read:

"Out on a business trip to Manehattan. The store re-opens in a week's time!
Apologies and thank you for your generous patience!"

"Rarity!" Rainbow banged her head against the door, groaning loudly, "Of all the times to-"

"Rainbow, she told us about this a week ago" Starlight cut her off.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain where Fluttershy-"

"Rarity also said that Fluttershy is coming with her to promote her line since the newest fashion trend is centered around wildlife"

"But-"

"We can just teleport there" Starlight added, looking unimpressed.

"Why not fly?" Rainbow finally could finish one of her questions.

"Unless I grow wings, flying would mean that you would have to carry me. Do you?"

"Yeah, nah, too lazy" Rainbow admitted.

"Though so... Also, would it break your wings to listen to your friends talk about their passions for once?" Starlight intrigued.

"But fashion's... Eh..." Rainbow expression was hard to describe, something between surprise and cringe.

"That's not the point- Nevermind, let's just go, alright?"

With a nod form Rainbow, Starlight charged her horn for a quick moment given her talent for magic, unleashing a brilliant spark. Within a second, two ponies vanished from Ponyville's grounds.

It would seem like Fluttershy underestimated how big of a hit Rarity's new line will become. There was already a thick queue of ponies, dragons, yaks and many different creatures lining up to the Boutique's door. Her eyes darted from one individual to another, losing count of their growing number as well as her confidence in the process. Oh, the things she does for her friends...

"Everything alright, Fluttershy darling?" Rarity slowly trotted up to her animal-loving friend, growing more concerned with how pale her coat was becoming, "Don't pay attention to the customers, you're lucky you don't work the register..." She looked back at one of her assistants, shivering behind the counter. Poor thing will probably lose any sense of touch in their hooves after today.

"I-I'm fine, thank you Rarity..." Element of Kindness finally took her gaze off of the public outside, marching deeper inside alongside the fashionista, "As long as they don't overwhelm me with questions about our collaboration..."

"Your fears aside, darling!" The unicorn reassured her, "Your safety is my very top priority! ...maybe after the shop's decor..."

Failing to catch Rarity's whisper, Fluttershy's cheeks got their colors back as she smiled, "Thank you, you're a real friend" she said, giving her aforementioned friend a small hug, which the unicorn returned.

"Mhm... Now-!" the fashionista abruptly broke the embrace, causing Fluttershy to 'eep!', "It's high time this business started rolling!"

She gestured for her two other assistants to open the doors as Rarity cleared her throat for the welcoming speech about her (and Fluttershy's) brilliant designs!

"Ahem! Welcome everycreature, to Manehattan's exclusive preview of the newest line that shall hit every major Boutique in Equestria!" she started off short and simple, waiting for her captivated audience's 'ooh's and 'aah's to continue. Only, those cheers of wonder never came. Opening one of her eyes, Rarity scanned the empty interior of her business, the previous line of customers nowhere to be seen.

"Hmm? But... where is everypony?" she asked, making her way out of the building and looking both ways down the street. Still though, no creature or even a pony in sight, "What's going on?"

"Umm... maybe that?" Fluttershy said meekly, coming up from behind Rarity and pointing towards a vortex made out of black clouds that began forming high above even the Crystaller Building. The fashionista couldn't get a word in as a purple ligthing had struck from within the cloud, a few more following soon after the first one.

"What rubbish! Some storm is taking away MY clients?!" the fashionista worked too hard for today's release of her newest collection and she was having none of this, "And the air, why is it suddenly so heavy?"

"H-heavy? I haven't n-noticed, the thunder was m-much worse..." Fluttershy said, sitting on Rarity's back and hugging her for protection from the storm. At least now the unicorn knew it wasn't the air that was so heavy.

"Ahem, darling? Could you maybe...?"

"Oh?" the pegasus looked at how tightly she clinged to the mare's body, "Eep! S-sorry!" she apologized, getting back down onto her own legs.

The two Elements stared at the storm, unsure of what to do about it. There wasn't anything like that being forecast by the weather team, so could it be that it's anomalous? Well, the screams of terror from where the clouds loom certainly give that theory some merit.

"We can't just stand here, we have to, at the very least, check if everypony and creature is safe!" Rarity's voice changed to reflect her sudden determination.

"R-right... Yes, you're right!" Fluttershy too had found what was left of her courage as both of them took off through the maze-like streets of Manehattan.

Rewinding the clock a few minutes back, life was busy and full of hustle in the heart of Manehattan even at those early hours. Carriages ran through the crowds, the train was signaling its arrival at the Maneway Station and hooves, paws and claws were filling the streets with their cacophony of noise.

"Outrageous!" screamed Business Mane standing at the corner kiosk, "Those taxes are going to be the end of me!" his eyes were glued to the fresh issue of today's press, most importantly the economic section.

"Sir, either you pay for this or put it back, please" the salesmare tried to get to him from behind her counter.

"What? Can't a stallion read for free anymore?" the stallion huffed, irritated, "Oh, what is my beloved Equestria turning into!"

"Oh for princess's sake, move it already!" Busy Hustle yelled at him from behind, "Pay or make way for those who are willing to pay!"

"Why you-" a laud crack halted Business's retort, painting the sky in a violet flash. The ponies and other beings present had split themselves into two groups. Those that looked up at the abnormality in the sky, and those who had jobs to do with little time to spare for nonsense. The creatures who did look up, however, were greeted with a sky that grew grimmer by the second.

Just then, some of the clouds began separating from each other, forming a much more see-through trail of black smoke that descended to the ground. More eagle-eyed creatures such a a few present drakes and dragons could make out something, a vague silhouette within the mass of dark smog.

Oddly enough, the smoke seemed alive, looking over the surrounding area like a living being until it spotted Catering Cook, one of the finest restaurants to grace the metropolitan city. The cloud stiffened before firing itself towards the establishment at breakneck speed.

Marely a moment had passed before a bolt of odd colored lightning struck the restaurant, bringing it to the ground as a low voice made its dissatisfaction present, "Not good enough!"

One by one, the black wave of smoke tracked down every dinner present in the surrounding area, bringing down electricity and destruction upon each one while the voice continued to raise in anger, "Utterly! Damn! Essenceless! RAAAAAGH!"

"Alrigh ya filthy smog!" a mighty voice tore through the collection of panicked screams and fleeing hooves, "You shall stop this maniacal rampage!"

The raging smoke did indeed cease its destruction, whipping its upper half at the imposing figure of a stallion whose voice just echoed. There, fresh out of the spy, pickles still on his eyes and a towel around his behind, stood Rockhoof. With a 'pardon' and a quick payment to the mares that treated him, the pillar of Equestria got into a proper stance, narrowing his gaze at the perpetrator.

"So ya understand me, misty creature?" he asked in a stern voice, "Then speak, why are you a nuisance to us today?!"

"Can't a tyrant expect a decent meal?" the voice answered.

"What?" Rockhoof was puzzled, "Tyrant? Who are ya? You're black and slippery but you're no Sombra" he tried to deduce.

"I'm not a damn hat, you insolent stud!" thunder rumbled within the clouds above.

"So cease your attack!"

"Buck me, hay-for-brains"

Rockhoof readied himself, pulling out his trusty shovel (don't ask where he keeps it). The cloud formed an opening, bearing resemblance to a wicked grin. The pillar was about to charge, going as far as taking a step forward when a realization hit him.

"No, wait" he set his tool to a side, sitting on his rump and crossing his hindlegs, "I've studied the art of mediation and mind. I will not let ya aggravate me..." he closed his eyes and hummed faintly.

"What?" the voice asked, baffled, "What are you doing? Stop crossing your legs, horses aren't suppose to do that. It looks uncomfortable, ew"

The few ponies that stayed behind to watch in hopes of seeing an epic battle were confused to say the least. Joining the small crowd were the two Elements, Generosity and Kindness. The sight of a living cluster of smoke and Rockhoof just sitting there, staring at each other was peculiar to all.

"What exactly am I seeing here?" Rarity hoped for an answer.

"I think... They're mediating?" Fluttershy took her guess.

"They were suppose to fight a second ago..." a tall drake nearby explained, bending down to their level.

"Is that true, Rockhoof darling?" Rarity shouted through the crowd.

"Aye!" the stallion in question replied, "However, I will not be tempted by an enemy that I cannot beat..."

"Why not?

"Do ya see him, miss Rarity?" he pointed at his adversary, "This fiend is nothing but smoke. I can't do much now, ey?"

"You can't" the smog's voice agreed, "But I sure can!" its voice rose with excitement, a bolt of lightning firing at the two Elements.

"WAAA-HA-HAAAAA?!" Rarity screamed at the upcoming sight, Fluttershy adding a high-pitched 'Eep!'.

"Neigh!" Rockhoof broke his concentration, taking a massive leap and blocking the lighting's path-

*KA-CRACK!*

To everycreature's shock, Rockhoof's shovel and mighty form proved to be a firm but not well-grounded shield as his form began flying towards the far-off mountains.

"Bahaha!" the voice laughed, "Home run, babe!"

"R-rockhoof?!" Fluttershy yelled out in shock.

Rarity had seen enough. Turning in the cloud's direction, she began her march, hooves hitting the ground with furious steps.

"Now you listen here, mister" she got up and personal to the shrouded being, "Wrecking havoc in Manehattan is one thing, canceling the debut of MY newest collection is another" she got closer and closer, causing the smoke to begin leaning backwards, "But I will not tolerate you hurting a gentlecolt like Rockhoof before my very eyes, you uncultured ruffian!"

"One pony less to deal with, who cares?" the being had the audacity to speak back.

"OH, I do, and you will pay me dearly if you do NOT come to your senses in the next few seconds!" she pressed harder, "Do I make myself CLEAR?!"

"Pfft, no fun to be had with you!" the clouds above disappeared, the sun shinning its magnificent rays once again. The wave of smoke began to clear, a tall figure rising up from it, odd runes and engravings on its armor beginning to lose their glow. Rarity's gaze did not falter one bit, keeping a stern look.

"Honestly, learn to live a little" the giant shook his head.

"Don't even start, you-"

"Why did you do all that?" Fluttershy's voice caught both their attention. It was surprisingly clear and confident by the pegasus's standards.

The figure's red dots for eyes blinked, taken off guard, "Oh, you mean me? Ahem!" he readjusted the metal collar underneath his helmet, "I'm here to claim all of ponykind's food made with heart and passion! Although I can't really call anything here and of the two... It's all so bland and essenceless..."

"You've destroyed all those businesses because you didn't like their food?" the yellow mare couldn't believe it.

"You rusty-gathering simpleton!" Rarity shouted in great offense.

"What, gonna do something about it?" he mocked.

"Yeah, stop you, that's what!" a new voice joined in, familiar both to the two mares and the giant.

Turning his head to the side, the iron being groaned, spotting two more ponies standing on the rooftop of a nearby building, "You again, prism? You're like a damn thorn..."

"Yeah, that's right!" Rainbow Dash shouted with confidence, the sun giving new colors to her vibrant mane, "And this time, I got an ultimate weapon!"

There was a moment of silence between those present. Rainbow looked to her side and poked Starlight with her wing, "I meant you, Ms. Magic" she deadpanned.

"What? Me?!" she looked down at Rox standing underneath them with his arms crossed, "What am I suppose to do? You told me even Twilight couldn't do anything!"

"Well, she never DID try to actually beat him up so..."

"You want to beat me up?" Rox cracked his knuckles.

"N-no, not at all!" Starlight gave the giant the biggest and most innocent smile she could muster at the moment.

"Really?" Rainbow shook her head, "Lame!"

"No, no, no, come on!" the tyrant gestured to the unicorn to come down from her spot, "I can fight. Heck, I WILL fight!"

"No, no, really, it was a communication mistake-" Starlight pleaded in cold sweat.

"Nah nah nah! I'm coming up there, horsey!" With his engravings shinning again, he began turning into a cloud of smoke, quickly rising to the top of the building as the sky grew darker once more.

"Wait, no!" the former villainess turned to the wonderbolt, panic evident in her eyes, "I'm getting out of here, no way I'm staying!"

"What? You can't do that!" Dash forbade her, "We just got here! A-and what about me?!"

"Should've thought about that before you provoked this guy!"

"You're the one who didn't play along with my act!"

"Because it was dumb!"

"HEEEEEEERE'S ROXXY!" the giant's helmet appeared inches away from them, peeking out from a crack in the wall of clouds.

The two ponies stopped throwing blame to instead hug eachother tightly for protection and screamed,

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Author's Note

If this chapter seems chaotic... yes, absolutely!
I sometimes fear of mischaracterizing certain characters (in this case mostly Starlight).
Is it an issue for you or are you interested when author's interpretations of characters deviate a bit form the original potrayals?

Oh, and as always, thank you for reading! :heart:

Of thing to come

For the creatures living in Manehattan, this morning was certainly a strange one. To start things off, a unannounced storm had graced their sky, causing severe panic among those who didn't have other things to worry about. In addition, said storm seemed to be very keen on blowing up well-known restaurants and diners for the simple reason of 'Because it could'. Furthermore, a visitng hero of legends, one of the pillars of Equestria itself, got blown away by a bolt of lighting caused by a shape-changing dark cloud (that was also supposedly alive).

The most recent piece of news, however, is an urgent one, as an emergency evacuation has been issued, stating that all those present on Manehattan's streets are to be wary of two ponies. Those two being a lilac unicorn with a purple and teal mane, and a light blue pegasus with a rainbow for a mane. The aforementioned storm that caused a lot of damage seems to have taken these two as its main target. So says the newest issue of Manehattan Time. And now, the story goes on...

*KA-CRACK*

"WOAH!" Rainbow managed to dodge sudden lighting at the very last moment, her muzzle feeling the heat that it gave off as it scraped the air in front of her. She didn't know exactly what Rox was, but if he were to be a pony, she for sure would've placed all her savings on him being a pegasus. The amount of control he wields over the storm pursuing them certainly puts most pegasi on the weather team to shame (not to mention him being a literal part of said storm).

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Starlight's throat was the second part of her body needing extra rest tomorrow, right after her hooves, of course. For there to be a tomorrow, however, she must first make it out of this weather freakshow. She's good at creating almost unbreakable shields, but it's not as easy to do so when she needs to run. The reason she is running is not because of lightning, no. She's afraid of the clouds catching up to her. If there is one thing worse than being struck by lighting, then it surely is being caught inside a literal factor of them.

"Keep moving! We have to make it out of the city so- WOAH- nopony will be hurt in the process!" Rainbow yelled at the unicorn, dodging another bolt of discharged electricity coming her way while doing so.

"Easy for you to say- gah?!" Starlight had far too many close calls, being almost fried alive as well, "You have way more options to evade with those wings of yours!"

"You're a unicorn!"

"So what- Oh!" a spark of genius came to the unicorn's mind, her horn sparking to life again.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"Letting you handle the manual labor while I do the thinking!" Starlight explained before teleporting away in the middle of the chase.

"Oh, you mother buck- WHA!" Rainbow was fortunately cut off by another lighting before she could finish the curse, letting her focus on getting out of the city again.

"OH? WHERE DID THAT ONE GO?" Rox's voice thundered from inside the furious storm, "BAH! NO MATTER, I STILL HAVE YOU TO PRACTICE MY AIM WITH, PRISM-HEAD!"

"You're so dead, Starlight!" Rainbow began gaining some proper speed after turning a tight corner, "You hear me?! Dead!"

"I'm glad you had time to spare for wise old me" Starswirl placed his empty cup on the desk, having enjoyed the delicious brew.

Shaking her head with a smile, Meadowbrook finished her fill as well, "Oh, Starswirl, how could I refuse a visit from you?" her muzzled moved to grab the pot holding her homemade tea, "Another?"

"Thank you kindly, it's truly delicious but I'm afraid my stomach won't like me very me if I overdo it" the wizard apologized, "but the recipe would be appreciated!"

"Oh, aiming for my secrets, are we now?" she chuckled faintly.

"Don't be like that, you know your mixtures, both healing and not, are simply spectacular!"

"Speaking of spectaular, have you seen the fireworks show at Princess Twilight's celebration? Simply outstanding!"

"Yes... hard to miss then when they cover majority of Equestria's atmosphere..." Starswirl did not in fact like the fireworks that much (they might have scared him a bit).

"I understand, saving the compliments for once we got to pay her majesty a visit, hm?"

"Whenever that will be... eh..." the elderly unicorn sighed, "You know, even without any major attacks or problems, our lives seems busier than usual. I forgot how tiring it all can be" he admitted.

"Starswirl, I understand you, my dear friend" Meadowbrook came up to the him, placing a hoof on his back, "I personally think we should be thankful for the peace that we were given"

"Yes, yes, I'm not wishing for SOMETHING to happen, it's just very... mundane perhaps?"

"Maybe taking up new hobbies or task could help you?" the sorceress clapped her hooves, "I've recently had Mistmane grace me with a new collection of wonderful potted flowers to decorate my hut! Would you like to tend to them with me?"

"Hmm... it may not be the worst idea there could be" Starswirl stated, earning a glare from the healer, "Y-you know, fresh air is good for one's lungs or so I've heard! So, let's see those flowers, shall we?"

Opening up the door and stepping outside, the old wizard was immidietly startled when a shovel fell from the sky at blazing speed, inbedding itself firmly in the dirt next to him. After taking a step back and bumping into Meadowbrook, Starswirl let out a sigh of relief before inspecting the object.

"Celestia's sake, this could've taken somepony's head off!" he said after a few moments, an image of his own head being seperated from his neck sending a chill down his spine and horn.

"Doesn't it look... familar? I swear, this shovel could do as a proper replic of-" the sorceress began.

*THUD*

"-Rockhoof?!"

Where Starswirl once stood, now lied the Element of Strenght, his powerful bottom half firmly stuck in the ground. His coat and mane were a mess, their colors mixed with a dark paint of black, most likely from an explosion of sorts. The mare rushed over behind him, using what earth pony strenght she still had inside of her to push her fellow pillar out of the ground. Once that was done, she properly sat the stallion done, handing him a mixture for his wellbeing.

"By harmony itself, what happened to you?" the healer asked.

"Uooooh... I need to build up some resitance for lighting strikes..." he took a swing of the potion, "Oh, berries!"

"Lighting?" Meadowbrook pressed further, "What are the chance of that? Did you forget that a storm was scheduled?"

"Neigh! I was taking my time in Manehattan's graces when those nasty dark clouds came about! They seperated, seemed like they were alive, I'm telling ya!" he took another swing, licking his muzzle.

"An unnatural storm?"

"Aye, its lightnings were purple in color! Oh, and how much impact they pack!"

"Purple lightning?" Starswirl's voice joined in, "A sentient black cloud? No it can't... could it?"

"Starswirl?" Meadowbrook looked around the area around her hut, "Where did you go?"

"Down here"

The mare walked up to the crater left by Rockhoof's arrival, a flattened wizard still stuck inside of it, "A little help would be welcomed"

"Oh, right!" he lifted her old friend from the hole, Rockhoof too busy with his drink to properly help (it was tasty though). After succesfully getting Starswirl back on his own legs, the mare began asking, "What do you mean? What can't be?"

"I've seen plently of things in my life and defeated many creatures, often thanks to you, dear friends" the two present pillars smiled, their eyes never leaving the old stallion's form as he spoke, "There was, however, one foe who was beyond even me to handle... if it wasn't for how disturbed his mind he was, he could've surely been the end of our kind"

"What?!" both earthponies questioned before Meadowbrook continued, "But how? I've never heard of such great evil in any history books, not even the most recent one"

"He was... meant to never be, a tragedy best forgotten and left for time to devour..." Starswirl turned in the general direction of where he tought Canterlot was, "But what Rockhoof described... by all means, I hope I am mistaken but if not... we need to be ready for a stormy days to come" he finished, a gust of wind blowing at his hand and making the other two ponies shiver a little.

The ominous silence left by the wizard didn't last long with Rockhoof's 'pop' interupting it, "Ah, what wonderful drinks you brew, old friend!"

"Oh, my pleasure, sweetie..." the sorceress thank him politely.

Author's Note

Shorter chapter this time around, pardon me! My life got a bit stressful so I'll put this and my other works on hold. To those amazing people that read so far, thank you all so much. It means a lot to have a story that's not only viewed but also liked and interacted with. :twilightblush:

I hope I can comeback as soon as possible. Until then, I hope you all stay warm and cozy, and get many great stories to read and experience from other talented writers with more experience than me!
I appreciate you all and I'll see you again! :heart:

P.s. (few hours after publishing)
There will be one more chapter out at the end of the week since all it needs is a little bit of editing. So yeah, one more quick chapter before the hiatus actually takes places. See you then!

You got mail

Despite being an alicorn, Celestia's gifted ex-student and the current ruler of Equestria as a whole, Twilight felt like Rox's situation was beginning to grow too much for her hooves to grasp. After the iron nuisance disappeared from Ponyville, things did not get any clearer. His whereabouts were a mystery and Rainbow was still yet to get back to her in terms of finding Rarity, Fluttershy or Starlight.

Twilight could think of nothing else but reassure the citizens of the town to stay calm, make her way back to Canterlot and educate herself on how to properly deal with the issue. She had to get her royal forces ready, issue emergency plans for those affected by Rox's potential destruction, figure out what exactly is the extent of the giant's power and how to handle it, possibly contact Celestia, Luna and-

"Sugarcube, please! Calm down a little, alright?" Applejack placed her hoof on Twilight's shoulder, sending a shiver down her system.

Finally in the present moment, Twilight looked at the orange mare, her breathing growing more steady with each second that passed looking at her concerned smile. Slowly, her head went back to the cork board, many strings, pins, pictures and notes with scribbles on them plastered all over it. Closing her eyes with one last breath, she finally felt ready enough to tackle the discussion again.

"Thank you, Applejack. I think I've grown rusty in terms of dealing with villains during the past year...." she admitted to lowering her guard.

"No kiddin'! Ah never thought an alicorn could risk dying from a heart attack until seein' ya just now" AJ moved closer to the board.

Following her friend's motion, Twilight's horn lit up as she walked over, moving a few pins around and grabbing a pointer, "Okay, let's see what we got..." the wooden stick landed on the drawing in the middle of it all, a crude depiction of Rox, "We have a potentially world-ending threat on our hooves" she didn't like the sound of that, but there was a rational counter, "While that is yet to be proven, as we have only his words and small displays of his powers to go off, we still have to consider it the most likely scenario so we can prepare in the most efficient way"

"Alright, I'm followin'" AJ nodded.

"Seeing as we lack the information about his current resting place, that is considering he must be taking breaks during his travel, the smartest course of action I see is getting not only my army involved, but also our friends and the general public"

"We- I mean, you have an army?" Spike asked, walking into the room with a tray of cookies in hand.

"Weeeeeeell... I made sure that all protocols and training were focused on self-defense, base-defense and emergency rescue calls since that what I want to focus on, you know, more defending, less invading, BUT it is still technically an army... just not an offense-orientated one!" Twilight was actually proud of her anti-violence approach. If she was to be the new ruler of Equestria, she had to show every creature that safety was a priority, no matter if was a friend or foe. After all, who is an enemy if not a friend yet to be redeemed, right?

"That might actually be more useful this time around, Twi" Applejack looked through the window of the meeting hall, overlooking Canterlot, "With how easily that nasty bucket of strength send me and Rainbow flying, defense could be a better approach..."

Twilight smiled happily at the farmer's approval of her ways, while Spike rolled his eyes, popping one of the chocolate-chip cookies into his mouth, "But it's not as cool..."

"TWILIGHT!" came Starlight's desperate shout as a bright flash of teleportation brought her to the castle's ground, only one strand of hay away from AJ's face, "Oops...?" turning her head, she finally spotted the mare she was looking for, "TWILIGHT!"

"Ouch. You didn't have to shout the second time..." Spike unplugged his ears.

"Doesn't matter" the young princess commented, "What's the issue, Starlight? I thought I told Rainbow Dash to go get you"

"She did, we both went after Rarity and Fluttershy but things got... complicated" Starlight admitted with worry in her voice.

"Complicated how?" Twilight pressed further. She had to know the details, this could bring their current situation on a brand-new course of action.

"After we got together, I had to remind Rainbow that Rarity and Flutters went on a business trip to Manehattan" Twilight listened intently to her explanation, "After teleporting there we found the whole city in chaos, that 'Rox' creature at the center of it all."

"Rox is in Manehattan?!" Twilight's eyes widened.

"Yes and that's not all! I teleported in the middle of the chase, leaving Rainbow to fend for herself while I went to get you" Starlight's expression fell a little, "Only problem being that I lost a little bit more time than I expected looking for you. Pair that minor slip-up with Rainbow's speed, and I'm not sure if I can accurately tell where she and Rox are!"

"Change of plans" Twilight decided to put her worries aside, putting on her brave royal persona, "Applejack, Spike, inform the guards that my previous order is modified, they are all to dispatch to various cities all over Equestria instead of just Ponyville. In addition, they are to be ready for potential rescue operations and extra aid for ponies in need!"

After both of them nodded (Spike a little more irritated now that he had to repeat his task) and took off, her eyes returned to the headmare of her school, "Starlight, you and me are going to inform my subjects, pony or not, to keep a lookout for Rainbow Dash. We need to get this mess under control before Rox destroys anymore restaurants"

"Wait, what?" Starlight was confused.

"What?"

"That's his whole deal? He's destroying restaurants?"

"He did wager a full-blown war against our food supply apparently..."

"That's... uh... weird"

"I gave up on sense and logic in all of this a few hours ago"

"O~kay...?" Starlight shook her head, "So, the public announcement, yes?"

"Yes, how big of a projection spell can you cast?"

"I'm not an expert in this field, but given my range of teleportation, plus the efficiency of spells conjuring illusions over long distances, simultaneous image distribution and the energy required to combine all these spells, uh... About 3 cities in proximity to Manehattan?" the unicorn estimated with absolutely zero practice beforehoof.

"Given the complexity of the spell, that's more than fine" Twilight praised her late pupil with a smile, "Thank you Starlight!"

"Everything for a friend- uh, Princess in need!"

"Right, speaking of them, I will write individual letters to ponies we can't possible expect to be near Manehattan but still might need their help regardless" her expression turned from a cold, calculated stare to a more determined smile, "But for now, the projections, if you please"

"Right away!" Starlight's horn began glowing, her focus doubling at the intense task, "We'll be live in 3... 2..."

"WAIT!" Twilight yelled at the top of her lungs.

"What, what?!" the lilac unicorn looked around frantically, "What's wrong?!"

"I need to put on my regalias!" the alicorn began rummaging through her closet.

"Really?"

"Yes, really" Twilight's belongings began flying out of her stash, "Everypony knows their princess has standards to uphold!"

"Is this going to take a while?"

"No, no! They're somewhere in here... I think..."

"You don't know, do you?"

"I do not"

Starlight groaned.

"Have you heard? Apparently a storm swooped through Manehattan, out of nowhere too..." Morning Shift scanned the press release in his hooves, following the unusual situation with anticipation.

"Hmm, an entire storm...? Meh, everypony makes mistakes, even the weather team... Especially the weather team..." Early Eye shivered, turning the other side on his hammock.

A storm they say? What a bother. Good thing no foul clouds were hanging above Las Pegasus's HoofAGo-Resort, not a thing to ruin Celestia's retirement. Back at it, fresh after yesterday's anniversary of Twilight's Coronation. Yep, retirement. All of it. All thousands of years she has left of it. Yep. Not a thing-

"Tia!"

Still not a thing to ruin it, only Luna, back with the cocktails!

"About time, dear sister~" Celestia said smugly, readjusting her sunglasses.

Luna's hooves stopped right next to her sister's sunbed, silence where her response should be...

*SPLASH*

A sudden and chilling rush of liquid took the white alicorn right out of her comfortable retirement plans. She didn't even think to use her magic, her hoof already holding the dripping sunglasses in a steady grip, "Luna?! Have you gone mad?" and then she smelled the luxurious aroma.

"W-was that my... my cocktail-"

"Neigh, that was the water you order as your side drink, sis" Luna answered calmly.

"O-oh... But please, next time warn me-"

*SPLASH*

"BAGHAAH?!" Celestia jumped to her full height like a cat sprayed with water, shaking it off desperately. There was this aroma again, "Was that my-?!"

"Neigh, that was MY water I ordered as a side drink, sis" Luna answered, still calm as water, "But here's your cocktail!"

The ex-princess cowered in fear, her coat already imagining the third impact, this one sticky and far more expensive then the previous ones!...
But nothing came.

Opening one eye, a tall glass with a mini-umbrella and a squiggly straw levitated next to her, engulfed in a dark blue aura.

"Why are thy shaking, sister dear?" Luna asked with a snicker, "Is this not what you desired?"

"Oh, haha... ha..." Celestia laughed slowly, her own magic quickly snapping the drink out of her sister's hold, "Gimme that!"

With a more open laugh, the lunar pony sat down on her neighboring sunbed, "Like a white, puffy and elegant cat... You remind me of Ms. Rarity's cat!"

"As much as I treasure each of my previous subject and the Elements, I do not wish to be compared to their pets, especially not that one" the white alicorn took a towel to her mane, "Now, is that the end of your games? Can we enjoy our sunny day not risen by my horn?"

"Perhaps... Oh, not!" Luna reached for her saddlebag, pulling out a letter with a royal insignia on it, "It would seem our wonderful and thoughtful hier wants to speak with you"

"Oh, sounds more pleasant than another surprise shower" she took the parchment from her sibling, unrolling it while her mane began dripping less and less, "But why did you get it, not me?"

"I found that strange too, are you sure you haven't received anything?"

Celestia narrowed her eyes at the piles of ash resting on the table near her resting spot, the graveyard of all the 'pesky' letters that were interupting her rest- Oh.

"I... No, nope, nothing! Perhaps she just trust you more in uh... safe... delivery of un-soaked papers, yes!" she smiled at her younger sister.

"Right... anyhow and anyway, it's your ex-protoge, I find it fitting you get the honors to read it first!... and because it's my turn to sunbath" Luna's eyes disappeared behind a pair sunglasses (most likely stolen from Celestia).

"Fair enough" Celestia began reading "Seems she is calling many different ponies to attention, this doesn't feel like a dinner invitation however..."

"Ah, dreadful... I cloud go for another round of our old royal pastries, mhm!" the lunar alicorn licked her lips before taunting her sister, "Not sure if it 2nd serving would... server you all that well though, ha..."

Her sister, however, had no response, her eyes scanning the text like it was of court matter, something of importance.

"Is... Everything alright, Tia?"

Still, nothing.

"Celestia, what is it-"

*WOOSH*

Only a dark take-off spot and a blazing afterimage was left of Celestia, gone before the scroll could even hit the ground. It never did however, Luna's quick reaction saved it from the nearby pool's deathtrap.

"C-Celestia?!" the younger sister looked towards the skies, concern and bewilderment battling for dominance on her muzzle, "Wha-"

She looked down at the open letter, narrowing her eyes and decoding the first sentences, "What on Equestria could be...?"

Dear Celestia & Luna,

I'm writing these letters to important ponies of Equestria, hoping that anypony will be able to answer my call.
Yesterday, after the royal event took place, something bizarre had taken place presumably on the outskirts of Ponyville. I do not posses enough details to describe the full version of the events but the main point is that a presence had began wrecking chaos, first centered in the aforementioned town, only to then extend its range as far as the city of Manehattan.

The being in question is charged with threats, destruction of public domain as well as private property, assault (with suspicions of aggrevated assualt still being researched) and theft. The biggest issue lies in the fact that this individual posses abilities which prove not only difficult to properly contain but make it harder to keep track of the criminal's location.

From what little I could interact with the being, I managed to aquire few basic informations about him, although I was unable to research him or find any documents about such a creature in Canterlot's record. From his own testiomy, he claims to be ancient, had been imprisoned in stone by Celestia and Luna, and (this is yet to be comfirmed) caused a massive catastrophy that let to his imprisonment. He claims that his name-

"No... Surely, it's not..."

He claims that his name is Rox D. Struction, although-

Rest of the letter's content became unimportant, knocked out of the picture by the sheer presence that name held in the back of Luna's mind. But that's not about her, is it? No, if that name was a bomb waiting to blow inside of her memory, then in Celestia's subconscious, it was nothing short of a big bang! She had to follow her sister, she could not allow this conflict to start again... not over something so trivial, not again!

Author's Note

And now we're official at the point where my hobby of writing comes to a halt in favor of getting my personal life together (how can the world be so cruel to forbid me from writing about my lovely magical horses...). In all seriousness, if everything goes right then I estimate I will be back on my pace halfway through February... fingers crossed!

I appreciate all those who engaged or even gave a thought about reading my stories so far! Thank you all and I'll see you later, ta-ta! :heart: