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.
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.