Steelhoof lay in bed, a gentle breeze flowing in from the open-air bedroom. He looked to his left, and the polychromatic pegasus of his dreams lay by his side, snuggled deep into the blankets and fast asleep. With only the moon as lighting, and her mane a tangled mess that cascaded about her shoulders and obscured one eye, Steelhoof felt that there was nothing more beautiful in all the world. Her soft lips were turned upward in a contented smile that gave the metal stallion one of his own.

Resting his hooves behind his head, he stared upward at the night sky, glad that princess Luna had clearly worked so hard on this one. All of the constellations were visible, almost all of which he could not identify, and Luna's star, the brightest one in the sky that always pointed north, looked especially beautiful tonight. He stole another glance at the beautiful mare beside him, who had shifted slightly in her sleep. He put his hoof around her lovingly, and she snuggled into the crook of his arm, murmuring something unintelligible under her breath. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, and she rested her forehoof on his chest in response, drifting ever further into sleep.

She had every right to be tired, really. It had been three days since the Tungsten incident, and the pair hadn't gotten much rest since then. Many that hated him now hated him even more so because of the property damage, and those that idolised him had gone from creepy to downright scary in the same time. Nopony had seen the aged mare or her son since the incident, although it was true that nopony had really looked.

Most of the first day had been taken up by decisions: How to fix the town when Steelhoof had no money, how to deal with the injured and protesting ponies, and most importantly, what to do with Tungsten's body.

The first assumption was simply to bury it, as they would any other pony. Steelhoof and the others had an objection to that. What if somepony were to dig him up? Replace the brain with somepony else's? What if they were to study his technology, and make more? Sure it was paranoid, but with somepony like Tungsten, it was best to make sure.

Eventually, the decision was made to simply melt him down into scrap and be done with it.

Steelhoof looked out into the hall, where Tungsten's empty head-plates were visible, standing on a cloud-made pedestal. Of course Rainbow had rejected at first. After all, it was her house. But, as Steelhoof had reasoned at the time, if she was allowed to coat the interior with all of her various sport-related trophies, then he was allowed to have a couple fighting ones. Even if they were the heads of his enemies.

After all, he was still debating on whether or not to have the Cerberus claw he had found between his plates turned into a necklace.

The blaze required to melt down the metal pony had to be created in the blast furnace, and the combination of the heat up and the long period of time it took to melt him down, and the fact that they had to stand guard in case somepony arrived unexpectedly, in case they were in league with his creator, so they hadn't had much sleep that night.

The next day, unsurprisingly, was the day that Pinkie pie decided to have her party in celebration of the continued survival of Ponyville. Steelhoof looked back on it with his mind's eye, smiling happily.

It was a perfect day, the sun was shining, there was just enough of a breeze to keep away the heat and the whole world seemed to be bathed in colour. The whole town had been invited, unsurprisingly. It had been too big of an event for any of the buildings, so it had spilled out into the park instead. Pinkie herself hadn't been able to cater for them all, so had recruited a blonde-maned pegasus mare whose name escaped him to help out. They'd all sat in large groups of friends around brightly coloured picnic blankets, gorging themselves on various delicious foodstuffs prepared by the cakes, the Apples, and a number of other restaurants that pitched in for the event.

Around their blanket there were quite a few ponies. Sadly minus Pinkie pie, who was far too busy tending to the needs of Ponyville, all of the elements of harmony were there. Next to Steelhoof was Rainbow dash, who leant against him s she talked animatedly with Applejack, who sat next to Caramel, who talked both to her and to Big Macintosh, who sat next to him. On the other side of the large red stallion was Fluttershy, who would occasionally mumble something and blush furiously every time Mac did so much as look at her. By her side was Twilight and Whooves, who, although far from the least confident, certainly seemed the most awkward. He talked to Rarity, who would tut and shake her head just about every time he mentioned any form of clothing.

The day had carried on like that, mostly, and that night the blankets had been cleared away, campfires were lit and they roasted marshmallows from tents and warm sleeping bags. That night they had camped out under the stars, (Rainbow and Steel didn't have a tent) and Twilight had explained a few of the constellations before she had gone to bed. Then the two had stayed up most of the night, just staring at the sky and talking.

The next day, it was revealed that Vinyl Scratch had decided to set up a concert for the second day of the party. Even the quiet, composed Octavia had let herself have some fun that day, even agreeing to a dance with her fillyfriend up on the big stage, which had been greeted by some raucous cheering from the crowd. To Steelhoof, it had been the best two days of his life, better even than the quadruple party held in his honour nearly three weeks before. Sadly though, all such things have to come to an end, and the party dispersed later that afternoon.

It had been strange, being able to put aside all of the tension that had plagued him since Tungsten's death, since he had heard that the day of reckoning was near. Of course now, he could worry more than ever, alone with his thoughts.

What if they were all as powerful as Tungsten? What if he was powerless to stop their might? He could almost see it, with his damaged mind. His friends, captured and turned into mindless monstrosities with the only purpose of killing more of their own kind. He shuddered slightly, causing Rainbow to stir slightly. He looked back on her, and the effect was almost immediate. It was as if her face was telling him not to worry, to get some sleep, to find things out when the time comes.

He smiled and kissed her gently on the forehead, before settling down under the covers. She was right, really. There was no point in worrying, and he'd be even less useful if he was tired.

Slowly, the mechanical warrior fell into a light, uneasy sleep.

00000000

It was midnight in the everfree forest, and the moonlight streamed through cracks in the thick canopy, barely illuminating a small clearing, through which ran a sickly-looking stream. The forest was relatively quiet, save for the occasional chirp and squeak of small animals lurking in the darkness.

Suddenly, there was a dark red flash and a sound like the cracking of a whip, and the metallic unicorn appeared in the clearing, shaking his head slightly as the light around his horn faded. This was the fourth time he'd used a long distance teleport that day, and he needed to rest before he could continue.

His hide, the colour of pewter, did not reflect the moonlight like that of the other members of his kind, making him almost invisible save for his glowing red eyes that pierced the darkness like a knife. If he was to kill Steelhoof this night, he would need to be prepared.

Silently, he reared up onto his hind legs, and his formidable weaponry came into play. He was armed with two blades, just over a foot long, that was attached to his wrists and ran up his forelegs. It was connected via two plates with a locking system, which allowed for free rotation and a lock that positioned the blade either forward, facing out from his wrists in a stabbing position, or backward, where they lay at rest.

With a powerful flick, he set the blades in motion. They spun quickly, a whir in the moonlight. With clearly practiced ease, he stepped slowly and confidently on his hind legs, circling a tree like a professional fencer.

In a single fluid motion, Chromium stepped forward, and striking like lightning, slashed at the tree trunk with his left, cutting into the thick wood like it were silk, and spun around, finishing off the tree with his left. The cuts were clean and flawless, with surgical precision.

With a swoop, he moved on to the next tree, slicing it upwards through the trunk with his right blade, keeping momentum with his left. With a swirl, he brought his left straight through the split tree trunk, cutting the tree into three pieces.

He glared at the next tree he had targeted, spinning his right blade across his torso like a shield. He repeatedly flicked the other behind him, increasing its speed. Before long, it had reached such a speed that it was no longer visible, and he prepared his master move. He lunged forward and to the tree's right bringing his left hoof toward the trunk at around head height. He stepped around the tree quickly, slicing deep into the wood and whirling around quickly, delivering hundreds of blows in seconds. In a final move, he locked his right hoof and stabbed the trunk viciously.

He withdrew, and bowed respectfully to the tree as it collapsed. The whole battle had taken about eight seconds. He was ready.

00000000

All was silent outside the castle that Rainbow dash and Steelhoof called home. Even as the shadows outside slowly boiled and shifted, forming the shape of a mechanical unicorn, the silence was absolute. The charm on his body worked perfectly as he strode confidently toward the house. He hopped in through the window, and surveyed the room he was standing in. It was a large front room, fairly nondescript and made entirely from cloud. The whole place oozed with the confidence of a pony who did not expect death. In his years, Chromium had met many like this. With a faint click, he recalibrated his optics to register infra-red radiation. Steelhoof was in a room just down the hall, presumably asleep. Regardless, it paid not to be careless. The night was still young, and this was by far Chromium's most dangerous adversary. After all, he had slain Tungsten. As a result, he crept down the hallway, only stopping when he saw a very familiar object before him.

Tungsten's head.

Although it really shouldn't have surprised him, it did. Tungsten had always had a painting of invincibility around him, an air of utter dominance and infallibility. Now, here he was, little more than a trophy in the home of his enemy. Fitting really.

"I always knew you were weak." Chromium whispered at his rival, his voice quiet and menacing. He flicked the metal plate gently on the chin before continuing into the room where Steelhoof lay.

There he was, the one they had all heard so much about. The monster, the traitor, the unstoppable force. The one they hated, the one that some of them even feared. He was right there, lying in front of him.

Quite frankly, it was a let-down to Chromium. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't the sight before him. Steelhoof lay on his back, knotted in blankets, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his left leg twitching slightly.

This would be easier than he expected.

As he walked over to the larger stallion, still fast asleep, he caught sight of another pony, one who had escaped his attention until now. His mouth dropped open, and he stopped in midstep. The mare lying in bed next to his hated enemy was simply stunning. Her sleek curves, her scruffed mane, toned flanks, it was all there. He ran his metallic tongue over his teeth slowly, as he pictured the polychromatic mare in his clutches.

She was chained to the wall in his chambers back in his master's castle, illuminated by a semicircle of candles around her. Her skin was rubbed raw around her wrists and ankles, where she had tried to escape. Her body was coated in weeping wounds, and her wings were ruined, broken in several places and missing clumps of feathers. One of her eyes was swollen shut and purple, the other looked down at the ground, weeping silent tears of pain and sorrow. He stepped toward her, heated brand in hand, ready to-

His master's voice cut into his daydream. "Do not waste time."

He stood stiffly to attention, the image in his mind fading.

Still, he couldn't just let this lovely little mare die. At least, not yet. He wanted to have some fun later on. He decided he'd just keep her quiet until he'd finished with her coltfriend.

He reached over the prone form of the sleeping Steelhoof, and gently breathed out on her nose. As he did so, a sprinkling of golden powder drifted from his throat and into her face. She wrinkled her nose slightly as she breathed it in, but it was several seconds before it took effect. She stirred, slightly at first, but before long, she was fully awake, and in some discomfort. Her eyes snapped open, and one pupil was a tiny pinprick in her wine-coloured iris. The other was so large, it took up her whole eye. She twitched violently before falling out of bed, hitting the cloud with a light shf sound. She lay there, contorting in pain, her mouth open but no sound coming out.

Chromium smiled sadistically, and looked at Steelhoof, who hadn't woken. Oh, how peaceful the demon looked, unknowing just how close to death he was. He drew closer, ready to draw his blade and stab down, straight through the eye socket.

Suddenly, a metal hoof shot out of the covers and slammed Chromium in the chin. His vision flashed red, and he flew backward across the room. He looked back at the darkness around the bed, and two hateful orange orbs stared back.

Boom, cliffhanger! Will Rainbow survive, will Steelhoof finally see ultimate defeat, will Ditzy doo save the day? (She won't.)