Flameon arrived outside to see smoke billowing up from the castle gardens. He flew over to investigate and saw his sister standing there as well. He landed beside her and asked, "Did you see what caused this?"
"No, but it doesn't seem like anypony was hurt." she replied.
Suddenly, Sunbeam arrived with a guard close behind him. "Your Majesties, come quick! There's something you must see!" So the siblings followed Sunbeam and the guard further into the gardens. Flameon could see more smoke, and heard what sounded like screaming in the direction they were heading. They arrived at the inner part of the gardens, and with one look around they could tell things were bad.
Broken tables lay on the ground, chairs were in the bushes, and there was smashed pottery all over the place. But that isn't what caught the group's attention. No, it was what was in the dead center of the garden that had them worried. As the smoke cleared, a figure stepped forward. This figure, this creature, had two metal horns jutting from it's head, a hide made of what looked like solid brass, and four sets of razor sharp claws made from what looked like gold. The creature was no bigger than the average pony, maybe a little smaller, and it had sickly green eyes. Flameon only had one thought on his mind: 'It's a mechanoid, like father warned us about!'
The creature looked at Flameon, then at Flurry, and finally at the guard and Sunbeam, before starting to growl at them. Flameon narrowed his stance, ready to act if the creature attacked. The creature's growl got louder, and then it lunged at Sunbeam. Before the guard could react, Sunbeam had caught the creature in his magic. The creature thrashed in Sunbeam's magical hold, but could not get free. Flameon walked over to the the creature and asked, "Why are you here, and why have you disrupted our kingdom?"
The creature stared at Flameon before responding, "I don't need to tell you anything...but, my Lord brings a message." "A message from your Lord? Would that be King Draxian, by any chance?" asked Flameon.
"The very same. He has this message for you..." The mechanoid then pulled a small scroll like object from under it's hide, and handed it to the guard. Although nervous it could be a trap, the guard did his duty and opened the scroll. The scroll rolled out to reveal some sort of holographic projection. It showed a still image of a tall, wolf-like figure. The figure had the same features as their mechanoid prisoner, but it also had a bronze crown atop it's head.
The hologram played the message, "Greetings, you little ponies of Equestria! I am King Draxian. You probably already know of my kind, the mechanoids. My kind has been mocked for our entire existence! You insignificant ponies think you're soo clever and strong, with your flight, magic, and strength capabilities. It sickens me. For too long my kind has been oppressed, and now we want out! I will personally see to it that your precious Equestria and Crystal Empire will bow before my might! I am coming for your kingdoms with my full army, and I look forward to seeing your futile attempts to stop me! Hahahaha! Prepare for a fight of the ages! See you soon..." The holographic message rolled back up and fell to the ground.
The group stood in shock. "That...was King Draxian?" asked Flurry.
Flameon replied "Yes, yes it was. It also appears our father's hunch was correct. King Draxian is planning to invade Equestria and the Crystal Empire!" He walked over to the prisoner and lowered his muzzle. Snorting furiously, he asked the mechanoid, "When? When is your king planning to invade? Tell us now."
The mechanoid scoffed, "He's not my problem anymore. Back in our kingdom I was treated as a runt. I was only sent here so they could get rid of me! I'll tell you all you need to know about his plan. As far as I was aware, the king was planning to attack in three weeks time." Flameon stared at the creature, looking for signs of a lie, but found no hint of a lie anywhere on it's face.
Flameon stood up and said to the guard, "Take our little friend here to the jail cells, and then inform my father of what happened. Take the scroll with you. I will stay here and assess the damages to the garden." The guard bowed and, using his magic, lifted the mechanoid out of Sunbeam's grasp and into his. He then picked up the scroll as well, and walked off toward the cells with the prisoner in tow.
"Flurry, can you write a letter to Mom and warn her about the Mechanoids?" asked Flameon.
"On it." she replied. Flurry took to the skies and flew back toward the castle.
Flameon surveyed the surroundings. Aside from smoldering bushes and upturned tables, there seemed to be minimal damage to the gardens. Flameon flew up to get an aerial view of the area. From above, Flameon could see that ponies were starting to form a crowd outside the gardens entrance. He flew over and landed in front of them. The crowd bowed in unison. One of them stepped forward and asked, "Your Highness, what has happened? What was that explosion!?"
Flameon replied, "As a sworn protector of this nation, I must inform you all, that Equestria is under siege. A powerful foe known as King Draxian, has sent one of his kind to attack this city. Draxian is the leader of the mechanoids, a creature made almost entirely of metal. While his current plans are unknown, we have ruled out the possibility of future minor incidents like this one. We are looking into the situation, but know that we will protect this kingdom at all costs. This may be a lot to take in right now, but please do not panic. My father will make an official announcement about the situation in the coming week, so please remain calm. Thank you."
The ponies looked uneasy, but then a few of them nodded. Flameon bowed and then flew off toward the castle. He wished to speak with his father on what to do next. A plan had to be made to stop Draxian soon, before his plan could be put into action...