//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Equestria Transformed Act 1: Autobots and Ponies // by Autobot Lancewing //------------------------------// A young purple Unicorn dressed in a blazer and skirt gazed all around her as she calmly walked through town. Her mane and tail was mostly purple with a pink stripe and a dark purple stripe running through it. In her hands was a rather good sized book. Her name was Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia herself. "It is such a beautiful day," she said, "The sun is bright and warm. The sky is clear. Today is just so perfect that absolutely nothing could possibly go…" She was then knocked over by a small group running by. "… Wrong?" She looked in the direction of those who pushed her went. From their attire, build, and features; she could tell they were an enemy they faced once in the past: the Diamond Dogs. What bugged the Unicorn was why they were here? She got her answer when she heard a young filly's scream; one she knew. "Apple Bloom?" She looked harder at the retreating canines and could make out a very familiar trio of fillies being held captive by the lead dog. Before she could make a move, a quartet of stallions went right by her in hot pursuit of the Diamond Dog kidnappers. She pushed herself up and followed them. "What is going on here?" --- Jolt huffed as he and his Autobot comrades chased after the kidnappers on foot… hoof… whatever they had. Right now, he was really wishing he had a vehicle mode. 'What I wouldn't give for four wheels.' Mirage then jumped up onto a cart and catapulted himself forward. He drew out his clawed whips and lashed them out at the nearest dog, catching him by the collar. "Gotcha!" The dog tried to shake him off by ramming a garbage can but to no avail. Mirage hopped onto the turned over lid and began to skid across the ground like a jet skier. He landed gracefully and braced himself. The red Autobot gave a strong jerk of his whips, sending the dog crashing into a nearby produce cart and effectively knocking him out. Needless to say, the owner was none too thrilled about his wares being crushed. "My Cabbages!" "Sorry, old chap" said Wheeljack as he and the others passed. --- The two remaining dogs came to halt when they reached their destination: the town square. All activity in the square came to halt when they saw these strange dogs showed up. Suddenly, several spots on the ground began to pile up and exploded. Many ponies started to panic, like a certain flower trio, when the dust cleared; revealing a large pack of dogs. Three then stepped forward. "Did you get them?" the apparent leader asked. The one holding the crusaders threw them to the ground in front of him. The dog in charge smirked at his captives but was then drawn towards a voice calling out. "Hold it, fleabag!" They all looked to see the four Autobots catch up to the kidnappers. One dog moved to stop them until Jolt stepped in and grappled with his attacker. The blue warrior then smirked. "Let me show you why my name is Jolt." The dog then felt several hundred volts of electricity go through him. When he stopped, the zapped canine fell backwards; his fur standing on end. The others backed away in shock (no pun intended.) "Anyone else will get the same unless you release those kids," Jolt threatened. Instead of whimpers or the like, all anyone heard was the sound of a single individual clapping. The dogs all looked back and parted for everyone to see. It was a single, very large dog. He appeared to be of the Great Dane breed and was very well muscled. "Not bad for a bunch of ponies. I had heard that some can use their magic as a weapon but I've got to admit, that is a very interesting special talent." "I take it you're the alpha of this pack?" asked Wheeljack. "You would be correct. The name's Duke." "Duke of what? Fleas," Jolt asked. This resulted in an angry growl from Duke. "GET THEM!" At that instant, the entire pack began to charge the Autobots present. Duke watched on with satisfaction. He then felt a tap on the shoulder. He turned back asking, "What," before getting punched in the face. The dogs halted in their advance and looked back. The ponies gasped at the sight before them. Standing over the stunned Diamond Dog leader was an Alicorn; however, this was not Princess Celestia; or Princess Luna, or Cadence for that matter. This one was very tall with a red fur coat and, judging by the build, was male. He was wearing armor very similar to the four from earlier; except with a red and blue flame design. Also, like the other four, he had electric blue eyes but the rest of his face was obscured from view by a metal mask. He then spoke in a deep baritone voice; "Taking the children was a bad move." Then from out of nowhere, several more ponies of varying colors but also wearing similar armor came bounding out and surrounded the dogs; all pointing odd looking weapons at the canine attackers. Duke finally shook the stars out of his eyes. He saw the many different ponies surrounding his pack. Now was the time for a little strategy. He then gave a distinct whistle that was their code for "Scatter!" All the dogs instantly obeyed and dispersed into every part of the town. Duke, meanwhile, jumped to his feet and attacked the big red Alicorn. "Optimus, heads up!" a black Earth Pony shouted. Optimus saw the Diamond Dog leader charging him and met him in a grapple. With his attention occupied, he turned back to his companions. "Autobots: intercept!" "Yes sir!" The other Autobots then went after the dogs that scattered into the town. --- At Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow Dash was, at the moment, loafing on a cloud taking her second afternoon nap. At the same time, Applejack was working the orchard, bucking apples with but a single kick. They were then drawn from their business (or lack thereof) by the sounds of explosions. "What in tarnation is a-go-?" She never got to finish as two Diamond Dogs were thrown into the clearing followed by a Silver Unicorn in armor of the same color wielding a pair of odd-looking swords on each hand and wheels hooked up to his legs. The two dogs then drew swords and charged at their enemy. In a flash, the armored Unicorn parried both of them with ease and Parkour rolled behind them. The two raiders suddenly found their weapons knocked out of their hands. The reason behind it was an armored black Earth Pony holding a pair of large strange weapons. "You didn't think I was gonna let you have all the fun, did ya Sideswipe?" Sideswipe looked at his partner and smirked, "Hey Ironhide, let's teach these punks how kicking ass is done." Ironhide grinned in response just as a single dog bursts from the ground behind the Autobot Weapon Specialist. "Sneak attack!" Ironhide spun around and fired a stun shot right in the dog's face, sending him ass over tea kettle and back into the ground. "Lesson one, sneak attacks fail when announced." The previous two quickly picked up their swords and charged at Sideswipe, however, the sword master quickly disarmed them and hurled them over his shoulder and into the nearby well. "Lesson two, numbers mean nothing against a skilled opponent." Ironhide picked up his would-be attacker and threw him towards Sideswipe; who, without missing a beat, grabbed the airborne canine by the scruff of his jacket and threw him down the same well as the other two. "And lesson three; know when you are severely outmatched." With that, Ironhide took his guns and fired at all of his opponents, sending them running away screaming like little puppies. Ironhide replaced his guns on his back while Sideswipe retraced his swords, both grinning smugly. Off to the side, Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood there, slack jawed and speechless. "Class dismissed," Ironhide quipped. --- At Sugarcube Corner, Bumblebee tackled a Diamond Dog twice his size but then found himself thrown through a door, ripping it off of the hinges and breaking it in half with several wood chips flying. He looked up to find an older couple in aprons and a younger pink one, all holding various baked goods, staring down at him in confusion. He was drawn away from them when the Dog came in and tried to stomp on him only for Bee to roll away. The dog tried again and again but the scout managed to roll away from every stomp. He suddenly found his leg paralyzed when he tried again, enveloped by a purple glow of Unicorn magic. "Hold it, big boy!" a female voice shouted. They all turned to see a familiar purple Unicorn stnading outside, hands on her temples as she focused her magic. The young pink pony from the bakery quickly disappeared then reappeared with an old-styled cannon but with a button where the fuse would be. "Hold him still, Twlight. I'm gonna let him have a taste of my party cannon!" she shouted before she slammed her hand on the button. What the weapon fired was several scraps of confetti and, oddly, a cake right into the dogs face but didn't harm in the slightest. Bumblebee gave the pink mare a look, as if silently saying: "Confetti, are you serious?" Twilight gave her a deadpan look as well, not at all amused by her antics. "Pinkie Pie, you are so random." The dog was far from feeling humored by the 'attack.' He drew a crossbow from his belt and pointed it directly at the purple Unicorn. Twilight gasped in horror but before the Diamond Dog could fire, a silver Earth Pony in armor and wearing sunglasses came barreling in and twisted the weapon away from her direction. "Come on, ya ugly-ass punk!" He then Judo-flipped the dog onto his back and kicked the crossbow away. The dog rolled away and picked up his weapon. "Who are you supposed to be?" he asked. "Jazz is my name, beatin' assholes like you into the ground, my game." Not caring what this 'Jazz' pony was about, the Diamond Dog fired his weapon only to find the arrow disintigrated by a blaast of energy. he turned towards the source to find the yellow Unicorn from before on one knee and aiming some kind of barrel at where his arrow was. The dog quickly remembered his other opponent and turned back to him only to see two things: first to see a silver furred fist for a brief moment, and second was stars. --- Fluttershy was walking through the marketplace hoping to get supplies for the countless number of animals that she allowed to stay in her cottage, but she wasn't expecting to come across a brawl between the Diamond Dogs and an unknown group of ponies clad in armor made of what looked like carriage parts. The Wreckers didn't seem to care about what was around them seeing how everything in their path was smashed to pieces. "What's going on?" she asked herself. "Fluttershy!" a female voice called out. The Pegasus mare turned to the voice to see her good friend Rarity running up. The fashionista Unicorn came to a halt in front of the timid Pegasus, panting hard. "Rarity, what's going on? Who are those guys in the armor?" she asked. Before the white Unicorn could answer, a large Diamond Dog jumped at them. The two mares suddenly felt something coil around their waists and yank them away from their attacker and into the air. The two were both caught bridle-style by a pair of familiar Unicorns, at least familiar to Rarity. "We meet again, Signora." "You're… Mirage, right?" "Si" Fluttershy however was blushing up a storm as she stared at the handsome colt that held her in his arms. "Hi, name's Jolt." A small squeak was her only response. The two Autobots let the girls down gently, just in time for the Dog from before charge in with a wooden club. Mirage met the challenge by extending his wrist blades and reduced the weapon into kindle before knocking the marauder out with a well-placed kick to the chin. Another came forward but Jolt decided to have his fun by lashing out with his whip. The dog saw it coming and caught it with his bare hand. Bad move. Jolt smirked before he raised his whip and unleashed his electric attack, lighting the poor mutt up like a Christmas tree. The two Element bearers stood in awe at the Autobots prowess as warriors. --- A pair of Diamond Dogs was running around outside Ponyville General Hospital when Ratchet charged and football-style tackled the two of them, quite literally, through the door. He threw one onto a patient bed and kicked it down the hall into the O.R. There was then a loud howl of pain. A doctor then poked his head and turned to Nurse Redheart. "Nurse, better send out a notice that we also do spaying." Ratchet then slammed the other one onto the admissions desk. "It's alright, this won't hurt in the slightest," he said before delivering a strong punch to the dog's nose, conking him out. "See? I didn't feel a thing." --- At the town square, several ponies were gathered around city hall as the mayor gave a rousing speech for her re-election campaign. Although, it seemed many were hardly enthusiastic about it, considering no one was running against her. The mayor suddenly found her speech interrupted by a large biped canine crashing into the stage followed by a large red Alicorn chasing after him. (Insert "The Touch" by Stan Bush) The Great Dane got to his feet and threw a mighty hook punch; Prime raised his arm to block and threw his own, knocking out one of Duke's teeth. The Pack leader stumbled backwards a bit then shook his head to regain his bearings. He charged at Optimus and threw a might hook punch. The Autobot leader ducked under the attack Fortune seemed to smile on Duke when four more dogs joined him in his fight. "You might as well give up, pony. We got you outnumbered," he said with a smug grin. "Numbers mean nothing to me." The Autobot leader extended both energon blades and charged. "I'll take you all on!" Two dogs drew their battle axes only to suddenly find the blade heads sliced off and them on the receiving end of a metal covered hoof. Another charged with a superman punch; Optimus twisted out of the way and elbowed his attacker in the back of the head. The two from before got back up and charged only for Prime to grab one in a reverse headlock, kick the other in the face, stunning him, then throw the captive one into his stunned comrade. The last one stood where he was, shocked at how easy this pony took out three of them without breaking a sweat. Off to the side the other dogs and Autobots regrouped to their respective sides to watch the fight. Several more Ponyville citizens gathered around and gazed in awe at their mystery guests' skills. The last dog drew his sword and held out in a poor attempt to scare the Alicorn. It only provided Optimus with his reflection and the image of the three previous canines back up on their feet. Prime then charged the sword-wielding dog. The scared D. Dog tried in vain to slash at his attacker but found his weapon knocked out of his hand and the Alicorn's knee smashed into his chin. Optimus stepped onto the falling dog's chest then used him as a spring board to launch himself backwards into the air. He then drew his Ion Blaster and fired three stun shots at his three attackers before landing gracefully a few feet away and putting his gun away but the dogs weren't down yet. He charged forward as one Dog tried to punch him but Optimus feinted back then punched him in the gut. As the Marauder doubled over, Prime rolled on the dogs back delivered a strong kick to another dog's face, knocking him out, before throwing his knee into the first one, knocking him down. The last one took a swipe at Optimus only to miss and get a knee in his stomach and a punch in the face before The Autobot leader did a spin kick for a knockout blow. It was now just Optimus and Duke. Duke, however, saw one of his dogs sneaking up on the red Alicorn from behind. The two leaders kept their eyes on one another as the one dog drew closer and closer until he leaped at his unsuspecting victim. Or at least he thought that until Prime threw a backhanded punch over his shoulder into the mutt's snout. There was also a distinct sound the moment when Prime's fist met the dog's face, something that sounded like "PWNED!" Duke charged forward and threw a mighty punch only to miss when Prime ducked and punched him in the side then spun around to deliver an elbow to the nose, sending the pack leader stumbling back. Duke charged again and met Optimus in another grapple; he then threw their arms out and threw a vicious head-butt in hopes to disorient his Alicorn foe. Prime, unaffected by the head-butt, returned the favor with a head-butt of his own; effectively knocking the pack leader out cold. He then gripped the front of Duke's coat and hurled him at the pack. Optimus glared at the assembled dogs as they held their unconscious leader, all of them nervous at what he would do next. After a moment of tense silence, the Autobot leader made his move: "Boo." And then they all ran away. (End "The Touch") As the last of Diamond Dog raiders headed for the hills, Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the Mane Six looked towards their armored heroes. She approached the red Alicorn, the one that they called Optimus. "Thank you for helping us out but who are you guys?" "We are known as the Autobots…" Optimus stepped forward as his battle mask retracted back into his helmet, finally revealing his features; causing every mare and filly to blush intensely while some had huge hearts in their eyes. "…and I am their leader. My name is Optimus Prime." Upon seeing the face of their saviors' leader, each of the Mane 6 greeted him; however, their thoughts were more focused on something else. Twilight: "Pleased to meet you, sir" 'Homina, Homina, Homina, Homina' Applejack: "Howdy, Pardner" 'WHOOOAAAA-HOOOOOAAAAA, NELLY! *WOLF WHISTLE!* RUFF! RUFF! *pants like a dog* AWWHOOOOOO!' Rarity: "Charmed, I'm sure" 'HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NURSE!' Fluttershy: "Um, h-hello" 'WOW! WOW! WOO-WOO-WOW! WOO-WOW! RUFF!' Rainbow: "What's up?" 'GIGGITY! GIGGITY! GIGGITY!' Pinkie: "HI!" 'He's cute... that's all I'm gonna say, readers, move along... You're not gonna get any more out of me... I'm not gonna go gaga like the others in their heads.' Within moments, everyone in Ponyville approached their new heroes; all asking questions like "Where'd you come from?" or "Why are you wearing carriage parts for armor?" and the occasional "Are you single?" Then Pinkie Pie gave a shout. "You know what this calls for? ...A PARTY!" Twilight's attention was then pulled to a certain purple baby dragon running towards them. "Twilight! Are you okay? What happened and who are those guys?" "I'll explain later, Spike. But first, I need you to take a letter, please," she said to her dragon assistant. The baby dragon zipped away only to return with a quill and a piece of parchment paper. "Dear Princess Celestia, You are not going to believe what happened here in Ponyville today…"