Ambush in Everfree
A roll of thunder ripped across the grassy plain as Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rattrap watched as Applejack was propelled through the air by the invisible force emitted by Scorponok’s claw.
“WHATJUSTHAPPENED?WELLIKNOWTHATAPPLEJACKFLEWTHROUGHTHEAIR,BUTSHEISN’TAPEGASUSUNLESSSHE’SBEENAPEGASUSTHEWHOLETIME-”
Twilight took her pink friend by the shoulders. “Pinkie! Calm down.” She shook her a few times to get her friends attention.
“Oh right sorry.”
Scorponok turned to see the ponies that were still standing and began his charge.
All of the girls froze to that spot. None of them could think of what to do. This thing charging at them had taken down their most battle ready ponies with one hit each.
His claws clicked like the hammers of pistols.
What can you do against something that commands an unseen force?
Obviously this question never crossed Rattrap’s mind.
A beam of red energy struck the arthropod in the face, blinding and causing him to veer off course and miss the frozen ponies. The girls began to move once more to see Rattrap prepping his gun for another attack. “Get your friends, I’ll handle bug boy.”
Twilight nodded and directed the rest to run to their fallen friends.
Scorponok scuttled around to charge at the rat turned pony, claws still open.
Rattrap just stood still, ready to fire another round into Scorponok’s face. “Bring it!”
Rainbow Dash laid flat on her back, ears ringing, gasping for air, but alive. Fluttershy and Rarity entered her field of vision, asking her questions than she could barely hear. She rose up to a sitting position. “Owww.” He ribs really hurt, whatever that thing did packed a mean punch.
She saw Fluttershy’s mouth something that she assumed was “Easy now.”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Twilight and Pinkie guiding a very sore Applejack over to the rest of them. Now Dash’s hearing began to clear up.
“What in tarnation was that?”
Twilight set Applejack next to Rainbow Dash. “I have read reports of a species of shrimp capable of using their claws to create pressure waves, but I’ve never heard of a scorpius being able to do that.”
“You don’t suppose it’s because it’s a predacon?” Rarity questioned.
Dash gave her a look of surprise. “Wait, what?”
“I’ll tell you later.” Twilight didn’t feel like explaining anything right now, not with Rattrap fighting Scorponok on his own. She looked back to the fight. It was the same over and over, Scorponok charging while Rattrap shot him in the face before he got into firing range.
“Looks like the little guy can take care of himself.” Applejack remarked as she watched them repeat their methods over and over again.
“Yeah, but Rattrap can’t keep this up forever. Are you two alright?”
“I’ll be good.” Dash responded as she slapped her ears with her hooves. “As soon as the ringing in my ears goes away.”
“Ah’m just a bit sore, give me a bit and I’ll be bucking like nothing happened.
“Alright, now we just need a plan. Any ideas?” A pink hoof shot into the air. “Oh dear.”
Rattrap took a well-timed chance to check his gun. The energy was about depleted, probably only about one or two shots left in it. “Maybe I shoulda gone easy on the showboating last night.”
Scorponok turned about and continued his opened claw charge. Scorponok was a good fighter, but when it came to strategy he was seriously lacking.
Once more Rattrap shot Scorponok in the face and he veered off course. Then the Ratshot shut down, completely drained of power. Rattrap looked from the gun to Scorponok then back to the gun. Perhaps Scorponok had some strategic talent after all.
Scorponok about faced once more and charged Rattrap, for the last time.
Self-preservation kicked into overdrive and he began running at high speed. “I’m going to die!” Unfortunately Rattrap’s four equine legs were no match for Scorponok’s eight.
Scorponok reached firing range in no time. “Time’s up maximal!”
BANG
Rattrap heard the roll of thunder and was pushed forward by a wall of force. He was air borne now, turning end over end. When he rotated to where he was facing Scorponok, time slowed down. He watched as Scorponok closed his other claw at him.
BANG
Rattrap was thrown even further, hitting the ground harder than he would have liked to. He saw Scorponok slow down approaching the winded maximal.
“You have no idea how long I have wanted to do this.” The predacon opened his claw, not to fire another blast, but to cut Rattrap in twain.
Before he could though, the claw was wrapped up by a lasso. “WHAT!?” Scorponok followed the rope to the other end to see it was in the teeth of the orange, hat wearing pony.
She tugged hard on the rope and Scorponok’s claw closed tight. He turned to attack her with his tail, but Applejack tossed the rope up to Rainbow Dash who in turn wrapped the middle of the rope around Scorponok’s tail. As she tightened the rope a blue aura took the other end. With her white horn enveloped in magic, Rarity wrapped the rope around the other claw and tied it with a tight and complex bow.
Scorponok struggled against his restraints, only for them to tighten further. “RAAAAAAAAAAAAA! You will regret this!”
Twilight trotted into view, her own horn glowing with energy. “I think you should calm down. All of this yelling can’t be good for your blood pressure.” She then let loose a bolt of magic into Scorponok’s face.
Scorponok felt energy leaving his body. His eyes could barely remain open and his legs struggled to support his body. Soon his legs gave out and he fell to the ground with a more than audible thud. The only sign given that he was still alive was the heavy snoring of a deep sleep.
Twilight turned around to see Pinkie and Fluttershy supporting Rattrap. “Congratulations Pinkie, Your plan worked.”
Rattrap cocked his head to the side as he shouted. “WHAT?”
Pinkie got just a bit cross with that reaction. “Oh come on, I know I’m not a plan maker, but it shouldn’t be that surprising.”
“Um, actually Pinkie,” Fluttershy continued to support Rattrap as he started smacking his ears to try to get his hearing back. “I think it’s just because he has temporarily lost his hearing, I think.”
“. . . . Oh.”
Twilight walked up to Rattrap. “How are you feeling?”
“Say again?”
“HoW aRe You fEELing?” This time she over enunciated the words.
“Oh, aside from the numbness and ringing in my ears I can complain. That won’t stop me though.” He slouched over to rest a bit.
Twilight sighed in relief. “Good to hear.” She turned to the rest of the girls. “Well the good news is that Scorponok is out of commission. The bad news is the rest of the maximals are in the Everfree forest with who knows how many predacons.”
“Why are we standing here talking then?” Rainbow dash rose into the air. “Let’s go kick some predacon flank!”
“Wait! Rainbow Dash, we have to form a plan of attack!”
“I already have a plan. Attack!” And she disappeared into the forest.
“…Well, there goes the tactical approach.” Twilight along with her friends plus Rattrap followed Dash into the forest.
As the ponies entered the Everfree forest, nine glowing green eyes kept watch from the shadows.
“Well, well, well, what have we here? KEE HA HA HA HA!”
Twilight trudged at the head of the group. “Only Rainbow Dash would be so careless.”
“Ah don’t get it. She knows there’s predacons here, why would she just rush off on her own?”
Pinkie merely bounced along. “To move the plot forward.”
“Come again?”
“Well if she didn’t go, we’d still be standing in that field talking.”
“You make it sound like we’re in some kinda story.”
“It could be. Who wouldn’t want to read a story about transforming robots turned into ponies?”
As Pinkie and Applejack were debating such a concept, Fluttershy and Rarity were attempting to strike up a conversation with Rattrap.
Fluttershy turned to Rattrap. “Are you feeling alright Mr. Rattrap?”
“I’m fine Flutters, and it’s just Rattrap. Adding a mister just makes me feel old, sheesh.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Rattrap, if you don’t mind me asking, could you tell us a little about yourself? I mean before the beast wars.”
“Eh, not much ta tell. I wasn’t much different than I am now, cept the part about bein’ a pony. Definitely happier times.”
“It sounds like you really miss home.”
“Um,Rarity.” Fluttershy muttered.
“Sure do. I’m not really into nature like Optimus or Rhinox. No my place back in civilization.”
“I, uh-”
“Oh I know what you mean . Don’t get me wrong, Ponyville is nice and all, but the city life has so much more to offer.”
“I have something to say.” Fluttershy was shouting now, well, relatively speaking anyway.
“Relax darling, we’re listening.”
“Oh, um we seem to have lost twilight and the others.”
Rattrap and Rarity looked about to see that it was just the three of them on their own.
“My goodness. Did we make a wrong turn?” Rarity swung her head back and forth searching for the other three.
“Yall’re being real quiet back there, is everythin’ alright?” When Applejack got no reply she turned around to discover that Rattrap, Rarity and Fluttershy were missing. “Twi, we lost someponies.”
“Fantastic.” Twilight threw her head back in frustration. “Well we’d better go back for them while they’re still nearby.” Twilight, Pinkie and Applejack turned and began to backtrack. “Can this day get any worse?”
Just as she said that Pinkie’s hoof broke a nearly invisible thread. She was then wrapped up in a net which dragged her off into the forest.
“YOU HAD TO SAY IT! YOU HAD TO SAY IT!” Was all Twilight and Applejack heard as the darkness consumed her.
“Pinkie!” When Twilight tried to follow her, she broke another thread and another web sprang up from the ground and separated her from Applejack. “Applejack!” She moved to the web. Along every strand were barbs deterring any physical contact. She looked left and right only to see that the web went on forever. “Don’t worry, I’ll get rid of this in a sec.” As her horn began to glow Applejack stopped her.
“Don’t worry none ‘bout me Sugarcube, you might set off another trap. You go after Pinkie, I’ll get tha others.”
“Are you sure? We’re all lost enough as it is.”
“Trust me.” She turned to follow the path from where they came. “Better Hurry If you want ta catch Pinkie.”
Twilight watched her friend disappear down the road before she turned to head in the direction Pinkie was dragged in.
Pinkie continued being dragged through the forest. It was a little scary at first, but now it was fun. “WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” It wasn’t until she was dragged off of a cliff did the fun stop. She was now currently swinging halfway down a ravine. “Well that was fun. I’m going to have to find out how to set this up so I can have another go.” She swung in silence for a little while. “Where am I anyway?” She twisted her body to turn the net so she could see the surrounding area.
She gasped once she had spun around completely. Spanned across the ravine was an enormous web. In the web were five cocoons, each encasing a pony, covering everything except the muzzle. An odd thing about Pinkie, even if she had only known you for a day she could identify any feature as yours. And she recognized those muzzles as the ones belonging to the five missing maximals.
“Enjoying my collection?” Pinkie heard the voice coming from above. An enormous purple tarantula, about four times the size of a pony, walked down the web, stepping over the maximals, until all nine of its glowing green eyes were looking straight at Pinkie.
Pinkie’s face contorted from one of fear to one of anger. She pointed an accusing hoof at the arachnid. “You meanie! What have you done to my friends?”
“Not to worry my sweet.” The spider rubbed his palpus together. “My cyber- no wait, I suppose it’s just venom now. Anyhow, my venom has not sent your friends to the Matrix just yet. I’ve just subdued them so that I may have time to decide how I shall consume them.”
A look of horror was plastered on Pinkies face. “You’re a horrible spider.”
The spider prodded one of the maximals, one with a black muzzle, coaxing a groan from her. “Sticks and stones my dear. Oh, where are my manners, my name is-”
“I know who you are. You’re Tarantulas, mad predacon scientist with very questionable eating habits. Cheetor and Rattrap told me all about you.”
Tarantulas took a moment to stare at the mare. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage then.”
“Oh I’m Pinkie Pie, Ponyville’s peppy pink party pony.”
“Right, Well then-”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Pinkie stuck out one hoof and waved it around while the other held her head. “I feel like I’ve been here before. Did we meet before in Derpy’s basement, or is that a different story?”
“. . . . No we haven’t.”Tarantulas stared at the pony for about a minute before he spoke again. “If we could please return to the situation at hand.”
Pinkie perked up with a smile on her face. “Okie Dokie.”
“Now, tell me, are there any other ‘ponies’ here with you?”
“Oh yeah, there’s my friends Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and my newest friend Rattrap, he’s a bit grumpy but I know I’ll get him-waaaaait. This is the sort of thing I shouldn’t be telling you is it?”
“Indeed it is my dear.” He then asended the web. “Kehehehehehe. Six little Ponies all alive,” He disappeared as he exited the ravine. “One kicked the bucket and then there were five.”
Pinkie waited until she was sure he was gone before she did anything.
“Whew, I was beginning to think he’d never leave.” She stuck a hoof into her mane and began rummaging around. “Don’t worry guys, I’ll get you down faster than you can say Pineapple. Now let’s see.” She held up a small booklet. “Passport, nope.” She tossed it into the ravine and continued to pull other objects out of her mane. “House keys, nope. Spoon, nope. Magnet, nope. Banjo, nope. Stuffed otter, nope. Dinner mints, nope. Flare gun, nope. Mallet, nope. Radio, nope. Socks, nope. Rubber ducky, nope. . . .”
Applejack stood in the midst of trees, one looking like another. “Ah don’t remember coming this way. Maybe the varmint who set up those traps is responsible for getting us lost.” She lifted her hat to scratch her head. “Well what now.”
As she shifted her hooves she felt a rumbling beneath them. She put the side of her head to the ground. She was familiar with this sound; she heard it every summer when the gophers decided her orchard was prime real-estate. Something was burrowing underneath her, and it was getting closer. She scrambled out of the way. She sought refuge where the trees were closer together, where the roots made it tough to burrow. The ground began to rise where she had just been standing. The ground erupted and an enormous red ant emerged from the ground. It wasn’t like any ant she was familiar with; on its thorax were what looked like transparent wings. Such an unnatural creature can only mean one thing.
“Inferno!”
It scuttled around until it caught sight of Applejack.
“Prepare yourself maximal, for your death is at hand!” Inferno reared up on his back two pairs of legs and began his charge.
Applejack though fast, pivoting on her front hooves and bucked him in the face. He flew back a ways until he hit a tree. He shook himself out of his daze to see Applejack running off into the forest.
“Sorry, but ah don’t have time ta stay and chat.”
“Coward!” He chased after her through the trees. “Running away will get you nowhere! I shall burn this forest down if I must. For The Royalty!”
Applejack felt something hot wiz past her face. She saw a burning ball of napalm hit a tree in front of her. “Now that’s just taking ‘fire ant’ too dang far!” She didn’t stop, and neither did the fireballs. She had to think of something soon, if not she would surely die.
The thoughts of being burned alive faded away when she began to recognize a part of the forest she was familiar with. Now she had the advantage.
Inferno let lose another volley of fire. “At first I wasn’t too happy about my new body, but now I realize it’s still just as fun!”
Applejack smirked as she made a sudden sharp turn, revealing a cliff face to Inferno. The drone was unable to stop in time and skidded straight off the cliff. He let out a terrified scream as he fell into the thick mist below.
“Heh, not the smartest feller is he?” Just as she turned to resume her search for her friends, she heard a new noise. This too was familiar, it sounded like the buzz of a bee. She turned to look over the edge of the cliff. She saw the ant rise from the fog, suspended in the air by the near invisible blurs attached to his back. “Ah, horse apples.”
Rattrap, Rarity and Fluttershy were aimlessly wandering through the forest, unsure of where to go.
“This is just dandy.” Rarity pouted as she trudged. “We’ve been wandering around for hours. I’m also pretty sure we’ve just been going in circles.”
“I wouldn’t mind if it weren’t so boring here.” Rattrap growned. “Didn’t ya girls tell me this place was dangerous or something?”
The all stopped where they were.
“Now that you mention it. . . .” Rarity trailed off, glancing around at the unnaturally inactive forest.
“I don’t even hear any creatures.” Fluttershy crouched down to try to make herself unseen.
“F-Fluttershy, w-why would the animals be so quiet?”
The yellow Pegasus quaked with fear. “N-normally they would be hiding f-from something d-d-dangerous.”
“S-so like timber wolves?”
“T-timber wolves howl.”
“Then that would mean. . . .”
“Preds.” Rattrap took a ready stance, searching for anything that moved.
Now that they were all silent they could hear leaves fall and grass sway. Rarity saw the dirt of the path they were on getting pressed down. Small patches of dirt distorted, heading for the group.
“Rattrap!”
Rattrap turned to see Rarity pointing at thin air. He raised his right hoof, aiming his gun in the general direction. “Alright ya no good piece of slag, show yourself.”
Everything became a blur of action as a black panther appeared out of thin air and rushed the three defenseless ponies.
Twilight continued to follow the drag trail left by Pinkie Pie. “For Celestia’s sake, How far does this go?”
At about that time she came to a part of the forest where the trees were spread out enough to see the sky. It would be mid to late afternoon now, judging by the sun.
A shadow covered Twilight momentarily and was gone as soon as it had come. She scanned the canopy above her and saw something flying above the tree line. Before she could get a good look at it she was tackled back into a thicker part of the woods by a Technicolor blur.
“Rainbow Dash! What are you doing?”
“Get down.” Dash didn’t look at Twilight, instead she kept her eyes on the thing flying overhead.
Twilight took this time to get a decent look at this creature. It looked like a dragon, but it also had the resemblance of a bird. Its wings and arms were one in the same. Its head looked like a dragon’s but more streamline. It had spines running down its back and along its tail which ended in an arrow tip.
“That’s a wyvern.”
“Yeah, and even I know it has to be a predacon.” Rainbow Dash readied herself to take on the flying reptile that was no doubt four times her size.
Twilight placed her hoof on Dash’s shoulder to keep her from rushing into action. “You are not going to just get in a fight with that thing are you? You remember Scorponok right?”
“Yeah I remember.”
“Then why do you keep flying off on your own.”
Dash turned to Twilight. “If I can take down a predacon by myself, then I get exclusive bragging rights. Who am I to pass that up.”
“Well maybe you’ll get that chance latter, but right now we need to rescue the maximals.” Twilight then contorted her face. “And quite possibly everyone else.”
“Well what’s the plan then?”
A screechy voice came from above them. “I have a few ideas.”
Both mares looked up to come face to face with the wyvern, who was perched up in a tree. He then dropped to the ground, causing Twilight and Rainbow Dash to run in opposite directions.
Twilight composed herself. “Let’s see, red, flyer, scratchy voice. You must be Terrorsaur.”
A smug grin spread across his face. “I see my fame precedes me. Not surprising though.” He began clawing his way towards Twilight.
“Dash, distract him while I think of something!”
“No problem!” Dash about faced and launched herself at Terrorsaur, head-butting him square in the ribcage.
He wezzed, trying to regulate his breathing. “You are *gasp* going to regret that!” With a wing beat he ascended above the canopy.
“Oh no you don’t.” Rainbow flew right after him.
Dash chased Terrorsaur over the trees. Terrorsaur was fast, compared to most flyers, but to Rainbowdash it was pitiful. She used many areal maneuvers to unbalance him just before she’d fly at top speed and smash into him hoof first.
Luckily for Terrorsaur Wyverns were as durable as dragons and unluckily for Dash this gave him all the time he needed to think.
As Rainbow came in for another attack, Terrorsaur folded his wing and fell. While Dash continued forward Terror summersaulted until he had her in his sight. He then unfurled his wings flew forward at top speed.
Rainbow Dash had slowed herself down enough to turn. She learned too late that that wasn’t the wisest move. No sooner had she turned about she was caught in the crushing talon of Terrorsaur. She struggled and tried to pry herself out, no good.
“Hey Egghead! Now would be a good time for your plan!”
Down in the forest, Twilight focused on Terrorsaur. “I really hope this works.” She was then enveloped with a purple flash and was gone.
For a brief moment Terrorsaur could have sworn that the ambient light around him had a purple hue. He then thought he felt something holding onto the base of his neck. He turned his head enough to see a purple pony hanging onto him. “What in the name of the pit?!”
“Alright Twilight!”
Twilight stared wide eyed into the wild blue yonder. “Sweet Celetia, I can’t believe that worked!”
Terrorsaur smirked smugly. “I’m sorry but this flight doesn’t take kindly to stowaways.” He then started to spin and dive hoping to throw off the new pest.
Twilight managed to keep from screaming enough to zap a beam of energy into the back of Terrorsaur’s skull.
Terrorsaur stopped flying erratically, but now he was free falling back down to the forest.
“Is this the plan?” Rainbow dash shouted, still in the grasp of their advisory.
“Not really, I sort of panicked when he started thrashing.”
As the forest came closer and closer, the girls began to register fear and instinctually clung tight to Terrorsaur and screamed like little fillies. As if by divine intervention Terrorsaur fell towards a ravine in the middle of the forest. He fell at an angle at terminal velocity until he came to a stop in midair. Rainbow Dash was released and both she and Twilight flew forward. Dash’s quick reflexes kicked in and she caught Twilight and landed safely on the bottom of the ravine.
Twilight got to her feet. “No offence but I don’t think I’ll be flying for a while.”
“Your loss.”
The both of them turned to where they came from ad saw a paralyzed Terrorsaur suspended in the air by an enormous spider web.
“Twilight look!” Dash directed Twilight’s sight towards a more central part of the web.
Twilight gasped as she saw five pony sized cocoons. Before she could say anything she heard a familiar voice come from above her.
“Twilight! Rainbow Dash! Just the ponies I wanted to see.”
Both Twilight and Dash looked up to see Pinkie in a net about twenty feet above them.
“Pinkie?!” Rainbow shouted. “What are you doing up there.”
Pinkie swung happily back and forth. “Twilight jinxed me and I was caught in a trap.”
“It was a coincidence.”
“So you say. Any way I tried to cut myself down, but I accidentally dropped my switch blade.” The pink pony pointed below her to a mound of miscellaneous items not far from Twilight and Rainbow Dash.
“How did we miss that?” Dash asked confused.
Twilight just stared at the pile deadpan. “I really shouldn’t be surprised.”
Pinkie got their attention again. “I think it landed on my holocaust cloak, next to the glockenspiel.”
Rainbow Dash trotted over to the pile and sure enough found the spring-loaded blade resting on top of a flame retardant black cloth. She picked it up in her hoof. “Why do you of all ponies have a switchblade?”
Pinkie responded with an indignant look. “Don’t tell me YOU don’t have a sketchy past.”
The prismatic mare didn’t press the matter any further, flew up and cut the net, dropping Pinkie on the pile with an odd squeak.
Pinkie shook off the fall and started to bounce toward the web. “Alright now all we have to do is cut down the maxis and get out of here!”
“Leaving so soon?” Tarantulas descended from one side of the ravine. “The rest of the guests are about to arrive.”
“Aww.” Pinkie deflated. “Jinxed myself.”
Twilight looked at the enormous spider in amazement, fear and anger. “What do you mean ‘guests’?”
At that moment several whoops and hoolers as well as explosions of fire came from over one side. Another explosion and Applejack leapt over the cliff and slid down the steep wall. “Heads up y’all”
She was followed by a large fire ant spewing flames. “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! BURN, BURN IT ALL DOWN!”
From the other side came more yelling. Twiligh squinted and saw Rarity, Rattrap and Fluttershy being backed toward the cliff’s edge. Rarity was telekinetically waving a stick at a black panther that was trying to claw at the trio.
“You stay back you horrid feline!”
Ravage lunged forward, forcing the three to back up. Rattrap and Fluttershy lost their footing and slid down the ravine. Rarity was distracted enough by this that Ravage took the opportunity to lash at her causing her to fall in too.
Ravage leapt down in pursuit. “Decepticon навсегда!”
Now the Mane six and Rattrap were surrounded by three predicons.
“Alright girls, I’ll get the maximals while the rest of you deal with these chumps.”
Rainbow jumped right into action. “Dibs on the ant!” She then flew at inferno and they both engaged in a battle of air and fire.
Pinkie held her switchblade and lunged at Ravage. She had a crazed look in her eyes. “You want to dance pretty boy?! HUH?! Well do ya?!”
Applejack joined her fellow earth pony. “Let’s show these varmints how we do things in equestrian.”
Rarity retrieved her stick and began swinging it at Tarantulus. Rattrap picked up some rocks and began throwing them at the purple arachnid.
Now that the remaining predacons were occupied, Twilight called to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, I’m going to need your help getting the maximals down.”
Fluttershy silently nodded and flew to the first cocoon. She tried to tug it free of the web, but the threads were too strong. Twilight used her magic to cut the strands, allowing Fluttershy to set the cocoon on the ground. Twilight unraveled the cocoon releasing the silver backed Pegasus inside.
Fluttershy checked his pulse and breathing. “He’s alive, thank goodness.”
Twilight turned Optimus to see his other side. On his shoulder were two puncture marks. “Spider bite.”
“Can you help him?”
“I have a venom extraction spell, but it’ll take some doing.”
Twilight closed her eyes and placed her horn between the bite marks. Her horn glowed and a green liquid began to flow from the punctures,
Optimus’s eyes fluttered open. His body ached and his head hurt like the pit. As his eyes focused they laid rest upon a familiar purple unicorn. “Twilight?”
Twilight was pulled out of her trance. “Optimus! It’s good to see you’re alright.”
Optimus groaned as he shakily got to his hooves.
Fluttershy placed a restraining hoof on him. “Don’t push yourself too much. You might hurt yourself.”
Optimus gave Fluttershy a small smile as he regained his balance. “Don’t worry, give me a few minutes and I’ll be right as rain.”
Twilight once more got the yellow pegasus’s attention. “We should get the other’s down.”
Fluttershy nodded once more and flew up to another cocoon.
Optimus turned his gaze to the battle unfolding not far from him. An aerial battle of fire and rainbows, an invisible black panther fighting a country mare and a party pony throwing everything at him (including the kitchen sink), and an eight legged menace being abused by rocks and branches. He then turned back to the two mares who had rescued him who were now freeing Cheetor.
He shook his head and smiled. “In all of my years.” Feeling the effects of the venom where off, he cracked his neck and took flight. He flew at top speed, bucking Inferno in the thorax. Rainbow hovered in place and stared at him, waiting for him to say something. Optimus turned to her. “Need any help?”
Rainbow grinned. “Only if you’re willing to take chances.”
“I think I can.”
As the fight continued, one maximal after another joined the fray, until the twelve ponies overwhelemed the three predacons. Tarantulus, Inferno and Ravage; all battered and bruised, huddled together.
“I must admit.” Tarantulas hissed painfully. “That could have gone better.”
Rainbow Dash turned to Optimus. “So what do we do with these guys?”
Optimus puzzled over this. “I don’t supposed there’s a prison in Ponyvile we can use?”
Twilight shook her head. “I don’t think a conventional prison can hold them. I could make a spell that can-” She was cut off by a screechy voice from behind.
“What is that?” Most of the ponies turned to the now conscious Terrorsaur. His eyes seemed far off. “Do you hear it?”
The ponies listened, but could only hear the natural sounds of the forest.
“Eeeeeh, I think your auditory circuits need work.” Rattrap remarked. “I don’t hear a thing.”
Terrorsaur paid no attention to Rattrap, or anything else. “It’s beautiful.”
“I hear it too.” Taratulas as well as the other predacons were in the same trance like state.
Without warning the predacons ran off in an unknown direction, while terrorsaur tore himself from the web and flew after them.
The ponies tried to pursue them, but an unnatural fog rolled in and hid the predacons from sight. The fog left as soon as it came, and the predacons were nowhere to be seen, not a trace remained.
Scorponok awoke, still hog tied, but that didn’t matter to him. What mattered was the sound he was hearing. It was similar to the resonance of glass, but far more beautiful. He felt something in this alien song. It called to him, it was pulling him somewhere. He felt compelled to find its origin, more than anything before. He stood up and headed for a mountain range in the south, from where the song called to him.
Celestia’s sun hung low in the sky. The maximals and mane six exited the forest, dejected that they had lost the precons but happy to be alive. Twilight and Optimus lead the group back to town.
“Twilight.” Optimus stared straight ahead towards the town. “I want to apologize.”
“About what?”
“This morning, when I told you to stay behind, I didn’t think you could handle situations this dire. Had you not come for us, I don’t even want to consider what would have happened.” He turned his head to look at his team, alive and well.
“No, you were right to think that. We’ve never been through anything like that before.” She looked Optimus in the eye. “I’m glad we have you here looking out for us.”
Optimus smiled and turned his attention back to the road ahead. “The six of you are looking out for us; it’s only fair we return the favor.”
Applejack spoke up. “It’s been quite a day, if ya’ll told me this mornin’ that Ah’d be tangoing with an ant, I’d have said ya’ll were nuttier that a squirrel in a jar of peanut butter.”
“Yeah it was a pretty awesome day.” Dash interjected. “I bet this is going to make a very interesting letter to the Princess.”
Twilight’s eyes shrank down to nothing. “THE PRINCESS! How could I have forgotten!” Not waiting for any reaction from the rest of the group, she ran down the road faster than ever before.
The group remained quiet, staring at the dust cloud Twilight kicked up, until Rattrap spoke up. “So, now we’re dealin’ with princesses?”
The sun was setting behind the mountains as five predacons climbed and flew up the mountain. They were still in a trance like state, compelled by an unknown force to climb. They reached a cave near the top of the mountain. Once at the mouth, the predacons awoke from their trance, confused and unsure of why and how they had gotten there.
Thunderous footsteps sounded from the darkness of the cave. Out of the shadows emerged Megatron. Terrorsaur shrank back in fear and Taratulas stood stoic only to have his shifting eyes betray him. The three remaining loyal predacons revered the red beast.
“It pleases this drone to no end to be in your presence royalty!”
“Indeed, it is good to look upon familiar faces.” Megatron scanned over his reunited troops. “And this is only the beginning, oh yessssssss.”
Once more the twelve ponies decided to stay at the library. However the maximals came to an agreement that the mane six were capable of taking care of themselves and could go back to their daily lives tomorrow. The girls were extra happy about it.
Several minutes before the rest had arrived, Twilight had frantically wrote an extra lengthy report to Celestia concerning the maximals, predacons and the events that had happened previously. When the remainder of the group arrived, after Spike had sent the letter, Twilight was still kicking herself for not informing the Princess of such important information sooner. Her friends managed to calm her down, reassuring her that Celestia was an understanding ruler and wouldn’t hold anything against her. Twilight was back to her old self before long and everypony was relaxing in the main room.
“Hey Optimus.” Cheetor broke the silence. “Those preds we fought today, they all died back on earth.”
Optimus let out a concerned hum. “Yes, it concerns me as well.”
“Actually, that’s not it exactly.” Cheetor looked at his leader with a hopeful look in his eyes. “If the preds came back to life, then do you think. . . the others, like Tigatron, could come back as well?”
“Don’t get your hopes up kid.” Rattrap answered soberly. “As much as I’d like to insult ‘Lizard Brain’ again, this may be as good as it gets.” He gestured with his hoof to everyone in the room.
Optimus let out a sad sigh. “Rattrap may be right. There are forces at work here that we don’t understand. We shouldn’t hope for them to follow our own wishes.”
Cheetor’s ears drooped as he let this information sink in.
Rainbow looked at him and could feel her heart breaking. He was so happy an full of energy before, it just wasn’t right for him to looks sad.
The somber moment was interrupted by Spike's belch of green flame, which materialized a scroll tied with a ribbon.
The maximals blinked at this display, muttering various “How?”, “What?” and “Eh sure, why not.”
Twilight opened the scroll and quickly read its contents.
Rarity attempted to read over her shoulder. “What does it say darling?”
Twilight put down the scroll and looked at everyone. “Looks like we’re going to have to postpone getting back to our daily lives. The Princess wants to meet the maximals.”