Welcome to Season 15 of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!
Equestria is at war once again...this time against the wife and daughter of King Sombra who have resurrected and recruited the Predacons!! Now, Twilight and her friends must once again join forces with the Maximals to battle this new threat while also continuing to learn life lessons along with their subjects.
In the blink of an eye, Equestria was at war once again…this time against the wife of King Sombra. Just when it seemed like things would settle down after Grogar, the tide had once again turned. Twilight and her fellow princesses now had to contend with leading their nation against tyranny and oppression. If what they saw in Maretime Bay was a sign of things to come, then they had to stay one step ahead of their new enemy.
"This can't go on Twilight," Spike said as Twilight was punching a punching bag with her forelegs in her private gym in Canterlot. "First Grogar, and now this…"
"What do you suggest, Spike?" Twilight grunted, taking out all her stress and anxiety on the punching bag. "Do we surrender that easily?! I'd rather die than do that!"
"I mean put an end to it as quickly as possible," Spike insisted. "In fact, this could all have been avoided if we hadn't surrendered. Sacrifices have to be made. If I had to lose my life to ensure Equestria's protection, it's a price I'd be willing to pay!"
Twilight then made a sudden jerk towards Spike, startling him a little bit. "Spike, what would you have seen happen…you losing your wings, innocent ponies getting hurt, what else?! I had to do something, I couldn't let you get hurt because of me! I'd never be able to live with myself!"
Spike could only stammer at Twilight's questions. Sighing, Twilight dropped her guard and returned to the punching bag. "Okay, okay, maybe you have a point," She conceded while throwing another punch at the bag. "But we can't do this alone! We have allies in the yaks, griffins, dragons, changelings, hippogriffs and who knows what else?"
Taking a sip of water out of a water bottle, Twilight threw a towel around her neck and proceeded to sit down. As she sat down, Twilight began to think back to when an old and unlikely ally of hers had been preparing to leave Equestria:
"Optimus," Twilight said as she and her friends watched the Maximals board their shuttle back to Cybertron following the fall of Megatron and the Predacons. "Thank you for all you did for Equestria."
"We are grateful to your service too, Princess Twilight," The Maximal leader acknowledged. "But this isn't goodbye…there may be a time when we must join forces again."
Twilight then watched Optimus turn to Rhinox, his second in command, whom he gestured to come down the stairs of the shuttle. "The reserve ship has been prepared." He said, much to the shock of Twilight and her friends.
"What reserve ship?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Following the two lead Maximals, Twilight and her friends were led to an underground chamber underneath Canterlot Castle. There, sitting before them, was a reserve Autobot shuttle.
"Amazin'!"Applejack gasped as she took off her hat. "How did you put together this here contraption?"
"Do we get to go to space?!" Pinkie Pie excitedly inquired.
"When you are a transformer like we are, you learn a lot. We will leave this behind as a souvenir of our visit. If ever you need our help again, use this shuttle. It has been programmed to take you to our home: Cybertron." Rhinox explained as Twilight gently placed her hoof on the shuttle.
"Boldly going where nopony has gone before," Twilight murmured to herself. "The final frontier."
"The shuttle will be ready whenever you need it," Optimus explained. "Whenever all of you need it."
There was no question in Twilight's mind that the time to use the shuttle was upon them.
…
…
Following her workout, Twilight led Spike down to the catacombs underneath Canterlot Castle, remembering the words Optimus had said to her.
"The Autobot Shuttle?" Spike asked. "You mean that ship Optimus and the Maximals left for us?"
Activating her horn, Twilight shined a light on the unused shuttle, its nose pointed to the sky.
"But why would you have us go to their homeland?" Spike inquired. "Nopony has ever gone into space before. Aside from Luna, of course. And even then, it wasn't voluntary, she was banished."
"It's worth the risk, Spike," Twilight remarked, opening one of the pod bay doors, looking up towards the shuttle's cockpit. "Having the Maximals back in Equestria will give us an edge over Opaline and Misty. Optimus did say that we are more than welcome on their homeworld and that's exactly where we are going. I underestimated Opaline's power and cruelty. Anything that could tip the scales in our favor is worth considering, no matter the risks."
"Well, if you are so adamant, we need somepony to fly this thing for one," Spike pointed out. "At least for our trip out to Cybertron."
There was no doubt in Twilight's mind on who would fly the shuttle.
…
At the same time, back in Maretime Bay, a pair of shadow ponies clad in red armor were bringing forth a pair of robotic corpses towards Opaline's castle. Standing on the edge of her castle wall, Opaline watched with delight as the corpses were brought in.
"Mom, do you think it's wise bringing dead bodies in here?" Misty asked. "I mean…it is kind of creepy." She shivered and shuddered in disgust.
"Misty, you have to grow some big pony flanks. You're a grown pony in your big filly pants, so it's time you started getting used to the horrors of war!" Opaline snapped, turning around to face her daughter. "Don't you see that with the spells Grogar foolishly left behind, we can build an army powerful enough to crush Twilight Sparkle and her friends?!"
"With whatever it is you're bringing here?" Misty questioned in a skeptic tone of voice. "I don't see how these… whatever they are could be of any use to us. They're just a bunch of nuts and bolts, nothing more."
"Wrong! They're Predacons, you simpleton," Opaline snarled, and explained. "While I was imprisoned in Tartarus, I came across word that evil creatures called Predacons were fighting Twilight Sparkle and their allies. Yes, they were defeated and supposedly destroyed, but I have a hunch they can be brought back to life. If I know that Twilight Sparkle, she's already making plans to bring the Maximals back here to fight us. But when she does, we'll have our own little surprise waiting for her!"
Hastily, Opaline proceeded down to the castle's main entrance and the shadow ponies brought forth the two dead Predacons, one of them with the beast mode of a fire ant and the other with the beast mode of a scorpion/cobra fusion. But looking down at the bodies, she gave the two shadows a hard stare. "Don't tell me that this was all you found!" She bitterly and furiously demanded. "Just two?! What do you mean you could only find two?! I know there were more!"
The shadow ponies said nothing, much to Opaline's frustration. "I need the body of Megatron, among the other Predacons," Opaline added, rolling her eyes in aggravation. "I need the most powerful and ruthless Predacon of them all!"
"Mom, he could have been taken back to wherever it is he came from," Misty suggested. "I mean, he did have the beast mode of a dragon…"
"Of course he did, Misty! And I know he didn't just up and fly away of his own free will!" Opaline hissed. "You don't think I know everything that happened while I was imprisoned?! I had eyes and ears even in Tartarus while I was regaining my powers. Oh, if only your father was still here…"
It was apparent to Opaline that something needed to be done and in her mind, if her servants couldn't do the job, she had to do the job herself. "Well, it seems to me that we need to take a little field trip, Misty," She declared in a cold tone of voice. "If these two idiots can't find the bodies of dead warriors suitable to my cause, then I must find them myself, no matter what it takes!"
"Mom!" Misty gasped as her eyes widened! "That would mean we would go to Cybertron itself!"
"Yes, Misty," Opaline had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. "So pack lightly, because we won't be taking in the sights. We will seek out the remnants of the Predacons, and one way or another we'll recruit them to our side!"
"Um, Mom," Misty sheepishly blushed. "…Sorry for all the questions, but how do you expect us to travel to Cybertron? It's in outer space after all. Only one pony's ever done that before, Princess Luna. It's not like she'd help us. How are we supposed to get to Cybertron if our magic can't take us there?"
A sinister smile came onto Opaline's face! She was already thinking of a way to carry out her mission outside of Equestria!
…
The next morning, Twilight was back in Ponyville and had gathered her fellow princesses in the throne room of her castle with the intention of sharing her ideas.
"Cybertron?" Fluttershy was the first to ask. "You expect us to go to Cybertron?"
"Now is not the time to develop cold hooves, Fluttershy," Twilight replied. "I believe that with Optimus and the Maximals on our side, we can put an end to this war with Opaline very soon."
"I agree with Twilight," Rainbow Dash immediately chimed in. "Can you imagine how powerful we would be with Optimus on our side again?! Plus, I call dibs on flying the Autobot Shuttle!" The rest of the ponies gave her a confused stare. "What? I'm a Wonderbolt as well as the Princess of Loyalty, which means I am qualified to fly a shuttle. Can't be any harder than anything else I've had to do."
"Hey, I can at least fly a shuttle too, you know!" Pinkie Pie cried. "I've always wanted to fly one! Don't forget, I was the one who had a dream of going into outer space! And doesn't it take two to fly anything?! At the least shouldn't we take turns or something?"
"You both can fly the shuttle," Twilight told them, quelling any possible argument between the two princesses. "Optimus and Rhinox were nice enough to have the shuttle set up so that it could be flown by two pilots: A pilot and a co-pilot, just like those airships."
"Well, that makes sense," Applejack remarked. "Flyin' that there contraption is no different than bucking an apple tree…if you have the right training for it."
"When do we leave, Twilight?" Rarity asked. "Because I may need to pack something to wear. Going to Cybertron sounds a lot like a diplomatic mission to one of our many allies. I want to make sure I'm properly prepared for such a regal occasion."
"The only outfit you will be packing is a spacesuit, Rarity," Spike pointed out, much to Rarity's chagrin. "Don't expect any formal events on Cybertron. It's not like we're going there to sightsee. We're there solely to recruit the Maximals, nothing more and nothing less."
"It's settled, then. We leave at sunset, everypony," Twilight declared. "Meet me in Canterlot then, and pack only the essentials. And make sure to be careful about who you talk to about this, we can't let Opaline or anypony working for her know about this. The Maximals will be our secret weapon to end this war!"
And so the agreement had been made that the six princesses were going to Cybertron!
…
…
Meanwhile, up in the M51 Galaxy, Calibos was mulling over his desire to return to Equestria, even as he could only remain in the dungeons of Master Vile's castle. "You seem troubled," he heard a voice remark, only to turn around and there stood evil Twilight. "Care to tell me what the problem is?"
"I miss my family…my homeland," Calibos sighed. "If only Master Vile would have sent me to live with them."
Stepping forward, Evil Twilight placed a wing around the mutated pony. "Well think of it this way," She said with a grin. "You have a fine home here with all of us, serving under Master Evil. And once we have obtained our ultimate goal, you can go be with your family again."
But Calibos pushed Evil Twilight away. "And when will that be?" He bitterly remarked. "When will that time come?"
"It will come sooner if you fight for it," Evil Twilight answered. "Just wait and see. Master Vile hasn't let us down yet, and he never will. One way or another, we'll all get what we want in the end."
Calibos considered Evil Twilight's words and contemplated what was being said. . He then looked towards the dying and dead prisoners in their cells Calibos then pictured himself amongst these poor unfortunate souls. For too long, he was at risk of being just like them, forever rotting in the dungeons as loser to the victors.
"Uh, Calibos?" A voice that belonged to Rito Revolto called. "Hey, weirdo!"
"What do you want, skull boy?!" Evil Twilight sneered.
"Dad wants you upstairs," Rito explained. "Your mama has a proposition. She says it's important"
This made Calibos feel excited that perhaps his impending return to Equestria was closer than he realized.
Heading up to the throne room, Calibos joined Master Vile while he sat in front of the spell screen.
"He is here, Queen Opaline," Master Vile bowed. "Safe and sound, here with me."
"Mother, it's me, Calibos!" Calibos insisted as he stood before the screen and gazed at Opaline.
A look of sympathy befell Opaline's face, knowing that Calibos could never return in his hideous form. "My son, our enemies will pay for what they did to you. Mark my words."
A small amount of reassurance fell on Calibos' face upon hearing this.
"Now, Master Vile," Opaline continued. "I have come with a proposition. Are you familiar with the planet Cybertron by any chance?"
"The land of robots who call themselves Transformers?" Master Vile replied. "Yes, I do. It's a planet that I have heard much of, but never been able to successfully conquer. What can I do to help you get there?"
Opaline smiled. "I am building an army to wipe out the ponies of Equestria, and I need Predacons to join my ranks. If you could provide me with protection…"
"Of course, of course, I'll provide protection!" Master Vile eagerly agreed! "But, what's in it for me if I do?"
"Well, a little bird told me that you intend to conquer the world Celestia's rebellious student went to," Opaline pointed out. "A land of…humans? If you were to help me conquer the ponies of Equestria, I will help you conquer the human world that Sunset Shimmer and her allies call home."
Master Vile liked the idea, but he had reservations. "Delightful, but there is a catch to the situation if you ask me," He cautioned. "The creature you speak of has the power of the ninja along with her friends. Not to mention that they have two former Power Rangers as allies."
"Power Rangers?" Opaline asked.
"My enemies…or rather the enemies of my daughter and her so-called husband," Master Vile snarled with a sneer. "In fact, Zordon's most prized Power Ranger is among the allies."
"What would you like me to do about it?" Opaline questioned.
An evil idea began to develop inside Master Vile's mind. He was going to carry out a plan to assassinate his greatest rival.
At the same time, Opaline then turned to her son and knew that he had a chance to prove himself to her. "Calibos," She asked. "How would you like to return to Equestria again?"
"Mother, it would mean more than anything!" Calibos eagerly agreed!
"Then, I need you to go to the land of humans and eliminate the allies of Sunset Shimmer and her friends," Opaline commanded! "Do so and you will return to Equestria where you belong."
The more Calibos listened, the more excited he became.
"And I think I know just who you should destroy, my friend." Master Vile grinned.
…
…
Back in Canterlot, the sun was already setting as Twilight and her friends boarded the Autobot Shuttle, dressed in space suits colored in their respective colors.
"Twilight, don't you know how dangerous this mission is?!" Celestia cautioned, a hint of fear in her voice. "Please be careful."
"Don't worry," Twilight replied as she briefly lifted up her visor. "My friends and I will be back soon with the Maximals. Have you ever lost faith in me yet?"
Silently, Celestia nodded nervously that she hadn't.
"Good," Twilight smiled back. "You will see. You will both see. As supreme princess of Equestria, I must do whatever I can to ensure Equestria's protection from the forces of evil."
Just then, Luna stepped forward next to her older sister. "The perils of outer space are very real, Twilight," She warned. "Remember that I spent a thousand years imprisoned on the moon, left with only my darker self for company."
"Of course, Luna," Twilight nodded. "But this is a mission that my friends and I must do. I wouldn't undertake this mission unless I was confident it's what Equestria needs. You and Celestia, along with the rest of our allies will keep Equestria safe until our return. We won't come back until we have the Maximals on our side again!"
"Twilight! You ready?!" Rainbow Dash called.
"Mark my words, we will return safely." Twilight pulled her mother and big sister figures in for a group hug before turning to join her friends and Spike inside the shuttle. Once they were strapped in, the shuttle was moved up out of the chamber and was now staring right up at the sky.
"T-minus 60 seconds to lift off." A voice over the intercom that belonged to Agent Sweetie Drops announced.
"Ready for this, Pinkie?!" Rainbow Dash asked, her hooves clutched onto the yoke in the cockpit.
"Ready as I'll ever be!" Pinkie Pie excitedly replied. "I'm finally going to space!"
"T-minus 30 seconds." Agent Sweetie Drops announced again.
"Starting engines!" Applejack declared as she switched on the ignition.
"Pressure stable," Fluttershy announced. "All systems go!"
"T-minus 10 seconds," Sweetie Drops called as the engines started to roar. "9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Ignition!" The sounds of the engines roaring were heard as the shuttle began to move upwards. "Liftoff!"
Roaring loudly, the shuttle shot up into the sky with its destination Cybertron ahead of it. Soon, the six princesses of Equestria would be reunited with their old allies.
PREVIOUSLY ON "MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC"
…
…
Spike: "This can't go on, Twilight. First Grogar and now this."
Twilight Sparkle: "Do we surrender easily? I'd rather die than do that!"
Optimus Primal: "The shuttle will be ready for you whenever you need it."
Twilight Sparkle: "Having the Maximals back in Equestria will give us an edge over Misty and Queen Opaline."
Queen Opaline: "Don't you see that with the spells Grogar foolishly left behind, we can build an army powerful enough to crush Twilight Sparkle and her friends?! I need the body of Megatron!"
Misty: "Mom, that would mean we would go to Cybertron itself!"
Rainbow Dash: "I call dibs on piloting the Autobot Shuttle!"
Master Vile: "What's in it for me?"
Queen Opaline: "Calibos, how would you like to return to Equestria?"
Sweetie Drops: "Liftoff!"
….
…
Ever since they had returned from Equestria, Optimus Primal and his fellow Maximals had been glad to be back home on Cybertron. The Beast Wars had gone on for far too long in their minds, and all they could think of was settling down and returning to the life they'd had before they ended up on Earth.
But within the confines of Cybertron was a mausoleum built for a specific purpose, to house the dead, sparkless body of the Predacon leader, Megatron, to send a message that any Predacon actions against Cybertron would not be tolerated.
"Oh yoy," Rattrap as he and Dinobot arrived at the Mausoleum. "I still don't see why we have to guard Megadip's carcass. It's not he's just going to get up and walk away or something."
"Megatron is very much alive, vermin," Dinobot remarked. "His spark lives, and someone might steal it along with his body. We're guarding to prevent that from happening, or else everything we struggled for will be for nothing!"
Rattrap sneered at his resurrected partner's suggestion as they approached Megatron's dead transmetal 2 body. "Well what do you expect ol' Megatron to do? Get up and dance, saying that there are no strings on him? I mean, he's dead, Chopperface. Dead dead. Honestly, it's all a waste of my precious time as far as I'm concerned. I should be roaming through the garbage right now, like I was before this whole Predacon business started."
Nevertheless, the two Maximals stood guard at the body, looking out for anyone who would want to steal it.
…
Back in the Autobot Shuttle, Twilight and her friends traveled through the outer reaches of space as they neared Cybertron.
"It's so beautiful!" Rarity gasped while looking out one of the shuttle's windows. "Almost like a dream."
"Seems so relaxing and mystifying," Fluttershy added, standing next to Rarity. "My animals surely would love it."
"I'm sure they would, at least if there's organic life and not metallic life" Spike nodded. "But we aren't here to take in the sights! We're here because we have a job to do!"
"Closin' about 40 miles, y'all," Applejack spoke up as she monitored the navigation of the shuttle. "Shouldn't be long now. Better prepare for landin'"
"Aww, and I was just getting used to this," Pinkie Pie whined, much to Rainbow Dash's annoyance. "Why must space travel be so fast?"
"There is a return flight back, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash said, looking at the Princess of Laughter with content. "Now, let's focus on what we have to do. Let's hope Optimus and the Maximals still remember us."
But sitting in the captain's chair of the shuttle, Twilight could not take in the sights of outer space for she knew of the time that was of the essence. "The sooner we get to Cybertron, the better," She thought, tapping her forehoof on the arm of the chair as she magically removed her helmet and tried to keep her anxieties in check, doing one of her Cadence taught breathing techniques. "I just hope Optimus is up for returning to Equestria. We need him and the Maximals more than ever. Equestria just got through a war with Grogar, it shouldn't be forced to endure another long one with Opaline"
Suddenly, Twilight found that she and her friends weren't alone. They heard a thud, causing the shuttle to shake!
"Roadkill! Roadkill! Get it off!" Pinkie Pie screeched as the body of a draconequus was plastered on the window. "Turn on the windshield wipers!"
Suddenly, the creature opened his eyes and causing everypony on board to scream…except for Fluttershy. "It's not roadkill, it's Discord!" She cried as Discord teleported himself into the shuttle. "Discord, what are you doing here?"
"I should be asking the same question about you Fluttershy," Discord scolded the pegasus. "You know better than to run off without saying goodbye! What about your animals?"
"Well, you're supposed to be watching them, aren't you?" Fluttershy remarked with a raised eyebrow.
"They'll be fine, I've got Smooze keeping an eye on them!" Discord huffed. "Besides, I came here on behalf of Celestia and Luna. They specifically asked me to keep an eye on you!" Expanding his eyes, Discord eyeballed the six princesses. "Now, what's all this about the Maximals?"
"Don't you remember them?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"No, I was imprisoned by Grogar, remember? I was disguised as a bounty hunter named Lockdown. In fact, you sent me to spy on him, Twilight!" Discord scolded. "And I never got a proper apology for risking my life to be your eyes and ears!"
But Twilight had other reasons to focus on. "You're right, and I'm sorry I didn't thank you properly for all you did. But that's not neither here nor there, is it? In any case, your timing is most opportune Discord," And she asked. "How good does your chaos magic work up here? Does it work okay?"
Snapping his eagle claw, Discord tested out his chaos magic in a variety of ways, all of which worked perfectly, including making it rain chocolate rain in the shuttle.
"I'll take that as a yes," Spike remarked. "In fact, having you around gives us an edge against any Predacons."
"If there ire any surviving Predacons…" Twilight cautioned as she turned to look out the window again as the shuttle neared a planet in the shape of a robotic sphere. "I'm sure they'll be ready for us."
…
As the shuttle neared Cybertron, at that very moment, a pair of shadows rocketed through space and landed on a Cybertronian city street. The shadows disappeared revealing themselves to be Opaline and Misty, clothed in spacesuits.
"Is this Cybertron, mother?" Misty asked.
"It is, you foolish mare!" Opaline scolded. "Now we mustn't take too long. We need the body of Megatron and any Predacons who perished in Equestria. If Princess Twilight and her friends think they can use the Maximals against us, it only seems fitting to counter with the Maximals sworn enemy: The Predacons."
As luck would have it, the streets of Cybertron were empty, providing ample protection for mother and daughter.
"Now, how do you propose we recruit them?" Misty asked as they both suddenly saw a wasp flying above the streets.
Opaline saw an opportunity to get information out of the wasp. "Watch and learn," She smirked before she fired a beam of magic on the wasp, causing it to be pulled back. Struggling, the wasp tried to break free, but he couldn't do so.
"Waspinator…" The wasp started to say only to be pulled into a back alley. "Waspinator ambushed…Waspinator thought he was…"
"Shut up!" Opaline hissed, forcing Waspinator to be silenced. "Do you want to live? Well, do you?!"
"Waspinator wants to live…" The ex-Predacon pleaded.
"Then tell me where Megatron's body is being kept!" Opaline demanded, tightening her grip on Waspinator's throat. "Tell me, or I will kill you!"
…
…
Meanwhile, Optimus Primal was in his gorilla beast mode and fast asleep in his quarters with his mate, Optimus Prima sleeping next to him. It had been a long time since he had a sleep like this and Optimus was going to relish in it, no matter what it took.
Outside, his reincarnated brother Rodiums Primal was also asleep in his lion beast mode when he suddenly felt a strange summons that caused him to wake up! "Huh? What was that?" He wondered, quickly getting up and going over towards one of the windows. "Could it be?!" Immediately, he turned back around, racing up the stairs towards Optimus and his mate! "Optimus!" He called, causing the Maximal leader to be woken up slightly. "Optimus!"
"Rodimus, what is it?" Prima asked as Rodimus dashed into the room. "What's going on?!"
Grumpily and groggily, Optimus Primal demanded. "Rodimus, report."
"It's Princess Twilight and her friends," Rodimus reported with a salute. "My sensors indicate they are returning."
Hearing this, Optimus immediately got up and transformed from beast to robot mode. "Something tells me this isn't for a casual visit," He remarked. "Where are they landing, Rodimus?"
"At one of the shuttle ports, I would assume." Rodimus declared.
Taking in this information, Optimus turned back to his mate. "Prima, I will be back. Stay here in case anything comes up."
"Optimus!" Prima called "Be careful! It took everything we had to bring Rodimus back, we can't risk losing you as well."
Heeding his mate's words, Optimus followed Rodimus out of his home and into the streets of Cybertron.
…
Meanwhile, Waspinator had been taken captive and was being forced by Opaline and Misty to lead them to the mausoleum. "Waspinator won't let you get away with this!" He cried as Opaline had her horn pointed at Waspinator's back. "He won't! Waspinator's friends will come and rescue Waspinator!"
"They'll never get the chance, so shut up!" Opaline snapped. "Take us to Megatron's body!"
Not wanting to be turned to scrap metal for the umpteenth time, Waspinator reluctantly did as he was told as they neared the large mausoleum. The structure was mammoth and this to Opaline was a sign that more Predacon bodies were inside.
"Mother, it's amazing!" Misty gasped as they entered! "Is this what a mausoleum looks like?"
"Yes, and it's going to help us get what we want," Opaline declared before turning to Waspinator and asking. "Who is guarding the body?"
"Ratbot and Dinobot are guarding." Waspinator hastily answered.
"Bring them out here," Opaline commanded, her horn pointed right at Waspinator's spine. "Now!"
Gulping, Waspinator did as he was told. "Waspinator…Maximize!" He nervously called out while transforming from a wasp to his robot mode.
"Good, now move!" Opaline ordered
Walking, Waspinator approached the side door of the mausoleum as Opaline and Misty returned to their shadow forms. Knocking, Waspinator attempted to get the attention of Rattrap and Dinobot.
"Hey chopperface, you hear that?" Rattrap asked as Dinobot also looked at the source of the noise. "Are we expecting anyone?"
"Apparently not," Dinobot declared while drawing his sword. "Stay here."
"You expecting me to stay here with Megatron's corpse, Dinobot?" Rattrap protested.
"There are others who need to be guarded, vermin!," Dinobot coldly warned Rattrap, turning around to glare at him. "And we will do our duty, even if it requires a necessary sacrifice."
"Sacrifice?" Rattrap remarked, shaking his head and remaining at his point while Dinobot went to the door. "The things I do as a Maximal…"
Approaching the door, Dinobot quietly drew his sword and anticipated who would be coming. "Who is there?!" He demanded.
"It's Waspinator." Waspinator nervously called.
"What are you doing here?" Dinobot growled in inquiry.
Waspinator quivered and shivered. "Waspinator… has company."
Right away, Dinobot could smell that something wasn't right. "Who is with you, Waspinator?!"
"No one lizard lips may know." Waspinator sheepishly answered.
Shaking his head, Dinobot knew that there was only one thing to do. "Open the door, Waspinator!" He demanded, and the door slowly opened as Dinobot carefully held his sword tightly in his grip. As the door opened, Dinobot saw Waspinator alone with a worried and scared look on his face. When he saw that no one was with Waspinator, Dinobot asked again. "Where are those who are with you?!"
Just then, Opaline and Misty sneaked their way behind Dinobot and materialized.
"Right behind you!" Queen Opaline laughed as she casted a subduing spell on Dinobot, causing him to be knocked out cold with a tranquilizer in his throat. "Come, Misty!"
Seeing that his friend was lying on the floor, Rattrap drew his weapon and fired several times at Misty and Opaline, who immediately assumed their shadow forms to dodge the blasts. "Hey, what the…?!" Rattrap cried as Opaline fired a beam of magic at Rattrap's chest, sending him against the wall of the mausoleum, knocking him out cold.
With the two Maximals disposed of, Opaline stared down at the body of Megatron. "Excellent," Opaline declared. "Megatron, leader of the Predacons, we meet at last," She then turned to Misty, knowing that there were more Predacon bodies to be found. "Misty, retrieve any bodies you find here," She ordered. "Go! Now!"
Acting on her mother's orders, Misty did as she was told while Opaline began to cast a spell on Megatron's body, surrounding it with dark magic and lifting it into the air. "Now you shall come with me and have a second chance at life, Megatron!" Opaline cackled as the body continued to hover a few more moments before disappearing along with Opaline.
Down in the basement, Misty held several more Predacon bodies in her aura and with the bodies in tow, she also disappeared.
…
Meanwhile, the Autobot shuttle neared Cybertron's atmosphere and both Rainbow Dash and Applejack kept an eye out for the landing site.
"About five miles out." Applejack announced, watching the navigation screen closely.
"Lower landing gear." Twilight ordered and Rainbow Dash did as she was told.
"Landing gear lowered," Rainbow Dash acknowledged. "Flaps down to thirty."
With the flaps and the landing gear lowered, the shuttle proceeded towards the landing site as a small tension filled its occupants, none of them knowing what was going to happen next.
"We're lined up, Twilight!" Rainbow cried as they all took their seats, except for Discord.
"Discord, sit down!" Fluttershy demanded!
"Don't worry, I'm a spirit of chaos!" Discord insisted. "Nothing's going to happen to me!" But a sudden patch of turbulence sent Discord pancaking onto the ceiling. "Then again, I could be wrong," he whispered.
Down at the site, Optimus and the top Maximals watched as the shuttle landed in front of them. Gently, Rainbow Dash landed the shuttle in place and shut down the engines. Cheetor and Silverbolt took their positions and opened the door for Twilight and her friends to exit through.
As they stepped down, Optimus couldn't help but feel delighted in the fact that he was seeing Twilight again.
"Optimus Primal, it's good to see you again!" Twilight beamed.
"It's good to see you again too, Princess Twilight," Optimus replied with a salute. "Welcome to Cybertron!"
Smiling, Twilight nodded her head in acknowledgement.
"Wow, I didn't think Cybertron would be like Manehattan!" Rarity remarked as she stepped down the stairs and her eyes took in the sights. "Look at all the buildings!"
"Certainly looks no different from anythin' in Manehattan, I reckon," Applejack added. "Never would've guessed our worlds could look so alike."
"Optimus, while we are delighted to see you again," Twilight declared, getting right down to business. "Time is of the essence. A new threat has been made against Equestria and we need your…" But then she was interrupted by the sounds of radio chatter coming on Optimus' radio.
Twilight Sparkle: "The sooner we get to Cybertron, the better. I just hope Optimus is up for returning to Equestria. We need him and the Maximals more than ever."
Discord: "Now, what's all this about the Maximals?"
Spike: "Having you around gives us an edge against any Predacons."
Twilight Sparkle: "If there are any surviving Predacons."
Opaline: "Do you want to live? Well, do you?! Tell me where Megatron's body is being kept! Megatron, leader of the Predacons, we meet at last."
Rattrap: "Chopperface and I along with Bug Boy… we had some… unwanted visitors in the mausoleum."
Rainbow Dash: "They beat us?!"
Opaline: "One down and one more to go."
…
…
Dashing to the mausoleum, Optimus, Twilight and the others rushed to where Megatron's deceased body was stored! To their horror, they found it empty.
"Jumping gyros, he's gone!" Cheetor cried in dismay. "Megatron's gone!"
"His body is," Rhinox glumly admitted. "And there might be more Predacons that were also stolen from here!"
"Got a few more that flew the coop already," Rattrap remarked as he ran towards his fellow Maximals. "Barricade, Tarantulas and even crab legs!"
"Rampage?" Cheetor asked, looking over at Silverbolt. "Depth Charge isn't going to like hearing that."
"And neither do I," Blackarachnia remarked while rolling her eyes in disgust. "Out of all the stupid insects that had to be stolen…why Tarantulas? Come on, say something! Gloat about your escape!"
Both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie gave a confused look at Blackarachnia's remark.
"Tarantulas used to mind control her a while back." Silverbolt explained.
"If the bodies were stolen, then we might have a chance to stop the thieves before they leave the atmosphere," Optimus firmly declared, and then spoke into a radio unit. "Rodimus, tell Air Hammer to track Megatron's body, stat!"
"Affirmative," Rodimus said over the radio. "I'll send him now."
"All right, the rest of you spread out and find any Predacon bodies you can," Optimus instructed. "Not all of the bodies here might have been stolen! We can't let any more of them fall into the hands of evil!"
Heeding Optimus' orders, the Maximals, princesses and Spike all spread out around the mausoleum.
…
Back in space, Opaline and Misty's shadow forms carried Megatron's body closer and closer towards Cybertron's atmosphere, along with the bodies of other deceased Predacons.
"Mom, how long do we have to go? I'm getting tired!" Misty whined.
"Put some muscle into it, you weakling!" Opaline barked, determined to get as far away from Cybertron as possible. "I cannot stop now! Those Maximals are surely onto us, if we stop now they'll catch us and everything we've done will be for nothing!"
The two shadows continued on closer and closer to the atmosphere. Just as they neared it, they saw several flying orbs going past them. "That was easy," Opaline evilly chuckled. "The sparks of the deceased!"
Almost as if they heard Opaline, the sparks began to flash wildly, seemingly being attracted by the presence of the dead Predacon bodies.
"Yes, yes, I know you are hungry for new life," Opaline laughed. "Just follow your bodies, and I will bring you back soon enough. And you will owe your existence to me!"
But the sparks were not patient enough to wait any longer. One of them proceeded to try and re-enter Megatron's body. "Yes, yes, Megatron! I know it's you. Your patience will soon be rewarded. I promise." The spark continued to glow more and more brightly upon being heard those words from Opaline.
Suddenly, Opaline noticed a strange looking creature flying towards them with a fuzor form of a hammerhead shark and a hawk, followed by a golden eagle. "Misty, we have company!" She remarked, seemingly unfazed. "Go deal with them at once!"
"But Mother…" Izzy began to whine.
"Silence!" Air Hammer bellowed! "By the law of Cybertron, you are both under arrest! Surrender yourselves now, or be destroyed!"
But Opaline wasn't going to surrender that easily. She was going to escape one way or another with Megatron's body. "Oh, I'd surrender all right," She snickered. "But my friend here says otherwise."
"Air Hammer, should we take them out?" Cosmos asked his partner.
"Not yet," Air Hammer sternly replied. "Optimus will want these two alive," Extending his wings, Air Hammer knew there was only way to confront the situation. "Air Hammer, maximize!" He called, transforming from his hammerhead shark/hawk form into a robot mode.
"Cosmos, maximize!" Cosmos shouted, turning from a golden eagle into his robot form.
"Is that supposed to scare us?" Opaline asked as Air Hammer swung his shark tail hammer at her shadow, only for the blows to go right through her. "Missed me," She playfully laughed. Then, all of a sudden she began to absorb herself into Megatron's body, much to the annoyance of the spark, shaking with anger. "Now I've got a little something for you!"
Once absorbed, Megatron's body came to life but with a new host…Queen Opaline! A sinister smile fell upon the body's face as it came to life through Opaline's possession. "Yes! How do you like me now, fools?!" She cackled, spreading Megatron's dragon wings wildly.
Both Air Hammer and Cosmos stood their guard hoping to stand tough against the possessed Megatron.
…
…
Meanwhile, moving towards the bier that Megatron's remains had once laid upon, Twilight looked down and carefully inspected it. "Optimus," She called, beckoning the Maximal leader over. "I can't help but wonder something…why would you have Megatron's body on display where somecreature could easily get to it? Why not dispose of it if he caused you so much trouble?"
"Megatron was our enemy, Twilight," Optimus explained. "Even so, even Predacons deserve a proper burial. Plus, it's a custom on Cybertron to display the remains of our enemy as a warning to others. Megatron and his Predacons could not have opposed us without help. We know that at least one other group lent them support. But if they can see what Megatron's fate is, they will think twice before attempting to continue what Megatron started."
"Optimus, forgive me if I disrespect Cybertronian custom," Twilight said in a careful tone. "But, if you are going to destroy your enemy, you must ensure that any physical remains are permanently destroyed. Surely, that would send as much of a warning. In Equestria, we bury our dead, we don't display them publicly. Especially not when doing so leads to their bodies being stolen and turned against us."
"I see," Optimus sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, that's just prime. I had hoped Megatron and his deceased army would trouble us nomore. Yet it seems their sparks have come to haunt us from beyond the grave."
"We know what the consequences are like, given our recent war with Grogar where anypony or anycreature can be brought back from the dead," Twilight pointed out. "Even burial sometimes is not enough for us, though usually it is."
"So, what do you think we should do now, Princess Twilight?" Optimus inquired. "If we get Megatron and the Predacons' bodies back, how do you propose we properly dispose of them while ensuring that others don't attempt to carry on their actions?"
Before Twilight could answer Optimus' question, he heard his radio crackle.
"What is it?" Twilight asked, while Optimus answered his radio.
"Come in, Rodimus." Optimus called, awaiting his younger brother's reply.
"Optimus, this is Tigatron," The voice on the other end replied, much to Optimus' surprise. "The thieves have been confronted, but Megatron's body has been possessed…I repeat, possessed."
Optimus was alarmed! "What?! Is Rodimus aware of this development?!"
"He is aware," Tigatron reported. "But he's more concerned with the safety of Air Hammer and Cosmos. Megatron's possessed body is now a danger and a threat!"
"We'll be there shortly, tell them to hold the line at all costs!" Optimus encouraged. "Optimus out."
Turning off his radio, Optimus ordered for his fellow Maximals to regroup and Twilight did the same with her friends. "Looks like we now have a mutual enemy. Megatron and Opaline have become one! Everyone, regroup and follow your leader. We musn't allow the Beast Wars to begin anew!"
…
Back at the atmosphere's edge, Air Hammer and Cosmos continued to deal with the possessed body of Megatron as Opaline fired balls of fire from Megatron's dragon head, to which they were deflected by Air Hammer's shark hammer.
Knowing that Cosmos needed to be distracted as well, Opaline turned to Misty. "Keep him distracted, Misty!" She ordered. "Use the body of the crab."
"The crab?" Misty blinked in confusion.
"Protoform X, you idiot!" Opaline snapped! "Do it now! Join me, and together we'll destroy our enemies!"
Acting on her mother's instincts, Misty absorbed herself into the Predacon Rampage and once she was fully absorbed, Misty aimed Rampage's three pronged gun at Cosmo, firing several blasts from it!
The crafty Maximals did whatever they could to protect themselves from the possessed Predacons, but they soon found themselves outmatched. Seizing an opportunity, Opaline grabbed Air Hammer with Megatron's dragon head, and held him up high in an effort to crush him. "Comfortable?" Opaline laughed as she began to shake Air Hammer around like a bottle, before tossing him farther into space. "Take this!"
Opaline fired another series of fireballs from the dragon head and this time, one of them hit Air Hammer in the chest! Seeing Air Hammer injured, Opaline then proceeded to tap into Megatron's ice powers, preparing to fire a blast of ice to freeze him.
But Cosmos took one of his swords and hit Opaline, preventing her from freezing his comrade. "And as for you…" She cried, quickly firing ice at Cosmos, freezing him in his tracks as he attempted to strike his sword at her again!
"Cosmos!" Air Hammer groaned, trying to shake off his pain and keep fighting.
"Now to finish you off!" Opaline declared as both she and Misty aimed their possessed bodies' weapons at the injured fuzor.
But then suddenly, Opaline heard a disturbance coming towards them. Before either she or Misty could react, they were both hit with a barrage of weapons and they turned to see two pairs of Autobot shuttles coming towards them: One piloted by the Maximals and the other by Twilight and her friends.
Misty raised Rampage's gun to fire back, but her mother stopped her. "Mother…"
"We got what we came for, Misty," Opaline hissed. "Let's go! Not every battle can be won, we must withdraw."
As the shuttles got closer, Opaline and Misty ejected themselves from Megatron and Rampage's bodies and having returned to shadow, took them out of the Cybertron atmosphere.
"They're getting away!" Rainbow Dash cried!
"That doesn't matter! We'll chase after them later!" Spike shouted, before turning his attention to the injured Maximals "Let's get those other guys inside! We can't leave them to die!" The two injured Maximals were then brought aboard the Equestrian shuttle, much to the annoyance of Twilight, who knew exactly who did that.
"Don't look at me, I don't want them to be space junk." Discord said as the shuttle then headed back to Cybertron.
…
Back on Cybertron, Optimus and Twilight along with their allies were gathered outside the CR Chambers to reflect on what had happened.
"So where are they going to go now?" Cheetor asked.
"If anything, they are probably heading back to Equestria," Twilight glumly answered. "Preparing to bring the Predacons into their service."
"Oh, joy, you're telling me," Rattrap answered, sitting in one of the computer chairs. "Megadork and his band of cronies are back for more, aren't they?"
"But they will be pressed into service," Spike admitted. "As far as we are all concerned, this is going to be a much more different encounter than the last one."
"I couldn't agree more with you on that one, Spike," Twilight sighed. "But the key here is to ensure that this war doesn't last as long as the previous one. There has been enough bloodshed to last us a lifetime."
All of the ponies nodded in agreement at Twilight's words.
"But I think that having you once again on our side Optimus could allow our subjects…to live as normally as possible," Twilight added. "I especially want this for the students at the School of Friendship."
"And we'll do just that, Twilight," Optimus reassured. "As of this moment, Maximals are preparing to relocate from Cybertron to Equestria. You are going to need all the help you can get this time." Looking down at the map, they could all see armies of autobot shuttles making their way towards Earth from Cybertron.
"Well, what do we do now, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"We return home and try to keep as much normalcy as possible," Twilight ordered.
Once the repairs to their comrades were made, the core group of Maximals and Equestria's six princesses along with their advisor and their reluctant ally of chaos joined the mass exodus already in progress. Sitting in the captain's chair, Twilight could only hope for the best as Equestria would have intergalactic allies on their side once again.
Meanwhile, back in their castle on Maretime Bay, Opaline watched as the sparks that had been collected in the Cybertronian atmosphere were placed into the collected Predacon bodies.
"It's only a matter of time, Misty," Opaline laughed. "The ponies of Equestria won't know what hit them!"
Finally, the spark of Megatron was placed into his body and a sense of euphoria came to Opaline. Very soon, she would force every single Predacon to swear their allegiance to her…at least in her mind, the true ruler of Equestria!
As the sun rose over Equestria, not everypony or everycreature was out and about. Hauling a large cart, a centaur pulled several silver buckets towards the place where he felt like he was contributing to Equestria, a debt that he was forever going to pay for his misdeeds and the misdeeds of his lover and daughter. "So, this is it," Tirek thought to himself, stopping in front of the farm and wiping the sweat from his brow. "The farm I longed to have."
Taking several paces forward, Tirek admired the location where he, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow would now live. Stepping into a barn, he brought the buckets inside, placing them on a stand near where the cows would be standing. All Tirek could do was stand in the barn, absorbing the new lease on life he had been given. He was starting to get out of his father's shadow and put his evil past behind him. But just then, the sounds of knocking interrupted his thoughts. "Yes?" he asked, turning to see Cozy Glow behind, catching the young Pegasus filly off guard. "What is it, Cozy Glow?"
"How did you know it was me?" Cozy asked.
"I'm your adoptive father, I know everything," Tirek answered. "Have you and Chrysalis brought the furniture from the halfway house?"
"Yes, Tirek," Cozy nodded. "Although, it is a lot for Chrysalis to handle."
"Of course it is," He muttered, stepping out of the barn and seeing Big MacIntosh pulling all of the furniture from the halfway house. This made Tirek somewhat surprised. "Why is Applejack's brother doing the pulling? I don't recall inviting him."
Rolling his eyes, Big Macintosh transformed back into Chrysalis, collapsing on the ground from exhaustion. "That's because you didn't invite him," Chrysalis gasped, looking back towards the large load. "I had to assume his identity to pull this monstrosity. How I wish I had servants to help me."
"Well, we can't think about that now, Chrysalis," Cozy Glow remarked, flying over to Chrysalis and helping her to her hooves. "Golly, can't you just not live like a queen for one minute? We have a second chance now. Let's not blow it."
"If you say so, Cozy Glow," Chrysalis reluctantly agreed. "Then again, I am your adoptive mother, so…"
"Not legally," Tirek cautioned. "As soon as we get Redemption Farms up and running, we can focus on becoming a legalized family. Now, there's a lot to do and very little time, so let's get to it!"
As the trio returned to their tasks, one could only wonder if anyone wanted the former villains to live and operate a farm of their own.
From her bedroom as Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack was watching them through a pair of binoculars, still trying to process how three of her enemies were now living next door to her.
…
…
Walking downstairs, Applejack came into the kitchen and joined her family for breakfast, still holding her doubts about Redemption Farms.
"Mornin' all," Applejack said quietly. "They're here."
"Who is?" Applebloom asked as Applejack sat at the table.
"Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow," Applejack explained with a sigh. "They just moved into their farm next door this morning."
"Well, isn't that a good thing?" Apple Bloom asked, much to Applejack's chagrin. "They admitted their actions and we've got to welcome them. Sounds like they're truly sorry for what they did."
"Eeyup," Big Macintosh nodded. "Sugar Belle's been workin' on a jell-o mold."
This made Applejack blink her eyes in confusion. "A jell-o mold? What for?"
"Well, it's always good to give Jell-O molds to new neighbors," Grand Pear explained. "We Pears always did it back when your mother was a filly. It taught her good manners, you know."
Rising from the table, Sugar Belle peeked into the icebox and saw the Jell-O mold slowly starting to shake in the form of a red heart. "Looks like it is nearly ready to go," She smiled while taking the mold out of the icebox. "I think we'll go over after breakfast to greet them, what do you think?"
While the rest of the Apples were eager, Applejack wasn't. She still had her personal feelings about the former Legion of Doom.
"I think it would be nice to give some of our animals to them." Grand Pear suggested.
"Grand Pear, are you sure about that?" Applejack asked. "Those are our animals!"
"It's always good to share and share alike, Applejack," Grand Pear pointed. "Besides, we could use a little more room for new animals, right? Never hurts to be good neighbors."
…
Once breakfast was finished, the Apple Family proceeded down the hill towards the newly minted Redemption Farms. But Applejack had prepared herself by adding two new members of the party.
"AJ, are you sure it's a good idea to bring a pair of guards with us?" Big Mac asked. "I think it's unnecessary."
"You can't be too careful, big brother," Applejack pointed out. "Especially now that we're at war agaib."
And no sooner did Applejack say those words than did they hear the sounds of rapid walking behind them. "Stop, y'all!" Applejack instructed, making the others halt in their tracks "Do you hear somethin'?"
"Only your anxieties, Applejack," Grand Pear replied with a shake of his head. "Now stop worrying and be respectful to our new neighbors. You know what can happen when we hold onto grudges."
But it was easier said than done for Applejack to drop her anxieties. She was a princess after all, and a princess protected their subjects whether they were family or not. Taking charge, she slowly moved towards a bush where the sounds of light tapping could be heard. Using her forelegs, Applejack forced open the bush! "Gotcha!" She called as she opened the bushes, only to find nothing. "I…I could have sworn…"
"Applejack, we're wastin' time!" Big MacIntosh impatiently called. "And we don't want the Jell-O mold to go bad. Come on! You're not gettin' out of seein' our new neighbors!"
Sighing, Applejack reluctantly followed her family towards Redemption Farms. Once they arrived, they were greeted to a green overhead sign that said "Redemption Farms" in big, gold letters. Quietly, she turned to her two guards and told them to search the farm for any surprises that the Legion of Doom could be springing on them. "So far so good," she thought to herself. "The sooner we get out of here, the better."
…
Soon, the Apple family approached the front door of a purple colored house and were just about to climb the steps of the porch, when suddenly webbing came from above the house and down onto the Apple Family, entangling them all!
"What in tarnation?!" Applejack cried as a black widow spider with brown legs peeked down on them from above the house.
"Blackarachnia, Maximize!" The spider called out in a female voice and transformed into a humanoid robot, pointing her gun at the Apples.
"Blackarachnia?" Applejack grunted. "What's goin' on here?!"
Seemingly embarrassed by her actions, Blackarachnia lowered her defenses and blasted away the webbing. "Princess Applejack, what are you doing here?" She inquired, putting her gun away. "You could have at least told someone…"
"Told them what? What are you doin' here?!" Applejack demanded.
"Protecting," The Predacon turned Maximal answered. "We've returned to assist you in your war against the Predacons. And I've been assigned to protect the occupants of this home."
At that moment, another transformer came out from inside the house with his sword drawn, approaching the Apples. But he stood down when he saw Applejack.
"Dinobot?" Applejack blinked in surprise.
"Princess Applejack," Dinobot answered while bowing to her. "It is an honor to see you again."
"Yeah, it is," Applejack uneasily replied. "But, why are you protectin' this place?"
"By order of Princess Twilight," A deep voice declared, revealing itself to be belonged to the ex-Legion of Doom's probation officer, Fair Chance. "As part of the agreement, Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow are to be given protection for their own safety. I'm sure I don't need to explain why."
"Who is it?" Chrysalis asked, calling from inside the house.
"It's the Princess of Honesty," Fair Chance called back. "And her family."
Without hesitation, Chrysalis instructed. "Bring them in at once."
Turning back to the Apples, Fair Chance brought them inside the house, which looked similar to their own home on Sweet Apple Acres. Emerging from the kitchen, Chrysalis came out holding a tray of hors d'oeuvres and setting them down on the table.
"We found them outside," Blackarachnia explained as Applejack stood her ground. "They mean you no harm."
"Of course they don't, at least not anymore," Chrysalis smiled. "Care to sit down?"
Reluctantly, Applejack accepted the invitation.
"Well, I must say, this is a very nice place you've got here," Grand Pear said as Chrysalis saw Sugar Belle holding the Jell-O mold. "Kind of like ours, but better."
"Indeed," Chrysalis nodded, taking the Jell-O mold from Sugar Belle. "What is this?"
"It's called a Jell-O mold," Sugar Belle explained. "New neighbors always get them, it's an Apple family tradition.."
"Interesting," Chrysalis smiled, fascinated by the jiggling blob. "Could have used a different color, though. I prefer green." She took the Jell-O mold into the kitchen as Apple Bloom hesitantly took a bite of the hors d'oeuvres, weakly swallowing it.
"Interestin…vittles here." Apple Bloom managed to force out.
"They were brought over from our halfway house," Cozy Glow explained as she came into the room. "Sorry if we don't have anything else."
"Cozy, I…I…I…" Applejack stammered. "As the Princess of Honesty, I…"
"You what?" Cozy curiously asked. But Applejack couldn't finish her sentence, still flabbergasted at the idea of meeting her former enemies turned new neighbors. "Sorry, you must be shocked by the fact that we're neighbors now, aren't you?"
"Of course they are," Tirek answered as he came into the room along with Scorpan as a chicken came into the house. "It's not everyday that we…Scorpan, get this chicken out of the house, now!"
As Scorpan led the chicken away, Applejack remained focused on the three former villains as Apple Bloom let out a small giggle.
Sitting down, Tirek and Cozy Glow studied their new neighbors intently along with Chrysalis as she came back into the room.
"Now, I want us to get one thing quite clear once and for all," Tirek spoke up. "If you think I am going to steal your magic and strength, you are sadly mistaken. I swore off it unless otherwise noted. Don't forget, we helped you to defeat Grogar. Why would we go back on our word now?" Turning to Grand Pear he then explained. "Grand Pear, by order of Princess Twilight, we are to receive a share of five percent of your working animals."
"At least you're not takin' all of them." Applejack whispered to herself as Big Mac nudged her in the side.
"AJ!" Big Mac muttered, trying to get his sister to be somewhat respectful. "Let's hear them out before we do anythin' rash!"
"Well, of course you're welcome to share our animals with us," Grand Pear nodded. "It's good to see other creatures taking up an interest in farming. But uh, how much are you planning to make with such a small group of animals?"
"Whatever is necessary, old pony," Tirek replied. "We will produce milk, dairy, meat…"
"Meat?" Applejack asked.
Just then, Scorpan came back into the house with blood on his claws.
"Scorpan, what is that?!" Applejack demanded, rising to her feet in anger.
"The chicken was being uncooperative and was becoming a threat." Scorpan confessed.
Applejack became outraged at such a statement! "So you just cut its head off?!"
Scorpan nodded quite slowly. "The chicken was becoming dangerous, your highness. I had no other choice."
Sighing, Applejack sat back down in disgust.
"Chickens have claws that cut more than skin," Tirek explained. "I don't want to kill any living creature intentionally. But if I'm going to be a farmer and sell products to make a living, nd protect everyone who lives on this farm, I may need to make that sacrifice from time to time. Just because you ponies choose not to eat meat doesn't mean I have to abide by the same restrictions."
Grand Pear decided to step in after noticing how uncomfortably his eldest granddaughter was squirming. "I've had to deal with many situations that I would much rather forget myself, Tirek," He deeply sighed, fighting back a lone tear. "Rest assured, that you have me for support. I will respect your decision to eat meat and kill animals if you deem it necessary, just as long as it's only your animals and not ours."
"Why not just absorb the magic of the animal you are about to kill?" Apple Bloom asked. "That way they won't feel anythin', right?"
"That's a likely possibility," Cozy Glow suggested, looking over to her father. "You can still be a bit of your old self while living your new self, right?"
But Tirek didn't want to go back to his old self. The memories of what he had endured uder Grogar were too harsh!
"Look, Tirek," Chrysalis said while firmly flying in his face. "Sometimes we need to do things we don't want to do, but we must in order to be sustained. It's like you said, our days of attempting to conquer Equestria are over, but we still have to resort to drastic measures sometimes. We're just trying to make an honest living now."
Tirek said nothing
"I could have one of the Maximals assist with any slaughtering," Blackarachnia suggested. "Perhaps maybe…"
"-No!" Chrysalis interrupted. "Tirek needs to learn what its like to be a contributor to Equestria. If there is ever a time to pay back our debts to Equestria, it's now, with this farm."
The more that Applejack looked at Tirek, the more she began to see that tough exterior that he once had melted away. She could see that Tirek was no longer what he used to be as did Chrysalis and Cozy Glow.
"So, what now?" Applebloom asked and Applejack extended her left foreleg, reluctantly bumping Tirek on his paw.
Once she broke away from him, Applejack sighed and said… "I guess we live side by side now, don't we? I may not like it… but as a princess of Equestria, it's my duty to put aside my personal feelings and set an example for the greater good. We owe these three a debt for helpin' us defeat Grogar. Reluctantly, they have my blessin' to be neighbors."
It was official, the former Legion of Doom were now neighbors to Sweet Apple Acres…
"Yes!" Queen Opaline seethed as she held a spark in her aura. "Yes, my minion! You shall have new life once again." Taking the spark over to the damaged transmetal two body of Megatron, Opaline slowly placed the spark in Megatron's chest as it reconnected with its host.
"Megatron," Opaline said proudly. "When I was in Tartarus, I heard all about your history from King Sombra. Your history of leading the Predacons against the Maximals. But you failed to conquer them. But now, you have a new mistress to serve under…me! I have given you life. You will serve me and only me." Just then, she saw the dragon head blink its eyes and the wings on Megatron's back flap slightly. This gave Opaline more and more excitement for the reborn Predacon leader.
Stepping back, Opaline cried out in a loud voice! "Megatron, arise, and live again to serve me!"
Opening his eyes, Megatron looked around and saw that he was no longer on the battlefield in Ponyville, he was standing in the presence of King Sombra's widow. "I live again?" Megatron gasped, hesitant for a moment, but then excitement came in. "Yes…I live again!" Cackling, Megatron relished that he was alive once more. Looking down he saw that the bullets that had pierced his transmetal two skin were still there, but seemingly he had healed.
"Amazing, how did I return to life?" The Predacon wondered, looking over at Opaline. "And for that matter…who are you?"
Sneering, Opaline approached Megatron. "I am Queen Opaline, the true Queen of the Crystal Empire and widow to the true king, my husband, King Sombra. I am the sworn enemy of all that is good and decent in Equestria. It is a supreme honor to finally meet you,"
Chuckling, Megatron absorbed the second chance he had been given. "Well, how can I ever repay you?"
Smiling, Opaline looked out over the conquered town of Maretime Bay that had been since covered by a magical dome. "You can start…" She said, before turning around to face Megatron. "By swearing your allegiance to me."
Just that, all of the gratitude of being given a second chance at life was gone for Megatron. "What?!" He bellowed in disbelief.
…
…
"You?! Swear allegiance to a four legged creature?!" Megatron bitterly remarked. "You brought me back to life to swear allegiance to you? What for? What do you wish to do with me?"
Opaline explained. "I need an army to fight Princess Twilight Sparkle and her allies, of course. Do you remember what happened at the height of Grogar's war, before your demise?"
"Yes," Megatron growled, turning his back on the deposed queen of the Crystal Empire. "Optimus Primal and the Maximals aligned with her and destroyed us, crushing any hopes we had of winning the Beast Wars!"
Queen Opaline stepped forward and approached Megatron with keen interest in the Predacon leader. "That must have been a painful defeat, was it not?" She smirked, wrapping her forelegs around Megatron's waist. "Being blown to smithereens and then having to wander the galaxy endlessly for a long time?"
Awkwardly, Megatron tried to get away from Opaline, but she kept her grip on him. "If you think," He gulped. "That this is a way to make me serve you, then…"
"-Let's just say its a proposition," Opaline interrupted. "I'm actually no different than the princesses that took the Crystal Empire away from my family! But I am more powerful than they could ever hope to be!"
Just then, the doors to the throne room opened and in stepped Misty, whose eyes dropped at the sight of her mother's actions. "Uh, Mom…what are you doing?" She asked.
Hastily, Opaline released her grip on Megatron, much to his relief. "Just making a proposition with our new general here," She blushed, directing her daughter to look towards Megatron. "Megatron, this is my daughter, Princess Misty of the Crystal Empire."
Misty nervously and hesitantly bowed. "N-nice to meet you, Megatron."
"This is your daughter?" Megatron asked, closely inspecting Misty. "She looks no different than any of the other equines of this cursed kingdom."
"I resent that remark!" Misty grunted, and turned to Opaline. "The other Predacons are awaiting his return, Mother."
"What other Predacons?" Megatron questioned.
"The Predacons we brought back to life alongside you, Megatron," Opaline answered with a smile and a smirk. "They are all eager to see you again. Follow me to the courtyard."
As they walked, Megatron began to get a feeling that he was not being brought back to life to resume the Beast Wars, but of something else, serving a self proclaimed queen.
…
Following Opaline and Misty to the courtyard, Megatron saw that several of his core Predacons were standing in the courtyard, now fully repaired.
"Megatron!" Soundwave exclaimed, the panther Predacon bowing to him.
"What's he doing here?" Tarantulas muttered. "If only he stayed in the lava…"
"My queen, you have returned!" Inferno cried, much to Megatron's annoyance.
Grabbing Inferno with his dragon mouth, Megatron brought the loyal Predacon towards his face. "If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times," He warned. "Never…ever…call…me…that."
"Of course, royalty." Inferno said as Megatron dropped him on his thorax.
Megatron then slowly approached the Alligator Predacon Shockwave and the Triceratops Predacon Barricade who saluted him. Finally, there was Dinobot II, the transmetal two clone of Dinobot that Megatron himself created. The one eyed beast shined his light on Megatron, before Opaline intervened.
"If you'll please, Dinobot II," Opaline commanded as he did as he was told, lowering his laser eye off of Megatron. "Good."
Opaline then proceeded to stand in front of the resurrected Predacons, eyeballing them over to ensure that they were going to obey every command she would give them.
Right away, Megatron could smell something off with this.
"I'm sure you are all wondering why you are all here, I suppose?" Opaline asked them. "In case you forgot who I am, I am Queen Opaline, the true Queen of Equestria's Crystal Empire, and widow of the true king, King Sombra. For too long, I rotted in the depths of Tartarus and now, thanks to my daughter, Princess Misty, I have escaped, and have set out to take back what is mine!"
"Oh boy!" Quickstrike murmured, the only Predacon not to acknowledge Megatron's return.
Opaline then took notice of Quickstrike and walked over to him, looking at him right in the eyes intently. "What's your name?" She asked. "I seem to recall recovering your spark in Cybertron."
"Quickstrike, little lady," The Predacon Fuzor. answered "May I reckon that…"
But Opaline tightened her grip on Quickstrike. "-You'll reckon nothing, insubordinate! In fact, I feel like you and I are going to have problems."
"I hope not, missy." Quickstrike said through his choked gasps.
"What crimes has he committed within your ranks?" Opaline demanded.
"He tried to assassinate me," Megatron answered. "Had it not been for the arrival of the Vok's Emissary, I would have destroyed him for treason!"
"Treason?" Opaline asked, pulling Quickstrike out of the line and forcing him to stand in front of his fellow Predacons. "You are all here for a purpose, and that purpose will not involve treason of any kind! The world as you know it is over. You work for me and my daughter in taking back what is rightfully ours!"
"I work for no one!" Megatron protested while stomping his foot down! "Especially not for an equine like you!"
Just then, the sounds of rumbling were heard and a transmetal crab Predacon drove into the courtyard with three rotating cannons spinning on its front. Driving up to Opaline and Quickstrike, it stopped next to her. "I'm afraid I must disagree with you, Megatron," Opaline chuckled. "I've already won over somepony."
"Rampage, terrorize!" Swiftly, the crab transformed into its killer robot mode with the three cannons now a weapon.
"I'm sure you all remember Rampage, yes?" Opaline
Quickly, the Predacons all nodded.
"Well, a little bird told me that you used to terrorize him, Megatron, with half of his spark, yes?" Opaline inquired.
Megatron then turned to Dinobot II, the creature he had placed the other half of Rampage's spark in.
"Well, I've decided that there won't be any more tormenting of any kind!" Opaline firmly insisted. "Going forward, you are no longer leader of the Predacons."
"WHAT?!" Megatron roared to a seemingly unfazed Opaline, although Misty cowarded slightly. "You dare take away my position as leader?! Dare to deny me what is rightfully mine?!"
"I also remember that you've had your position taken away from you before," Opaline said. "Do the words Terrorsaur and Starscream ring a bell?" Opaline then turned to Tarantulas, stroking one of his spider legs. "And what about your mad scientist, Tarantulas, here? Didn't he try to kill you once upon a time?"
"What are you implying, pony?" Megatron snarled!
"That anyone can take your position…even me. You will obey me, because otherwise I will remove your spark and take over your body as I did before," Opaline then turned to the rest of the Predacons with sinister intent. "As of this moment, you all work for me and my daughter. You answer to the two of us and no one else. Together, we will take Equestria and rule over itss inhabitants. Nopony or nocreature will stand in our way!"
"And don't even think about deflecting from our ranks," Misty added. "Because my father deflected from the ranks of Grogar and lost the gamble, paying with his life."
Misty then used her aura and pulled into the courtyard the colors of the former Crystal Kingdom, containing dark crystals symbolizing the dark magic that King Sombra once held.
"These are our colours, my loyal warriors," Opaline explained. "Before you leave my presence, you shall pledge your allegiance to the colors! If you refuse, we have ways of forcing you to pledge your allegiance!"
With her daughter holding the colors, Opaline directed the Predacons to swear their allegiance. "Repeat after me: I pledge allegiance," She directed.
"I pledge allegiance." All the Predacons (except for Megatron) said all at once.
"To the flag."
"To the flag."
"Of the Crystal Empire."
"Of the Crystal Empire."
"And to the Kingdom."
"And to the Kingdom."
"For which it stands."
"For which it stands."
"One kingdom."
"One kingdom."
"Indivisible."
"Indivisible."
"With rulers."
"With rulers."
"Over all."
"Over all."
Satisfied, Opaline had Misty remove the flag from the courtyard and looked back at her new soldiers that now served her. "You see that this is no longer your world, Megatron," she whispered to him as she left the courtyard. "The immaterial has become…immaterial."
Once Opaline and Misty were gone, all Megatron could do was think of how to find a way to take back his rightful place. For now, he resented that he had to play the game that Opaline wanted him and the other Predacons to play.
…
Unbeknownst to Opaline however, everything that had transpired was being watched by pony and maximal spies, which later reported back to Twilight and Spike.
"Megatron and the Preds forced to serve a pony?" Spike remarked with a hint of amusement as Twilight reviewed the report in her castle study. "I never thought I'd see the day."
"Neither did I," Twilight added. "But it has happened. Still, at least we have Optimus on our side again. In fact, I might have him help prepare our troops for dealing with any possible attack."
"In what way?" Spike questioned.
Twilight replied. "A way that saves as many lives as possible. Equestria has suffered enough loss and bloodshed as a result of the war against Grogar, it won't survive another drawn out war. The Maximals will offer us at least some degree of normalcy," Then she asked. "Spike, can you get me the history of Transformer warfare from up on the shelf? You know, the one Optimus gave us?"
Flying up to the bookshelf, Spike pulled out a gold covered book and handed it over to Twilight. "What are you thinking of?" He asked her.
"Just wait and see, Spike," Twilight said as she began to take notes from the book. "Just wait and see."
Night was falling on Sunset Shimmer's world. The house of Tommy and Katherine Hillard sat with all the lights turned off, seemingly everything was quiet and peaceful.
But at that very moment, a car pulled up to the front of the house as the engine turned off and the doors opened. Stepping out of the car, a group of girls similar to Sunset's friends had their eyes locked on the house.
"All right, you fools," A girl similar to Twilight Sparkle's human counterpart said, a knife hidden under her sweatshirt. "You know what to do…you know the plan."
"Yeah," A girl similar to Fluttershy's human counterpart laughed, holding a hammer. "I can't wait any longer to take care of this…Dr. Oliver."
"Ooh, I can't wait to find what they have hiding," A girl similar to Rarity chimed in. "I get dibs on any jewelry and clothes that his wife has."
But Evil Twilight gave Evil Rarity a stern glare as she brandished the knife. "What? They must have some in there?"
"We can take whatever booty we can find after we dispose of our target, girls," Evil Twilight protested. "Now stick to the plan."
Advancing towards the house, the six girls split up, covering every square inch of the house. Each and every girl had a weapon on them, eager to do their part assigned to them.
"The greatest power ranger who ever lived," Evil Twilight laughed as she watched Evil Applejack and Evil Rainbow Dash cut several telephone cords attached to the house. "Won't know what hit him when we are done. Say goodbye to your friends, Dr. Oliver! Prepare to join Zordon in the hereafter!"
…
Back on the M51 Galaxy, Master Vile paced back and forth in his space skull which was parked in the backyard of his castle, while Rita and Zedd watched anxiously waiting for news.
"Daddy, must you pace back and forth?" Rita asked. "You're making me uncomfortable."
"Don't you see, my daughter?" Master Vile explained while continuing to pace back and forth. "With the great Tommy Oliver disposed of, Sunset Shimmer's friends won't have the confidence to aid that Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends. His loss will demoralize them, they won't have it in their hearts to continue the fight. And they won't have him to rely on for advice."
"I still say we should have killed them after we reversed time on Earth," Zedd suggested. "But no, you had to have Professor what's his name lead a bunch of buffoons!" The emperor of evil sighed and threw his face in his hands, seemingly still shadowed by his father-in-law. "What good are Equestria's evil counterparts good to us?" Zedd continued. "Must you have sent them instead of us?"
"They were eager for this task, and you know our agreement with Queen Opaline," Master Vile eagerly explained. "If we help her defeat Equestria's human allies, then she will give us the human world while she conquers the ponies."
"And gives us slaves." Rita added.
Staring at the mirror, Master Vile, his daughter and son-in-law waited for the news to come in that the deed had been done. A full twenty minutes passed, however, and there was still no word.
"Okay, maybe they failed, big deal," Zedd began. "We failed all the time. It's not like anything else is going to…"
But suddenly, the image of Evil Twilight came on the mirror with a smile on her face! Eagerly, Master Vile rose to his feet and slowly approached the mirror.
"Master," Evil Twilight declared, bowing her head with a look of satisfaction on her face. "It is done. We have carried out your orders…Tommy Oliver is no more."
Delighted, Master Vile let out a loud laugh of triumph. He had once again succeeded where others had failed! Now he had caused the death of the greatest Power Ranger who had ever lived!
…
…
The next morning, Sunset Shimmer was fast asleep in her bedroom. It was Saturday, so she had no classes. Right now, she was dreaming of going back to Equestria for a visit with Twilight, and especially Celestia. With graduation soon approaching, she would have more free time to go to Equestria. So far, her life as a Power Ranger had been quiet. And until it changed, Equestria was an excellent home away from home.
Suddenly, Sunset's phone next to her on her nightstand began to vibrate wildly. Sunset ignored it and tried to go back to sleep. The phone just kept buzzing and eventually stopped, much to the girl's relief. But then suddenly, a loud ringing sound was heard and Sunset woke up with a start! "What was that?" She cried out, before realizing that it was her phone that was ringing. "Oh.."
Picking up the receiver, Sunset answered the phone. "Hello?" She asked, before her eyes widened with shock at the news that greeted her ears! "WHAT?! When…?!"
Sunset laid back against her bed with a shocked look on her face, it seemed like her world had already come crashing down! "How did it happen?!" She asked quite firmly. "The house…don't move, I'll be right there! And tell the girls I'll meet them there!"
Panicked, Sunset raced out of bed and quickly got dressed, her mind focused on getting to Dr. Oliver's house as quickly as possible! When she arrived, she saw police surrounding the home,
"Sunset!" Sci-Twi cried, hugging Sunset as she arrived. "Sunset, it's horrible! Dr. Oliver… He's…"
All Sunset could do was look in disbelief at their mentor's home. All of the windows on the ground floor had been broken, but Sunset knew that this was no ordinary robbery.
"We tried to go in, but they wouldn't let us!" Applejack added, a hint of panic in her voice. "Kat's in there, and so are Alpha and Ninjor!"
"We gotta get them out!" Pinkie Pie added.
Just then, they saw several paramedics carrying Katherine out on a stretcher. Covered up, she had cuts and bruises on her face in addition to raw emotion building up inside of her. Suddenly, they saw several police officers assisting Alpha 5, who appeared dozy and out of place.
"Alpha!" Sci-Twi cried, running towards the officers. "Alpha!"
Weakly looking up to his friends, Alpha 5 tried to get himself going again, but he couldn't do so. "R..r..rangers?" He asked, sparks coming out of his body. "Is that you?"
"Alpha, what happened?!" Sunset firmly asked. "What happened to Katherine and Dr. Oliver?!"
"Intruders…came and killed Tommy…ay yi yi yi… He, he was fighting them off. And then, suddenly, just as he was sure the fight was over and he was about to de-morph," Alpha 5 explained to the best of his ability. "He… he…" But he came choked up with emotion, overloading his circuits!
All of the girls were left in a state of shock at what they had just heard. Their mentor, Dr. Tommy Oliver, the one who inspired them to become Power Rangers to begin with, was dead! He had fallen in the line of duty.
"How was he killed?" Sunset inquired. "What did they do to him?! He wouldn't give up without a fight, they must've done something!" But Alpha couldn't answer, he was too shaken up.
Just then, Ninjor was the next to be taken out of the house, his right arm missing as police escorted him out.
"Ninjor! Are you all right?!" Sunset yelled as she ran towards him! "I'll be fine, Sunset," he gasped as Sunset ran over to him with a concerned look on her face. "It came quick as lightning…much more than I'm used to. Oh, I wish I had seen it coming! Why couldn't it have been me, not him?! I never expected it to happen to him!"
Growing more anxious, Sunset dashed into the house, which was now more of a crime scene. The house had been ransacked with broken dishes on the floor, furniture had been turned over and pictures of Tommy and Katherine from their days as Power Rangers had either been destroyed or badly damaged.
Sunset then looked upstairs and taking a gulp, she proceeded to climb the stairs, not knowing what she was going to find.
Taking a right, she proceeded into Tommy and Katherine's room and found something on the floor…Saba, the talking saber from her mentor's White Ranger form. "Oh, Saba," cried Sunset, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Saba…" Kneeling down, she picked up the two broken halves of Saba and placed them back on the bed. She then proceeded to search the room for any more weapons that may have been used.
Sunset then came across a blade blaster that was also seemingly used by Tommy. Like Saba, it was broken in half. But she then noticed something from the far end of the room, a green helmet was lying on the ground, but it wasn't just any helmet. The helmet had a huge hole in the visor and this to Sunset caused her to be filled with raw emotion. "Oh, Dr. Oliver…" She quietly sobbed, falling to her knees and pulling the helmet close to her chest. "Dr. Oliver! Why?! Just when we were getting to know you!"
…
Outside the house, the rest of Sunset's friends could wonder what or who would have committed such a crime.
"I can't believe this, y'all," Applejack gasped, shaking her head in disgust. "Dr. Oliver, I mean…we were just startin' to get to know him. And now… now he's gone, forever! We couldn't protect him, or the ones he cared about!"
"Whoever did this must have been working for someone, but who?" Rainbow Dash wondered, her voice filled with exasperation. "The Dazzlings, maybe? Perhaps they killed him because he was teaching at our school?"
"The Dazzlings don't strike me as the killer type, one of them likes tacos," Pinkie Pie corrected. "The last time Sunset and I saw them, they seemed to have moved on from coming after us. Doubt they even knew about Dr. Oliver."
Still, Sci-Twi had her suspicions. "Perhaps Alpha or Ninjor might have a story they can share," She suggested. "After all, they were with Dr. Oliver and Kat at the time of the attack. They saw something." Channeling her inner detective, she looked over to Ninjor as he was being loaded into an ninja sage looked back at Sci-Twi as the doors to the ambulance closed.
Fortunately, Alpha 5 was still being checked out for any damages, so she went over to him. "Alpha?" She asked, the robot's visor flashing red. "Alpha! You've got to remember! What happened last night?!"
"Twilight?" Alpha 5 asked. "Ay, yi, yi! It happened so fast! I'm still having a hard time trying to process it."
"What happened?! Who did this?!" Sci-Twi asked, bending down to Alpha's level.
"Teenagers, they looked just like you but with a different color," Alpha 5 replied. "They were dressed differently, they had weapons and were crying out that they worked for Master Vile. Tommy was fighting them, and then they went for Kat and he… he tried to protect her and that was when they killed him! They attacked him all at once, there was an explosion, and the next thing I knew Tommy was on the floor and they had left"
A sense of dread befell Twilight, knowing just how dangerous Master Vile was. "Rita's father sent the attackers?!" She gasped in disbelief!
Just then, Sunset stepped out of the house holding Tommy's damaged green ranger helmet along with his master morpher. The rest of the girls raced over to her side.
"Dr. Oliver?!" Rainbow Dash gasped, seeing the damaged helmet. "No…no, it can't be! It can't actually be true! There's no way someone like him would've…"
"-I'm afraid it is. Dr. Oliver went down fighting," Sunset Shimmer glumly and gloomily answered with tear stains on her cheeks. "But why didn't he call us? We could have helped him. We have Ninja Ranger Powers, for crying out loud! He trusted us!"
A sense of anger befell Sunset as she tried to process everything that had happened. To her, betraying Celestia was one thing. Having another mentor violently taken away from her was another. "I don't know who did this," She said quietly, looking down at the broken helmet. "But whoever did this will pay dearly. Mark my words! If it's the last thing I do, I will avenge Dr. Oliver! I won't give up the fight, not for his sake and not for mine! I will honor his memory and continue his battles."
This caused the rest of the girls to become very, very nervous. Even Pinkie Pie felt like this was on the verge of something that was not going to end well. In fact, none of them had seen Sunset this angry, not even when she'd stolen Princess Twilight's crown.
"If there is ever a time to use our new ninja powers, it's now." Reaching into her pocket, Sunset pulled out her power morpher containing the Falcon ninja coin. She had a responsibility to keep as Tommy's legacy was now in her hands.
…
Back on M51, Master Vile and his extended family waited in his throne room as the Mean 6 walked inside, their faces filled with triumph. Once they arrived, they all bowed to him.
"It is finished, Master Vile," Evil Twilight declared. "The deed has been done. It took longer than anticipated, he fought hard until the end. But he was no match for our combined strength. Just as you told us, his love and care for others was his downfall."
Gesturing, Master Vile ordered them to rise to their feet.
"And what of sweetie pie, Katherine?" Rita asked in a mocking voice.
"-Well, we did rough her up a bit," Evil Applejack started to say.
"-Oh please," Evil Rainbow Dash interrupted. "We beat her to a pulp, boss! She'll never fight again! So we took out two threats in one blow! Heck, we roughed up their robot friends too. That'll teach anyone who thinks about coming after us what fate awaits them!"
"Goody, goody gum drops," Lord Zedd replied in a sarcastic tone, still feeling as if his glory was stolen from him. "Once again, I'm the second banana! I should've been the one to slay Tommy, just like I almost did after I took away his green ranger powers!"
"You might as well get used to it, radiator face," Master Vile hissed, rising to his feet. "With Tommy dead as a doornail and the rest of his friends beaten to within an inch of their lives, we have given Queen Opaline the advantage she needs. There won't be any interference from that so-called Sunset Shimmer and her friends!"
Master Vile then gestured Calibos to step forward along with the clones of Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker, who were standing at the far right corner of the throne room. "And I intend to keep it that way. But just in case they do…"
The mean 6 and their allies then knew that their work wasn't done. Master Vile had other plans for them."I'm sending you all down to the human world to keep an eye on their activities," He ordered. "I don't want them interfering with Queen Opaline's plans of conquering Equestria! Do whatever you must to make sure they don't join the fight on behalf of Princess Twilight!"
"Ha! I can use the challenge!" Daybreaker laughed, straightening out her large, fiery wings. "In fact, I'll burn them to a crisp if necessary!"
"I love your desire for blood, Daybreaker!" Master Vile snickered. "And you shall have it! Now go, and ensure there is no interference!" Raising his wand, Master Vile sent the clones back to the human world and then turned back to his daughter and her family.
"So, what do we do now?" Lord Zedd asked. "Do we sit around and have a jolly time doing nothing?"
"No, not exactly," Master Vile replied. "Ninjor bestowed on those girls the ninja powers. I want them for Queen Opaline!"
"But why not destroy them again?!" Lord Zedd asked. "It makes sense."
"Don't you see that with the ninja powers in her possession, Opaline can have a much higher advantage in conquering Equestria?" Master Vile pointed out. "If we give her the ninja ranger powers, she'll be unstoppable and that will be our ultimate contribution!" Master Vile then raised his wand in the air and fired several beams of dark magic. "Seat belts, everyone!" He shouted. "It's about to be a bumpy ride!" And as he cackled, Master Vile set about the next phase of his plan in motion.
Silverstream stood at the top of a tall tree at the edge of the Everfree Forest, her forearms stretched out and her eyes closed. Taking a deep breath, she jumped into the air and grabbed onto a set of rings! she twirled in the air just as Gallus attempted to grab her.
Grabbing her, Gallus twirled Silverstream as she landed on the other platform. Opening her eyes, Silverstream then heard the sounds of applause and cheering from down below.
"Very impressive, Silverstream!" Smolder remarked as she flew up to Silverstream. "Have you ever thought of joining gymnastics at school?"
"Smolder, how many times are you going to ask me that?" Silverstream remarked as she climbed down the ladder. "Gymnastics isn't for me. I always wanted to be way above that, doing my talents for something that I enjoy!"
"This isn't about that circus that is coming to Ponyville soon, isn't it?" Ocellus wondered, holding up a poster featuring a flying trapeze artist. "You've been talking about it ever since it was announced!"
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with dreaming," Gallus said as he took a sip out of a water bottle. "Professor Luna said so recently, remember?"
The rest of the young six nodded at this remark.
"Face it, Silverstream, your chance is going to come eventually. If there's anycreature who'd fit in at a circus, it would definitely be you." Gallus added and Silverstream could only dream of what was to come and it would come sooner than she expected.
…
…
The next day, the students at the School of Friendship couldn't stop talking about the impending circus. However, there was something far more important that was happening.
"Good morning students," Starlight announced as she stood by the school's entrance. "Don't forget to consider taking part in our school's fundraiser! Every little bit helps, you know? Whatever you decide to do is optional."
"I've heard of many fads, but this is different," Luster Dawn remarked as she and Cherry Tomato came into the building. "I mean, how are we going to fundraise? What are we supposed to do?"
"Why not just do a lemonade stand?" Cherry asked. "It's practically the oldest trick in the book."
"It's not that simple, Cherry," Luster Dawn cautioned as they got to their lockers. "Fundraising for the School of Friendship is a big deal. I mean, what would Princess Twilight say if I didn't participate? If I didn't do my part for the school she founded?"
"I'm sure that she would be fine with whatever you decide to do," Cherry advised with a shrug of his hooves. "But don't do this for Princess Twilight, do it for you!"
Luster then looked at the poster of the Equestrian circus that was plastered on the inside of her locker. It was then that she got an idea. "Cherry, you know the circus is coming to town, right?" she asked, turning back to face him. "There must be something that's in it for me. Maybe I could work my own act into it."
"Well, sure there is, if you don't want to be picking up after the animals," Cherry Tomato remarked in a joking tone of voice, causing Luster to nudge him in the side.
"Stop it!" She laughed.
"I'm kidding!" Cherry Tomato replied. "You're quite the comedian sometimes, you know that?"
…
Meanwhile, a large circus train was traveling towards Ponyville. On board the train, the head of the circus, a gray coated pegasus stallion named Whirling Wonders, sat in his car looking over the earnings his circus had received at their last stop. But there was something else on his mind.
"Mr. Wonders?" An earth pony mare wearing a secretary's uniform called. "Still brooding, aren't you?"
"It's such a tragedy, isn't it?" Whirling sighed as his secretary came into the car. "Our most famous trapeze act can't go on at our next stop because the Flying Colossals are hurt. Carrot Top, Mr. Colossal should have warned me if his back was bothering him. Why would he hide it from me?"
"He probably didn't want to disappoint you, Mr. Wonders." Carrot Top suggested.
"Well, we've got to find someone at the next stop who can temporarily fill in for our star attraction," Whirling Wonders sighed. "Especially since we will have former royalty in attendance and everypony will have their minds set on not thinking about the war with Opaline. Who could ever be on the same level as our main flyers?"
In the next car over, another part of the troupe had the same idea. The circus' ringmaster and chief clown were also considering the circus' dilemma.
"Ponyville is the famous location in Equestria next to Canterlot," A white coated unicorn stallion with a straight black mane said while looking out of the car window. "Are you certain that one of their celebrities would be willing to participate, Scooter?"
"I would think so, Herr Rounder," An overweight earth pony stallion with an accent replied. He was reading a magazine that was covering the whereabouts of the young six after the battle with Grogar. "Look at this hippogriff, she looks as if she can fill in for The Colossal."
"But it's a two figure act." Rounder protested.
"Which is where he comes in, the griffon." Scooter then turned to the page that featured Gallus, showing it to the ringmaster.
"You must really like these two, don't you?" Rounder questioned. "But all they did was help defend a school, not help a circus like ours."
"Ah, but that's where you are mistaken, Herr Rounder," Scooter chuckled. "Just wait and see."
Just then, the door knocked and in stepped Whirling Wonders. "Rounder, Scooter," He declared. "I've decided that we are going to hold an audition in Ponyville to find a temporary replacement for The Colossals. Can you have some of our troupe go around Ponyville and put up posters when we arrive?"
"Of course, Whirling. I can do that." Rounder replied.
"Excellent, Rounder!" Whirling Wonders smiled. "This is the important stop we've been thinking about. And I don't want any mess ups. Understood?"
So, the train continued to move on towards Ponyville with Whirling Wonders' mind set on hiring a temporary replacement for his out of commission lead acrobat.
…
Silverstream went about the day thinking nonstop about the circus, often daydreaming when alone with her thoughts. Gallus could see that Silverstream wanted to live her dream, so he decided to pay Professor Luna for a visit at the Castle of Friendship to see what her thoughts were. She'd been helpful to him in the past, and he hoped this would be no exception.
"I just can't help but wonder what is going through her mind right now," Gallus thought to himself. "Is the circus really that big a deal to her? Has she never even heard of them before? Surely, by now, a circus would've made its way out to Mount Aris."
Approaching the castle, Gallus took a deep breath. "Professor Luna," He called, before shrieking out loudly as he did the Luna call. "PROFESSOR LUNA!"
The door opened and Luna emerged wearing a towel on her mane and holding a rubber ducky in her aura, much to Gallus' embarrassment.
"You know it's impolite to interrupt a pony's bathtime, Mr. Griffon." Luna frowned.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry." Gallus chuckled as an embarrassed look befell his face
"But, I think I know why you are here," Luna sighed, stepping down the stairs, leaving behind a few wet puddles. "It's about Silverstream, isn't it? That she longs to be in…the circus or something?"
"We both do," Gallus answered. "Well, her mostly. I just want her to live her dream and then say that we did it…that we performed in a circus."
"That's no excuse for daydreaming in class, Mr. Griffon," Luna replied. "But if Miss Silverstream wants to live her dream, let her when the moment comes, even if it's for one day."
"That's the other reason why I've come," Gallus replied. "I think that the only way Silverstream can live her dream is if she performs in the circus this weekend and raises money for the school."
A sly chuckle came onto Luna's face, much to Gallus' annoyance. "I'm serious, Professor! Silverstream may not get another chance! She really, really wants to do this! I can tell!"
"Well, if the circus has any openings then she is more than welcome to audition. But I will warn you, Gallus," Draping a cold wet wing around Gallus, Luna pulled him forward. "Sometimes it's important to be careful what we wish for in life because the dream we desire may not be the perfect fit for us in the end."
"If you say so, professor," Gallus replied while noticing Luna's wetness getting onto him. "But, um…don't you think that maybe you should dry off?"
Slightly embarrassed, Luna sent Gallus on his way and made her way back into the castle, but not before tripping on the wet stairs. "Gotta learn to say no when he does the Luna call sometimes." She muttered under her breath.
…
…
The next day, Whirling Wonders and his troupe went about promoting their upcoming show to the citizens of Ponyville, putting up posters at any spot that could be found.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Roundling Rounders cried as Whirling Wonders and his troupe rode through the streets of Ponyville aboard a musical calliope. "Step right up and come see the greatest show in Equestria! Aerial stunts, tightrope walkers, juggles, anything that you could ever dream of! It'll all be here in Ponyville for one night only! And don't forget to contribute to our fundraiser for the School of Friendship! Every bit you donate gives a student the chance to learn about friendship!"
"Not bad, Roundy," Whirling remarked to his ringmaster and right hoof pony. "But maybe put a little more oomph into it."
From a nearby shop, Gallus and Silverstream along with Luster Dawn and Cherry Tomato joined the crowds of onlookers.
"Not very often we see a circus come to town," Cherry Tomato remarked. "Especially when Whirling Wonders is running it."
"I'll bet he'd give Countess Coloratura a run for her money," Luster Dawn added. "No one likes helping to brighten up lives like he does. Countess Coloratura' always big on charity."
"Just look at him, Gallus!" Silverstream dreamily sighed. "If only I could be a part of the circus, even just for a day. Oh, it would be a dream come true!"
"Anything for you, Silverstream," Gallus replied. "There's nothing like a wonderful day at the circus. Under the big top, there is no better place to be."
Suddenly, Whirling happened to spot Silverstream and Gallus in the crowd and took notice of them. "Stop the caravan!" He called with a sudden jerk, pointing right to Gallus and Silverstream. "You young creatures! I've heard great things about you!" Jumping off the caravan, he approached Silverstream and Gallus.
"Um, you have really?" Luster Dawn wondered.
"Of course" Whirling nodded in reply as he gave his full attention to Silverstream. "A little birdy told me that you're big into the trapeze, and yet there is no one in Equestria who can help you live out your dream, right?"
The more that Whirling spoke, the more Silverstream became excited. "Oh yes, yes, yes!" She screeched and shook Whirling's hoof! "I want to be in your circus! I'll do anything! Anything!"
"Good, then come swing by our tent this afternoon and show me what you've got," Whirling encouraged. "And that goes for anyone who is interested in helping us bring the greatest show in Equestria to life! The big top always has a place for those looking to make a name for themselves in showpony business." Then he departed as the crowd broke into thunderous applause.
"Well, that was easy," Scooter chuckled to Carrot Top. "Whirling still has that magic touch, nein?"
…
Later that day, Silverstream and Gallus along with the rest of their friends arrived at the circus tent. There stood Whirling Wonders, eagerly awaiting their arrival. "Welcome my friends," He beamed. "Welcome to the Whirling Wonders Circus…the greatest show in…"
"-In Equestria, we know." Sandbar interrupted.
"Anyways, come on in, why don't you?" Whirling offered. "Come see what the big top can do for you."
Stepping into the tent, the young students saw various acts around the tent being rehearsed: Including elephants standing on their hind legs, a pony being shot from a cannonball, and a fire breathing pony. The very sight of which terrified Ocellus, causing the young changeling to hide behind Smolder!
"Relax, it's only an act," Smolder reassured Ocellus. "Just like turning yourself into a fire breathing dragon."
"And here it is, everyone! Our great flying trapeze!" Whirling Wonders announced, directing the students to look up at the trapeze high above them. "Fifty feet of air for the greatest flyers to showcase their flying abilities! You've never seen anything like it!"
"Nothing we can't handle, right Gallus?" Silverstream excitedly asked, nudging him in the side.
"Yeah, right," Gallus nervously chuckled, trying to remember Luna's words as he looked up at the platform fifty feet above. Even though he had wings, it was still terrifying to think of how high off the ground he'd be if anything went wrong. "S-shall we go up?"
"Of course," Whirling encouraged. "Show me what you got! Only the best of the best can join my circus."
So the two young bird-like creatures climbed up the two separate ladders towards the top of the tent. However, as Gallus climbed, he began to feel a sense of unease. In his mind, this was not like they'd ever practiced. But he swallowed hard and tried his best to be brave. "Ready, Silverstream?" He called over to his friend and love interest.
"So ready, Gallus!" Silverstream called back! "Just like we rehearsed, remember?!"
Grabbing onto the rings, Silverstream jumped off the platform and Gallus did the same, reaching his claws out to grab Silverstream, flipping her over as they switched rings before he did the same. They repeated the process several times before stepping back down.
"Well done, very impressive!" Whirling excitedly exclaimed! "You are definitely worth adding into the show. In fact, how does the title of The Friendship Flyers sound to the both of you?"
"We'll take it!" Silverstream screeched! "Gallus and I are The Friendship Flyers for sure! We'll bring in loads of money for the school! Headmare Starlight won't know what to do with it all!"
"Excellent!" Whirling declared and clapped his hooves. "Now go over to our tailor to be fitted for costumes. You've got to look your best for the show tonight! The audience will expect nothing but the best!"
Immediately, Silverstream dashed over to the tailor and Gallus followed (albeit hesitantly). "Come on, Gallus! We gotta get fitted for our costumes!" She encouraged to him! "This is our big chance!"
"And seeing as the rest of you are friends of my newest act, have free tickets to tonight's show!" Whirling encouraged as he hoofed out golden tickets to the other creatures. "Be sure to tell everypony at your school about the new acts. I wanna see a packed big top tonight!"
A few moments later, Gallus and Silverstream came out wearing identical silver and gold laced costumes, fit for a pair of trapeze artists."
"That was fast!" Silverstream chirped. "I mean, look at me! I'm living the dream! If only my Aunt Novo could see me now! Ooh, and my Cousin Skystar too! This would totally blow their minds!"
Gallus could see that his lover's overexcitement was already starting to get to the point where she didn't seem concerned in the slightest about the potential dangers. It was a long way down from fifty feet, even if you could fly.
"Oh, it'd definitely give them something to talk about…" Gallus muttered, turning away to scratch the back of his head.
Little did anyone realize that one of the rings on Silverstream's side of the trapeze was starting to come undone!
…
…
Later that night, the tent was filled with eager ponies and other creatures all waiting for the show to start.
Just then, the trumpets sounded and Roundling Rounders stepped into the center of the ring to open the show. "Mares and gentlestallions, colts and fillies of all ages," He announced to the crowd. "We give you now a spectacle of unparalleled beauty with Whirling Wonders' world famous parade of the nations!"
"What's going on?!" Ocellus asked Sandbar as the lights began to dim and music began to blare.
"The parade of nations is how they introduce the entire circus," Sandbar answered as each of the various circus acts walked around the tent to the delight of the crowd. "It's a very big deal."
Towards the end of the parade were Gallus and Silverstream, demonstrating their flying abilities in an enclosed flying cage.
"Yeah, go griffon! Go hippogriff!" Yona excitedly cried!
As all the other various circus acts took place over the next several minutes, Gallus and Silverstream stood in the wings, eagerly awaiting their cue.
"This is it, Gallus," Silverstream whispered excitedly. "Imagine us, soaring high above for all to see!"
"Hey, anything for you is fine to me." Gallus said somewhat nervously, but trying not to show it for Silverstream's sake.
Just then, the trumpets sounded and Roundling Rounders came back out to the center ring again. "Mares and gentlestallions, I call your attention to the western most ring of the tent! Tonight, as part of our fundraising to benefit the School of Friendship, we are delighted to welcome two students who will be standing in for our friends, The Flying Colossals. I give you now, Gallus and Silverstream: The Friendship Flyers!"
Cheering in delight, the audience watched as Gallus and Silverstream stepped over towards the trapeze stands! From within the audience, Luna and Celestia watched with eagerness to see their two students perform their act.
"I hope Gallus takes to heart what I told him." Luna thought to herself with concern, noticing the obvious look of worry registered on his face.
Stepping onto their respective platforms, Silverstream and Gallus positioned themselves, totally unaware of the rope on one of the rings that was about to give way.
Taking a deep breath, the two friends leapt off of their respective platforms and began their act. For the first part, everything went well. And the second part was the same. Then came the third and final part of the act, the big finish.
Only now could Gallus see that the rope on Silverstream's end was inching closer and closer to breaking! He wanted to say something, to call out to Silverstream. But he couldn't, a knot formed in his throat and the words wouldn't come out!
Silverstream, unaware of the danger, motioned to Gallus. They went back to their original sides, ready for the grand finale. Then, just as Silverstream and Gallus were about to reach over to one another, disaster struck! A loud ripping sound could be heard as the rope finally gave way!
"Silverstream, look…!" Gallus started to cry out, but it was too late! The rope snapped, and Silverstream plunged down to the safety net below at a frightening speed! "SILVERSTREAM!"
Looking on and gasping in horror, the audience saw Silverstream transform into her seapony form in fear after clutching her necklace! She fell into the net, only to be bounced out of it! And it seemed for sure she was about to badly hurt herself, or worse!
Closing her eyes, Silverstream prepared for the worst. She was too terrified to think of transforming back! Suddenly, her descent stopped! She opened her eyes and felt herself all over, finding that she was not hurt. "I'm…okay?" Then she noticed something else about herself. "How…how did I become a seapony? What happened?"
Then Silverstream saw that she was sitting on top of Gallus, who looked unconscious! He had apparently flown down after her, no doubt trying to catch her after seeing her transform. "Gallus!" She cried, hastily becoming a hippogriff and turning him over. "Gallus, wake up! Please, you have to wake up!"
But the griffon didn't respond as the circus' medical staff rushed over to help him. Acting on instinct, Luna and Celestia flew over as well, ready to offer whatever aid they could.
"Silverstream, are you alright?!" Luna asked in a panicked voice. "Are you hurt?!"
"I'm… I'm fine…but Gallus," Silverstream cried as Gallus coughed up a little blood. Immediately, both Roundling and Whirling raced over to the scene!
"What happened here?!" Whirling cried in dismay! A disaster unfolding in the circus was the absolute worst thing that could happen!
"I think a rope on the ring snapped on my end, and I started to fall. He tried to help me, but…but…" Silverstream started to say, but her voice was filled with panic! Everything had unfolded so fast, it was like a blur to her!
"What ?!The ring snapped?!" Whirling cried as he ran over and picked up a broken trapeze ring. Sighing to himself, Whirling could only watch as Gallus was put onto a stretcher and taken away backstage. "Roundling! Get the next act going, quickly! The show must go on!" Then, racing backstage, he joined Luna and Celestia in their efforts to try to calm down the frightened Silverstream.
"I didn't know it was broken…honest!" Silverstream cried as her eyes became stained red with tears.
"It's not your fault, Silverstream," Luna sighed. "No one could have predicted this. It seems like this circus needed to do a better job inspecting its equipment," Then she turned to her sister and lamented. "I warned Gallus of the dangers and risks of this kind of business. But I never thought something like this could happen."
Hearing those words caused the guilt to well up inside of Silverstream. She had been so caught up in the moment of being in the circus, that she'd failed to give any consideration of the risks.
"That doesn't matter now," Whirling insisted. "What matters is that the griffon is okay. I'll never be able to live with myself if that kid doesn't survive this with no permanent injuries. I've never lost an act in my circus, not once!"
…
Meanwhile, Gallus had arrived at Ponyville General Hospital. Slowly, he opened his eyes, finding himself surrounded by those closest to him, lying in a hospital bed and clothed in a hospital gown. "What…what happened?" He drowsily asked. "Did I save her?"
"Gallus, you're okay!" Silverstream cried, clutching his claw tightly! "The ring on my side snapped and…"
"I saved you, didn't I?" Gallus chuckled. "You're not hurt, are you?" Then, suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
"She isn't, but you are," Sandbar seriously said. "I mean, you gave us quite a scare there. We all thought you might not make it."
"The doctors say you have some broken ribs," Whirling Wonders declared. "But you don't have to worry, we'll pay the medical bills. It's the least I can do after what happened. I should've realized it was too dangerous to put kids in the circus."
To Gallus, that didn't seem to matter in the slightest. All that mattered was that Silverstream was okay.
"Guess this is the end of our trapeze act, isn't it?" Silverstream sadly called.
"For now, it is," Gallus sighed, feeling more pain in his chest as he breathed. "Let's keep our feet on the ground for a while, eh?"
Tears formed in Silverstream's eyes upon hearing those words. True, her and Gallus' circus act was over, but at least Gallus was okay and that was all that mattered.
Just then, all heard the sounds of squeaking coming from down the hall.
"What's that noise?" Smolder asked. "Who is squeaking a chew toy?"
"Oh, that's just Princess Pinkie Pie trying to bring joy to a sick pony," Celestia chuckled. "We could sure use some nowadays."
And the entire group laughed at Celestia's words, not knowing of the condition of the sick pony that Pinkie Pie was trying to cheer up just down the hall.
