//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 - Plans & meeting a 'old' freind? // Story: Two Cybertronians Walk Into A Movie Theater // by Solphestus //------------------------------// “Well, it's been nice meeting you Arcee, and it's been nice seeing you again Skywarp. But I have to go now, it's getting late and I would hate to leave my sister alone overnight.” Rarity said as she put her cloak back on, preparing to leave. “Understood.” Skywarp stated calmly. “I suppose we’ll meet again.” “Indeed we will, have a good night.” Rarity said before she walked out of the cave and down the side of the mountain back to ponyville. “She was nice, though what I want to know is why she always referred to me as your mate…” Arcee said, leveling her gaze at Skywarp. “I said you and I were a thing.” Skywarp explained half-heartedly as he walked over to lay on the ground. “Ah, that explains it.” She said with a smirk. “So, you going to use me for a blanket? Or are you going to sleep without one?” “The former.” Skywarp pulled Arcee onto him causing her to blush though she continued to smile at him as she got comfortable and went to sleep on top of him as if he were a giant body pillow. Skywarp looked outside of the cave, an air of anxiety washing over him as he held Arcee close to him. Something inside of him was scared. The next morning, Skywarp and Arcee began redecorating the cave. It looked much neater afterwards. “There’s… Nothing… To do!” Skywarp cried out in anguish. “Arcee, what do we do!?” “Explore?” Arcee suggested, as usual. “You’re all about exploring… Ugh, fine. Let’s go.” Skywarp yawned, before taking flight. “Where to?” “...Well, do you want to go see what we can find off in the east?” Arcee asked out of curiosity. “I don’t know… Let’s go and see.” Skywarp stated, before heading in that direction. Arcee simply smiled as she followed after Skywarp, excited to see what adventures they would possibly find. “Hey Rainbow, you ready for the next mission?” Fleetfoot asked as she knocked on Rainbow’s door. “Huh? Oh, give me a moment!” Rainbow shouted before the sounds of someone stumbling around as if they were caught off guard started coming from the other side of the door. Fleetfoot tapped her right forehoof as she waited. She turned to Pinkamena and said, “Lovely day, huh?” No response. Pinkamena only glared ahead of her. “Yeah…” Fleetfoot awkwardly looked away. “Sorry about that.” Rainbow said as she stumbled out of her room with her new prosthetic wing attached and her uniform on. “I kinda lost track of time while polishing my wing again…” She then added with a nervous chuckle. “It’s okay cap. Wish we knew what we’re doing though.” Fleetfoot sighed. “The princess will probably give us the details when we report for duty.” Rainbow said waving off the other mare’s concern. “Now, let's get going before Shining Armor or Sunset start getting ideas to punish us for being late.” “They wouldn’t punish us… Right?” Fleetfoot asked nervously as she and Rainbow made their way to the strategy room, Rainbows new guards following suit. “They probably would.” Maud commented. Once they arrived at the room and entered, they saw Sunset Shimmer wearing her signature cloak, eating something that looked less than appetizing. Shining Armor, looking as pristine as ever in his golden armor. And Princess Celestia. “Princess.” Fleetfoot acknowledged with a quick bow. “Hello my little ponies. You arrived just in the nick of time!” Celestia said in her usual motherly tone. “Three point five seconds late, but who’s counting…” Sunset grunted, flicking her grease cover mane with her hoof. “Sorry, had to get Dash. She was polishing her wing.” Fleetfoot stated truthfully, causing Rainbow to facehoof. “S’okay. Not like there’s a war going on that could end in everypony becoming enslaved…” Sunset muttered. She then swallowed the unknown food into her mouth. “Sro… You frirees redry tro harpe uth-” Sunset coughed. “Sorry, choked a bit. So, you fillies ready to help us deal a major blow to Sombra?” Fleetfoot looked to Rainbow questioningly. “Uhh… So what's the plan?” Rainbow asked nervously. “It’s simple. Your flight team sneaks into Sombra’s base. There aren’t many Pegasi in his army, so you should get the drop on him.” Derpy Hooves, a pegasus general wearing a similar armor to Shining’s, but with the addition of an eye patch, said as she walked into the room. “You’ll enter the base by nightfall.” “Shiny’ll distract Sombra’s forced via Sky Force tech. It’ll be night, so you guys shouldn’t be noticed until it’s too late.” Sunset added. “Why haven’t you done this before?” Fleetfoot asked. “Simple. Because we didn’t see a way to get past the barrier around the Crystal Empire. Until now.” Derpy pointed at a map of the Empire on the war rooms table. “We finally found what makes the barrier and keeps them working. There are pillars, that keep it up and sustain each other. Take one out, and then the domino effect takes it’s tole. Getting the blimp there will be tough, but we found a way.” Derpy gestured to Sunset. “I’ll sneak over there and open up a two-way gateway. Celestia will be here and open the second half. We’ll transport the blimp there through that portal, and do the same thing if there are any complications.” Sunset explained. “I haven’t told Celestia this though, so it’s a longshot even if you agree.” “So that was your plan my student.” Celestia mused as Rainbow Dash looked between herself and her subordinates. “You guys feel like we could pull this off?” Rainbow then asked her team. “I know we can.” Flitter said, smirking. “YEAH!!!” Snowflake shouted. Surprise was busy placing exploding powder in Thunderlane’s uniform. “What do we do once we’re in?” Fleetfoot asked, ignoring Thunderlane’s girly scream as the powder explodes and Surprise burst out laughing. “Simple, Sombra still has needs. You simply need to kill him in his sleep.” Sunset said, pulling out a flask from her cloak with her magic. “Uhh… You sure this plan will work?” Rainbow asked nervously. “Nope. In fact, I have a feeling you’ll mess it up.” Sunset said, before taking a swig from the flask. “Shimmer, no alcoholic beverages befor-” Derpy started but Sunset cut her off. “Cool your socks- or lack thereof, it’s just grape juice cyclops.” Sunset shook the flask a little. Derpy glared with her one eye. “O-kay… We’ll be going now then.” Rainbow said as she turned around and started making her way towards the war room’s exit. “Good luck my little ponies.” Celestia said as she tried to ignore the catfight that had broken out between Derpy and Sunset. “If that yellow mare is supposed to have our backs, we’re screwed.” Flitter whispered as they left. Once the team was gone, Sunset turned to Celestia. “The darkness… It’s getting… Closer.” Sunset sighed. “I’m not sure I can make sure they’re safe… Even if Sombra’s dead, what can we do about his apprentice?” “The most we can do for now is hope for the best until either a champion rises to save us from peril or a miracle happens.” Celestia sighed, “After all, according to what you have told me his apprentice is only getting stronger as time goes by.” “Go take a shower, Shimmer. You look like a mess and you smell like sewage…” Derpy growled. “Thanks. It means I’m not wasting a resource.” Sunset sneered, taking another swig of her grape juice. “Just go take a shower Shimmer.” Shining Armor grumbled, having decided to not get involved until the discussion changed to his friend's health. “Whatever, Shining… I do what I want, you aren’t my boss.” Sunset grunted as she stood up. “I have to go take care of the blimps preparations.” “No, Shining can take care of that. I may not be especially close to you, but I don’t like seeing you degrading.” Derpy said sternly. Sunset sighed. “Fine… If you’re going to nag me like that I might as well.” Sunset groaned. “If it helps, I could bathe you like when you were a filly if you don't want to do it yourself~” Celestia teased. Sunset rolled her eyes. “How funny…” Sunset trotted off. Derpy rolled her eye. “That mare puts too much stress on herself. I haven’t seen her in three months, and during that time she’s been off on one of her goose chases for the Crystal Heart… She may end up a liability in this state.” Celestia sighed as she slumped on her throne. “I hope that day may never come… I just wish things could go back to how they used to be before the empire had returned.” “Not seeing anything…” Skywarp groaned. “There’s nothing out here, everything’s brown.” “Its nothing like I had hoped… and the only things I have seen so far are those funny looking birds that seemed to be part feline.” Arcee pouted, disappointed in what they did manage to find. “What?” Skywarp asked. “Didn't you see the flying catbirds that we passed over a short while back?” Arcee asked as she looked at Skywarp as if he had grown a second head. “Are you… High on something?” Skywarp asked. “No, are you?” Arcee deadpanned. “What’s going on?” He inquired. “Like… Really… What have we gotten ourselves into? And what do we do…? I don’t want to hide in a mountain forever...” “Well don't ask me, you're the only one who has any clue what half the stuff around us is.” Arcee pointed out with a sigh. “You know what? Screw it, I'm going to go see if there are any more talking animals nearby.” She then added as she decided to land and poke her nose around the mountain range below them out of complete and utter boredom before descending from the sky. “Alice!” Skywarp yelped, panic engulfing him. “What?” Arcee called over her shoulder as she turned her head to look back in his direction. “Dch-ch-ch-! Don’t go looking for… Things that might be dangerous!” Skywarp hissed. If he was more honest, he’d say that he just didn’t want to socialize with talking animals… Or period. “This place is a wasteland! It reminds me of Fallout or New Jersey…” “Oh don't be such a party pooper, it's not like we're going to be attacked by radioactive zombies, mad cultists or somethin…” Arcee said rolling her eyes as she landed at the edge of one of the mountaintop forests. “Don’t jinx it…” Skywarp sighed. “Ugh… This is going to be my whole day, isn’t it…?” He then flew down, following her lead. But as soon as he was near the ground, a beam of light blinded him and a pain shot through his chest, and the sound of an explosion greeted him as he lost consciousness. Arcee was shocked when she heard a ‘boom’ behind her. Quickly jumping in the air and spinning around to face the direction the sound came from out of reflex, seeing Skywarp with a smoke cloud billowing from his chest as hey laid on the ground. “THAD!?” She shrieked before racing over to him. A purple energy bolt zipped by her head as she ran. Once she made it to that, relief took over her. His armor was mangled, but from what she saw, his internal circuitry was intact. “Who’s there!?” She demanded as she looked in the direction that the energy bold that completely missed her came from. A small transformer with a purple frame and red eyes popped out of it’s hiding place. A blaster in one hand while the other arm looking like a piston. “You!” Arcee snarled, baring her fangs as pink energy began to gather in her throat, “How DARE you!” The minicom only smirked. “You’re a crazy one! Just makes more sense why the boss wanted no one around.” “Well, too bad because that also means I don't have to hold back now do I?” Arcee asked in a tone that sent shivers down the spine or circuits of whomever heard her before opening her mouth wide as the pink energy formed into a giant ball of laser-fire. “Now turn to scrap you bug!” “Oh crap!” The minicon screamed, ducking under his cover… Sadly it didn't help as the beam of flaming energy burnt right through it and everything around it by three meters and kept on going till it went over the edge of the mountain and continued into the sky, leaving nothing but ash, charred dirt, and a heap of molten metal in its wake... “I know you're listening! The next minicon you send after me and Thad will be the last you hear me? Because you won't survive to the next day afterwards, so back off!” She shouted out in warning, her eyes glowing a deep crimson as she looked up towards the sky… having known exactly who the ‘former’ minicon was. “Destruction of Rumble was not necessary, Alice.” A metallic, feminine voice replied from a cave where ‘Rumble’ once was in front of. Red eyes glowing from the darkness. “So you know my old name? Then you should know that the only one of Soundwave’s minicons I cared for were Laserbeak and Ravage. Now who are you?” Alice demanded as she aimed herself at the source of the voice, her currently red eyes glowing brighter. “I wasn’t under the impression that you were here. Rumble was simply guarding the base.” Soundwave replied simply as she stepped out of the cave. “I have been following you and Thaddeus’ actions for a while. I tried to discern the most opportune moment to reveal myself.” “Huh I suspected that me and Skywarp weren't the only ones… But I never imagined a female soundwave…” Arcee muttered, her fury wiped out my pure confusion… But that was understandable for someone like her and was obviously nothing new either. “My original gender was female, and I was wearing a Soundwave shirt when I entered the movie theatre.” Soundwave added calmly as she ejected a pair of tapes. “Frenzy, Ratbat, mission: retrieve Rumble for potential repairs.” One was a black and red humanoid robot like Rumble, while the other one looked like a yellow and black bat. “Wait a minute… you said when you entered the movie theater… were you following us even back on earth!? Wait you used to be human too!?” Arcee said, her voice becoming somewhat shrill as all kinds of crazy thoughts began to flood into her unstable mind. Soundwave didn’t react other than speaking. “I was...” “Stalker alert! Stalker alert!” Arcee yelped as she hid behind the unconscious Skywarp as she tried shaking him awake. “Skywarp wake up! I need your help, I can't remember what I'm supposed to do when a stalker approaches me!” “I am not a stalker. I was merely observing you on your date with my cousin.” Soundwave replied, causing Arcee to freeze. “R-Rani?” “Affirmative.” Soundwave replied. “Whaaa~~?” Arcee shouted out stupidly as her mind ground to a halt, her jaw hanging open as her eyes bulged and she slumped onto her sizable draconic rear. “I shall repair Thaddeus’ damaged exterior. I apologize for my inconvenience.” Soundwave, or ‘Rani’, grabbed Skywarp by his legs and dragged him into the cave while Rani lit up the cave. Arcee just continued to stare into empty space with a blank expression, lost to the world in her confusion as to the current turn of events. Skywarp jerked awake, his vision returning quickly. He was laying on a rocky surface in a dark cave. And above him was Soundwave. “Forgive me, I was unable to stop what my cassette did to you.” Soundwave said. Skywarp wanted to scream, but seeing that whoever this was hadn’t killed or took him apart had to mean that they were friendly, and based on what his mother taught him, screaming at friendly people was rude, and rude meant bad. So he just stared at the female Soundwave in horror. “I’ve completed your repairs. Though I believe you’d function more effectively without an animal form and just a hologram as a way to blend in better.” That… Made little sense to Skywarp. He didn’t have one of those, and neither did Soundwave. So he replied, “I… Don’t have one of those.” “I had some spare time to tweak with some cybertronian technology.” Soundwave answered. “I can install it into you if-” “No thank you! I’d rather not have someone poke around my insides!” Skywarp said, shoving Soundwave aside and standing up, before speed walking out of the cave. “Skywarp!” Aree yelled as she came flying at Skywarp in her robot mode, crashing into him and causing him to fall backwards as she landed with his head smothered in her chest, causing him to internally blush. “L-let’s get outta here, Arcee.” Skywarp said weakly. “No! You need to recuperate fully first! And then you're going to scold Rani for shooting you and then drag her along with us.” Arcee said, having decided on something during the time she had been outside the cave after coming back to her senses. “Rani…? But she’s back on Earth.” Thad was confused. “Oh, Soundwave? I know she seems like Rani, but you’re just drawing from a dry well…” “She followed us.” Arcee said simply. “You… Aren’t joking… Are you?” Skywarp asked. Sighing, Arcee only made one comment. “Nope.”