//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Chrysalis, Herald of Unicron // Story: Light Our Darkest Hour // by Dat Dash //------------------------------// "A most wise decision, Chrysalis," said Unicron. "But first... you require a new form." "I don't understand, my Master..." replied Chrysalis, confused. "Many obstacles shall lie in your path... some will be familiar to you, and some will not be. You will require a new form... a new body... to surmount these obstacles." Chrysalis chuckled darkly at the idea of being able to truly crush her enemies once and for all. "I understand now, my Master," she proclaimed proudly. "Excellent." Suddenly, Chrysalis felt a great pain surge through her body, as if it were being torn apart at the cellular level. She screamed in pure agony as entire portions of her insectoid figure disintegrated into the vacuum of space, to be replaced by what felt like steel. The process continued for what felt like an eternity, until the sensation subsided and she was almost nothing but living metal. "Behold..." declared Unicron, "your new body." Chrysalis was now made of dark violet-colored metal, with heavy neon green accents. Her new body had a very boxy appearance, almost as if she were made of steel crates arranged in a vaguely equine shape. Her head, however, was the most radical change. It looked like her old face, except it was now mostly silver, she wore what seemed to be a dark green helmet, and her eyes glowed a venomous lime green. "And these..." Unicron added, "...shall be your minions." A swarm of robotic insects flew out from what seemed to be the heart of Unicron itself. They landed in a circle around Chrysalis, changed into upright, bipedal forms, as if by magic, and knelt before her. She gaped in awe at her new army. Needless to say, she was impressed. "Your army... of Insecticons," declared Unicron. Chrysalis smirked fiendishly. "Thank you, Master," she said, her voice sounding far more metallic than it had before, "With this new body, I shall destroy all those who would stand in my way, and exact my vengeance upon Equestria!" And she laughed. It was a most dreadful and bloodcurdling cackle, brimming with psychopathic, nightmarish joy. It was a beautiful day as the sun shined brightly upon the streets of Ponyville. Obviously the weather pegasi had been doing their jobs well to keep the skies clear. Princess Twilight Sparkle smiled as she looked out from her castle's balcony. She was glad that her hometown looked as good as it did, especially just after that year's Winter Wrap-Up. It was at times like this when she felt like she could burst into song, but she decided against it for the moment. Being the Princess of Friendship, she had more important things to worry about. Meanwhile, her young dragon assistant, Spike, sat in a chair near her, reading a comic book. Suddenly, Spike felt a burning sensation in his throat as he coughed up a scroll. He picked it up and looked at it in shock. "Twilight, you got a letter from Princess Celestia!" he exclaimed, "Urgent!" Twilight gasped. "Oh dear," she said worriedly. "Guess I should read it, then." She levitated the letter towards her and read it: My dearest Twilight, I fear that Equestria is in grave danger once again. Please come to Canterlot as soon as possible, and bring your friends with you. Yours truly, Princess Celestia "Again?" said Spike, exasperated. "This is like the seventh time this year!" Twilight smiled warmly at her assistant. "Don't worry, Spike. It's probably nothing we can't handle," she reassured him. "We've been through so much together. It'll be over in about an hour or so, probably." Spike sighed. "It must be a Wednesday," he said under his breath. Twilight gave him a pat on the head. "Pack your bags, Spike. We're going to Canterlot." Five Autobots drove through the forest of an unfamiliar world. It was almost like Earth's rainforests, even down to some of the animal life. There were, however, forms of animal life that were definitely not from Earth. "Well, the space bridge works across dimensions, who would've thought?" said the city commander Ultra Magnus. "Way too convenient that it brought us here, if you ask me," said Kup irritably. "It's not like we programmed in exact co-ordinates. I'm surprised we didn't end up inside the core of a neutron star or something." "It's called luck, old-timer," replied Hot Rod. "We seem to have been missing some of that lately." "I'd say it's a miracle," said Arcee. "Luck would be if we ended up on Caminus or something." "We can discuss the circumstances later," said Optimus Prime. "Our primary objective is on finding the native sentient population of this world. Perhaps then we will get an idea of where we are. For now, stay focused." "I don't think that anyone here would be willing to give directions," noted Kup. "They'd be scared of us more than anything." "Then perhaps a change in our disguises is in order," replied Optimus, "Once we locate the nearest settlement, scan for a suitable alternate mode. This may make the locals more tolerant of our presence." "Wish I had thought of that," said Hot Rod. One could always count on Prime to make a quick decision in a time of need. "Autobots," commanded Optimus, "roll out!" The Autobots headed off into the distance, ready for whatever laid ahead.