//------------------------------//
// Ch. 2: Friendly Advice 
// Story: Drifting Sunset 
// by Kamenriderjester 
//------------------------------//

    Ratchet stared at his friend for a long time. He wasn't sure what to make of the claim he had just made. “You're in love with her?” 
 
    Drift nodded. “Yes. I think I am.”
 
    “Are you sick?” Ratchet asked as his hand reached towards a bio-scanner on his workbench hoping to find some anomaly in Drift. “Please tell me you are experiencing some sort of viral effect which is scrambling your neural processor and making you believe you are in love with her.”

    “I'm not sick,” Drift said, finally handing Ratchet the extra container of Engex hoping it would stop him from conducting a full physical examination. “I've been wrestling with these feeling for a while.”
 
    “I know you're not but as a medical professional I have to ask,” Ratchet sighed as he put down the scanner, took the beverage, and drank several large gulps of it. “The relationship between Earth and Cybertron is shaky at best. They are only tolerating our involvement because of the fact they hope our technology can somehow explain the incidents with the girls. Now you are insisting you're in love with one of them.”
 
    “I know. I know it doesn't make sense,” Drift replied as he took his own sip of his drink. “But I can't stop thinking about her. I want to be with her so bad, my spark hurts when she's not around.”
 
    “I don't really know what to say,” Ratchet said as he looked back at the data screens. “Of course I'm not one to really advise people on relationships. It took me millions of years to finally say a proper goodbye to my friends. Still you're so your own. I wish you luck but I can't really help with this. You'll have to figure out what to do on your own.“
 
    “Thanks,” Drift chuckled. This was a better reaction than he was hoping for when he imagined telling others his feelings for Sunset. Still, his new emotions would have to wait as there were now more pressing matters to attend with. “What should we do about your findings?”
 
    “Delete them,” A voice called from behind. Ratchet and Drift turned to see Windcharger walking into the laboratory. The Autobot warrior had a very annoyed look on his face.
 
    “How much of the conversation did you hear?” Drift asked calmly. Windcharger’s comment about Ratchet’s discovery made it seem like he wasn’t happy either to hear about the girls being used as an energy source. 
 
     “Enough,” Windcharger sneered as he looked at the data on the screen. “First off, good luck with your love life. You're gonna need it. Second, we can’t tell anyone else about this. I've seen too many worlds destroyed by our war over resources which weren’t half as good as the girls could be. I’m not going to let Dash be used by someone for some sick experiment.” 
 
    “I see,” Ratchet sighed. He finished the can of Engex with a large swallow before crushing it and throwing it at the wall in frustration. “Looks like I have no choice. I’ll have to do my best to falsify information to make it look like the girls don’t have abilities which could be useful to anyone.” 
 
   “Will you really be able to?” Windcharger asked, his rage slowly subside as it appeared Rainbow Dash wasn’t in any type of danger. “Can we really keep them safe?”
 
   “Well, we can try our best at the very least,” Ratchet said as he sat back down at his workstation. “You two get some rest, it's going to be another long night for me.”  
 
    Deciding it was best to leave the medic to his work, Drift and Windcharger left his lab. Once they were farther enough away, Drift decided to ask a question to change the subject. “So, what about you and Dash? Are you in love with her?”
 
    “She’s my partner. I want to protect her. End of story,” Windcharger grunted as they started walking towards their quarters. Drift could tell from the tone in his comrade's voice this was not the time to press the issue. “Unlike you and Beachcomber, I’m not about to get over one enormous detail. We are robots. They are humans. And I don’t see it changing in the foreseeable future.” 
 
    “Actually she's a magical pony from another dimension,” Drift replied trying to implore the same manner of humor he did with Ratchet. This time he was met with a cold shoulder as Windcharger seemed to ignore the comment entirely. “What about our avatars? Our holomatter can walk with them, talk with them, and even engage with them physically. Isn’t it enough?”
 
    “You tell me,” Windcharger shrugged. “All I know is if I were you I’d get a second opinion before you blow the working relationship you have with your partner.” 
 
    “Yeah maybe I should,” Drift said as he thought about who else he could talk to about his situation. Just as they made it to his quarters and Drift was about to part ways with his teammate, he realized he had one more question to ask. “Wait! Beachcomber’s in love with Fluttershy?”
 
    “I don’t know,” Windcharger replied as he opened the door to his quarters but looked back long enough to answer Drift’s question. “It just seems like all he talks about is his research missions with her. If he’s not in love, he’s enjoying himself more than I’ve seen him on any other survey job he’s ever done.” 
 
   Walking inside, the door shut behind Windcharger leaving Drift alone in the doorway of his quarters with lots to think on. He and his fellow Autobots were going to keep dangerous information from others in hopes of keeping the girls alive. They would have to keep this a secret to ensure their safety. The girls had abilities which made them some of the most formidable beings in the universe. These pressing issues seemed far away as one thought was front and center in his mind. He was in love with Sunset Shimmer and he had to tell her about it. 
 
    Realizing he was still running low from a long day, Drift decided to address all his concerns in the morning. He closed himself in his room, returned to his recharging slab, and connected the energization cord. He shut his eyes and fell into sleep mode in record time. 
 

***


 

    “Drift!” Sunset shouted as she made her way through the fog. She had no idea how she had gotten so lost. All she knew was  she couldn't survive long if she didn't find her partner. “Drift, where are you?”
 
    Slowly a glow in the distance the fog started to disperse the fog. The glow intensified until it burned away the fog completely  and revealed where she was. The glow was from Drifts spark and she was standing on his body near his stomach. 
 
    “Looks tasty,” A voice called from above. Sunset looked up and a chill ran down her spine. It was her demon form hovering high in the sky. Smiling down menacingly, the winged form dropped from the sky and stood near the glowing spark. “This will give me the power I need.”
 
    “No!” Sunset screamed as ran towards her evil form. Before she could make it close enough to stop her the demonic Sunset waved her hand and chains burst from the Drift’s body, wrapped around Sunset’s arms and legs and dragged her time the ground. She struggles violently against the bonds but they kept her tight in place. “Don't touch him!”
 
    “I'm not going to,” The Demon Sunset laughed wickedly before erupting into a burst of flame. Her form distorted and changed before the fire went out and her transformation was complete. “You are.”
 
    The Sunset on the ground was speechless. Her Demon's self looked just like she did back when she was torturing Princess Twilight Sparkle when she came to this world (see My Little Pony: Equestria Girls). It looked identical to the way she looked today but had a distinct look in her eye of malice and discontent. It was a version of her who didn't care about friendship or others and only wanted power. The evil twin turned towards Drift’s spark and reached for it. 
 
    “No,” Sunset screamed and struggled against her bonds. It did not good. As soon as the evil Sunset touched the spark it turned to ice instantly. The cold spread through Drift’s body to where Sunset was and the intense cold bit into her skin. This meant nothing to her as she was too devastated by what had happened. She could feel it, the life of her partner was gone and she had been the one who killed him.Tears fell from her eyes and onto the frosted metal lifeless body which was her trusted partner. 

***

   Sunset woke up in a cold sweat with a feeling like her heart would explode out of her chest. The nightmare was more vivid than she had in the past. It was the first time in a while she dreamt about becoming her demonic form in almost a year. Between helping the girls to conquer the Dazzlings (watch Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks), achieving her Daydream Shimmer form (Equestria Girls: The Friendship Games) and becoming Drift’s partner, she had not had a dream about becoming evil and hurting her friends for a long time. She hoped to never those dreams ever again but now she had broken her track record. 
 
    Panting as her heart pounded in her chest, still overcome by the fear brought on by her realistic dream, Sunset threw off the covers and got out of bed. Making her way through the dark to her bathroom, she grabbed a cup, filled it, and took large gulps of water in an effort to calm down. Once her heart stopped racing, she turned on the sink again and splashed cold water on her face. 
 
    Making her way through her house, she found the door leading to the garage, opened it, and turned on the light. It was empty, just as it was before Drift had made his space. She had never had enough possessions to use the area as storage and instead had use left it empty. Drift’s arrival had not only filled a voice in her home but also her heart. 
 
    “I'm such an idiot,” Sunset sighed as she leaned against the cold door and hugged herself tight. She wasn't feeling sadness so no tears were forming in her eyes. Instead all she felt was a feeling of regret which seemed to cling to her stomach and made her wish she had been honest with herself. 
 
    Her friends had suggested they push for Drift and Ratchet to get together for a while and for the most part she had thought it was a good idea and went among with it. When they finally said it and he drove off, she felt something start to churn in her stomach and she recognized it as the intense feeling of loneliness. A feeling she hadn't felt in a while. Drift had been there for her, had been someone she could talk openly with. She wanted him to feel contentment but it was starting to feel more like she wanted to be the one to make him happy. “Why can't I just be honest?”
 
    The question was rhetorical because she knew exactly why she hadn't allowed herself to be honest with the feelings she was starting to have for Drift. The answer was Flash Century the boy she had used to become popular. Despite the fact she was just playing the part of being a girlfriend, Flash had actually been putting effort into it. He had surprised her with flowers, gifts, and even heartfelt letters and notes. Almost all of these items were thrown into a nearby trash the moment she was out of sights, saving only some candies she got when she felt hungry. 
 
    This aspect of herself, the heartless ice queen was nearly as bad as her demonic form. Flash had been the only person she had ever been in a relationship with and it had purely been purely to use him as a status symbol. The fear of being an ice queen girlfriend was what had caused her to hesitant about having a relationship with anyone else since. She had been able to make peace with becoming a demon but this aspect of her personality still needed attention. It had taken a lot of work to finally find herself on the road to harmony. Connecting with someone intimately had the last thing on her mind.
 
    These personal scars from her past were bad enough but the undeniable logic of the difficulty of starting a relationship with Drift was written on the wall. She was a magical  pony from another world who had been transformed into a human and been so lost in her lust for power she had become a demon. He was a robot from another planet who could change into a car and practiced a code of ethics. How could they make it work? 
 
    Sighing heavily as she started to shiver from the cold, she shut the door to the garage. She walked to a mirror and found her hair was a mess from tossing and turning all night. Deciding she had no choice she got in the shower and spent the time to fix her hair. Once she was dressed, she decided to do some reading for a bit instead of going back to sleep. The book made her feel a bit better it it was still and time did pass faster. She still couldn't help looking up from her book every five minutes to check the time. 
 
    Finally it was 6:30 and time to head to school. She put the book into her bag and made her way to the garage knowing Drift would pull in any moment. She open the door to the garage and waited for her partner to pull in. After a while she was getting sick of waiting. She pulled out her phone and saw it was 6:45. This was odd. Drift was never usually late, especially since he could be transported anywhere thanks to the Ground Bridge. 
 
    She was just about to text him and ask what was holding him up when she got a message. It was from Ratchet. 
 
RATCHET: Drift still resting. We had a late night last night. 
 
    The text message was less than comforting. The lack of sleep and her active imagination made her come to the worst possible conclusion. She began to think of Drift and Ratchet confessing their feelings for each other and having sex. The vivid images were too much and she screamed loudly I to the empty garage. 
 
    She now felt exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go back to bed and sleep but she knew she had to go to school. Swallowing her frustration, she made her way to the bus stop down the street and hoped she could grab a cup of coffee before class.


***

    Drift stretched as he woke up. A wide smile spread across his face. Between the full recharging process and being honest with his feelings for Sunset he finally was able to get a proper night's rest. He pulled up the display on his arm and saw it was 7:00. In the confusion last night he hasn't remembered to set his alarm. 
 
    Nearly ripping the recharge cable from his chest, he jumped to his feet, grabbed his swords, and made his way to Ratchet's lab. 
 
    “Ratchet! You let me sleep in,” Drift said as he rush in to find the Autobot Medic still tapping away at his workstation. “I have to take the girls to school.”
 
    “Oh I'm sorry,” Ratchet replied bitterly. “I forgot you asked for the full continental breakfast and turndown service. I haven't walked away from this station for more than a cycle now for two days!”
 
    “Sorry, I do appreciate all you are doing,” Drift winced as it dawned on him just how hard Ratchet was working. “I have to go though. I need to get Sunset to school.”
 
    “No need,” Ratchet grumbled. “I took the time to send her a message and let her know you wouldn't make it. Windcharger left early to get the other girls there in time.”
 
    “Wow, you really do think of everything Ratchet,” Drift complimented the Medic in an effort to show how genuinely appreciative he was of his work. Realizing he didn't have to rush out, Drift decided to see if there was anyway he could assist Ratchet. “How is it going? Did you find a way to keep the girls out of danger?”
 
     “Yeah, I did,” Ratchet yawned. His late night work session had caught up to him. “Deleting my findings was easy enough. The problem was figuring out how to make the girls be less appealing as a source of energy. Then as I got a late night text from Pinkie Pie with another of her random Memes and it hit me. I need to make them appear as unstable as possible. Creating a fake energy pattern which in no way could be utilized was easy enough. Individually incorporating the pattern into every incident report, case file, and biological scan of the girls is taking some time. Still, I should be done sometime today.” 
 
    “Excellent work, Ratchet!” Drift proclaimed as he patted his friend on the back. The idea of Sunset and the rest of the girls being out of danger put a large smile on his face. “Anything I can do to help?”
 
    “Yes, take over for me today and do monitor duty,” Ratchet replied as he took the time to save all of his work and get up from his seat. “If your girlfriend made it to school there is no point in rushing there to tell her how your feel until the day is over.” 
 
    “Sounds like a plan,” Drift agreed as he watched his exhausted friend head towards his quarters. “I'll do monitor duty. You go rest.”
 
    The doors to the lab closed behind Ratchet as he left leaving Drift alone with the monitors set to scan for any Cybertronian activity across the planet. He did his best to focus on the task at hand and not think about Sunset or have any weird daydreams about the two of them as a couple. This lasted for about eight minutes before he thought about what gift he would give her for their Conjunx Ritus ceremony. 
 

***

    Ratchet awoke hours later but still had his same chipper attitude. After taking over his workstation, he opened a Ground Bridge, and wished Drift the best of luck. Thanking him for the help, Drift transformed into his alt mode and drove through the portal which instantly transported him back into the city. 
 
    Drift made his way through town and arrived at the Canterlot High parking lot in record time. The school day was over but he knew the person who could give him a second opinion. She often liked to stay after to get work done. His holomatter avatar had been on since he exited the ground bridge so no one would be suspicious of a car driving down the street without a driver. Getting out of his body, his avatar walked into the school, hoping to not be stopped by any of the teachers of staff. The last time he was here Vice Principal Luna stopped him and asked him for his student ID. Luckily, the girls were close and Applejack and Sunset were able to run interference by distracting her. 
 
    He knew he needed to get more advice on how to talk with Sunset about how he felt. It had been the main focus of his attention while he was sitting at the monitor station all day. He needed to know if he did extend his feelings Sunset would return them. This meant he need to go to the member of the group who he knew would best source of this information. He made his way through the hallway and was sure not to be cornered by anybody who might ask him what he was doing on campus. He eventually arrived at the empty classroom Rarity used regularly as her personal workshop. He knocked on the door remembering the time Beachcomber forgotten to on a previous visit only to walk in on a half nude Fluttershy who was trying on an outfit and have Rarity through several handfuls of thread at his Avatar’s head. Looking back on it, Drift wondered if it really was an accident. 
 
    “Who is it?” She sang through the door.
 
    “It's Drift.”
 
    The purple haired girl opened the door wearing the trademark glasses she wore when she was working. She gazed at him curiously. “Drift? What are you doing here? Something I can help you with?”
 
    “Actually yeah,” Drift replied sheepishly. “Can we talk?”
 
     “I suppose. Come in,” she said as she motioned him into the room and towards a padded stool. “Have a seat. I need a break anyways.” 
 
    “Well there's something I need to ask you about,” The autobot swordsman was having difficulty figuring out what to say next. “I just I've never done this before.”
 
    “Done what exactly?: Rarity asked. 

    Drift steadied himself and remembered how he felt only a brief while ago while talking to Ratchet. He gathered his courage and knew there was no turning back. “I...I'm in love with Sunset.” 
 
    He didn’t how to gauge human reactions yet but from what he did know he was sure what he said had resonated with Rarity. She did not jump up in joy or gasp in shock which he thought were was going to be her initial reactions to his declaration. Instead she looked expressionless as if taking a moment to process what he had said. 
 
     Taking a deep breath, she took off her glasses, folded them, and put them on a table. She grabbed her bottle of raspberry lime water and took a seat adjacent to him. She drank a few sips of the beverage like she was getting herself for her reply. “Can you guys love a human?” 
 
    “Well yeah,” Drift replied, a bit taken back by the question. “We can feel a lot of things especially love.” 
 
    “I didn't mean any disrespect,” Rarity apologized as she realized she was too forward. “It's just...see, I don't think I'm the one that can really give you any advice.” 
 
    Drift wasn't sure what she meant by this statement. “Because you disagree?”
 
    “No,” Rarity sighed bitterly. “Because I'm kind of in the same boat.” 
 
    “What do you mean,” Drift asked, still not sure what Rarity was talking about. 
 
    “Something...happened...about a month ago. It was the last time Tracks was in town,” Rarity said as she looked down at the floor. Tracks had designated himself essentially a reserve member of the unit. His first priority was to help Optimus with his efforts to act on the goodwill missions to help the Autobot’s relationship with humans on Earth. When he was in town he often hung out with Rarity. The two of them  got along because they often talked of fashion and looking good together. 
 
    “What happened exactly?” 
 
    “I don't want to talk about it really. Let's just say he was there for me when I needed him and leave it there,” Rarity sighed as she took another drink of her water. “Now I don't know how I feel towards him. I keep texting him every day and he replies back. But I haven’t told him my feelings. Maybe because I might be denying how I feel.” 
 
   “Wow,” Drift whispered. He didn't want to dig into the conversation any further as he didn't want to upset Rarity but it seems like the two had fallen for one another. “So what do I do about Sunset?”
 
    “I've known Sunset for a long time,” Rarity replied, trying to be encouraging. “Ever since she realized the error of your ways and tried to stay on the up-and-up she hasn't made any mention of connecting with anyone on a intimate level. I think she still feels bad about using Flash to become more popular.” 
 
    “She mentioned him a bit,” Drift admitted. Flash had come up in conversation when Sunset and Drift had decided to share a bit about his time with Wing, the noble Transformer from Crystal City who helped him to realize the error of his ways. It was a conversation focusing on how both felt bad about treating a good person wrong. “So…what should I do? 
 
    “Be honest with her,” Rarity smiled, finally shrugging off her own doubt. "If she rejects you then at least you tried. After all if things don't work out you have an entire universe you can escape into to forget about her. I think you need to sit down and talk with her. Tell her how you feel. Woman hate it when men aren't truthful with them.” 
 
    “I suppose,” Drift said, his doubts slowly breaking down.”  But what about the fact I'm from Cybertron and she's a human. Do you think she'll be able to overlook it? 
 
    “Darling she's a magical pony from another dimension,” Rarity chuckled. “What I've seen her do with magic is astonishing. I’m sure if necessary she’ll find the magic necessary to make the two of you work.” 
 
    “That's comforting I guess,” Drift grinned. “What about you and Tracks? What are you two going to do?”
 
    Taking another long sip of her water, Rarity replied, “I don't know right now.”
 
    “Well personally,” Drift said with a chuckle. “You should be honest with him. Right?”
 
     “Touche! Now go out there and tell her how you feel. If you don't," Rarity glared at him as she stood up and grabbed a pair of scissors and menacingly opened and closed them several times. "The next time you give me a ride your interior will get shredded." 
 
    "Alright, alright," Drift replied throwing his hands up in protest. "I'll go. Where is she?" 
 
    "She went with Fluttershy and Beachcomber to the woods north of town to help release a bunny those two nursed back to health."
 
    "I'll head there now," Drift said as he started to dissolve his Avatar. "Thanks for everything Rarity." 
 
    "Anytime darling," Rarity smiled as the light construct faded away until she was once again alone in the classroom. Reaching into her bag she pulled out a puke green plush monkey. Her smile faded as she looked at the ugly stuffed toy and hugged it close to his chest. "Tracks...if I ran after you would you stay this time?"

***

    “This spot looks perfect," Fluttershy announced as she shifted Beachcomber into park. The two girls got out of the giant robot, got the cage containing the bunny out of the back, and allowed Beachcomber the opportunity to transform into his robot form. "Are you ready to go back home Mr. Cottontail?" 
 
    The brown bunny didn't say anything and instead simply twitched its nose and shook with fear. 
 
    "He still doesn't like me does he?" Beachcomber asked as he noticed how much the creature was trembling. The blue robot started to walk away from the two girls and the rabbit. "Guess I'll make myself scarce for a bit. Maybe  take some time to check the local foliage." 
 
    "We'll join you in a second," Fluttershy called to her partner as he journeyed into the woods. An unmistakable huge smile was on her face as she watched the Cybertronian disappear. One which didn't go unnoticed by her friend. 
 
    "You two really get along well," Sunset commented as she and Fluttershy looked for a good place to release the rabbit.


    "Yes," Fluttershy admitted. "He has a great passion for learning more about our ecosystem. He also really listens to me when I talk about animals.” 
 
    “That’s nice,” Sunset smiled. She wanted to ask a more direct question but worried how Fluttershy would react to it. “Do you guys...I mean...What I mean is, are you guys more than partners?
 
    Fluttershy blushed. Her entire face and ears became as red as a traffic signal before she muttered an answer. “We...I mean…”
 
    “I'm sorry,” Sunset replied in almost a panic. She worried Fluttershy was going to pass out from embarrassment. “I just. I’m curious is all. I...I question what kinds of feels we are supposed to have for our partners. What’s appropriate? You know?”
 
    A long awkward pause held in the air for a few seconds as the normal color returned to Fluttershy’s face. She picked up the bunny’s cage, looked at Sunset, and gave a very content smile. “I don't want him to have to leave. Ever. I like him being around too much.”
 
    Sunset smiled. Whatever type of relationship Fluttershy and Beachcomber had, the truth was obvious. The pair were inseparable and shared a deep bond of trust. She knew she and Drift possessed the same thing. Only now she needed to know if what she was feeling wasn’t something more than just a friendship. If it wasn’t stronger. 
 
    Continuing on their mission, the pair found a nice calm meadow of flowers. It was closer to where Fluttershy had said she found the bunny a month ago. After a long goodbye from the pink haired girl, where she told the creature to behavior and not pick fights with bigger animals anymore, she opened the door and the animal hopped away back into the tall grass. 


    “Well, we had better go find where Beachcomber went,” Fluttershy said as she picked up the cage and started walking towards the woods they had seen him wonder into minutes before. “Beachcomber! Where are you?
 
    The girls slowly made their way deeper and deeper into the forest to try and find the wayward Cybertronian geologist. They soon found him crouched behind a rock, looking over it. Fluttershy put a finger to her lips to let Sunset know to be quiet. She knew this probably meant her partner was looking at some animal and was doing his best not to scare it off.

    The two quietly crept next to Beachcomber. Gently tapping him and getting his attention. He looked down, held out his large hand, and the pair stepped into it. He raised them up to so they would be able to see over the rock. The pair were shocked by what they saw. In a clearing not more than a few feet from where they were hiding was a large spinning ring of energy. It looked looked incredibly familiar to all of them.
 
    “Is that a Ground Bridge?” Sunset asked.
 
    “I don't believe so. I think it's something else. From the readings I'm getting it could be a Space Bridge,” Beachcomber replied as he looked at his scanner. “How a Space Bridge could have open here in the middle of nowhere is beyond me. It could be some kind random event. I should probably call Ratchet and have him…”
 
    “Look,” Fluttershy gasp, interrupting Beachcomber. “Something is coming out of it.” 
 
    The trio remain quiet as they looked at the portal in front of them. Sure enough a figure was starting to emerge from the portal. A large black head with horns and a long neck exposed itself before four sharp claws walked the rest of the massive body out of the portal and onto the the dirt floor of the forest. Seconds later the portal slowly shrunk behind him until it was gone.
 
    “What is it?”  Fluttershy whimpered as she did her best to keep from shaking in fear. 
 
    “It looks like a dragon.” Sunset said as she gazed at the beast in front of her. It indeed looks like something she remembered from back on Equestria. Black dragon with spots on its body of red and gold. Its eyes were a distinct menacing color of purple. It doesn't look friendly at all. 
 
    “He's not,” Beachcomber replied through gritted teeth as he looked at the creature and pulled out his weapon. “He's Scourge. He's notorious for being a scavenger who was sent into mop up different campaigns and worlds during the war. Some called him the lost Phase Sixer.” 
 
    “By Celestia,” Sunset whispered as she stared out at the beast in front of her. She had read enough of the files Ratchet had given her to know the Phase Sixers were those Megatron had sent in to completely decimate any remaining forces a planet may have in the last part of the invasion process. “What are we gonna do?”
 
    Before Beachcomber could reply, Scourge started to move. He sniffed at the air, turned towards where the trio was hiding, and let out a malicious roar which caused the area to tremble. Unable to retain their balance, Sunset and Fluttershy fell to ground, Fluttershy was able pull herself up after landing harshly on rear. She turned to Sunset and found her friend’s fall wasn’t as easy and found her unconscious on her side. 
 
    “Run!” Beachcomber shouted as he jumped to his feet and fired off several shots at the large black metal dragon. Unfortunately, the blasts only bounced off his hide and only caused Scourge to become enraged. Charging at the Autobot, he tackled him to the ground, and held him down all four of his claws. The dragon roared into the air before craning his neck down, biting into Beachcomber’s shoulder, and tearing off his arm with one swift motion.
 
    “No!” Fluttershy cried in terror at a volume she wasn't even aware was capable obtaining. After she had been able to take Sunset’s jacket off and use it to proper up her friend’s head, she had turned back in time to see her partner’s arm become unattached from his body. She jumped to her feet and ran towards her partner’s head. 

    The large black dragon looked down at his opponent. Beachcomber was doing his best not to go into stasis lock but the overwhelming surge of pain was making this difficult. The dragon threw appendage away like it was trash and began to scan the area. It sniffed at the air again like it did after exiting the portal and looked at where Sunset Shimmer was laying, still out cold.  
 
    “Energy,” the large black dragon hissed before stepping back and transforming into his robot mode. “You are full of energy.”
 
    Walking towards her in two of his monstrous steps, the Decepticon looked down at the small creature which he could sense great energy emanating from. Scooping her up, with his long thumb and index finger, Scourge looked at her carefully. Her small form was a curiosity to him. 
 
    Realizing this was the only thing of worth in the area, Scourge began to walk away from the wounded Autobot and his human partner. Fluttershy could only watch in disbelief as the Decepticon monster walked off with one of her best friends like he was a trophy form a hunt. She turned back towards Beachcomber, hoping he would be able to get to his feet and defeat Scourge with a well placed blast. Unfortunately, the pain was too overwhelming and he had slipped into stasis lock to be able to preserve his spark from dying out as the forest floor became covered with the different life sustaining fluids which were leaking out of his gaping wound.
 
    Fluttershy reached into her pocket to try and retrieve her cellphone to call for help only to find it broken. She needed to find a way to get help but she dared not leave Beachcomber’s side. She would be too afraid of him disappearing someway or his life going out completely if she left. Panic was getting the better of her. She didn’t know what to do. She began to scream as loud as she could for help, hoping someone would hear her. 
 
    After fifteen minutes, she heard the sound of a car approaching. Though it hadn’t been so longer, for Fluttershy it felt like an eternity. She pulled herself away from her fallen comrade and ran toward the sound of the engine. Running to the edge of the forest, she waved her arms desperately at the car pulling up. 
 
    “Help me!” Fluttershy screamed, her voice now raspy and tired from calling for help. “I need a phone, my friend…”
 
    Fluttershy stopped as she watched the car changed into Drift. The swordsman bent down on one knee and saw the young girl was clearly upset. “Fluttershy what’s wrong? What happened?”
 
    “Beachcomber!” Fluttershy cried, running towards Drift, who scooped her up in his hand and held her close to his face. She pointed desperately into the woods. “Sunset! Something came and and took her...his name was Scourge! Beachcomber got hurt trying to save us!”
 
    “Scourge, no,” Drift gasped as the legends of the lost Phase Sixer danced in his mind. The ruthless creature had Sunset. He wanted to go after him immediately and make him pay for taking Sunset, but by the sound of it he couldn’t leave Beachcomber in the condition he was in. “Point the way. I have to get Beach to Ratchet ASAP.” 
 
    Fluttershy guided Drift through the forest until they came upon the unmoving form of Beachcomber. Seeing the terrible condition his friend was in, Drift immediately opened a communication channel to the base. “Drift to Ratchet! Code X! Open a Ground Bridge at my location, Beachcomber requires immediate medical attention.”
 
    Within seconds, a Ground Bridge had opened close by and Ratchet stepped through, pushing a long metal hover dolly. Together, the two of them lifted Beachcomber onto the dolly and made their way back through the portal which teleported them safely back to base. 
 
To be continued…