//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Insecticons on the Offensive // Story: Light Our Darkest Hour // by Dat Dash //------------------------------// Chrysalis sat upon her rebuilt throne as she overlooked the crowd of Insecticons gathered around her. She smiled in vile anticipation, for she had awaited this very day for quite some time. Chrysalis rubbed her hooves together as she prepared to address her audience. "Insecticons... lend your audio receptors and listen well," she declared, "For too long I have been humiliated and disgraced by those lesser than myself... but at this moment in time, that no longer matters. Triumph is at last within my reach. Though the ponies of Equestria have been a persistent thorn in my side, that thorn shall soon be removed... with extreme prejudice." "LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!! LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!!" chanted the Insecticons. "You, my dear Insecticons, shall be the hoof that plucks that thorn. You will find Twilight Sparkle and her friends and bring them before me. Destroy anypony or anything that gets in your way. Succeed in this task, and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams. Fail, and you will be destroyed. Is that clear?" "YES, MY QUEEN!" replied the Insecticons in unison. Chrysalis's grin grew wider upon hearing this. "Excellent," she said. "Once our task today is done, then Equestria will be mine, nay, ours, for the taking! I shall lead you to victory, as we crush those pathetic little ponies beneath us! When it is done, they will kneel, and they will march. They will march until they drop, in toil without end! And I will look down upon them and bask in their cries for mercy, and I will laugh. I will laugh as they suffer for me... for their queen... for their master... for THEIR! NEW! GOD!" "LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!! LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!!" As the Insecticons cheered for their leader's speech, they didn't notice Chrysalis suddenly grasping her forehead in pain as the voice of her commander echoed in her head. "Restrain your ambitions, Chrysalis," ordered the voice of Unicron. "Remember... your existence continues solely at my discretion." "... O-of course... m-my master," Chrysalis responded, and the pain had subsided as swiftly as it came. She straightened up in her throne as she gestured to her army. "Now, Insecticons...," she commanded, "ATTACK!!" The Insecticons flew out of the hive en masse, swarming into the air as Chrysalis laughed with sadistic glee. The Autobots were gathered at the base of Mount Canterlot with Twilight Sparkle and her friends, trying to come up with a plan while they still had the chance. With the fate of the whole planet at stake, failure was not an option. "I'll be honest with you, Optimus," said Ultra Magnus, as he held Twilight in the palm of his hand, "I wasn't expecting the locals to be so... cute." Twilight blushed upon hearing this comment, smiling nervously. "None of us knew what to expect, old friend," Optimus replied, "But we must be on our guard. This world is under attack, and we owe it to ourselves and our new allies to protect it with everything we have." "So big bot, what's the plan?" asked Arcee. "Our priority is to keep Twilight Sparkle, her friends, and the Elements of Harmony safe from Unicron and his new herald, Queen Chrysalis." Kup raised an eyebrow skeptically. "And what are these... Elements?" "Show him, Rarity," said Twilight. Rarity pulled an ornate storage chest out of her saddlebags with her telekinesis and unlocked the clasp as she made it float towards Kup's line of vision. Inside were five golden necklaces and a single golden tiara, each with a different colored gem embedded in the center, much to Kup's astonishment. "You mean to tell me Unicron came all this way for some... jewelry?" he asked in bewilderment. Rarity was taken aback by this. "Those aren't merely ordinary jewelry," she explained defensively, "they are priceless magical artifacts that contain the most powerful magic known to ponydom! Time and time again, they've protected Equestria from numerous foes great and small!" "And they are the only things on this planet that can stand in Unicron's way," Optimus added. "I will be responsible for the safeguarding of the Elements for the time being." Optimus grabbed the chest out of the air as Rarity released her telekinetic grip on it. His window panels on his torso opened up, revealing the chamber which housed his Matrix of Leadership. The chamber lowered and moved out of the way to expose a hidden storage compartment behind it, where Optimus placed the Elements. "Remember Autobots, we mus--" But before he could finish his sentence, a loud buzzing sound could be heard in the distance. "What's that noise?" asked Hot Rod worriedly. "Whatever it is, it doesn't sound friendly," noted Arcee as she pressed a button on the side of her head, deploying a visor over her optics to enhance her visual input. She looked towards the source of the sound, and as her vision was magnified, she was in for a nasty surprise. "Insecticons? What are they doing here?" "Oh no! They might be that army Chrysalis threatened me and my friends with," said Twilight nervously. "Well, about time I got some action!" said Rainbow Dash as she flew off towards the Insecticon horde. "Rainbow Dash, no!" said Optimus as he carefully grabbed Rainbow Dash by the tail, just hard enough to stop her in her tracks. "Let us handle this." "Ugh, fine," replied Rainbow Dash in disappointment. The Autobots transformed into their Equestrian vehicle modes; Ultra Magnus into a freight train, Hot Rod and Arcee into high-speed go-karts, and Kup into a small carriage. They sped off towards the Insecticons before leaping into the air and transforming back into their robot modes. The Insecticons opened fire as Optimus's hand became a glowing orange battleaxe, deflecting the Insecticons' laser blasts back at them. He sliced through an approaching Insecticon before landing on the ground, with his axe transforming back into his hand. He pulled out his Ion Blaster and began to fire back at the Insecticons, while the other Autobots pulled out their guns and did the same. However, for every Insecticon killed, twelve more arrived to take its place. "They just keep coming!" shouted Hot Rod, "We can't hold them off much longer!" "Stand your ground and keep firing!" replied Optimus, "We need to hold out for as long as we can!" Fluttershy covered her eyes as she squeaked in fear. Applejack gulped. "This don't look like it's gonna end well," she pointed out. Rainbow Dash stepped forward boldly and said, "We have to help them!" "How?!" asked Twilight, looking at Rainbow Dash as if she had just suggested that Princess Celestia was secretly a reptile from beyond the stars. "These... Insecticons... there's too many of them!" Suddenly, a massive laser blast struck the Insecticons from above, wiping out most of them in a single hit, much to everyone's surprise. "That blast!" exclaimed Kup as he and the others looked to the sky, "who could've...?" Optimus gasped. "It can't be..." At that moment, two F-15 fighter jets descended from the sky. One of them was black and purple, and had a silver Walther P38 pistol mounted to the side, while the other was blue and red, with a cassette player sitting in the cockpit. As the jets dove closer to the ground, they too, transformed into mighty robots, and so did the pistol and the cassette player, both of which had grown to many times their original size. "Well, Optimus Prime, we meet again," said Megatron. "I hope you don't mind if we... drop in." Pinkie Pie giggled slightly at this pun. "Megatron... I never thought I'd see you again," replied Optimus as the two robots shook hands. "Your timing, however, is perfect." Kup smiled. "Never thought I'd say this, but thank Primus the Decepticons are here!" "Uh... guys, the Insecticons! They're still coming!" said Hot Rod, pointing off to the distance, where more Insecticons could be seen. "We'll handle your little bug problem, Autobots," replied Thundercracker with a smirk. "Don't you worry." The Decepticons transformed once more as they flew off towards the Insecticons. However, not too far from the Autobots and their equine friends, groaning sounds could be heard coming from a downed Insecticon, its metal limbs twitching feebly. Twilight Sparkle slowly approached it as her horn began to glow. "Be careful, Twilight," warned Optimus, "It could be a trap." Twilight nodded in acknowledgement as she continued to approach the Insecticon, splitting open its metal shell to reveal a pained Changeling inside, breathing weakly. "Princess... Twilight..." the Changeling said weakly, "I... am I... free?" Fluttershy gasped in horror as she witnessed what was unfolding before her eyes, while Optimus's optics widened in shock. "I don't believe it," he said, "There... was an organic inside that Insecticon?" "Yes... you're free," Twilight reassured the dying Changeling. "what's happened to the other Changelings?" The Changeling gasped for air as he tried to explain. "Chrysalis... she's back... put us all... into these... metal things... killed... Thorax... go... Princess... stop her..." He struggled to continue speaking before breathing his last. "Sweet Celestia," said Twilight as she looked up in horror, "It's worse than we thought."