As Megatron and his Decepticons pursued the Insecticon hordes through the skies of Equestria, blasting them to bits one by one, Soundwave began a long-range scan of the surrounding area, looking for any information about this strange new planet that could be useful. "Sᴇɴᴛɪᴇɴᴛ ʟɪғᴇ ғᴏʀᴍs ᴅᴇᴛᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ. Cʟᴀssɪғɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪᴄ. Tᴀxᴏɴᴏᴍʏ: ᴇǫᴜɪɴᴇ."
"Horses?" replied a bemused Thundercracker, as he violently dispatched several Insecticons. "Of all species..."
"Mᴏsᴛ ɪᴍᴘᴏʀᴛᴀɴᴛ ᴘᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ: Cᴏɴsᴛɪᴛᴜᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴍᴏɴᴀʀᴄʜʏ," continued Soundwave, "Aᴠᴇʀᴀɢᴇ sᴏᴄɪᴏᴛᴇᴄʜɴᴏʟᴏɢɪᴄᴀʟ ʟᴇᴠᴇʟ: ᴘʀᴇ-ɪɴᴅᴜsᴛʀɪᴀʟ. Mᴏsᴛ ᴀᴅᴠᴀɴᴄᴇᴅ ᴛᴇᴄʜɴᴏʟᴏɢɪᴄᴀʟ ᴀᴄʜɪᴇᴠᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ: ᴇʟᴇᴄᴛʀᴏɴɪᴄ ᴀᴍᴜsᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴅᴇᴠɪᴄᴇs."
"In Cybertronian, Soundwave!" said Skywarp as he struck another approaching Insecticon out of the sky. Skywarp was never the sharpest knife in the drawer, and as such didn't understand a word Soundwave had just said.
If Thundercracker's optics had pupils, he would have rolled them at that moment. "Basically, they have video games but not that many factories," he said.
"Somethin' about that doesn't seem right."
"Pʟᴀsᴍᴀ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ ᴄᴀᴄʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴛᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ 3.1 ᴋɪʟᴏᴍᴇᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴡᴀʏ."
"Plasma energy... on THIS backwater rock?!" exclaimed Megatron as he gave a few Insecticons a taste of his Fusion Cannon. "I'll believe it when I see it."
"I don't believe what I'm seeing!"
Deep in the caves of Ghastly Gorge, Starscream's ghost stared awestruck at the bountiful supply of plasma energy that lay before him. He had never seen such a raw concentration of it before, and being a bot of science, he was very familiar with it. He remembered all too well how Megatron had attempted to bend it to his will all those cycles ago, in his plan to cyberform the Earth using the Proudstar.
Starscream reached out to touch it, but before he could, a voice echoed through the caverns. "You must be Starscream," she said in an alluring tone, "Unicron has told me so much about you."
Starscream lurched upward, aiming his Null Rays about aimlessly as he panicked. "WHO'S THERE?!?" he demanded, trying very hard to sound intimidating. "SHOW YOURSELF AND FACE ME, COWARD!"
The voice chuckled ominously as its source stepped out of the shadows. "You don't give me enough credit, Starscream," said Chrysalis as she approached him. "After all, you and I have a lot more in common than you realize," she added, a devilish smirk crossing her face.
Starscream was not amused. "Begone, equine abomination!" he screeched as he aimed his Null Ray at her. "We are nothing alike!!"
Chrysalis chuckled again. "Oh, but that's where you're wrong, my dear Decepticon... I was betrayed by my hive, you were abandoned by the Decepticons. I want to lead my hive to victory over the goody four-hooves ponies of Equestria, you want to win your millennia-spanning war with the Autobots and take leadership of the Decepticons."
"So what do you want from me?!"
"Now, Starscream, no need to act so hostile," Chrysalis said, "I'm here to help you... but I want you to help me."
"What's in it for me, then!?" Starscream demanded.
"Well, for starters, how about a body?"
Chrysalis's horn lit up as she used her magic to pull a chunk of rock out of the cave wall, transfigured it into metal and reshaped it into a suitable new body for Starscream. His spark entered the machine, and it sprang to life.
Starscream smirked smugly. "Impressive," he said. "What are your terms?"
Chrysalis snickered fiendishly. "You see, my dear Starscream, there are a few... nuisances that I need to get rid of," she explained, using her horn to display a picture of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. "And they just so happen to be paling around with those pesky Autobots... and your fellow Decepticons seem to be working with them. I need you to... take care of them for me. My Insecticons will keep the others busy while you focus on your targets."
There was a brief pause as the image faded, before Starscream said, "I accept!"
Chrysalis rubbed her metal hooves together deviously. "Excellent! Now, move aside and let me absorb the plasma energy."
"ABSORB PLASMA ENERGY?!? YOU'RE INSANE!!" screeched an incredulous Starscream. "PLASMA ENERGY IS INCREDIBLY UNSTABLE!! NO NON-CYBERTRONIAN HAS BEEN ABLE TO TAME IT!!!"
"Then it pleases me to be the first."
Chrysalis dipped her hooves in the plasma energy, and when she did so, they glowed a bright electric blue as the volatile substance coursed through her circuits. "Yes... I can feel the power surging within me... power beyond anything I've ever had before!"
Starscream stared at Chrysalis in shock. Everything he knew about science was being challenged by this strange equine being as she did the seemingly impossible before his eyes. Suddenly, Chrysalis turned her head to face him, clearly angered by his hesitance.
"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT, FOOL?!" she demanded, "DESTROY THEM!!"
Starscream transformed into his jet mode and flew away to do as he was told, just as she had finished absorbing all the plasma energy.
At that moment, the pain in her forehead came again. "Chrysalis, be cautious," ordered Unicron's voice as it echoed in the Changeling queen's mind, "Starscream is as deceptive as he is treacherous. He once managed to fool even myself... an impressive feat, I admit, but a feat he will be unable to repeat."
"I... I can keep him in line... my m-master..." she said, "...he w-won't be a problem..."
"For your sake, I hope not," replied Unicron. The pain faded away as easily as it came.
"So... with the power of plasma energy and a rogue Cybertronian on my side, I now have the strength to engage Optimus Prime and his band of fools!" Chrysalis declared, "Nothing can stop me now!" And the caverns echoed with her maniacal laughter.