Mike, Michelle, Danny, and Molly all sat or stood in one of Autobot City's numerous guest suites. A wall-mounted viewscreen was on, tuned to one of the local TV stations. Danny rolled over. “Computer, turn the television off.” He looked around as the screen went dark. “No one was watching that, were they?”
Molly walked over to a small table where Michelle sat, hunched over. She pulled a chair over and sat down next to her niece. She reached out and gently patted her on the back. “I won't insult your intelligence by asking if you're 'okay'. But are you at least holding up?”
Michelle shifted in her chair. “I guess, Aunt Molly. I'm glad Mom and Danielle are all right. I just want them to kick the bad guys’ butts so we can all go...” Her expression fell even more. “Oh, right. That stupid fake Celestia destroyed our home.”
Mike walked over and knelt by Michelle's side. “Hey, now the house may have gotten wrecked, but that's not the home.” He tapped his chest. “It's in here, and it's when you're with your family.”
Michelle looked to him. “Dad, that was so corny,” she said, her mouth turning up slightly.
Molly nodded. “Yeah, the kid's right. That was bad.” She reached over and swatted at him.
Mike shrugged. “I'm a dad. I have the right to be corny on occasion.”
Boom
Danny's head shot around. “Hey, anyone else hear that?”
Mike looked over, confusion on his brow. “Hear what?”
The monitor turned on once more. Instead of the program that was on before, the words 'Red Alert' flashed on the screen. A computerized voice came over. “Autobot City is under attack. This is not a drill. I repeat; this is not a drill. All EDC personnel and Autobots are to report to duty stations. All civilians are to report to their nearest shelter. Autobot City is under attack. This is...”
The door slid open and Marie Hernandez stood there, her expression grim. “Mister Richards, as you're probably already aware of, Autobot City is currently under attack.” She walked in, glancing at the monitor.
Mike stood up, a hand on Michelle's shoulder. “Those fake Equestrians?”
Marie pursed her lips. “Them, and some reinforcements. There seem to be... Autobot knockoffs aiding them.” She stepped aside and motioned to the door. “I'll fill you in on what I know as I get you to a shelter.”
The group stepped out into an already-crowded hallway. Mike and Molly flanked Michelle, while Danny rolled along behind, the three keeping tabs on her. Marie moved quickly, leading them through the crowd of others seeking shelter. She and the others quickly approached a pair of heavily-armored double-doors, with two EDC soldiers in full armor standing guard. She flashed her ID at one of them, and he inputted a code into a keypad next to the door. “We've got a few others in this one already.”
The doors slid into the wall, revealing a somewhat small and sparsely-furnished room where Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Applejack all stood or sat. Pinkie Pie’s mane and tail were flat, but when she looked up at the newest arrivals, she let out a large gasp and her hair gained back some of its bounce. “You're all right!”
Michelle rushed in, dropped to a knee, and hugged Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie returned the embrace and the two hugged for a minute.
Marie waved a hand about the shelter's interior. “It's not luxurious, but there's food, water, and bathroom facilities.” She suddenly held her hand to her an earbud. “Yes, understood.” She looked to Mike. “Duty calls.”
Mike bowed his head. “Thank you, Commander.” He glanced to her as she ran off before entering the shelter, along with Molly and Danny. The doors closed behind them with a thunk. He sat down next to Applejack. “How are things going?”
Applejack slowly shook her head. “Not the best, Mike, but probably a might better than you.” She looked in Michelle and Pinkie Pie's direction. “How's the little darling doing?”
Michelle looked over. “I can hear you. You know that, right?”
Applejack nodded to her. “Sorry ‘bout that, sugar cube.”
Danny rolled over and parked himself at the side of the couch. “Well, our sister's been turned into an alicorn by an insane version of her adoptive daughter. Michelle's sister is trapped on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge, and that insane version wants to convert everyone on Earth into a smiling zombie pony for her to control.” He raised his arm and checked his wrist. “So right about now, Megan's coming up with a daring plan to stop the bad guys and girls. Celestia and Luna are undoubtedly either contributing or making their own plans that oh-so coincidentally manage to complement and enhance Megan's plan.”
Mike slowly blinked. “I'd almost forgotten how much experience you actually have in this, Danny.”
Danny shrugged. “Sometimes I wish I didn't, Mike.”
Molly looked around. “Say, wait a second.” She pointed at each one of the ponies in the room. “Okay, five ponies and one dragon. We're missing a mare, here. Spike, you know where Twilight is?”
All eyes turned to the baby dragon. Spike shrank slightly under their stares. “Last I heard, she was in some lab with Wheeljack, Perceptor, Chip, and Albert Preston, working on that potion they've gotten from those evil versions of you.”
Mike pulled out his cell phone and tapped it. Within seconds, Twilight Sparkle's voice came over the speakers. “Hello? Mike, sorry, but I can't talk right now. I'm a little busy!”
Spike ran over to the phone. “Twilight, where the heck are you?”
Nervous laughter came over the speakers. “Hehe, well, Spike... it's a bit of a long story. The good news is, we've got a method for reversing the effects of the potion. The not-so-good news is... I'm with Wheeljack and helping him to transform Autobot City into battle-station mode.”
Silence permeated the room for a moment before Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Wait, why does she get to do the cool stuff?”
Spike climbed up onto the couch next to Mike and leaned in close to the phone. “Twilight, are you crazy? You could get hurt or... or worse!”
Twilight's voice came over again, this time much softer. “Spike...I'm sorry to worry you or the others, but if I've got the ability to help out, then I'm gonna use it.” There was a pause. “Besides, I think the shelter would be a bit too crowded with me inside.”
Despite the tension, Spike managed to crack a grin. “Yeah, a-and you'd go crazy being in here with everyone else.”
“Exactly. I-okay, sorry, but we'll be arriving at Wheeljack's station soon. I have to go. I promise I'll do my best to stay safe. See you after this craziness is over.”
Everyone shouted their well-wishes at the phone. There was an audible click, and the screen showed the connection cut. Applejack wrapped a foreleg around Spike's neck. “Don't worry, Spike. Twilight knows how to take care of herself.”
Spike leaned into the hug. “I know. That's what worries me sometimes about her.”
Twilight Sparkle turned her phone off and sent it floating back into her saddlebags. She was inside Wheeljack's interior as he drove along. She looked out the window at the streets; empty except for other Autobots and EDC soldiers. “Where is everyone?”
Wheeljack's voice came through speakers all around the interior, surrounding her but not overwhelming. “We've had a lot of practice getting the civilians into shelters. It's been about five years since an actual attack on Autobot City, but we haven't forgotten.”
Wheeljack came to the an intersection at the end of the street. Without even slowing down, he raced around the corner. Twilight Sparkle let out a scream as he burnt rubber and continued on, finally arriving at a small bunker at the end of the street. His doors opened, allowing his passenger to disembark before transforming into robot mode. He walked up to the bunker and the door slid open. “It's a lot safer than how it used to be. Once we're inside–”
An absolutely enormous drone dropped from the sky, landing behind Wheeljack and Twilight Sparkle. Towering over Wheeljack by nearly a head, it was covered in thick, golden-colored armor plating, with nary an exposed surface. A dozen laser emitters encircled each forearm, while its right hand gripped a rather large battle ax. Blood-red optic sensors peered out from a domed head, quickly locking onto Wheeljack and Twilight Sparkle.
Wheeljack's shoulders slumped. “Ah, son of a glitch!” He scooped Twilight Sparkle up in his arms and dove to the right, mere moments before the drone's wrist-mounted laser cannons fired, blowing a hole in the street he was standing in mere moments before.
Twilight Sparkle let out a short shout. “What the Tartarus is that thing?” She hopped out of Wheeljack's arms as he landed and rolled. Her eyes narrowed. “Wait... that looks like a Mark V Guardian Drone, modified to have hands. I–Whoa!” She teleported out of the way of another barrage of laser fire, reappearing behind it. “Wheeljack, if that thing's anything like the ones in this reality, it's susceptible to–”
“Strong magnetic fields!” Wheeljack finished. He rose to his feet and backpedaled, the missile launcher mounted on his right shoulder swiveling up and down. “Gimme a second or so to get the right shells ready! I had this thing loaded with high-explosive rounds!”
There was another flash of light, and Twilight Sparkle reappeared in front of Wheeljack. Her horn blazed for a moment, and her eyes glowed as a violet-tinged barrier formed in front of the two. “Make it snappy!” she shouted. “I'm not as good at these as Shiny is!” Her horn glowed again and she fired several-dozen burst of magic at the drone, peppering its armor with scorch marks.
A bark of laughter came from Wheeljack. “Nice job, Twilight. Now it's my turn!” His launcher fired two shells, one to the left, and one to the right of the drone. Each one landed and stuck to the street with a loud clang.
The drone paid the shells little mind at first. It stopped as both let out a high-pitched whine. Its head swiveled to its left as the shells started glowing. The drone's body started jerking from side to side, its arms swinging almost comically back and forth.
Wheeljack's optics flashed. “Those shells don't have enough power to stop it permanently.” He pointed at the bulbous head. “There's an access port on the back of the neck. If we can shoot a laser or something through it, it'll overload its cerebral circuits and shut it down.”
Twilight Sparkle's eyes darted back and forth. She cantered to her left, stopped, and fired a continuous stream of magic at the bunker. It struck an angled plate of armor, reflecting it down to the street, then back up into the air–where it struck the drone right in the back of the neck.
The drone's entire body seized up. Its speakers let out an ear-splitting squeal, and its optic sensors exploded, smoke billowing from the holes. The magnetic shells shut off and the drone toppled over to the street. It landed and lay there, unmoving.
Wheeljack rubbed his 'chin' and nodded. “Nice aim, Twilight. That'd make Sureshot jealous.” He ran towards the bunker, Twilight Sparkle following. As soon as they were both inside, he slapped a panel next to the doorway and it sealed shut. “Okay, this thing is five feet of trilithium steel all around, reinforced by force fields. It's a lot more secure and safer than how we used to transform Autobot City.”
All around the pair, lights switched on, revealing one large computer console and a few smaller stations. Even as Wheeljack walked up to the main console, it lit up, the large screen showing several diagrams and schematics. He leaned over the main control panel and began pressing buttons and flipping switches.
Twilight Sparkle teleported from the floor to a spot on the main console bereft of any buttons, knobs, or switches. “Okay, you need help with this?”
Wheeljack haphazardly motioned to one of the smaller stations lining the walls. “Just check on the sequencing and make sure no alarms are going off.” he leaned in close to a microphone. “This is Station Forty-Seven. Transformation sequence engaged. Everything showing green.”
Twilight Sparkle's eyes scanned the readouts and graphs. “Wheeljack, any other Autobot have magnetic abilities? I'd bet a copy of Star Swirl's diary more of those drones are incoming. Oh, and so far everything is in the green. Armor plating sliding into place and anti-air missile launchers deploying.”
Wheeljack let out a small chuckle. “Well, there's Windcharger, but last I heard he had moved to Velocitron, built a nice house there. He sends me pictures every other week.”
“Gonna guess that's a bit too far to help us out?”
“Afraid so.”
Deep in the heart of Autobot City, the Command Tower sat. A large, square building with a red-tinted observation window stretching across the uppermost level, it was the nerve center of Autobot City in times of war and of peace. Right now, City Commander Blaster stood in that uppermost level, the entire area a hive of activity and jumbled shouting. His hyper-developed audio sensors kept track of every shout, every whisper, every command given and taken, sorting them by importance and urgency.
“Stations One through Forty-Seven report successful transformations. Reports from Stations Forty-Eight through Fifty now coming in.”
“All civilians in shelters.”
“We have one hundred-thirty drones inbound from the barrier. Profile is a ninety-nine percent match with Mark Five guardian drones.”
“There's a large group of Equestrians headed straight for Commodore Faireborn's command post. Mix of air and ground units.”
Blaster's head shot up. “Contact Marissa and tell her things are about to get heavier than a Black Sabbath concert.” He glanced back as Trailbreaker walked up to his side. “A detachment of Kodiak tanks from the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps are inbound from training at Fort Campbell, but ETA is still an hour.”
“Kodiaks?” Trailbreaker asked, curious.
“Hovertanks. First ones with Cybertronian anti-grav,” Blaster replied. “ They may not hit as hard as the newest Abrams, but they’re fast and can go almost anywhere. And they’re available. The Americans are still focused on slowing down raiders; keeping them away from evacuees.”
Before Trailbreaker could ask more questions, a voice cut off that line of thought with a new concern. “Astrotrain is entering airspace above Autobot City.” The comm officer paused, hand to her ear and brow furrowed slightly. “He's asking for instructions.”
Trailbreaker spoke up at that report. “Open up a channel to him.” He waited for her confirmation before continuing. “Okay, Astrotrain. We see you there.” Trailbreaker rubbed his chin as his tactical subroutines kicked in. Information scrolled across his field of vision. “Besides Blitzwing, who's with you?”
Astrotrain's rather high-pitched voice came through the intercom. “Well, Soundwave, Ravage, Rumble, Frenzy, Laserbeak, Shockwave, and Ruckus are on hot standby to launch. And... help you Autobots defend freedom?”
Trailbreaker barked a laugh. “No need to get mushy, Astrotrain. Still, we appreciate the help. Send them out when ready.” He raised his voice. “Okay, send out the word to everyone that all Decepticons are to be regarded as 'friendlies'. Have all IFF transponders set to ID them properly.” He looked to Blaster. “Think we'll need the big guy?”
Blaster rubbed his chin. “Well, we'd better–”
A shout from the Cliffjumper caught his attention. “Hey, there's something big coming out of the barrier, Blaster!” He swiveled around in his chair, optics bright. “And I mean big!”
Blaster and Trailbreaker's attention focused on a large holo-projector mounted in the floor near the observation window. It had been showing the track of the inbound drones, but the image switched to an overhead shot of part of the barrier. An absolutely huge automaton stomped out of it. Humanoid-shaped, it was covered with deep-blue armor, and had rust-colored joints. It sported a large drill for a left hand, with an energy emitter sticking out of the nose. Its right hand was a pincer, also with a drill. Various weapons were sticking out of its chassis, almost haphazardly.
Blaster let out a low whistle as measurements started scrolling down the side of the image. He glanced up. “Big M, I think we're gonna need your help.”
A loud, deep voice sounded out from... everywhere. “I have no problem with transforming to combat that thing and aid humanity,” Metroplex, the living core of Autobot City, said. “They have given me a home, a place to rest my chassis, and energy. For all they have done for us, we must do what we can to assist. Optimus Prime has called for us to help them...”
Trailbreaker raised a fist and clenched it. “Send out the call. Metroplex is engaging transformation to robot mode. This is not a drill!”
“And Metroplex heeds the call of the Last Prime!”