The Conversion Bureau: United We Stand

by RK_Striker_JK_5


Chapter Eighteen

A twinkle of light appeared above Earth, quickly growing and expanding into a whirling blue maelstrom of energy. Eight ships emerged from the transwarp wormhole. In the center of the formation was a small orange arrowhead of a ship, an Autobot light-cruiser named Iacon-One. In the lead was an almost retro-looking gray rocket, with an orange engine and maneuvering vanes in its aft section. Surrounding Iacon-One were six small vehicles. Four of them resembled old Earth fighter jets. The fifth looked more to be a small starship than fighter, while the sixth looked like a helicopter, albeit one with its rotors folded up and retracted. They flew down towards Earth, communications system crackling to life.

Starbase One, this is Iacon-One. Requesting permission for orbital insertion and atmospheric entry into American airspace.”

“Iacon-One, this is Starbase One. Permission granted, and damned good to see you!”

Thank you, Starbase One. We took some shortcuts Blitzwing sent us. Cut some time off our ETA. Iacon-One over and out.”

The ships leveled out slightly, passing dozens of ships in orbit, drydocks with half-constructed EDC warships, and the ESS Enterprise, Repulse, and Yokohama in orbit above Kentucky. The three battleships flashed their running lights at the small fleet, while the small escorts waggled their wings in return.

Aboard Iacon-One's bridge, Over-Run sent the cruiser into a shallow dive, the servos in his hands and arms straining as he wrestled with the controls. “Get strapped in if you haven't already!” he shouted.

In the command chair, Prowl leaned forward, optic sensors dimming slightly. “We've all been prepared for orbital reentry since emergence from hyperspace, Over-Run. No need to get dramatic about it.” He flipped a switch on his chair's armrest and leaned in close to a speaker. “Prowl to Optimus and Elita. We're entering Earth's–” The ship rocked, Prowl barely moving in his chair. “We're entering Earth's atmosphere.” He looked up at the main viewscreen. “And we're coming up over Autobot City and the battle. We're taking some fire, but nothing serious. Shields are holding.”

Optimus Prime's voice came over ship-wide intercom. “Thank you, Prowl. Autobots, our mission is to drive back these invaders from Earth and assist humanity in defending their world. We owe them a debt, one long overdue to be repaid.” The intercom went silent after. The ship nearly followed suit with the rocking and whistling of the ship slamming into the upper atmosphere providing the only sound.

Prowl pressed a few buttons on his chair. The main viewscreen changed from an image directly ahead of Iacon-One's nosecone to an overhead view of the battle around and over Autobot City. Tactical subroutines kicked in as his battle computer analyzed every sensor reading available. He finally turned around slightly and looked over his shoulder at one of the aft stations. “Put me through to the Aerialbots, Skyfire, and Omega Supreme.” He waited for acknowledgment before speaking. “All right. Omega, I need you to transform to robot mode and assist Metroplex in taking out that Omega Doom thing. Aerialbots, Skyfire, for now, break off and contain any and all pony raiders still in the area. Keep them bottled up as best as possible.” He paused. “And also, remember. The Decepticons on the battlefield are not hostiles. Make sure your IFF transponders are updated with that information.”

Omega Supreme's voice came over, deep and rumbling like a tractor-trailer passing two inches over your head. “Orders; acknowledged. Course; set. Omega Supreme; going in!”

The voice of Autobot Air Commander Skyfire came through next. “Understood, Prowl. We'll keep those bizarro ponies away from the civilians. Air Raid and Fireflight, Skydive and Slingshot, pair off and stick together. Alpha Bravo, you're with me. Let's go!”

Prowl cut the comm and looked ahead. “Over-Run, bring us right over Autobot City. Sky High, keep the shields at maximum and weapons hot in case any of these knockoff guardian drones tries anything with us. Just be prepared to drop shields around the ventral hangar bay when Optimus is ready to launch. Any questions?”

Over-Run barked a laugh. “No, but I am wondering how you'll react when the scrap hits the ventilation unit.” His lips curled up in a sneer. “I believe this is your first major action since being brought back from the Allspark.”

Prowl half-smiled. “We'll find out together, Over-Run. Just fly the ship.”


In Iacon-One's ventral hangar bay, Optimus Prime shrugged on a jetpack. He double-checked his ion rifle's power pack. “Last stop!” he shouted to the others standing there. “We don't have to go home, but we can't stay here! Let's get ready to roll out!”

Next to him, Elita One patted him on the forearm. “Terribly sorry, Optimus, but I'm afraid I won't be able to 'roll' out.” The wings mounted to her back wiggled back and forth.

Optimus nodded to her. “I think I can excuse you from that, Elita.”

Near the hangar doors, Grimlock, leader of the Dinobots, hefted his energon sword with one hand while waving his double-barreled missile launcher about with the other. “Me Grimlock no roll out! Me Grimlock kick skidplate!” He looked to the other four Dinobots, and thrust his sword into the air, the blade thrumming. “Dinobots, move out!”

The Dinobots Slag, Snarl, Sludge, and Swoop all tossed their heads back and roared, waving their own weapons in the air.

An alarm sounded in the hangar, klaxons flashing. “Now over Autobot City. Ventral hangar bay doors opening in five seconds!”

The Autobots inside all readied themselves, turning as one to a set of double-doors. A seam appeared down the middle as they retracted. Outside of them, Autobot City and the fight above and within it could be seen.

Optimus and Elita surged forward, past Grimlock and the other Dinobots and through the doors. The two let gravity carry them away from Iacon-One for a few seconds. Optimus' jetpack ignited, allowing him to level off. Elita, meanwhile, began transforming. A nosecone swung up from her back and over her head, lengthening. Her arms and legs tucked into her body, hard points bristling with missiles and laser turrets extending from her wings and fuselage as she completed her transformation into a hypersonic Cybertronian-style starfighter.

The pair flew through the sky for a few hundred feet. Optimus's head looked left and right. “We have to cut the head off of this invasion.”

Elita juked her fuselage up and down slightly. “Yeah, and I think I know where said head is.” She stopped in midair and transformed back into robot mode. She spun around and pointed towards the barrier, about a half-mile outside Autobot City proper. “See that knockoff Grimlock and the way he's waving that sword around?”

Optimus nodded, his optic sensors brightening. “Good catch, Elita. I–” A sudden explosion and shockwave right below them grabbed his attention. Optimus looked down, spotting four Kodiak hovertanks clustered around a squat bunker, the gauntlet-and-crown insignia of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps prominent on their armor. Several other hovertanks could be seen, little more than piles of smoky debris. The entire area was surrounded by six guardian drones. They marched forward, hemming in the hovertanks and letting loose with withering fire from their arm-mounted laser cannons.

The remaining tanks returned fire, hypersonic railgun darts launching from their main barrels, while laser cannons on the cupola and main gun coaxial mount rake the drones with lasers. Several of the darts impacted some of the drones, knocking them back several dozen meters from sheer kinetic energy transfer. The drones struck the ground, leaving a fairly-deep trough in the ground.

Elita's optic sensors flared green for a moment. “If my datatrax are right, that bunker sits right over a shelter with five hundred sapient beings inside.” She looked back up at Optimus. “I think we have to make a short pit stop, first.”

Optimus' right hand retracted into his forearm. The empty socket glowed a for a moment before a glowing energy ax emerged. “You read my hard drive, Elita.” He leaned forward, twisting around in midair. “Let's go!


Sergeant Leslie Fraser looked hard at what his screen was projecting: a group of drones had broken through the perimeter and were making a bee-line for a civilian shelter. Other forces were already closing off the hole in the lines, but if they turned to deal with the drones already inside, they would be opening their rear to the main enemy force. His company’s CO had already ordered them in to intercept the drones, but the map was screaming what their commander had left to silence. Help wasn’t coming.

His gunner, Master Corporal LaCroix, looked over at him in the few seconds their rapid advance left before they would enter firing range. “We’re really seeing it now, aren’t we?” He asked, a bit ruefully. “Come to the States, they said. We’ll have a great time on- and off-duty, they said.”

While listening to LaCroix with one ear, Leslie had already set up how his platoon would deploy, simply drawing it on the map on his screen a mere instant before it appeared on his subordinates’. As the formation shifted, he keyed his mic for the entire platoon. “Remember, there’s hundreds of civilians here. No falling back. This is where we stand. This is where they fall!”

As the drones closed, the battle-link systems allowed the entire company’s first shots to all lance out simultaneously at the right time to hit the hardest. A mere fraction of a second later, the tungsten alloy penetrators struck home, stumbling and damaging most of the front line of drones, with one pair of lucky shots even striking a drone in the same spot in the same moment, causing it to go up in a fireball. From there, it quickly devolved into a maelstrom of lasers, railgun fire, and swiftly maneuvering drones and tanks that looked as much like a dogfight as a tank battle.

After a minute of the fight, Leslie noticed that while they weren’t losing, they weren’t winning either. And while every tank in the unit was taking out a couple drones down before their own turn came due, it wasn’t going to be enough. Too many had broken through, and the losses were making it ever harder to actually keep a perimeter around the shelter. Soon enough, they would be too surrounded and stretched too thin to keep from being picked off before they could even resist. His thoughts were interrupted by a massive explosion to the right of his tank. The captain had been one of the first to die, and now the company warrant officer was gone as well, leaving Leslie in charge of what remained.

“Pull back! Start circling the building. Don’t let them close or behind you.” Leslie called out, hoping that somehow, by some miracle, they would at least leave the drones unable to break through and slaughter those they were protecting. As they closed in, he breathlessly whispered “If there’s anyone up there, now would be a perfect time.”

Two metal behemoths suddenly dropped out of the air, Leslie quickly recognizing them as Elita One and Optimus Prime. Elita crashed feet-first into the drone closest to Leslie's tank, thrusters in her feet firing and sending out white-hot jets of flame directly into the drone's face. “Offsides!” she shouted as she brought her laser rifle around and fired it point-blank at the drone. Cerulean bolts peppered the drone, blowing off the smoking stump of its head, its limbs, and eventually blowing through the armor itself.

Before the drone had even crashed to the ground, Elita was in motion. She wheeled around, bringing her laser rifle up. Her wings flexed as she hopped about, dodging incoming fire from two other drones. She wordlessly shot back at them.

Meanwhile, close to the bunker, Optimus slashed at a drone with his ion-ax, slicing off both limbs with quick, clean cuts. He raised his right foot and kicked the drone square in the torso, sending it tottering back, before raising his laser rifle and drilling two shots right into its optic sensors. He backpedaled as two shots from another drone struck his jetpack, perforating it.

Leslie looked around the tank interior. “What the hell are we doing sitting on our asses? Let's go!”

The hovertanks' engines revved as their turrets turned, locking onto the remaining drones. They resumed fire, peppering the drones. Between them, Optimus, and Elita, the three drones still standing did not stand for much longer.

Leslie let out a breath as the final drone exploded, sending out shrapnel. He quickly popped the top hatch open and stood out as Optimus and Elita holstered their weapons and walked over. “Sergeant Leslie Fraser, Royal Canadian Armored Corps,” he said, saluting.

Optimus returned the salute, then dropped to one knee. “Optimus Prime, Autobot Commander,” he replied. He held out his right hand, clenched in a fist. “Excellent work, Sergeant. The people in those shelters owe you their lives.”

Leslie blinked at the fist. He slowly raised is own clenched fist and bumped it against Optimus'. “Our duty and honor to perform, sir. Thank you for helping us out.”

Elita turned and looked over the destroyed hovertanks. Her optics turned green for a moment as she scanned them. “I am not detecting any life signs. Sergeant.” She bowed her head, optics dimming. “I am sorry we did not arrive sooner.”

Leslie let out a breath. He dropped his fist and slammed it against the hatch's rim. “Thank you,” he finally said. “Unfortunately, remembrances must come later. We still have a duty to those in the shelters.”

Optimus stood up. “And we have our own duties as well, Sergeant.” He stepped back and saluted. “We shall leave this shelter in your more than capable hands.”

Leslie straightened up and returned the salute. “Thank you, Optimus Prime. We won't let you or them down!”

Elita suddenly turned around, optics narrowing slightly. “That Grimlock knockoff still needs to be dealt with.” She leaned to her right and looked Optimus' now-smoking and sparking jetpack over. “And I doubt you'll be able to follow me there in a timely fashion.” She held up a hand. “And you are needed elsewhere, anyway. The false Celestia must be dealt with, the sooner the better.”

Optimus sighed and shrugged the jetpack off. “You're right. Be careful, Elita.”

Elita held her right hand up, Optimus placing his against hers. The two interlaced their fingers together. “You know you'll be the one in more danger.” She smiled at him, turned and saluted Leslie, then spun about. She ran a short distance before hopping into the air, transforming into her starfighter alternate mode and flying off.

Both Optimus and Leslie watched as she flew away. Leslie slowly craned his head up slightly at the Autobot Commander standing before him. “Sir, if I may ask, what is your next move? We should be able to defend this bunker with what we've got here. At least for the moment. There aren't any drones nearby.”

Optimus glanced down. “If you're sure, Sergeant, then there's more drones to take out. If you'll excuse me, it's time to roll.” With that, he stepped forward, collapsing into himself as he transformed into a short-nose tractor trailer cab. Optimus' trailer materialized behind him as he drove off, seeking more wrongs to right.


Grimlock waved his sword around in rage as a large starship broke through the upper clouds, descending over Autobot City and disgorging enemies. “Wot, now? How dare they disrupt my carefully-laid battle plans!”

His proximity sensors detected an incoming bogie, IFF transponder tagging it as 'hostile'. He swung around in midair as a starfighter with a white nosecone and dark-pink wings bore down on him. “Well, well, well! You dare challenge I, Grimlock? You shall–”

Elita plowed into Grimlock, her nosecone impacting his torso and denting his armor plating. Her thrusters angled up, sending her and her unwilling passenger down to the ground. Air brakes flapped open, slowing her down enough so she managed to miss the ground. Momentum, however, took hold of Grimlock, sending him skidding along the ground and digging a deep furrow in the ground.

Elita flipped around, transforming and landing in a three-point stance, laser rifle in her right hand. She aimed it at the alternate-universe version of her ally. “I give you a chance to surrender,” she said, standing up straight. “I would advise–”

Grimlock let out a howl of animalistic rage. He leaned back, legs snapping together and feet closing shut to form a head and snapping jaws. His upper body rotated around, hands sliding into his forearms and claws folding out. Within seconds, he was now a Tyrannosaurus Rex, snorting fire. He pawed at the ground before charging forward, right at Elita.

For a moment, Elita stood still. She let out a sigh. “Very well. The hard way, then.” She dropped her laser rifle and reached out. She lunged forward, grabbing Grimlock's jaws. The two struggled for several minutes, neither giving ground. Servos whined, and energon dripped from cuts in Elita's fingers. Elita peeled her lips plates back. “So, the hard way! Fine. I gave you a chance to surrender, you miscolored knockoff!” The thrusters on her calves ignited. She hopped up, letting go of his jaws and sidestepping out of the way. Grimlock surged forward, stumbling and planting himself snout-first into the ground. Elita looked around, quickly spotting her laser rifle.

With a short burst from her leg thrusters, Elita quickly made her way back to her laser rifle. She knelt down, scooped it up, and straightened back up in one fluid motion. She brought it up, waiting for Grimlock to pull his snout from the dirt and turn to face her. She sighted his right knee joint, and pulled the trigger.

A half-dozen laser blasts shot out, each one striking the joint. It blew apart, sending out shrapnel and a spray of energon from a severed fuel line. Grimlock's front bent down as he transformed back to robot mode, right arm now a dangling, useless mess. He held up his left arm and a rather wicked-looking laser rifle with a bayonet attachment on the barrel. “I'll rip your fuel pump out and show it to you before your optics go dark!” he howled, optic band blazing crimson.

Elita fired several more times, backpedaling all the while. She blew the laser rifle out of Grimlock's hand with a carefully-aimed shot, then peppered his chest with several more, blowing holes through his armor. Groans and ominous creaking came from him, but he pressed on. Elita shook her head. “If that's the way you want to play this, fine.” She slid a dial on her rifle, increasing the power for the next blast. She waited a handful of moments before firing one final blast.

The laser rifle barked as a rather large beam shot from it, rocking Elita's chassis from the sheer power behind the energy emission. It struck Grimlock right in the head, blowing it clean off. Smoke and sparks billowed from the cavity upon impact. His now-headless body continued on a few more steps out of sheer momentum before toppling over onto the ground. It jerked once, twice, then lay still.

Elita kept her laser rifle trained on the body as she walked over, sensors scanning for any sign of life. When she was satisfied Grimlock was dead, she lowered her weapon and shook her head. “Such a waste,” she finally said. Elita sent her rifle back into her subspace storage pocket, then turned, hopped into the air, and transformed back into starfighter mode, flying off to her next battle.


Metroplex staggered back as Omega Doom pounded him with repeated blows to his upper body and arms. Both titans bore the scars of their battle. Omega Doom had a nasty gash across his upper torso, and one optic sensor had gone dim. His arms were scarred up, with armor plating shredded down to the mechanics underneath. Metroplex, meanwhile, had the laser lance on his right shoulder torn clean off, as well as a hundred gashes, buckled plating, and fuel leaks all over his body.

Omega Doom's right arm shot out. Its pincers closed around Metroplex's left forearm, claws digging into already-damaged plating. Its functional optic sensor brightened as it tightened its grip, slowly digging into Metroplex's armor.

The laser lance on Metroplex's left shoulder rotated, the barrel retracting slightly as it aimed at Omega Doom's claw. It fired a long, comparatively-thin blue beam at the base joint of one of the claws. Omega Doom let out a screech as the internal mechanism exploded, sending one of the claws flying up and away. Cannons mounted on Omega Doom's chest flipped up, the emitters glowing for a moment before firing heavy bursts of plasma right at Metroplex's abdomen. They struck Metroplex's once-white armor, denting it and managing to blow small chunks off.

Metroplex grunted. He stomped his feet and dug his heels in, shaking the ground and piling a small hill behind his heels. “It's gonna take more than that to put me down!”

Omega Doom's optic sensor narrowed slightly, and a burst of static came from it.

Metroplex leaned forward. “Same to you, pal!”

Omega's squat head suddenly shot up. A half-second later, Metroplex's head turned around. He grinned as he spotted the rocket-mode of Omega Supreme flying towards the two. He tensed for a moment before pushing Omega Doom, shoving him away. A half-second later, a bright-orange laser beam shot from Omega Supreme's nosecone, striking Omega Doom square in the chest and carving a long, deep gash in its chest.

Omega Supreme flew down. The front and back halves of the rocket separated, parts appearing in flashes of light and assembling into a bulky, heavily-armored titan. The nosecone ended up as his left forearm, and the engine and maneuvering thrusters as the right forearm. “Reinforcements; arrived. Fight; engaged. Omega Supreme; primed for action!”

Omega Supreme strode forward. Although 'only' about two-thirds the height of the combatants, he was fresh and undamaged. He raised his left arm, pointed the laser cannon right at the wound he had just inflicted on Omega Doom, and fired.

The beam sliced deep into the drone's chassis, sending him stumbling back. Orange smoke poured out, and the inside was glowing. Omega Doom clutched at its midsection, doubled over in what appeared to be pain.

Metroplex patted Omega Supreme on the shoulder. “Thanks for the save, pal. I'll finish this, now.” He stepped back up to Omega Doom. “You fought well, I'll give you your due there. But you're threatening my friends, and our world. You've got to be stopped, and Omega and I are the ones to do it.”

Omega Doom's head tilted up. It dropped its arms to the side, single optic sensor blazing crimson.

Metroplex twisted back, bringing his right arm up and cocking his fist. He redirected all available power to his right arm before launching it forward, right at Omega Doom's head. It impacted with the force of a large bomb, shearing the cranium off in a shower of sparks, smoke, and flame.

Omega Doom tottered back and forth on its treaded feet, swaying a bit before leaning back. Metroplex surged forward, grabbing it by the shoulders. “Omega, can you give me some help? I don't want him crushing half the county!”

Omega Supreme grabbed Omega Doom. The two half-carried it away from the main area of battle and almost gently placed him down on a wide, flat area of land due east of Autobot City. The fighting died down as their heavy steps shook the earth, forcing everyone around to simply try and not fall over. Omega Supreme looked Metroplex over. “Damage; non-insignificant. Repair; needed?”

Metroplex shook his head and motioned back to the main battlefield. The combatants had started back up almost as soon as the shaking had stopped. “I don't have time to leak, Omega. We've got a planet to defend. Let's go kick some tailgate!”


A squadron of pegasi, one of several flew off from the barrier, their speed hampered by the vials of potion weighing them down. Below them, the battle being waged by their forces had taken a decided turn against them. Sergeant Heavy Wind paid it little mind as he flew on, his mind focused like a lightning bolt on his mission. He had to get through the human's blockade and into their population centers.

Heavy Wind's head darted back and forth, eyes scanning the area. For now, none of the human contraptions or their mechanical allies were anywhere near his squadron. “All right! Just a few more minutes and we'll be home-free. I want–”

A pair of human flying machines suddenly flew up, flanking Heavy Wind and his squadron. They appeared at first glance to be like the others used by the humans, but upon closer examination, they had unique colors and different frames. The one to their left was black with red trim, with wings attached to the top of the fuselage. The one on their right was red, with white wings attached to the bottom. A voice boomed out from the black machine. “All right! This is Air Raid of the Autobots! Start a descent to the ground immediately. We don't want to, but we will open fire if you don't comply!”

The red plane suddenly spoke. “Ah, do we really have to, Air Raid? I think we can force them down without having to resort to lethal measures!”

Air Raid's chassis shuddered. “Fireflight, our weapons do have a stun setting, you know. Or at the very least proximity detonation.”

Several of the pegasi in the squadron exchanged nervous looks. One of them spoke up. “Sergeant, perhaps–”

Heavy Wind's head whipped around as he stared daggers behind his shoulder. “Don't you even think about finishing that sentence! We are pressing on!” He leaned forward and pulled his wings back, narrowing his profile as much as possible. “Split into flights! They can't track us all!”

Air Raid and Fireflight sped up, closing in close to each other and transforming into robot mode. They spun about in midair, weapons appearing in their hands. Air Raid held up a comparatively-small pistol in a two-handed grip. “Okay, any of you try anything funny and you'll be sorry!”

Fireflight looked to him. “Not exactly the biggest threat I've heard.”

Air Raid's optics blinked off, then on. “And you could've done better?” he asked, keeping his gun trained on the rapidly-approaching pegasi. “I warned you!” He fired his pistol at the pegasi, his finger squeezing against the trigger as rapidly as possible.

Many of his shots went wide, but several struck a half-dozen of the pegasi dead-on. The energy bolts expanded, encircling the pegasi in thick bands of energy. They squeezed them tightly, binding their wings to their bodies. They kicked, thrashed, and tossed their heads about, but the energy bands held tight. They slowly began to tumble to the ground.

Heavy Wind and the other five pegasi split up, each one going in a wildly-different direction. “Don't stop!” Heavy Wind shouted, wings flapping as hard as they had ever flapped before.

Air Raid's and Fireflight's sensors tracked their flight paths. “Son of a glitch,” Air Raid snarled out. “Fireflight... ah, which ones do you think you can reach fastest?” He waited a few seconds before speaking again. “Fireflight?” He spun about, grabbed Fireflight by the shoulder, and shook him. “Fireflight, boot up, for Primus' sake!”

Fireflight's optics blinked on and off. “Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just going over some old files Skydive had sent me about the Last Push.” He leaned forward a bit. “What were you talking about?”

Air Raid groaned. “I had to get stuck with the loopy one.” He scanned the surrounding area, then spun around, fuel pump speeding up slightly as he calculated the fleeing pegasus' speed and trajectory. “Oh, slag.” He transformed into his jet mode and flew off towards the closest one. “Come on!” He barely acknowledged Fireflight's own transformation as he opened a communications channel. “Skyfire, this is Air Raid. Fireflight and I are in pursuit of raiders. We managed to take down a half-dozen from one squadron, but the others have split up. We're chasing them down best we can, but they're a lot faster than we thought they'd be. Any chance for an assist? Over.”

Skyfire's exasperated voice came over. “Alpha Bravo and I are dealing with our own raiders, Air Raid. I'll send word to the humans and see if they can spare anyone. In the meantime, get into high gear, you two!”

Air Raid's chassis shuddered as he located the first pegasus and started tailing her. “Sure thing, fearless leader. Air Raid over and out.” He shut the channel off and increased power to his engines. “Okay, little pony. Please go down nice and easy so I can get to the two heading east right after!”


General Lennox walked into the Oval Office, up to President Abernathy's desk, and snapped to attention. He waited for the aides surrounding the President to quiet down, and for Clayton to acknowledge him. “Mister President, Iacon-One has arrived and is engaged in battle over Autobot City.” He motioned to a wall-mounted viewscreen. “May I?”

Clayton held a hand up. “Wait just a moment, Will. Let's get Hollingsworth in here first, so you don't have to repeat yourself.”

One of the aides turned and left. A few minutes later, she reentered with Tim Hollingsworth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, in tow. Hollingsworth adjusted his tie as he walked. “Sorry, Mister President,” he said, cheeks reddening slightly. “I was taking a catnap.”

Clayton waved him off as he sat. “Don't worry about it, General. Lord knows I've had my fair share of that happening.” He glanced to his right. “Will?”

Lennox tapped the screen. He slid a small datacard into a slot below it. An overhead map of the barrier, and the battle raging around Autobot City appeared. “Well, I don't have all the details, but the tide of the battle's turned pretty rapidly in our favor. That big Omega Doom drone's been taken out by Metroplex with an assist from Omega Supreme.” He paused and rubbed his chin. “I wonder if the Autobots would let us have it after this whole shindig is over.”

Hollingsworth spoke up. “Let's not get too ahead of ourselves, General Lennox. We've still got a long way to go before this is over.”

Lennox nodded to Hollingsworth. “Right, right. Sorry, General. Well, anyway. The Aerialbots, Skyfire, and Army have managed to contain almost all the pegasi raiders, too. There's a few stragglers here and there, They shouldn't be any real problem to track down.”

A small rumble reverberated through the room. Lightning flashed outside in the clear, sunny day. Agent Smith, standing behind Clayton's left shoulder, turned and looked out the window. The inner lenses of his sunglasses flashed several times. “Mister President, please stand and step away from the window,” he said, pulling his laser pistol from its holster and thumbing the power supply on.

Clayton was on his feet within seconds, his personal laser pistol in his hands. He craned his head up and around even as other Secret Service agents moved between him and the window. “Smith, what's going on?”

Smith touched his earpiece. “My apologies, Mister President. It seems we have intruders. Two pegasi, from the reports from the sentries on the roof. They're–”

Several bolts of lightning hit the Oval office's window, blowing it open. Shards of glass flew into the room, showering the room. Several agents were hurled back from the force of the explosion, bleeding from cuts on their faces and hands. The agents not incapacitated formed a circle around the President and began moving him back towards the door, their sidearms out. Agent Smith, still standing, brought his laser pistol up. Before he could pull the trigger, though, a pegasus stallion in plate-armor flew through the window, barreling into him and knocking him aside. A second pegasus followed, this one also a stallion.

The first pony looked around. “I am Sergeant Heavy Wind, of Neo-Equestria! And we are here to save you from yourself!” He spread his wings out, showing off saddlebags filled with vials of potion. “Who is the first to–”

Clayton held his laser pistol out. He spread his feet slightly, squared his shoulders, and aimed at Heavy Wind's head. He held his breath as he squeezed the trigger. Two seconds later, the Secret Service agents surrounding him opened fire, laser beams shooting at him and through him. Heavy Wind's body shuddered slightly, his eyes turning glassy. After nearly a minute they ceased fire. Heavy Wind stood there for a moment before toppling over, almost in slow-motion. He landed with a heavy thud, the vials of potion sliding out of his saddlebags.

The other pony stared at Heavy Wind's corpse for a long, long minute. He raised his wings and started rearing back, but was cut down by a similarly-intense volley of fire.

Clayton thumbed off the power supply of his laser pistol and holstered it. He looked around, quickly focusing on the injured. “Get some medics here on the double!” he barked out. “Get the wounded attended to, now!” He approached as close as he dared to Heavy Wind's corpse. “Dammit, what a waste.” He let out a sigh. “Not to be too indelicate, but let's get this cleaned up. And be careful with those vials. Last thing we need is someone to be turned into a newfoal.”

Smith touched his earpiece and began speaking in low tones. Aides and other staff began scrambling in and out.

Clayton and Hollingsworth walked up to Lennox, their mouths set in a grim line. “General Lennox,” Clayton began, “as per Earth Defense Command regulations, we are hereby formally requesting... that the battleships Enterprise, Repulse, and Yokohama prepare to implement General Plan Twenty-Four.”

The Oval Office suddenly became a bit more quiet and subdued than a few seconds ago. Lennox straightened up. “By regulations, Mister President, I must ask you to reaffirm your request.”

Clayton nodded. “I reaffirm my request for a General Plan Twenty-Four, General Lennox. I recognize the severity of the request, and am prepared for the consequences.”

Hollingsworth spoke up. “In the absence of Vice-President Thi Dang, I second the President's request, General Lennox.”

Lennox glanced from Clayton to Hollingsworth. “Very well. I'll make preparations to contact the ships in orbit.” With that, he stepped back, about-faced and left the Oval Office.

Hollingsworth turned to Clayton. “For the record, while I do agree with the necessity... I hope to hell it doesn't come to going through with it.”

Clayton slowly nodded. “I wish to God we don't, old friend, but as they say, prepare for the worst. And the worst might still be coming.”


Three drones ran down the streets of Autobot City, their arms raised as they fired bursts from the laser cannons mounted to their arms. They turned a corner–and ran right into the Dinobots stomping down the street.

Grimlock roared. He leaned forward and spat a long gout of flame from his mouth. It struck the lead drone, melting its right arm and searing its torso.

Slag charged forward, in his triceratops alternate mode, firing lasers from his horns. The lasers sliced holes in the drone's armor, sending it staggering back. Slag continued forward, quickly closing the distance and stabbing it deep with his horns. “Stupid drone!” he shouted. “You make Slag angry!” He fired his horns again, the lasers slicing through the drone's internal machinery. It spasmed, smoke and sparks pouring out of every hole in it. Slag jerked his head around, pulling his horns free. He turned and slammed his tail into the drone, sending it tumbling down.

Sludge leaned to his right, lifted his left legs up, and then brought them down, shaking the immediate area and sending the final drone stumbling about. It fired, the laser blasts firing wildly into the air.

Snarl strode up to it and almost lazily swung his spiked tail at it, knocking it down. Swoop flew overhead in his Pteranodon alternate mode, firing off a seemingly-endless succession of missiles from his wing-mounted launchers. Within minutes, all three drones had been blown apart, their remains little more than tiny shrapnel that flew out from the explosions that ripped their chassis apart.

Grimlock transformed into robot mode and thrust his energon sword into the air. “Bring on more tin men! We Dinobots rip them apart just like these ones!”


All across Autobot City and the area around the barrier, almost identical scenes were playing out as the invading drones were encircled, cut off from each other, and destroyed. Any Neo-Equestrian ponies inside the city were rounded up, stunned when possible, dealt with lethally if they left the defenders no choice.

Optimus Prime shot off the head of one of the last remaining drones still inside Autobot City. He glanced up as Shockwave flew towards him and touched down a few meters away. He walked forward, sending his ion rifle back into his subspace storage pocket before stopping and bowing slightly. “Shockwave, thank you for coming and helping out. You and the others have saved a lot of lives today, and brought the galaxy one step closer to peace.”

Shockwave stood there for a moment before returning the bow. “Your thanks are welcome, but ultimately not necessary. We aided you because it was the logical thing to do. The odds of the New Decepticon Empire surviving have increased dramatically with these actions.”

Optimus straightened up. “I know Starscream's in it for his survival, but it will still end needless fuelshed. I'll take that, Shockwave. Peace–”

Shockwave raised his left arm and fired a long, thin laser beam from the cannon that had long ago replaced his hand. It shot past Optimus' head, striking a Cybertronian with a gray chassis and rust-colored highlights and slicing right through his chest. He stumbled forward, orange smoke pouring from his mouth as he collapsed to the ground, his optic sensors going dark.

Shockwave walked forward. “You did not flinch.”

Optimus kept his gaze level on Shockwave. “Shooting me would be... illogical in this location, Shockwave.” He turned and looked down at the permanently-offlined mech. He shook his head. “I wonder who he was.”

Shockwave stepped up to Optimus' side. “An enemy, before. Scrap metal, now.” He looked up at the Autobot leader. “Optimus, I request that after the battle is over, Astrotrain be allowed to refuel for the journey back to New Vos.”

Optimus looked up at Shockwave. “No... no. You'll all be allowed to refuel, and to have any damage incurred repaired. You did us a good turn, We owe you on that.”

Shockwave's optic sensor brightened slightly. “Thank you. I will admit, being trusted and compensated like this is going to be... difficult to get used to.”

Optimus slowly nodded. “I think, Shockwave, there's a lot of things both sides are going to have to get used to.”


The wall-mounted viewscreen in the shelter turned on. “Attention, all citizens. The attack against Autobot City has been driven off. I say again; the attack against Autobot City has been driven off. Please remain at your current location until Earth Defense Command reach you. Attention, all citizens...”

Danny spun about in a circle. “Thank god,” he said, finally stopping and facing Mike and Molly as they sat on the couch, along with Michelle. “So, odds on them forgetting about us?”

Applejack snorted. “I'm not laying one bit down on that, Danny.”

Rainbow Dash hopped up and punched the air. “Ah, this is ridiculous! I should've been out there doing something!”

Rarity, from her spot at a table, snorted. “Doing what, perchance?”

Rainbow Dash looked to her and shrugged. “I dunno. Being so awesome those weirdos leave?”

Michelle spoke up. “I think you're cool, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow Dash looked to her and grinned. “Thanks, Michelle.” She tilted her head back and forth. “Although... you're pretty cool, too.”

A bright light suddenly shone from a door near the back of the room, catching everyone's attention. Danny, Mike, Molly, Rainbow Dash and Applejack moved forward, Mike standing in front of his daughter. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie clustered together. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie ran off, disappearing behind the couch.

Applejack glanced over her shoulder. “Consarnit, Pinkie! What the tartarus are you doing?”

Pinkie Pie emerged, pushing a small blue cannon. At everyone's stares, she shrugged. “I've got party cannons stashed all over, in case of emergencies.!”

Danny slowly nodded. “We'll take it.”

The light dimmed, and the silhouette of a figure emerged. It-she stepped forward, quickly resolving itself into Megan. She looked around, slowly smiling. “Hey, all!” she shouted, waving. “I'm back.”

Mike's jaw dropped. He slowly stepped forward. “Megan, is it...” He held his arms out. “Is it really you?”

Megan looked up at him, her eyes watering slightly. “It is, Mike. I got a little help from some friends, old and new, but I'm back”

Mike surged forward, wrapping his arms around Megan. Megan returned the embrace, the two kissing. For a brief moment, the two were the only things to exist in their universe.

The moment soon passed as Danny and Molly approached. “Really sorry to spoil the mood,” Molly said, “but how do we know... it's really you?”

Megan leaned to her left and stared down Molly. “Shall I tell everyone about the crush you had on that Riot guy from the Stingers and–”

Molly held her hands up. “Okay, it's her!” she blurted out. “That's all I need.”

Danny looked up at her. “Wait, I thought you hated the Stingers.”

Molly growled. “Not the time, Danny. Not the time!” She walked up to Megan and jabbed a finger at her. “Don't you ever do anything like this again!”

Megan broke the embrace and eyed her younger sister. “Okay, I'll make sure not to be attacked by an evil version of Celestia, changed into an alicorn, and have to go meet up with the Princess Ponies to get changed back. Fair enough?”

Molly nodded. “Fair enough,” she said, smiling even as her eyes watered.

Megan looked around. “Wait, where's-ah!” She knelt down as she spotted Michelle. She held her arms out. “Michelle, it's me. Mommy's back and-oof!”

The wind was knocked from Megan as her younger daughter surged forward, wrapping her arms around Megan. “Mommy, you're back!' she cried out, smiling while crying.

Megan smiled as she returned the hug, barely reacting as Mike knelt down and joined in. “I am, honey. I am.”

Rarity wiped her nose. “Oh, this is so... lovely!” She floated a handkerchief over and blew her muzzle into it. “To see a family reunited like this!”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth, but stopped and half-smiled. “Yeah, it is. Mushy, but it is.”

Megan finally stood up. “Thanks for not totally spoiling the moment, Dash.” She looked around. “Where's Twilight? And has Celestia shown up, yet?”

Danny shook his head. “Last we heard, Twilight was helping with the battle. At least transforming Autobot City into fortress-mode.” He pulled out his phone. “I think with the battle winding down, we can call her up and get the straight scoop.” He jabbed a finger at Pinkie Pie. “And no ice cream puns!”

Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes. “Fine!”

Danny pulled out his phone. He dialed Twilight Sparkle up, then held the phone up to his head. After a moment, he spoke. “Twilight, hi! How's it going with Wheeljack? Uh, huh? That's great! Okay, listen. Megan just showed up in our shelter. Can you-wait, what?” He looked around, finally focusing on a sign. “Shelter 47-alpha, why?”

Another flash of light erupted in the room. It faded, leaving Twilight Sparkle there. She looked around. “Oh, good! I managed to avoid materializing inside the wall.”

Megan stared at her. “Well... that's a good thing.”

Twilight Sparkle looked up at Megan and gasped. “Megan, you're human again!” She trotted forward. “How did you do it? Or... who did it for you?”

Megan knelt down and hugged Twilight Sparkle. “It's a long story that I'll tell everyone after that Queen Celestia knockoff is taken care of and her 'Neo-Equestria' is defeated.” She stood back up. “Okay, so that's the bearers of the Elements.” She stood back up and rubbed her chin. “Let's see, has Optimus Prime landed, yet?”

Mike snapped his fingers. “He has! We heard a report on it a few minutes before you arrived from... wherever it is you were at.”

Rainbow Dash nickered. “Yeah, but we still need Princess Celestia to show up with the Elements of Harmony.”

A tear ripped open in the fabric of space, near the couch and startling everyone there. It widened, allowing what appeared to be Princess Celestia to walk through. An ornately-decorated box floated behind her. She turned, the glow around her horn brightened, and the tear resealed. “There we go.” She looked around. “It's me, Princess Celestia.” She floated the box in front of her and opened it. “And I brought the Elements of Harmony!”

Danny looked to the ceiling and waved his hand. “We still need Susanna Hoffs from the Bangles to show up and declare her undying love for me!” After a moment, he sighed. “Worth a try.”

Megan walked up to the alicorn. “Celestia-stop!” She held up a hand. “Before we continue, are you our Celestia?”

Celestia stared at her. “The Cure released 'Disintegration' in 1989. It was their eighth studio album. There are twelve songs on it, totaling seventy-one minutes, forty-seven seconds. The third song on it is 'Closedown'. You bought it for me for my birthday. It is currently in the Vault, with very heavy preservation spells on it.” She half-smiled. “Anything else?”

Megan shook her head. “That's more than enough.” She grinned widely as she walked quickly over to Celestia and threw her arms around her in a hug. “I am so glad to see you, and to be able to hug you like this again!”

Celestia leaned into the hug and nuzzled Megan. “I'm so glad you're human, again.” She sniffed Megan's hair, and her brow wrinkled. “Wait...”

Megan slowly shook her head. “Later, all right?”

Celestia sighed, but nodded. She broke from Megan's hug and looked around as Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy approached. She floated the box over, opened it, and gave them each their Element. “I'm very glad to see you, my little ponies. You've all made me very proud.”

Applejack looked down and blushed slightly. “Thank you, Princess. Truth be told, Twilight's done the most out of us.”

Twilight Sparkle swallowed and shrugged. “Only due to circumstances, Applejack.”

Megan cleared her throat. “Okay, before we got off-track, let's figure who's going where and doing what. All right?”

Celestia nodded. “Excellent idea.” She looked around. “Twilight, you and the other bearers of the Elements shall accompany Optimus Prime and I to Neo-Equestria. I can get us there.”

Megan spoke up. “I'm coming, too. I think I can help. And I have a... personal stake in this.”

Mike stepped up to Megan's side and gently took her hand in his. “Megan, I don't want to sound like I'm second-guessing you or anything like that, but are you sure about going there?”

Megan looked to him. She gently squeezed his hand. “You don't sound like that, and I'm sure, Mike.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for worrying and caring. I love you, too.”

Michelle walked over to Megan's other side. She gently tugged on Megan's arm. “Mommy?” She waited for Megan to look down before continuing. “Kick her butt!”

The tension melted, if only a little. Megan hugged her younger daughter. “We'll kick it from here to the Outer Colonies, honey.” She stood back up, then patted herself down. “Ah, right. My phone was inside the house... which was disintegrated by the Queen.” She looked to Mike. “Honey, could you please call Danielle and let her know I'm all right?”

Mike nodded. “Sure thing, Megan.”

Danny spoke up. “All right. I don't think Mike, Molly, Michelle or I will be much good out there in Neo-Equestria.” He looked around at them. “Well, sorry, but it's true!”

Molly shrugged. “I'm not disagreeing with you, Danny.” She looked to Megan. “Doesn't mean I don't wish I could help in some way.”

Megan nodded to Molly. “Much obliged, sis.” She glanced at the ceiling. “All right. I guess all we need to do now is get in touch with someone outside, let them know Celestia and I are here and we need to get to Optimus Prime.”

A few seconds later, the shelter's hatch opened. Lieutenant Commander Marie Hernandez walked inside. “Apologies for interrupting anything.” She turned, looked around, then pointed up at a camera set in a corner. “But we've been monitoring the conversation.” She stopped in front of Celestia and bowed at the waist. “An honor to meet you, your highness.”

Danny glanced to the ceiling. “So I guess all we need to do now is get me five million dollars into my bank account!” He waited a handful of heartbeats before sighing. “Again, worth a try.”

Celestia returned the bow. “The honor is mine, Commander.”

Marie looked to Megan and extended a hand. “Missus Richards, it's nice to finally meet you in the flesh.”

Megan smiled and shook Marie's proffered hand. “Nice to meet you too, Commander. Thanks for taking care of my family.”

Marie took in a breath. “All right, to make this quick.” She jabbed a thumb towards the ceiling. “There's a car outside that can take those going to Neo-Equestria to Autobot City's Command Tower. Optimus Prime is heading there as we speak. It's the best place for a rendezvous.” She glanced to her right. “Mister Richards, unless you have any objections, we'll escort you and your family back to the room you were in before.”

Mike shook his head. “No objections, Commander. Thanks.”

Megan clapped her hands together. “Well, looks like one way or another, this entire thing's gonna be over sooner rather than later. I won't say we'll definitely win, but we will go down swinging.”