As Ratchet was swiftly driving through the forests of western Equestria, he could not help but admire the scenery he was observing during his journey. So far, this section of the planet had contained nothing but beautiful green forests, clear blue skies, and more than a few species of animals with interesting appearances. According to his navigational system, he was currently moving through a place called, "White Tail Woods". If he did not change his current course, he would arrive to a landscape designated as "Smokey Mountains". Despite his research indicating that the civilization situated there was primitive even compared to the rest of this world, he could still gain valuable information from the locals about the terrain. Therefore, his chances of locating and retrieving the Cube before the Decepticons do.
Even though Ratchet had originally wished for his interactions with ponies of Equestria to be as minimal as possible, he eventually realized that his team's chances of saving their people were extremely slim without any assistance from these creatures. Besides, they actually were not nearly as bad as he initially assumed them to be. It was perfectly normal for them to be fearful of him and his comrades, due to their gigantic size and unnatural features. Moreover, he was not going to make this situation any easier if he continued to be prideful and moody all the time. Perhaps, it was time to let go of his vanity for once and start working on his-
KABOOM!!!
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the very earth he was driving on exploded due to an incredibly powerful blast. This caused him to transform back into his robot form, fly ten feet upwards, and hit the ground extremely hard. Before he could get a chance to recover from the attack and get back on his servos, he found himself surrounded by a squadron of pegasi who were wearing lavender-colored armor and pointing their spears towards him.
Things got even stranger when an alicorn with dark blue coat, moderate cyan eyes, and moderate sapphire blue mane landed right in front of Ratchet. She was obviously the leader of this pegasi squadron and one of the two princesses who ruled Equestria. Her horn was fiercely glowing with moderate cobalt blue magic and she was giving a glare so intense that even Unicron, the Planet Eater himself, would certainly tremble before it.
"STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE, METAL INVADER FROM OUTER SPACE!", she ordered Ratchet with a booming voice. "YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR THE CRIMES OF TRESSPASSING INTO EQUESTRIA AND ATTEMPTING TO ERADICATE OUR ENTIRE CIVILIZATION!"
Ratchet thought about getting up and explaining the situation, but after briefly considering what had happened a few moments ago and the unexpectedly powerful tone of the alicorn princess, he decided that it would be best to speak while laying on the ground and not provoke another attack.
"I assume you were the one who hit me with that highly concentrated blast of magic", he began his explanation. "I assure you, your highness, there was no need for such a rash course of action. Me and my comrades may have arrived to your world without permission, but we are not here to destroy it. We're simply searching for an artifact that holds the power to bring our people and planet back to life."
"So you say", countered the princess. "Yet, I find this claim very hard to believe. Your kind has brought nothing but pain and misery to our citizens since you first arrived here. Just look at what happened after that. An entire empire is demolished and the ponies living there are left homeless because of your actions. Also, there have been reports that Ponyville recently came under attack. How do you respond to these facts?"
"You're right", Ratchet replied. "These assaults on your people were, indeed, launched by mine. However, there is still one fact you're currently unaware of. The ones responsible for the attacks belong to a faction that has a centuries-long rivalry with the one me and my team belong to. Our war has reduced our world into little more than a lifeless husk, and will undoubtedly do the same to yours unless I help my team put a stop to it as soon as possible by defeating those blasted renegades you mentioned. So, believe me when I say I have nothing in common with their ilk and I despise all of them with every beat of my spark."
Right after he said that, the alicorn's facial expression changed from furious to confused and her horn stopped glowing.
"A civil war among a mechanical alien race?", she pondered. "That is a most unexpected development. Unfortunately, it does not fully convince me of your innocence. How do I know that everything you just told me is nothing but a deception and you are actually one of the invaders that arrived here last night on peculiar transports? If this IS the case, then I have no choice but to take you as my prisoner, and deliver you to our top scientists so that they can dissect your body and find a way to wipe out your curse of a kin once and for all!"
Though he became a little frightened by this declaration, Ratchet calmly thought about how he could counter the accusations and eventually came up with a brilliant idea. He drew the Decepticon symbol on the ground with his finger and asked, "Both the invaders and the transports they used to come here had this symbol on their exterior, correct?"
"Yes, according to Prince Shining Armor's recount of the events", the princess confirmed. "But, how does that answer my question?"
"The members of the renegade faction I mentioned are called 'Decepticons' and this is their insignia. As my team and I are members of the Autobot faction, here is OUR insignia."
He pointed to his chest, on which there was a symbol which looked considerably less intimidating and much more heroic than the one drawn on the ground.
"If that's not enough to change your opinion of me, then don't worry. There are still a few more facts to consider," he continued. "First of all, if I was really a Decepticon or an enemy of your people, then I would not have wasted any time negotiating with you while laying on the ground and instead, I would've immediately proceeded to turn every single one of you into a pile of ash. Secondly, I highly recommend that you go to the place called 'Ponyville' and ask about the latest developments. The ponies there should be saying something about another Cybertronian with the Autobot insignia on his exterior fending off the invaders."
The princess briefly contemplated doing what he said and finally declared, "Alright, then. I shall go and see the current situation with my own eyes. Pray that both what I will see and what the citizens will say align with your claims. If not, then you have just made your final request."
Right after she said that, she flew off towards west, leaving Ratchet alone with her guards who were still glaring and pointing their spears towards him. Though he thought about telling them that their weapons would do very little to penetrate his chassis, he quickly decided not to do it as he knew that this would not make the situation any better. So, he decided to maintain his current position and wait for the princess to come back.
After about fifteen minutes of everything remaining the same, the princess returned with an apologetic look on her face.
"I observed the state of the town and questioned the residents about what happened. It appears you were telling the truth all along. My subjects confirmed that while two Decepticons brutally attacked the place, another Cybertronian with yellow armor and your faction's insignia forced both of them after defeating them in physical combat. He then helped the citizens with repairing the town and is currently visiting an old friend of mine with a group of fillies."
A surprised Ratchet then asked, "So, Optimus sent Bumblebee on this mission? And it was a success? Huh! Would you look at that! The kid really stepped up this time."
"Indeed", the princess added. "It appears you and the Autobots really ARE our friends, and it is the Decepticons who are the true enemy. You are hereby cleared of all charges."
She motioned her guards to lower their spears and they immediately did so. This finally gave Ratchet the opportunity to get back on his servos.
"Splendid. Now that we've cleared that up, I believe some introductions are in order", he declared. "My name is Ratchet, the decorated medical officer of the Autobot faction."
"And I am Princess Luna, the ruler of Equestria alongside my elder sister, Princess Celestia, and the protector of ponies during their dreams", she introduced herself. "I am terribly sorry about my initial reaction to your presence. I was only concerned about the safety of my subjects. I hope you can understand."
"I do", Ratchet replied. "Fear and prejudice often make us take actions we deeply regret later. I learned this lesson the hard during the war on our planet."
"Really?", Luna curiously inquired. "Well, I'm sure it's a story that I'd be delighted to listen to someday. However, it seems there are more pressing matters we need to attend to."
"You're right", agreed Ratchet. "The most concerning one is the arrival of these three Decepticons. You said they arrived here on 'peculiar transports'. These must be escape pods launched from their ship. If that's the case, then none of them have the capability of flight. Were there any tracks like the ones behind me near the pods?"
"Yes, actually", Luna began. "Shining Armor reported three set of tracks leaving the pods. One of them was smaller than yours, another one was nearly the same size, and the last one was considerably larger."
"Hmmm... The smaller must belong to Barricade and the middle one quite possibly belongs to Brawl", pondered Ratchet. "Even so, there is still one more Decepticon we haven't yet encountered. You said it's larger than both Barricade and Brawl, but the only Cybertronian that I know of who fits this description is either my leader Optimus Prime or-"
A horrified expression suddenly appeared on his face, which deeply concerned Luna.
"What is it? What's wrong?", she asked.
"Dear Primus, we were right!", he fearfully spoke to himself. "He IS here!"
"Who, Ratchet?", an even more worried Luna inquired. "Who are you talking about?!"
That exclamation finally caused Ratchet to snap out of it and he cleared his throat before talking again.
"Your highness, I regret to inform you that you and your subjects are about face a threat even greater than what has come so far", he began. "You need the help of someone with both skill and experience in order to survive this upcoming ordeal. Right now, that 'someone' is me."
"Wait, you just introduced yourself as a medical officer", questioned Luna. "You know claim to be proficient in battle strategy as well?"
"Proficient in battle strategy? Please! That duty is reserved for bots like Optimus and Ironhide", clarified Ratchet. "I, meanwhile, am considered a true expert when it comes to subjects like medical science and Cybertronian biology. Therefore, I know the full anatomy of a Decepticon like the back of my hand and can provide you with crucial information on how to defeat DOZENS of them with minimal collateral damage."
Both Luna and her guards were very intrigued by this new piece of information.
"Very well", Luna stated. "Then, let us head to Canterlot straight away. There, we shall meet my sister and you will tell us about your strategy against these villains. I just hope we're not too-"
CRRRACKKKOOOMMM!
As soon as everyone heard that sound, they lifted their heads towards the sky and saw three more pods heading towards the surface extremely fast. Luna gave a worried look at Ratchet and he proceeded to observe the pods in greater detail with his zooming in his optics on them. A few seconds later he noticed the Decepticon symbol painted on them and quickly began to calculate the coordinates they were going to hit according to their trajectory.
"Well, what do you see?", inquired Luna. "Are they carrying more Autobots?"
"No, just the opposite, I'm afraid", replied Ratchet. "Based on their trajectory and acceleration, they're about to impact a location fifty miles north of here. Is that place near a populated area?"
"GREAT HEAVENS!", a horrified Luna screamed. "The city of Vanhoover is there and it's home to more than six hundred thousand ponies! We have to do something immediately!"
As soon as he heard that, Ratchet turned his right hand into a Neutron Assault Rifle and tried to shoot down the pods while Luna did the same with the magic blasts coming from her horn. However, neither of the attacks could damage the armor surrounding the pods and the impacts shortly occurred nonetheless, creating three huge explosions on their target area. Luna first became extremely shocked by what she saw and then, she almost burst into tears.
"Why are they doing this?", she asked Ratchet with a cracking voice.
"Megatron, the Decepticon leader, must be getting impatient with the search for the artifact", he explained. "That's why he called for reinforcements. He wants to speed up the search by any means necessary and he has no care for the innocent lives he's putting at risk."
Upon hearing this, Luna wiped away the little drops of tear from her face and her expression suddenly changed from sorrowful to enraged.
"He must pay for this atrocity!", she menacingly declared.
"Patience, your highness", Ratchet replied. "Megatron does deserve the most severe punishment imaginable for his crimes, but we still have no idea where he is. Even if we do find him, he's too powerful of an opponent to take head on all by ourselves. Besides, he can wait for now. Our top priority is helping the survivors of his carnage and eliminating those who came to assist him."
It took nearly half a minute for Luna to calm down and when she did, she let out a deep sigh and looked back at Ratchet with great determination on her face.
"Then, let us move out already", she stated. "I'm sure your medical skills will be quite useful in this situation.
"My thoughts exactly", said Ratchet with an equally determined tone. "Also, you may require additional protection when dealing with an unknown number of Decepticons."
Luna nodded in agreement and promptly began flying towards the city, followed closely by both her guards and Ratchet in his vehicle form. Even at their top speed, it still took them about twenty minutes to reach their destination and the instant they arrived, they were met with a truly devastating sight.
There was a gigantic crater in the middle of the city, surrounded by dozens of severely injured ponies and several demolished buildings. The ponies that remained uninjured, on the other hand, were immensely saddened by the destruction of their homes. While Luna and her guards immediately began to help out the wounded, she motioned him to check the inside of the pods. Though he did so, he was not able to find a single Decepticon and his scanners could not pick up any energy signatures in the surrounding area. Therefore, he deduced that they must have gotten out and dispersed as soon as the pods landed. Disappointed, he reported his search results to Luna, who requested that he provides medical assistance to the citizens before going out to search for the escapees. He agreed, but decided to contact his leader and tell him what had happened first.
"Optimus, can you hear me? This is Ratchet", he started after pressing a button on the right corner of his head. "I had just made the acquaintance of one of the royal alicorns and we're now assisting the residents of a city that had recently suffered a Decepticon attack. Though there are no signs of the Decepticons right now, the number of ponies injured by the attack is high. If you're finished with repairing those train carts, then I suggest that you bring them here so that we can transport the homeless ones somewhere safe."
"Thanks for the heads-up, Ratchet. Twilight and I did finish the repairs and will roll out to your location immediately", Optimus replied. "Keep the citizens safe and tend to their wounds until we arrive."
"Will do, old friend", agreed Ratchet. "Safe travels to both you and Twilight. Ratchet out."
Right after the conversation ended, he changed his weapon into an Energon Repair Ray set to affect organics and hurried towards a group of injured ponies the guards had managed to gather up. He then emitted the same blue energy beam that previously healed Twilight and Spike, and the results were the same as before. Every pony caught in the beam instantly became completely normal and all their wounds disappeared.
Though the ponies were very grateful for Ratchet’s medical assistance, he just said to them “You’re welcome” and moved on to another group in need of healing. He did the exact same thing to them, said a simple “You’re welcome”, went to heal the next batch of injured ponies. He repeated this process for two more times, before Luna blocked his path with a disapproving look on her face.
"Forgive me, your majesty, but I have no time to talk right now", he said. "There are still a few dozen more patients I should tend to."
"And did you not forget about something while tending to the previous ones?", Luna asked while raising an eyebrow.
"No, I certainly did not", he argued. "I saved the patients by restoring them back to their uninjured states. I'm sure you know that this is the primary objective of a medical officer like me."
"I know that, but you did miss a very important duty that any experienced medical officer should fulfill after providing treatment to his or her patients", countered Luna. "You forgot to give them moral support by telling them in an encouraging manner that they will be alright from now on. In other words, you neglected your bedside manners."
Ratchet groaned at that statement, but managed to maintain his calm demeanor, nonetheless.
"So, let me guess", he began. "You will not let me provide treatment to the next group of patients unless I improve my bedside manners."
"Pretty much", Luna confirmed while speaking in a softer tone. "As important as restoring them back to health is, giving them the hope that they will become healthier and stronger later on is equally crucial. After all, you can never be truly better if you do not have the will and courage to be better."
Ratchet let out a frustrated sigh and replied, "Alright, then. I'll do my best to keep them hopeful."
Luna smiled and allowed him to pass. Ratchet then not only followed the exact same routine three more times, but he also told the patients emotionally supportive words like "You'll be alright", "Stay strong", and "You're much more durable than you realize". The ponies, in return, really appreciated this kindness and one of the filly patients even offered a flower she found in the rubble. Ratchet, though touched by this gesture, knew that he could not pick it up without crushing it. So, not wanting to hurt her feelings, he simply told her that she needed it more than he did. The filly understood what he meant, gave him a smile, and ran off to join her parents. Ratchet then went back to Luna who had been observing his process and was very impressed by his improved bedside manners.
"That wasn't so bad, now, was it?", she asked in a teasing manner.
"No, far from it, actually", he somberly explained. "The problem is that I haven't really done this in a very long time."
Upon hearing that, Luna became incredibly confused and inquired, "Why would a professional like you suddenly neglect to fulfill such an important responsibility?"
"I have nothing to blame but the eons-long war between Autobots and Decepticons", he replied. "As I mentioned earlier, the battles that took place on my world were so fierce that the entire planet eventually became completely lifeless. Even though I lost so many of my friends during that period, I had no time to grieve for them due to being so busy rushing between battlegrounds to heal the wounded. Of course, I learned bedside manners during my medical training and did remember to apply it during the first few battles. However, as the war progressed and the number of our casualties grew exponentially, it just seemed more and more pointless to practice it. I mean, what's the real point of telling a wounded soldier that he's going to be alright when he's in danger of being blown off or shot at later on? I hate to break it to you, your highness, but these things are mostly inevitable during a war."
Luna was deeply moved by this speech, but she also knew that there was something wrong in Ratchet's viewpoint. So, in order to correct it, she deeply sighed and said, "I do realize that I'm relatively new to warfare, but I also know that you cannot always save everyone during a battle. Even so, that is no excuse for ceasing to lifting the spirits of your comrades. Yes, they may not survive the battle, but they may also emerge victorious if they remain hopeful for the future and devoted to their cause. That can only happen if someone like you keeps them strong both physically and emotionally."
Ratchet briefly pondered what she said and eventually realized that she had a point. If he and his team were going to win this war, they needed a strong will to win and that he could be the one to provide them this strong will. However, there was still one question that lingered in his mind.
"How do you know all this?", he asked Luna. "Were you also a medic before becoming a princess?"
"Well, not exactly", she nervously explained. "You see, I've been recently suffering some, uh, mental health problems and visiting several doctors for treatment. While they haven't provided a conclusive solution yet, every single one of them have remembered their bedside manners and advised me to never stop believing that everything is going to be alright eventually. So, even though I'm not fully healed, I feel that I AM getting better each day, because I follow their advice."
"I see", replied Ratchet. "I do hope you get fully healed soon, your highness. Also, thank you. My fellow Autobots have been complaining that my medical skills haven't been as good as they once were and this could be the reason. I'll be sure to improve my bedside manners from this moment on."
"You're most welcome, my good friend", she responded while smiling. "Oh, and please do call me ‘Luna’ from now on."
He also smiled and said, “I certainly will, Luna. By the way, you’re a good friend too.”
Luna almost blushed at that compliment when suddenly, a handful of white-coated pegasi with yellow armor arrived. Their captain stepped forward and saluted her.
“A pleasure to see you unharmed, Princess Luna”, he began. “Princess Celestia was concerned that you might’ve been injured during the attack here, but it’s clear that this isn't the case. Is this alien with you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“That is correct, Captain”, she confirmed. “This soldier, along with the rest of his comrades who bear the symbol on his chest, is here to help us defeat the villains attacking our cities and towns. Isn’t that right, Ratchet?”
“Yes and no”, he replied. “Defending your people against the Decepticons IS our duty. However, our main priority is retrieving a cube-shaped artifact called, the ‘AllSpark’. If we can find it before the Decepticons do, then our civilization can flourish once again. Do any of you know where it might be located?”
"Forgive us, honorable warrior, but we're just as clueless as you are", replied the captain. "This is the first time any of us have ever heard of this 'AllSpark' and we certainly have no idea where it could be hidden."
“Actually, I do”, she said, which drew the attention of not just Ratchet, but the guards as well. “My sister will never let me hear the end of it, but since our entire world faces complete destruction, I cannot keep this secret any longer. Celestia and I buried it deep beneath our old castle a thousand years ago. It was one of the last decisions we made together before my banishment to the Moon.”
“Princess, if you don’t mind, my squadron and I are going to make a perimeter sweep to make sure there aren’t any remaining intruders around here”, the captain requested.
Luna motioned them to go and Ratchet kneeled beside her, eager to hear the full details of the story. While they weren’t looking, the guards spread around the city and their captain headed inside a demolished building. Once there, his entire exterior dissolved, revealing a purple mechanic pony who then transformed into a small Decepticon about a quarter of Ratchet’s size.
He pushed a few buttons on his right arm before pushing another button on the left side of his head and talking to it in his native language.
“The Cube has been located, my lord. Sending you the coordinates now. This is the perfect time to finally take it.”
Right after he said that, he heard the most menacing and sadistic laugh imaginable coming from the other end.