"So, what exactly are we looking for in this place?", a slightly nervous Scootaloo asked as she and her friends walked around the partially demolished halls of the abandoned Castle of the Two Sisters, which was once the majestic residence of the two royal alicorns who ruled Equestria side by side. In present day, however, there was nothing really majestic about it, despite the recent restoration attempts by Princess Twilight. The walls were torn apart, there was rubble and dust everywhere, and the intact corners were now home to spiders. Despite the fact that Scootaloo, the other Crusaders, and Spike being utterly disgusted by the castle's current state, they all knew there was a good reason why they came here in the first place.
In response to her question, their Autobot guardian/friend Bumblebee said in a relatively calm tone, "I'm not entirely sure myself, Scoots. Like I said, my sensors only picked up the LOCATION of a weird energy signature, not its full description. Despite that, I have a pretty good feeling that we're about to finally retrieve the AllSpark; a long lost artifact capable of restoring my world to its former glory, and ending the long and brutal war with the Decepticons."
As a result of this statement, the Crusaders became very confused and Applebloom asked, "Uh-huh... Is there any way you can translate everything you just said to Ponish?"
Bumblebee became embarrassed of himself upon hearing that and let out a nervous chuckle before replying, "Sorry. I kinda sounded like Optimus just then. Anyway, what I'm really trying to say is that I believe we're about to find a cube, which is nearly your size and has strange ancient symbols all over it. Believe it or not, this little cube has enough power to bring my entire home planet back to life."
"Really?!", asked Sweetie Belle excitedly. "WOW! We better find it soon then, Bee. I can't wait to see this thing with my own eyes. Hey, do you think we'll get to see your home after it's fixed? I mean, giant metal aliens are cool and all, but just imagine how much cooler an ENTIRE WORLD of giant metal aliens would be!"
Bumblebee slightly chuckled after he heard that and replied, "Calm down, Sweetie. I'm excited to find the AllSpark too and, yeah, maybe I'll show you guys my planet someday. The truth is, though, we still don't know if it's really the source of this strange energy I'm tracking right now. So, there's a chance that my instincts are wrong."
"Don't worry about it, buddy. I have complete faith in you", Spike said in an encouraging tone. "I mean, I've never seen you making a bad call like, at all."
"Um, Spike, you do know that you've known me for only five Equestrian hours, right?", Bumblebee asked. "Besides, by going on this little adventure, I'm pretty much disobeying direct orders from Optimus to stay put in Ponyville and await further instructions. I'll be in very serious trouble if we run into a dead end and come back empty-handed."
Spike shrugged at that statement and replied, "Doesn't matter. Ever since we've met, you've always made the right decisions no matter how dire the situation was. So, I'm one hundred percent sure you have the right instincts on this too."
"Me too!", agreed Scootaloo. "I mean, all you've done for us so far makes you a great hero. Heroes always make the good calls, right?"
"Um, I'm pretty sure that's not quite how it works, but thanks for your support anyway, guys. Joining me on this quest could get you in a lot of trouble too and yet, you're totally fine with it", Bumblebee replied. "I can tell, without a doubt, that you're all truly caring and dependable friends."
"Aw, no problem at all, Bee. We're always happy to help a friend in need", declared Applebloom.
Sweetie Belle added, "Yeah, and we're more than willing to stick with you until we find this super powerful cube thing, whether it's really here or not. Speaking of which, are we close to that weird 'energy signature' you mentioned?"
To answer that question, Bumblebee glanced at first the holographic map projected from his right arm and then, a structure right in front of him. He repeated this process two more times before groaning in frustration.
"Well, the good news is we're very close to it", he began to explain. "The bad news is, though, it's behind that thick stone door and from the looks of it, this door has remained sealed for centuries."
All three of the Crusaders also groaned in frustration upon hearing that while Spike nonchalantly walked towards the door. After carefully examining it, he excitedly exclaimed, "Wait a minute! I remember this door!"
He quickly ran towards a dusty bookshelf right behind Bumblebee and pulled a book with a mechanism attached to it. The mechanism immediately caused the stone door to be slid open, both the Crusaders and Bumblebee to be utterly shocked.
"Holy Primus, Spike! That was amazing!", Bumblebee exclaimed. "How did you know about this miracle?"
In response, Spike let out a nervous giggle and said, "Well, let's just say, I took part in a... rather unfortunate event related to this secret passage. The less you know the better."
"Oh... Um, okay, then. Let's get going", declared Bumblebee.
However, Scootaloo then asked him, "Quick question. Why didn't you just use one of your fancy weapons to demolish the door in the first place?"
"Well... I wanted to preserve the, uh, charm of this historic site?", Bumblebee tried to explain, which inadvertently made the Crusaders slightly confused.
After a brief silence, however, Applebloom happily stated, "Makes sense to me."
"Yeah, me too", agreed Sweetie Belle. "Come on, guys! Let's go find our prize!"
While everyone else proceeded to do as she said, Scootaloo just stood there for a moment before saying to herself, "I... still have some questions."
Nevertheless, she quickly caught up with the rest of the group, who had already entered into the passage (Bumblebee had also removed the metal bars around the passage in order to fit through it) and were now standing on the edge of a cliff. Below them was an extremely dark and seemingly bottomless pit and right above them was an ominous green light. Although it was bright, it was simply not bright enough to illuminate the pit below.
"What do we do now?", asked Spike and Bumblebee took another glance at his map, which showed that the energy signature was located at the bottom of the pit. He briefly pondered how they could go down there unharmed before coming up with a brilliant plan. He took out his sword and carefully put his friends on his shoulders.
"Hold on to me tight, guys. This is gonna be a really bumpy ride", he declared and they did as he said. Then, he proceeded to jump from the cliff and drop right on to the bottom, much to his friends' horror. As they continued to scream in pure terror during the fall, Bumblebee checked his map and changed a settings a bit so that it could display the exact amount of distance between him and the energy signature. In only a handful of seconds, the distance became close enough and he swiftly stabbed the wall with his sword and placed his feet on it in order to slow down his descent. He eventually stopped falling and by the time he did, there was merely a couple of feet between him and the bottom.
He promptly landed on the ground, retrieved his sword, and carefully placed his friends on the ground, who had all become extremely dizzy as a result of this truly bumpy ride.
"Can we please not do this again?", Scootaloo weakly asked.
Bumblebee replied, "Yeah, sure. Sorry about that, by the way. It's just that desperate times means desperate measures."
He patiently waited a few minutes for his friends to fully recover. Once they did, he illuminated the room with his headlights and began to look around. A few seconds later, he finally saw it. There, right at the center of the room, was the treasure his people had been searching for over a millenia: the magnificent AllSpark.
It looked just like how the legends described it to be. Shaped just like a cube, made from the purest Cybertronian metal in existence, and covered in strange symbols dating back to the beginning of the planet itself. For Bumblebee, it really was a sight to behold and he knew very well that this could be the definitive answer to all their problems.
Even when he grabbed it with his left hand, he felt a strange surge of energy entering his body. As odd as it was, it was also rather comforting and he had begun to feel the injuries he had sustained from the numerous battles he took part in were rapidly healing. In fact, just a couple of seconds later, he became pretty much a completely undamaged bot and started to admire his new look greatly. He probably would have continued it for hours if not for Spike reminding him that they were still on the bottom of a dark creepy pit. Thankfully, this was enough to make him come to his senses and he immediately proceeded to take out his sword and carefully placed his friends on his shoulders once more. Then, he began to scale the wall by stabbing it with his sword and using the sword to lift himself up before stabbing the wall once again. During all this, he was still holding the AllSpark with his left hand.
While this action was not nearly as terrifying for his friends, it was rather extremely boring, and they expressed that pretty clearly to him a while later with their deep sighs and groans. Therefore, he tried to come up with something that could help them pass the time. After a brief contemplation, he finally found one.
"Hey, Spike. Wanna tell us about how you found that secret passage in the first place?", he teasingly asked.
In response, Spike's eyes widened with intense fear and he replied, "Come on, dude! I told you it's not something I should be telling you about!"
"Yeah, you did, but I simply can't hold my curiosity back any longer", Bumblebee admitted. "It just sounds like a really exciting story to listen to."
"Oh, I love listening to exciting stories!", Scootaloo happily exclaimed. "You've got to tell us, Spike! Please?!"
"Besides, it'll be way more exciting than just waiting for Bee to take us to the top", Applebloom added.
Spike thought really hard about this before letting out a defeated sigh and saying, "Alright. Here goes. Remember that Filly and Foal Fair a few weeks back?"
"You mean the one where Rarity made a lavish puppet theater as some sort of contribution?", asked Sweetie Belle.
Spike replied, "Yep. That's the one. Let's just say, that contribution really didn't go as she planned..."
As he continued to narrate this story to his friends, Bumblebee was busy doing five things all at the same time. He was holding on to the most powerful artifact in Cybertron's history with just one hand, carrying all four of his new organic friends on his shoulders, climbing a very steep stone wall with his sword, trying to listen to Spike's story with great enthusiasm, and also pondering a question:
How, in the name of Primus, did the AllSpark end up at the bottom of this nearly destroyed castle in the first place?
The Castle of the Two Sisters
One Month Before Nightmare Moon's Banishment
"I am not so sure about this plan. You know it could very well give way to disaster", said Luna to her elder sister Celestia who was sitting on the throne right next to hers. The difference between these two royal alicorns, in terms of color, could not be any more apparent. In contrast to Luna's much darker color scheme, Princess Celestia had pale, light grayish magenta eyes, pale heliotrope mane, and pure white coat. She was also much bigger than Luna, in terms of size, and when she spoke, her tone came off as both regal and commanding at the same time.
"I'm aware of the risks as much as you are, sister, but considering how much our kingdom and our subjects can benefit from this endeavor, I say we should at least give it a try."
Luna groaned upon hearing this and thought, "Why do I even bother disagreeing with her? She NEVER takes my opinions seriously."
Celestia ignored her groan, took a deep breath, and suggested, "Shall we go down and take a look at the progress?"
"Sure. Why not?", replied Luna in a deadpanned tone and both of them got up from their thrones before walking towards the library. Once there, they motioned the guards to leave them be and the second they left, Luna opened the door leading to the secret passage. They entered the passage and came across the chamber that housed the Inspiration Manifestation book. Celestia then lit up her horn to illuminate their path and both alicorns began flying downwards to the bottom of the pit.
It took them nearly a minute to reach the bottom and as they became close to it, they encountered a series of lanterns and torches attached to the walls in order to brighten the room. Soon enough, they landed and walked towards a wooden table filled with parchment, ink, quill, laboratory equipment, and tons of notes. Right beside the table was a middle-aged unicorn stallion wearing a lab coat and goggles while also holding a metal cube covered in strange symbols with his magic aura. He had a dark magenta coat, frazzled light azure mane with moderate raspberry and brilliant purple streaks, and tired pale green eyes. A gigantic nervous smile crossed his face as soon as he noticed the presence of the princesses.
"Ah, your majesties! You honor me with your arrival!", he began. "I assume you're here to check on my work on this peculiar artifact?'
"Yes, Page Turner, that is precisely why we came", declared Celestia. "So, what do you have to report?"
"Well, uh, not much. Properly examining this cube has certainly been an agonizing task", the now-calm doctor explained while showing the cube to the princesses. "For one, the material it's made out of is easily the strongest metal I've ever encountered, so it's impossible for me to take a sample for further analysis. In fact, I don't really think it's ANY of the Equestrian metals whatsoever."
The princesses looked at each other in confusion before they turned back to Page Turner and Celestia asked, "Would you please elaborate on that?"
"That actually brings us to the second concern", the doctor continued. "The symbols on the cube's surface are nearly impossible to translate. I've studied the languages and culture of every single ancient civilization in the history of Equestria. None of them have ever used these symbols. By the way, I said 'nearly impossible to translate', because carbon dating shows that the cube itself has been on this planet for approximately six hundred thousand years. This officially confirms my hypothesis that it belongs to a civilization much older than our own and that this civilization is most likely not centered around anywhere near Equestria."
It took Celestia a handful of seconds to comprehend all this information. Then, she took a deep breath and asked, "What do you suggest we do next?"
"You won't like it, but I recommend that we immediately stop tampering with this artifact any further", Page Turner replied. "We still don't know what exactly it does, how it came to our world in the first place, and how advanced the civilization it belongs to is."
"I agree with him", stated a concerned Luna. "If this cube had, indeed, come from an alien planet, then there is surely a possibility that its inhabitants can arrive here in the near future to take it back. When that happens, who knows if they'll be friendly or not. The worst case scenario, they launch a full-scale of invasion at Equestria and we'll be powerless to protect our subjects from it. So, I suggest that we heed the doctor's advice and send this cube back to space before it causes any irreparable harm to our world."
Upon hearing this, Celestia let out a slightly irritated sigh and replied, "I do know this is a risk, sister, but can you imagine what we can learn from such an artifact? If we could just unlock its secrets, it could help us advance our society to a level beyond our dreams. Who knows? Perhaps, these new advances may also assist us in repelling this 'invasion' you speak of."
Right at that point, Luna's facial expression shifted from worried to plain angry and she countered, "You forget that we are still unable to discover its functions and quite possibly never will. Do you not see, sister? We are not meant to understand this cube and even if we can, our people is not yet ready for the changes it may bring. You have to realize this."
Celestia then retorted, "What I realize, Luna, is that you always play everything safe and are too afraid to take any sort of chance. To be honest, I'm beginning to get very tired of it."
"I am simply trying to protect our subjects from total devastation!", shouted Luna. "It is high time you did the same!"
As the two sisters continued to argue, Page Turner put the cube back on the table and began to contemplate what he was going to do next. If history was any indication, Princess Celestia was most likely going to win this argument and after that, he would be forced to examine the cube for another few weeks. To be more precise, that was a few more weeks he would have to spend away from his family, which consisted of his beloved wife and newborn daughter. How was he going to explain this situation? Since this was a top secret project, he had lie to his wife and told her that he was employed as a substitute geology professor at the Equestrian Institute of Rockology. There were two things he hated doing the most in his life: lying to his loved ones and spending a long time away from them.
He now wished that he never found this stupid artifact during his recent expedition to Yakyakistan. While the purpose of that trip was to better understand the yak culture, the princesses found what he had discovered on a crater near the snow-covered mountain range significantly more intriguing than anything he had learned from the yaks themselves. So, now, he was slaving at the bottom of the royal castle trying uncover the secrets of his discovery without any clue about how to do so. Moreover, due to the project's current status as a top secret one, he was not allowed to work in a standard research laboratory with actually good lighting. He genuinely prayed that Princess Luna won the argument, because the only thing he wanted to do right now was to return home and spend as much time with her family as possible. However, deep down, he knew that this would not come to pass.
Realizing that he should not get his hopes up too much, he decided to take another look at his numerous notes, instead. He wanted to make sure he did not miss any important details that might assist him in his upcoming research. Then, while going over these notes, his horn accidentally touched the cube and instantly began to glow white. A moment later, his eyes did the same and the entire recorded history of Cybertron instantly began flowing into his brain in a matter of seconds. This included the depiction of important events such as the eons-long battle between Primus and Unicron, the creation of the original thirteen Primes, Unicron's ultimate defeat, Primus becoming Cybertron's core, the planet's Golden Age, and finally, its ruination by the civil war between Autobots and Decepticons.
When the transfer of information finally ended, Page Turner's eyes and horn also stopped glowing, and while trying to recover from a sudden agonizing headache, he noticed the shocked expressions of the princesses who had witnessed the whole thing. As soon as the headache stopped a few seconds later, an enormous grin appeared on Page Turner's face and he shouted, "I KNOW EVERYTHING!"
Right after that, he grabbed his remaining parchments, ink, and quill, and began to rapidly take note of everything the cube had just showed him. In addition to writing these notes, he also started drawing symbols similar to the ones covering the surface of the cube. While he was very excited during all this, the princesses were giving each other worried looks and contemplating whether they should stop him or tell him to slow down a bit.
Then, about half a minute later, Page Turner's rapid note-taking caused him to accidentally knock the microscope beside him down to the floor. He noticed this and used his magic to bring it back to its original place before continuing to take notes and drawing symbols. However, only a couple of seconds after that, the microscope began shaking violently, made an otherworldly sound, and right after that, turned into a creepy little robot with goggles.
The mean little sucker took a moment to observe his surroundings before lunging towards Page Turner's throat and using his entire body to pierce right through it. The poor doctor instantly dropped dead with the blood spilling from his neck forming a pool around the body. Though his killer was also covered in blood, he nevertheless began running straight at the princesses, intending to terminate them too. Both Celestia and Luna attempted to destroy the creature with their magic blasts, it managed to dodge every single one of their hits and even made a leap towards Celestia's face. However, right before it could hurt her in any way, Luna kicked it away with her back hooves, turned one of the nearby lanterns into a small boulder with her magic, and crushed the little monstrosity with that boulder. Even though she was completely out of breath and a little bit terrified, she eventually calmed down and turned her attention to her sister, who was even more scared than she was.
"Are you alright?", she asked Celestia who, after taking a couple of deep breaths, replied in a saddened tone, "I'm fine. Thank you for asking. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Page Turner. I've made a terrible mistake and he paid the price with his life. It seems there was merit to your concerns, after all. Forgive me for not listening."
Luna let out an equally sad sigh and asked, "What is our current course of action?"
"You'll destroy every single one of those notes, dispose of that tiny abomination, and give the good doctor a proper burial", declared Celestia. "In the meantime, I'll go console his family."
"And what shall be done with the cube?", Luna inquired and Celestia bluntly replied, "Destroy it too and if nothing works, then leave it here. It's far too dangerous to ever see the light of day."
Luna nodded in agreement and watched her sister immediately took off at top speed, leaving her to clean up the mess all by herself. She began this task by using her magic to set the entire table on fire and move the partially demolished creature (which still had a little bit of pony blood on its exterior) close to her face. Glaring at it with great disgust and hatred, she quietly said, "Your creator may stay here, but you will not be anywhere near it. In fact, you will not be near any pony ever again!". Right after that, only for a second, her pupils became so thin that they resembled those of a snake.
City of Vanhoover
Present Day
"...and soon after that, I teleported that thing to the deep cold space and took care of Page Turner's funeral arrangements. Celestia explained his cause of death to his family as best as she could and even though they were very saddened by it, they understood how important his real job was. The funeral came and went rather quickly. It wasn't long before Celestia and I began to continue arguing about every trivial matter imaginable, which eventually resulted in me turning into a monster named, Nightmare Moon, and almost decimating my own sister. She had no choice but to banish me to the moon for a thousand years and when I returned, I was only reformed thanks to the efforts of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Ever since then, I try to be a better ruler and pony than I was before, and also keep my ambitions in check as much as I can. So, any questions?
By the time Luna was finished telling all this to Ratchet, he was left both amazed and a little bit confused at the same time.
"I admit, this is a genuinely fascinating story", he said. "However, I do have a few questions. First of all, why did the AllSpark just sent the ENTIRE Cybertronian history to the mind of a pony scientist when his horn merely touched its surface and second, how come it gave life to that device without any physical contact whatsoever?"
"Believe me, I wondered the same answers for a long time", replied Luna. "Unfortunately, I came up with nothing but dead ends and since I burned all of Page Turner's notes on the information he received from the cube, I fear we may never understand what really happened that day."
"Hmmm... Now that I think about it, I may actually have a theory on this", contemplated Ratchet.
"Really?", an intrigued Luna asked. "Well, what is it?"
Ratchet explained, "Well, my best guess is that when Page Turner's horn touched the AllSpark, it served as an access point from which the Cube could enter his brain and see into his mind. As a result, it must've decided that he was a worthy candidate and thus, bestowed upon him both the rich history it contained and a small fraction of its power. This might explain why his equipment came to life shortly after he used his magic to lift it up, since his biology, and thus, his magic was imbued with the Cube's power. Unfortunately, it still doesn't explain what the AllSpark saw in him that influenced this action. What's even more curious is the fact that, a transfer like this hasn't occurred since the age of the original Primes."
A now-confused Luna then asked, "You speak as though this artifact has a mind of its own. How is that possible?"
"Why not? It's a source of energy and sentience for all machines, after all", replied Ratchet. "So, is it really that hard to imagine it having sentience of its own?"
Luna briefly pondered this for a moment before answering, "I suppose you're right. As for your theory, it might be a bit too far-fetched, but it's still more plausible than anything I came up with."
"Oh? What were those?", Ratchet inquired.
"Well... I really shouldn't say", nervously replied Luna. "You may think that I had gone mental at that time or something."
A smirk then appeared on Ratchet's face and he said, "Try me."
Upon hearing that, Luna became even more nervous than before, but still managed to smile and asked, "Alright, uh, how about I tell you all about it when the Decepticon threat is no more?"
"Heh, I wouldn't have it any other way" declared Ratchet and extended her hand to Luna, who shook his index finger with both of her hooves.
Just then, they heard the sound of an incoming vehicle from behind and turned around to see whether it was a friend or foe. To Ratchet's delight, it turned out to be Optimus bringing the train carts attached to his vehicle form's rear, as he promised. Right behind him was Twilight Sparkle who was nearly out of breath and desperately trying catch up to the Autobot leader. Thankfully, as soon as they entered the city a handful of seconds later, he finally came to a halt and transformed back into his robot form, giving Twilight the opportunity to stop and get the rest she desperately needed.
"Goodness!", she exclaimed while panting heavily. "For such a huge being... carrying two crystal carts... you sure are fast!"
Optimus carefully put her on his shoulder before she could fall to the ground from exhaustion and said, "My apologies. I heard we needed to get here as fast as we could due to an emergency."
"No, no! It's perfectly fine!", replied a still-panting Twilight. "Besides... I really needed... the exercise."
Optimus chuckled at that and declared, "Well, in that case, it seems my increased speed had even more benefits than I originally thought. Now, let us gather the wounded ponies here and transport them to a safe location. Do you have any suggestions regarding where that might be?"
Twilight finally calmed down and began contemplating the answer to that question. Fortunately it did not take her very long to figure it out.
"Hmmm... Considering that the Crystal Empire is in ruins and that Canterlot is already packed with crystal pony refugees, the most logical choice seems to be Ponyville."
"Agreed. Bumblebee did inform me that it was close to being fully rebuilt after the recent Decepticon assault, so I imagine all the repairs will be finished by the time we arrive. Good thinking, Twilight. Once again, you prove yourself as a most intelligent member of your species."
Twilight nervously giggled and even blushed upon hearing that compliment before replying, "Oh, um, thanks, big guy. Shall we, uh, start rounding up the citizens?"
"With pleasure. Lead the way", Optimus said and the two began walking towards the center of the town. It was not long before they ran into Ratchet and Luna who were excitedly coming towards them.
"Optimus, you've made it! Just in time too!", Ratchet exclaimed while he and Optimus greeted each other with a fist bump.
"You know me, Ratchet. I always make haste to assist someone", declared Optimus before he noticed the dark-colored alicorn right beside Ratchet.
Thus, he promptly kneeled before her and said, "You must be one of the rulers of Equestria Ratchet mentioned. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. It is a real honor to make your acquaintance."
Luna responded by letting out a warm chuckle and replying, "The honor is all mine, Optimus Prime. I am Luna, the princess of the night and protector of ponies during their dreams. I can see you have already become friends with Twilight Sparkle here. Very good. I have feeling that both of you will play an important role in our upcoming efforts to drive the Decepticon invaders from our world."
Twilight then smiled with determination, stepped forward, and declared, "We're more than ready to take on whatever those monsters throw at us!"
"A most noble sentiment, Twilight. However, you must remember that our primary concern should always be ensuring the safety of our people", clarified Luna.
"Very true, your majesty", Optimus agreed. "That is the exact reason why we came in the first place. We are here to transport the ponies who were wounded during the latest Decepticon attack to Ponyville, where they can take shelter until this city is fully repaired. With your permission, of course."
"Permission already granted", Luna stated. "However, before you go, there is a story both of you need to hear..."
Then, Ratchet interrupted the conversation by saying, "Wait a moment, Luna. If you're thinking about telling them that story, maybe it would be better if I tell it instead."
Luna looked at him with confusion and suspicion before asking, "And why is that?"
Ratchet replied, "It's just that you've already told it once and you might tire yourself telling it a second time. Since I know it all too well, I can take care of the narration just fine while you do a less tiring but equally important job. We need the injured citizens gather near the train carts as soon as possible and I believe you're more qualified to handle this than I am."
By the time he was finished with this explanation, Luna's suspicion had completely vanished as she had realized that Ratchet was right. She then said, "Oh, I see... Alright, then. I shall get right to it. See you later."
She promptly flew away to complete her duty, Ratchet briefly pondered which part of the story he should tell first. After quickly deciding to start at the very beginning, he turned around to see a surprised Optimus and an extremely shocked Twilight.
"Did you... did you just tell Princess Luna what to do?!", exclaimed Twilight. "Do you have any idea what happens when somepony tells her what to do?!"
"No, but you forget that I am no pony", Ratchet smugly replied, causing Twilight's facial expression to change from shocked to irritated.
Attempting to reduce the tension, Optimus said, "I think Twilight means that Princess Luna's behavior just then was... unexpected. I imagine she normally dislikes being told to do something."
"Point taken", Ratchet declared. "Still, I don't really think there is an issue here. After all, Luna and I are good friends now."
Upon hearing that, Optimus and Twilight looked at each other in confusion before giving the exact same looks to Ratchet.
"It's a long story, but I'll tell you about it some other time", he explained. "Right now, there is a much more important story you need to listen to."
As if on cue, their puzzled expressions disappeared and they moved closer to hear what he had to say. Unbeknownst to them, the squadron of Decepticon Cloakers disguised as royal guards were watching their every move from a distance. One of them turned to their captain and said, "We must eliminate them while we have the chance."
The captain then replied, "Not yet. We must await word from the master. No need to worry, though. He shall soon reclaim the Cube. Then, we can destroy both the Autobots and their insect friends at our leisure."
They all laughed sadistically at that and continued to observe their fully unaware enemies from their secret posts.
While all that was happening, Bumblebee, Spike, and the Crusaders had already finished climbing up to the cliff they jumped from and were now walking out of the castle. During the climb itself, they had listened to Spike's entire story about how he accidentally found a spellbook in the secret passage, brought it to Rarity in order to help her get through a state of depression, and caused a whole lot of trouble for Ponyville in the process. While he was narrating all this to Bumblebee and the Crusaders, they could stop themselves from neither laughing nor gasping in terror during different parts of the story.
For example, when during the part where Rarity turned one of Fluttershy's bird houses into a bird mansion, Bumblebee laughed so hard that he almost dropped the AllSpark from his hand. Also, during the part where Rarity turned the town's gazebo into solid walls with two ponies trapped inside its walls, Apple Bloom screamed in horror so loudly that she almost caused a rock avalanche. All in all, they were both greatly amused and greatly frightened by this story, and had a great time listening to it until they reached the cliff and got out of the secret passage.
Before they headed for the castle's exit, however, Bumblebee remembered to put the metal bars back on the secret passage in order to "maintain the castle's charm", which was something Scootaloo still did not fully understand. Nevertheless, she was very happy that they were finally heading home. This whole place had done nothing but creep her out ever since they arrived.
As soon as they got out, Bumblebee put both his friends and the AllSpark on the ground, and attempted to contact his teammates via his commlink. While he was doing that, Sweetie Belle could not help but examine the AllSpark in admiration. There was just something about its overall design and the strange symbols on it that really intrigued her. She also wondered if she could convince her sister to design her a dress in this style. Yes, it was a long shot, but she was willing to give it a try. After all, Rarity could never resist her big innocent eyes.
Bumblebee, meanwhile, had become very frustrated. So far, his efforts to contact Optimus and Ratchet were fruitless and he would very much like to know what was the source of this problem. Perhaps, it was the castle's structure causing an interference? He had to be sure of that. So, he took one step away from the front entrance and-
BOOOOM!!!
A gigantic laser blast shot from afar suddenly blew up the entire entrance in spectacular fashion, sending everyone flying at least thirty feet away from it. They landed really hard on the edge of the Everfree Forest, but aside from a few bruises they sustained during the explosion and landing, as well as their ringing ears, they were actually fine. Also, Bumblebee was relieved to discover that the AllSpark had flown with them when he saw it lying on the ground near a tree a couple feet away. While his friends tried to recover, he motioned them to stay put as he turned his right hand into a plasma cannon and began to look around the surrounding area for the cause of the explosion.
Much to his utter horror, his answer soon arrived in the form of a huge white, red, and purple tank equipped with a single big cannon from which clouds of black smoke was coming out. It sped towards the group, stopped five feet away from them, and instantly transformed into the thirty feet long Decepticon that every Autobot had been dreading ever since the war for Cybertron first began all those millennia ago. Although his armor was covered in burns and his color scheme had mostly faded, Bumblebee still recognized him from his purely evil crimson optics, hellish glare, and iconic fusion cannon.
Just then, the Crusaders managed to get back on their hooves and when they saw Bumblebee's fearsome opponent, all three of them gasped in terror and cowered behind their Autobot friend. Scootaloo then exclaimed, "Sweet Celestia! That's easily the biggest and meanest Decepticon there is!"
Bumblebee clarified, "Um, guys, this isn't just a Decepticon. This is Megatron! The LEADER of the Decepticons!"
"WHAT??!!", all three fillies shouted and fearfully looked back at Megatron, who now had a devilish grin on his face.