…
In his palace on the moon, Grogar sat in the throne room waiting for one of his servants to arrive.
The door opening, Megatron walked into the throne room in an irritable mood, as if he had been interrupted from doing something important. "I cannot be summoned like some lowlife…servant!" He muttered as he stopped at Grogar's throne.
"Apparently you can, Megatron," Grogar quietly remarked. "Perhaps you are wondering why I've summoned you to my presence."
Megatron said nothing but growled quietly.
"Well I'll tell you. It's because I wanted to review your attack on the Crystal Empire," Grogar snarled and sneered. "You succeeded in delivering the message of my declaration of war. But, despite this small victory, it is not enough! Not enough to satisfy me! The empire should have fallen, yet it still stands."
"Of course it isn't enough, not for you and not for me!" Megatron thundered. "I would have succeeded had it not been for the interference of that winged white equine! Yess…"
"Perhaps it was for the best that the eldest daughter of Cosmos and Galaxia intervened after all," Grogar remarked. "For if you had killed Princess Twilight Sparkle, it would have been much too easy of a victory. Toppling the supreme ruler so early and so effortlessly would've ended the war almost as soon as it was started."
An evil smile befell on Grogar's face as he stood down at Megatron. He had a plan and Megatron was going to be involved in it. "That is not how I operate, Megatron," The old goat declared. "For I desire that my enemies suffer a slow and agonizing death. I desire to let them know that it's truly hopeless. And let me make it perfectly clear when I tell you, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to crush my most hated enemies by myself."
"But my Predacon forces and I killed some of those inferior equines," Megatron protested. "Isn't that enough for the time being?"
"No, it is never enough," Grogar answered, getting up and stepping down from his throne. "Not after everything that was taken away from me by those ponies! I have a plan to take it all back, and you are going to participate in it. You and your Predacon forces."
Grogar stared down at the Predacon leader with keen interest. For he sensed that Megatron was a potential backstabber and he was going to keep him in line, by any means necessary.
"Naturally," He continued with a sinister smile plastered onto his face, as he circled around the Predacon leader like a vulture to a carcass. "What if it would be better if there were more than what you had?"
This made Megatron confused as to what Grogar was trying to say to him. "Had of…what?"
Rather than answering, Grogar stamped his foot down three times and the doors to the throne room opened as two donkey soldiers brought in a third donkey soldier, struggling against the roped bonds that were binding him.
"No, please! My emperor! Leave me alone!" The bounded donkey soldier pleaded! "Give me another chance! I won't disappoint you again!"
"SILENCE!" Grogar shouted in a loud tone of voice. "You are weak, Private, and you must suffer the consequences of your continued failures!"
Tapping into his necklace's powers, Megatron watched with keen interest as Grogar activated his powers and turned them onto the donkey.
But as soon as he turned his powers on the donkey, Grogar suddenly stopped and turned back to Megatron. "Of course," The goat laughed while his devious smile came back on, turning his attention away from Megatron and back to the donkey soldier. "What if I were to make you stronger, Private? Give you a chance to become more powerful than you currently are?"
This did little to make the donkey soldier feel better as he felt his legs trembling with fear.
"You say nothing," Grogar laughed in a sarcastic tone. "I'm offering you a chance at redemption and you say nothing. Well, I shall let Megatron be the judge of that."
Beckoning Megatron forward, the Predacon carefully studied the frightened donkey intently.
"Tell me Megatron," Grogar asked. "What shall I do with him?"
"Uh, destroy him?" Megatron questioned. "He's too weak to be of any further service to you."
"No," Grogar evilly replied, tapping into his powers once more. "What if I were to make him into a Predacon?"
Panicked, the donkey soldier struggled wildly against his bonds as Grogar fired a blast of yellow magic at him! Megatron watched as the donkey soldier began to transform in a bright light from a living breathing creature into a Predacon, all the while screaming loudly!
….
….
Meanwhile, in Canterlot Castle, Twilight stood next to Discord as he walked into her royal suite. The Supreme Princess of Equestria kept her sharp eye on the spirit of chaos closely, hoping that he would listen to what she had to say to him.
"I must admit, this is a nice place you got here," Discord remarked, looking around at Twilight's business surroundings. "And to think it used to be Celestia and Luna's. Oh how the times have changed. But I can't complain, it's because of that change that I'm free and on the side of good."
A loud clearing of her throat caused Discord to focus his attention on Twilight. "Right, right, right," He stammered in correction. "I'm here for an entirely different reason, Princess. I am at your beck and call as it were."
"Right, now follow me, Discord," Twilight commanded and she led him into her private office where a chair was placed before her desk. "Sit down, please. We've something important to discuss."
Doing as he was told, Discord sat down in the chair while Twilight stood up from behind her desk. "Do you understand why you are here?" She asked him.
"You have a mission for me?" Discord guessed, snapping his lion paw to produce three different sets of pictures. "To pardon me for putting you in the hospital? Or is it to give me your blessing to marry Fluttershy?"
"You're incorrect on the last two, and I'll pretend I didn't hear the latter of them since that's a conversation for another time and place," Twilight remarked. "It's the first one that you're correct on."
"Of course," Discord stammered, snapping the pictures away. "This must be related to what happened in the Crystal Empire. How are those burns on your back, anyway? They still look pretty nasty."
"Perhaps if you'd been helping us in the battle, I wouldn't have gotten hurt the way I did," Twilight bitterly remarked as Discord looked around at the bandages covering Twilight's burnt wings. "But that's in the past, Discord," And she cleared her throat. "You probably understand by now that Grogar has revealed himself to be alive and has declared war on Equestria, right?"
Snapping his lion paw again, Discord turned himself into a replica of the blue ram, crying out in a foreign language that he was declaring war on Equestria.
"Discord!" Twilight snapped in a loud voice. "Pay attention!"
He then proceeded to sit down at a desk like a student, handing Twilight an apple with a worm in it.
"This is serious, okay?!" Twilight snapped again, throwing away the apple and taking a few deep breaths to keep her composure. "Now…what me and my friends want you to do…is to go undercover at Grogar's palace and report on every plan he is preparing to carry out. Every…single…thing. No detail should be left out!"
"Um, it seems like you didn't tell Fluttershy that," Discord remarked. "Shall I bring her in here to see for herself what you'll have me do?"
Nodding her head, Twilight allowed Discord to bring Fluttershy into her study.
"Fluttershy," Twilight asked in a firm, but gentle voice. "Did I tell you that I want Discord to go undercover in Grogar's palace?"
"You did, Twilight," Fluttershy nervously replied. "But I object to it! You've seen what Grogar can do. You've seen the kind of alliances he craves."
"The Predacons were working on behalf of Grogar, Fluttershy, and we all got a taste of that power firsthoof," Twilight remarked. "And there's a good chance he's behind the disappearances of Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow too."
"But Discord…" Fluttershy began to protest.
"-He is the only one capable of undertaking this mission, Fluttershy. He's the only one who has the means to spy on Grogar," Twilight explained. "I'm sorry you feel this way, but there is no other choice. Every advantage we can gain over Grogar should be considered. We're at war! And in war, desperate measures must sometimes be taken."
Twilight sighed deeply as Fluttershy tearfully looked up at her friend. "Why do I get the feeling I may never see you again?"
She asked Discord. "There has to be another way, Discord. Please, don't do this! You're not invincible, even if you may think you are!"
But Discord solemnly and somberly replied "You heard Twilight, Fluttershy," He promptly placed his eagle claw on Fluttershy's shoulder. "There's no other way. After all, if Grogar is planning a full scale attack, we need to stop it before it's carried out. The only way we can do that is if we have intelligence."
"But…" Fluttershy started to whimper. "But…"
"I'll come back and we'll have our regular Tuesday teas, you'll see. I've survived having my chaos magic stolen from me twice, and almost fading away from being normal. This will be no different. We will meet again!" Discord promised, trying to smile in front of his friend. But Fluttershy was too overcome with emotion to respond properly.
Sighing deeply, Twilight walked around and approached the scared Fluttershy, tapping her on the shoulder and directing her away from Discord.
"You have to trust me on this, Fluttershy," Twilight said in a gentle voice. "Not just as a friend, but as a princess of Equestria. We all have to make the tough decisions. And unfortunately this is one of them. I wouldn't ask Discord to do this if I wasn't sure he was capable of pulling it off. If I had the means to spy on Grogar indirectly, I'd do it. But I don't and neither does anyone else. Discord is our only option."
Fluttershy found that she had no choice but to agree with Twilight's decision, much as she might personally disagree.
…
…
Back at the moon palace, Megatron watched as Grogar used his powers on a roped donkey soldier. Suddenly, the donkey began to mutate and three horns began to grow out of his head! His body began to become gray and scaly. The donkeys holding their comrade stepped back in shock and amazement as he continued to mutate. The donkey's whimpers and brays suddenly turned into loud roars and growls, as he was now fully transformed into a gray triceratops.
Megatron was shocked to see what had transpired before him! But Grogar merely laughed evilly. "Behold…my new Predacon!" Grogar declared, much to Megatron's chagrin.
"What?" Megatron bitterly remarked. "Your Predacon?! Don't be absurd! I command the Predacons around here! I am their natural leader, you are but a pretender, worse than that traitorous Starscream!"
Activating his magic on Megatron, Grogar flung the mighty predacon into a wall while continuing to growl sinisterly.
"Not anymore, consider yourself demoted," Grogar laughed evilly, activating his mind control powers on Megatron, forcing him to stop struggling. "I have ways of building up my forces and making them obey me, you included!"
Shocked, Megatron was forced back onto the floor as he fell to his knees. "What…what did you do to me?" He demanded while looking up at Grogar. "How do you know my thoughts and mind?"
Gloating, Grogar produced the mind crystal balls containing all of Megatron's accomplishments during the Beast Wars.
"You didn't…" Megatron gasped!
"I did," Grogar answered with a sinister smile. "I controlled your mind and told your servants to carry out the attack on the Crystal Empire. And in doing so…I gained access to your memories, including the many times you had the Maximals on the ropes and failed to destroy them! Thus, I learned from your mistakes, simple as that."
Growling, Megatron attempted to charge at Grogar only for the ram to force him back into his dragon beast mode.
"What?! What did you do?!" Megatron demanded! "Megatron, terrorize! Terrorize!" However, tried as he might, Megatron couldn't transform.
"Perhaps you recall a transformation lock lens that your 'scientist' created?" Grogar remarked. Tapping into his necklace, Grogar produced a memory of the transformation lock lens that the Predacons created to prevent the Maximals from contacting a probe to get them home to Cybertron. "I thought you might have remembered. It helped secure one of your victories, did it not? Well, I will use it to force you to obey me, and learn from all of your other strategies during the Beast Wars. Everything that was in your mind is now mine to use as I see fit!"
"Here is another thought you had," Grogar then hissed, tapping into the middle of his necklace. "You had a Predacon called Rampage that had half a spark, and you would use the other half to make him obey you? I simply improved on that plan,"Growling in pain, Megatron kept his eyes on Grogar as the ram commanded the triceratops to prepare for an attack on the downed metallic red dragon. "Now I shall demonstrate to you who the true ruler of the Predacons is!"
Snarling, the triceratops locked his horns on Megatron and seemingly prepared himself for an attack. "Barricade, terrorize!" The Triceratops cried and transformed from dinosaur to robot mode.
"Tell me, Barricade," Grogar asked while looking over the recently transformed Predacon. "Who is the commander of the Predacons? Me, or this pathetic excuse of a dragon you see before you?"
Without hesitation, Barricade turned his attention to Grogar. "I serve you, Master Grogar…the leader of the Predacons!"
Barricade declared as Megatron growled in embarrassment.
…
…
Having been given his instructions, Discord hugged Fluttershy one last time as Twilight watched in disbelief at having been forced to cause these two close friends to part.
"Come home soon, Discord, please!" Fluttershy cried as she backed herself next to Twilight.
with a nod, Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared from view. However, he quickly reappeared via his head.
"Oh, don't worry, I will!" He replied, peeking through a porthole before a glare from Twilight caused him to disappear completely.
With her best friend gone, Fluttershy sadly walked away and out of Twilight's royal suite without a word.
"Guess it wasn't as hard as I thought it wasn't going to be," Spike sighed, having been listening from his nearby bedroom. "I was expecting this whole suite to be filled with tears."
"We had no choice, Spike," Twilight said to her royal advisor and little brother. "If we're going to win this war, this is the only way. And in doing this, Discord will finally earn his atonement in the eyes of Equestria."
Sighing deeply, Spike agreed with Twilight as they prepared to turn in for the night.
…
Back on the moon, Megatron continued to growl in anger and disbelief at having been demoted. "You'll pay for this," He growled as Grogar forced him to his feet. "I swear it."
"Perhaps maybe you'll understand that any leader who doesn't do a good job, doesn't deserve to be called a leader."
Grogar merely taunted. Then he turned to the two donkeys as they attempted to flee, only to be stopped in their tracks.
"And where do you two dunderheads think you're going? I've got a much better use for you!" Grogar laughed, using his newfound powers to transform them from donkeys into Preadcons. The sounds of their screams were heard loud enough for the doors to open and attract Inferno, who merely stood gazed at what he was seeing. In a bright flash, the two donkeys were transformed into two large insects: A black stag beetle and the other a purple locust. Shocked, Inferno turned to Megatron.
"Royalty, what has happened in here?!" Inferno cried, only to be hit with a blast that came from Barricade. Struggling to get up, Inferno watched as the Stag Beetle and Locust joined Barricade on either side.
"Blackout, terrorize!" The Stag Beetle cried as he transformed into a robot!
"Cyclonus, terrorize!" The Locust cried as he too transformed into a robot!
Groaning, Inferno was forced up by his throat by Barricade and forced to look over at Grogar.
"You have a new queen to serve," Grogar whispered, placing his hoof on Inferno's chest. "Me…Emperor Grogar!"
"Inferno…" Megatron groaned, looking up to his sub-commander. "Don't listen to…"
"SILENCE!" Grogar roared, firing a stunning spell at Megatron and knocking him out cold! With Megatron knocked out, he turned back to Inferno. "Now, go to the other followers of Megatron and explain to them that as of this very moment…I, Emperor Grogar, shall be overlord of the Predacons. Any objectors will answer to me."
With no other options, Inferno was reluctantly forced to swear his loyalty to Grogar.
…
At that moment, a flash of light outside of the castle signified Discord's arrival on the moon. His mission was clear and to the point: To spy on Grogar by any means necessary and report back to Twilight.
"All right," He thought to himself. "How do I get in without being spotted?" He then looked towards two donkey soldiers standing guard at the front door and at that moment, he heard the sounds of screeching up above and saw what appeared to be Terrorsaur in his beast mode, only for the Predacon to transform into his robot mode.
"A strange creature that transforms," Discord thought to himself some more. "I can't just copy him, though. But maybe…"
Suddenly, Discord got himself an idea and using his powers, he began to slowly transform into a dinosaur like figure. Roaring loudly, the sounds were heard by the donkey guards who immediately stood at attention.
"Who's there?!" One of the guards asked.
"Come out at once!" The other demanded.
A few moments later, the donkeys saw a purple colored tyrannosaurus rex walking towards them, and the guards stood at attention, ready to attack. Advancing towards them, the T-Rex looked down at them intently. "Is this the palace of Emperor Grogar?" The t-rex asked in a different voice. "I have come from Cybertron to enlist with the Predacons."
"Who are you?" One of the guards nervously asked. "What is your name?!"
"I am…Lockdown," The T-Rex said after a moment of silence. "Cybertronian bounty hunter. Grogar will need someone like me to assist in his plans."
Looking at each other, the donkeys considered the newcomer for a few moments before allowing Lockdown to enter.
Upon entering the palace, Lockdown could hear the sounds of Inferno crying out to the other Predacons. "We have a new royalty!" He announced, running through the hallways. "We have a new royalty! We have a new royalty!"
"Stop!" Lockdown cried out and Inferno did as he was told. "Who is this new royalty you speak of?!"
The glaring from the t-rex caused Inferno to gulp nervously.
"E-Emperor…G-Grogar," Inferno stammered and Lockdown backed away in deep thought. "Emperor Grogar is our new royalty and we all must serve him."
"Is he now?" The t-rex asked. "Take me to him."
Fulfilling his request, the Predacon sub-commander led Lockdown towards the throne room.
However, Inferno's cries that Megatron was no longer in charge were heard from the other Predacons, as well as from other members of the Legion of Doom.
"What is that awful racket?" Chrysalis muttered, coming into the castle from another of her training sessions. "Who says we have a new royalty? No one is royalty except for me! You hear?!"
"Clearly that was meant for something else, Chrysalis!" Tirek replied, emerging from the room where he too had been training donkeys. "It seems the one whom you have a crush on isn't leading his own pack from what I hear."
"Megatron?!" Chrysalis gasped, a look of worry befalling her face. "Impossible! Why would Grogar want to dispose of him now?!"
"He isn't dead, Chrysalis! Just demoted from the sound of things," Tirek commented. "Another reason to believe that this is indeed the true Grogar we are serving, not merely Discord pretending to be him."
A smug smile came onto Tirek's face causing Chrysalis to be somewhat more dismayed. "Come on now, buck up!" Tirek said in a suggestive voice, while pulling Chrysalis towards him and into the classroom he had been teaching his platoon of donkeys. "Tell me you love me, Chrissy. I've known you longer than that transforming shapeshifter. Remember what you said on Mount Everhoof? That a queen needs a king."
"Tirek, I…I…" Chrysalis started to say, only to back away angrily. "Of course I love you! Blast you, what is wrong with me having a harmless crush on Megatron?! You make it seem like he's trying to break us apart!"
"Of course he's trying to break us apart!" Tirek retorted, glaring down at Chrysalis. "Did you think that I was born yesterday? Look, the fact is that you and I made a pledge of love to one another. And Megatron, where does he come from? The outskirts of Equestria? Maybe beyond?"
"Look, maybe being demoted from leading his troupe may help you seem him in a different light," Chrysalis suggested to Tirek. "I'm not out to get him and he's not out to get me. But it appears that you are just so impossible to reach with all of that muscle inside of you!"
Insulted, Tirek snarled and he grabbed Chrysalis with his magic, forcing her to sit down in one of the desks. "Now you listen here," He whispered to Chrysalis in a low voice. "Perhaps there's something else I forgot to mention, and that's that I demand a little respect from you as my lover and ally. And let me warn you that if you insult me again, I'll get my full strength back by absorbing your magic. Understand?!"
Nodding nervously, Chrysalis backed away and flew out of the classroom, leaving Tirek to absorb what he had just said.
But the centaur wasn't alone for long.
"Hey Tirek," Cozy Glow spoke up. "What's with the screaming? I could hear you and Chrysalis all the way from our quarters."
"Nothing," Tirek muttered, turning away from Cozy. "You heard nothing of the sort, Cozy Glow."
"Come on, I'm not deaf, Tirek," Cozy Glow smugly replied while flying in front of him. "I could hear every little itty bitty word you said to Chrysalis. You're jealous of Megatron, right?"
"Yes," Tirek muttered. "And Chrysalis insulted my muscles. Perhaps you too think that I should give this…Megatron a chance? He seems very powerful, maybe too powerful. Why would I give him a chance, Cozy Glow?" He cried as Cozy Glow sat down in the desk across from him. "Don't tell me you think I should just go to Megatron and say that Chrysalis loves him so she should be all his?! I don't buy that. If anything, I should just absorb Megatron's power and leave him to rot!"
"Good luck with that," Cozy remarked in a singsong voice. "I think Grogar won't be happy with what you're planning to do, assuming you get away with it."
Groaning, Tirek rubbed his hand down his face in frustration.
"He has plans for Megatron and the Predacons to help us take back Equestria," Cozy added. "So I don't think you should…"
"Then what should I do, Cozy?!" Tirek grunted in an exasperated tone. "Just accept him as a comrade and not as an enemy?!"
"If you put it that way, yes," Cozy smiled. "However, if I'm wrong, then you resort to taking his power."
Having heard what Cozy had said, Tirek left his classroom and proceeded to return to his quarters to recollect his thoughts. Still, the idea of Megatron stealing Chrysalis remained very much a threat in his mind at least.
…
…
Meanwhile, Grogar and his newly created Predacons had placed the transformation-locked Megatron in chains, forcing him to accept the newly minted changes befalling the Predacons.
"Don't think that I'm going to scrap you, Megatron," Grogar remarked. "Not yet at least. I've got plans for your loyal soldiers to help me in my conquest, and I will make sure you get some of the credit. Everyone has a role to play in our victory, even you."
All Megatron could do was snarl at the ram that had demoted him.
Just then, the doors opened and Inferno stepped into the throne room.
"Uh, Royalty," He nervously addressed his new superior. "There is a visitor who claims to be a bounty hunter from Cybertron. He wishes to see you, he says it's urgent."
Gesturing Lockdown to come forward, Grogar kept his eye on the purple colored t-rex while Megatron was astounded to see the former beast mode he'd once had now on another transformer.
"So, you say you are a bounty hunter?" Grogar asked, sitting back down in his throne. "What is your name?"
"You may call me…Lockdown." The t-rex answered.
All Megatron could do was gasp at the mere mention of Lockdown's name, as he transformed from dinosaur to robot mode! Megatron grew even more dismayed when Lockdown's robot form looked exactly his old one. It was as if the universe was now mocking him.
"Ah, Lockdown. A pleasure to have you here," Grogar murmured. "In fact, I could use someone of your caliber for what I plan to do to retake my kingdom."
Snickering, Lockdown listened closely to what Grogar had to say.
"Tell me," Grogar continued. "What can you do to service me?"
"I can fight and hunt," Lockdown explained. "I've hunted down the enemies of Cybertron for many generations!"
"So, you came to join us?" Grogar asked.
"I thought you might have some use for me, my master." Lockdown answered as he bowed his head.
Getting up from his throne, Grogar directed Lockdown to his crystal ball and began to show him the faces of the leaders of Equestria and its allies. Grogar explained. "These are the leaders of Equestria, and her allies. Among them are the accursed Maximals and their leader, Optimus Primal. I plan to eliminate each and every one of them by any means necessary. That is where someone like you comes in. With these leaders gone, the morale of the attacking enemy will be low. A bounty hunter like you will have no trouble rounding up any who would resist."
"And whom, may I ask, do you wish to attack first to help with the demoralization?" Lockdown inquired.
Activating his crystal ball again, Grogar produced a picture of a red, elderly looking centaur with a gold crown on his head, and a young, male gargoyle seated to his right.
"Perhaps it would be best if we start small," Grogar suggested. "Focus on a kingdom that is weak and bareboned. We will focus on the land where Lord Tirek came from. I wish for you to take out King Vorak and Scorpan."
From inside his bounty hunter disguise, Discord could only imagine what Grogar was planning to do. He had been to the distant lands before and in the years since Tirek left, it grew into a more and more sad state of affairs. "And who may I ask is Lord Tirek?" Lockdown asked, looking at the older centaur closely.
"One of my legion, the elder son of this land's sovereign," Grogar explained. "If you can do away with the king and take his kingdom for me, I promise you that I shall reward you tremendously."
The offer that was being given to him made Lockdown excited to carry out his mission for Grogar, but beneath the disguise, Discord was worried. Once he had been given his quarters, Discord left, shedded his Lockdown disguise and immediately began trying to get a hold of Twilight. Producing a scroll, he wrote down what he had learned and sent it back to Equestria.
…
In the middle of the night, Twilight was fast asleep in her quarters when she heard a knock on the door to her bedroom.
"Twilight?" Spike moaned, holding his stomach as he walked into her quarters and belched out a scroll. "Scroll for you."
Getting out of bed, Twilight walked over to her royal advisor and took the scroll in her aura. After reading it closely, she put it on her bed and sighed deeply. "Well, Discord is certainly living up to his end of the bargain," She remarked. "Looks like Grogar might be putting his first real attack together. The first of many."
"What kind of attacks?" Spike asked.
"If anything," Twilight answered, looking over towards the exhausted dragon with a troubled look on her face. "Something we can prevent before it even happens. But we'll have to be clever about it so that Grogar doesn't catch on. He can't know that we know what he knows, or he'll surely realize he has a spy."
"Right, so it'll have to be a carefully planned sabotage," Spike agreed. "How shall we do it?"
Twilight pulled Spike close and whispered to him, explaining her plan. If all worked as intended, Grogar would be none the wiser that his first act since the declaration of war would be a failure.
…
END OF EPISODE
….