//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: The Final Battle Part 1 // Story: The Inner Conflict // by TheClownPrinceofCrime //------------------------------// Team Athenia ran as far as they could from the corrupted automatons within the city; the latter continued shooting at the Autobots with missiles and bullets. “Watch out!” Brawn warned. Ironhide activated his iron plating around his body, and stood against the murderous robots. The missiles and bullets struck him on his chest, but they failed to stagger him. “Keep going, guys! I’ll hold them off!” he shouted. The rest of the team transformed and drove off back to the plant. After transforming back to robot mode, they looked up toward the sky and saw it was dark orange with thunderous clouds while the city was burning. Rodimus glared at the chaos that surrounded them before he turned his face to the field medic. “Red Alert, evacuate the organics immediately! They must be kept safe at all costs! Brawn, Hot Shot, and I will retrieve Optimus and his crew!” “On it, Sir!” she complied. She transformed again to vehicle mode and drove off. The trio then re-entered the plant and spotted the gapping hole on the floor again. They ran up to it before they came to a halt. They looked down on the ground to see if their friends were down below. “You think they’re actually down there?” Brawn asked. “Only one way to find out,” Rodimus replied. “Wait... we’re ACTUALLY going down there?!” Hot Shot panicked. “Don’t worry, soldier, we will stick together to rescue our comrades,” Rodimus encouraged, laying his hand on Hot Shot’s shoulder. He then made a long stare at the darkness below with quivering optics. “I... am certain Optimus is doing fine. Please let this be true...” Then the trio jumped all the way to the bottom. They stopped moving for one moment as they heard strange noises in a distance; they heard wiring noises, electrical sounds, and mechanical sound effects. “Where are those sounds coming from?” Rodimus wondered. Motioning them to follow him, they slowly walked through a strange tunnel which led to a certain entrance. “This place is giving me the creeps!” Hot Shot cried. “Not me,” said Brawn. “Something tells me that a lot of damage is going to be done... and I don’t know why I feel like that.” “Optimus! Optimus, bro! Are you in there?” Rodimus shouted. There was no answer. They finally reached the entrance to the room. They saw themselves in a laboratory where there was a large monitor in the center thereof with five robots strapped on the tables. Once the trio got a closer look, they gasped in shock at who they really were—Optimus Prime and his teammates. “No... NOO!! OPTIMUS!” Rodimus shouted. “What’s going on?! Who’s keeping them hostage?!” Hot Shot asked. “It’s gotta be that Soundwave guy! I mean, who else would it be?” Brawn replied. Rodimus drew closer to Optimus and saw his optics closed along with a strange helmet strapped on his head. “Optimus! Can you hear me? It’s me... Rodimus—your little brother...” He waited for him to say something in response, but he still couldn’t reply. “Someone must be jamming their central processors. We have to get them out of here now! Brawn, Hot Shot, help me get those things off!” he sternly commanded. But before they would attempt to do so, three purple laser beams struck them hard. They crashed against the wall and laid on the ground unconscious. Ratbat flew over to them with glowing red optics. He made normal bat calls toward the prisoners. Optimus and his crew opened their now red optics and stood up from their tables. “All hail... Soundwave,” they said in unison. IN DETROIT Spike, Discord, and the ponies ran to every corner in the city from all the firepower directed at them. The draconequus grew annoyed every time they had to run and hide from their attackers. “Oh, for crying out loud! Shouldn’t we at least defend ourselves instead of running around like chickens?” He turned into a chicken while mockingly made chicken noises. “At least Celestia and Luna are doing something over there,” he said. He turned back to his normal form. “But how? There’s too many of them! We won’t be able to make it!” Thunderlane complained. “Hello?! Lord of Chaos here! You are a pegasus! Twilight and Starlight have their powerful magic, and Spike himself has his dragon fire! Splitting our resources is a thing, you know,” Discord suggested. Thunderlane and Spike looked at each other worried. Twilight however realized how essential that idea was and nodded to him. “Discord’s right. We have to fight back if we are to rescue Rumble! FOR EQUESTRIA!” Thus, they split up and fought their respective robotic opponents. Twilight and Starlight stood together as they were approached by a group of garbage bots. The latter drew close while they spewed fire through their optics. They opened their mouths and poured lava towards the magic wielders. Nodding to each other, both ponies ran around the bots and blasted bits of lava right back at the bots; however, the lava did not melt away their chassis. They breathed more fire at them only to be blocked by their magical barriers. “They must have some weakness we can exploit!” Starlight suggested. “Good idea, Starlight,” Twilight commended. “There has to be some chink in their armor!” Twilight then noticed their burning optics; the garbage bots flickered their optics with more flames. After that, the lava turned to burning red orange from yellow orange. They fired even fire balls toward half-demolished buildings to bring them to ashes. “That’s it! Their eyes are giving them power!” Twilight noticed. “So by destroying their eyes, their power is diminished?” Starlight guessed. “Exactly! Come on!” Twilight said. Twilight and Starlight then fired magic beams at their weak spots; the beams struck their optics and immediately set them on fire. As they whirled out of control, the lava shrunk into oblivion. Then the bots exploded into pieces. “Whew! That was really close,” said Starlight. Discord snapped his fingers to summon a gigantic lawnmower. “Time to mow the lawn!” he shouted. The lawnmower sped across the street and mowed every single robot that stood in its path. Spike breathed his fire on the helicopter bots. They exploded on impact before they could fire on the little dragon. “Oh yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!” Suddenly, more helicopter bots appeared and fired on the dragon. “Uh oh,” he muttered. He managed to quickly dodge the bullets until he flew back to Discord. Celestia and Luna blasted every automaton that stood in their way. One garbage bot flickered its fiery optics before raising its arms at them. Celestia, however, turned back and blasted a spell on its optics. The bot exploded on impact. Two helicopter bots flew down and shot many rounds toward them, but the princesses raised their magical shields and deflected all their bullets. Then Luna held the bots via telekinesis and ripped them to shreds. Suddenly, a train stopped its mobilization on the train tracks; it grew four legs on each side and jumped down behind the Royal Sisters. Startled by a loud noise, the alicorns turned to see a robotic spider-train crawling menacingly on the street. It also grew scarlet-red optics and roared like a cougar. “This... is definitely not good,” Luna muttered, staring wide-eyed at the metal beast. BACK IN THE LAB “Uhhhh... ughhh... what—what... happened?” Rodimus groaned. As he slowly woke up, he saw himself tied up with electrical bonds. “What? Grrrrrr! No!” “Ow! These bonds are too tight and very painful!” Hot Shot complained. “Oh great. Just great. First, we deal with Soundwave, and now we have to deal with that bat creature?” Brawn groaned. He tried to move with his might but was shocked instantly. “Gaahhh!! My mighty strength is too weak against these bonds! Come on!” “We have to figure a way out of this place,” Rodimus said. “Once we are free, we will rescue Optimus and his crew so we can defeat Soundwave together!” At that moment, he noticed that the Autobots were gone from their tables. “Huh? Where did they go?” Suddenly, an elevator rose from the ground and revealed the Autobots therein. It opened its doors to let them all out. The five Autobots had red optics with emotionless expressions. They stood together while staring blankly at the three imprisoned Cybertronians. “No... NO!! IT CANNOT BE!!” Rodimus cried in complete horror. “By the Allspark...” Brawn muttered in shock. “What in the name of Cybertron is going on?!” Hot Shot shrieked. “All hail Soundwave,” the Autobots emotionlessly uttered in unison. Optimus came forward before his old comrade and brother and unsheathed his battle axe. “Target: Online. Current objective: Termination,” he said. He resumed his walk toward the terrified team leader. “OPTIMUS, NO! It’s me! Rodimus, your little brother! I know you’re in there somewhere! You have to fight Soundwave’s control!” Rodimus pleaded. Optimus still continued walking toward him with no apparent hesitation. He ignited his axe and raised it high to destroy him. Hot Shot, on the other hand, tried to ignite his flame throwers to see if they could burn one of the bonds. The tiny flames instantly extinguished it. Then he knew what to do as he smugly smiled. “Please! You can’t do this!” Rodimus pleaded again. “Prepare for termination,” Optimus said. He then brought his axe down toward his brother. The latter closed his optics and expected his end to come swiftly and painlessly. “I’m sorry... I’ve failed you in life...” he sadly muttered. But then... nothing happened. Rodimus reopened his optics and saw Prime’s axe impaling the ceiling instead. Optimus then got kicked on the chest and punched on the face which sent him flying to a wall. Hot Shot landed on the ground with a cocky grin. “Ha-ha! Take that!” Rodimus widened his optics as he saw his teammate free from his bonds. “What? How did you—?” “It was simple. I just had to burn those bonds with my flames,” Hot Shot explained. “Apparently, that uncharismatic bore has never heard of stasis cuffs.” “Good work, soldier. Set us free so we can save our friends,” Rodimus ordered. He extinguished the other bonds of his comrades as commanded. But before they could do anything further, Optimus tackled his brother on the ground and threw him out of the lab with all his might. He crashed through the ceiling and out of the plant before he landed hard on the concrete. He tried to get up from the ground, but his brainwashed opponent drop kicked him and body-slammed him ferociously. The rest of the Autobots ran out of the plant as they commenced their fight with Brawn and Hot Shot. The former took on Bulkhead and Ratchet whereas the latter fought against Prowl and Bumblebee. Rodimus ducked a blow from Optimus and landed a kick on his shoulder. As he groaned in pain from the hit, the former tripped him over and held him down on the ground. “Brother, listen to me!! I don’t want to fight you! This isn’t like you! Fight Soundwave’s control! I know you can!” But Optimus headbutted him and kicked him against a burning truck. He threw his axe at him, but the latter quickly jumped out of the way before it sliced open the gasoline tank. The oil spilled on the spreading fire which immediately increased its power. Then the truck exploded to pieces which blew away Rodimus. He weakly got up to see his brother walking toward him. “Prepare for destruction,” he said. “Optimus... allow me to say this... I am sorry for not saving you all these stellar cycles ago. I am a terrible brother, and I hate myself for not... being as brave and strong as you are,” he sadly spoke. He dropped to his knees and bowed his head. “Please... if you’re still in there... I ask for your forgiveness... just remember me, Optimus.” Optimus raised his axe once again to smite him... until he paused. He then fidgeted and closed his optics. He kept holding his axe up and had trouble maintaining his balance. He then dropped his axe and fell on his knees. He screamed in apparent agonizing pain and held onto his head as if he had an excruciating painful processor ache. Rodimus stood up and held him up. “Optimus? What’s wrong?!” “AHHHHHHHH!!! Help me! Please!!” Optimus begged. Ratbat flew over them and aggressively called with bat sounds to regain control over Optimus. His left wing started to electrify which worried him greatly. He kept calling again and again to maintain his control over the Autobot commander. Then suddenly, Prowl threw one of his cutting discs at Ratbat’s right wing. It electrocuted him and destroyed his control over the other Autobots. Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Bulkhead dropped to the ground as they regained their own normal selves. “(Groans) Huh? What... what happened?” Bulkhead muttered. “Hey! They’re back!” Hot Shot said, smiling. He then faced the Autobot ninja. “How did you free yourself from that ‘Con’s control?” “My processor-over-matter technique never fails to accomplish its purpose,” Prowl said. “Cool,” Hot Shot commented. “That bat’s wings must be how he’s been controlling them,” Brawn realized. Rodimus grabbed his bow and Energon arrows and aimed them at Ratbat. “Time to go to the scrap yard, Decepti-creep!” He shot three arrows at the minicon’s left wing. Once the connection to Optimus was terminated, Ratbat writhed in agony from the electricity coursing through his body. Then he finally exploded to oblivion. Optimus’s optics turned back to blue and looked upon his young brother as he slowly reopened his vision. “Bro... brother? Rodimus... is—is that... you?” he asked. “Yes, it is me, bro,” Rodimus smiled. “The one and only.” He reached out his hand to help him up. Optimus graciously accepted and got up. “What happened?” Optimus asked. “Soundwave was controlling you to destroy us and the city,” Rodimus explained. “But thank the Allspark you didn’t harm anyone... well, except me.” “(Sighs) Thanks. I... won’t be able to forgive myself if I did. I’m so sorry; additionally, I was... thinking about you earlier.” “You were?” Rodimus asked. “It’s been so many stellar cycles since we last talked. I was hoping to... see you again,” Optimus said. “What? You were? After the way I cowardly abandoned you to the ‘Cons? You... you—?” “I know... I understand why you ran,” he continued. “I am just happy that you are still online; I too feared for the worst, but that’s all in the past now. I really... missed you, Rodimus.” “So... does that mean you forgive me?” Rodimus asked. “Yes, I do. Welcome to Earth, bro!” Optimus smiled. He then gave him a big brotherly hug which took Rodimus off-guard. Although he was confused at first, he returned the hug back. “Ahhh, I do love family reunions,” Discord said as he watched above. “A small little world, huh?” Ratchet said to himself. “Um... guys, I hate to interrupt an emotional reunion, but... WE HAVE SOME TROUBLE INCOMING!” Bumblebee alerted. All the Autobots looked up to see Blackout descending from above and transforming to his robot mode; Strika, Spittor, and Oil Slick transformed as well and stood over their sworn enemies. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Autobot scum banding together. This will be the last battle you will ever fight!” Strika yelled. Rodimus and Optimus looked at each other with smirks on their faces. “Shall we, big brother?” “Like always, little brother,” Optimus replied. They both raised their weapons and nodded to their respective teams as they assembled together. “AUTOBOTS, ATTACK!!!” both leaders commanded in unison.