As the Autobots were forced into the throne room of Celestia, they didn't know what to expect.
Even Optimus was surprised to see what Celestia looked like. She was bigger than the ponies; her mane flowed majestically, even though there was no wind. She stared at the towering monsters that entered her throne room.
Shining Armor was standing by her side, looking quite nervous. The Royal Guard were still holding their spears at the Autobots, Celestia saw the monsters with their hands raised and spoke up.
"Royal Guard, you may leave us now, this is a royal discussion only." Celestia raised a hoof.
The Royal Guard were stunned and stayed where they were, until one spoke up, "Uhhh.... Princess.... I think we should... ummm.... stay here and protect..."
"Now, Royal Guards," Celestia said sternly, "that's an order."
The Royal Guard poured out of the room, leaving only the large group of Autobots, Mane six, Spike, Celestia, and Shining Armor. Optimus put his hands down, so did the other Autobots. Celestia stood up and announced herself.
"I am Princess Celestia." She said. The Mane 6 and Spike bowed, the Autobots didn't.
Twilight looked up at Prime who had his arms crossed; Optimus heard a sharp 'pssst' from below him. He looked down and saw Twilight bowing.
"Oh......do you want us to bow?" Optimus asked. Twilight nodded and eyed the Princess.
With very confused looks Optimus received from his fellow Autobots, he went to one knee and bowed before Princess Celestia. Twilight smiled calmly......that is until the other Autobots didn't bow.
"Prime...what do you think you're doing?" Jazz asked.
Optimus stopped bowing and looked back at him, "It is a sign of respect, Autobots. We want to make a good impression on the ruler of this world, so bow."
Grimlock had enough.
"NO!!!" Grimlock yelled. Optimus looked at him confused and waiting for an explanation.
Grimlock looked directly at this so called Princess and said, "I have been through a living hell when I got here! I've fought a strange monster, I battled the Decepticons, and I did all of this for the ponies! But I will NOT bow!"
"Yes! This is going too far!" Slug agreed as he always does.
"I will never bow to a creature like that!!!" Swoop shouted and pointed at Celestia.
"Neither will I!!!" Snarl finished for the Dinobots.
The ponies gasped at how rudely these Autobots were acting, especially in front of the Princess! Twilight turned to Celestia but was confused to see her with a normal calm face.
Optimus placed a hand on his face and had enough of the Dinobots' ignorance.
"Grimlock, Swoop, Slug, and Snarl, bow to the leader of this world!" Optimus said with sternness in his voice.
"NEVER!!!" Grimlock shouted.
"That is an order!" Optimus yelled back.
Grimlock was about to give Optimus a piece of his mind when he looked over to the rest of the Autobots who were already bowing. Wheeljack looked up at Grimlock and said, "Just do it, Grimlock. Just think, the sooner we bow, the sooner we’ll get back to The Ark.”
Grimlock thought of the offer and rubbed his chin. With a loud and deep groan, Grimlock went to a knee and bowed before Princess Celestia. The other Dinobots had no choice but bowed as well.
"You know...." A very calming voice caught all of the Autobots' attention. They looked to see this Princess speak.
Celestia continued, "You didn't have to bow to me, I wouldn't have forced you to if you didn't."
Grimlock immediately stood up and placed both hands on his head in regret. Oh he didn't even NEED to bow! The other Dinobots stood up quickly and looked around the room nervously. Celestia gave a whole hearted chuckle at the embarrassment these aliens were feeling.
After a pregnant pause, Twilight remembered something that bothered her.
Twilight looked at Shining Armor and asked, "What happened, Shiny, you know these Autobots are peaceful, why did the Royal Guard subdue them?"
Shining looked at Celestia who explained, "I sent the Royal Guard to do it, when Shining Armor told me that aliens were here to meet me, I had to take precaution, even if they are peaceful, we can't trust them."
"But... but Celestia..." Twilight stuttered but Optimus held a hand in front of Twilight stopping her.
"I do not blame you for not trusting us, Princess. We are a very violent race, but we believe in peace and prosperity, we need to be violent only when we need to, and that is to protect ourselves or protect someone else." Optimus explained looking down at the ponies.
Celestia thought about this for a moment and said, "Well, that's what we're here to discuss, right Shining Armor?" Celestia looked at him.
Shining coughed and said, "Um, Princess, maybe Twilight should speak first. She was the one who first encountered the alien and could probably tell you more than I could."
"Twilight, please step forward." Twilight shivered when her name was called and slowly trotted towards the Princess, stopping just a few feet away from her throne.
"Now I want you to describe everything that happened after you sent me the letter describing the monster incident in Ponyville." Celestia said.
Twilight gulped and began, "Well, to start, Grimlock was the monster that came into Ponyville..."
"Grimlock?" Optimus asked looking back at the Dinobot; all the Autobots had their attention on him.
Grimlock looked down and said, "Oh great..."
Twilight cleared her throat and began, she went over everything; how they had found Grimlock surrounded by the corpses of the Manticores, how they had tried to capture him only for him to defeat all of them and escape, and how Rainbow Dash had chased after him on her own.
Stopping Twilight at that point, Celestia sent a disapproving gaze towards Rainbow Dash who looked down in shame. The Autobots were very mad at Grimlock at what he did.
"Grimlock, you hurt the ponies?!" Optimus sternly asked.
"They were attacking me, I was defending myself." Grimlock said.
"You threw Rarity, swatted Fluttershy, and attempted to crush Twilight and Rainbow Dash, yeah, that is really defending yourself." Jazz said sarcastically.
Celestia looked back at Twilight.
"Continue please..." Celestia said.
Twilight continued to the part where Grimlock saved their lives from the dragon and ran away from them. Celestia smiled and looked at the mighty leader of the Dinobots.
"Grimlock....is it?" Celestia asked, Grimlock nodded once and crossed his arms again, Celestia cleared her throat and began, "Well then, I thank you for saving my pupil and her friends. If it hadn't been for you, they would have been killed by that dragon, thank you once again, good sir."
Grimlock nodded again and put his arms down, he looked down at the ponies he had saved and they looked back. Twilight no longer felt frightened when she looked in that red visor of his, she felt calm, knowing that this Autobot would not hurt them anymore.
"Well Grimlock, you did well. Saving the ponies from a monster after they tried to capture you, I'm proud of you Grimlock." Optimus told him.
Grimlock took his attention off the ponies and onto Optimus Prime, "It was nothing, Optimus Prime."
Celestia was silent as Twilight finished the story; she looked around the room until her eyes settled on what appeared to be the leader of these creatures.
"Well, it seems you have all been through a lot this past day, I will allow each of you to stay in one of our guest rooms and take a long deserved rest." Celestia smiled at each of the ponies, they smiled and nodded with enthusiasm.
Celestia looked at Shining Armor and said, "Okay Shining, I would like you to leave now, and to settle down the ponies outside."
"Bu-but your highness that would mean leaving you with-" Shining began.
"With the aliens, yes. But they aren't dangerous by the looks of them, so just go and calm the city ponies down okay?" Celestia told him.
Shining Armor ran out the door a little faster than normal, looking back at the giant Dinobots, Swoop and Snarl looked at him, which caused Shining to shiver and run out of the room. The mares giggled at the sight of Shining being afraid.
"Well now, I guess we can discuss the matter at hoof now." Celestia said. "What are all of your names?" Celestia asked. The Autobots groaned, not wanting to spend a longer time introducing all of them. So only Optimus introduced himself.
"My name is Optimus Prime." The leader of the Autobots said.
"Well Optimus Prime, what are all of you doing in Equestria, when obviously you're not from here?" Celestia said.
"We come from a planet called Cybertron, millions of years ago; a war ravaged the planet until our race was almost depleted. We got in a ship called The Ark, and found a new world to live on until the war was over and we could rebuild. Unfortunately, the Decepticons ruled Cybertron after we left millions of years ago. When we arrived on this world, we were separated from our ship. Oh and I apologize for how Grimlock here acted with the ponies, he can get angry easily which is why he is one of my best fighters." Optimus finally finished.
Celestia was.....stunned to say the least. These were aliens that fought in a war, and tried their hardest just to survive on a new world. Celestia couldn't bear the thought of leaving Equestria and finding a new world to live on. These Autobots were very brave.
"Is there any way you could get home?" Celestia asked.
"No, we don't have the technology to make a Space Bridge, and this world is far too primitive, we may be stuck here for a long time." Optimus said. The Autobots looked down sadly.
Celestia didn't feel afraid of these aliens anymore, she felt sad for them. There must be some way she could make it up to them. "Well, as long as you stay in Equestria, you may live here with the ponies until we find a solution." Celestia smiled at them.
"That is great news, because the Decepticons are here as well, we have to protect this world from their wrath." Optimus told her.
"Who are the Decepticons?" Celestia asked remembering Optimus mention them in his speech a while ago.
Optimus looked straight at her and said, "The Decepticons are an evil race of Cybertronians. They destroyed Cybertron, which made us have to leave. They were and are still lead by the power hungry leader of the Decepticons; Megatron."
"Where are they now?" Celestia was concerned about the safety of her kingdom, if these Decepticons destroyed a planet run by giant alien robots, what could they do to a planet filled with peace loving ponies?
"We do not know, they are on this world though, and we will defend it from them." Optimus told her.
"Thank you Optimus Prime, you would really do that for us?" Celestia asked.
"We will not just stand by and let this world end up like Cybertron, we will never let that happen to an innocent race." Optimus said.
Celestia smiled and said, "Well, we will need living arrangements while you are all here. You may all stay at the castle or Ponyville."
"Wait!" Hound shouted. Celestia looked at the green Autobot who was holding someone in his arms. "What about Sideswipe and all of us, we need to be repaired!" Hound said.
"Yeah!" Skydive agreed.
Soon all the Autobots began arguing with unnoticeable words until Optimus yelled, "ENOUGH!" The Autobots stopped instantly and looked at their leader. Optimus turned to Celestia and asked, "We do need to be repaired, is there anything you can do for us?"
Celestia thought for a moment and said, "Guards!" At that moment, two Guards busted through the doors, past the Autobots and bowed in front of their Princess. Celestia smiled and said, "Take the Autobots to the medical hut and have them fixed up; it is the least we can do to thank them for saving Twilight and her friends."
The two Guards stepped out the door and said, "Follow us Autobots, we will get you repaired."
The Autobots walked out the door, Optimus turned back to Celestia and said, "Thank you, your highness." Celestia nodded and watched as the Autobots left the room, along with the ponies and Spike. The only one left was Twilight.
"Thank you Princess." Twilight smiled.
"You’re welcome, my most faithful student." Celestia said back. Twilight galloped up to her throne and hugged her. Celestia smiled and nuzzled her.
"Thanks for giving them a chance, Princess." Twilight said.
"It was my pleasure, they seem very nice." Celestia cooed. Twilight let go and galloped out of the room. Celestia sighed happily; she had accomplished something great today.
Little did Celestia know, that she had sparked a great war approaching.
________________________________________
When night fell, Canterlot was silent. The Autobots took refugee there; all of them were resting their components in a large area specifically for them. All of them were transformed in their vehicle modes and used it as a large truck stop. The Dinobots didn't transform and just laid on the ground staring at the stars.
Grimlock stared at those shining stars above. It was funny. Grimlock felt……peaceful, on this world of ponies. Grimlock shook his head and grumbled. These ponies must be getting to him, making him soft, he wasn’t soft! He was a stone cold warrior!
Grimlock sighed and crossed his arms as he stared at the stars…..maybe he could see Cybertron from here…..maybe.
Grimlock’s thoughts were interrupted by a slight cough.
“Hey…”
Grimlock leaned forward and looked to his right side; the soft voice he had heard had come from that same cyan pony with wings. Grimlock noticed she had bags under her eyes, probably from the lack of sleep or something; Grimlock didn’t know much about these organics.
“Oh….hello again…” Grimlock answered and continued to observe her.
Rainbow Dash walked nearer and looked up at him expectantly. Grimlock looked back and saw his fellow Dinobots in shutdown mode. He looked back and still saw Rainbow looking at him with a quizzical look on her face.
“What do you want, pony?” Grimlock asked really not in the mood.
Rainbow frowned and asked, “Why are you so mad all the time?”
Grimlock growled at her and looked back at the stars. After a few more seconds, Rainbow decided that he wasn’t going to talk. When she was about to leave with her head hung low, Grimlock spoke.
“You really want to know?”
Rainbow Dash spun her head around and saw Grimlock staring at her. She turned back around and nodded once. Grimlock sighed and looked back at the stars.
“Millions of years ago, I was the leader of the Lightning Strike Coalition Force on Cybertron. I was a brave and powerful warrior, until one day, everything turned for the worst.” Grimlock explained looking down in sorrow.
“What happened?” Rainbow asked.
Grimlock looked directly at her huge magenta eyes, “Me, Slug, Snarl, Swoop, and Sludge were sent to the Sea of Rust to investigate what a Decepticon scientist was planning. We were attacked and overrun by Insecticons. I was captured by the Decepticon scientist and experimented on; but I escaped and rescued the other Dinobots. But something horrible happened….”
“Yeah...?” Rainbow said wanting Grimlock to continue.
Grimlock sighed and said, “My teammate, Sludge, was killed and we Dinobots didn’t have enough time to save him….for I am the reason we are on this world.”
Rainbow Dash gasped.
“I destroyed the controls on the Space Bridge, causing us to be sent here. But now, we are nowhere near The Ark. I know Sludge still lives, his spark is still active……I can feel it.” Grimlock finished.
Grimlock looked at Rainbow Dash who had wide eyes at what he just told her. Grimlock expected this much from a little pony, not knowing the true horrors of war, losing the ones closest to you, and giving up everything for what you believed in.
But what this little pony said confused Grimlock.
“Wow…. you’re even cooler than I thought.” Rainbow said and gave him a little smile.
Grimlock looked at her confused and asked, “What do you mean?”
Rainbow got closer to him and said, “Well, you fought in this war you guys had on your planet, and even though you lost one of your closest friends, you still won’t give up. That takes guts, dude.”
Grimlock absorbed her words and finally nodded.
“Thank you, Rainbow Dash.” Grimlock said.
Rainbow smirked and said, “Hehe, anytime, dude.”
With that, Rainbow yawned and started to walk away. She turned around slightly and said, “G’night, Grimlock.”
Grimlock rubbed his head and said, “Ummm, goodnight, Rainbow Dash.”
Dash chuckled and flew off towards her room she was staying in. Grimlock watched her fly and land on top of a balcony and walk inside. Grimlock sighed and laid his head back down. And with that, Grimlock went into shutdown mode.
All was quiet yet again.
All too quiet until the sound of jets came soaring above.
Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Blast Off, and Vortex, flew quietly above the capitol, not wanting to bring attention to them. Soundwave, Onslaught, Brawl, and Swindle had to walk through Canterlot, very quietly.
They all came upon the Elements of Harmony tower. Starscream hovered in the air and spoke, "My scanners show the Elements of Harmony are in that structure, we must be very quiet."
Starscream said to the jets hovering next to him. "Vortex, tell the Decepticons below us to follow very quietly." Starscream whispered sharply.
Vortex flew down and met the Decepticons. "Starscream's orders; follow us inside, make an entrance, but DON'T make noise." Vortex said.
"Affirmative, Onslaught, create an entrance." Soundwave ordered.
Onslaught walked over to the wall and sawed a giant circle for them to enter. Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Vortex, and Blast Off transformed on the ground and got behind Onslaught.
Soon the entrance was made and Onslaught pushed the piece of wall to the side. "Success…" Onslaught whispered.
The nine Decepticons slowly walked inside. Wincing at every step they took as they made noise. They came across a locked door that had a magical seal. "This is it. My scanners show this is the door that holds the Elements of Harmony." Starscream said and tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge.
"Starscream, the door has a seal that can't be opened normally." Soundwave explained.
"Then you open it you big nerd!" Starscream whispered sharply and stepped away from the door.
Soundwave's chest opened and out came a long wire; the wire locked on a hole in the door and began making an electric sound. "It is working." Soundwave said.
The door slowly opened, Starscream pushed Soundwave out of the way. He looked inside and brought out a small box covered in jewels. "This is it, Decepticons, transform and return to Megatron, time to heal our master." Starscream said and transformed.
He took off to the skies, followed by Thundercracker, Skywarp, Blast Off, and Vortex. Onslaught, Swindle, Brawl, and Soundwave had to walk out of the city.
As they passed a few buildings, Swindle's optics caught something moving on the side of a building. He looked straight at the movement but saw nothing. He shrugged and continued to walk out of Canterlot.
________________________________________
Cliffjumper had just seen the Decepticons leaving Canterlot. He got to cover as Swindle looked at him. Luckily, Swindle shrugged it off and continued to walk. Cliffjumper got out of hiding and looked at the Decepticons walking away.
"I gotta go tell Optimus." Cliffjumper said and ran straight for the Autobot camp.
Cliffjumper had a feeling deep in his circuitry...
This was not going to end well.