//------------------------------// // And I know that you're gone // Story: BACK TO LIFE // by CROSSOVER KING //------------------------------// As soon as Optimus and the Mane 7 stepped out of the Ground Bridge and entered the Nemesis, they were greeted by a long line of Decepticon soldiers at each side of the corridor, all booing and throwing insults at them as they walked along the said corridor: "You're history, Prime!" "Lord Megatron's gonna give you what you deserve!" "I'd be looking forward to my time in the scrapyard if I were you!" "Mind if I put your swords on my wall?" "This is what you get for befriending pests!" "Really wish I could squish one of 'em right now!" While his human friends were all trembling with fear as they continued to walk, Optimus remained calm and collected, and did not give one look the crowd, which actually started clapping and cheering when they saw Breakdown and his soldiers stepping out of the ground bridge with their blasters pointed at the prisoners. They all kept walking for about half a minute before they reached the end of the corridor and entered a very large room, which contained two things that made eveyone's eyes widen from utter shock: A Space Bridge that looked like a giant metal circle with a hole at the center and, right beside it, a huge chunk of Dark Energon encased in a tube. Also, right in front of the bridge, there was a gathering of the remaining high-ranking Decepticons in the ship (including Megatron) and they all looked at the direction of Breakdown's prisoners shortly aftered they entered the room. Then, once they were all standing before him, Megatron smirked in confidence and said, "Ahhh... Long have I had visions of this moment. I would have savored it for eternity if not for our tight schedule." Upon hearing that last sentence, Soundwave and Shockwave began moving towards the Dark Energon and the Space Bridge, respectively. As the former pressed some buttons on the tube to open the tube, the latter started entering codes on a console near his project to turn it on. As soon as the portal opened, the two Decepticons took position at each side of the prisoners (Sounwave at the right and Shockwave at the left) and then heard their leader declare, "Breakdown, order your troops to leave, then carry the load. The rest of you, keep your weapons aimed at our guests." "Yes, master," Breakdown replied and then gestured the soldiers to exit the room by pointing at the door, who, in turn, saluted him before doing as ordered. Right afterwards, he saw his comrades all pointing their blasters at the prisoners (in Soundwave's case, he ejected Laserbeak from his chest, who pointed his own blaster at the Mane 7) as he walked towards the Dark Energon, lifted it with both hands, and began holding it on his back. Once that was taken care of, Megatron turned his attention back to his arch-nemesis and stated, "Go ahead, Optimus. Put your brilliant mind to work and try deducing the next stage." In response, Optimus started darting his optics around the room and processing the information that has been given to him thus far. A handful of seconds later, he finally said, "You are going to infect the entirety of Cybertron with Dark Energon and invade Earth with your new undead army." While the Mane 7 all gasped at this revelation, Megatron let out a sinister chuckle and further explained, "Precisely. I shall have a legion millions of times larger than the one you fought earlier and purge this world of organic life. Once they all become extinct, I will extract every last shard of Energon and, in combination with the so-called 'magic' of the geodes, use them to finally revitalize Cybertron. Our home will sustain life once again and, under my leadership, our civilization will prosper for eternity!" He raised a fist to the air as he exclaimed that last sentence and in response, all his officers also raised their fists while repeatedly shouting, "ALL HAIL MEGATRON!" (with Soundwave remaining silent and instead playing back the recording of a crowd doing the chant). As this cheering session continued, Megatron once again sneered at Optimus, who kept glaring at his former friend without saying a single word. However, their stand-off lasted only a few seconds before they both heard Sunset exclaim, "No, this isn't right! You're better than this!" Right at that moment, the entire room became silent and everyone started looking at her with puzzled expressions on their faces. The resulting awkward moment lasted for a handful of seconds before Megatron crouched in front of Sunset and asked, "Oh? What makes you say that, human? How do you know this action is out of character for me?" "I've seen who you once were," replied Sunset. "I used my geode to look into the memories of a bot you used to call 'friend'. I learned that there was a time you fought for freedom instead of tyranny. You may think it's too late for you to change back into that heroic figure, but I know first-hand that it's not. I was once a power-hungry tyrant too, but my friends helped me realize my mistakes and atone for them. You can do the same if you want and I can help you find a better path." As she gave Megatron a warm smile, her friends looked at him with both concerned and nervous expressions. Also, while the rest of the Decepticon looked at each other in utterly dumbfounded expressions (with Shockwave slightly tilting his head and multiple question marks appearing on Soundwave's visor), their leader simply stroked his chin for a short while before declaring, "Hmmm... You make an interesting argument, human. I shall consider your proposal if you grant me a simple request: look into my memories and observe the life I had before meeting Optimus." Upon hearing these words, Soundwaves opened a ground bridge and extended one of his claws into it. Then, a few seconds later, he brought out a beaker containing all seven geodes and selected the one belonging to Sunset. Right afterwards, he returned the beaker to the other side of the portal, closed the portal, and used his other claw to deliver the said geode to its bearer, who took it with some hesitation before seeing Megatron extending a finger towards her. Thus, she proceeded to nervously grab the finger and as soon as she did, her eyes flashed white for a couple seconds. Once those seconds were up, however, her eyes returned to normal and she almost collapsed on to the floor before Applejack and Rainbow Dash managed to catch her. As the rest of her friends gathered around her with worried looks on their faces, her own facial expression became one full of dread and despair, and she even started hyperventilating. Then, she stood back up with some assistance, looked at Megatron with the aforementioned expression, and uttered, "No... No, it can't be! It's... It's much worse than I thought!" "Indeed," the Decepticon leader began to explain. "Under our oppressive caste system, the only way for nameless Energon miners like myself to gain recognition was to compete in the gladitorial arena. I climbed my way to the top, conquered the Pits of Kaon, and annihilated countless opponents without mercy. My people finally showed me the respect I was craving for so long and I gained the power to destroy the system that had enslaved so many of us since the end of our Golden Age. All was going well, until Optimus challenged my vision for a peaceful society. I would not have even considered declaring war if he had remained by my side!" Immediately after he shouted that last sentence, he uppercutted Optimus so hard that the Autobot leader was sent flying to the other side of the room, with a terrified Sunset shouting his name in the process. Although he grunted and struggled a bit, he managed to stand back up, only to see the high-ranking Decepticons (minus Breakdown) once again circling him and their leader stalking towards him. "We could have created the perfect world together, old friend," declared Megatron as he came closer. "Instead, you chose to defy me and in doing so, doomed millions of our brothers and sisters. It is high time you paid for your crimes and we are most eager to deliver the punishment you deserve." Once he stopped merely a couple feet in front of Optimus, Sunset tried to run towards him, but her friends grabbed her just in time in order to stop her from doing anything foolish. As she struggled pry herself free from their grasp, she furiously yelled, "It wasn't entirely his fault! He's only fighting to stop your tyranny! He never once believed violence could bring peace and justice!" All the Decepticons once again turned their attention towards her upon hearing these words and their leader asked, "Why would a human such as yourself defend his actions? Is it because he has sworn to protect your race or is there a more personal reason?" Sunset stopped struggling when she heard that question and as she thought about what to say in response, she could not help but avert her eyes from Megatron, which he immediately took notice of. Then, after observing the nervous look on her face for a short while, he finally figured out the truth and said, "Oh, I see. Then, perhaps, you need to be taught a lesson about the dangers of bonding with Autobots." Right after he said that, he gave a quick nod to Shockwave, who responded by nodding back before shooting Optimus in the back. As the Autobot leader screamed in agony and was brought to his knees, Sunset also screamed, "NOOOO!!!!", while struggling to reach him once again. She then saw Breakdown's cannon emerging from his shoulder and sending a missile towards Prime's chest. Subsequently, he was knocked down with a loud grunt, her eyes started filling up with tears and she yelled at her friend's torturers, "STOP IT, YOU'RE KILLING HIM!!!" In response, Sounwave attached his claws to the Autobot leader's head and electrocuted him for several seconds. As he once again let out painful cries, Sunset also cried, "I'M BEGGING YOU, PLEASE, JUST STOP!!!!" Even though he did pulls his claws back and Optimus started getting back up with a lot of struggle, Starscream began rapidly shooting his blasters at virtually every part of the Autobot leader's body while also cackling maniacally and exclaiming, "FALL!!!! FALL!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!" No matter how hard Optimus tried standing on his servos, he slowly but surely started falling back down and wailing in utter anguish, which in turn, caused Sunset to sob in despair and her equally saddened friends to try to comfort her with a hug. Thankfully, a short while later, Starscream saw Megatron raising a claw and consequetly, ceased his onslaught. Immediately afterwards, Optimus finally collapsed back on the ground out of exhaustion and as Megatron slowly walked towards his fallen nemesis, he admitted, "I believe he has suffered quite enough. Time to end his pain." As soon as he was right on top of Optimus, he pulled out his hidden blade from his right arm and pointed it right at the Autobot leader's face, who immediately took notice. He then briefly looked at the Mane 7 (who were all unable to watch what was about to happen and thus, averting their eyes) before gazing directly at Megatron's optics and stating, "You... used to be an honorable warrior. I... remember a time... when you would refuse to finish off an opponent... without a fair fight. Tell me... What happened... to your honor?" In response, the Decepticon leader raised his blade up in preparation for the killing blow and replied, "It died, along with our brotherhood. To protect Cybertron, I shall eliminate everyone and everything that forced me into this war, by any means necessary. Farewell, old friend." Then, just as he was about to swing his blade to decapitate Optimus, the entire vessel shook with a loud rumbling and everyone felt as if they are slowly descending towards the ground. As his officers all looked at each other in confusion, Megatron pressed on the left side of his head and shouted, "What is going on over there?!" "My lord, there's been an explosion in the Energon storage unit!" a soldier at the other end replied. "The ship's engines have sustained critical damage!" "WHAT?!" an incredulous Megatron asked. "How could this be hap-" Before he could finish his sentence, he came to a sudden realization and as he turned back towards Optimus with an absolutely furious expression on his face, he yelled, "YOU! This was your plan all along!" Optimus then responded by letting out a small chuckle and revealing, "It seems my Autobots are far more versatile and resourceful than you realize... old friend." Right afterwards, he blinked at the Mane 7, which caused huge smiles to appear on each of their faces. On the other hand, Megatron roared in pure unadulterated rage and started barking orders at this officers, "Shockwave, Soundwave, repair the engines and keep us afloat! Breakdown, finish the operation and watch over the prisoners! Starscream, you're with me! We will find these intruders and make them regret the day they evolved from Protoforms! AM I UNDERSTOOD?!" "YES, LORD MEGATRON!" the officers all said in unison and proceeded to fulfill their respective orders. While the others quickly exited the room (with Laserbeak returning to Soundwave's chest), Breakdown stayed behind to throw the Dark Energon he had been carrying this whole time through the Space Bridge before walking towards his prisoners and standing guard beside them with his right hand turned into a hammer. Then, once the rest of the Decepticons had left the room, the Mane 7 began moving closer to Optimus and Sunset even touched his faceplate as she asked, "Thank Celestia, you're alive. Can you walk?" "I do not think so," replied Optimus. "Not without some assistance. Rescue is coming, but it will be a while before they reach us. Until then, I suggest we stay put." Sunset then looked to her friends and together, they silently considered this plan for a few seconds before nodding to each other in agreement. After nodding back at Optimus, Sunset let out a deep sigh and said, "I'm so sorry. I thought I could actually convince Megatron to change for the better and help you two become friends again. Turns out, he started turning into a monster way before you met him. I hate to say this, but he's not the kind of bot you save. He's the kind you stop." Upon hearing this, Optimus took a moment to ponder on her words and then declared, "Hmmm... I think you are only half correct. It is true that you and I cannot convince him to change, and right now, he must be stopped no matter the cost. However, that does not necessarily mean there is no one in the universe who can redeem him. Perhaps, we are simply yet to meet the individual capable of doing so." Sunset became visibly confused by this explanation and subsequently asked, "What? W-what do you mean by that?" "I shall explain further once everyone is safe," replied Optimus. "For now, all I can say is that strong bonds between friends can have lasting effects on both sides. Such is the case with the one forged between us, even though I am not quite certain on what it is exactly. Is it simply friendship or, as Megatron suspects, something much deeper?" Hearing that question caused Sunset to briefly look away from the Autobot leader and think about what she should say to him. After several seconds of contemplation, she finally let out another deep sigh and admitted, "He was right. You've been more than just a friend to me, Optimus. You've been a guardian, a mentor... and..." She was unable to hold herself any longer and so, she once again bursted into tears and hugged the faceplate before declaring, "And the closest thing I ever had to a father!" Needless to say, this sudden revelation caused everyone to become extremely shocked, especially Optimus, who remained speechless and with widened optics for almost half a minute. He then managed to ask, "Father? You refer to the term that describes male paternal figures for organic life forms? If so, does that mean you never had such a figure in your life before meeting me?" Soon after he made this inquiry, Sunset let go of the hug, wiped away the tears in her eyes, and replied, "No. No, I didn't. I spent my entire childhood as an orphan before Princess Celestia took me in as her student. I never found my actual parents and the orphanage I stayed at was run by a cranky old mare who never showed me any love whatsoever. Celestia was the very first person, or I should say pony, who treated me with kindness and respect. I guess, in a way, she was the first and only real mother I ever had." "I see," Optimus said as he pondered on this story. "Well, I would very much like to meet her at some point. Perhaps, we can arrange a visit to your world after this crisis is resolved." Sunset could not help but chuckle at that suggestion before stating, "We sure can. I'll write her a letter about it. I'm sure the two of you would get along really well." Optimus also gave a small chuckle and replied, "I am certain of that as well." The two then happily gazed at each other in complete silence for a few seconds until Optimus suddenly grunted in pain when Breakdown stepped on his back and exclaimed in rather a sarcastic tone, "Aw, boo-hoo! I'm shedding lubricant!" As he pretended to wipe his good optic with his left hand, everyone started glaring at him and upon noticing this, he added, "In all seriousness, I'm glad you get a happy memory. Y'know, before you perish along with everyone else on the planet's surface. By the way, according to my calculations, we have about three cycles before Lord Megatron's undead army comes charging through that portal over there. Lucky for me, I'll inform him of their arrival at the end of the first cycle and by the time he returns here to tame those beasts, I'll be at a completely safe distance from the exit." "Of course, there's a small chance that your Autobot friends will stall him long enough to make him come back here late and the undead army destroys everyone on the ship, but let's face it, that's a VERY small chance. I mean, who would be stupid enough to think our almighty lord and master can't handle a couple of pathetic little wannabe warriors?" He then started snickering at what he had just said, the entirety of the Mane 7 gritted their teeth in anger and Pinkie Pie even pulled out a fairly large sledgehammer from her hair before throwing it at Breakdown's head (which actually made him wince a bit and turn his head towards her) and shouting, "Hey, don't you dare talk about them like that, you big meanie-pants! They may be smaller than you, but each and every one is way more than a hundred thousand times the bot you're ever gonna be!" When he saw all the other girls and even Optimus nodding in agreement of this statement, Breakdown let out a dry laughter, removed his servo from the Autobot leader's back, and replied, "Then, why aren't they here now, huh? If they're so strong and amazing as you claim they are, then why haven't they come here to save you already? Are they simply running a bit late, or are they too scared to face me and my comrades like real Autobots? Don't know about you, but I'm strongly suspecting the latter is true and the only way I'll be convinced otherwise is if they actually barge in here right this moment and- AAARGH!!!" Just before he could finish his sentence, he was knocked down by a blue laser blast to his damaged optic, and when Optimus and the Mane 7 looked toward the direction that blast had come from, they all became overjoyed to see Cliffjumper standing by the door with Flash Sentry and Sour Sweet beside him. As the Decepticon brute struggled to get back on his servos, he heard Cliffjumper say, "Oh, sorry, ma'am. Didn't see you there. Were you about to say something important or dramatic?" This made Breakdown extremely furious and as soon as he was standing upright again, he aimed his shoulder cannon at the red Autobot and exclaimed, "Miserable wretch! Insignificant speck of feculent scum! HOW DARE YOU!" However, just as the cannon was charging, Sour Sweet shot an arrow at the barrel, causing the entire gun to blow up and Breakdown himself to be knocked back a couple feet. She then declared, "Stings, doesn't it? Wheeljack made them right before we came here for the rescue mission. They may be last-minute prototypes, but they still pack quite a punch." As soon as she was finished with that explanation, she saw red laser blasts flying near Cliffjumper's head and turned around to see at least a dozen Decepticon soldiers running towards them. She quickly started blowing up their heads with arrows and once Cliffjumper became aware of the situation they were currently in, he turned to the other human beside him and said, "Flash, I'm heading for the Space Bridge controls. You know what to do." "Yes, sir!" the boy replied while also giving a salute to his Autobot partner. He then shouted at the Mane 7, "Hey, girls! I've brought presents for all of you! Hope you like 'em!" Right afterwards, he threw several objects at them and as they each caught one of the said objects, they turned out to be their geodes. The girls all happily put them back on their necks and then proceeded to go through their respective magical transformations, before confronting Breakdown together as a team. "Aw, yeah! Time to kick some metal butt!" declared Rainbow Dash with great determination. She then moved right in front of Breakdown and made some funny faces to him, which in turn, caused the angered Decepticon to bring his hammer down upon her. Fortunately, she used her super speed to avoid these strikes, resulting in Breakdown becoming more and more annoyed, and even screaming in pure frustration. At the same time, this distraction allowed Pinkie and Rarity to throw explosive sprinkles and diamond shields, respectively, at his face several times and once he shielded his face with his left hand, Twilight used her telekinesis to lift him several feet up in the air. As he helplessly struggled to free himself of her grasp, Rarity created several diamond shields and stacked them up like stairs between the floor and Breakdown, which Applejack started climbing by jumping forward. Then, right after she reached the last one, she jumped right at Breakdown's body and punched him in the chest so hard that it not only created a sizable dent, but also sent him flying towards the Space Bridge. As a result, the once-proud commander of the Decepticon ground forces was transported to the orbit of his home planet, where he was grabbed and viciously torn apart by a massive horde of reanimated Cybertronians flying from the surface of the said planet. Thankfully, just before the horde could reach the portal, it was closed off from the other side, leaving every single one of them stranded in space. Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the Space Bridge, Cliffjumper managed to shut it down by entering a code to the control console. Right after he did so, he let out a sigh of relief and gave a thumbs up to the Mane 7 while also happily announcing, "Earth is closed today." Hearing this caused all the humans to both loudly cheer and hug each other (two particular hugs being between Sunset and Flash, and between Rarity and Sour Sweet), while Optimus briefly closed his optics and sighed in pure contentment. He then felt Cliffjumper helping him stand back up and heard him say, "Come on, sir. As a certain human expression goes, 'we're not out of the woods just yet'. So, we gotta keep moving." "Understood, soldier," Optimus replied as he struggled to walk with Cliffjumper towards the exit. "Any word from Wheeljack or Bumblebee?" In response, Cliffjumper shook his head and revealed, "Last I heard, they were heading to disable the ship's engines. Since that's already happened, I'm guessing they're still distracting Megatron and his goons. We were supposed to meet up just outside this room so that the Ground Bridge could lock on to our energy signatures better." "We cannot wait for them much longer," declared Optimus. "Contact the Ground Bridge Operator and tell him to bring us back to base immediately. We will get them out the moment we arrive." Cliffjumper nodded in agreement, but just as he was about to fulfill his commander's orders, he saw Twilight raise a hand and ask, "Excuse me, but if all the Autobots besides Ratchet are here, then who exactly is in charge of operating the bridge?" Hearing that question caused Cliffjumper to scratch his head in nervousness and Flash to utter, "Weeellllll..."