//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Transformers: Harmony // by megatron_91 //------------------------------// Transformers: Harmony Chapter 2 By: Megatron_91 High above the rocky grey landscape that dominated Equestria’s more mountainous regions, hidden within a mile-thick layer of self-generated storm clouds, the massive Decepticon flagship, the Nemesis, slowly crept its way forward through the darkened skies above the immense Appaloosan Mountain Range. The massive, jet-black, alpha-class battle cruiser glided silently through the air, its two-mile long hull easily slicing through the heavy cloud cover the ship was creating from a small, built-in, disguise generator. At its rear, a set of four, pursuit-class engines, powered the ship forward through the thick black sky while onboard navigation kept the massive vessel from crashing into any unseen obstacles that might appear out of the murk. All across the ship’s smooth, steel surface, sensor arrays constantly scanned the landscape below, searching for any signs of the ship’s sought after target. The Decepticon flagship had arrived in the planet’s upper atmosphere precisely two years ago, after making the journey from the world’s moon where the Nemesis had resided for nearly four million years after it had crash-landed there, following its passage through an unstable spacebridge outside its home planet of Cybertron. Unfortunately for the Decepticons on board at the time and now, the ship’s more “sentient” programming had been completely obliterated during the crash landing. Inside the dark, weapon-clad warship, numerous Decepticon soldiers scurried around the large, multi-layered bridge, manning different stations, and checking readouts. Their leader, Megatron was expected to arrive any day now with news of how to finally end the war with the Autobots. Shouting to one another in Cybertronian, the spike-covered Decepticon troopers attempted to get all the Nemesis’ systems online as they made their way about the ship, double-checking each other’s work, hoping to make things perfect in fear of the Decepticon Tyrant’s reaction to finding his flag ship not operating at full capacity. “Quickly, quickly! We must have everything ready for our glorious leader Megatron,” the ship’s captain, a large, silver Decepticon snarled, sarcasm dripping from every word he spoke as the wings on his back twitched up and down in agitation. His shifty red eyes were inset into his boxy, black head as he looked about the bridge. Starscream watched in annoyance as the soldiers below scurried around on the floor, checking relays and testing power stations. It made him sick to think they were all doing this just to please Megatron. Turning to face the monitor on his right the Decepticon seeker was much more content to observe the soldiers and miners down on the surface. They were in the process of removing large, blue crystalline rocks from the mine they had found buried in the mountain miles below the ship. The crystals sparked with energy as the miners began to cut them into more manageable sizes. “Energon!” Starscream exclaimed to himself, rubbing his clawed hands together in anticipation. The lifeblood of the Cybertronian race was being excavated before his very optics. Following the precious mineral, Starscream watched as it was slowly moved from the mine’s entrance to within the Nemesis’ tractor beam where it would be brought aboard and stored for refinement. This is what the war is about, the air commander thought to himself as he placed his hands behind his head and set his feet atop the control panel in front of him; the gathering of resources and the total destruction of one’s enemies. He slightly chuckled. “Don’t get too comfortable, Captain Starscream,” a large, cobalt Decepticon boomed from the other side of the bridge, pulling the red, blue and silver flier from his thoughts. The massive, heavily-armed Decepticon spun around in his chair to face his fidgeting captain. “You might not have everything you need to kiss Megatron’s skid-plate ready in time!” he chided, grinning as the two metal pylons hanging from his back began spinning. “Silence, Blackout!” Starscream barked. His vehicle mode’s second set of wings swayed at the hip as he lowered his legs back to the floor and stood up out of his chair. The propellers attached to his back mounted wings lazily whirled round in response to the sudden motion. Blackout growled; a puff of hot air he usually used to inflate his alternate mode’s gasbag escaped his metal lips. “Why don’t you try and make me?” “Return to your post, soldier!” the silver Seeker sneered, resisting the temptation to fire his weapon into his fellow Decepticon’s skull as the primitive machine guns mounted on his forearms spun slightly in agitation. “I think not,” the cobalt-blue Decepticon growled, challenging Starscream’s authority. “You will do as I order, Blackout! I am your commanding officer!” the winged Cybertronian roared, readying his weapons to fire at the insubordinate soldier. “Not for long you won’t be,” Blackout snarled, reminding Starscream once more of the impending return of Megatron before spinning back around and placing his clawed fingers on the console in front of him. Starscream glared at the back of the cobalt Decepticon’s head with intense fury. If there weren’t so many witnesses around the silver seeker would have gladly put a round through Blackout’s core processor. However, Starscream couldn’t risk it; he was on thin ice as it was. After his failed coup during the final days of the War for Cybertron, when Megatron had been supposedly killed by the Autobots, Starscream was lucky the Decepticon leader had allowed him back into his ranks. A sudden alarm woke Starscream from his thoughts as he looked down to see a blinking light on his command terminal. Pushing the rapidly bleating button he was greeted with the holographic image of Barricade’s scarred and pitted face. Starscream sighed in exasperation. “What is it now, Barricade?” he asked, growing tired of the hunter’s repeated calls. Every time it was some ridiculous demand for more and more energon since he spent such lengthy times outside the ship. “Bad news, Scream.” Barricade spoke over the comm-link. His voice was noticeably rasping, as if he’d taken heavy damage. “Oil Slick is dead.” “WHAT!?” Starscream roared, his voice echoing across the bridge causing a few grunts to look up from their work at him. “How could you allow this to happen, Barricade!?” the silver seeker growled, slamming his fists on the console in front of him. “Hey! Don’t blame me for this!” the Decepticon hunter snapped back. “We set up an ambush for the Autobot’s scout and the kid jumped into the fray before I gave him the word!” he growled, energon sputtering from the damaged parts of his mouth. “It ain’t my fault Bumblebee’s tougher than he looks.” Starscream balled his clawed hands, opening and closing them in irritation. He felt like opening fire and killing everyone on the ship and was fighting to resist doing so. “Fine,” Starscream spat in annoyance. “I will send Incinerator to deal with the Autobot!” He glared at Barricade through the hologram, daring him to backtalk. “You sure that’s a good idea?” Barricade asked, cocking an eyebrow. “You know he ain’t too good at keeping cover.” “DO NOT QUESTION ME, BARRICADE!” the air commander shouted, rage filling his voice as he finally snapped. “Just return to the ship and get medical attention! You are useless to me and the entire Decepticon army if you’re leaking energon faster than Blot leaks that foul substance from his hide!!!” The silver captain exclaimed, throwing his arms wildly as part of one of his typical overly exaggerated gestures. “Alright, alright, calm down,” Barricade sighed, switching off the com-link as his face disappeared from the command terminal. Starscream slammed his head on the terminal in exasperation. One dead Decepticon, insubordinate soldiers, and Megatron set to arrive at any moment, he thought to himself. Today was not the air commander’s day. ………… Meanwhile, miles away from the Decepticon flagship and the exasperated Decepticon air commander, Bumblebee silently walked the dusty dirt roads outside Equestria’s capital city of Canterlot. In the distance, gleaming in the rising sun, the yellow, the holo-matter pony could see the massive, spiraling towers of Princess Celestia’s castle rising against their mountain back-drop, its many colorful flags flying strong as the powerful winds from the valley below billowed though them. Bumblebee stopped and stared at the castle for a moment, its sheer beauty never ceased to amaze him. But, that was not the little Autobot’s current destination. Turning off the barely visible dirt road he had been traversing, Bumblebee walked into the nearby woods, not following a predetermined path etched into the ground, but following a path he had memorized over the course of the three years he had lived on this planet. He could still remember their arrival to the small, green and blue word like it was yesterday. Long before arriving on this planet, the Autobots had spent millennia in peace onboard their Orbital Command Hub revolving around the planet Andegea. They had long assumed that the Nemesis and the Decepticons onboard had been destroyed after the Autobots’ and Decepticons’ desperate escape from their dying home world, Cybertron, through the space bridge. It hadn’t been until about three years ago, when the Hub’s long range sensors began detecting the Nemesis on a small planet called Equestria, when they reentered into the war with their longstanding enemies. Optimus immediately assembled a strike team in order to track down the missing Decepticons and make sure they had not ravaged the planet to the ground. Bumblebee had been a part of that strike team. As he navigated through the weedy, overgrown jungle, avoiding branches that nearly lashed across his face and pits that wished to stall him, the yellow Cybertronian eventually reached his journey's end: a large, stone cliff buried within the depths of the wood. Etched into the face of the rock was a large symbol. Its many straight lines and heroic curvatures matched the one imprinted on the side of Bumblebee’s carriage door. It was the symbol that had given so many Autobots hope during the darkest hours of the Great War, and that is why they had adopted it as their own. Suddenly, a ray of light burst forth from the emblem’s eyes, scanning Bumblebee up and down, left and right, before vanishing just as quickly as it had appeared. The sound of massive, iron tumblers filled the quiet, lonely jungle, sending wildlife scurrying in a flurry of directions. Birds and timber wolves shrieked and roared as the very cliff face began to split down the middle and open like a cell dividing upon itself during the process of mitosis. Light began pouring through the growing crack in the wall as a deep, thundering voice rang out. “Teletraan-1 welcomes Autobot Bumblebee to Autobot Outpost, Celestia-1!” Bumblebee watched as the massive metal doors slowly slid open. The now gaping entrance was large enough to fit a full-grown dragon through. The opening entryway reminded Bumblebee of the doors onboard the ancient starship that had ferried him and the rest of the Autobots away from their dying home world, The Ark. Entering the immense doorway the small yellow scout continued thinking back on the ancient starcraft and its fateful journey. At the time of the journey Bumblebee had been rendered completely mute after a run-in with the tyrannical Decepticon leader, but luckily Ratchet had been able to repair him during their stay on the command hub. The smaller Autobot jumped slightly as he was pulled out of his memories by the renewed sound of iron tumblers. As soon as he had entered, the large iron doors began to rumble again as they skidded shut behind him. Not wanting to waste any more time thinking about the past, Bumblebee flashed his holo-avatar out of existence and quickly transformed into his robot mode before rushing down the massive hallway. He passed by numerous computer terminals showcasing all sorts of information about the base and the world outside along the way. As he rounded the hall’s corner, leading into the central command center, the Autobot scout began to catch sight of the mech he was looking for. The Autobot in question had his back to Bumblebee. He was observing a series of numbers as they flashed by on a computer terminal in front of him. His red and blue color scheme was illuminated by the fluorescent lights shining in the base, while his massive, almost heroic, stature was framed by the smaller computer terminal that sat before him. Bumblebee could see small wafts of smoke emitting from the dual smokestacks sitting in front of both his wide round shoulders, a usual sign that he was concentrating and shouldn’t be interrupted, but the small, yellow Autobot knew what he had to say couldn’t wait. “Optimus!” Bumblebee shouted, causing the Supreme Commander of the Autobot army to turn in the direction of the young scout. The lights in the base caught the antennae on the sides of his head as he turned around, giving the Autobot leader an almost angelic glow. He quickly approached Bumblebee and placed a hand on his fellow robot’s shoulder. A look of deep worry was dancing in his bright blue optics. “Bumblebee, there you are!” Optimus exclaimed; the concern in his booming voice was readily apparent. “When we received your distress signal we feared the worst.” “Oh it was no big deal, Prime,” Bumblebee sighed, shrugging as he referred to his commanding officer by the ancient title in which he had been given. “Barricade and Oil Slick set a trap for me, but I was able to handle it!” he exclaimed, making a motion with his arms to detail how “smooth”’ he had gotten out of the predicament. He turned his head and gave Optimus a wide smile. “Were there any casualties?” Optimus asked sternly, a serious look crossing his face. “Y-Yeah,” Bumblebee stuttered, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. The smile on his face instantly vanished. Even though he couldn’t see it behind Optimus’ silver faceplate, he knew the Autobot leader was frowning as he said those words. “I-I accidentally burst Oil Slick’s acid container. It sprayed all over him. Th-there wasn’t much I could do…” Optimus brought his hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose above his faceplate. He sat there in quiet contemplation, mourning the loss of yet another life to this horrendous war. Had all those on Cybertron not been enough? Even if Oil Slick was on the wrong side and he knew Bumblebee had to do it out of self-defense, the loss of another Cybertronian life weighed heavily on the spark of the Prime. An awkward silence hung in the air as he continued his silent grieving. “Um…Optimus?” Bumblebee asked, cautiously approaching the massive red and blue Autobot, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Oil Slick wanted me to pass on a message to you.” Optimus looked up, curious as to the information the scout had gathered. It was very rare that a Decepticon would wish to pass on a message before death. They usually preferred a silent, honorable death reflecting their backgrounds as warriors and gladiators. Knowing that the larger Autobot was already upset about the loss of another Cybertronian life, and that he might be even more upset about the news he was going to deliver, Bumblebee couldn’t bring himself to look his leader in the optic. Instead he focused on Prime’s torso, where the round bolted face of a steam locomotive poked forth. It was one of the remnants of Prime’s vehicle mode still visible in his robot mode, along with the iron ladder that led from face of the steam locomotive down to the cowcatcher on his waist. “He asked me to inform you that Megatron will soon return.” Optimus stood motionless, gazing off into space as the severity of what Bumblebee said began to sink in. The wheels in his legs spun in agitation and the coupling rods chugged along with them as he thought. Quietly, he moved back to the console he had been standing in front of and began punching commands into the terminal at a rapid pace. It looked like he wasn’t concerned with this development at all. “So…uh, what are we gonna do?” Bumblebee asked, a little confused at Optimus’ sudden, almost uncaring, actions. This didn’t seem much like the Prime he knew and idolized. “I will take Ironhide with me to warn Princess Celestia of this troubling turn in events.” Optimus said, once more rising from the computer to face the yellow Autobot scout. His rounded forearm rose in the air and pointed towards the smaller Autobot as he continued issuing orders. “You and Bluestreak will begin patrolling around the countryside for signs of further Decepticon activity. I want you to begin with Ponyville. After the incident with the Decepticon allied cider salescolts a few months back it would be a good place to start.” He stared down at Bumblebee as the Autobot saluted his commander. “Ratchet, Prowl, and Wheeljack will remain here at base and keep an eye on the scanners for any sign of Megatron or the Nemesis, understood? “Sir, yes sir!” Bumblebee shouted in response. “Good. With any luck we will be sufficiently prepared for whatever awaits us when Megatron returns,” Optimus stated, walking towards the exit of the command center in search of his trusted friend and weapons specialist. Bumblebee stared, watching as the Supreme Commander of the Autobot forces slowly left the room. It was moments like this that he was proud to be called an Autobot. Even in the face of the fact that his most hated and dangerous enemy was returning, Optimus didn’t lose his cool or panic even for a second. He simply gave orders like he always had, keeping a level head and never letting slip a sign of worry. Maybe that’s why Bumblebee considered Optimus to be his hero. Not wanting to waste any more of his time or keep Prime waiting Bumblebee spun around and went off to find Bluestreak. He couldn't wait to tell him about their new assignment.