Chapter 8
Nightmares
LOCATION: Ponyville.
TIME: Late night.
The party lasted for the rest of the day and most of the night. It seemed that half of Ponyville had packed into Sugarcube Corner. However, before too long, Mr and Mrs Cake went to put their foals to bed, and everypony took it as a sign that it was time to end the party, lest they accidentally wake the children.
It was after 10:00 PM, according to Gyvon's internal clock, when he returned to the library and he was exhausted. Sleep was the one biological process that he needed to indulge in from time to time, and the race had taken a lot of energy out of him. He'd need a good night's rest to recharge.
He headed downstairs into the basement, taking off his uniform shirt as he did so. It always amazed him that, whatever he was wearing, it was never destroyed when he transformed. Ratchet had explained that it was part of the transformation process, that clothing was somehow caught up in it and repaired automatically when he returned to human form. He didn't even pretend to understand it.
"I'm gonna need a new set of clothes if I'm gonna be here a while." he said. Problem was, there weren't any clothing stores that catered to humanoids on this world that he knew of. Maybe I should ask Rarity. She could help me, he mused as he reached his bedroom, throwing the shirt at the foot of the bed. Then he reached for his right shoulder and touched the mark there. It was the Decepticon insignia. Galvatron had branded him with it that day on Mars, and he had never changed it. He kept it, as well as his Budweiser badge, as a reminder, a reminder of what he once was.
Gyvon laid down on the bed, but sleep eluded him. His mind was too worked up. The race had been a good distraction, but he still worried about all the energon on this world. He worried that he could be too late, that Galvatron was already there. No, that's not possible, he thought. He would've heard something. Galvatron had all the subtlety of a flying garbage truck.
Still, as he drifted off to sleep, one thought kept coming back to him. What if I'm too late?
LOCATION: ????
TIME:????
Equestria burned. The scent of cooking flesh permeated the atmosphere. All around Gyvon, ponies screamed in fear and pain. It was the most horrible sound Gyvon had heard. Far more horrible than the screams of his men being tortured.
A dark shadow surrounded Gyvon. He turned around and looked up to see Galvatron standing over him, reveling in the slaughter. Gyvon tried to transform, to arm himself, but he couldn't. The transformation process wasn't working. Galvatron reached down to grab him...
LOCATION: Twilight's Library
TIME: Morning
Gyvon startled awake, with the screams still ringing in his head. Just a bad dream. That's all it was. Gyvon calmed down a bit, and noticed that he had transformed in his sleep. His left arm had turned into a gatling gun, and his right was now a fusion cannon. Man, I must've panic'd. I hate using that thing, he thought as he returned his arms to their normal form.
He checked his internal clock, and saw that it was six in the morning. He got up and put his shirt back on. "I guess I'll go see Rarity." he said to himself as he climbed the stairs.
LOCATION: Carousel Boutique.
TIME: Noon.
Gyvon was pissed. He had knocked on Rarity's door at seven to see about getting a set of clothes made, and now he was sitting in her bathtub. She had taken his measurements, and then demanded that he hand her his clothes and shoved him upstairs for a bath. He was till there, four hours later.
"Remind me again, why did I need to give you my uniform?" he asked the white unicorn as she re-entered the room. "Because, it was positively filthy." she said, disdain in her voice "Besides, you needed a bath anyways. When was the last time you had one?" Gyvon thought for a minute. "That's... a good question." Rarity's eyes widened at his statement. "That long, huh? How could you live with yourself?"
Gyvon grumped, looking for a way to change the subject. "Well, what am I supposed to wear? I've got an important meeting with the Princess this afternoon." Rarity laughed in her elegant way. "Why must you wear anything? It's not like Princess Celestia will be wearing anything but her jewlery." Gyvon began to speak, but stopped himself. Damn, that's a good point. "It's not customary where I'm from." he said. It was a bad excuse and he knew it.
"Oh, don't worry. Since I didn't have any rush orders, I was able to put your new suit on the top of my to-do list. It's nearly finished." Rarity said. Gyvon was surprised. He knew Rarity was good, but he didn't expect her to be this quick. "How? I only got measured a few hours ago?" Rarity smiled with pride at hearing the shock in his voice. "Your suit was much simpler than my normal designs. I really wish you'd have let me personalize it more."
Gyvon had been worried about that. He'd seen some of her dresses on display. One was so loud that he couldn't hear his own thoughts. "I prefer to dress conservatively." he said as he rinsed his hair for what seemed like the eleventh time. Rarity left the room, and returned few minutes later with Gyvon's new suit. The coat was a deep Prussian blue with arm length sleeves and brass buttons down the front and gold shoulder-boards. The trousers were a light shade of sky blue and had a gold stripe down each leg. If he didn't know any better, Gyvon would've sworn that Rarity had found an old Union cavalry uniform laying around. "It's... perfect!" he said.
Gyvon got out of the tub, dried off, and tried the new suit on. A few alterations needed to be made for it to fit perfectly, but those were done quickly. Suiting up for the final time, Gyvon looked at himself in the mirror. It was the finest suit he had ever worn. "How much do I owe you?" he asked as he pinned his budweiser badge to his lapel. Rarity waved it off. "Oh, nothing yet. I'll bill you when the rest of your order is finished." Gyvon nodded, turned and began to walk out before he remembered something. "How much do I owe for your wall? I did put a hole in it after all." Rarity shook her head. "Oh, don't worry. My insurance took care of that."
Gyvon thanked her and left the Boutique. It wasn't even noon yet, and he had time to kill until his meeting.
LOCATION: Canterlot Palace
TIME: Mid-afternoon.
After landing at the Palace, Gyvon was swiftly escorted to Princess Celestia's private dining room. After being announced, Gyvon entered and saw that Princess Luna and General Icewing were also joining in on the meeting. He greeted each one heartily and joined them at the table.
"Sir Gyvon, you asked for this meeting. What is the emergency?" asked Princess Celestia. Gyvon pulled a blue gem from his pocket and slid it across the table. Princess Celestia levitated it up to get a better look, and passed it to Princess Luna. "A Topaz." stated Princess Luna dryly as she slid it to the General. "Thou said this was an emergency, and thou show us common gems? What is the meaning of this?" she demanded angrily. Gyvon would not be intimidated. "It's not an ordinary gem." he stated flatly. "It's infused with energon."
General Icewing tilted his head in confusion as he examined the topaz. "What is this 'energon'?" he asked. Gyvon looked over to him. "It's a very powerful energy source, and the lifeblood of Cybertron." The Princesses' eyes widened at the mention of Cybertron. "The emergency is that the entire world, as far as I can tell, is saturated with energon, and if the Decepticons find it, they'll attack." General Icewing thought to himself for a moment. "What are the chances of them finding our world?" he asked.
"Low." said Gyvon. "Thankfully, very low. But it is still a possibility, and that terrifies me." Princess Luna seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. "Is there anything we can do?" she asked. To her relief, Gyvon nodded. "I've already sent a message to Earth. It'll be a few weeks before I can get a response, but I can explain the situation to NEST and the Autobots when I do. The Autobots will do everything in their power to keep the Decepticons from harming this world."
"NEST might be a problem, however." he said, confusing the three ponies. "While considered multinational, NEST is still an arm of the U.S. Military. To set up a base in Equestria, we'd need two things." Princess Celestia took a sip of tea. "I'm assuming you'll need my permission." she said. Gyvon nodded. "Correct. They'll also need Congressional approval. That's gonna be the issue." Celestia understood. She knew how problematic politicians could be. Her own elected council could bicker for months over the most petty details.
"In the meantime, however, I can train the guards in how to fight the Decepticons." said Gyvon. "It won't be an easy battle if they attack, but it's better than nothing." General Icewing nodded. "I'll make the proper arrangements. If the Decepticons do come, I want my troops to be able to put up a fight." Princess Celestia nodded at the general. "Do so."
Suddenly, the doors to the hallway opened and one of the Unicorn Guards stepped in. "Princess Celestia, the Royal Archivist demands to see you. He says it's urgent." said the guard. No sooner than the words left his mouth, a grizzled old Unicorn stepped into the room, levitating a scroll in front of him. "Princess! I have returned from the mines. The miners have found a structure underground that had these strange markings on it!" he said hurriedly, spreading the scroll out on the table.
"Archivist! You have interrupted a meeting vital to our national security!" said General Icewing, getting up from the table. "What do you have to say for yourself?" The Archivist was cowed by the General. He tried to apologize, but before he could, another spoke up. "Where did you see these?" asked Gyvon, staring intently at the scroll. He recognized the glyphs on the paper. Optimus had showed them to him once
"Like I said, in the Canterlot Diamond Mines, just west of the city." said the Archivist. Celestia, Luna, and Icewing looked at Gyvon, startled at his outburst. "You... recognize these markings?" asked Princess Celestia. Gyvon nodded. "It's the Language of the Primes. Ancient Cybertronian." he said.
General Icewing escorted the Archivist out of the room and told him to wait outside. When he returned, he sat back at the table. "Can you read it?" asked Princess Celestia. Gyvon shook his head. "No. It hasn't been in common use for twenty thousand years." He looked up from the scroll. "I need to see this structure."
Princess Luna stood up. "Very well. I am curious about this structure as well. I'll go with you." she said, shocking Gyvon. Guess she's learning not to use the Royal We unnecessarily, he thought. Princess Luna led the way out the door where the Archivist was waiting patiently. "Show us this structure."
LOCATION: Canterlot Diamond Mines
TIME: Late Afternoon.
Gyvon whistled when he approached the structure. They were deep under the mountain. There were no miners around, they had been ordered to work on other areas of the mine. The structure was located in what appeared to be a natural cave formation, and it was massive. Easily seventy feet to the top of the cavern, and the structure was at least as tall. It appeared to be a large wall, and written on it were the glyphs that made up the Language of the Primes.
"Impressive." breathed Princess Luna, looking up at the immense structure. She was accompanied by a pair of Unicorn Guards who were similarly awestruck. Gyvon nodded and approached the structure, with Princess Luna following close behind. He reached out and touched the structure. Something immediately seemed off to him. His sensors didn't show anything but there was a nagging feeling that there was more to the structure than what was shown. On a hunch, he knocked.
It was hollow. He could hear the echo "Alright everyone, stand back from the wall! I'm gonna make a doorway." he said, motioning for the Princess and her guards to back up. He soon joined them at the entrance to the cavern. He transformed his right arm, changing it to a fusion cannon. This is gonna suck he thought to himself as he charged the weapon and aimed at the structure.
He fired, blasting a large hole into the structure. Princess Luna's jaw almost hit the floor after seeing how powerful a weapon Gyvon had at his disposal. "Why didn't you use that against the dragon?" she asked. She looked at him and saw his arm hanging limp, clearly dislocated. "Recoil." Gyvon gritted as he grabbed his arm. With a sickening crunch, he jammed the limb back into its socket. "Wait here."
Gyvon transformed into his combat form and made for the opening he had made in the structure. He entered, and saw that the structure was indeed massive. It was at least four hundred yards to the other side and another hundred wide. Veins of what appeared to be raw energon were weaved all along the walls, floor, and ceiling. He scanned the room, searching for anything that would harm the Princess. Finding none, he called for Princess Luna to join him.
"Give us some light." ordered Princess Luna to her Unicorn Guards as she entered. They shot bright flares from their horns that lit up the entire space. What the light revealed took everyone's breath away. On the far wall, sitting on a throne, was a massive, winged figure. "A Cybertronian! This whole structure is a Cybertronian's tomb!" breathed Gyvon.
The metal making up it's body was bone-white, with a tubular frame and wicked spines protruding from the arms, legs, and shoulders giving it a skeletal quality. It's wings, however, were blacker than a moonless night. Through it's chest, a large, crystalline sword protruded. A sword as bright as the stars.
As Gyvon stepped further in, he tensed up. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he shouldn't have come here. There was an air of general wrongness to the room. He studied the pattern of energon on the walls, and came to a startling conclusion. It's a Faraday cage!. Just then, Princess Luna screamed in agony.
He turned around and saw her on her knees, cloaked in a dark mist. She continued to scream out and began thrashing around, and when she opened her eyes, they were pure white orbs. "GET HER OUT OF HERE!" he barked to the Guards. Though not under Gyvon's command, they didn't need to be told twice. Princess Luna was nearly thrown from the chamber, her Guards and Gyvon following close behind. "SEAL THE CHAMBER!" he ordered. The Unicorn Guards moved swiftly, and replaced the blasted rocks back in the hole, mending it seamlessly.
After the Guards' work was finished, Gyvon knelt down by the Princess. "Are you alright, Princess?" he asked. She was still shaking, but not violently thrashing. The dark mist had faded, and her eyes had returned to normal. "Yes, I'll... I'll be fine." she said as she stood up. "But, for a moment there, it felt like... like Nightmare Moon was reasserting control." Gyvon had no idea who Nightmare Moon was, but from the way her guards blanched at the mention of that name, he knew it wasn't anything good. "Let's get you back to the Palace." he said.
LOCATION: Canterlot Palace
TIME: Dusk.
After dropping Princess Luna off at the Royal Physicians for a thorough examination, Gyvon was escorted to the Throne Room, where Princess Celestia and General Icewing were waiting. The doors were locked behind him as he entered. He surmised that Princess Celestia wanted to keep the discovery quiet.
"It was a prison." said Gyvon. He brought up a holographic display of the insides of the structure. "An ancient Cybertronian prison. I don't know how it ended up so deep inside the mountain, but it's been there a long time." Princess Celestia, however, seemed distracted. "What about my sister? Is she alright?" she asked. Gyvon nodded. "She'll be fine, the doc's looking her over, but said not to worry. However, she mentioned something about 'Nightmare Moon" taking over." Princess Luna had given him the short version of the story, so he understood the look of near panic in General Icewing's expression.
Princess Celestia, on the other hand, was the first to speak. "My sister always said it felt like something else was influencing her as Nightmare Moon. Could this prisoner have done so?" she asked. Gyvon stepped closer to the hologram and examined it closely. "It's... possible. The energon weave would've blocked any long range communications, but short range, non electronic communication... yeah, they could get through."
Princess Celestia nodded. "Thank you for your report. Now, I must go visit my sister." she said as she got up and teleported out of the room. General Icewing approached Gyvon. "The Guard stands ready for training. I would like to begin as soon as possible." he said. "Would tomorrow be fine?" Gyvon nodded. "Yes, that'll be fine."
Unbeknownst to anyone, the Cybertronian in the tomb was not dead, and for a brief moment, its prison door was open. Open long enough for the being to send a message out into deep space, calling for its Master.