//------------------------------// // Act III: Out of The Silent Planet // Story: Friendship Is Magic: Prime // by Darkryt Orbinautz //------------------------------// Darkryt Orbinautz presents... On the watery backdrop of a planet known to it's original residents as 'Earth', in a forest, a very particular forest. The forest where the ship of the then- independently operating Decepticon known as Airachnid had landed (And got blown up.) There was something particular about this forest today. That something was a mech. A thin, weak-looking mech whose strength was in his ability to deceive. A mech with rockets on his arm, aerial vents forming his cheeks, and the rear tail fin of a jet forming a sort of headcrest on him. Upon close inspection, a jet engine was visible in his midsection. A mech whose name would soon be rendered forever into the annals of Equestrian history along the likes of Discord and Nightmare Moon. A mech whose name... was Starscream. "We do not truly see light, we only see slower things lit by it, so that for us light is on the edge- the last thing we know before things become too swift for us." Friendship Is Magic: Prime: Act III Chapter II: Out of the Silent Planet. Episode Synopsis: The Ponies land on Earth in pursuit of Discord. Also, Bob does stuff. In the forest where Jack had blown up her ship, Airachnid was brooding, her arms crossed. The shiny, green 'Con looked over the trees with dismissive turns of her head. "I wonder..." she said to herself, cupping her own chin. "If I could find some wreckage of it." She transformed to her spider mode, eight, pincer-tipped jointed legs spouting from a silver dial on her back. She skittered, then leaped onto a tree. She proceeded to leap from tree to tree in search of anything that could've survived the blast, then she crashed into something mid-leap. "DAAAH! Watch where you're going you unceremonious- Airachnid?" Airachnid pushed herself up on her normal arms and looked down to see she was on top of a small, grey, thin, weak-looking Decepticon. His feet were curved to the point that they seemed like stilettos, and he had a most prominently downward chin. "Starscream?" Airachnid. "Oh, this is too good! Megatron wasn't entirely happy when he thought I left you with the Autobots. I can take you back to him and reclaim my place as First Lieutenant!" "YOUR place? That is MY place!" Starscream exclaimed. Airachnid aimed her palm-blaster at Starscream's mouth and sealed it up with webbing. She grabbed his wrists, put them together and did the same to them. She got off him. "Up." Starscream did so, turning over to use his bound arms as support to get up. Airachnid beckoned him to follow behind her as she walked off. Starscream grumbled, which the webbing on his face muted. "I would call Megatron, but I wouldn't want to get his hopes up." Airachnid explained. "Also, if you happen to see pieces of my ship, let me know. I had stuff on it." Starscream's browplates lowered in frustration. "You web me, bind me, GAG me and now you wish me to alert you to your possessions? You self-absorbed-" Starscream's foot let out a crunch, and he looked down to see it a slightly-mushed pine cone. "Hey..." The pinecone gave Starscream an idea. He let out muffled screams. "What?" Airachnid turned around to see Starscream pointing down at something frantically. "Ahh, a ship part!" Airachnid put her hands together appreciatively. "You're such a darling, Starscream." She leaned down to see what Starscream was pointing and frowned. "Starscream. This is a pine cone." With that as his cue, Starscream lifted his leg back and kicked the pine cone into Airachnid's face. He flexed his arms, successfully tearing apart the web binding them with an almighty (albeit muffled) roar. Airachnid snarled after recovering, raising one of her spider legs to strike. Starscream wasted no time in shooting her through the chest with his arm missile. Airachnid clutching at the new hole in her chest, Starscream turned tail, using his sharp claws to tear off his gag. When Airachnid had gathered the strength to look up, the renegade Decepticon had gone. Starscream ran on his feet, cursing those humans flesh-bags who had robbed him of his T-Cog. Everything was dark before he knew it. "AHHH! What happened? Who turned out the lights?" Starscream turned around and saw a hole with light going through it. He assumed the worst.. "Nooo! I'm too pretty to have joined the Well of All Sparks!" He ran back through it, clutching at it's rocky side and peering out through it. He exhaled a sign of relief. He had been running so fast, he didn't realize he had bolted straight into a cave. He retreated back into and sat down, his arms crossed. "Best if I wait here for now...that wretch Airachnid will likely be looking for me." Above the Earth's atmosphere, the little pony team containing Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, as well as their newest addition, the Insecticon Bob, watched in anticipation as the green and blue marble of Earth came into their ship's view. "So that's Earth." Applejack noted solemnly. "Doesn't look like somewhere Discord would hide..." Rarity said. "No," Twilight agreed, galloping on the controls so that she could punch what commands she could by stomping on the keys. "But this is where the ship's scanner leads. It's our best bet to find Discord." She stopped her galloping and looked down. "Oh...no." "What?" Applejack questioned. Twilight lifted her head gravely and looked down towards her friends. "The Ion trail...it's here." "So..." Rainbow Dash questioned. "So the Nemesis is here...and the Decepticons." The Ponies gulped in fear, but resolved that this knowledge wouldn't deter them from serving Celestia and their home. Aboard the Nemesis, a blue Decepticon with a blank screen for a face stood there on the bridge, doing his thing. His 'thing' of course being complete monitoring of all communication channels in hopes of detecting information that would reveal the location of the Autobot base. On his super-sensitive sensors, the steel shape of a ship appeared in the planet's atmosphere. From his perch in the cave, Starscream could see the metal shape of a Decepticon ship form in the sky as it descended down into Earth. "Decepticons!" Starscream cried to himself. "If I can convince them that Megatron has been somehow...impaired. I may be able to sway them into pledging their loyalty to me!" Starscream stepped out of the cave, eager to receive reinforcements -and perhaps, just maybe, a new T-Cog. Airachnid brought herself back to her feet, clutching the new hole in her chest in pain. "Grr...That was a mistake, Starscream. Now you've given me reason to hunt you down, with or without Megatron's orders." She heard a buzzing in her head, which she shook in an effort to get rid of the noise. When it persisted, she realized it was her communicator and answered it. "Airachnid," hissed the voice of Megatron. "Soundwave has detected ship bearing Decepticon markings nearing your location. Go and welcome them to Earth, if you would." "Of course, Lord Megatron." She cut off the call and looked around for signs of said ship. She saw the silvery, torpedo-like vessel descending down and skittered towards it as it landed. The ship's ground entrance opened, and a ramp fell down. An Insecticon stepped down from the ramp. "Perfect." Airachnid thought to herself. She hadn't mentioned it to Megatron recently, but she possessed the innate mental ability to control Insecticons. Putting her fingers to her head in concentration, she attempted to dominate the Insecticon's mind. "Come to me, minion. Serve me. Obey me. Worship me." The Insecticon looked back and forth, searching for danger. After a moment of Airachnid's infiltration, the Insection fell to it's knees and put a claw to it's head. "Come now," Airachnid thought, "You're no good to me if you're wounded." The Insecticon began squealing, it's mandibles clicking as it tried to summon help. "What's that?" A voice said. Airachnid's browplate shot up in surprise. her optics practically doubled in size as she the yellow Little Pony that had pretended to be loyal to the Decepticons floating over by the Insecticon's head. She touched it's forehead tenderly. "You say you have an headache and you're hearing voices?" She asked the Insecticon. What was wrong with this pony? Doesn't she realize that that's a monstrous killer Decepticon beast? The Insecticon nodded it's head and let out a chitter. "Okay. Back inside. The best cure for a headache is a nice, well-prepared nap!" The Insecticon nodded again, got back up on its feet groggily and did as the yellow pony told, turning and heading back to the ship. Airachnid's optics doubled again, thus making them quadruple their original size. Not only was the yellow pony treating the Insecticon like a pet, it was acting like one for her! She scratched her chin. If the yellow one was here, then it would make sense for there to be more them...She took to the air, transforming into her silent stealth helicopter mode and flew away to inform Megatron of this interesting new development. Starscream, on the other hand, had arrived fashionably late, after all that drama with the Insecticon had happened. "Ahhhh!" Starscream announced, rubbing his abnormally long nails together in anticipation as he stepped out of the bushes. "My fellow Decepticons, allow me to be the one to-" A small creature in a blue space suit stepped, its clear helmet making its lavender, snout-bearing horned head easily visible. Starscream flinched, then retreated back into the bushes. He wasn't sure what that was, but it definitely wasn't a Decepticon. Deciding that horn looked rather pointy, and he was no mood to fight something pointy without his T-Cog, he decided to run off back into the woods. Twilight looked over the forest."Okay, Twilight thought, There's trees here, and trees mean photosynthesis, and photosynthesis means there's Co2 being removed which means me and the others can breathe here! At this knowledge, she took her space helmet off...and immediately gagged at the foul taste of the air. "It...seems breathable...but...it's so...nasty!" She observed. "O.K, girls, come on out! I don't see any danger here!" The girls did so, raising their eyebrows at Twilight's exposed face. "There's air here!" Twilight exclaimed. "That we can breathe! I...wouldn't recommend it, though." The girls gave each others looks, then removed their helmets, having the same reaction that Twilight did. "Ugggh!" Dash groaned in disgust. "Yeah," Twilight said. "See what I mean?" "Oh my...I hope there's nothing wrong with the air that would cause it to be like this." Fluttershy muttered. "Probably just some poor management on the local weather team's part." Applejack reassured her. "It is an...acquired taste." Rarity said, not once losing her lady's grace at the bitter taste of the air. "Funky air or not, we still have a mission, and that mission is to find Discord!" Twilight reminded them. The thumps of Bob's monstrous footsteps echoed behind them. "Now hold on!" Fluttershy snapped. "You said you had a headache mister, so you're not going anywhere till you've rested up!" Bob tried to protest that he felt better, but Fluttershy would have none of it. Conceding defeat, the Insecticon went back into the ship. The Ponies put their hooves over their heads to keep the sun out of their visions and looked around, Rainbow Dash accidentally bumping into Applejack. "Mmm...no signs of Discord's magic here." Twilight concluded. "Well, that's great. Now what?" Rainbow quipped. The girls all looked at each other for answers, to no avail. As Rarity began complaining about the sun's harshness on her face, Twilight stared into the forest. Forest...forest... "This sun seems...brighter and stronger than the one on Equestria. Which I have no idea what that will do to my complexion." Forest...Forest! Twilight pounded a hoof to get everypony's attention. "I know what we do! We explore. Come on!" Twilight began galloping away, the girls calling after her to wait up. Their hooves quickly sped them through the forest, the green and brown of the forest blurring into one color as they ran. Quite some distance was between them and the ship when they noticed Applejack was no longer with them. "Where's Applejack?" Twilight asked, stopping abruptly. The unexpectedness of the stop caused Pinkie, Dash and Rarity to crash into her, forming a pony dogpile. Fluttershy wasn't part of it, as her timidness made her travel at the back, allowing her to see the build-up before she crashed into it as well. Once the the Ponies had disentangled themselves, they noticed Applejack was indeed gone. "Applejack! You have to stay with the party!" Pinkie called out. "Oh my...I hope a monster didn't get her." Fluttershy mumbled. "Probably spotted an apple tree in the midst of all this foliage and starting reminiscing." Rarity speculated, trying to cast hope for a positive situation. "I'll fly back and get her!" Rainbow Dash volunteered, rising up into the air. "Don't take too long." Twilight told her. "Twilight." Dash said flatly, "Think about who you're talking to. Am I ever slow at anything?" "Maybe at learning lessons..." Twilight mumbled under her breath. "What?" "Nothing. If you're not back in 5, we'll come looking for you." Rainbow Dash scoffed, gave a dismissive wave of her hoof and sped off backwards into the forest. Silly Twilight. As long we've been friends, and you still worry about me. Dash thought to herself. If Discord or the Decepticons are here, I'll buck 'em! I'll pound them! I'll- TWAAAANG. "Well, look who decided to show up." Applejack remarked, looking to her side to her new bedmate. I'll get stuck in the giant spider web that Applejack got stuck in. "So...Applejack. How did you get here?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking around to see the giant webbing's connection points between trees. "Didn't see it as Ah ran. But Ah certainly know how ya got here." Applejack answered. Dash 'hmmp'ed at the dig. "So, uh. Any chance that Twi' and the others were behind ya?" Applejack inquired hopefully. "Eh, they said they'd come looking." Dash replied nonchalantly. "We're just gonna have to wait...I hate waiting." Applejack looked down somberly. "Yeah..." Dash raised her eyebrow. Even somepony as insensitive as her could tell something was on Applejack's mind. "What's the matter, A.J?" Applejack shook her head. "Well, it's just...I'm not sure." "Sure of?" "Sure that we can wrangle Discord back in. He...he almost destroyed our friendship last time. And last time, Celestia was there to snap Twilight out of it. Celestia...Celestia's not here." "Hey!" Dash snapped. Were she not bound, she would've slapped the cowpony. "Don't talk like that! Talk like that is for quitters. Are you a quitter, A.J?" Applejack looked towards Rainbow Dash and saw the challenge in the Pegasus' eyes. "...No. I'm Apple Family, and Apples don't quit!" Dash flashed an athlete's smile. "That's what I like to hear! We're gonna find Discord, and we're gonna put him back in Stone Jail for good!" The two smiled at each other, certain they wouldn't fail. "I knew sending Dash on her own was a bad idea!" The two looked to see Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie rushing towards them. "If you knew was bad idea, Pinkie, then why didn't you speak up earlier?" Rarity chastised. Pinkie scratched her head. "...I dunno!" She exclaimed with a stupid-happy grin. Rarity shook her head at Pinkie's antics. "Hang on," Twilight said to the two bound Ponies. "I'm gonna get you out of there." Twilight put the tip of her horn towards a loose webbing string, activating her magic, she set the string aflame, burning it and the web Applejack and Dash were attached to near instantly. "All right! You the mare, Twi'!" Dash said, stretching her wings after her ordeal. "Thanks, Twilight." Applejack said with a smile. Twilight nodded, happy her friend was O.K. "Um...Twilight? I think your plan backfired." Fluttershy said, pointing her hoof upwards. The other five girls looked at Fluttershy, then to what she was pointing at. The fire on Twilight's horn had spread from the spider-webbing to the trees the webs were attached, and it would engulf all of the forest quite quickly if they didn't do something. "Oh pony! Our first hour on this world, and we've already caused an act of mass destruction!" Twilight lamented, sitting on her haunches in shame. "Calm down, Twilight!" Applejack snapped. "We can fix this!...Ah hope. Dash, can ya fly and see if there are any clouds nearby?" Dash grimaced the flame. "I...can. But what if my Pegasus magic doesn't work here?" Applejack leered at Rainbow. "It will." "How do you know?" "How? 'Cause that's quitter talk, that's how." Dash paused to what Applejack had did there, nodded, then took off to the sky in a flash of rainbow light. Above the burning canopy, her vision was blinded by smoke, but she made a cloud nearby. A large one too. She flew up over and lowered herself onto it gently. "I hope this works!" Grabbing the cloud with her hooves, Dash piloted to float more directly above the fire, lifted up, then bellyflopped onto it, thankfully making rain emit from it. Just enough to put the fire out. She let out a sign of relief while the others cheered below. "Yeah!" "Go Dashie!" "All right, R.D.!" "Crisis averted." Rainbow Dash soared back down to the grass. The Ponies looked each over, just to be sure no one had been singed or something, then resumed galloping out of the forest. Once successfully out, the two Earth Ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns found themselves in a desert, complete with cacti, giants immovable rocks in the ground, and roads. ...Roads? Deserts didn't have roads. ...Unless somepony put them there. "All right, girls. Let's follow the road and see where it leads!" the six girls all went on over to the road's side and started walking when they heard a motorized, all-too-familiar sound. "Vehicons! Battle positions, girls!" they lowered themselves into charging positions, snorting away in preparation. But rather then the boxy-hooded, trunk-finned purple cars of the Decepticon basic Warriors, a slightly smooshed green car with black stripes came streaking down the road. The fumes from it's exhaust went straight up the Ponies nose as it passed them by. "Uuughh! Dragon's breath smells like flowers compared to this stuff!" Rainbow Dash complained. "ACK-KAC!...Well, I think we know part of why the air is so...distasteful here." Rarity concluded, unable to suppress her body's natural urge to cough. "Yes..." Twilight agreed, a hack emitting from her. "It seems whatever inhabits this world has technology on par with ours, save for the small fact they have considerable more...smoky fuel." Within the car, the two soldiers -soldiers of the terrorist organization of MECH- looked in their rear view mirrors back the cluster of brightly-colored horses they had seen. "Huh. Unicorns and pegasuses." The passenger observed. "It's 'Pegasi'." The driver corrected. "...you think Silas will want them?" "Yeah, but I'm sure they're just some actors in costumes." "And if they're not?" "Well...I've read stories about unicorns. They're...less then pleasant when angry. We'll pick up if we see them again." "Ach, we're probably too far away by now anyway." Back with the Ponies... They had quit coughing and had made well some distance across the roads. They all smiled at the block-like shapes in front of them: Buildings. Emboldened at the thought of sentient life and possible aid in their quest, they picked up their pace and arrived quickly the outskirts of the town. They stopped to read the welcome sign. "Jasper, Nevada." Twilight read aloud. "Like...like...Jasper the Friendly Ghost?" Pinkie questioned. Everypony ignored her. They continued onwards into the town, the fumes of cars (and though they didn't know it, factory production) assailing their noses all the awhile. "Unnf...Ah hope we don't stay here too long." Applejack said, less then enthused with the plethora of smells here. "Look!" Pinkie Pie said cautiously pointing in front of them dramatically. "A native, no doubt!" Indeed, there was something walking in their direction. It had the posture and body-shape of a Deceptiocn, but was hundreds times smaller. It probably could've rode around on their backs. It was also dressed in a blue tuxedo, holding some device to it's ear. "Yeah, but if we cut the assets, the rollback won't be enough to make up for the loss." It said, presumably to the device it was holding. "Excuse me, sir! Could I trouble you for a minute?" Twilight asked, fearlessly striding up to it. "Yes, I realize people are unhappy with the product but-" "Sir?" "...Hang on just a minute." The two-legged creature took the device away from what was presumably it's ear and turned to Twilight. "Do you mind, little girl? I'm in the middle of a very important phone call, and don't have time for your silly game of 'Ponies and Princesses'!" "This isn't a game!" Twilight exclaimed, "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends. We're on a very important mission assigned to us by Princess Celestia to find Discord and re-imprison him in stone!" "Are you kidding me? I've heard better pretend games from a newspaper dispenser." The creature crossed it's arms. Twilight looked at him pleadingly. "What will it take to convince you this isn't a game?" The creature shook it's head. "All right, all right. I can see you're wrapped in this little fantasy world of yours. I haven't seen this 'Discord' fellow of yours." "You sure?" "Describe him." "He's big, has the head of a pony and a body made up of all sorts of things. Oh, and he's kinda of a jerk." The creature nodded it's head again. "Yep. Haven't seen him." The creature resumed it's walk, putting the device back to the side of it's head. "Yeah. I'm back. A little girl in a unicorn costume tried to include me in her game." Twilight's chest huffed in offense. "Costume?" Applejack wrapped a comforting hoof around her. "C'mon Twi', there's no convincing that feller. Come on. Maybe somepony else will be more helpful." Applejack's words, though comforting, quickly proved untrue as everywhere they went, the creatures either dismissed them as girls in costume, or exclaimed "They're real!" and rush over to tell his or her fellows...only to be reassured they were little girls in costumes. Worst yet, regardless of their reactions, none of them had seen Discord! As the Ponies trotted downtrodden across the streets, they eventually rounded upon a school, no doubt for the bipedal creatures they had being trying to get help from. "Think we should try there?" Rainbow Dash suggested. "Can't be any worse then anything we've done so far." Twilight agreed. They all went towards, garnering strange glares from the students out for recess. In the Jasper School's playground, out for recess were the creatures- humans. However, there were three humans in particular that were of note- Jack, a 16-year old with scruffy black hair, gray shirt and average jeans, was sitting by the side of the school with both his crush, the redheaded Sierra, and his rival, the orange-haired, pimple-faced Vince. Jack himself felt rather compromised, being between his crush and Vince, who had his own affections for Sierra. "So, Jack. You gonna say anything at all today?" Vince razzed, though Sierra shot him a look. "Well, I don't have much to say. I'll be sure to let you know if something crosses my mind." Jack answered. "Lay off him, Vince." Sierra interjected. "I'm sure he's thinking things in his life through, right?' "Yeah...things." "Everypony! Your attention, please! I am Twilight Sparkle. Me and my friends are here on your world in pursuit of Discord! If anypony knows anything that might help us, please step forward." Jack eyes immediately shrunk in alarm. Vince noticed this, and resumed his razzing. "What's the matter, Darby? Afraid of a pony?" "No." Jack answered calmly. I'm afraid of what it wants... He added mentally. "I...I need to go call my mom. Make sure she's...uh, O.K with me talking to...ponies." "You're such a momma's boy, Darby!" "Vince!" Sierra snapped. "There's nothing wrong with wanting his mother's permission...Speaking of which, I should probably do that." "What?" Vince asked, not noticing that Jack had sneaked away unreasonably so, if he was just calling his mom. "I used to love horses when I was little." Sierra explained as she whipped out her phone. Some distance away, Jack punched numbers in his phone, not for his mother...but for the Autobot Leader, Optimus Prime. "Jack? Why have you called me?" The stern voice of the Prime questioned amicably. "There's this...this pony here at school!" "This is a grave enough matter to warrant my involvement?" "Well, no. Not under normal circumstances...but these circumstances aren't normal. She says she's after Discord!" "Understood. I believe it would be best for us to understand why she seeks him, before we make any rash decisions." "On it." Jack assured him, and snapped his cell phone shut. He made his way back over the school's front entrance, where six brightly colored equines with oddly-shaped heads. Two of them had horns and two of them had wings, while the other two had no such extra appendages. Sierra and Vince had already stroke conversation with them. "So you're...Little Ponies." Vince repeated. "Yes." The lavender one, one of the ones with horns, answered. "We are the subjects of Princess Celestia and Luna of Equestria. Now, I'm sorry. I would love to chat with you and learn all about you... 'hoo-mans' and teach you all about us, but it's quite urgent we find Discord. So unless you can tell us where he is..." Vince and Sierra got the hint and departed, as did the rest of the crowd...except Jack, which caught the lavender pony's eye. "Do you know something?" Jack looked around to make sure no one was listening, then approached Twilight closely. "I do, but I can't tell you with witnesses around. Meet me over the edge of town after school, and I'll tell you as much as I know." "And why can't you tell us right now?" The blue winged one questioned harshly, rising up to the sky slightly. "If I could tell you why I couldn't tell you, I'd tell you!" Jack exclaimed. "He has a point!" The pink, hornless wingless one said in a squeaky voice. "We'll be waiting." The lavender one said, taking Jack's hand in it's hoof and shaking it. The six turned away and galloped off into the streets (Well, the sidewalks). Jack looked around to see if anyone was close enough to hear him. Thankfully, they were all heading back inside for some reason. He whipped his cell phone back out and called Prime again. "He won't answer...scrap." Somewhere far away, a dark green stealth helicopter hovered, it's blades spinning towards the direction of a huge purple flying body. The helicopter entered through a hole in the purple body's underside. "Welcome back, Airachnid." A Vehicon said with a salute. Airachnid transformed as the entry hatch closed beneath her. "Where's Megatron? I have news for him!" "Bridge." Airachnid hurried through the ship to the bridge, where Megatron and Soundwave were standing dutifully. "Lord Megatron." Airachnid addressed with a bow. "I have news." The grey, weathered face of the Decepticon Lord turned to face her. "Then cease your prattle and tell it to me!" "The Ponies...from Equestria. They're here...on Earth...and..." "And, Airachnid?" "They've somehow achieved control of an Insecticon." Megatron stood with his neck raised, silent as Soundwave for a minute. For a moment, Airachnid was comforted by the thought that Megatron was taking this news rather well. "UNNNACCEPPTABLLEEEEEEEE!" So much for that thought. "Well, Lord Megatron, I know this is undesirable news, but your displeasure seems...extreme." "Perhaps, Airachnid. But think: The Autobots have defeated me before. The Ponies have defeated me before. If they were to ally, then my chances of conquering Earth would decrease drastically! And another thing..." "What?" "If you know that they are here...WHY HAVE YOU NOT BROUGHT ME THEIR HEADS?" "I...do not know, My Lord." Megatron took in a deep breath, "Well, I suggest you find out why, deal with the problem, then go back out there and add those Ponies to your collection of extinct species! Understood?" Airachnid bowed. "Of course..." Soundwave tapped Megatron on the pointy shoulder and showed scans from earlier. Megatron narrowed his eyes at the suggestion. "Send Breakdown." The hum of motors filled the forest as Breakdown and four-man squad of Vehicons drove through it. The Vehicons' smooth muscle car vehicular modes had no problem navigating the woodlands, but Breakdown kept having to back up and turn around every time his blocky Hummer mode bumped into a tree. "Captain Breakdown! We've found the ship!" One of the Vehicons said at last, finally allowing Breakdown to transform and walk through the clearing. The blue Decepticon found his troops standing around a silvery torpedo-shaped ship, awaiting orders. "Megaphone, if you will." The eye-patch wearing bruiser requested. One of the Vehicons obliged, handing Breakdown a Decepticon-sized megaphone. Breakdown turned it on, the feedback irritating the Vehicons slightly. Within the ship, Bob napped, not really having anything better to do, but an annoying screech stirred him. He chirped in confusion at the noise. "Attention, Decepticon crew! We have reason to believe you are harboring enemies of Lord Megatron within your ship! Please respond." A growly voice yelled. Groaning at his rude awakening, Bob transformed and walked out the ship's exit to see what the hubbub was all about. Rubbing his visor to wipe the sleep from it, he saw four purple Decepticons and one big, dark blue, red-faced one. Breakdown's still-good optic raised up in curiosity. "What...is that?" A Vehicon walked towards Breakdown and whispered. "I think it's an Insecticon, sir." "Ahh..." Breakdown turned away from the troop and towards the Insection. "Hey there bug! We're looking for some brightly colored four legged organics, and we think they're on your ship. Care to lend a servo?" Bob leered, his mandibles twitching agitatedly. He shook his head 'no'. "No? What do you mean 'no?" Bob tried to explain that he meant 'No, they are not on my ship' but Breakdown couldn't understand his screechy speech. "O...Kaay...Does anyone here speak Insecticon?" The Vehicons all shook their heads. Breakdown signed. "All right, fine. Get on that ship and look around for Ponies or clues." Bob stomped his foot. They would not be doing that. Breakdown tilted his head. "Are you telling me you're not gonna let us investigate your ship?" Bob nodded. "We're on the same side!" Breakdown lowered himself over to a Vehicon. "...aren't we?" The Vehicon shrugged. Bob shook his head 'No' again. "Ahh...in that case..." Breakdown said, transforming his arm into a hammer proportionate to his arm, unfolded a rocket launcher from the clam-like shell on his back, and gave the order to attack. The Vehicons converted their arms into triangular blasters and opened fire on Bob. The Insecticon's thick hide shrugged the shots off. He charged at the squadron, belting each Vehicon to the ground, leering at Breakdown once all four of the purple cars had been duly smacked. Bob huffed. Breakdown gritted his teeth. Without an ounce of fear, he fired a torpedo from his launcher at the Insection. Bob whipped his claw and smacked the rocket aside, sending soaring into the air where it exploded harmlessly (Save for some residue that fell on Bob's shoulder-spikes.) Pressing his advantage, Breakdown charged and smacked Bob in the side of the face with his hammer, causing him to stumble. The Decepticon smirked in triumph. Bob steadied himself and looked at Breakdown. "...Er..." The Insecticon slashed Breakdown across the chest with enough force bring him to his knees. Then Bob grabbed him by the head and hurled him into a tree, knocking him out. His job done, Bob rubbed his claws together satisfied and went back into the ship to resume his nap. Twilight, Dash, Pinkie, and Fluttershy, were laying on all fours, waiting for school to end and for Jack to come and see them. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were playing tic-tact-toe in the sand. In defiance of the norm, Rarity was winning. Rarity. Was winning. At tic-tact-toe. Against Pinkie. Twilight disregarded this. She raised her head, trying to see if Jack was approaching yet or not, and signed at the fact he wasn't. "I hope this wait is worth it..." Footsteps and engine sounds emitted from the town. Jack was with them in minutes atop a blue motorbike. Removing his helmet and placing it on the bike's handlebars. "There you are!" Dash exclaimed, out of patient. "So, why couldn't you tell us earlier?" Jack looked at his motorcycle uneasily, which unknown to the Ponies, was an Autobot. "I...know things. I wouldn't want to come off as crazy for knowing them, you know?" Jack put his hands in his pockets "So, You want to find Discord?" "Yeah." Twilight answered getting up. "You know where he is?" Jack nodded. "I do. But I gotta ask...why are you after him?" "He's an ancient enemy of Celestia who ruled Equestria in an eternal state of unrest and disharmony for eons until the Princesses stood up to him, turning him to stone in the process. He's escaped twice since then, and we're trying turn him back to stone a third time." Twilight explained, leaving out any information regarding the Elements of Harmony, just in case Jack proved untrustworthy. "All right." Jack climbed back onto his motorcycle and knocked on it. A holographic map emitted from the bike's headlights. Jack waved his hand around the hologram and put his finger on a specific spot. "Discord should be right here. He's...not himself right now, but I'm sure that won't be a problem, right?" "Only way to find out." Twilight levitated Rarity's notebook and quill out, tore a page from the book and drew a copy of the hologram on it. "Good luck!" Jack waved, putting his helmet back on and driving off. Twilight Sparkle looked at the makeshift map. "Come on girls! This is our best lead yet!" The girls all got out of their waiting positions, the tic-tact-toe game left forgotten. While they galloped off, in the opposite direction, Jack crouched down on his bike. "You think we should've stayed with them? Maybe introduce yourself?" "It's none of our business, Jack. Besides, remember what Optimus says: Maintain vehicular cover until absolutely necessary..." The motorcycle -Arcee- responded. "All right..." Jack said, though he didn't sound all right with this. Arriving at the location in record time, Twilight and friends observed the cave entrance warily. "Now that looks like somewhere a meanie like Discord would hide!" Pinkie cheered. Twilight nodded, steeling her gaze. "Elements at the ready, girls." Taking their respective Element out of their magically enhanced bags and set them about on their necks (or head, in Twilight's case.) "Discord!" Twilight yelled as they trotted inside the cavern. "We're to turn you back to stone and bring you back to the Canterlot garden where you belong!" No answer. "Pardon me, Twilight, but I do not believe Discord would be so courteous to answer a summons." Twilight 'mmm'ed. "Maybe...I know! Let's take advantage of his ego. DISCORD! COME OUT! OR ARE YOU TOO SCARED TO FACE THE MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP?" "Um...didn't Jack say something about Discord being 'not himself?" Fluttershy brought up, too quietly for anypony to here. Twilight gave the order split up and search the caverns. Once they had swept and combed the area to the point they were starting to bump in to each other, they gave up and regrouped. "He's not here." Pinkie concluded. Twilight hung her head. Their only lead had come up short. "Stupid Darby!" Dash exclaimed, rising up into the air slightly and cursing the name. "I'll bet he knew Discord wasn't here and sent us here on purpose for kicks!" "Now, now Rainbow, I'm sure he had the best of intentions..." Twilight said, trying to calm the weatherpony down. "We'll just...go back to him, tell him Discord wasn't here, then pick up from there." Rainbow Dash grunted in frustration, bucking a stray stalactite to alleviate her emotion. CRICK. Pinkie slowly, (And in a out-of-character moment that would let Twilight know how bad things had just went wrong) cautiously looked up to see a crack from the stalactite spreading through the cave ceiling. "CAAAAAAAVE-IN!" Starscream peered out of his cave cautiously, scanning for any signs of that wretched Airachnid. "Ahh...she's gone, for now." Confident in this knowledge, he began to walk away from the cave... only to see Airachnid hanging from a tree's branches' "Airachnid!" Starscream exclaimed, pointing his arm missile with purpose. "What are you doing here again?" "Hunting." Airachnid replied with a crooked smirk. "For Ponies." Starscream's face drooped in confusion. "...Ponies?" "Yes, Starscream. Ponies. Not normal the little horses the humans let their little girls ride around, but powerful little equines who beat Megatron in combat." "WHAT? THEY...BEAT MEGATRON?" Starscream screamed in surprise. "Yes. Quite handily, might I add. They had some sort of artifacts around their necks they shot a rainbow straight at him." Airachnid answered. She looked around. That was twice today Starscream had given her the slip. How embarrassing. Shaking her head and growling, she skittered around, looking for hoof prints. Dust blinding her vision, Twilight struggled to get out of the rock pile she was buried in. "Come on..." Twilight thought to herself. "I need to make sure my friends are all right!" Though the thought was enough to giver her a burst of energy, it wasn't enough to break free of her seeming grave. Sunlight suddenly shone, and Twilight could feel the rocks being lifted off her back. Trying to steady herself, she looked around to make sure everypony was still in one piece. Rarity was dusting herself, Pinkie Pie was dusting Fluttershy, and Applejack was still half-buried, though it would be easy to get her out once they had regrouped. "Where's Rainbow Dash?" "I am working on excavating her as we speak." A raspy voice replied. Twilight looked at her friends, then to her left, then her right, before twisting her neck around to see what was behind. A long, gangly claw tore at some rocks, revealing the slightly bruised, but otherwise healthy head of Rainbow Dash. Twilight looked up to see her savior. "Who...who are you?" The mystery mech flashed an impossibly confident smile while he scraped rocks and pebbles off Rainbow Dash's body. "Oh, no one special. Merely... Starscream."