//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Transformers: Harmony // by megatron_91 //------------------------------// Transformers: Harmony Chapter 5 By: Megatron_91 As Princess Luna’s moon crawled to its zenith in the midnight sky, casting its light on the world below, it almost seemed to stop for a brief moment, hovering over the large mountain buried in the deep woods surrounding the capital city where its stewardess lived. To a casual observer, it might seem as if the younger Princess had made a slight mistake, but she, like her sister, knew of the importance of this hidden fortress. Because, unbeknownst to any of the inhabitants living in the grand city of Canterlot, the stony peak hid a secret far more amazing than the Elements of Harmony themselves or the Great Mirror Pool hidden in the Everfree Forrest. Living within this massive stone structure were alien soldiers of a far off world; soldiers who had arrived over three years ago to defend the planet from an invasion of unbelievable proportions, and afterwards, stayed behind to ensure the planet’s continued safety. Whether the threat be from further Decepticon attacks, or helping defend Canterlot behind the scenes during the Changeling invasion at Shining Armor and Princess Cadence’s wedding, the Autobots had stood steadfast in defending their new home. But now, they were preparing for something far worse; the return of an enemy not seen in years… ………….. “And that’s what happened,” Bumblebee explained, watching as his commanding officer rubbed his chin in thought, mulling the situation over in his mind. “If I hadn’t transformed and attacked Incinerator, he would have killed those six natives.” “You did the right thing, kid-- don’t beat yourself up over it,” a deep, southern voice grumbled from nearby as a large, black Autobot approached the smaller scout, placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking him slightly. The veteran warrior smiled as he peered at the younger bot through the scar over his right optic. “It doesn’t matter whether or not if it was the right thing to do, Ironhide,” a second voice scolded from across the room. “The point is he exposed himself and our operations to even more of this planet’s native population,” the speaker declared, approaching the pair and shoving an accusatory finger into Bumblebee’s chest. The accusing finger belonged to a mid-sized Autobot, standing only slightly taller than Bumblebee, but much shorter than Ironhide. The Autobot’s black and white color scheme seemed to dim in the shadow of the large Autobot weapon specialist, but the gold ring around the locomotive face on his chest glowed, reflecting the bright lights of the base into the young scout’s optics. The wings on his back, formed from the coupling rods and front wheels of his vehicle mode, began moving up and down slightly in agitation as he glared at Bumblebee from under his round, red-crested helmet. Ironhide growled at the Autobot second-in-command, cracking his knuckles while the two massive cannons on his arms began spinning rapidly. “Don’t you dare tell me you’re gonna try and court-martial him, Prowl!? The point is Bumblebee saved those mares’ lives,” he explained, grabbing Prowl’s hand and moving it away from his friend’s chest. “I will do what Optimus orders, Ironhide.” Prowl spat, glaring at the taller Autobot and folding his arms across his chest. It was Prowl’s job as second-in-command to ensure that law and order were upheld in the Autobot armies, as well as to enforce Optimus Prime’s orders. “Will the two of you shut up and stop fighting!?” another voice suddenly shouted out. The voice wafted through the air, emerging from a hole burrowed into the nearby wall. “Stay out of this, Wheeljack!” Ironhide bellowed. Looking down the metal-lined hole, the Autobot veteran could see the silver-and-blue Autobot mechanic tinkering with some electronic cables buried in the floor. The blue lights of his “ears” lit up the dark, almost pitch-black, tunnel, giving it an almost eerie feeling and making the shadows of the supporting ring structures wave around like cyber-jelly fish in the sea of rust. The “hole,” as Ironhide understood was actually Wheeljack’s latest invention; a supposed “Ground Bridge” that, once activated, could instantly teleport an Autobot to any place on the planet. Quite frankly, Ironhide didn’t buy it. “Ironhide,” Prowl began, drawing the attention and ire of his fellow Autobot back towards him. “You have no right to defend Bumblebee; he has clearly violated sections six, eleven, fifteen and twenty-two of the Code of Interplanetary Conflict!” he stated, referring to the document outlined by Chief Justice Tyrest over six centuries ago. “If we choose to ignore this, we will be inviting immense consequences down on ourselves.” “I don’t care if he slapped Primus himself in the face, Prowl!” Ironhide snapped back. “He was doing it to save lives!” The black Autobot took a step forward. He was ready to begin beating Prowl’s face in. “Um, do I get a say in this?” Bumblebee timidly asked, awkwardly grinning as he raised his hand into the air. He had the strangest feeling that whoever won this fight, he would end up losing. “No!” both parties shouted in unison. “Where’s Ratchet!? I bet he can settle this!” the weapon specialist growled, referring to the Autobot’s chief medical officer, who was currently in his medical bay performing minor cosmetic repairs to Bluestreak after the battle with Incinerator. He and the medic had been friends since the beginning of the Great War. Ratchet would support him no matter the situation. “ENOUGH!! Optimus bellowed, spinning around to face his two soldiers. “The two of you should know better than to fight like protoforms!” he snapped, steam and smoke rising from the smokestacks on his shoulders as he glared at them. “You are both my lieutenants and I expect you to act like it!” Silence filled the room for a brief second as Optimus continued staring down the two Autobots. Even Wheeljack, who wouldn’t normally cease work for anything, had poked his glowing head out of the Ground Bridge tunnel to listen in on what might happen next. Both lieutenants were now looking towards Optimus; an expression mixing both embarrassment and shame was plastered on their faces after hearing what their leader had yelled. Prowl finally responded, breaking the silence that had engulfed the room for a full three minutes. “Forgive us for losing control of ourselves, Optimus. So, what is your verdict on Bumblebee’s actions?” he asked. He fully expected the Prime, the leader of their army and race, to uphold the legal laws of the Tyrestian-justice system. Optimus sighed as he brought his hand to his face and pinched his nose between his fingers. “I find this whole situation to be highly curious.” “What do you mean?” Bumblebee asked, stepping forward slightly to move past Prowl and get closer to Prime. The confusion in his voice was readily apparent. “The six mares you described, I have seen them before,” the Autobot leader stated, sending looks of shock and surprise around the room. He slowly lowered his hand from his face and walked into the midst of the group to better explain himself. “You have!?” Prowl exclaimed, cocking an eyebrow in disbelief as the wheels attached to his legs softly spun in circles. He hadn’t been expecting that to be Optimus’ response. “Yes, on the stained glass in Celestia’s throne room,” Prime clarified, reminiscing about the numerous times he had gone to visit the princess in that room. “The images depicted the six of them saving Equestria from numerous threats using what appeared to be a number of golden talismans,” he explained. “Whoa!” Bumblebee exclaimed, smiling as he piped up. “I guess that explains why they weren’t too panicked about seeing something as large as Incinerator!” He chuckled slightly. “Maybe they didn’t need my help after all.” “Yes…” Optimus repeated as he stroked his chin with his free hand, contemplating on what the young yellow-and-black scout had said. Could it be possible that these six mares were capable of fighting Decepticons? But, if they were capable, why would Celestia not ask for their help in defending Equestria from the evil Cybertronians? Ironhide finally began to speak up after the earlier incident. He stepped forward, placing a hand on the Autobot leader’s shoulder; a sign of the friendship the two had shared long before Optimus ever became the Prime. During the height of the Great War, after the death of Sentinel Prime, Ironhide had been the first Autobot to throw his support behind the newly chosen Optimus as the Autobot’s leader. “Something on your mind, Prime?” he asked. “I am concerned as to why Princess Celestia would keep these six mares a secret from us,” he declared, turning to face his old friend. “Surely if they are defenders of Equestria they would want to know of the threat the Decepticon’s pose to their home planet.” “Well, they looked pretty young to me,” Bumblebee chimed in, raising his arms in a shrug. “Maybe Celestia doesn’t think they’re old enough or maybe she just doesn’t want them involved,” he suggested. “I mean, I don’t want to sound insensitive, but our battles can get pretty casualty-heavy, pretty quickly.” Optimus turned to face a nearby wall and stood in quiet meditation for a moment. He crossed his arms, a thousand thoughts running through his processor as he tried to decide the best course of action. All around him, the room grew quiet as the assembled Autobots waited for their leader to speak. Even Wheeljack had popped back out of his hole in the wall, curious as to the conversation happening within earshot. “Regardless of Celestia’s intent,” Optimus finally said, turning back to face his team. “I believe it is their right as defenders of this world to know of the threat their planet faces, and decide for themselves whether or not to aid us.” He had a serious look stuck on his face as he spoke. “Optimus, what do you mean by that?” Prowl asked, the suspicion in his voice ringing loud and clear as he glanced towards the Autobot leader with a concerned look. Prime couldn’t possibly be suggesting what he thought he was suggesting. “Bumblebee, tomorrow morning I want you and Bluestreak to return to Ponyville and bring those six mares here; it is time to introduce ourselves,” Optimus ordered, surprising everyone in the room. He watched in mild amusement as a shocked, almost flabbergasted look began to crawl across Prowl’s face. He couldn’t help but chuckle slightly when his second-in-command’s jaw dropped to match the face. “SERIOUS!?” Bumblebee exclaimed as a huge grin began to grow on his appearance. Bumblebee loved the natives of this world and relished any chance he could get to “hang out” with them as he put it. “Well, there goes the neighborhood,” Wheeljack sighed as he sunk back into his hole and resumed his work on the Ground Bridge. The thin, silver smokestacks running between his shoulders and torso puffed black smoke in annoyance as he did so. “Somebody dig me out of this hole once the nightmare’s over.” “Optimus! Surely you’re joking!?” Prowl asked, turning back and forth between his commanding officer and the ecstatic young scout. “This is clearly in violation of the Code of Interplanetary Conflict!” he protested, the wheels on his legs and wings span rapidly in agitation. He couldn’t even begin to comprehend what he was hearing. Had Optimus lost his central processor? “Trust me, Prowl,” the larger, red Autobot said, placing his hand on his first lieutenant’s shoulder to try and calm him. “I knew Chief Justice Tyrest, and I’m sure he would agree, given the current dire circumstances, that we are in need of any help we can get,” he explained. Optimus watched as his young scout leapt into the air, shouting for joy at the prospect of getting to know more natives. As he watched Bumblebee land and run off to Ratchet’s medical bay in search of Bluestreak the Autobot commander could not help but smile a little under his iron faceplate. For better or worse, he thought to himself, watching as Ironhide slapped Prowl on the back before laughing and chiding the second-in-command over their leader’s decision. Bringing these ponies into our home will change both our lives forever…