Chapter 14
Prime
LOCATION: Canterlot
TIME: Mid morning.
"Wh...what's that?" asked Fluttershy as the ground continued trembling.
"I don't know!" replied Twilight as the trembling intensified. The building they were in began to collapse. "But we've got to get out of here!"
The six immediately exited the building, only to come crashing into a large, metallic foot. They looked up to see a large creature similar to Thundercracker staring down at them in annoyance.
"You're in my way" rumbled the giant as he planted a large object into the ground, and turned to face the Inner wall. "General, we have civilians here."
Twilight turned to where the Cybertronian was facing, and saw Gyvon waving them over. They quickly gallop up to the wall, dodging falling masonry along the way.
"What's going on?" asked Twilight, out of breath.
"I have no idea!" replied Gyvon. "But it's safer up here for now."
"SKYWARP!" yelled Lennox. "Are the Pillars in place?"
"Almost!" replied the former Decepticon as he jammed the last one into the ground. "This quake isn't helping matters. It'll take a minute to calibrate."
"Hurry up. I think we're gonna need a flight of Warthogs real soon."
Out on the battlefield, Optimus Prime lost his balance, dropping his axe as he tried to recover. Before him lay Galvatron, missing a leg but still alive, laughing.
"What is that?" asked Optimus.
Galvatron laughed even harder, before coughing violently. "Tremble, Prime, for the coming of the end." As he finished, Galvatron raised his fusion cannon and fired at Prime, bringing the Autobot down. Spent, Galvatron dropped his arm. "Nemesis Prime has come."
But Optimus was not finished. He quickly recovered and stood up. he stared off to the west, where one of the mountains was quaking harder than the rest of the terrain. Soon, however, the quaking of the land ceased, and a large crack had formed in the mountain above the mines.
From out of the crack, a dark mist issued forth, and alighted onto a nearby mountaintop. The mist dissipated, leaving behind the skeletal figure of Nemesis Prime, wielding the crystalline sword that was previously plunged into his chest. His bone-white body pulsed with an aura of darkness, seemingly consuming all light in his immediate vicinity.
"VERMIN" he roared before once again transforming into dark mist, and disappeared into thin air. Soon, however, Nemesis Prime reappeared right next to Optimus, and backhanded the Autobot, knocking him off his feet. "I sense that you bear a Matrix." rumbled Nemesis, who proceeded to kick Optimus back 20 feet before he could land. "But are you are worthy of it?"
Optimus rolled over, and stood up slowly. he had dropped his axe when Nemesis had struck, but he still had access to an array of weapons. "Let's find out." he said as he closed his mouthpiece and drew his arm-mounted sword. He raised his left arm and formed his Barrage Cannon, firing a quick round at his foe.
"Pathetic." rumbled Nemesis Prime as he swatted the plutonium-tipped round away with the flat of his sword. As the stray bullet careened off over the mountains, Nemesis advanced on Optimus and swung his sword, aiming to decapitate the Autobot. Optimus blocked the blade with his own, and struck back.
As the two titans battled, Sideswipe raced in to aid his commander. He swung his own Cybertanium swords down on Nemesis Prime, only to be blocked by a tendril of Darkness. The tendril lashed out at the new foe, though Sideswipe deftly dodged the attack.
Along the wall, all but a few of the Marines and Unicorns held their fire. The risk of friendly fire on the Autobots was too high. Only a few Designated Marksmen had the wherewithal to hit Nemesis Prime, but all of their shots ricocheted harmlessly off the Cybertronian.
"Is the 'Bridge almost ready?" asked General Lennox.
"Almost." replied Skywarp. "Two minutes at most."
Lennox cursed. "This could be over in two minutes." He turned to General Icewing. "Let's get out there and do some good."
Icewing nodded, and the two of them directed their soldiers down the stairs and towards the main gate and hidden posterns where they would issue forth onto the field of battle, while the snipers remained on the wall. Dinobot joined the group headed for the main gates, while Gyvon stayed behind with the only civilians remaining in Canterlot. All of them had worried looks on their faces, except Twilight Sparkle. She stared at the massive, bone-white Cybertronian with a puzzled expression.
"What should we do?" asked Applejack.
"Find someplace safe and keep your heads down." replied Gyvon. "If we fail, run. Run as far away as you can and stay safe." With that, he took off into the air, and headed to join the fight. The Element Bearers watched him fly off, holding back tears.
"YOU'D BETTER WIN!" yelled Pinkie Pie. "I'VE ALREADY PLANNED OUR VICTORY CELEBRATION!"
Fluttershy walked up to Twilight and prodded her with a hoof. "Let's go, Twilight. We shouldn't be here."
Twilight, however, didn't seem to be paying attention. "That's what the Princess meant." she muttered.
"What was that, sugarcube?" asked Applejack.
"Look at that thing!" exclaimed Twilight, pointing to Nemesis Prime, who had connected with a kick to Sideswipe, sending the Autobot flying. "It's exuding the same dark energy that was powering Nightmare moon."
"So?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"GAH!" exclaimed Twilight. "Weren't you paying attention? The Princess said that the elements are still needed today! That means-"
"Our target should be that ghastly thing." finished Rarity, receiving an enthusiastic nod from Twilight.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Pinkie. "Let's go kick that meanie mean pants' flank all the way back to Cybertron!" Quickly, they made their way over the wall, avoiding the Humans and Guards rushing off to join the battle.
As the Marines and Unicorns got within range, they opened fire. Tungsten/nylon and Arcane Bolts lashed out at Nemesis Prime. Most bounced off harmlessly, merely irritating the great being.
"NO!" roared Nemesis Prime. Knocking Optimus down with a backhanded swipe, Nemeses conjured a wall of shadow and sends it at the intruders. The force of the wall hitting the line of Ponies and Humans sent them careening back towards the wall, killing some when they landed. "I will deal with you insects later"
The intrusion managed to distract Nemesis Prime, and he didn't notice the AGM-65 missiles launched at him until they had impacted, sending the ancient Cybertronian flying. As he recovered, Nemesis saw Silverbolt transform and fire at him with his pistol. Enraged, Nemesis Prime fired a volley of shadow-bolts at the Arialbot. Silverbolt managed to dodge a few, but there were too many. They impacted hard, knocking Silverbolt out of commission. He cratered the ground as he fell.
However, that proved to be yet another distraction. Gyvon dropped down from the sky and flew at full speed at Nemesis Prime, latching on to his chest. Nemesis screamed in agony as Gyvon began carving into his spark chamber. After a few cuts, the plate covering the chamber fell free. Gyvon dodged the piece of metal, reared back with his right arm, and plunged the blade through Nemesis Prime's Spark chamber.
Only to hit the back wall. Nemesis Prime laughed maniacally at this. "Clever insect." he rumbled, brushing Gyvon off his chest with a quick swipe. "Too bad I no longer have a spark. I am powered by pure Darkness." Gyvon landed hard on his back, almost knocking him out as his head slammed back onto the hard ground.
As the giant continued to laugh, Gyvon looked up from where he landed, and saw something fall out of Nemesis Prime's spark chamber. Instinctively, he caught it. It was a perfectly spherical stone, about the size of a bocce ball. Upon closer inspection, Gyvon noticed that, even though it was perfectly smooth, the Autobot symbol had somehow been inscribed on the stone.
Nemesis Prime surveyed the battlefield. Optimus Prime was still down, Sideswipe had been rendered unconscious, and Gyvon was out of the fight. He began to laugh. "IS THERE NO ONE ELSE?" he gloated. "IS THIS THE BEST THAT THIS MISERABLE WORLD CAN OFFER?"
"Actually..." came a soft, feminine voice. "... You haven't won yet."
Nemesis Prime turned towards the voice. It was one he vaguely recognized. The same one he had heard through his pawn. He saw the six ponies that had caused him so much trouble in the past. The ones who had defeated Nightmare Moon.
Gyvon, too, turned to the source of the voice, struggling to his feet. "TWILIGHT!" he called. "GET OUT OF HERE! RUN!" But it was too late. They had begun channeling the Elements.
Nemesis Prime laughed derisively, and channeled pure darkness around his hand. He would slay the interlopers once and for all, and shatter the Elements that had ruined his plans so many times in the past. Before the Elements could be fully empowered, he launched a dark blot at the bearers...
...Only to hit Gyvon with it. He had managed to place himself in between Nemesis and his friends.
"JOHN!" cried Twilight. By now the Elements had reached their full power, and were unleashed, hitting the blot of Darkness. Suddenly, Twilight and her friends lost consciousness.
LOCATION: ?????
He fell. Only, this time, he wasn't alone. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack,, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie fell alongside Gyvon through the void.
"What is this place?" asked Twilight. "What's going on, John?"
"I don't know." he replied.
Suddenly there was a bright flash.
They found themselves floating over a barren wasteland, surrounded by mountains. Nearby, they saw Nemesis Prime battling with another Cybertronian. He was wielding the same sword that Nemesis Prime had earlier, though with the addition of a Matrix of Leadership embedded in the hilt.
"Give up, Prima." rumbled Nemesis. "You may wield the Star Saber, but you are still powerless against the Darkness." Nemesis Prime sent a bolt of darkness at Prima, who deflected it with the sword.
"Maybe you are stronger, Nova, but as long as you threaten all life, I will stand up to you."
Nemesis Prime growled at his foe. "Must I constantly correct you. My name is no longer Nova Prime."
Distracted, Nemesis Prime dropped his guard slightly, giving Prima an opening. With great speed, Prima closed the distance between himself and his foe, and skewered Nemesis with his sword.
As Nemesis Prime fell, he encased the sword with an aura of darkness, and shattered the Matrix in it's hilt into seven fragments. They floated for a moment, and formed into seven round spheres. One flew into the spark chamber of Nemesis Prime, while the others scattered to the four winds.
"The Elements of Harmony!" gasped Twilight.
With another flash of light, the scene ended, and they once more found themselves floating through the void. Soon, they were bombarded with other scenes from the past.
The construction of the Prison holding Nemesis Prime...
The discovery of the six Elements...
The downfall of Discord, the first time that the Elements of Harmony were harnessed...
The banishment of Nightmare Moon by Princess Celestia...
The return of Nightmare Moon, and the restoration of Princess Luna by the Elements...
Discord's return, and eventual re-imprisonment.
All this and more bombarded the seven, until, with one more flash...
They landed on an endless, windswept plain. Green grass stretched out as far as the eye could see.
"Wh-what's this?" asked Fluttershy.
"I don't know." replied Twilight, her voice shaking with fear. Soon, however, there came great, thundering footsteps from behind. Gyvon and the rest turned to see a large figure, larger even than Nemesis Prime, stepping towards them. The seven friends backed up, unsure of the being's intentions.
"Fear not." rumbled the being. "I have been watching you all for some time now."
"Yeah!? Well, just who are you anyways?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"A fair Question, Rainbow Dash. You may call me Primus."
Gyvon gasped at the being. Optimus had told him of the Legend of Primus, the one who created Cybertron, but had discarded it as a mere legend.
"You, all of you, have faced Gods and Demons. And now you face one that would destroy all of Equestria."
"But we can't do anything while here in this... whatever this is!" said Applejack.
"You have been brought here for a reason. As you stand right now, none of you can cleanse Nova Prime of the Darkness tainting his very being."
"Then... what are we supposed to do?" asked Gyvon.
"You, Bearers of the Elements, must lend your strength to your friend." said Primus. "But first..."
There was another flash of light, and hovering before Gyvon was a seven-pointed crown, each point topped with a gem of a different color of the rainbow.
"You, John Kelley, have a choice to make. Take up the Element of Sacrifice, and with the aid of the other Elements, you will have the power to cleanse the Darkness from Nova Prime. However, there is a cost."
"What is it?" asked Gyvon.
"You have family on Earth still. Should you take up the Element, they will forget you. It will be as if you never existed to them. You will never truly be able to return home ever again." replied Primus. "The choice is yours."
Gyvon turned and looked at his friends. Their expressions a mixture of sadness and hope. "It's not my home." he said with a sigh, picking up the crown. "It hasn't been for a long time." He placed the crown on his head, and was surrounded by a bright light.
"Then arise, Gyvon Prime!"