Transformers: Harmony
Chapter 17
By: Megatron_91
Twilight sprinted through the city square as fast as her four legs could carry her. All around her the Crystal Empire was burning and shaking from the force of the unrelenting Decepticon assault. Vehicon jet troopers patrolled the smoke riddled skies and she had noticed that ground forces were also beginning to join in the fray. In the distance, she could hear screams of help from various crystal ponies. She wanted to stop and help; to try and save them, but she knew she didn’t have the time to help them fight back.
She had a much more important mission to complete. One that meant the end of all life on Equestria should she fail. She had to get back to the Crystal Library and stop the greatest threat their world had ever faced.
Her mind raced as it frantically began to think up different strategies on how she could possibly keep the Decepticon leader from obtaining his prize. If he hadn’t accessed the cavern yet, then there was a chance she would be able to launch a surprise attack and keep him occupied until Optimus could arrive. If he had reached the cavern, she would, unfortunately, have to get his attention, and that would mean a direct assault. She prayed that it was option one.
As she rounded the corner of a nearby wrecked building, she could see the monolithic Crystal Library enter her field of vision; she also got her first look at the Decepticon tyrant.
His back may have been turned to her, but that didn’t stop her heart from skipping a beat in fright. He was massive. He wasn’t as big as Incinerator, but he was ten times more intimidating. His broad shoulders terminated with pairs of razor-sharp spikes that looked like they had been ripped from back of a dragon. And from what she could see of his arms, they seemed to end with clawed hands and were covered in many serrated, metal plates. Mounted on his right arm was what looked like a cross between a cannon and a telescope. She could only guess that this was the dreaded fusion cannon she had heard the Autobots talking about.
Continuing to gallop towards him, Twilight watched as Megatron raised his weapon and aimed it at the hole in the street he’d been standing over. Suddenly, a burst of immeasurable energy leapt from the end of the barrel and detonated within the tiny crater. The explosion was so powerful; the resulting shockwaves shattered the crystal in the surrounding area and knocked Twilight off of her hooves.
Her head slammed against the broken brick road beneath her. If a blast of that magnitude didn’t open the way into the caverns than nothing would, the lavender unicorn thought to herself. She had to do something and fast. She quickly leapt back to her feet and began to channel every bit of magic her body had to offer into the tip of her horn.
………
Megatron took a step back and admired his handiwork. It had taken several minutes of melting through the stone road, and a final shot from his fusion cannon, but, in the end, he had gotten the job done. As the dust from the explosion cleared, he looked through the hole and into the dark cavity below. So, this is what they were attempting to hide, he thought as he continued peering over the edge into oblivion. In the dim light he could just barely make out that there were several structures within the cavern that were not natural.
Using skills learned from centuries of survival training, he estimated the drop into the cavern to be roughly a hundred or more feet. Not a problem for someone of his size, but he would rather not risk the minor damage it could cause to his robot form. He took a step back and readied himself to transform and descend into the darkness. That’s when he heard the sound of very soft footsteps approaching from behind.
“MEGATRON!!” an unknown, feminine voice shouted.
The Decepticon leader turned around to face the stranger and was startled to find a small, purple unicorn looking up at him. She had a look of anger and determination on her face. The horn sitting atop her head glowed with energy as she ran her hoof across the brick floor, preparing herself for a charge. Her short, purple mane was covered in soot and dust.
“I won’t let you take the Matrix!!” she growled.
Megatron stared in disbelief for a few moments before he began to laugh.
“THIS!? This is what Optimus Prime sends to stop me from claiming the Creation Matrix? A mongrel beast?” He laughed again. His thunderous voice rolled through the air with his amusement. “A simple animal of burden?”
Chided by his mocking, Twilight closed her eyes and continued to focus all the power she could into her horn. It didn’t take long for Megatron to cease his laughing and begin to approach her. The lavender mare didn’t know if he was just going to kill her or continue insulting her, but she knew she had to get him away from her, and fast. She took in a deep breath and opened her eyes as she unleashed the building energy in her horn. Much to her shock, the Decepticon leader was standing right over her as she launched the magical attack.
Leaping off of her horn and into the Decepticon tyrant, the bolt of magic did far more than Twilight had been expecting it to. Megatron roared in pain as the beam of reddish energy lashed outwards across his chest before lifting him up and throwing him backwards through the air. With an explosive collision, he was sent crashing through many of the sturdy, marble pillars that supported the Library’s patio overhang. His flailing body finally came to a concussive stop as it was embedded into the outer wall of the Crystalline Archives.
As the clouds of debris settled from Megatron’s impact, she could see that she had actually damaged the Decepticon Leader. A long, wide, gash had been cut into his smooth, metal chest. The laceration ran right through his Decepticon insignia, right over where his spark chamber was hidden. Twilight couldn’t help but smile with glee at her success.
However, Twilight’s glee quickly metamorphosed into fear as Megatron began to rip himself out of the stone wall. His blood-red eyes glowed like wildfire as he looked towards her. With a thunderous sound of breaking stone, he freed himself from the temporary prison and slowly glanced down at the mark across his torso before returning his burning gaze to her.
“Alright then,” he hissed. Megatron let out a warrior’s roar as his fusion cannon transformed into a powerful, steel blade and he began charging towards the much smaller unicorn.
The lavender mare’s eyes widened with terror as she saw the massive Decepticon leader running straight at her. Nopony had bothered to mention he had a sword. She tried firing off more rounds of magical energy at the incoming Decepticon but, this time, the bolts of red energy simply rebounded off of his thick armor. Twilight mentally screamed at her legs to move but they remained frozen in fear at the visage of the metallic monster rushing towards her.
Finally, with a mighty heave, will power overcame fright and Twilight was able to leap out of the way as Megatron brought his sword slamming into the earth where she had been standing. Daring to take the presented opportunity, she fired off a spell into his face before turning to run. The Decepticon tyrant roared with fury again as he ripped his blade free and continued his assault.
She screamed and ran as fast as she could, trying to distance herself from the enraged Decepticon. She had definitely succeeded in gaining his attention, but now she had to come up with a plan to keep him away from the cavern. Seemingly out of nowhere, a memory of Applejack trying to corral a rampaging bull flooded her head and gave her an idea. Turning around mid-run, she concentrated and launched another bolt of magic that struck Megatron in the wound she had inflicted earlier, causing him to growl and increase the speed of his pursuit.
Following the mental plan in her head, Twilight quickly turned down one of the streets that lay adjacent to the library, hoping to draw Megatron as far away from the crystalline structure as she could. However, as she looked down the street she had chosen she realized the folly of her plan; the street was a dead end. Just like what had happened with Incinerator, walls formed from fallen buildings and debris rose up on all sides, effectively blocking any chance of escape she had. Her cunning plan had only succeeded in trapping her.
.........
High above Twilight and the pursuing Decepticon leader, Rainbow Dash weaved her way through clouds of thick, black smoke as she continued in pursuit of the enemy that had kidnapped her best friend. She hadn’t picked up on what this Decepticon’s name was, but, based on what she had learned in the Autobot’s based, she could guess that this was Starscream, the Decepticon’s Air Commander and leader of the seeker air battalion. She had to admit, it was a fitting title. Starscream was extremely fast and very agile. Even in robot mode he had managed to speed ahead of her and loop around buildings like they were just a filly’s jungle gym.
As she drew closer to the flying Decepticon, she could just make out the sleek, red-and-blue robot ahead of her. Gripped tightly in his left hand was Fluttershy. The cream pegasus had a wide-eyed look of fear as her Decepticon captor streaked through the skies at subsonic speeds. Growling at her opponent, the cyan colored pegasus folded her wings back and gained an extra boost of speed, bringing her up on the seeker’s tail.
Before she knew what was happening, Starscream suddenly flipped over and began firing the miniature chain guns mounted on each of his arms.
Rainbow Dash screamed and banked to the right, barely dodging the merciless attack. Her eyes were wide with fright. The bullets whizzing past her head were far too close for comfort. She had to think fast if she wanted to free Fluttershy from her opponent’s grasp without getting mowed down by the Decepticon’s weapons. She banked back to her left, dodging another round of Starscream’s bullets as she tried to think. What could she do in this situation? She carefully looked her Decepticon opponent over before noticing that, strangely, despite using some kind of fire in his feet to fly, Starscream continued to keep the propellers across his wings spinning. An idea born of desperation began to form in her head.
“Hey you big bucket of bolts!!” she shouted at the Decepticon. “Let go of my friend!!”
“\Why should I?” Starscream taunted in return. “It seems that you ponies are far more powerful than we gave you credit for. So…I wonder…can I put an end to your little rainbow-powered weapon if I kill your friend here?” Fluttershy began to scream in pain as Starscream tightened his grip around her. He glared down at the frightened pegasus before turning his attention back towards the rainbow flyer. He smirked.
“STOP!” Rainbow shouted in panic. She could see tears beginning to form in Fluttershy’s cerulean-colored eyes.
Enraged and desperate to save her friend, Rainbow Dash decided it was time to throw her half-baked plan into action. She waited a brief moment, taking time to make sure Starscream was focused on her before rocketing straight up into the air. She coughed slightly as she tore through layer after layer of ash and smoke. As she went, she made sure to keep an eye on the Air Commander beneath her, making sure he didn’t leave her line of sight for even an instant. Luckily he was just staring up after her in confusion.
Once she felt she was high enough in the sky, the cyan pegasus arched and remained frozen in midair for a second. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she readied herself for what came next. Slowly and elegantly, she whipped around and began to dive bomb straight back down towards the silver seeker. She kept her wings pressed against her sides as she fell; she didn’t need enough speed to create a Sonic Rainboom, but she needed just enough to do some damage when she made impact.
“What is that coward doing?” Starscream asked his captive pegasus who only stared back at him with panic-stricken eyes.
Before the seeker could get an answer, Rainbow Dash was right over top of him. She flared her wings, dramatically reducing her speed as she somersaulted through the air and brought her leg up and around to deliver a powerful, judo kick. A kick she had used many times in the past to help Applejack demolish farmhouses and to help Fluttershy deal with more threatening animals. The momentum carried through by her drop allowed her leg to pierce through the light, metal casing surrounding the engines embedded in Starscream’s left wing. Almost instantly there was a reaction and the engines began emitting smoke as the propellers along the left wing ceased turning.
Starscream started shouting in alarm as he lost control and began to plummet towards the broken roads below. Rainbow had been right. Without the help from his propellers the silver robot couldn’t support his own weight in the air.
Amongst the panic caused by his sudden drop, Starscream accidentally relinquished his grip on the captive Fluttershy. Seeing her chance, the cyan pegasus swooped down, catching her friend right before she could join the Air Commander in his fall. The panicked pegasus was still shaking with fright as Rainbow held her in her arms.
“Fluttershy, are you okay?” Rainbow asked as she gently released the cream-colored pegasus so she could fly under her own power. “Did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine Dashie,” she replied, taking a moment to calm down before hugging the rainbow-hued flyer in appreciation. “He just squeezed me a little too tight is all,” she giggled. Suddenly, the sound of wrenching metal drew the two friend’s attentions to the ground below. Starscream had finally collided with the street.
“Well, we better get out of here and find everypony else,” Rainbow suggested as she continued to look down. “That guy’s already starting to get back up.” She watched as Starscream flipped over onto his stomach and glared up at them with piercing red eyes. What remained of his wings had been broken and cracked during the crash, and all of his propellers were either wrecked or missing entirely.
He wasn’t going to be flying again anytime soon.
Fluttershy nodded in agreement and the two flew off to find the rest of their friends, leaving the damaged, Decepticon Air Commander in their wake.
From his place on the ground, Starscream looked up at the retreating pegasi and began to laugh. “Don’t get too used to winning you little freaks,” he sneered. “One day I shall have revenge for what you’ve done to me. It will only be a matter of time.” He leaned down and picked up some of the pieces of his crippled wings. He was done with this fight; Megatron could retrieve the Matrix on his own. He had already decided to return to the Nemesis for repairs.
………..
Smoke rose around him as Megatron continued to track his fleeing target. Catching sight of her down a dead-end road, he slowly turned and began approaching the much smaller unicorn. He chuckled as he watched the desperate mare back up against one of the shattered buildings and start firing off rounds of glowing, magical energy from the horn atop her head. Unfortunately for her however, even her strongest, magical attacks were bouncing off his metal skin, barely making a scratch. He wouldn’t give her the time to concentrate and gather her energy like he had last time.
“Is that really all you’ve got?” Megatron chided, his booming voice filling the air. He slowly raised his fusion cannon, taking aim at the struggling unicorn. “Honestly, I was expecting more after that first little show of force.” He sadistically laughed as his weapon began to charge. He would return to his hunt for the Matrix after he had taken care of this organic piece of filth.
The lavender mare closed her eyes, wincing in fright as she waited for the bolt of energy to strike her down. Twilight couldn’t believe she had been stupid enough to get herself trapped. She was going to die and Megatron was going to take the Matrix. He was going to destroy everything she or anypony had ever cared about and bring an end to her entire world. Tears began to prick at the unicorn’s eyes as she waited for the Decepticon leader to deal the final blow. She had failed to stop Megatron, and now, everyone and everything was going to suffer because of it. Her entire mind seemed to go blank and everything delved into silence as she listened for the sound of the fusion cannon firing.
Instead, the sharp, shrill sound of a train whistle rang through the air, pulling her out of her preconceived doom.
Twilight’s world exploded around her as Optimus Prime himself burst forth from behind a nearby building. His locomotive alternate form wildly span out of control on the brick-layer roads of the city, showering sparks in every which direction as he attempted to aim himself at his archenemy. Not wanting to be crushed, the unicorn leapt out of the way as Optimus slid by, slamming the full force of his body into Megatron as he began transforming into robot mode.
“PRIME!!!” The Decepticon leader roared as Optimus brought the full weight of his iron-clad, vehicle mode crashing against Megatron’s torso, easily knocking him to the shattered ground beneath them.
“Twilight, run! This is not your battle!” Optimus barked. He watched as the violet unicorn quickly ran away from the two, metal titans.
Finishing his transformation, the Autobot commander quickly rushed his ancient enemy, grabbing the Decepticon tyrant and slamming him into one of the nearby building just as he was regaining his balance. Prime let loose a battle cry as he began to repeatedly slam the silver Decepticon’s bucket shaped head against the brick wall he had him pinned to. He drew his fist back to deliver a brutal blow to the silver tyrant’s battle scarred face but was surprised to hear him laughing.
A massive beam of energy fired from Megatron’s fusion cannon, striking Optimus in the chest. The Autobot leader was immediately sent flying.
Amidst the fury of their battle, he had been foolish enough to forget about disarming his opponent’s signature weapon. Instead, Prime ended up colliding with the Crystal Library down the street, knocking down a number of the pearl-white pillars that supported the massive, crystalline structure’s roof as his body came to a stop. Recovering quickly, he rolled behind the cover of one of the still standing pillars as Megatron transformed and took to the skies.
Now in vehicle form, the Decepticon tyrant sheared through the smog-filled air, peppering the ground with deadly laser fire as he tried to execute his most hated enemy. Before Prime could draw his weapon and return fire, Megatron changed tactics, banking back into the upper limits of the sky where he transformed. Returning to his robot mode, he silently began falling back down with an incredible speed. A malicious grin grew across his mouth as he closed in on Optimus.
Still dazed from being knocked into the marble columns, Optimus was helpless as Megatron came down and cracked his fist into the side of Prime’s head. Sparks erupted from the impact and the Autobot commander was sent sprawling through the large, glass exterior of the building. He landed in a massive pile of wood and paper. He groaned in pain as he tried to stand, but, before he could recover or even formulate a plan, Megatron leapt through the hole, throwing himself on Optimus and pinning him to the wooden floor. The two leaders struggled against one another’s might as they fought for the upper hand.
“Ah, a library,” Megatron exclaimed, taking in his surroundings as the Autobot leader thrashed to free himself from beneath Megatron’s grip. “Quite appropriate…don’t you think, Orion?” He grinned, knowing he had struck a nerve regarding Prime’s former name. That time so long ago when the two of them had been the closest of friends.
Gathering his strength, Optimus grunted as he began to lift the Decepticon leader off of his body. Megatron had already taken the opportunity to begin pummeling Prime with his fists, hoping to keep him pinned to the floor. But, Prime refused to be broken so easily. As soon as he had moved the attacker high enough off his torso, he used his thick, tree-trunk-like legs to kick the tyrant in the chest and sent him careening back through the hole in the front of the building. Optimus quickly drew his Ion Blaster out of storage and pursued Megatron out of the library. He opened fire as soon as he spotted the silver Cybertronian rushing back up the street.
Megatron roared as he charged his eternal archenemy, dodging laser fire left and right as he drew closer to his opponent. Moving swiftly, he stopped on one leg and brought the other arching around to deliver a powerful kick that knocked Prime’s gun from his hand. Following this brutal blow, he lashed out and grabbed the Autobot commander by the throat before lifting him high into the air. The small, rays of the sun that could peek through the smoke-filled skies reflected off Prime’s helmet and beamed directly into Megatron’s blazing optics.
“I am going to enjoy this,” the Decepticon leader smirked as he spun around, using the momentum to hurl Optimus down the street.
Landing harshly on the streets a few blocks away, the Autobot commander desperately scrambled to get back on his feet. He pushed chunks of cement and debris out of the way as he attempted to rise off the ground. Behind him he could hear Megatron slowly approaching. If he was going to turn the tide of this battle in his favor he was going to need to act swiftly.
“Do you really believe you can defeat me, Prime?” Megatron asked as he advanced towards the downed Autobot leader. “Once I’ve destroyed you, I will travel into the caverns discovered by your little animal, friends and claim that which is rightfully mine!” he exclaimed.
“You are not worthy to hold the Creation Matrix, Megatron.” Optimus growled as he rose from the rubble. Reaching up behind his back, he unsheathed his long, powerful Energon Blade. He rose it into defensive position and readied himself to strike down the Decepticon tyrant should the opportunity present itself.
“I beg to differ, Prime,” Megatron explained, he was now beginning to monologue as he watched the Autobot leader slowly get to his feet. “Need I remind you that it was I who freed Cybertron from the grip of the corrupt senate? That it was I who gave the citizens of Cybertron a cause to rally behind? ” he asked. Slowly the silver Decepticon raised his fusion cannon in the direction of his enemy.
“Only for that cause, and yourself, to become corrupt and poisoned by the very ideals you strived to destroy.” Optimus countered.
“I only acted in response to you and that fool Sentinel, Prime!” Megatron barked, the anger in his voice clearly rising. “It was you who wanted to remove me and my army from power!! You who wanted this war!!!” he shouted, charging his arm mounted weapon to fire on the one Autobot that had caused him so much trouble in the past. “This is what you chose Prime, when you defied me!!” The silver tyrant bellowed as the center of his cannon began to glow with a powerful light. “ALL OF THIS IS YOUR DOING!!!” he roared as the beam of energy fired at the Autobot leader.
Moving quickly, Prime jumped out of the way as the blast struck a nearby pile of debris, incinerating it instantly. Using his new found momentum, Optimus leapt at Megatron, bringing his elbow to bear as he collided with the Decepticon’s exposed chest, forcing the tyrant to stumble backwards and temporarily lose control of the cannon attached to his right arm.
“You would have never ruled with a just hand, Megatron!” Optimus shouted, swinging his blade through the air and cleaving through the seam holding the cannon to Megatron’s arm. The deadly weapon went sailing through the open air before landing in a pile of debris a few feet away. “Even for the brief moments you were in power, you took the citizens of Cybertron who wished to aide you, and stripped them of their sparks, transforming them into your now faceless army! All because they didn’t fit your idea of a perfect Cybertron!” he cried, bringing his free fist around to deliver a debilitating uppercut that sent Megatron sprawling backwards into a nearby building.
Unrelenting, Optimus charged Megatron again, driving his sword into his enemy’s now weaponless arm, holding him to the building as he began to wail on his torso. With savage fury Optimus began delivering blow after forceful blow to the Decepticon leader. Sparks and Energon flew in all directions as the Autobot leader slowly beat his way through the armor protecting Megatron’s chest and head.
“You truly believed you were the savior of our planet!?” Optimus snarled, slamming his fist across Megatron’s face. “You, who poisoned and killed our world with the foul Dark Energon? You, who killed millions of innocent neutrals who tried to escape the planet and met your blockade!? You, who took the lives of an entire village of Equestrians, just to draw me out of hiding!?”
“ENOUGH!!!” Megatron boomed. He used his free fist to knock Optimus back. “I END THIS NOW!!” he roared, tearing his enemy’s sword from his arm and charging forward.
“So be it, Megatron.” Optimus stated. He took a small step to the side as the Decepticon tyrant brought the sword slamming down into the ground next to him.
………
Cadence quickly dodged out of the way as Blackout swung his massive fist towards her, making another attempt to swat her out of the air. Even with while missing one arm, half his face, and almost all the armor across his body Blackout was a formidable opponent. He was a Decepticon warrior forged in the gladiatorial arenas of Kaon. He would not lose to a pink, organic ball of feathers and hair. The massive Decepticon bellowed in rage as he unleashed the last weapon in his arsenal: a powerful, spinning blade formed from the remains of the propeller attached to the back of his airship vehicle mode.
The ruler of the Crystal Kingdom screamed in fright as she spread her wings to bank and avoid her opponent’s wild swing. The rotating propeller grazed her mane, lopping off a few small locks as it passed by directly above her head. Cadence frantically looked around for help, but could find none. She spied the red-and-white, slumped form of Ratchet nearby in a pile of debris. The Autobot medic had been knocked unconscious a little while ago when Blackout had pinned him to the ground and delivered a savage kick to the side of his head. The blade swung by closer than ever on her right hand side; the force of wind coming off of it bent her wing in an unnatural shape. She yelped in pain as she tumbled to the ground below.
Seeing his chance to end the battle, Blackout slammed his massive, iron fist into the ground. The immense propeller blade moved up onto his remaining arm and began to rapidly spin in reverse, creating a grinding vortex that would slice through the pony princess, reducing her to bloodied ribbons. He laughed sadistically as he watched the grounded Cadence desperately try to sprint to safety. There was no possible way she could escape now, the force of the turbulence would overwhelm her tired body at any moment.
“And now you die, your Highness!” Blackout sarcastically growled. He was completely oblivious to the sounds of the heavy footfalls approaching him from behind. Before the Decepticon knew what was happening, his shoulder was grabbed and his face was met with a massive, black fist.
The winds pulling Cadence to her death instantly ceased and the pink alicorn began to look around in confusion. As she turned to face her Decepticon attacker, she was greeted with the sight of a massive, black Autobot savagely beating him across the head with his fists. She hadn’t been introduced to this one.
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it ain’t nice to hit a lady!?” Ironhide bellowed in his thick country accent. He grabbed Blackout’s face in his metal hand and hurled the Decepticon overhead and onto the ground behind him. Not willing to give the cobalt robot the chance to retaliate, Ironhide charged forward in order to deliver a final blow.
The Decepticon warrior struggled to fight back, but it was far too late and he was far too damaged to make a proper stand against the legendary Autobot veteran. Before Blackout could even make an attempt to swing his blade at the oncoming Autobot, Ironhide swung in low and delivered a powerful uppercut that lodged his fist and lower arm into the underside of Blackout’s shattered torso.
Ironhide let out a mighty roar before unleashing the full fury of his arm mounted cannon into his Decepticon opponent’s insides. Instantly, Blackout’s spark chamber exploded and his head incinerated as the blast travelled through his shattered torso.
“Well, that takes care of that,” the veteran calmly spat, turning to look down at Cadence while throwing Blackout’s corpse off of his arm. The massive, metal body cracked against the brick floor and lay silent.
Cadence nodded in agreement before looking up at the Autobot soldier with a mixed look of fear, respect, and gratitude. But mostly fear.