//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 Defend The Ark // Story: Transformares Fall of Ponytron // by Hairy Konquerer //------------------------------// Bulk had finished giving the troops a pep talk than spoke to Celestia. “Care to do the honors? Ladies first.” “I’m flattered Bulk but this is your show.” Celestia said touched that beneath that war veteran attitude was a gentlecolt. “Suit yourself, Alright troops, let’s go!” Everyone was all-amped up by his speech and acknowledged it. “ALL RIGHT!!” “YEAAAHHH!!!!” Bulk shouted giving out his signature battle cry. Everyone charged forward killing a few Kul’asepticons that were advancing on the doors and moved onto the area, seeing the entrance to the Nerve Center and Several Cons’ attempting to break in. Celestia shot at a vent on her left making a way for the others to come in while she went for a direct assault solo. She triggered her Gambler upgrade taking out 5 Cons than switched to the Rift Combustor, taking out the remaining 10, which were huddled by the door trying to get it open. Bulky and the others came in by her and were awestruck at how fast Celestia took out every Kul’asepticons trying to breach the Nerve Center. Celestia than Directed Bulk to the explosive on the doors to the Nerve center, which then armed itself and began to beep. “Bulk, get that Depth charge off the door, I’ll cover you-” A guard approached Celestia interrupting her. “Celestia! More Kul’asepticons inbound!” Celestia nodded than went to a lever facing the outside. “I’ll take the Turret you cover the Depth Charge.” She pulled the lever down and a turrent rose up on the right of it which Celestia took control of than armed. A mare looked up than shouted. “Dropship inbound!” As a Kul’asepticon dropship approached circling around like a Scraplet. Celestia aimed and shot at the engines, which did more damage than hitting the bulk of the ship itself as the rockets, began to smoke than exploded as the debris fell. Celestia than went back to the door and with Bulk, grabbed the depth charge and slowly removed the charge from the door and placed it away from it. Celestia left Bulk outside to guard the entrance as it closed behind her while she proceeded to walk inside, over a few stairs, by some Autoponies and met up with a white unicorn with a purple mane and tail in locks. The Unicorn turned to Celestia, as she was about to speak to her. “Rarity what is the sit rep on the Ark?” “The Arks shields are still online all though I can’t say how long it’ll stay like that. There are some artillery pieces outside. There pretty dated but-” “We don’t have enough Energon.” “We can direct some of our reserve into the shells but to activate that part of the system to allow it in you’ll need to perform that manually.” Celestia nodded than made her way to down stairs to where some more Autoponies were than grabbed a Dimensional Rift T.E.C.H. She turned and saw that there was a fizzling on the door that than stopped. Without a second thought, she tossed the T.E.C.H. at the door as the Kul’asepticons on the other side came through, only to be sucked into the vortex created by the T.E.C.H. than their parts scattered as the Rift exploded. Celestia walked in and walked to the Teletran 1 in front of her, switching out the Chaos Rift Combustor for a Thermo Rocket Cannon. She walked to the right of the Store and into a room where a mare and female wirewolf were pinned down by 5 Cons. Celestia aimed her Rocket than fired, terminating 4 of the 5 than quickly switched to the Path Blaster delivering a headshot to the remaining Con. She saw the exit leading to the controls on her left and used her wings to fly over where Mares and Wirewolf’s were waiting. One mare of a mint green coat and a harp on her flank approached her. “Lyra, what’s the situation?” Lyra reported the situation happily as she examined the Corpses of Cons around her. “Cleared out the Kul’asepticons so you could-” Lyra looked up and than screamed. “HIT THE DECK!!!” than a crash occurred sending Celestia to the ground. When she came to, the sight of a Dog’o War greeted her; in all it’s black and purple glory. “Celestia Prime… what a pleasant surprise.” It raised its right spike for a hand but was interrupted as Lyra emptied the round of her Neutron Assault Rifle into it’s back, severely weakening it. It turned to Lyra and was about to kill her had Celestia not shot several rounds and a Gambler into it’s back causing it to explode. Celestia than turned to Lyra, seeing several injured Autoponies near her. “Grab any wounded you see and take them the way I came.” Lyra Nodded in agreement than took followed her orders while Celestia flew to the controls, Thermo Rocket Cannon taking out any Dogs’o War coming down intact. She reached the controls than pulled the lever. It came down slowly but it released Energon into the system, the result being a tower rising than changing into a gun pointed at the sky. Rarity spoke to Celestia on her Comm-Link. “That did it. Now you’ll have no problem getting to the controls to the Cannon positioned directly by the Ark.” Celestia than made her way back by flight and saw Lyra and the injured pinned down by troops and a Marauder… all coincidentally huddled together. Without a second thought, Celestia aimed than targeted the Marauder, than a barrage of Missiles came down, destroying it and the troopers next to it. She made her way back to the room she came from, followed by Lyra, whom was taking the injured with some other Autoponies back to where Luna was so they could get the proper treatment. Celestia saw the only way to open the large doors in front of her was to pull the switch in front of her bringing Energon into the system there. After she did so, she walked through the corridors, and was put off by the color of pink constantly throughout the entire area. But what surprised her was the fact the room was shifting forcing her to go the other way that just opened up, only for that area to be eventually blocked. ”Rarity, are you doing this?” “No. Why?” Celestia was blunt with her response. “The walls are shifting.” “There is a weird energy fluctuation there, but that might have to do with the Energon being inducted into that system as there hasn’t been any in there for a while.” Celestia noted this as she kept walking than made her way through, seeing horror as she saw a Autopony plead in mercy only to be killed, her screams heard on Celestia’s Comm-Link. She heard another voice, one in fear attempting to do something, Celestia turned to see that same Mare up by a window… and the Red and Black Minotaur blade ready walking up behind her. “If Anypony can hear me, The Kul’asepticon is…” She was interrupted as his blade went through her spark. ”Aaaaaaah!!!” The Minotaur spoke, Hate and Evil in his voice. “If anyone can hear Me, feel free to listen as I kill your friends.” His words and actions filled Celestia with anger. “Tirek…” She smashed open the window and flew up to that level, Killing 2 shot gunners with her Path Blaster and the one in the middle with a slice of her Axe. She arrived in the next room, shocked by the number of bodies scattered, all Autoponies. “No…” Rarity was shocked at how quiet Celestia was for a moment. “Celestia, what is it?” “I couldn’t save them…” “None of us are going to be saved if you don’t get to that cannon.” Celestia remembered her mission than walked passed the bodies, shedding a silent tear for each one of them. She made it to the outside than flew over the walls, calling a target strike on several Kul’asepticons talking to a large hologram of Nightmare Moon. She reached the area she was looking for than pulled the switch there as missiles bombarded the Cons near her. Across the way she was looking, she saw a giant pink gun rise from the ground, and she flew over, dodging shots from the surviving Cons, as she didn’t have time to deal with them. She reached where the seat of the gun was than received a transmission on her Comm as the gun powered up. “Celestia this is Spitfire. The Ark’s shield is getting hammered by those guns!” “Already on it Spitfire.” Celestia aimed the gun and fired, taking out the tank and the several soldiers around it. She turned its attention to the Dropships flying above aiming for her. She fired and the debris crushed several troops underneath. She than took out the remaining tanks but the gun suddenly shut down. “What?” Celestia got out and was about to get on the battlefield when a force field blocked her and a pair of stairs appeared leading to a door below the gun. Celestia knew she had to get back to the battle but she felt something calling her to come in deeper. as she explored, she than spoke out loud in case whatever it was, was watching her. "I do not know who you are, but i can feel your presence from within the Matrix." She came to a pair of doors that then shifted allowing a blinding blue light to fill the room. It was than Celestia knew who it was. "I ask you... no i order you, help us in our time of great need." she saw pipes with the energon to the gun connecting to the where the light was coming from but it was not letting in Energon. Celestia saw the lever and brought it down letting in energon and brightening the light. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cons were running to take down the Ark, excited it was about to be over when the ground opened up. a few made it to the over side, while others were not so lucky and fell in. Parts rose out and opened turning on as little blue lights, a body began to take shape, becoming more Equine as it transformed. At the front shoulders to cannons changed than flipped facing the front while at the top two towers rose than stopped. on the bottom two front hooves came out than landed firmly on the ground. At the front a cannon on the right should appeared than locked in firmly while in the center, a head came out with a mane of gold, white and violet and it's eyes opened up a bright blue emanating that briefly glowed lighting more lights and a blue Autopony symbol on her chest. Tanks drove away at the sight and one was unfortunate enough to be squished under the mare's hoof. She turned to her Right wing which held Celestia on it and spoke. "Amore Cadenza heeds the call of the Last Prime"