//------------------------------// // Chapter 45-The Alliance // Story: Transformers: The Requiem // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// Noctune couldn’t stop smiling. It was all forced anyway. Through the glare of Celestia’s sunlight, the leader of the Alliance watched as a golden carriage being pulled by Pegasi with golden armor flew down and landed right in the correct parking spot. It was directly in front of the Alliance headquarters. At the very top of the stairs leading into the Alliance headquarters, there stood Noctune, his smile never wavering. The carriage doors opened to reveal the pony Noctune has been waiting for. Celestia’s Royal Messenger, Speeding Bullet, took his first steps into the city of Vanhoover. He was a pure white Pegasus with a slick, golden mane. He carried a brown clipboard underneath his foreleg, his hoof reaching up to adjust the black glasses atop his snout. His dark blue eyes stared at the masterful architecture of the Alliance of Alien Activity. Speeding Bullet had always heard of it from all the billboards he’d seen over the past months, but he never imagined to be setting hoof inside. He was very nervous. But he was even more nervous to be meeting…him. Following Speeding Bullet was Celestia’s Royal Guard, five to be exact, all equipped with the strongest swords and heaviest armor. Each stallion was bigger than the meager Pegasus by a long shot. It didn’t mean much to Speeding Bullet. All it really meant was that he felt more protected. Speeding was too busy staring at the dark marble columns surrounding the front side of the Alliance that he didn’t even notice he was at the very top of the stairs…and right in front of him. Noctune. That was his name. Nothing else. The dark brown earth pony stared at the Pegasus in front of him, the grey orbs of darkness that were his eyes glowing with pure heat. Speeding swallowed nothing but air, beads of sweat attached to his forehead. He didn’t make the first move, Noctune did. He surprised everypony by reaching forward and wrapping the Pegasus up in a hug. Speeding’s mouth couldn’t have dropped any lower as he felt Noctune’s hoof reach around his neck, the stallion’s low chuckles being vibrated through his throat. “Hehe…it’s great to finally meet the messenger to Princess Celestia herself,” Noctune mumbled into the pony’s ear, breaking the hug. He motioned his brown hoof behind him, to the entrance of the building. “Welcome to the Alliance of Alien Activity,” he said with big smile. Speeding Bullet, having just recovered from the shocking encounter of the dark stallion in front of him, finally took his time to observe the massive building he was soon to enter. Marble columns lined the front portion of the main complex. The entire building was pure white, several rows of doors stationed in the front of the building where the Pegasus could see several other ponies entering and exiting. Hanging above his head and on top of the building sat a massive sign with three capital A’s all colored dark blue. “The Alliance of Alien Activity” all sat snugly underneath the bigger letters. The Pegasus cleared his throat, adjusting the clipboard underneath his foreleg. “Mr. Noctune, it’s a great pleasure meeting you on such short notice, even more so with these hard times approaching. From the looks of it, I think it’s safe to assume that the worker’s strike has been contained?” Noctune nodded, all of his teeth shone when he smiled. He said, “The strike has been dealt with appropriately. As of now, we are listening to the complaints of the workers and seeing how they want change in the company.” “That is fantastic news, the best I’ve heard all day,” Speeding Bullet commented with a warm smile, though there was a hint of sadness behind it that Noctune could tell perfectly. Definitely not the best yet. Noctune imagined, but refrained from saying it out loud. Instead, he gestured with a friendly hoof behind him, towards the entrance. “Perhaps we can discuss her majesty’s message inside?” Noctune said to the Pegasus. His smile grew even wider when he mentioned, “I can even give you the grand tour if you’d like.” Speeding Bullet stopped himself there. He looked back at the five guards accompanying him, each of their faces bearing no emotion. One of the guards turned his solid stone eyes towards the Pegasus, nodding once and snorting. With a little nod and a quiet sigh, Speeding brought his gaze back into Noctune’s. He pulled away once their eyes connected, the darkest of feelings trying so desperately to enter his body. Speeding couldn’t bring himself to look Noctune in the eye. He had no good feelings behind it. Instead, the Pegasus only nodded, saying to the stallion, “Lead the way, Mr. Noctune.” Noctune knew the messenger was having ill feelings. If his stance and posture didn’t show it then the uncertainty in his eyes and the sweat on his forehead surely did. Noctune would keep that in mind for later on. Without another word, the leader of the Alliance slowly turned around and made his way through the front doors that weren’t already crowded by workers. Speeding Bullet and the five guards followed right on his tail. Once entering the air-conditioned building, Speeding Bullet’s jaw nearly popped right off his mouth. The color, the architecture, the designs, all of it was unbelievably eye-opening to the newcomers. Hanging from the ceiling were multiple chandeliers with glowing bulbs of light from each one. There were also large-scale replicas of Alliance airships hanging from wires and scattered across the ceiling. Speeding brought his gaze down to witness the massive foyer. With whatever ground wasn’t covered by every day ponies or workers rummaging about, the polished floors gave the reflection of everypony in the room. It was constantly loud, both from the workers shouting at each other and the ponies bringing in newfound alien disturbances. Speeding Bullet had to push his jaw up forcefully. The guards all stood there, no signs of amazement flushing through their eyes. Noctune stood in the middle of it all, giving a smug grin at the looks on their…his face. “Pretty impressive if I do say so myself,” Noctune commented, catching the attention of Speeding and the five guards. The guards looked at each, possibly contemplating on the scenery while Speeding Bullet actually took a step forward and cleared his throat. The Pegasus looked around, but never did bring his eyes towards Noctune’s. “You have truly become a somepony in this city, Mr. Noctune,” Speeding congratulated, earning a satisfied smile from the leader of the Alliance. That smile quickly faded when Speeding added, “Though…I can’t help but wonder if this place is missing something…” Noctune nearly scoffed. “What ever could you mean?” “Well…this place is nice, I mean really nice …but…” “But what…?” Noctune prompted. “It could really use a fountain right there!” He pointed his hoof over to an area with nopony walking, an area big enough to fit a fountain that could reach the ceiling. “A fountain right there would really set the mood.” The dark brown stallion bit his inner lip, nodding slowly, his eyes glued on the area Speeding mentioned. He groaned, turning his face back to the messenger’s. “I have been told that,” Noctune admitted with his voice much lower than normally. He then noticed how loud it was in the main foyer. They needed to go somewhere quieter and presumably be alone. Noctune’s smiled returned, and he waved the messenger towards him as he began to turn around. “Follow me, please. I’d like to hear the message from Princess Celestia without any witnesses,” the stallion said, already leaving the six ponies in the dust. Speeding Bullet stopped dead in his tracks, somehow finding Noctune’s choice of words to be very interesting. He was pushed forward, however, by the five guards behind him, prompting him to move on ahead. Speeding realized their rush. The sooner they delivered the message then the sooner they could leave. Matching the pace of the speed-walking stallion, Speeding Bullet caught up to Noctune’s side, barely making his way through the ponies constantly bumping into his shoulders. Those worker ponies were roughly pushed aside the Royal Guard following right on Speeding’s tail. A few curses were heard here and there, but nothing too vulgar for the guards to be concerned about. “So, where exactly are you taking us, Noctune?” Speeding asked, adjusting the clipboard to rest underneath his wing. “Perhaps an office room or an empty hallway, somewhere quiet so I can give you the message?” Noctune didn’t even turn around, suddenly taking a sharp turn left, the other six doing the rest. He smiled widely, though the others couldn’t see it until the Pegasus came to his side. “All in due time, Mr. Bullet. All in due… Hey, would ya look at that?” The group suddenly stopped. Noctune’s head swiveled to the wall on the left, a large box with a black a white screen hanging from said wall. Speeding Bullet noticed the logo forever resting on the screen. The Alliance logo. Serpents and all. What surprised the Royal Messenger most was the use of technology in this company. So far, from the constant workers pushing heavy machinery back and forth with every area he visited, Speeding wouldn’t be surprised to at least see a new form of technology used in the Alliance headquarters. He was staring at one of the biggest pieces of advancement in news that the AAA created themselves. Their entire budget just didn’t go into developing weapons to protect the planet, but they also invested it into creating the future for Equestria. The future of technology. “I never get tired of watching this,” Noctune commented before falling into silence. Speeding sent a quick look his way before bringing his attention onto the black and white screen. The Alliance logo fizzled out and the very shaky footage of a city in smoke and fire popped up. Speeding Bullet gasped when he saw a sign that read, “Welcome to Vanhoover” appear in front of the black and white footage along with what remained. Very tragic music was played in the background with what appeared to be on a chorus of trumpets as the camera footage panned over the devastation. The screen began to talk in a voice that sounded more like a swindler instead of a mourning pony. “The aftermath is unlike anything we as Equestrians have ever felt before. The alien invasion has dealt a serious blow to our country, our neighboring nations, and worst of all…our friends and family.” The black and white footage began zooming into a mare with a dying colt in her hooves. This made Speeding gasp in shock. He was a very queasy stallion and didn’t take kindly to the kinds of images he was witnessing. “They thought they could break us down, tear us apart and even turn us into their own slave army. The message is clear enough: All aliens are dangerous. In the wake of our darkest hour of need, an unlikely group of heroes stood up in the ashes of our fallen and united us once more.” Speeding Bullet began to smile… “Allow the world to know our newest protectors: The Alliance of Alien Activity!” …and then his smile disappeared. What about the Autobots, the true saviors of Equestria and the world? “The Alliance of Alien Activity specifies in the protection of all races this planet holds dear. No longer shall the world fear of constant alien threats now that the Alliance is on the watch! Using cutting-edge technology never before seen, the Alliance of Alien Activity will ensure the safety of everypony, griffon, minotaur, zebra, everything and everyone that breaths the breath of life. No longer shall you fear an alien lurking around the next corner, because here at the AAA we do our part!” The scene of several ponies working in lines shifted to a dark stallion sitting in an equally dark leather chair. He spun around, smiling right in the camera. Speeding turned his head over to Noctune. The stallion was grinning ear to ear. “Hello, my name is Noctune, founder and leader of the Alliance of Alien Activity,” the pony on the screen stated in a voice that was scratchy, probably due to the effects of the film footage. He continued, “As a fellow survivor during the tragic events of the alien invasion, I’m here to tell you that when our very existence is threatened by extraterrestrial life, we will not back down and take it like spineless cowards. If we can overcome the hardships we’ve faced since the founding of this great nation of Equestria, then we can most definitely survive this. We’ll do our part in protecting our species, as long as you, my fellow brethren, do your part. I give you my word.” Noctune on the screen finished with a bright smile, a glimmer in his white teeth to go with it. The propaganda film ended with the screen flipping to a still image of the Alliance logo and the saying to go below it. “This message is brought to you by the Alliance of Alien Activity. Changing the world today, ensuring the safety of our future tomorrow.” Once the film had ended, Noctune stamped his hooves against the smooth, marble floors. He laughed whole heartedly, turning his head back at the six ponies. Speeding had a look that held mixtures of shock, confusion, and slight anger. Each of the guards kept their emotionless stares on the brown stallion, the spears being gripped ever so tightly. Noctune gave a half smile, chuckling, “I always love that. Ever since the day we first began recording I knew what we were doing was for the good of Equestria.” Speeding Bullet seemed to of found his voice again. He stuttered at first, but spoke out what he was feeling. “B-b-but w-what about the Autobots? They gave up their lives to save us all and you didn’t even mention them in that film! All it said was that ‘all aliens are dangerous!’ You and I both know that’s not true.” The stallion facing away from the Pegasus simply sent him a blank stare. For about ten seconds, he held that same stare, prompting the guards to grip their spears tighter. Finally, Noctune snorted, turning away from Speeding’s eyes. “Is it?” That’s all he said before walking off, followed by these next words when he didn’t hear their following hoofsteps behind him. “We’re nearly to the training grounds. I’ve ordered all Alliance soldiers out so we can have the runway to ourselves. Hurry up.” Speeding Bullet sneered, his blue eyes turning back to catch the gazes of each of his protectors. All of their faces were scrunched up, their eyes narrowed, and their hooves shaking against the spears they held. They clearly didn’t feel comfortable, but their job from the princess wasn’t to feel comfortable, it was to protect the messenger. No matter the cost. Facing all doubt, Speeding Bullet led the five guards behind him on Noctune’s trail. They watched the stallion’s black tail disappear behind two closing doors, slivers of sunlight seen on the other side. Speeding stopped in front of the twin sided doors, he reached back and swiped the clipboard under his wing, re-reading the message Princess Celestia wrote herself. Her penmanship was incredible, so swift and direct. Time to be her message. Swift and direct. He pushed open the doors. “Noctune, Princess Celestia is horrified at the attacks in Fillydelphia, as well as the rest of the world. The reason she comes to you is because there were rumors of Decep-” His eyes widened. His jaw dropped. His clipboard landed on the cement with a soft thwack. The messenger was greeted by eight giants, but not just any giants. Their eyes burned purple and red, their bodies rose high enough to block the sun, and the symbol each one bore nearly caused the meager Pegasus to go into a panic attack. The giants all turned their large heads towards their newest visitors. Some of them smiled, some chuckled, and the only giant with one eye looked down. There was Noctune…right under them. The Decepticons. Speeding Bullet made the mistake of trying to put his name to the test. He spun around to face the guards, ready to push them away and make a run for it. The guards, each of them with eyes wide and weapons ready were suddenly trapped in a white light. Speeding stopped, his eyes beginning to tear up. He heard a very loud boom and was suddenly pushed backwards from an unknown force. The bright light returned, even brighter (if that was possible) this time. Speeding was forced to shut his eyes from the light as he lay alone on the cement. All he could hear were the screams of Celestia’s guards, each one of them being diminished to silence. Speeding once again made the mistake of opening his eyes. Whatever remained of the guards sent to protect him were now nothing but a pile of scorched bones in a big, black circle. The fear filling in the messenger’s heart caused him to act without thinking, and he took the only chance he could get at escape. Another mistake. He felt a pair of hooves dig into his back, forcefully spinning the Pegasus around. A hoof connecting to Speeding’s cheek surprisingly sent the poor pony flying into the nearest wall, creating cracks against the wall’s surface from the force of the hit. Taking in the only breath of air he could have ever hoped to obtain, Speeding weakly opened his eyes, only to have them shrink to the size of pinpricks when Noctune jammed his foreleg right into the Pegasus’ throat. Speeding was too terrified to contemplate the situation. Instead of looking into this maniac’s eyes, the Pegasus brought his gaze upwards, instantly regretting it when he saw the giants approach. All of their weapons were pointed towards him, their massive feet crunching the bones of the guards as they passed. One of the giants, a very bulky one with a yellow visor said, “I wouldn’t try and flee if I were you, unless of course you want to end up like your little friends.” The giant gestured his weapon to the shattered bones of Celestia’s guards. Speeding didn’t need to be told twice. The messenger, now finding it very difficult to breath, was forced to look Noctune in the eyes. The swirls of darkness made the Pegasus shiver. It was darkness he hadn’t seen since Tirek ripped the magic away from Speeding, rendering him useless against his wrath. This darkness felt different. It wasn’t Noctune, it wasn’t a pony, it simply wasn’t of Equis. It was…alien. “Tell your princess this,” Noctune finally spoke after nearly a minute of nothing but terrifying stares. He leaned in towards the poor pony’s ear, causing him to shiver uncontrollably from his touch. Noctune’s deep voice rang in Speeding’s ear, making the Pegasus whimper in ways only a mare would do. He said, “The world will never be safe with Celestia still alive. Her reign…is over. The Alliance will purge this country of its sins and build it into a glorious new era…an era of the Decepticons.” Noctune released his foreleg from the pony’s throat, the device hidden underneath his jacket relaxing. The Pegasus did the same and fell flat on his back, his terrified eyes shifting from Noctune to the eight Decepticons standing behind him. He truly saw it now. The Alliance. The evil. Oh, Celestia… Oh, Celestia… The messenger couldn’t fly out of there fast enough. Shockwave, after quietly watching the measly pony wet himself and scamper back inside the Alliance headquarters to make his daring escape, slowly looked downwards towards the dark brown stallion. He lowered his cannon. “Would now be the perfect time to enact our plan?” the cyclopean Decepticon asked, receiving several nods of anticipation from the Combaticons behind him. Noctune smiled up at Shockwave, his dark gaze facing the swinging doors. He smiled a killer’s smile, the kind of smile he was known for. “It’s time to show the world what we’re made of,” the pony muttered, his smile only getting bigger and wider when he heard the rowdier Decepticons behind him cheer. He looked back at Shockwave, politely clearing his throat. “Would you do the honors?” Shockwave pointed his cannon at the wall and blew it. _______________ The Royal Messenger skidded, slid, tripped, and pushed over as many ponies as he could to get as far away from Vanhoover as possible. Once he was out the front doors then he’d be free. He’d fly all the way to Canterlot if he needed to. He just needed to get out. Silence fell upon the foyer as everypony in the massive room stared at the screaming Pegasus making a break for the exit. That silence merged into confused murmurs followed by questions. It wasn’t loud, but it also wasn’t quiet. They all heard it. BOOM! Mares shrieked in surprise, stallions all backed away from the force of the explosion, and Alliance workers made the smart decision and got out of the foyer as quickly as possible. They knew what was coming, everypony else didn’t. The same kind of silence returned to the room once more as the giants entered the foyer. The front desk instantly closed, but nopony even dared to notice that. All eyes were forced to stare upon the monsters that slowly entered without a word. Their presence enough made everypony by their feet quickly back away, all looks of terror etched into their expressions. Those ponies already saw the symbol each giant bore, and they’ve never felt more horrified since…that day. They were even more horrified to see who was under them. Several gasps filled the air once Noctune, the leader of the Alliance, stepped out from under the giants’ legs. Ponies shook their heads in disbelief; others slammed hooves over their mouths to silence their horrified gasps. Noctune was smiling, not even smiling…but grinning. The leader of the fight against aliens was smiling right under their heads. Noctune scanned the massive crowd, pleased to know his workers got out in time. All that was left were the slaves of this generation ready to be taught a lesson. He raised his hoof in the air. He announced loudly, cutting the silence in two, “Citizens of Vanhoover…allow me to proudly introduce your new rulers!” Shockwave pointed his cannon forward. Soundwave whipped out his TechVolt. Starscream activated his Nucleon Charge Rifle. Each and every Combaticon; Onslaught, Brawl, Swindle, Vortex, and Blast Off pulled out their weapons. All ends turned to face the ponies, each of them glowing. The Decepticons fired into the crowd. Panic and frenzy, that’s all it was. The bloodcurdling screams of the equines could be heard throughout the city of Vanhoover. Nopony was there to save them, nopony to stop the monsters from hurting them. It was a force that couldn’t be stopped. This was the lesson Noctune was teaching to his slaves. Obedience. A reason never to defy him. The Combaticons moved forward to stop the ponies trying to escape. Swindle rolled forward, crushing ponies as he did so, and pointed his assault rifle into a group of ten. Each one fell with several red dots painted into their skin. Onslaught, using his Energon Harvester, wiped out large bundles of begging ponies. All that was left was their bones that he casually walked over. Blood flowed through the Alliance headquarters, even down the front steps. The ponies that managed to push out into the sunlight were instantly mowed down by three flying insects, their machine guns tearing through their little bodies without remorse. In the city of Vanhoover, a new evil was born. Creatures with no soul, no emotions, had taken over the ponies that lived peacefully there. Their lives…shattered. Their hopes…broken. Their freedoms…stripped. And nopony could hear them scream. Nopony. Noctune heard them, but he was far from being called a pony now. He was laughing at the massacre, enjoying the bloodshed he had wrought upon the city. A monster was born that day, a monster that would change the world.