//------------------------------// // Chapter 46-The Message // Story: Transformers: The Requiem // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// Princess Twilight burst into Celestia’s throne room, her eyes darting across the long hall. Her swiveling head rested on the solar goddess herself sitting on her throne. A shaking pony was sitting under her wing. “Princess Celestia!” Twilight called out, galloping forward. The princess looked up from the Pegasus resting under her wing for comfort. Usually when she saw Twilight it brought joy to her withering heart. It was the same kind of joy she felt since the day she first met the little filly, the day Twilight first became her student. But for some reason, Celestia couldn’t find a reason to smile when Twilight came up to her. She just felt…lost, broken. The Alicorn stood panting and sweaty right in front of Celestia. “I’m so, so, so, so sorry for the wait, princess! I was just really busy this afternoon with the Auto…” she stopped when she noticed the pony under Celestia’s wing staring at her, “…with…the Autobots back at Ponyville that I accidently missed the train. So, I had to fly here, which explains why I’m kinda sweaty and…dirty.” Twilight rubbed a hoof through her mane, adjusting the hair sticking out. “There is no need to apologize, Princess Twilight,” Celestia breathed. “Sorry!” Twilight squealed, smiling sheepishly. Celestia managed the smallest of smiles gracing her lips. Twilight was so young. She had so much left to learn. Celestia mentally sighed when the thought returned to her. She didn’t want to have Twilight worry about this, but realized quickly that this was no game the Decepticons were playing. This threat was real, and Twilight needed to know about the truth. The Alicorn nervously stamped her hoof on the ground when Celestia continued to remain silent. She cleared her throat, catching the elder princess’ attention. “So…what exactly did you want to meet with me about, princess?” The truth. That’s what Twilight needed to know. She could feel the Pegasus, her Royal Messenger, cuddle up closer to her body as his terrified gasps echoed throughout the throne room. Even Twilight could hear him, giving her eyes a look of sympathy. Celestia made sure her wing offered the Pegasus warmth and protection. After what he told her, every single agonizing detail, the princess didn’t blame the full-grown pony for acting this way. Celestia sighed one last time before turning to face Twilight, her fellow princess. “I believe you already know of the attack in Fillydelphia?” Celestia began with a question. Twilight Sparkle nodded, a sigh of her own escaping her breath. “How could I not? It was all over the morning papers today. That’s also a reason I wanted to see you today personally, Princess Celestia. I need to know if there were really Decepticons spotted in the attack and it wasn’t just false assumptions.” An image of the assumed Decepticon flashed behind Celestia’s eyes. The front page of Equestria Daily had the shot of the Decepticon standing amongst the ruins of the collapsed building. It looked believable, but it was something Celestia couldn’t believe unless she saw it for herself. That’s when she sent her Royal Messenger to Vanhoover… That’s when he saw...them. She spoke again, every word a challenge to put out. “Whether or not the evidence in Fillydelphia is true or false, I believe there is one undeniable truth we cannot ignore.” Twilight looked over to the Pegasus once more. His blue eyes were locked with Celestia’s, another shiver rolling through his body. He nodded once to her. Gladly taking his approval, Princess Celestia turned to face Twilight again, her eyes making her look a thousand years older. “My Royal Messenger, Speeding Bullet, has just returned from his trip to Vanhoover to meet with the leader of the Alliance of Alien Activity. His job was to deliver my message and to learn why Noctune hasn’t been doing his duty in seizing Decepticons from harming innocent ponies,” Celestia explained, stopping for the shortest amount of time. She noticed Twilight leaning in closer, her eyes as large as dinner plates. Celestia sighed. “When Speeding Bullet met with Noctune…he was not alone. Inside the Alliance headquarters were living Decepticons. They did not harm anypony that worked there, they did not harm Noctune, but they harmed him. Noctune also gave my Royal Messenger of message of his own, or a threat would be a better choice of words.” The look on Twilight’s face said it all. “He said that Celestia’s reign is over and that the era of the Decepticons had begun.” Twilight backed away, eventually falling back on her rump. She shook her head rapidly, her breaths taken in dangerous, little gasps. The whole time, all she muttered were words of denial. But not even her denial could shake the truth, the kind of truth Twilight did not want to hear. She looked up to meet Celestia’s gaze, the elder Alicorn continuing. “The Alliance of Alien Activity has betrayed Equestria and has joined forces with the Decepticons. I have received word not too long ago that Vanhoover has just been captured and is being used as the Decepticons’ base of operations. With the Crystal Heart in their possession, and an entire city under their control, I can only imagine what horrors they’ll commit. However they got here, the Decepticons, we already know that they will not be playing around with us any longer.” Twilight got back up and shook her head, her mind still reeling on the fact of this betrayal. She looked up at Celestia and shouted, “This…this is terrible! There’s gotta be something we can do to take back Vanhoover! We can…we can…” An idea suddenly popped into Twilight head, causing her eyes to be lit up like a bulb. “We can use the Rainbow Power to stop the Decepticons! My friends and I-!” Celestia raised her hoof, causing the Alicorn to fall into silence. “The use of the Rainbow Power had occurred to me, Twilight,” Princess Celestia began. “But the Decepticons have already made a broad statement throughout the country. They said that if any force tries to intervene in Vanhoover’s boarders then they will begin executing innocent civilians by the thousands, all at once. We cannot take that risk.” Twilight’s head fell, her ears falling flat against her skull. She looked up at Celestia, her eyes burning. She said, “They’re…not afraid, princess. The Decepticons aren’t afraid of making themselves known once again.” Celestia nodded grimly. “If we can’t do anything to free Vanhoover…then what can we do, princess?” For this, Princess Celestia actually had an answer that might help her friend’s wounded heart, as well as her own. Gently nuzzling the Pegasus under her wing, the solar goddess opened her eyes slowly to stare at Twilight, a sigh making its exit through her lips. “For now, all we can do is pray for those suffering in Vanhoover,” she said, causing Twilight’s head to slowly fall. It picked up once she added, “I have already sent an order throughout the country declaring the Alliance be terminated. All members in any cities across Equestria are to be persecuted and imprisoned for their betrayal.” “What about me?” Twilight asked, earning the attention of both Celestia and her Royal Messenger. “Why did you want to tell me this information? Shouldn’t Shining Armor or the Griffon King be told about this?” Princess Celestia nodded. “I have made sure that Prince Shining Armor and all neighboring nations have heard of this threat building on our own soil,” saying this caused the smaller Alicorn to breathe a breath of relief. Celestia continued, “While their support is appreciated, it doesn’t fill the fear I have in your…” she looked down at the Pegasus under her wing, sighing softly “...Autobot friends back at Ponyville. I fear they might be targeted first from the Decepticons’ aggression. Twilight nodded grimly. “The reason I called you here, Twilight, was so that you can spread this message to the rest of the Elements and your Autobot friends. Tell them this threat, prepare them for the inevitable, and for my sake…please be safe.” Princess Twilight bit her lower lip hard, looking back and forth between her hooves. The message, the threat, the truth, all of it was so overwhelming for her. Now that the Decepticons were back, holding an entire city hostage, the truth in Celestia’s words made sense to the younger Alicorn. The Autobots were no doubt going to be targeted first. With them out of the way, there was nothing standing in the way of the Decepticon aggression. She needed to tell her friends…now! Quickly bowing to the princess, Twilight spun around and pushed aside the two massive doors, her galloping hoofsteps heard throughout the hallways. Celestia watched her leave with the same kind of feeling she had a year ago. Dependency. Twilight needed to tell the Autobots of this and prepare them for the Decepticon attack that was no doubt heading their way, shrouded in a storm of darkness with legions of evil by their side. If she didn’t get them prepared and if the Decepticons did indeed attack…then what hope could they have in defeating not only the returning Decepticon threat but the strength of the AAA? Not much hope to find. Not much hope to live for. The Pegasus’ terrified gasps caught Celestia’s attention quickly. She brought down her head and nuzzled his neck affectionately. It did very little to calm him down. He spoke. “They…they killed them,” Speeding Bullet whimpered. “All those ponies…I could hear the gunfire…and their…their screams. I should’ve done something…I should’ve gotten help.” “Shhhhh…it’s alright,” Celestia whispered into his air, her wing wrapping around him tighter. The messenger looked up at Celestia, a tear sliding down his cheek. “I’m…I’m so sorry, princess. I failed you.” The solar princess placed a hoof over his mouth. Speeding was quite surprised to see a tear of her own falling away from her eye, but he could understand the feelings she held, the guilt she felt. The pain in her heart was strong, for the Pegasus could barely feel it beat. “No, my little pony,” Celestia told him, another tear falling, “I’ve failed you.”