“Me Grimlock say this stupid idea.” One wouldn't think that a towering robotic warrior could sulk, but Grimlock often liked to prove people wrong, just on general principle. He sat slumped in a too-small acelleration chair aboard the bridge of an interstellar shuttle, staring sullenly out at the blackness. “Why me Grimlock have to go to stupid pony planet?”
“You and Wheelie were the only Autobots to ever set foot on Equestria.” Optimus Prime said, patiently. “And since Wheelie is busy on Earth, you're the only source of local knowledge we have.”
“Grr. Me Grimlock still think it stupid. No Decepticons on pony planet. No fights!”
“You know,” said a little blue and grey robot sitting behind Grimlock. “That's a pretty good reason for visiting, if you ask me.”
“Well said, Beachcomber,” said Optimus Prime. “It's important to build relationships with other sentient beings across the galaxy. The Decepticons have been quiet lately anyway- this gives us an opportunity that we might not have otherwise.”
“Then how come us no go to pony planet earlier?”
“That, Grimlock, is a very good question!” The red and blue robot sitting behind Optimus Prime looked up from the datapad he'd been reading. “You see, due to the gravometric orientation of our galaxy, one can calibrate a quantum FTL engine to capitalize on certain semi-predictable anomalies, which allows for certain optimized routes of transit to be utilized on a periodical basis.”
“In English, Perceptor?” A horned yellow head poked up from behind the scientist's chair.
“In layman's terms, Bumblebee,” Perceptor huffed, “now is quite simply the most fuel-efficient time to travel to Planet Equestria. Honestly, it's not a hard concept to grasp, once you've gotten down the fifth-dimensional calculus down. I'd be happy to teach any of you the basics- it should only take a decade or so.”
Perceptor's offer was met with silence. He found himself slightly relieved at this, as the prospect of teaching higher mathematics to the likes of Grimlock was hardly enticing, to say the very least.
“Sorry Perceptor,” Optimus Prime turned in his seat to check an updated readout on the shuttle's control console. “You'll have to give us the full lecture some other time. Cosmos just sent us coordinates for our approach vector. Buckle up, Autobots. We're going to Equestria.”
“Me Grimlock still think it stupid idea.”
It'd been a quick train ride over to Canterlot to share the news with Princess Celestia, and a surprisingly easy matter to organize a landing afterward. They commandeered Canterlot's polo fields, the largest stretch of open, flat ground inside Canterlot proper, and turned it into a makeshift runway to Cosmos' specifications.
While speed had been a priority, secrecy hadn't. A who's who of Canterlot's upper crust (including Upper Crust himself) had assembled to see the momentous occasion, regardless of if they'd been invited, or even if they knew exactly what was going on. In turn, several enterprising ponies had latched onto the opportunity to set up stalls and tents in order to hawk the requisite drinks, snacks, and cheaply made souvenirs to the well-heeled crowd.
“There they are!” Twilight Sparkle looked up from her telescope and turned to the intimidatingly large crowd that'd gathered to watch the space landing. Most of them went about their business, not even paying attention to Twilight.
“Perhaps you should try speaking a little louder?” Princess Celestia offered.
“Er, I haven't quite gotten the hang of the Royal Canterlot Voice just yet.”
“THIS CAN BE AMENDED,” Princess Luna said in a polite bellow.
“Er, maybe later?” said Twilight.
“Here, try this.” Spike lifted up a megaphone.
“From the diaphragm, remember.” Princess Luna noted.
“Thanks,” Twilight smiled, then levitated the cone in front of her. “AHEM. IF I MAY HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE, OUR GUESTS HAVE JUST ENTERED OUR ATMOSPHERE!”
A polite applause rippled through the crowd, and then the crème de la crème of Canterlot society (including Cream de la Creme herself) went back to their idle conversation.
“Is it just me, or does that whole 'entering our atmosphere' thing sound dirty?” Rainbow Dash muttered to nopony in particular. Fluttershy blushed anyway. To be fair, this was her default reaction to most things.
“Keep. It. Down.” Rarity hissed. “There's royalty present!”
“Oh, right. I keep on having to explain all my dirty jokes to Twilight and then they're not funny anymore.”
“They're usually not funny to begin with.” Applejack said.
“Hey!” said Rainbow Dash.
“Oh lookit!” Pinkie Pie said through a faceful of cotton candy. “I think that's them! Unless there's some other big flamey meteor coming directly at us in which case we should probably just start screaming now to stay ahead of schedule.”
“Don't worry, it's them.” Cosmos said. Some thoughtful soul had thought to elevate the Royal Viewing Platform, allowing the towering Autobot to look at the ponies at roughly eye level.
The shuttle was little more than a shining light, at first, like a star that'd somehow gotten misplaced. Eventually, as it grew closer, and as the more curious amongst the crowd focused their telescopes and binoculars on the bright dot, details began to take shape. It was a long, sleek vessel- predominantly white, with swept back wings and a boxy blue undercarriage.
The shuttle swept around in a wide circle, slowly spiraling down towards the landing field. As it banked, a large red-faced Autobot symbol emblazoned on each of its wings came into view. Even the most industrious socialites took notice as the whine of the shuttle's engines pierced the air.
The spaceship slowly swooped down, coming to a hover above the cleared out polo field before it gently lowered itself the last few feet. Landing gear pressed down into the soft earth, and the engines finally shut off. The shuttle, which had seemed so tiny only minutes earlier, was nearly as big as a wing of Canterlot palace- and condsiderably more solid, all polished steel and sleek lines.
The collected crowed ooed and ahhed obligingly, while the more delicate ponies amongst them swooned into the waiting hooves of servants and/or paramours they'd been looking for an excuse to swoon at. (Rarity was not amongst the swooners, as she knew swooning had already become passe a few weeks prior).
A ramp extended from the bow of the shuttle, and a towering figure of red and blue stepped out into the sunlight.
Optimus Prime had come to Equestria.
“We should've built a taller platform.” Twilight Sparkle said under her breath.
Princess Celestia took to the air with a single beat of her wings, and crossed the field to hover at the level of Optimus Prime's blue eyes, nearly two and a half stories above the ground.
“On behalf of my subjects, and all the kingdoms of this planet, Welcome to Equestria.” Princess Celestia bowed her head, briefly.
“Princess Celestia, I presume?”
“You presume correctly, Optimus Prime.”
“Please, just Optimus will do.”
“Well then, Optimus,” Princess Celestia said with a faint smile, “It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I've heard a lot about you.”
“Only good things, I hope.”
“I wasn't aware there were bad things to say.”
“I could say the same about you, Princess Celestia.”
“Please, Celestia will do.”
“Here, let me introduce the rest of my crew.” Prime turned and waved the handful of Autobots to follow him.
“This is Perceptor, my chief scientist- and Beachcomber, a geologist. With your permission, we'd like to study your planet, as I understand it's particularly unique amongst the worlds we've encountered.”
“Of course.” Celestia said, and glanced over her shoulder to where Twilight watched on the Royal Viewing Platform. “In fact, I think I know just the pony who'd be able to help them out...”
“Excellent.” Optimus Prime rumbled. “That's Bumblebee, standing behind Perceptor- he's not a scientist, but he's one of our bravest, most resourceful Autobots. When he heard we were headed to a new planet, he wouldn't let me leave him behind.”
Bumblebee waved, cheery.
“And...I understand you've met Grimlock.”
The dinobot stomped down the ramp, and glared at everyone and everything around him.
Celestia smiled to the motley handful of Autobots, and bowed her head again. “A pleasure. Now, if you'll follow me to the palace, we can continue our conversation in a slightly less...formal manner. I'll set a guard for your spaceship, of course. Wouldn't want any overzealous souvenir-seekers to hurt themselves.”
“I assure you, Princess, that won't be nessescary.” The shuttle said.
And in a matter of seconds, panels slid, folded, and expanded across the shuttle; it sprouted four legs, and stood up- the cockpit stretched out on a red metal neck, nosecone opening to reveal neat rows of sharklike teeth, and a tailfin-tipped tail sprouted from the starship's bow. The resulting mechanical dragon stretched itself out, almost feline.
“And that's Sky Lynx.” Optimus Prime said.
“Salutations!” said Sky Lynx. He enunciated each syllable with refined precision: a feat made more impressive by the fact he didn't appear to have lips.
Princess Celestia looked up (and up, and up) at the mechanical space-dragon.
“On second thought, perhaps we should meet in the south ballroom. It's bigger.”