//------------------------------//
// That was... different... 
// Story: Transformares (Not So) Animated 
// by neorenamon 
//------------------------------//

by neorenamon

The Autobots were pinned down by Megatron and his bullybots. They were quickly running out of rocks to keep them shielded from the deadly barrage of Decepticon fire.
"I don't know how much more we can take!" shouted Ratchet.
"Well we have to keep Megatron busy until they save their Princess!" replied Prime.
"And just who is going to save us?!"
"A bot's gotta do what a bot's gotta do," interrupted Jazz.
"And a con's gotta do what a con's gotta do," replied Blitzwing as he strafed the Autobot's hiding places, "Let's play some more Whack-a-Moletron!"
"Oh where do I find these bots?" muttered Megatron as he hovered in chopper mode looking for a target for his big gun.
"I shall always be at your beck and call," replied Lugnut.
"That makes me feel so much better."
Of course, sarcasm was totally wasted on Lugnut.
"Surrender Autobots," said Astrotrain as he buzzed them in shuttle mode, "We have you totally outgunned without your precious Omega Supreme!"
Megatron cleared his throat speaker.
"Ah... assuming that Lord Megatron is even willing to entertain such thoughts!"
"That's better," he replied.
Then Megatron noticed that Bumblebee was moving towards Ratchet.
"Decepticons!" he called, "Keep that scout away from their medic! If they join their weapons, they can make an electromagnetic pulse that could take down one of us!"
So Blitzwing focused fire on Bumblebee while Lugnut drove Ratchet back with his own attacks.
"This doesn't look so good!" called Jazz, "I suggest we fall back and regroup!"
"We can't fall back without going into open terrain!" he replied, "The Cons would crush us for sure!"
"It's only time before they crush us here!"
"I wish you let Sari stay here with us!" whined Bumblebee.
"She's safer where she is!" retorted Prime.
"With that Nightmaretron and Discord around, how can you be so sure?!"
"I... well..."
"Oh don't worry your pretty little... uh... heads about that," said an eerie voice, "They're total safe rotting in a cell with their precious Princess Celestia!" Then Discord appeared in a flash of light.
"YOU'VE LOST, PRIME!!" growled Megatron.
"I think Megamouth might have a point!" called Bumblebee.
"We've gotten out of tougher spots than this!" replied Prime.
"NOT LATELY!"
No one seemed to noticed that a cloud front was moving in on them. If they were paying attention, they might have realized they were coming from the same direction as the Shadowbolt's base.
"Hmm..." mused Discord, "Well this is no fun. I think it's time to spice things up..."
"What are you babbling about?!" asked Megatron.
So he snapped his talons and turned them all to pony forms. Including the Autobots. The Decepticons, of course, already had their pony forms for some time.
"You're twisted!" hissed Princess Megatron, "But we'll still crush them! I'll have you know that Nightmaretron will know of your treachery and I don't think she'll like it!"
"Oh, so you're the teacher's pet, are you?"
"I don't even know what that means!"
"Nevermind," he replied as he looked over his handiwork.
"Lord Megatron!" called Lugnut-pegasus, "We have no ranged attacks in these forms!"
"What's a matter?!" replied Bumblebee, "Are you afraid to get your hooves dirty?!"
"I will CRUSH you for your impudence!"
"Oh worse bots than you have tried that!" he replied, "And failed!"
"Funny," mused Discord as he looked at the clouds, "I wasn't expecting a storm."
"And I bet you weren't expecting 20% more awesome either!" called Rainbow Dash as she came in on a sonic rainboom. She was wearing one of the Shadowbolts' weapons packs. There was also a Shadowbolt uniform on her.
"You think one pony will make any difference!" shouted Princess Megatron.
"Weapons deploy!" she called as the autocannon, rockets and bombs deployed from her packs.
"Everyone attack her now! She can't get all of you!"
"I wouldn't expect cowardice from you, Princess Megatron!" called Optimus-pony.
"Even with these packs on, you can't lay a hoof on me!" taunted Rainbow. She proved her point be evading the Cons clumsy attacks as she moved higher into the air.
"I know this has to work," called Princess Megatron as she focused. She saw Nightmaretron do it and figured she had to be able to do something like it. Much to her surprise, a black energy bolt shot from her horn and glanced off Dash's saddlebag.
"Gimme a break!" growled Ratchet.
"Now this is much more amusing," giggled Discord.
"Autocannons!" commanded Dash, "Long burst at Princess Megatron!" The guns responded with a stream of red hot cannon shells.
But Lugnut intercepted them and took all the hits for his leader.
Then the energy blast from her horn struck a glancing blow off Dash's head.
None of the Cons seemed to care as Lugnut fell from the sky bleeding.
"I don't believe I'm going to do this!" called Ratchet as he moved himself to break Lugnut's fall.
"Ratchet!" called Prime, "What are you doing?!"
"My job!" he replied just before Lugnut hit. The two of them were left laying in a pile.
"Well isn't this just all kinds of special?!" called Bumblebee as he made his way towards the two of them.
Dash shook her head and said, "I was really hoping it wouldn't have to be like this."
"What is she muttering about?" asked Astrotrain-pegasus. Oh right, he didn't have an organic form yet.
Then Dash whistled. There was a deafening silence as nothing seemed to happen.
"You fool!" called Megatron, "What were you..."
The clouds suddenly erupted in volleys of rockets aimed at the Cons.
"Oh scrap..." she replied as she dodged.
"Dash led the Cons up higher so her friends had a clear line of fire at them!" called Bulkhead-pony, "BRILLIANT!"
"Princess Megatron!" called Discord, "You and your Cons fall back! Regroup! I'll keep them all busy!"
"Very well," replied the Princess, "All units withdraw!"
"What about Lugnut?!" asked Astrotrain.
"If you want to go back for him and face them all on your own, be my guest!"
"NOT A CHANCE!" he replied as he flew off after them.
"We have you surrounded!" called Prime as the Cons retreated, "Surrender!"
"Do you mind?!" snapped Discord as he flashed over to Ratchet and Lugnut, "While healing isn't my strong point, I can fake it." He began to glow as his magic began to flow into the two wounded.
"Why are you helping us?" asked Bumblebee.
"Do you really think I'm on Nightmaretron's side?!" he asked, "That I'd put up with the likes of Princess Megatron?!"
The Shadowbolts emerged from the clouds as they flew in.
"Then why did you betray the Autoponies?!" asked Prime.
"Well they wanted to be with their Princess Celestia," he replied, "and that was the easiest way I could think of."
"But now they're rotting in a cell!" snapped Bumblebee.
"Why do I get the idea that you're the one who secured them all?" asked Jazz-pony.
"Ah, someone's using their processor," replied Discord.
"So you can free them at any time?!" asked Ratchet.
"When Nightmaretron is suitably distracted," he answered, "They will."
"What about the Elements of Harmony?!"
"Oh, I suppose if Nightmaretron is bent on smashing them, what can I do?"
"So you win from that as well," replied Jazz.
"Don't go, Princess Megatron," muttered Lugnut.
"Dude," said Bumblebee, "You really need to make a better choice of marefriends!"
"Someone get this hunk of meat OFF ME!" hissed Ratchet-pony.
"Well some things never change."