//------------------------------// // Chapter 70-Battle Cry // Story: Transformers: The Requiem // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// “Well buck me sideways.” Rainbow Dash’s comment was neither acknowledged nor present. If anything, the Pegasus breathed the comment to herself, simply amazed at the scene before her and her friends. And after that comment, nothing else. She sat silently and watched Prime decimate the Dinobots one by one. Grimlock roared in a mixture of agony and hatred. It wasn’t the blade stabbed into his chest or the fact that he landed face first into the dirt. It was because he was bested so easily by something so much more insignificant to him. Never again. After struggling to find his footing, the Dinobot growled and clawed his way back upwards. His fiery optics captured the intruder now wielding a shield alongside the blade he ripped out of his chest. He found the earth against his feet. Grimlock roared and charged again. “Cease this behavior, brother! Recognize your leader!” Optimus shouted, anticipating Grimlock’s next move. The beast went in for a chomp at Prime’s head, but Optimus ducked to the right side almost as fast. With Grimlock’s head low to the ground, almost bewildered at the sight of nothing but grass and not Prime’s corpse, Optimus jumped as high as his limits could reach. He dug the end of his sword into Grimlock’s neck, eliciting a painful screech from the robotic dinosaur. He was atop of him. Grimlock immediately went wild. He shook his head side to side, only causing Prime’s sword to dig deeper into his neck. Grimlock roared and screeched in rage, blowing endless flames from his open jaws onto the grass fields, burning it all. The five mares and one dragon had to cover their eyes from the bright fire. They could still hear the fight, the fight that determined their freedom. With the intruder still latched onto the neck of their pack superior, Swoop acted quickly knowing that he would not last much longer on his own. He spread his wings and leapt from the tree branch, flying downwards and smacking the intruder right across the forehead with his wing. The mares cringed at the sight. Spike chewed on his claws. Optimus tumbled around, flipping large pieces of earth and grass about as he did so. Finally, he managed to plant his feet down and come to a screeching halt. He only had a few seconds to bring his head up and react. Even that wasn’t much time. Optimus barely dodged the stegosaurus rampaging his way, its wicked tail nearly impaling him as it ran on by. The Prime sent one glance towards the beast’s way, noticing how it skidded into the grass and began to slowly turn around. A roar quickly got his attention, and Optimus made the mistake of not watching his surroundings. The triceratops was already on top of him. “Optimus!” a shrill cry screamed from the forest lines The last Prime grunted in a mixture of pain and forcefulness. He had to drop his sword and shield for the next part, because the triceratops was still pushing against him with all its strength. Optimus fought back. He made his statement by planting his feet in the grass, causing them both to slow down. He reached upwards and gripped the horns atop Slug’s head. He even dared to look the beast in the eyes as he did so. Slug roared. Optimus shouted in anger and pushed the Dinobot aside, allowing it to ram its head into the nearest set of trees, lodging the horns deep inside their trunks. “I do not wish to fight you all anymore,” Optimus pleaded, already noticing the stegosaurus preparing itself for another charge. “End this madness! You know this isn’t right!” Snarl growled and ran for him, fully intending on not missing the intruder’s head this time. There was another roar. Optimus gave a sidelong glance to his right. Grimlock was right behind him, charging him. Optimus dipped to the side. In that instant, Snarl forced himself to stop, but he was already going too fast to enact such an action. The stegosaurus ran right into Grimlock’s front leg, creating a satisfying slam of metal against metal and a painful roar from the tyrannosaurus. Both Dinobots went tumbling down in a matter of seconds, sending a tremor throughout the Everfree. “Woohoo! That a boy, Prime! Show ‘em who’s leader!” a congratulatory shout bellowed from the foliage. Optimus recognized the scratchy tone, but had little time to realize who had followed him and disobeyed his orders. He was still under attack. He was still on a mission. The pterodactyl came down for another strike. This time Prime was ready. Swoop fired something from his beak, something Prime reacted to faster than he could have previously. He lunged to the side, feeling the heat of the blast from Swoop’s attack erupt behind him. Optimus spun around from his position on the grass, noticing the entire area he once stood was incinerated. Dark grass, beads of red still burning the tips. Optimus got back up. Swoop screeched and flew right for him. Spike ran out of claws to chew on, so he reached forward and started nibbling on Fluttershy’s hoof. Just as the two were about to strike, Optimus reached the unreachable. He dipped to the side at the last second and grabbed Swoop’s left wing with both hands. The pterodactyl screeched in protest, but was ultimately no match for what came next. Prime spun the beast around once, twice, three times to gain momentum…and then threw him. Swoop lost control at that point and flew face first into a bundle of trees, bringing them all down on top of him. Multiple cheers erupted from the same foliage again. Optimus paid the spectators no heed, despite knowing who they were. He instead brought his attention over to his sword and shield lying on the grass several yards away, scattered from his previous assault enacted by Slug. Prime ran forward and scooped up his items, his sword in his right and his shield in his left. “Optimus, look out!” Grimlock’s tail sent Prime flying. He tumbled and flew like a ragdoll, sending bits of metal from himself to and fro across the landscape. In his wrecked state, Optimus still came to a halt at the forest’s edge. Energon leaked from numerous gashes and cuts sprawled across his form. His body twitched, sending sparks across the scorched earth. His breathing was ragged, his broken chest heaving in and out with bits of dirt and grass falling from him. Optimus Prime lifted up his shield with his sword hanging over his head, battle ready with murder ripe in his optics. “Come here!” Prime screamed in a tone for more threatening than anything the mares had ever heard before. All eyes from the collapsed foliage shifted to the only Dinobot still standing. Grimlock’s optics narrowed on the intruder so willing to fight on, so willing to die just to bring him down to slavery…because he was his friend? Grimlock growled quietly. “You’re brave for coming to challenge me in my territory. You’re brave…but you’re a fool. You stand no chance! Give up now and I’ll let you retreat with your life!” Optimus’ optics narrowed on the brother so willing to kill him, so willing to deny any truth Optimus spoke of him. Why did he stay in this forest wasting his own body for some beast with amnesia? Why did he continue to fight for a cause with no chance of winning? Why didn’t he just…give up…like so many others have? Faith is what makes everything worth fighting for. Spike... Optimus Prime gripped the handle on his sword. “I’ve constantly retreated throughout the darkness of the short life I have lived. In that path I’ve followed, I’ve hurt so many, caused so much grief, so much pain…that the world suffered for it. From here…I will never surrender, I will never back down, and I will never retreat from my faith in freedom!” Grimlock clawed at the dirt, his optics burning red. “Wrong answer.” He covered the last Prime in a burning death. There was no feeling at first. The five mares all gasped in unified terror. Those gasps changed to shrieks, then to whimpers, then to cries. Rainbow Dash shook her head back and forth, stamping her hoof in the crushed leaves and branches and constantly muttering words of denial. Rarity covered her mouth, concealing anymore cries…but unsuccessful in concealing the tears. Pinkie Pie slowly shrunk down, her hind legs giving out as tears began to swell her eyelids. Applejack simply sat there, mouth agape and one lone tear falling from her right eye. Fluttershy let loose one final cry before falling back and resting her head in Spike’s chest, whimpering silently as the dragon patted her on the back. All the while, the dragon kept his eyes locked on the scene. The flames completely destroyed the area Prime once stood, the rising ash filling the sky with death and darkness. Grimlock turned his whole body around, roaring in victory to the heavens. No…it wasn’t supposed to be like this. Optimus was supposed to come back. He’d said he would he come back! He swore he would come-! Two blue lights emerged in the raging fire. A being of red and blue leapt from the burning cinders, screaming its battle cry with a burning red shield and sword. Spike’s open frown of despair changed into a look of glee. Fluttershy gasped, her tears dissipating instantly. The others followed her lead…and they cheered for him. Grimlock instantly ceased his victory celebration when he felt the same pain rip his neck apart. He reared forward, his legs nearly giving out. In that moment, Grimlock looked back, his red optic connecting with Optimus Prime’s blue optics. He saw the anger, the power, and the strength in those blue optics. It was a strength Grimlock had never witnessed, had never encountered. And he had no power over it. He let loose several more piercing cries and roars, slashing his head about to get the Prime away from him. He stumbled across the forest floor, sending tremors and flames to dance across the grassland. And even then, even with all of his willpower and brutal ferocity…he could not win. Grimlock felt the pain leave. He looked up, noticing that the Prime was hovering right above him…and coming straight back down. The cringe-worthy expressions from the equines were not directed towards Optimus this time around. When he came throttling downwards, Optimus sent the bottom of his shield directly on Grimlock’s head, right over his Autobot insignia. A sickening sound resonated throughout the forest. The force of the blow, the strength from Prime brought Grimlock down to the earth in a painful wreckage of metal and dust. The dust blocked out the view for Applejack and the gang…but they could still hear it. Moans of pain from the Dinobot commander, heavy breathing from the last Prime, and Cybertronian metal straining against itself painted the whole picture. Once the dust cleared, the ponies and dragon watched on as Grimlock lifted his head from the dirt, only to be brought back down when Optimus Prime emerged from atop of Grimlock’s back. The Dinobot moaned in pain, but did not resist any longer. He had reached his limits. He had been bested by a warrior far more capable than he. He…lost. From atop, the Dinobot could hear the warrior speak. Optimus Prime pulled out his sword, burn marks stretched across his armor and cuts painted across his legs. Yet he still stood proud, strong, in victory. And in that victory…he could finally claim what he had been searching for. Optimus stared at the cracked Autobot symbol resting on Grimlock’s forehead. His brother. “You fight…only for us now, Grimlock,” Optimus Prime began, weariness creeping into his vocal modulators. Slowly, ever so slowly, Optimus Prime sat down on Grimlock’s neck, resting his hand on the symbol gracing the Dinobot’s forehead. “You are an Autobot…my brother.” Grimlock’s optics dimmed down. He blew steam from his slightly parted jaw onto the torn grass field, but that was all. No flames, no retaliation, no fight. You are an Autobot… …my brother. “Auto…bot,” Grimlock mumbled. He could feel the warrior…his leader adjust to a sitting position from his neck. Grimlock did not fight back. He felt his leader push upwards. Grimlock obeyed and began to stand. The ash fell around them like rain, or pieces of confetti thrown from grateful ponies back in Canterlot after one of their astounding victories to save Equestria. It wasn’t their victory…yet…but it was someone else’s. Their friend…Optimus Prime…had achieved the unachievable, beaten the impossible, broken the boundaries, and reached the goal. Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Spike all stepped away from the safe haven of shattered tree limbs and into the open. They felt no fear when the other Dinobots approached from the sides. Their attention seemed to be elsewhere…in fact, it seemed to be in the exact place the equines were looking. The five ponies, one baby dragon, and three Dinobots all stared in absolute awe of the spectacle before them. Optimus Prime, their friend, their intruder, began to rise…as did the monster of the Everfree. They rose together…united. “Wow…” was all that Spike could muster, his eyes growing wider by the second. No other words were needed. The five mares all felt the same. Optimus Prime, instead of being angry with the ponies for disobeying him, acknowledged their presence for this first time. From his height rising by the second, Optimus Prime nodded to them, to his friends, for always being there for him. He caught Spike’s stare, sending one of his own to the brave, brave dragon. Like a hero from one of Spike’s comic books, Optimus Prime pointed his sword in the air and spoke to them, not just to his equine friends…but his brothers. His family. “The time has come, my brothers, for our rise to glory. The Decepticons will never end their reign amongst the ponies of Equestria…unless there are heroes willing to take a stand and fight for the truth. We are those heroes, my brothers! We will take a stand! We will show our aggressors that we will not be beaten down so easily! Today, my Autobots, we fight together…for the freedom of this world, for the freedom of ponykind!” Optimus Prime leaned back. Grimlock sent a torrent of flames from his jaws to the sky. Spike smiled. “Autobots, roll out!”