It was a peaceful night in Ponyville. A cool night breeze blew through the vacant streets, kicking up loose pieces of paper and a few leaves that had been ripped from one of the town's trees. The moon and the stars bathed the town in pale light, though that didn’t seem to bother the sleeping inhabitants. On the edge of town stood Twilight’s castles, with its owner and her dragon inside, fast asleep. Only the distant sound of crickets and the occasional hoot of an owl broke the tranquility of the village.
Then, without warning, that same tranquility was shattered by a loud boom. All at once, the ponies of Ponyville were jolted awake. Bright orange light blanketed the town. Twilight scrambled to her windows as fire filled the night sky, Spike attached to her leg. Her jaw dropped as a massive metallic hulk plummeted the sky, fire spewing from its body. The mass soared over the town, illuminating the houses under it. Sparks and even pieces of the object poured onto the town, setting fire to parts of it. Once Twilight's eyes adjusted to the light, she could finally make out what the mysterious object was; it seemed to be some kind of giant metal craft.
As the ship fell, Twilight could make out a smaller vehicle circling the larger ship, firing projectiles at it. Suddenly, a red bolt flew from the larger craft, striking the smaller one. The ship spiraled out of control, its back half was consumed by flames. It made a noble attempt to right itself, before crashing near Fluttershy’s cottage. The larger craft fared no better, slamming into the Everfree forest a fair ways away from its smaller counterpart.
“T-Twilight, what was that?” Spike asked, his claws firmly implanted in her flesh.
Twilight stood in place, frozen in awe as she blinked in disbelief. Then, she grabbed Spike with her magic, placing him on her back. He latched onto her mane as she galloped down the stairs of her castle. Once downstairs, she burst through the doors, nearly breaking them off their hinges. Rainbow Dash and the other pegasi dumped the rain from clouds into the blazes, while Applejack and her family used shovels to pile dirt on the blaze. Even Rarity was aiding the effort, using her magic, as well as some fireproof fabric, to smother small fires that had been separated from the inferno. Fortunately, none of the fires were allowed to get terribly large, nor were they terribly numerous.
“Girls!” Twilight shouted as she ran towards the three ponies.
“Twilight, darling, are you alright?” Rarity asked as she smothered one of the last fires.
“I'm fine, are you all okay?” Twilight questioned, panting from her run.
“Fit as a fiddle,” Applejack answered.
Twilight exhaled forcefully. Then she began helping the others in putting out the fires, using her magic to encase them in air tight shields. “That's a relief...what was that thing?”
“I was hoping you'd know that,” Rarity told her.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Rainbow Dash interjected while she kicked a cloud. The other three mares turned to her. “It was aliens! They've come here to get back their relics they left thousands of years ago, just like in Daring Doo and the Kingdom of the Crystal Heart!"
“Ordinarily, I’d say that’s ridiculous, but this time you might be right,” Twilight said. Rainbow Dash smiled pridfully, puffing out her chest. Suddenly, a faint scream cut through their chatter.
“That sounds like Fluttershy!” Dash shouted.
Then, another scream.
“And that sounds like Pinkie Pie,” Rarity added.
"The rest 'o the town can handle these 'ere fires, we gotta go help 'em," Applejack said.
“She's right, let's go!” Twilight complied.
As the five galloped towards Fluttershy’s cottage, each of them conjured a horrid image of what might await them. Twilight envisioned green glowing skeletal ponies with large cannons, Applejack pictured giant tri-legged walkers, Rainbow Dash though they’d be large, black insect like creatures with acid blood, and Rarity assumed they’d be green with pitch black eyes. Each of them was proven wrong, however, when they neared Fluttershy’s cottage.
Dug into the dirt mere feet from her house were the remnants of the smaller craft they’d seen over the town, along with what they assumed to be its owners. Giant metal creatures brawled all around the small house, stending sparks flying as their bodies knocked against one another. In the well light night, the group could make out one lone creature knelt behind the cottage, holding Fluttershy and Pinkie in his arms. Fluttershy had her eyes covered with her hooves, while Pinkie Pie prattled on about something they couldn't hear over the sound of explosions. The four mares ducked behind a bush, peering over the top of the plant to observe the battle.
“Alright girls, here’s the plan: I’ll distract them with a flash of magic, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash grab Fluttershy and Pinkie, and Rarity covers us, got it?” Twilight told them, the other three nodding. Twilight put Spike down, before leaping out of her hiding spot. “Hey you!” she shouted. Only Optimus and Bumblebee, the one who happened to be holding Fluttershy and Pinkie, heard her. ‘Good enough’ she thought as she channeled magic energy into her horn. She loosed her magic, unleashing a massive burst of light that blinded the poor scout. Rainbow Dash and Applejack burst forth from the bush, quickly grabbing their friends before retreating.
Seeing an opportunity Megatron struck the disoriented Prime, smashing into him with his shoulder while the other Autobots and Decepticons fought around them. He hurled his fist towards Optimus, who recovered his sight just in time to roll out of its path.
Back in the bush, Fluttershy struggled against Rainbow Dash. “No, wait!” she shouted.
“It’s okay Fluttershy, you’re safe,” Rainbow assured her.
“No, you've got it all wrong! They’re friendly!" she told them as she pointed a hoof at Bumblebee. "That one saved me from the other ones!”
“Yeah. They’re the good guys!” Pinkie added.
“Then why were y’all screaming?” Applejack questioned.
“My cottage did catch on fire,” Fluttershy said bluntly.
“And I was just fangirling. I mean, they're the Autobots for pony's sake! Who wouldn't scream?” Pinkie asked them. The others exchanged a glance, realizing their mistake.
Without further questioning, Twilight leapt over their hiding spot, rushing towards the two brawling leaders. As she galloped, Rainbow Dash and Applejack sprang into action. Applejack dug up a series of rocks, using her powerful legs to launch them at the attackers. One of the projectiles flew over Bulkhead’s shoulder, striking the Decepticon next to him. “My optics!” he cried as glass dug into his eyes.
Meanwhile, Dash weaved between the massive robots, punching out their crimson visors as she flew.
Optimus and Megatron locked fists with each other, both grunting as they threw all of their might at each other. Suddenly, Twilight slid under Prime’s legs, firing a magic blast at Megatron’s chest as she did so. This gave Optimus an opening. In one motion, he swept the warlord of his feet, grabbed his ankles, and spun him around. Twilight watched in awe as the silver blur passed over her head. Then, Prime threw his brother deep into the woods, caausing his Decepticons to scurry after their leader.
He looked down at the purple pony, sliding back his battle mask to reveal a smile. “You have my thanks, young one” he told her. The other six joined her, each of them staring up at the metal titans.
“Spike, take a letter.”