//------------------------------// // Predacons Rising Part 2: Leader of the Pack // Story: Equestria Girls: The Rubicon // by Jongoji245 //------------------------------// At the abandoned ruins of the Albert Birch Bungalow, Galgameth, Skystalker, and Darksteel watched the sun rise once more, illuminating the land around the city before turning around to their new recruits waking up. “Ugh…” - Caterina got up, looking at her five others as they awoke and noticing their more animalistic features - “Porcina? Rep? What happened to-?” - Lifting her hand revealed a much more furred limb - “What the?!” Seeing Caterina, Porcina crawled over to a small puddle, finding her face suid, long snout, big ears, the works. “You ask me! Look at me!” “Dude,” - Both of them turned to Squirk as he recklessly moved his tentacles, barely mastering the hundreds of muscles on each limb - “this is creepy.” “You think this is creepy,” - Blackarachnia lifted her arms, showing the holes in each - “my arms look like Swiss cheese!” Rep rubbed his reptilian snout with his zygodactylous hands, “We’ve been turned into freaks!” - He turned over to Galgameth, Skystalker, and Darksteel - “I thought Sombra said we were going to be the perfect athletes.” Porcina shoved the chameleon aside, sizing herself up to Galgameth. “This is a complete mistake! We want a complete-!” Galgameth punched the pig in the stomach, lifted her up and tossed her aside. Seeing this, Caterina drew out her claws, looking furious. “Alright, time for this cat to-” Galgameth pulled a plasma cannon before the feline, touching her head with the barrel. “The incubation process was incomplete. Out of all of you, Blackarachnia is the closest to ever transform.” - Skystalker motioned to the others - “Logically, you shouldn’t return to your homes.” The five new Predacons looked at each other before turning to their supervisors. “Where do we live now?” Asked Caterina, her feline ears drawn back. “This is your new home.” - The group looked back, finding the mutated Chrysalis walking towards them - “You will serve me well, if not…” - Chrysalis nodded her head, motioning her first subordinates to aim their weapons at them. “Well...” - Squirk managed to curl up on tentacle - “being a squid does draw an interest from Oriental Feast. I’m in.” “Fine, but only if you find a cure.” - Caterina purred a little - “What would you want us to do?” Chrysalis lit up her horn, levitating a wounded Diver over to the group. “You will finish off what they have started. Strike them at full force while their numbers are still scattered.” In their base of operations at Canterlot High, actions were well underway for the recovery of Fluttershy. If the mutagen inside of her isn’t permanent as have happened to the Maximals, then a simple chill and spill should do the trick. And with higher altitudes being colder than ground level, Rainbow Dash and Zipper have already taken to the skies. “Cotton Candy to Angel Smurf, Cotton Candy to Angel Smurf,” - Pinkie Pie beckoned as she held a CB unit - “What’s your vector, victor?” Up in the air, Rainbow stopped soaring and tapped into her comlink, “‘Angel Smurf?’ Really, Pinkie?” Applejack grabbed the CB, giving the party planner the look, “What do you have so far, Rainbow?” “Nothing but blue skies.” - Rainbow chimed to Zipper as he made his way out of a cave - “Anything on your end, Zip.” “Wholebunchofnada.” He answered, sitting on a boulder. “Return back to base,” - Sunset voiced through the CB - “we’ll start again somewhere else.” Rarity, holding Spike in her arms, looked at Twilight as she wrote a complex equation. “Is that an equation for a… retromutagen?” Asked the dog, as he shuffled in the fashionista’s arms. “Yes, Spike. If I can get the reverse engineer the mutagen present in both examples, we should be able to restore Fluttershy to normal.” Said Twilight. “Even if you did,” - Sunset turned around to a damage centrifuge, holding in her frustration - “the process of which would not be severely impaired had Rainbow Dash not bring the entire soccer team to this room.” “Hey, it was Glue Foot’s fault, not mine.” Rainbow Dash buzzed from the other side of the line. Their conversation is interrupted when a knock is heard on the door. Pinkie Pie bounded forth, opening the door to find Derpy in mailman garb. “Letter for you.” She said, handing out a crudely made letter. “Thank you!” - Pinkie Pie leaned back inside, coming back out with a carton full of raisin muffins - “Muffin?” Derpy licked her lips before delicately grabbing one of them and leaving. Pinkie bounded back with the letter, opening it up to find a crude letter to match. Dear Students at Canterlot High, You know of our existence, and we have one of your own. If you want her seen again, meet us at the location given to in the letter. Galgameth. Rarity flipped the letter back and forth, expecting to see the address in the back or at the sides. “Such an inconvenient person this Galgameth person is. He didn’t even have the information.” “(Meet us at the location given to us in the letter.)” - Sunset thought to herself as she lifted the letter then looked at the envelope - “It is given to us.” She said, pointing at the sender corner of the envelope, which read: 523 Big Thompson Avenue “Jordan’s Greenhouse?” - Said Applejack - “Why would they be in a public location if they’ve been mutated?” “Either with help or on their own, they must have learned to transform.” - She dialed Chelsey’s phone number, waited for the phone to click - “Hey Chelsey. Are you available?” At the hospital, Chesley was pushing Tex’s wheelchair with one hand when she answers, “Yeah, just give me a minute to get Tex out of the clinic.” - She soon reached the front entrance, where his parents were waiting - “Hold on just one minute, you’ll be alright, will you?” “Yeah yeah, I’ll be fine.” Tex answered, waving his uninjured limb. Releasing him in the hands of his parents, Chelsey got back to the phone. “Where do we meet?” The Rainbooms, now with Rainbow Dash and Zipper, were already on their way to the greenhouse. Sunset drove ahead by motorcycle and so relied on the radio “We are en route to-” Hearing a crashing sound behind her, Sunset skid to a halt, turning around to find a truck similar to Applejack’s pushing at the farmer’s truck itself off the road, spinning it out of control at a golf course. Applejack shook her head, sputtered a little before slowly twisting her body. “Which one of y’all ain’t dead?” She asked, getting a groan from her passengers. Sunset drove to the accident site, seeing both the “weapon” used and the largely damaged but still intact truck when she heard from Applejack, “Everybody’s present and accounted for.” The cyclist took off her helmet, sighing in relief. “Thank God.” She muttered before being smacked aside. Sunset rolled down the hill, each roll seeing Galgameth appearing at the hill, jumping up and falling back down. All the while, the other Predacons began their attack. Zipper was the first to transform, and ascend into the air. As he looked down on leather wings, the Maximal found himself pursued by Blackarachnia. Accepting this rival with a loud screech, he dove down, talons reached out before latching onto the Pred’s arms. His four wings grasping with an iron grip, Zipper and Blackarachnia punched each other nonstop as they descended fast towards the ground. In an act of desperation, the Predacon transformed into Diver’s anthro mode and bit down on his wing. Screaming in pain, he released his grip, performing a U-Turn in the air before coming back. Applejack shifted her stetson forward as she went toe to toe against Porcina. Granted that she is still human, Applejack would find little difference in hogtying the Pred easily. That would be had it not been for her making two duplicates of herself. Such great detail made it hard for even the Element of Honesty to decide as dodged the punches of Porcina’s miniature army. But as she dodged, she did begin to notice a few things; two of the pigs were using their right arm and had a more blue hue on their skin. Just as the real Porcina jumped at her, the apple farmer gave her a very good punch on the snout. Rainbow Dash and Darksteel are at it again for Round 3. Now in open spaces, the sports captain flew about the skies, making several tight turns that would give the Ursagryph three seconds to turn around. Each time he did so, Darksteel would be given a “Sonic Roundhouse” (a move dubbed by Rainbow Dash herself). Enraged, the Predacon spun about, unleashing his firestorm at the clouds, decreasing any and all hiding places within his general area. He hovered about, looking around before finding Zipper and Blackarachnia fighting. Sensing no danger, Darksteel flew forward just when Rainbow drop kicked him so hard he fell back down on the floor. Squirk had a more ranged form of fighting as he lashed his tentacled limbs at Rarity. Not one to get her hands dirty as well, Rarity levitated fallen branches, and rocks and threw them at him. But that left her vulnerable from the stalking Caterina. Claws unsheathed, the anthropomorphic felines hiss reached Rarity’s pony ear, dodging the pounce at the last minute. Squirk raised his arms, forming a spear-like tip in each before shooting them out, striking Rarity in the back and sending her flying a few meters. The battle being rough for her, she pressed a button on her boots, protruding roller blades at the soles. Getting back on her feet, Rarity ran a figure eight around the cat and squid, teasing them and using their attacks against each other. A distance away from a tree line, Rep had much more of an advantage with his camouflage abilities. He prowled around the tree tops before his eyes targeted the bright pink object. In one quick motion, he lashed his tongue forward, knocking out the party planner. Crawling down, the chameleon inspected Pinkie, his unusual hands grasping and turned her around; it was a dummy. His skepticism cut short as Pinkie Pie blew a party horn into his ear. Fitting her Equestrian counterpart, she held her thumb with her lips, blew her hand up to three times its size and gave him an uppercut, launching him into the clearing. Sunset got up to find Galgameth and Skystalker circling around her. “You answering our letter was easily predictable.” - Said Skystalker, pointing up to the hill “A shame that your team isn’t at full strength.” - Galgameth pointed a cannon at her head - “But don’t worry, Chrysalis wants you all alive.” “I want us to be back in one piece!” - Exclaimed Chelsey as she “ponied up” and punched Galgameth in the head. She turned around to Skystalker transforming into his dragon mode, charging at her as he unleashed his icy breath. The giant Sophomore dodged the attack, lashing her claws as the dragon lunged back and forth at her. Galgameth got himself back into gear, aiming his arm cannon at the therizinosaur when a sea green aura wrapped around his arm before being pulled straight over to a furious Sunset Shimmer. “Not this time…” She said before unleashing a pulse from her body, sending the mech flying over. Back at the HUB, Twilight tried her hardest to communicate with her team. “Sunset, what’s going on?!” - the interior of the HUB started to short circuit, worrying Spike as he curled back into a corner - “Guys!” Back at the battle, Sunset applied all of her might in a beam fight between her and Galgameth, sending him flying back. The Phoenix Bearer charged another blast, ready to fire at the robotic insect. Suddenly a dark ring enveloped around her, trapping her in a ring of black crystals. “Sunset!” Shouted Applejack before she got enveloped in the same style prison along with Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Chelsey. Sunset wrapped herself in an aura, warping out of the crystal prison. “Hang on-!” Sunset was immediately sent back into her prison, much to her confusion. Back in the air, Zipper and Blackarachnia looked down from the sky, not noticing the dark cloud coming up behind the Maximal. On another section of the sky, Darksteel and Rainbow Dash looked down as well with confusion. “The hell?” Said Rainbow when she turned to a loud screeching noise, finding Zipper, knocked out of his power mode and falling down to the ground. A team player, she dove down after the Maximal, the wind blowing hard against her eyes and cheeks. In one swoop, she grabbed Zipper, flying forward a few meters before, like a crocodile catching a dove, they were both encased in the crystal prison. Blackarachnia and Darksteel landed on the ground, looking around each crystal prison as they join up with their fellow Cons. “This was not part of the plan.” Said Galgameth, feeling a sharp shock on his limb. “No…” - The black smoke emanated from the crystal prisons, gradually taking shape of a man. Parts of his body and limbs were encrusted with crystals, and a red-tipped horn jutted out of his head - “It was mine.” Darksteel cringed at the sight of him, “It cannot be…” “It defies logic.” Added Skystalker, his blank tone for once having a slight amount of fear. Sombra walked towards the cage containing Sunset Shimmer, giving her a growl as he eyed the other cages. “Where is she….?” Not hearing an answer, he turned around, intensifying his aura as his anger was being tested. “The abandoned warehouse…” - Galgameth pointed towards the Rockies - “Just west from here.” Narrowing his smoking optics, Sombra wrapped the entire area in smoke. With the passing of the wind, he, the Predacons, and their captives away. “Sunset?” - Twilight tried to buzz at all that was left: the comlinks themselves - “Applejack? Pinkie Pie? Anyone?” Being out of the loop gave Cosgrove the opportunity to take his dad’s suggestion. With his brother, he drove over to Sweet Apple Acres. Spring approaching, many of the trees have already blossomed, with a few apple buds beginning to replace the flower petals. Strangely, this section of land was very cloudy today compared to his home. Hearing the sounds of the various farm animals, they eventually come across Big Mac lifting down one of the buckets needed for the harvest. “Hey, Big Mac.” Cosgrove greeted, getting the much larger person’s attention. “Howdy.” Mac greeted back, looking down at the Thunderfoot children with his laid back look. Cosgrove scratched his chin before asking, “Is Apple Bloom around?” Though still a little flustered after the Anon-a-Miss mess, Big Mac humbly accepted his question, pointing towards the west orchard. “Eeyup.” Over at a break in said section of the forest, Apple Bloom herself just placed one such bucket near the trunk of a tree. Turning around, the Crusader found the two Maximals entering the clearing. “Hi, Cosgrove. Dapplewood.” - She greeted, receiving a wave from the younger of the two. “Hi, Apple Bloom.” - Cosgrove looked at the stack of buckets, walking over and lifting one, wincing as he did before taking it to an unoccupied tree - “Just wanting to stop by.” The young farmer noticed him shakily putting it down at the trunk before straightening himself up. “How do you feel?” Cosgrove stopped, answering, “Much better from before, but still hurts.” - The Maximal was about to grab another bucket when he turned around - “Were you… Hurt during that attack?” “Shaken. But not too bad.” Apple Bloom answered as she moved her shoulders. She picked up another bucket, hearing him thanking the Lord under his own breath. As the Maximal placed the bucket on next to the trunk, he found something odd about the fruit around them. Twenty-two of the apple trees blossomed a very dark color of apples, looking as if they were already spoiled before they could even be harvested. Tallest of the present company, Big Mac reached out to grab one, pulling on it with all his might. Despite the thin stem, the fruit still held the branch with an iron grip. “Weird ain’t it?” - Cosgrove turned to find Apple Bloom amusingly hanging a few inches of the ground as she held another of the apples - “They grew just yesterday.” Cosgrove grabbed the closest apple, reaching to down to his mouth to take a bite. The texture of the apple felt very rubbery, not even any tooth marks after biting it hard. Dapplewood donned on his anthro mode, rushing at a tree at full speed. Upon collision, the tree distorted, traveling up the trunk before quickly traveling back down, giving him a quick jolt. The others walked up to the Dapplewood, finding that the shock left a burn mark on his domed skull. The clouds parted ways for the first time in a few days, just enough to allow a ray of light to reach out onto one of the apples. With a slight jolt, the fruit was changed from its dark color to a beautiful rainbow pattern. Apple Bloom, Big Mac, Cosgrove, and Dapplewood watched as this anomaly shot out another rainbow at another apple, changing its hide to rainbow colors before shooting out another rainbow. More and more, the darkened apples were transformed until the entire section of forest illuminated like a shined prism, dappling their bodies with colors of all tints and shades. Big Mac grabbed one, this time prying it off easily. Pocket knife in hand, he took out a slice, inspecting the technicolored meat inside before ingesting it. “Well?” - Apple Bloom cocked her head as she waited for an answer - “How does it taste?” After chewing the slice a while, Mac suddenly stopped, staring into the horizon with eyes almost completely black. “Great…” he said, subconsciously dropping the carved fruit to be caught by his sister. Prying the knife from her brother, Apple Bloom took another slice, chewing it up before having almost the same reaction as her enlightened brother. “This is delicious!” - She sliced two pieces off the apple, handing them to the brothers. As Cosgrove ate his slice, he turned to find the burn mark on Dapplewood's head missing. After swallowing his piece, he felt his muscles relax. Apple Bloom noticed this as well before handing him the rest of the apple. Before he could dig his molars into the crunchy hide, Cosgrove stopped, sniffing the air of a familiar scent. Widening his eyes, he pushed her down, barely avoiding the danger pouncing at them. With not much available prey during the day, Fluttershy turned her attention to the more isolated Sweet Apple Acres. She ascended higher into the air before turning around to attack them. Gaining more leeway in his body, Cosgrove stretched his arms, wrapping the caretaker in a headlock. As amazed she was at his restored strength, now wasn't the time for praise, but it did give Apple Bloom an idea. “Keep her steady, I’ll be right back!” Apple Bloom ran back to the house. Dapplewood joined in the struggle, but it wasn't enough and the powered up Fluttershy bolted them off of her. She ascended again when Big Mac grabbed her by her muddied shoe. Instinctively she clawed at him, releasing her from his grip and flying away. She turned around once more, looking down at her chosen prey. She readied to dive when her ears picked up a sharp whistle. She switched targets, turning instead to Apple Bloom. The Crusader stood there, arms behind her back, watching the vampire dive down at her. Just as she was close enough to reach out, Apple Bloom flashed a mirror at her face. Like a cat seeing itself for the first time, Fluttershy hissed and pawed around. She wanted to turn away when Big Mac and Cosgrove held her by the arms and wings respectively while Dapplewood held her legs with a vice grip. As Fluttershy stared at the mirror, her feral side was gradually overtaken by her normal side, her kind side. Her arms, legs, and wings calmed themselves. “Oh, my." Fluttershy shook her head. "Where am I?” The other four looked at her skeptically before Big Mac nodded his head, prompting the Thunderfoot Brothers to release her. “You don’t remember?” Asked Cosgrove. “The last thing I remember was… being in the sewers with Sunset and Zipper…” - Fluttershy’s memory lapsed, hearing the gnashing of teeth as she tried to bite Sunset before hearing the harmful screech ringing in her ear. Recalling back to reality, she reached out and grabbed Apple Bloom and Dapplewood in a tight embrace. - “Oh goodness! I am sorry, I’m so sorry!” “Apology,” - Apple Bloom muttered as Fluttershy’s surprising strength got tighter - “taken.” Cosgrove felt a buzz in his khakis, picking up and answering his phone. “Cosgrove here.” “Perfect, communication back online!” - Twilight shouted out from the other side of the line - “Sunset, Applejack, they all got captured!” “What?!” He places the phone on speaker. “They've been ambushed on the way a greenhouse.” - Twilight groaned - “Look, I know you’re still recovering, and with Tex just out of the hospital-” “What was the last thing you heard from the coms?” Cosgrove turns around, shuffling back and forth as he waited for a response. “Something about a warehouse near the mountains. Cosgrove, I don’t like this idea. You against eight Predacons and Chrysalis.” Cosgrove furrowed his brow, looking at Apple Bloom, Big Mac, Dapplewood, and Fluttershy. “Contact Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.” “Cosgrove, they’re grounded.” Said Twilight. “If we try the Dazzlings, it’ll be too late.” Twilight groaned at the idea, pinching her temples. “Do you at least have a plan? After a long moment of not answering her question, Big Mac grabbed the phone, answering with a simple, “Eeyup.” Big Mac looks to the pig pen then looked at Dapplewood. Getting the idea, Dapplewood rolls his eyes with a snort before climbing in the pig pen. He rolls in the mud while Big Mac walks towards the barn. Apple Bloom takes out her cell phone, walking away to a more quiet section of farmland for her two companions. Cosgrove looks at the bruised rainbow apple, rubbing it on his chest before downing the flesh. Far away at the exact location, Chrysalis and Sombra fought against each other. All of her Changeling creations were knocked out cold, lying down on the metal floor. “Sombra, it was an accident!” Chrysalis tried to explain be being smacked aside by a surge of his magic. “You left me to die!” Sombra growled as he approached Chrysalis. “But look at you!” - Chrysalis pointed a spindly finger at him - “You have the power for your super soldiers all to yourself!” - Sombra raised a brow as Chrysalis walked towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck - “And you do look good in crystals.” Though knowing Chrysalis is lying, he did have to accept the fact that he is much more powerful with magic. Without it, most of the Rainbooms and the Maximals would not be with them now. Speaking of whom, in the main part of the warehouse, eight of our captured heroes were kept in a cage. While Chrysalis and Sombra bantered, they were further pummeled to the point that they couldn’t painlessly “pony up” and break the cage. But even then, Rainbow Dash would not have any of this and continuously rammed each side of their prison. “Give it a rest, Rainbow.” Said Applejack as she laid down on the floor, resting her head on the wall - “Diver already tried that, haven’t you, sugar cube?” Diver sat herself up, “Yeah.” - She lifted up her lip, showing a few chipped teeth - “Solid steel, God knows how thick.” Rainbow sprouted her wings, fanning them out in intimidation. “You never bothered to tell me.” Rainbow’s answer is but a snide chuckle from the Maximal. “A logical choice.” - Skystalker approached the entrance of the cage, drawing many angry eyes - “We would only need five more of you. Those being the ones named Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle-” Rarity rushed at the techno-organic dragon, the bars being the only thing keeping her from going full out on him. “You lay one claw at her and I’ll do to you like what you did to Apple Bloom and Cosgrove!!” Looking at the fashionista’s steaming face an emotionless one, Skystalker responded, “Your threat is illogical.” The relative silence of the warehouse was disturbed by the ringing sound of a bell. Darksteel, itching for action once more, rushed towards the creaking door and tearing it open. He stretched his claws, ready to tear the snot out of the intruder. “Why, thank you, kind sir.” - Walking around the completely dumbfounded Ursagryph was Big Mac dressed in a teal Victorian Era styled dress, blonde wig, all the way down to the lipstick, and the accent to match - “I so do appreciate a gentleman opening the door.” “I’m sixteen...” Darksteel muttered in a confused yet irritated tone as he looked to the Rainbooms and Maximals snickering, trying to contain their laughter. “My do you kids grow up so fast.” When they see Big Mac pinch Darksteel’s cheek, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie collapsed on the floor, laughing their asses off as they rolled on the sides. Skystalker walked up Big Mac, looking at him skeptically, “What is your business here, Miss…?” “Blossom.” - Big Mac took out a fan - “Orchard Blossom.” - He looked ahead, finding his caged friends and sister before walking forward into the warehouse - “Tsk, tsk, Applejack, Applejack, what trouble you have gotten into.” Blackarachnia stopped Big Mac from going much further, “How do you know Applejack?” “Why” - Big Mac choked a little, clearing his throat to get back into character - “Why, I’m her cousin. She just doesn’t mention me a lot. Back to business relations, I would like to make a trade.” “And what could you possibly offer us?” Big Mac turned as much as the tight corset allowed, finding Galgameth approaching him, inching his tubular snout at him. “Why a two for one deal.” - Big Mac pointed to Darksteel first then to the door- “If you be so kind, my good man.” With an irritated snarl, the Ursagryph grabbed the door handle, pulling it up to find a delivery truck displaying the logo to Flim Flam Brother’s Pawn Shop backing into the warehouse. With a clap, Flam pressed a button, flipping open the trailer shell open and revealing the cargo: the muddied Dapplewood caged separately from Fluttershy wrapped up with her wings. “Fluttershy, Dapplewood!” The Rainbooms and Maximals shouted out. “Is that their names?” - Big Mac put his hand to his chest - “My what poor things.” As surprised as he is with the new arrivals, Skystalker raised a brow. “Not that I'm ungrateful, but I question how you were able to capture the most elusive of them at the time.” “Why, I do declare.” Mac places his hand on Dapplewood’s cage. “This poor boy came up to my doorstep like this. I defended him against this demon, but I was no match for her. And I would have been dead for sure had the poor fellow not given the last of his strength.” Hearing that, Fluttershy spread her wings and let out a long hiss. Galgameth stroked his snout before motioning the drivers of the truck, Flim and Flam themselves. “Bring them forward.” “Hey, hey, hey!” - Flim zipped up to the cyborg, tipping his yellow hat - “Our client wants her sister back, but we are still her humble employees.” Flam got into view as well, stroking his mustache, “Why for the price of two and our newly patented Double F Cologne, you can have your prizes.” Galgameth aimed both of his arm cannons at the business men, Skystalker spinning them around, bringing them face to face with the rest of the Predacons. “Your proposal is illogical.” “Hey, hey!” Flim wrapped an arm around the dragon - “We have a business to run and food to eat.” “No such thing as a free lunch, you know.” Added Flam. As the swindlers continued their business, Big Mac winked at the two new arrivals. Dapplewood nodded before stamping the floor of the cage. A hatch opened up at the front, releasing the Crusaders and Cosgrove as they crawled out and snuck towards the cage. “Cosgrove?” - Asked Sunset as she leaned on the bars - “What are you doing here?” “Busting you all out, what else?” He looked at the lock on the door. No number sliders and no key. But all is not lost as Apple Bloom brought a bolt cutter. The cage opened, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo rushed up, giving their sister and idol respectively a hug. “So, do we have a deal?” Said both Brothers, stretching their arms to seal the deal. Galgameth just stood motionless when Squirk looked back at the open truck. “Boss!” Galgameth turned sharply, finding all of their captives hopping on the truck. Big Mac was quick to move to the driver’s seat, igniting the key and driving forward. Darksteel donned his beast mode, hooking his claws onto the door before slamming his beak through the glass and tearing away the wig. The beast widened his eyes at the discovery. “Eeyup.” Big Mac gave him one strong punch to the face, sending him rolling down the road. Now with none of the Rainbooms and Maximals in the cage, the Predacons groaned at the waste of effort they put in. The Flim Flam Brothers, on the other hand, took out a clipboard. “Then there is the cost of transportation…” Flim wrote on the clipboard when the utensil got slashed in two by Chrysalis’ claws. “Don’t just stand there!” Chrysalis turned to her Changeling Swarm - “Get them!” The Rainbooms, Crusaders, and Maximals held on the walls of the trailer as the truck speed down the highway towards home. The former captives were each given half a Zap Apple, which they continuously chewed in sync, gradually feeling stronger as the ingested fruit churned in their bellies. Fluttershy chewed another half of an apple before she started to feel a sharp pain in her stomach. She held the bars, tearing up as her batlike ears became equine once more, her canines reduced to their original length, and the leather wings feathered as the fingers receded into the main limb. Rarity held onto the caretaker’s sniffling head. “I’m… Okay…” Fluttershy looked up with her natural cyan eyes, confirming the change complete. “So these Zap Apples brought y’all back to shape, huh?” Applejack turned over to her sister, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. “Yup!” Shouted Sweetie Belle “I tried one and I already even feel like like I could fly several laps!” - Scootaloo’s face beamed at the idea for when they get home. “And we have quite a few bushels of them to last a dozen Pred encounters.” - Apple Bloom held onto the handle strap. Cosgrove took out his cell phone, dialing Twilight Sparkle’s number. “Twilight.” Twilight picked up the phone, “Was the mission successful?” “Yeah, we got all of them back and are now in perfect health. Can you send a Ground Bridge?” The mission a success so far, Twilight plopped her derriere on the desk, sliding over to the control panel of the portal generator. “I’ll try, but for a moving object I have to generate it ten miles ahead of you.” The usual sound of a vehicle bumping a little on the road was joined by a strange hum. “ What is that?” Questioned Pinkie Pie before she and Rainbow Dash opened the door. Behind the speeding truck were Changelings. Many Changelings. A swarm so large that a few more could blot out the sun. Joining them were the Predacons; Galgameth and Blackarachnia lead the charge while Darksteel carried Caterina and Porcina, Skystalker carried Squirk and Rep. Cosgrove brought the phone to his mouth again, “Try to make that five…” Blackarachnia’s hovering wings clasped shut, falling head first in a sharp trajectory, surrounding herself in a red aura. The Changelings did the same, surrounding themselves with a slimy green aura, diving down much faster than the leading Predacon, hitting the asphalt in large splats. Rarity’s ear flicked a little to the sound of a kazoo rendition of “Ride of the Valkyries before turning around. “Pinkie Pie, this isn’t an appropriate time for silliness!” Pinkie Pie stopped playing the tiny instrument, eying the others before releasing her lips. “Just wanting to lighten the mood.” Rainbow Dash slammed the door on Blackarachnia’s advance, leaving a large dent it. Rainbow Dash kicked open the doors, sprouting out her wings, ears, and ponytail once more, ascending fast into the air towards her enemy encountered several times over now. Caterina and Porcina jumped onto the nearest Changelings before they descending towards the truck. Darksteel screeched at the challenge, clasping his wings against his body as he dove like a bullet. Agility restored however, Rainbow made a sharp turn, giving her a six-second gap before the Predacon could slow down. Rainbow spun back around and aimed a drop kick at the Ursagryph. Blackarachnia spied Sunset, Rarity and Pinkie Pie taking a risk to climb up the trailer. She dove at them, being spotted by Pinkie Pie. “Incoming!” She shouted, pointing over to the charging mutant. Sunset Ponied Up, drawing forth a sea-green tendril, lashing out at her long enough for Zipper to fly over and scoop her up. Pursing her lips, Sunset climbed onto the top of the trailer, pulling up Rarity, who then pulled up Pinkie Pie. Ponying up as well, Rarity glowed blue before shooting out a series of rapid blasts. Pinkie Pie, by strange miracle, kept loading her miniature party cannon with a variety of pastries, smothering each Changeling with icing each blast. Skystalker, Caterina, Porcina, and Squirk boarded the truck, attacking with full force. Chelsey donned her beast mode, ready to finish a fight that Sombra so kindly interrupted. And this time, she wasn’t alone. Scootaloo buzzed her wings, jumping up and kicking the back of the trailer. Rushing forth with a stretched fist, she punched the dragon on the snout, knocking a few teeth. While Scootaloo flight skill has been improving, turning was still the issue, and it was the quick reaction from the anthropomorphic therizinosaurid to grab the Crusader and pull her back in. Porcina made three duplicates of herself, assuming a battle pose in front of the Apple Sisters. “The real one’s in full color and is left handed.” Said Applejack before she and Apple Bloom rushed forth. The taller of the two lifted one of the duplicates, slamming it at the back of the cabin, drawing a turn from Big Mac as he focused on the road. Squirk wrapped his tentacles around Diver’s body. The anthropomorphic crocodilian twisted and pulled, only to make the grip even tighter. Her neck exposed, the squid tilted his head up, inching his beak up to her. But as Rarity would put it, there is a method for getting out of situations like this. Diver bared her teeth before giving Squirk a good kick in the cojones, releasing her from the squid’s grip before grabbing his tentacles with her teeth and tearing them off. Cosgrove’s phone buzzed again, but before he could pick it up, an invisible assailant pounced on him. In his struggle to get Rep off his back, he dropped the phone. Failing to pick it up, the call went to a voice message, much to the worry of Sci-Twi. Having something to grab, the Maximal flung the attacker against the wall. Rep’s snout was next to Dapplewood’s cage, taking a few sniffs of a foul odor. “Ugh!” - Rep immediately stood straight up, turning green as he wrapped plugged his nostrils - “What is that smell?!” His location revealed Dapplewood donned his beast mode, ramming the cage bars and tipping the cage on top of the chameleon. Dapplewood placed his right hand on the left palm, stroking his fingers before he climbed out of the cage. “What… What was that supposed to mean?” Rep turned an eye over to a brief flash of yellow. “Excuse me...” Cosgrove answered before kicking Rep in the face. Back on top of the trailer, Sunset, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie continued the defense, shooting down several Changelings before they even got close to the moving truck. Zipper using some of the falling Changelings as projectiles against Blackarachnia. Darksteel in his rage unleashed his dragon fire upon Rainbow Dash, torching several of his soldiers in the process. But amidst the distractions, Galgameth slammed on the truck and aimed a shot just behind Rarity and Pinkie Pie, sending them flying off the trailer. Pinkie grabbed on the trailer with one hand and held Rarity with the other. “Hang on!” Shouted Pinkie Pie. “What in God’s name do you think I’m doing?!” Retorted Rarity as the speed of the vehicle brought them almost horizontal. Sunset turned around, seeing Galgameth pointing an arm cannon at her. The fire-haired teen lit up her magic, ready for another fight with the armored warrior. “I think you had enough fights with the boss already.” - Galgameth looked back to the powered up Cosgrove glaring at him, ready for another fight - “You’re good with guns, what about your fists?” Leaving the noise for the buzzing of Changelings, the battle inside the trailer and the screams of Rarity and Pinkie Pie, Galgameth drew back the weapons, drawing out instead a long sword from his right arm and a shield from his left. Cosgrove closed his fists, generating electricity up his arms. The two warriors charged at each other, Galgameth being the first to strike as he swung his sword, slicing off the top of his hair. Cosgrove returned with a swift left hook, leaving a dent on the boll weevil head. As sparks swerved around the Predacon’s head, Cosgrove continued with a series of jabs before being smacked to the side by the shield. Cosgrove looked up before jumping away from Galgameth’s jump strike. “It’s the ultimate blend of man and machine!” - Galgameth swung his sword forward, cutting a hole into Cosgrove’s shirt - “My armor softens your blows, my ammo is unlimited” - He grabbed Cosgrove with his shielded arm - “And best of all” - Cosgrove clutched the swinging sword with the palm of his hands, drawing blood on the blade - “I don’t draw blood.” Cosgrove gritted his teeth as the blade dug deeper into his hand. With both hands occupied, the Maximal could only look as Galgameth’s tail rose up, readying a stinger right at his forehead. But as fashionable a tail is, it can be a liability. And such is true when Sunset wrapped the tail in an aura, pulling him away. “Tails,” - Cosgrove glowed a little, making a sharp spin and thwacking him off the truck - “you lose.” One adversary gone, Sunset and Cosgrove lifted Pinkie Pie and Rarity respectively, the latter being left with a red handprint on her white arm. Cosgrove curled back as Rarity gave him a glare. “Ground Bridge Ho!” Shouted Pinkie Pie. The portal was indeed drawing ever closer. In the battle inside the truck was won as the Predacons abandoned ship. Darksteel and Blackarachnia also turned tail, fleeing with the Changeling swarm. “Yee-haw!” - Apple Bloom triumphantly swung her arm up - “That’ll show them not to mess with my sister!” “I don’t know, sugar cube.” - Applejack rubbed a finger on her chin - “This doesn’t look right.” “Who cares?” - Rainbow Dash and Zipper landed on the trailer, the former curling her arms in delight - “We won!” Just as they were three hundred feet away from salvation, a dark crystal erupted underneath the truck, flipping it over and sending its passengers flying. Those that fell the fastest were caught by Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Zipper as they swooped into the portal. The Predacons landed on the asphalt, watching the rift close before them. A moment of silence before the Preds began their journey back as Galgameth aimed a cannon at the truck, blasting it into kingdom come. The other side of the portal lead to the green pastures of Sweet Apple Acres. But the landing was not smooth; The Rainbooms, Crusaders and the Maximals colliding on the ground, skidding to a stop on the grass as pair after pair piled up on each other. Cosgrove's phone buzzed again, the owner placing it on speaker phone. “Did everyone make it through?” Twilight asked, hearing a long agonizing groan from the other side in response. A while after, Dapplewood was in his beast mode as the Crusaders washed the dirt off of him. Most of the others used a bucket to wash. “Were we awesome or what!?” - Rainbow Dash shot off the ground, waving her fists in the air - “We beat those guys like they were Barry Bologna!” Diver stopped scrubbing herself, turning around to the athlete, “You mean Caesar's Salami?” “No, Barry Bologna!” Rainbow retorted in a more angry tone. “Caesar's Salami!” Many of the others laughed at the bantering couple. Sunset sat with Cosgrove on a haystack. The Maximal chewed another slice of Zap Apple, flexing his hand as the wound healed. “Welcome back, Cosgrove.” Sunset nudged his shoulder. “And in the nick of time too.” Cosgrove looked to the outside world “We’ll need to be in full force now if we are to win this time.” Sunset was about to continue the conversation when she felt a buzz in her backpack. She took out the journal, flipping it over to the most recent page she wrote. Please refrain from using the Portal as a dumping ground. Sunset Shimmer. “Well, guess we can’t send our enemies away.” Sunset closed the book. They’ll have to find another way to defeat their enemies, and soon before their conflicts reach the news channel. The following evening at the abandoned warehouse, Heka burnt a prod before passing it to Galgameth. With a quick jab, he burned the Predacon insignia onto Porcina’s arm. She rubbed the wound, watching it glow violet as she and the other anointed Predacons looked up, finding Chrysalis and Sombra looking down at them. “This is your home now.” - Sombra pointed down at his supersoldiers - “You will serve us, please us and you will be rewarded, disappoint us...” - Chrysalis snapped her fingers, making the Changelings surround them, baring their teeth - “What says you?” A long moment of silence followed when Blackarachnia was the first to answer with a long drawn out hiss, followed by Porcina squealing loud. Soon the entire warehouse echoed with the battle screams of the Predacons. Sombra and Chrysalis curled a toothy grin. They have a menagerie of super soldiers and a whole hive of drones. A miracle will our heroes need when things go too far.