//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Transformers Prime: Return to Equestria // by The Carolean //------------------------------// Optimus strode through the halls of the Nemsis, holding Celestia in a bridal carry. Jazz followed close behind him, his gun drawn, while Springer lead the way, his sword at the ready. They carefully made their way to the end of the hall, stopping once they reached the door there. “Hold here, I'll get it open” Springer said. He crept up to the door, skillfully sliding his blade into the crease in its center. As Springer set to work, Optimus took the moment of calm to examine Celestia. He knew little of pony anatomy, but he knew she wasn’t healthy. He could feel her ribs as her chest rose and fell, her mane was in tatters, and her horn and hooves had dozens of tiny cracks in them. Before Prime could examine the alicorn further, Springer opened the door, using his sword as a fulcrum to force the two halves of the door apart. None of the Autobots were entirely sure what to expect behind the door, but it wasn’t an inverno. Fire flowed out of the now open door, lapping at all three Autobots. Optimus turned his back to the flames in the nick of time, shielding the alicorn in his arms with his body. Fortunately for the Autobots, they only recieved the edge of the flames. On the deck, a huge mass of metal and fire writhed and screamed as it fought against itself, thrashing among the debris that littered the entire deck, every bit of it scratched, crushed, or scorched. Grimlock made up one half of the mass, while Predaking composed the other half. Predaking was on top of the dinobot, biting down on his neck as his wings flapped frantically as Grimlock thrashed in his grip. Below them, Grimlock had Predaking’s tale under his foot. On the other side of the ship, Jetfire unleashed a stream of energon bolts towards Cyclonus, though the Decepticon dodged each one. In his hand he held a silver mace with pointed tips on its head. Jetfire’s weapon was a pair of energon cannons mounted to his shoulders, which flipped under his belly in his alternate mode. The cannons were black and rectangular, and about twice as powerful as any weapon his fellow Autobot had, though that mattered little since he couldn’t hit his enemy. Suddenly, Cyclonus closed the gap, slamming his mace into Jetfire’s abdomen. Despite the Decepticon’s smaller size, he hit with enough force to throw Jetfire back, energon spraying from his abdomen as he flew backwards. Before the Autobot could recover, Cyclonus was upon him, bringing his mace down for the finishing blow. Before the weapon could connect, Springer intervened, parrying the mace with his sword. As the two bots locked their weapons together, Optimus passed Celestia to Jazz. “Have Jetfire prepare for take off,” he ordered. “and keep her safe,” he added in a far more stern tone than his first command. Jazz nodded, then ran towards Jetfire. As Jazz carried Celestia away, Optimus set to work. He took an angular piece of flat metal, embedding it in the deck of the Nemesis. Then, he grabbed a long rod, and embedded the flat piece within it, creating a makeshift halberd. He lifted his weapon, sliding his battle mask into place as he raised it over his shoulder. He charged Predaking, howling as he ran. “Grimlock, duck!” he ordered as he neared the Predacon. He drew back his halberd, then swing it forward, its jagged blade colliding with Predaking’s face. The force of the weapon knocked the Predacon away, sending him sliding across the deck. His metal body sent sparks flying as it ground on the metal of the ship, shredding his wings in the process. Optimus, unable to hold onto his weapon, threw his halberd over the side of the ship. Grimilock stood, raining down a shower of energon on Optimus as he shook his body. He began to charge the wounded Vehicon, when Optimus grabbed his head. “Not now!” he barked, as he dragged the surprised Dinobot towards Jetfire. “Go!” Optimus ordered, motioning at the Autobot with his free hand. Jetfire obayed, changing forms and firing up his engines. Jazz quickly climbed aboard, laying Celestia towards the front of Jetfire’s cabin. Optimus and Grimlock followed soon after, just as Jetfire was beginning to take off. As Jetfire took to the skies, Springer pushed back against Cyclonus with his sword, staggering the Decepticon. As Cyclonus shuffled backwards, Springer changed forms, unleashing a torrent of energon bolts from his gun. Cyclonus acted quickly, rolling to one side to avoid the spray of fire ripping through what remained of the ship’s deck. He righted himself, mace drawn, ready for a fight, but Springer had already fled with the other Autobots. He growled as he watched the Autobots escape, before quickly running to the wounded Predaking. “What are you waiting for? Chase them!” he ordered. Predaking did nothing, only laying there, energon dripping from the gash in its face as it licked its other wounds. “Stupid beast! Do you not recognize your duty to the Decepticon cause?” Cyclonus questioned. “He will not chase prey in that wounded state.” The young Decepticon turned abruptly to find Shockwave standing behind him. “But you will,” he added. Cyclonus perfectly understood, changing forms and flying after the Autobots. --------------- Twilight lead her team through the forest. Fortunately, stealth was irrelevant. Otherwise, the loud cracking of branches the Autobots were creating would have given them away. Finally, they reached their destination: Celestia and Luna’s old castle. The imposing fortress stood as tall as ever, the clouds above casting a dark shadow over the place. “Creepy,” Bulkhead commented. “It’s a lot better when it's not so cloudy,” Twilight told the Autobot. “Why are we here anyway?” Wheeljack questioned. “Discord has been sensing a magic spikes here every morning and night ever since the Decepticons first arrived,” Twilight explained. “We’ve searched every inch of the castle thrice, and never found anything.” “Then why did you bring us here?” Wheeljack asked impatiently. Twilight grimaced, rolling her eyes at the petulant Autobot. “I was hoping you guys could search where we couldn’t. This whole place is littered with secret passages and rooms, and without Celestia or Luna we have no way of knowing where or what any of them are. My hypothesis is Luna is hidden in a room we haven’t been able to find,” Twilight answered. They finally reached the castle, Twilight opening the door with her magic. The Autobots entered one at a time, each of them crouching to fit in the doorway. Smokescreen entered first, then Wheeljack, then Bulkhead. Crack As Bulkhead set his first foot in the castle, the floor cracked under his weight. Suddenly, he fell into a massive tunnel under the castle, taking Twilight, Smokescreen, and Wheeljack with him. All four landed on the bottom of the tunnel with a thud, Twilight shielding herself as rubble rained down on them. “...Oops…” Twilight turned to Bulkhead, lowering her shield as she faced the Autobot. “Bulkhead,” she shouted. The clumsy ‘bot winced in anticipation. “You’re a genious!” “...huh?” the three Autobots said in unison. “This is a totally new passage!” she shouted excitedly. She turned, lighting the tunnel with her horn. “If my hunch is right, Princess Luna should be right this way!” She marched forward, when her horn suddenly fizzled out. “Oh my Celestia…” she tried to light her horn again, resulting in only a few sparks flying off the tip. “Is that normal?” Bulkhead questioned. She trotted to the side of the tunnel, tapping it with her hoof. “This tunnel...it drains magic!” The young princess nearly bounced with joy. “That’s good?” Smokescreen asked. “Yes! It means we're close! Come on!” Twilight eagerly galloped ran down the tunnel, allowing the confused Autobots to follow her a ways behind. --------------- Springer engaged a group of Decepticons in a dogfight. Though the Vehicons had the advantage in speed, Springer had the advantage in maneuverability. As a pair of Vehicons chased him, he spun around and turned left, creating a quarter circle in the air. He fired into the side of the first trooper, ripping him apart, before getting onto the tail of the second soldier and blowing him out of the sky. Nearby, Jetfire strained left, dodging an energon bolt from a pursuing Vehicon. Optimus haphazardly fired out the back of his fuselage, trying in vain to stabilize himself with his free hand. Towards the front of the cabin, Jazz held Celestia in place, while Grimlock wedged himself between the top and bottom of the fuselage, trying to sort out which way was up and down. “Optimus!” A feminine voice, rendered almost inaudible by static, sounded over Prime’s com-link. “Land,” it ordered. “Jetfire, Springer, land!” Prime echoed. The two Autobots followed Optimus’ orders, Jetfire unloading his passengers as he neared the ground. Prime took Celestia from Jazz, holding her with both hands. Optimus, Jazz, and Grimlock leapt out of his cabin, Optimus tucking Celestia into his chest as he rolled as Jetfire and Springer landed a distance in front of them. Without warning, antiaircraft fire ripped through the sky, each shot making a sharp crack as it exploded in mid air. The flaming shrapnel from the rounds tore the pursuing Vehicons apart, only barely missing Cyclonus as it arced across the sky. With all his soldiers gone, the commander made a wonderful target. The lone Decepticon hesitantly turned around, several of the AA rounds nearly striking him as he flew. One of the pieces of shrapnel cut into his wing, causing him to wobble in the air, but ultimately doing him little harm. Optimus breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the last Decepticon flee. Behind him, ponies cheered and hugged each other from behind their sandbag barriers. The barrels of their guns glowed hot, rising from the ground like pillars of molten metal. Trixie stood atop an earthen embankment, beaming with pride as she overlooked her soldiers. “Ratchet,” Optimus called over the com-link. “open the ground-bridge.” --------------- Twilight and her Autobot companions arrived at a reinforced door, a massive fusion of wood and metal. “Wheeljack, cut it down,” Twilight ordered. The Autobot did as he was told, sliding on his battle mask and drawing his swords. In one swift motion, he slashed the door with both blades, before nudging it with the tip of his foot. A section of the door fell backwards, creating a neat entrance for the fellowship. Without warning, a azure blast shot out of the room, striking Wheeljack and throwing him backwards. The remaining Autobots drew their weapons, ready for a firefight. As they pointed their weapons through the hole, Twilight raised her hooves to stop them. “Princess Luna?” she called. A dark form shuffled out of the shadows, the dim glow of her horn causing her wings to shimmer. “Twilight Sparkle?” Princess Luna asked. “What kept you?” --------------- Megatron opened his eyes. His chest hurt, as though it was imploding on itself. He writhed on the floor, Then, he inhaled. For the first time in his life, he felt air fill his chest. He propped himself up on his front hooves, panting, his knees trembling as he stood. “Welcome back, Lord Megatron.” Megatron’s ears suddenly perked. “Shockwave?” he asked. “Shockwave?” Starscream echoed. “Starscream? Get out of my brain,” Megatron ordered. He lifted his hooves in anger, causing him to faceplant on the laboratory's floor. A low, rumbling growl resonated from his throat. Shockwave leaned over, placing a hand on Megatron’s body. “Lord Megatron, what is wrong? Is something wrong with your body?” he asked. “What have you done to me?” the warlord asked angrily. He didn’t give Shockwave time to answer as he unleashed a beam of magic from his horn. The blast missed Shockwave, scorching his shoulder plate and sending him flying across the room, before ripping through the ship. The hole lead all the way outside, filling Megatron’s lungs with cold night air, causing a sense of vigor to envelope him. He spread his wings, shivering as cool air brushed against them. He dashed out of the ship in a blur of speed, flying past a broken tube, and leaving a dazed Shockwave alone in the lab. Once outside, the landscape forced him to gasp. “It’s beautiful,” Starscream said. The moon bathed the land in silver-blue light, transforming the forest into a great canvas upon which the shadows painted. Then, Megatron spotted a tall, jagged tower over the horizon. In front of the tower, small explosions erupted in the sky as small, shining shapes danced around them. Megatron felt another new sensation, that of smell. He inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of burning energon and gunpowder. “Battle,” he said in a low rumble With a wicked grin, he flapped his wings, darting towards the tower.