Tales of An Iotaverse

by Darkryt Orbinautz

Foundation

In Canterlot, a white unicorn with a two-tone blue mane and Cutie Mark of a shield emblazoned with stars moved swiftly through the halls. Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard and more recently, the husband of Princess Cadence, Celestia's niece.

He looked slightly reserved about something as he passed through the alleyways, headed for a very particular tower. Making his way up the staircase, he entered the tower at the top, where his sister, Twilight Sparkle, was sitting around with all of her friends, including Celestia.

"Shining!" Twilight exclaimed, not expecting her brother to drop by. "What are you doing here!?"

"I'm here to find out the real reason you don't want to hang out with me and Cadence!"

Twilight and Celestia exchanged glances.

"Shining, what are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about! Cadence said when she asked you to come spend some time together, you said you couldn't because you had 'something important' to talk about with 'Optimus Prime'! Who's supposed to be coming to Equestria through a Space Bridge? Twily, I know you can come up with better fake excuses then that!"

Behind Shining, a Space Bridge opened, and Optimus tromped out of it.

"Well?" Shining demanded of Twilight.

Twilight stifled a laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"B-hahahaha-behind you, Shining!"

Shining turned around and jaw-dropped at the sight of Optimus Prime.

"Hello." The stoic Prime greeted, totally not offended that the pony beneath his feet that he could so easily stomp was just seconds ago questing his very existence.

Shining's jaw refused to close back up at first. He shook his head to clap it shut, but it still hung loose. Then he used his hoof to force it close manually. He then ran out of the tower, crying for his men.

"Guards! Guards! DECEPTICON IN THE TOWER!"

"Shining!" Twilight shouted, trying to get her brother before he ran out of the tower, but she was unable to reach him before he left the doors. "Optimus isn't a..."

Twilight facehooved.

---

FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC: PRIME: BONUS STORY

THE REIGN OF STARSCREAM

Chapter 1

Foundation

Episode Synopsis: Shining Armor has a bad day. 'Nuff said.

---

Shining and a pair of Canterlot Guards sat on their haunches in front of Twilight, a huge pile of soap bubbles behind them.

"So, you all understand what the difference is between an Autobot and a Decepticon now, right?" Twilight questioned.

"Right." The Guards chorused. They looked upwards at the soap bubble mountain. "We're sorry, Optimus..."

A pair of blue eyes with ridges like fanblades opened at the top of the pile. A mouth opened just beneath them, letting out a huge soap bubble that floated upwards into the air. Optimus tilted his head to watch it, intrigued by the soap's properties.

"I have suffered worse treatment for less understandable reasons, Shining Armor." Optimus said, which Shining wasn't familiar enough with the way Optimus talked to realize that was the Autobot's way of comforting him.

"Here..." Celestia said, flying into view. "Come with me, Optimus. I'll help get that soap off you."

The mountain of soap bubbles followed Celestia as she turned to leave.

"So, Twily..." Shining asked. "What was that issue you were going to talk about with Optimus?"

"I don't know." Twilight answered. "He just sent me a letter saying that he needed to talk to me and my friends."

Shining nodded. "Uh-huh. A letter...wait, how is he sending you letters when he's all the way on Earth most of the time?"

Twilight raised her hoof to answer, but it landed on her chin instead.

"I don't know...how is he sending me letters from there?"

Shining and his wife, Cadence, a pegasus-unicorn with a pink coat and multicolored mane and raining-rainbow Cutie Mark, walked into the tower to join up with Twilight's friends, Celestia and Optimus, wanting to know what was Optimus was so upset about.

"Before we begin, I would like to ask how Twilight Sparkle was able to remove the Dark Matter from her bodily systems." Optimus said.

Shining and Cadence raised eyebrows at Twilight, who looked perfectly normal, and was smiling nervously at Optimus' question.

"Umm, Optimus? I didn't, and...can we please not mention that in front of my brother!?"

Shining leaned forward, curious as to what it was that Twilight and Optimus knew that she desperately wanted to keep from him.

Optimus noticed her discomfort. "My apologies. The matters of which I've asked you here to discuss are two-fold, the first of which involves the Relics of the Iacon Vaults."

Shining and the two Princesses looked up, not knowing what that meant, but given how Twilight and her friends reacted, it was important.

"I have led my team on a salvage mission to Trypticon's comatose body and scavenged the Iacon Database from the onboard computers. My findings have led me to the conclusion that there are Iacon Aritfacts buried on Equestria."

Twilight's friends eyes all widened.

"I thought so..." Twilight said. "Starscream gave me a glyph to translate a copy of the Database I had, but I didn't want to believe it."

"The second issue is that of our home world of Cybertron. Long ago, when we all left on the Great Exodus, my brother, Ultra Magnus, leader of the Wreckers, was left behind on Cybertron with his team to attempt resurrection of the dead world."

"Wait," Rarity raised a hoof. "I though the Wreckers didn't respond to authority figures?"

"That is true, Rarity."

Thoughts rolled through the six of them. Well, except Pinkie Pie. Pinkie was too spacy to think much. But Rainbow Dash came to the conclusion Ultra Magnus must've been awesome for the Wreckers to take him as their leader.

Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight, however, came to the conclusion Ultra Magnus was a very, very scary Autobot.

"I was hoping that with the aid of your pony magic, that we could accelerate Cybertron's rebuilding and ascertain my brother's condition."

Optimus crouched down and leaned forward.

"My little ponies, can I trust you with the task of unearthing the treasures of Iacon from your homeworld before they fall into the hands of those who would use them for their own purposes?"

"I think I speak for everypony when I say..." Twilight saluted. "You can count on us, Optimus!"

"Except for me!" Shining chimed in. "I don't know what an Iacon Artifact looks like."

Twilight held her hoof out, but paused, unable to think of a good description of the Iacon Artifacts between the Apex Armor and the Immobilizer to give Shining a broad enough idea of what they looked like.

"I will send out a message asking for volunteers to help with your Cybertron." Celestia said before leaving, presumably to do just that.

Optimus saluted. "I thank you all for your help." A Space Bridge opened behind him, and he turned to leave.

"Optimus, wait!" Twilight shouted. Too late to keep Prime's attention, however, as the Bridge closed.

"...I was going to ask how he sent me letters." Twilight stammered.

Shining tapped Twilight's Cutie Mark for her attention. "Twily? Optimus said something about dark matter in your body? What was that about?"

Twilight turned away. "I said I didn't want to talk about it..."

"Twily, I'm your brother! You can tell me anything."

Twilight signed and shook her head. "You are my brother, Shining, but..." She started walking towards the door. "You weren't there."

Shining frowned as his sister left. "I wasn't where?"

"On Earth, silly filly!" Pinkie told him as she and the rest of the girls got up to leave.

"We went through quite the hard time whilst there." Rarity informed him as she passed.

Cadence put a hoof on Shining's back. "I'm sure she has a good reason for not telling you."

Shining 'hmm'ed. Cadence nuzzled him to comfort him.

---

Twilight held up her glyph and her scroll, levitating them in front of her while her friends walked behind her. "If my calculations are correct, the first set of coordinates is in the mines the Changeling Queen hid Cadence in."

"Mines?" Fluttershy whimpered. "Oh, I don't like mines...they're awfully dark and...dark."

Dash rolled her eyes. "Come on! Let's get in there and dig that relic out!"

They got into the mines easily enough. Pinkie put down some rocks so they could find their way back.

"According the coordinates, the relic should be right...here." Twilight said, stopping in front of some pink crystals.

"Let's get digging, then." Rarity said.

Awkward silence ensued.

"...Really?" Rarity asked. "We were going into the mines and nopony thought to pack some mining equipment?"

Twilight looked to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, are you willing to let dismiss the spell on you so you can help me dig?"

Fluttershy nodded.

"All right." Twilight's horn glowed, flashing light. When the flashed cleared, Twilight's Unicronian wings and other Dark Energon-related spikes, as well Fluttershy's Insecticon bits, were visible.

Fluttershy shrieked, transformed and ran into the crystal cluster, mercilessly tearing into it with her mandibles while Twilight used her wings like jackhammers.

Everypony figured they had found the relic when all their noses began wrinkling in reaction to something.

Peeking their heads inside the new hole they made, Twilight and Fluttershy saw a stack of tiny cubes that kept changing position relative to each other with a transformation noise, the scent so overpowering it had fume lines coming off.

"W-what is it?" Fluttershy whimpered. "My sensors are going crazy near it!"

"I'm sure Optimus will know."

"Hey, Twilight!"

Twilight turned around at Rainbow Dash's calling of her name. The rest of their friends seemed wobbly and delirious.

"Has anypony ever told that pink stripe in your hair looks awesome?" Dash asked.

"What?"

"Oh woooww..." Pinkie gasped. "Look at aaaaalll the pretty crystals!"

Twilight looked between her friends, disturbed. "Fluttershy, I think the relic is affecting everypony except me and you! Think you can carry it out of here?"

"Yes, but, um...Twilight..." Fluttershy pointed her hoof/clamp.

"Wha-" Twilight saw what Fluttershy was pointing at.

There, not too far from them, over at the entrance to the mines, were Shining Armor and Cadence, each with mortified expressions on their faces.

"Twiley...what happened!?"

---

Out in the blackness of space, a Cybertronian escape pod drifted, quite possibly to never stop, leaving the one inside it forever trapped.

Thankfully, it was not so, as a streaking fireball of grey and purple came blazing through the space it was in and brushed against, throwing just a tiny enough little bit to the side that a passing ship picked up the signal.

The pod followed it's programing and jetted itself closer to the ship. Once latched on, a hatch opened on the ship and lowered the pod in.

The pod was pried open by the crewmates, revealing a round, small Autobot with a black paint job, silver face, and two red stripes running down his head. He looked built for stealth with his average proportions.

"Uhh..." He groaned, shaking awake. "W-where am I?"

"State your name." One crew member said with an incredibly forceful voice. It felt like the very drum of it was banging on the Autobot's Spark.

"Smokescreen..." He managed to choke out, having felt the voice on his Spark.

"His name's not on the list...but he is an Autobot." one of the other crew mates said.

"We'll cut you a deal, Smokescreen..." another crew member said. "You don't mess with anything on the ship. We'll let you off without hurting you on our next stop."

"Sounds good." Smokescreen said, taking a cautious first step out of the pod. "Where we heading?"

"A little-explored planet called...Equestria."

---

"All right, my little ponies!" Cheerilee announced to her class. "School's out for the day!"

All the excitable foals all threw their hooves in the air and cheered.

"But don't forget, I'm expecting your reports by Wednesday!"

The class groaned at the reminder. Everpony packed up their backpacks and left. Apple Bloom was going to go home without engaging in any Cutie Mark Crusaders nonsense today...at least not yet.

But on her way home, Apple Bloom found herself waylaid.

"Apple Bloom! Apple Bloom!"

Cheerilee wanted something from her, clearly.

"Howdy, Miss Cheerilee! Eh, Ah don't mean to be rude, but wut is it y'all want from me outside of class?"

"Oh, nothing!" Cheerilee said airily. "Actually, I wanted to see your brother."

"Big Macintosh? Well, shewt, why didn't ya just say so!?"

Apple Bloom paused, a dent in her friendliness.

"This, uh, this doesn't have sumthun' to do wit that love poison we used on you and 'im, does it?"

"Yes it does, but it doesn't concern you." Cheerilee told her curtly.

"All right then! Come on!" Apple Bloom began hopping. Cheerilee had a very reluctant expression on her face, but she followed.

---

Remember that gray and purple meteor? That one earlier that hit Smokescreen's pod? Yeah, remember that. That's important.

Cruising through the skies like she owned them, a elegant creature with an eagle's head, chest and wings, but with an lion's rear soared. This was an Equestria gryphon. In particular, this was Gilda, a former friend of Rainbow Dash's who had left Ponyville some time ago after the town- and Rainbow Dash- proved to cramp her style.

Beneath her, unbeknownst to Gilda, was an arrogant blue, silver-haired unicorn by the name of Trixie traveling in a repaired wagon, having suffered a similar fate at Ponyville.

And their paths were about to cross for what simultaneously both the likeliest and unlikeliest of reasons.

The gray and purple descended down from the heavens, just narrowly missing Gilda and crashing by Trixie's wagon, sending it flying.

Once the wagon quit tumbling, Trixie made her way out and demanded to know who was responsible.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie demands to know who is responsible for -" Trixie lost her bravado at the sight of who was responsible.

Just in front of her in a smoking crater befitting a meteor was a grey vehicle of some type she had never seen before, along with evil-looking purple crystal tethered to the machine. The vehicle began shifting into a form Trixie also didn't recognize- but she could it was wearing scars on it's face and had menacing purple eyes.

"You there!" The creature said, pointing its long claw at her. "Is this the pony home world of Equestria?"

"Um, um, I think so?" Trixie stuttered.

"Excellent..." The creature hissed. "Trusting me may not have been the first mistake you've made in your life, Twilight Sparkle, but I assure you, letting me live WILL BE YOUR LAST! AHHAHAHAHAHA! For now...NOW that I have achieved symbiosis after being stuck to that blasted cluster for so long!" Starscream's eyes and insignia glowed purple with power.

"Hey!" Gilda shouted, descend and not happy that she almost been burnt to a crisp. "What's your deal, pal? Don't you know I own these skies?"

Starscream turned around and looked at her weirdly. "As a matter of fact, I did not."

"Well, you're gonna learn!" Gilda growled. She lunged forward and scratched Starscream's face, to no avail.

Starscream was amused. "Ahahahaha! You're a spunky little organic, aren't you? I like that... " Starscream put his claws together. "I don't suppose you'd be interested in working together with me?"

Gilda raised an eyebrow. "Working together? With some...thing I just met?"

Starscream shrugged. "What...can I say? I am rather...down on my luck."

"Wait!" Trixie said. "You said something about Twilight Sparkle?"

Starscream turned to face her, interested. "Why yes, yes I did...you know her?"

"Oh yes! That Twilight Sparkle vanquished an Ursa Minor when Trixie couldn't! Trixie would love the chance to give that- that- that unicorn what's coming to her! NO PONY upstages Trixie!"

Starscream tapped his chin against his claw. "I will make you an offer, Trixie...help me with my schemes, and when the time is right, I will deliver Twilight Sparkle to you to do with as you wish."

Trixie's eyes gleamed at the prospect of putting ponies in their place. "Yes! Trixie will help you-"

"Starscream. Lord Starscream."

Gilda 'ooh'ed. "A Lord, are ya?"

Starscream glared at her with a twinkle in his optic. "As happens, yes I am! My offer to you still stands."

Gilda scoffed, crossing her arms. "Pfft! Forget it! No way I'm helping a dweeb like you."

Starscream's optics flickered, trying to think of a way to persuade Gilda. "Oh come now! Surely there must be someone...somepony who has wronged you? Who you would just love the chance to get back at?"

Gilda seemed interested. "...It would be nice to pull a prank on Rainbow Dash."

Starscream smirked lecherously. "Oooh, another familiar name! Rest assured, Gilda. Help a poor little mech like me complete his lofty ambitions, and I will help you with any prank you ask of me! What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

Starscream criss-crossed his arms, bending down awkwardly to offer a claw each to Trixie and Gilda, who grabbed one finger and tugged on it.

"Excellent!" Starscream said, raising up. "Now for our first order of business..."

"Finding...a graveyard!"

---

"How could you not tell me about this, Twilight!?"

"You were getting married! Finding out I was an undead horror was the last thing you needed to deal with!"

"And Fluttershy...what's wrong with her!?"

"Nothing's wrong." Fluttershy said. "I was destined to be a member of the hive."

Everypony was made uncomfortable by the peacefulness in Fluttershy's tone.

"Well, Shining Armor..." Rarity put herself into the conversation, she and the others having recovered from the relic's effects. "I'll have you know that Twilight's spell is obscuring scars all over my body, and the fact that my horn is broken."

"Your horn is broken!?" Shining yelled. "Rarity, I'm so sorry..."

"I can fix it!" Cadence said. "Here, just let me-"

Rarity backed away.

"Let you heal my scars? And disgrace the memories they represent? I think not! But...Twilight was quite justified in not telling you, Shining. My own sister, Sweetie Belle, doesn't know about these scars. " Rarity took in a deep breath. "...and I pray she never has to."

"Now do you see why I didn't want to tell you?" Twilight gestured to Rarity, who was helping make her case.

"We'll leave you alone to talk things out." Rarity said, taking the lead as she, Applejack, Dash, Pinkie and Fluttershy all left.

Cadence and Shining and Twilight all looked at each other.

"You know...maybe if you..." Twilight reached into her leg and plucked some of the Dark Energon in her out. "Try it, you might-"

Plodding metal footsteps cut Twilight's sentence short. The gathered unicorns looked up to see Optimus Prime approached.

"Twilight Sparkle, I hope you are not attempting to offer Dark Energon to your brother in the hopes of distracting from his grief of your unwillingness to discuss your condition."

"N-no!" Twilight stuttered, popping the D.E back in herself. "Not at all!"

Cadence raised her neck upwards. "How- how did you know? First Twilight takes some of her Dark Energon and tries to give it to Shining, and then you're here! It's almost like magic!"

"I'm old, Cadence." Optimus said mysteriously before turning around and leaving as well-timed as he had appeared.

"Well, I guess I can...get over it." Shining said. "But I want to know...after Fluttershy and Rarity, do any of your other friends have the spell on them?"

"Yeah. Pinkie Pie's got a bunch of burns from an explosion." Twilight shudder suddenly and violently.

"Twilight? What's wrong?"

Twilight's horn flashed. In response, a bunch of purple and yellow robo-bugs began appearing in their own flashes of light and began resting on her body. Twilight took in a deep breath and moaned.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry." Twilight said at Cadence and Shining's confused expressions. "There are Tracers. They're little machines I brought to life using- well, my blood."

"Your blood?"

"Dark Energon corrupts the veins of whoever uses it. It's also a drug. It induces a need for symbiosis in the pony that's ingested it. That's why I keep these little guys around..." She held one Tracer up and nuzzled. "I can't stop the urge, but I can treat a little at a time." She shook the Tracer off her hoof. The bugs took this as their cue to bail, teleporting out of there.

"So, think you can help with the Iacon Relics?"

Shining nodded eagerly. "Yeah, sure! Just point me to them!"

"Okay!" Twilight re-cast the illusion spell, making herself appear normal, and pulled out scroll and glyph. "The next relic is...buried somewhere around the Ponyville Train Station!"

---

Back with Starscream's slowly but surely forming gang, Starscream, Trixie and Gilda were ambling about the desert, trying to find something to get them pointed on the right track for their journey.

Starscream's foot hit something, causing a clang and him to trip. "Gaargh! Accursed-what?" Starscream's tune changed when eh rolled over to to see what it was.

"An Iacon Artifact? On Equestria?" Starscream questioned out loud, picking the slightly-sticking out urn out of the ground.

"What's an Iacon Artifact?"

"Sounds boring, dude."

"It is not boring!" Starscream retorted, trying to work the urn open. "Years ago, the Halls of Iacon had their entire contents ejected into space to keep them from Decepticon...hands. Got it!" Starscream popped the lid off and pulled out whatever was in. A Cybertronian-sized vial filled with spiky, red pollen.

"Is this-?" Starscream questioned in wonderment, tossing the now-useless urn aside. "It is!"

"Is what?"

"This, my dear Trixie, is an experimental bio-weapon! If we could ascertain to as to Twilight Sparkle's and Rainbow Dash's whereabouts, unleashing THIS on them would be a most delightful revenge indeed!"

A wolf-whistle coming from somewhere up ahead cut short Starscream's glee. "Oh, what now?"

"I say, I do say, little missus!" A suave charismatic voice said. A weird machine with old-timey wheels, tankards and lights on it with a grill in front pulled up in front of the trio. Two pale yellow unicorns with slender legs and shiny red manes jumped off the machine.

"Who in the Pit are you two!?"

The two of them bowed and tilted their hats at each other.

"He's Flim!"

"He's Flam!"

"We're the world famous Flim Flam Broooothers!"

"And I must say, my good madame, this a delightfully designed device you have here!" Flim said, drawing too close to Trixie for comfort. "How much would I have to pay for you to sell it to me and my brother here?"

Trixie stammered, unable to respond. Starscream came to her aid.

"For your information, Flim, I am not Trixie's to sell!"

"No? Well that's too bad."

"I suppose we'll just be on our way then." Flam said, climbing back onto their machine.

Starscream pondered something. "Wait, you two! I am Lord Starscream, and I am need of all the assistance I can get my claws on. Would you be interested?"

"Ehh...perhaps. What would be in it for us, Lord Starscream?"

"Well...I am planning on quite some feats..." Starscream snapped his fingers, which made a metallic ringing sound. "Trixie and Gilda are looking for revenge against some ponies. What would you like?"

"Some petty bits would look good on the menu!"

"Excellent. Petty bits it is...what's a bit?"

"Equestria currency! My good sir, didn't you ever go to school?"

"Not on Equestria..." Starscream muttered. "But what do you say?"

"I say, you have yourself a deal, Lord Starscream! So tell me, what's our first order of business?"

"Well, it was finding a graveyard, but..." Starscream held the vial up in his claws.

"There's been a change of plans."

---

The train from Canterlot to Ponyville came on time. Shining and Twilight (having recast the illusion spell on herself) got off, flashed their scroll saying they had written permission to dig the ground up, and did they just that, using their horns as drills to find the Iacon Artifact.

Twilight occasionally cast a small explosion spell to speed things up.

Shining's horn's sparked against something the way clashing metal did. "I think I've found it!"

A white, metal hoof flailed it's way out of the ground, eventually revealing a just-slightly-bigger then pony mechanical rhino with one red optic and blue and purple stripes.

"What is it?"

The rhino scraped a hoof and trumpeted at Shining.

"I'd say it's mad!"

The rhino charged at Shining. The two white animals locked horns, but it was clear Shining was having trouble matching something his size made out of metal. They grunted and trumpeted as they tried to best the other.

"Nnnnnruurrn!"

"PHRA-FT!"

The rhino removed itself, then swung it's horn into Shining's from the side, knocking Shining to his side.

"Oh!" Shining growled, standing up. "If you want to play like that..." Shining cast a small force-field spell around himself and charged.

Even the force-field acting as shield, the rhino was too tough- and too canny- for Shining to get any good hits on it.

"Shining, wait!" Twilight yelled. "I think if we-"

"No time, Twilight! We have to put this thing down!"

The rhino trumpeted once more and gored Shining and his shield away.

Shining scraped hoof, preparing to charge again. He bolted forward at full gallop, but had to screech to a halt to keep from hitting Twilight when she was suddenly in front of the rhino-
Scratching it's chin with her hoof and talking baby to it no less!

"Hi there, sweetie. You're not bad, are you? Nah, you're just a little saddle sore since Shining nicked your leg."

A close look confirmed there was a scratch on the rhino's leg that must have come from Shining's horn when he struck it against the semi-living relic.

Shining made a displeased noise at having been usurped by his sister so.

---

In the tower, Fluttershy had her spell off. Unlike Rarity's scars of Pinkie's burns, whether the spell was on or not actually affected her functionality; She couldn't use her claws or beetle-mode when it was on.

Meanwhile, Optimus was examining the relic they found in the mines, which had since been into a container.

"You were wise to put this in an container, Fluttershy. Ore-13 is one of the most powerful and dangerous substances known to Cybertronians."

"What's Ore-13?"

"More colloquially known as Ultra-Energon, Ore-13 is Energon that was seeded in an energy-rich enviroment that absorbed that energy. It can be used as a fuel of utmost power, but it is also incredible volatile." Optimus put the canned Ultra-Energon in his elbow. "The Autobot cause is indebted to your contribution, Fluttershy."

"Oh. It's nothing, really!"

Twilight and Shining entered the room with the rhino in tow. "We have another one, Optimus!"

Optimus examined the rhino. "A Mini-Con Armament...These are semi-sentient weapons meant for use in the Autobot-Decepticon war. To be built for the sole purpose of war...a most unenviable fate. It is good you have recovered it before it could cause harm to innocents. The Autobot cause is indebted to your contribution, Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor."

Optimus took the rhino- which he addressed as 'Zamu', oddly and left through the Space Bridge with it and the Ore.

"I could use a break after all this digging." Shining said to his sister. "Maybe I could come visit you and your friends in Ponyville?"

Twilight's eyes sparkled. "That'd be wonderful, Shining! I'll go get a guest bedroom ready right away!"

---

In Ponyville...

Dash was loafing about the clouds, not really doing much since everypony else seemed to have that whole 'Artifacts on Equestria' thing covered.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!"

Dash rolled over and groaned. She knew that voice. Ditzy Doo. Resident mailpony and a walking klutz who cause a black hole to spontaneously form just by trying to bake a cake. That sounds like an over-exaggeration, but she once caused an earthquake by sitting.

"What do you want, Ditzy?"

"Package for you!"

"Oh!" Dash rolled over, her ego happy as always to get stuff. "What is it?"

"Chocolates from a secret admirer!" Ditzy hoofed over a package.

"Ehh...I've never been one for romance." Despite her reluctance, Dash took the package.

"You're not the only one. I have the exact same package for Twilight Sparkle!" Ditzy flew off, leaving Dash to ponder and mutter about the possibility she and Twilight would soon be going on a double date with these mystery stallions...

---

"SPIKE!" Twilight shouted. "I told you the guest room has to look perfect!"

"What's the big deal, Twilight?" Spike asked, cleaning up the library guest room- frankly against his will. "It's not like Shining's moving in with you!"

"So!? This is his first time visiting Ponyville, and everything has to be absolutely perfect!"

"You do know that 'visiting' doesn't mean he's going to be staying the night, right?"

"Just clean!" Twilight snapped.

Somepony knocked on the library door. Spike was eager at the excuse to quit cleaning, but Twilight saw rigth through him and answered the door herself.

"Hi, Ditzy! More packages for me?"

"Eeeyup!" Ditzy gave Twilight a package just like the one she gave Rainbow Dash and left.

"From your secret admirer...oooh, did you hear that, Spike!" Twilight hugged the package to her chest. "I have a secret admirer!"

"Yeah...that's wonderful..." Spike muttered, still bitter about the cleaning.

Twilight uncovered the box and popped one of the chocolates into her mouth. "Hmm...a little funny, but I guess it was his first time baking."

Apple Bloom brought Cheerilee to the apple fields proper, where as usual, Big Macintosh could be found, toiling the day away.

"There he is!"

"Big Macintosh!" without waiting for Apple Bloom's 'okay', Cheerilee went ahead to greet the crimson stallion.

Big Macintosh's recognition of her presence was little more then a tilt of the head.

"Um, Big Mac? Do you remember when the fillies all used a love poison on us?"

"Eeeyup." Macintosh answered stonily.

"Well, that got me thinking..." Cheerilee put her hoof on Big Macintosh's chin. "Maybe we could start a real relationship?"

Apple Bloom was shocked.

Big Macintosh's reaction was as expected.

"Eeeenope."

If Apple Bloom hadn't been expecting Cheerilee's feelings, Cheerilee wasn't expecting Big Macintosh's reaction.

"What do you mean 'no'!?"

"Wuddnit be right." Big Macintosh said, as if that was that.

Shining stood just outside the train to Ponyville, ready to board, but somepony held him up.

"Shining Armor!"

Shining turned to see Princess Luna approaching.

"Princess Luna! What are you here for?"

"We wish to talk to thoust regarding thy's performance today, as according to this report." Luna tossed Shining a piece of paper. It was a report of how he and Twilight had acquired the Zamu Mini-Con.

"Thoust...doth not come across verily here-eth, Shining." Shining had no idea what Luna was saying.

"What?"

"Thou art Captain of the Guard, yet it was Twilight Sparkle, thyne's sister, who appropriated the relic from it's resting place! It reflects ill of thou."

Shining shook his head. "Um, no offense, Princess, but I was supposed to get to Ponyville soon on the train?"

"Of course." Luna took the paper back. "Our apologies."

Shining Armor boarded the train just before it left, but through the entire ride, all he had to think about was what Luna had said...

Shining dismissed the thoughts and proceeded onto the Ponyville library. He knocked eagerly on the door, expecting Twilight to be ecstatic to see him.

But when she opened the door, she seemed anything but pleased to see him.

"Oh...it's you."

"Yeah, it's me! I was supposed to be visiting Ponyville today, remember?"

"Regretfully."

"Twiley, are you okay?...You don't sound like...you."

"Of course I'm not okay!" Twilight snapped. "Spike keeps griping about how I make clean up- which is juuussst soooo hard to do- I have to write a report for the Princess, and spend the day with a pony-"

Twilight pointed at him.

"Who doesn't know when to quit ramming rhinos that are clearly getting the best of him!"

Twilight slammed the door in his face.

Shining stood there, dumbfounded. "There is no way that just happened."

Shining knocked on the door furiously. Twilight opened it.

"Aer you still here? Seriously? Take a hint, Shining: I don't want you here!"

Twilight slammed the door, quite forcefully this time.

On the inside of the treehouse, Spike was concerned. "Twilight, I think Shining's right. You're not acting yourself!"

"Shouldn't you be cleaning!?" Twilight snapped at him. Spike threw his claws up in surrender. He could've sworn the library's lightning had suddenly darkened along with Twilight's attitude.

Outside, Shining was still in disbelief. His utter shock made him unable to do anything other then just get up and walk away until he hit something.

That something turned out to be Applejack, carrying saddlebags. "Oof! Well, howdy Shining! Wut brings y'all 'round to the market?"

Shining looked around. Had he really walked so far he was at Ponyville's market? ...Maybe the market wasn't that far from the library.

"Twilight said she didn't want me around the library..." Shining muttered.

"Wut!? Oh, well not that's just not right. Here, why don't y'all go hang out wit Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom while Ah see if Ah can git to the bottom of wut's goin' on here?"

Applejack pointed Shining to the direction of the farm, and after doing so, went to the library and knocked.

Twilight barely opened the door for Applejack to peek in. "Hello, Applejack...what do you want?"

"Ah want to know wut's crawled up yer tailpipe so bad ya don't wanna see your brother!"

"That's none of your business, Applejack."

Applejack was fed up and used her strength to push the door open and make her way inside.

"Now y'all listen here, Twilight, y'all just totally cut out yer brother! When y'all start neglecting family, then it is mah business!" Applejack grabbed Twilight by the neckling and started shaking her. "Now wut's wrong!?"

"Don't- touch me!" Twilight pushed Applejack off.

Applejack growled and rushed Twilight. The entire thing devolved into a old-fasioned fight cloud from old cartoons.

"Hey guys!" Spike greeted, climbing back down the stairs. "I finished cleaning, so what's-"

Spike screamed at what he saw.

---

Big Macintosh continued bucking trees and working, seemingly deaf to Cheerilee's pleas of why they couldn't have a relationship.

"Hey!"

The three of them looked to see Shining Armor approaching.

"Howdy, Shining!" Apple Bloom greeted happily. "Wut brings y'all here?"

"Oh, um...Twilight didn't want to see me and Applejack told me to hang out with you while she straightened things out."

"Oooh! How's that goin'?"

"I don't know." Shining took particular note of Cheerilee. "Hey, you seem familiar! Have we met before?"

"Ehhh...not that I remember!" Cheerilee seemed really uncomfortable around Shining.

Shining tried to make some small talk, but with Apple Bloom being a child, Big Macintosh being the silent type, and Cheerilee more concerned with Macintosh then him, it was a bit of a challenge to get any conversation going.

Suddenly, Big Macintosh's head rose up like a eagle stretching into dawn. He grunted and began walking towards town.

"Big Macintosh? Where are y'all gettin' off to?"

"It's been too long since any word from Applejack." Big Macintosh explained, saying the first words he had all day that didn't start with an 'eee'.

The other three ponies looked at each other, then followed Big Macintosh. When Big Macintosh stopped abruptly, they all smacked into his tail in a neat orderly line like a pre-orchestrated train crash.

"Shining." Big Macintosh said. "I don't know wut Twilight said to ya, but's it best if y'all forget it."

"What makes you say that?"

Big Macintosh pointed a hoof to the left.

To the left, the library was visible...covered in police tape with unicorns in has-mat suits all around it. One was sweeping over Spike with his horn while another asked questions.

"Okay, now that you've calmed down, can you walk me through what happened?"

"I was cleaning up the guest room, and then when I went downstairs- they were like this!"

Over some distance aside on a wheeled wooden platform, Applejack and Twilight were muzzled and in chains, an unnatural red glow over their coats. They kept glaring bitter, venomous, hate-filled glares at any and everpony- any and everything in sight.

---

Cadence was called over right away, while Apple Bloom was left with Granny Smith. Big Macintosh seemed suddenly much more interested in Cheerilee's advances while alone...

Shining, Spike, and Cadence, given on-loan has-mat suits of their own, all had their noses pressed up against the glass wall allowing them to view into the containment room Twilight and Applejack had been put in.

"What...happened to them?" Shining asked.

"That's what we're trying to figure out." One of the has-mat team members answered. "Spike, were they in contact with any strange materials prior to the red glow appearing?"

"No...I mean, Twilight did get some chocolates from a secret admirer, but...oh no! You don't think that could be it, do you?"

"It's too soon to rule it out as a possibility. Team, get back there and find those chocolates, and if necessary, burn them."

The has-mat ponies nodded and rolled out.

Shining turned away from the glass and headed for the door.

"Shining?" Cadence asked. "Where are you going?"

Shining signed. "My sister tells my she's an undead, I end up fighting a rhino robot that I didn't need to actually fight, my sister yells at me, but then turns she's infected with Celestia-knows-what, and there's nothing I can do about it! I'm going to get a drink."

Shining left, heedless of Cadence's concerned gaze.

Cadence turned attention back to the room. Against common sense, she opened the door and entered it to get a closer look at the problem.

"What has gotten into you?" She questioned, drawing up to Twilight. Too close, as Twilight was able to buck her head and cut Cadence's suit open with her horn, allowing contact.

The instance Twilight's horn touched her skin, the red glow began washing over Cadence. As a result, she growled at Twilight with her teeth bared.

But the strangest thing by far was when the red glow reached Cadence's Cutie Mark, it began glowing white in response.

Cadence's spouted gibberish as her horn began acting of it's accord, sending out a plasma ball-style bolts of electricity all around the room.

When the power surge had passed, Cadence's coat was as pink as ever, but her head hurt. She rubbed her horn sorely. "Uggh...huh?"

Looking in front of her, Cadence could see that not only was the red glow gone from her- it was also gone from Twilight and Applejack as well! Whatever the problem was, her love magic must've fixed it.

Twilight bucked her chains and muzzle off, the metals proving no match for a distraught loved one. "WHERE'S SHINING!?"

Twilight burst out the door, nearly trampling Cadence on the way.

"I NEED TO APOLOGIZE TO SHINING!"

Cadence watched her go and smiled at her devotion to her brother. Then she heard whimpering behind her.

Applejack was begging to be let out, not having the same reserve of strength Twilight had to get out.

Cadence giggled. "Here, let me help you with that..."

---

The ship Smokescreen was on landed to Equestria's soil without any trouble.

The sides of it opened, allowing Smokescreen and the other members out.

"All right. You're free to go. Get out of here before we change our minds." A crew mate told him.

Smokescreen nodded and began walking away, but on his way, he made the mistake of taking an over-the-shoulder glance at the crew.

"Gentlemechs, these are our targets." One mate tapped the cyber-scroll in their hand. Smokescreen caught sight of the name and transformed, turning into a round, black and grey Cybertronain car, with red glowing circles on the wheels and drove off.

Apple Bloom was playing with a ball by herself, supervised by Granny Smith. (At least in theory), completely unaware that in about 10 minutes from now, an Autobot was going to come crashing through the neighborhood.

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...

The unmistakable VRROOM gave Apple Bloom just a little warning as Smokescreen came flying out from nowhere and transformed to land just in front of her, the impact of his descent knocking Apple Bloom flat on her Cutie Mark.

"Decepticon!"

"What? No!" Smokescreen said. "I'm an Autobot!"

"Ooh...okay...wut's an Autobot?"

Smokescreen put his hand to his chin, uncertain how to describe Autobots to someone unfamiliar with them. "We're, uh...well, you know the Decepticons? We're them, but we're the good guys instead!"

That was enough for Apple Bloom. "So y'all are nice and sweet instead of mean and rough?"

"Yeah, pretty much!" Smokescreen crouched down. "Now listen here. You're Apple Bloom, right?"

"Eeyup! Wait...how'd y'all know that?"

Smokescreen waved his hand. "That's not important. What's important is that your brother, Big Macintosh? He has some very, very dangerous people after him."

Appple Bloom gasped. "Oh no! Wut do we do!?"

"Find him before they do!" Smokescreen transformed and opened his door. "Come on, get inside!"

"Ah'm just a filly! Ah don't know how to drive!"

"Who said you had to drive?...And if you don't mind me asking, what's a filly?"

Apple Bloom climbed in, happy to go on adventure all on her own without Applejack telling her off for being just a baby.

...All while not answering Smokescreen's question, leaving the poor rookie to wonder what a filly was.

---

Big Macintosh and Cheerilee were standing at the train station, waiting for the next train to the destination Cheerilee had selected.

Big Macintosh was getting cold hooves, however. "Ah don't know, Cheerilee...maybe we shuddn'it be doin' this."

"Oh, but Big Macintosh! I need you to do this with me." Cheerilee whined. She cupped Big Macintosh's chin and made him look her in the eyes.

"After all..."

Said eyes flashed a brilliant, emerald green into Big Macintosh's own.

"You complete me."

---

Shining was sitting on his haunches under a streetlamp, a mug of cider in his hoof. The mug also had a cube of salt in it and a spoon to mix the salt in with. The bartender had warned him that combining the salt and cider would knock him flat on his Cutie Mark, but today had been so bad, he didn't care.

He also didn't particularly care when a jet flew overhead and landed in front of him in the form of an effeminately-built mech.

"Well!" Starscream said, his arms crossed. "What do we have here? A little pony out in the dark of the night! Don't you know it's dangerous to be out on your own this late?"

Shining barely moved his head. "Leave me alone. I've had a bad day."

Starscream became interested. After how easy it was to get Gilda, Trixie and the Flim Flam twins on his side, he didn't think it ridiculous to think he might be able to persuade this one. After all, revenge and greed were easy enough things to give. What might this one want?

"Oh come now!" Starscream said, resting his back against the streetlamp. "Tell oool' Starscream about your woes."

Shining signed. "I haven't been able to do my job lately as well as I would like to, my sister's been infected with some mysterious disease, and I think Princess Luna wants to replace me!" he looked at his mug. "And now I'm even so upset I'm resorting to drinking!" In spite, of perhaps because of complaint, Shining took another swig.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your sister." Starscream said. "What's her name?"

"Twilight Sparkle. She's the best little sister a pony could ask for..."

Starscream's optics widened at the mention of Twilight's name. Then a smirk crawl it's way onto his face as he came up with a horrible idea. "You know...I might be able to ease your suffering, my little pony."

Shining's attention was caught. "Really? How?"

"Oh, well, I can't go too much into the details unless you accept it...it would hurt at first, but I guarantee you won't feel a thing afterwards."

Shining examined his mug, as if trying to see it offer something Starscream wasn't.

"All right." Shining tossed the mug to the ground, spilling it's contents, and stood up with his eyes closed. "I'm ready."

Starscream snickered.

Shining didn't even have the time to gasp in pain as Starscream's claws sheared near-instantly through his back and out his stomach. Starscream slowly pulled his claw free of the unicorn and leaned in close with his claw to his head so he could hear Shining's heartbeat fade, thus confirming Twilight's brother was, without a doubt, dead.

Shining fell to his side, blood leaking out of his top and bottom.

Starscream smiled, then transformed and jetted off, a trail of blue fire behind him as he left the scene of his crime.

Below, Shining's blood continued leaking, mixing it with his discarded drink.

---

THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO

IN LOVING MEMORY

SHINING ARMOR

(?)-2013