Tales of An Iotaverse

by Darkryt Orbinautz

THUNDERWING! 2: Dark Envoy

The Doctor clapped his hands, noticing the tension and air of dread in the room. "Right-o! King Sombra, probably derived from Portuguese for 'Shadow'..."

Cadence's eyebrows shot up. "You speak Portuguese?"

"And 699 other languages, including horse, baby, Arthurian English, pig, and spider." The Doctor boasted.

Cadence put her hoof on her chin. "Sound the alarm. Get every defense you can set up."

The Crystal mare nodded and ran off, on her way to bellow out through the streets King Sombra's dreadful encroaching.

"Shining, I'm going to cast a force field on the city. You get to the main entrance and help set up defenses, then come help me." Cadence ordered.

"Right!" Shining nodded. They ran off to resume their positions.

"So, Fluttershy." The Doctor said, breezily walking along at his own pace, showing no fear in the face of danger. "Explain to me this King Sombra chap."

"He's an evil unicorn who enslaved the Crystal Ponies. We all thought the magic of the Crystal heart killed him, but apparently not..."

The Doctor clapped his hands. "Sounds like a jolly good time! I, er, don't suppose you'd be up for taking to the front gate, eh?"

Fluttershy converted to lady-bug mode. "Hop on."

The Doctor jumped, clapping his feet together in obvious excitement. Once he climbed onto Fluttershy's back and positioned himself, he whistled with enthusiasm. "Off we go!"

With Fluttershy's Insecticon-level of flight, it took no time to fly the Doctor from the castle to the front wall of the Empire and for them to land on the terrace, where a mixture of Crystal guards and Shining's own soldiers were scrambling to set up the first line of defense. Shining's men were rolling cannons into position, while the Crystals were waving funny sticks and muttering, casting enchantments on stone unicorn heads.

A shadow approached from behind them. The Doctor looked his shoulder to see a sparkling light blue dome forming over the entirety of the city.

"Everything ready!?" Shining bellowed from atop a command tower.

"Ready, sir!" The Guards below saluted.

The Doctor looked around and hmmed.

"Is something wrong, Mister Doctor?"

"Oh, nothing. Just don't like the looks of this...I've got bad experience with the military."

"Well, I'm sure Shining Armor and the Crystal Ponies would never hurt anypony if they could avoid it..." Fluttershy scraped one of her six legs.

Every solider around remained tense, looking stoically on the horizon, their eyes fixed like hawks. Serfs were constantly running up the stairs, dropping bags of gunpowder for the soldiers' use. Shining took a long sweep around the area before turning to descend from his outpost and assist Cadence.

"Sir!" One of the Guards shouted, pointing. "Twilight Sparkle is approaching!"

"Twiley!?" Shining darted down the terrace, and sure enough, Twilight and Trixie were runnnig towards the main gate at unusually fast pace, like something was chasing them.

"Twiley!" Shining screamed, putting his hooves around his mouth to increase his volume. "I'm sorry about what I said! I just...I just can't handle being all Dark Energon-y and I took it out on you!"

Twilight kept approaching, like she hadn't heard a thing Shining said.

Shining's lips quivered, thinking Twilight was ignoring him out of spite. However, as she got closer, Shining noticed something alarming. "Aww, scrap."

"What?" The Doctor inquired.

Shining pointed. "Look closely, Doc."

The Doctor squinted his eyes. Proving unable to make out anything, he rounds his hands around his eyes like binoculars. Shining turned to Fluttershy for an explanation of the Doctor's bizarre behavior. Fluttershy shrugged.

"Yeah?" The Doctor asked, not seeing what was wrong.

"Can you see that pupil-less, pink stare in her eyes?"

"Uh-huh. Eeyup." The Doctor nodded slowly, wondering where this was going.

"That means she's undergoing deep symbiosis. In other words, I could apologize at the top of my lungs, wearing the most ridiculous, humiliating outfit I can think of, playing the smallest violin in Equestria with tears in my eyes...and she wouldn't care."

"Okay." The Doctor said, taking his 'binoculars' off. "Sounds like a problem."

"You have no idea."

Twilight and Trixie abruptly stopped, some distance ahead of the force-field.

"Why are they stopping?" Fluttershy wondered. "They know we'll let them in...don't they?"

Twilight's and Trixie's mouths opened wide. Purple energy began gathering and swirling around their lips. The energy coalesced into balls, and the unicorns let out huge blasts at the force-field.

Shining was stunned, Fluttershy was panicked, and the Doctor was mildly amused.

"Since when does Twiley have a mouth laser!?"

"It's really more a of a laser breath than a mouth laser..." Fluttershy mumbled incoherently.

"Presumably, they learned from that strapping young fellow." The Doctor said, pointing upwards.

"What?" Shining exclaimed. He and the guards looked upwards, and they were all horrified at the sight.

Thunderwing's truly gargantuan form came flying overhead. He flexed his wings and 'stood' proudly in the air. Everypony immediately noticed how he seemed to have Sombra's eyes.

"What is that thing!?" Shining yelped.

"Well, based on the pointy bits, I'd say it's a Decepticon." A solider with a scar under his eye answered. "Not that you would know that."

Shining glanced at the scarred guard.

"Pardon me if I was there helplessly watching the Princess surrendered her crown to the Decepticon Lord while you were off getting your horn licked by the Changeling Queen!"

Shining stared even more dumb-founded.

"Yes, I'm bitter!"

"OI!" The Doctor snapped his fingers. "Knock that off. Now's not the time to picking up on grudges. We should see what this 'Decepticon' wants..."

Whether or not Thunderwing heard the Doctor was unclear, but he gave an answer nonetheless.

"I am Thunderwing! Surrender the Matrix and go unharmed!"

"Matrix!?" Shining screamed. "What's he talking about, a Matrix?"

"Um..." Fluttershy muttered. "The Matrix of Leadership is, um...kinda like the, uh...Optimus Prime's 'crown'? It says he's a Prime, and it's kinda like the Elements of Harmony..."

"So, it's complicated?" The Doctor interjected.

"Oh yes. Very."

"Splendid!" The Doctor clapped his hands. "I love complicated things! Don't you?" Shining just stared.

Thunderwing flexed his wings again and began charging up. The same thing that happened to Twilight's mouth happened to his, and he let loose another blast against the force-field. It really was more a laser breath, kinda like a high-tech fire breath. It only helped to draw the comparisons between Thunderwing and a demon.

Inside the castle, Cadence shivered, her horn feeling the brutal attack. The beam of light connecting her horn to the force-field wavered and shimmered as she struggled to keep her shielding up.

"Stay here!" Shining ordered. "I'm off to go help Cadence!"

Shining ran down the stairs as fast he could.

Thunderwing's keen, hunting optic noticed the pony running away from the gates towards the castle, and his instincts told him that the pony had to be stopped. Aiming his arm-cannon, he fired a huge purple sphere of energy that hit against the force-field harshly and began to distort the reality around.

The Doctor, feeling the rip in dimensions, winced and clutched at his two hearts.

The blast phase-shifted through the force-field and passed through, where it landed on the ground behind Shining. The explosions sent Shining flying through the air and tumbling on the ground.

Thunderwing and the two enthralled unicorns prepared more breaths of lasers. Shining's men scrambled to improve defenses before the fast-approaching onslaught fired, but their efforts for nought and in vain. The lasers-breaths trailed along the ground before raising up against the force-field. Thunderwing's own laser-breath was powerful enough on its own, but Twilight's and Trixie's help, it took no time at all to start cracking the shield.

Cadence stumbled, unwilling to give up defense of the Crystal Ponies under her care. But Thunderwing was starting to overpower her magic...

"Shining, where are you?" Cadence questioned out loud. A tear rolled down her eye. "I need you..."

Thunderwing fired another blast, and that was it for Cadence. The force-field shattered, and the pink Princess collapsed to her knees.

Seeing the protective bubble popped, the Crystal Ponies abandoned all pretenses of bravery and ran for shelter. They hid themselves in their homes, in their closets, stuffing themselves and their foals into cupboards, if not taking a deep breath and diving into the nearest pond. None of the Crystal Ponies wanted to give much thought as to how Thunderwing's skin became so much like their own. Fluttershy grabbed the Doctor and pinned him under her shell to keep him out of Thunderwing's sight.

The cannons and enchanted unicorn statues began firing at Thunderwing, but their attempts were laughable. Even Thunderwing was hard to miss, their shots seem to bounce right off his hide. The 'Decepticon' flew over the gate and briskly landed in the Empire's street, his wings folding up into rather swank fins on his back.

The Doctor peeked his out head out to observe the situation, and saw Thunderwing walking through the streets with tension, like he was looking for something. The Doctor pushed Fluttershy's shell up like a rock and sped out from under her.

"Doctor? Doctor, what are you doing!?"

"I'm gonna go do what I do best!" The Doctor answered, giving her a reassuring hand signal.

"Which is!?"

"What do you think!? I'm the Doctor! Think, Fluttershy; what does a doctor do?" The Doctor riddleed her before running down the flight of stairs, his coat billowing behind him impressively.

Fluttershy converted back to her pony mode. "...They fix things!" She realized after the Doctor was out of her sigh.

"'Just a 50-foot Decepticon walking through a pony town. Don't mind me none'." The Doctor joked to himself as he walked quickly towards Thunderwing's imposing shadow. He whistled for the giant's attention. "'Ey! Thunderwing! Stop right there!"

Thunderwing did indeed stop, but when he turned around, he met the Doctor with aggression. "Who dares to give me orders!?"

"Ah, that wasn't an order, that was a request." The Doctor cleverly remarked. Thunderwing rolled his optics and huffed.

"Now, I've got a couple of questions, if you don't mind? What are you doing here on Equestria?"

"I was created by my master, Unicron, to seek out and destroy the Matrix of Leadership." Thunderwing answered. "I was dormant, sealed inside a meteor until it crashed on this world and entombed me in the ice! I was reactivated a few hours ago, and I am here, now," Thunderwing pointed at the Crystal Castle. "To remove the Matrix from that tower and destroy it at last."

"Matrix isn't in there, mate."

Thunderwing narrowed his eyes. "I sense its taint. BAH!" Thunderwing roared arching his claws and flexing his wings. "The more I talk to you, the less I can fulfill my mission!" Thunderwing flapped his wings and flew towards the Castle. The Doctor ran under Thunderwing's off the ground feet and headed to get to the Castle first. He was barely able to reach the entrance before Thunderwing's shadow fell over the towers.

The Doctor dashed in and looked around. The Crystal Ponies were all huddle into corners, their front legs over their eyes. The Doctor noticed Cadence at the top of the stairs, struggling to get up. He ran up the stairs and knelt by her side.

"Doctor..." Cadence grunted, out of energy. She tried to get up, but collasped. She tried again, but seeing that she wasn't going to get up anytime soon, she let her body go limp. "Don't...let Sombra get the Crystal Heart."

"It's not Sombra, mate." The Doctor told her, giving her a relaxing stroke through her mane. "But I'll still stop for you, sweetheart."

Seeing the Doctor rush up another staircase towards the Heart, with a such a stark seriousness and trained determination after such a flirtatious way of addressing her Cadence chuckled.

The Doctor's footsteps echoed off the stairs and around the walls as he raced to reach the Heart first. "How long are these stairs? They weren't this bloody long when I was here earlier! I mean, for Celestia's sake..."

After much tedious stair climbing, The Doctor finally reached the chamber where the Crystal Heart floated. The Heart's rate of revolving had slowed since he last saw it, as well...

"O-kay!" The Doctor clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Got to the Crysteal Heart first, right. Now what I'm going to do about?" The Doctor picked at his teeth like a piece of brocili was stuck in it. "Plan. I need a plan." He started pacing. "Come on, come on, come on..." The Doctor held his hands out like he was doing a magic trick. "Plan!"

There was a moment of awkward silence.

The Doctor sighed and put his fingers over his mouth. "Okay. No plan. Well.."

Whatever train of thought the Doctor was about to go off on, it was interrupted by the sound of Thunderwing's wings flapping. "Ooh...balderdash."

As Thunderwing's form descended near the side of the castle, the Doctor skidded backwards to come face-to-face with the demon. Thunderwing's eyes were gazing intently on the Crystal Heart, claw outstretched to snatcth the relic.

The Doctor eventually noticed how Thunderwing was hesitating. "Well, that's odd." The Doctor chuckled and put his arms on the guard rail. "Not what you were expecting, eh?"

The Doctor didn't realize just how right he was. In that exact moment, fresh scans of the Crystal Heart from multiple angles were bearing compared and contrasted against old files of the Matrix's appearance in Thunderwing's vision. When a "NO MATCH" had been confirmed, Thunderwing drew back his claw and unfurled his wings. He jumped into the air.

"Though holy, this artifact is not the Matrix. My sensors have led me astray!" He jumped into the air. "Come, my servants!"

He flew over the Crystal Empire's walls while outside, Twilight picked Trixie up and began to fly away.

Shining weakly looked up at the sight of his flying sister. He raised a hoof for her attention. "Twiley..."

For a moment, Twilight stopped and turned around to look at him...but then her horn shimmered purple, and she continued on her way. Defeated, Shining collapsed back down on the bejeweled pavement.

"Hmm." The Doctor tilted his head in confusion, wondering why Thunderwing hadn't taken the Heart. Sure, he mentioned it wasn't the Matrix, but surely he would've been able to find some use for it, wouldn't he?

"I mean, that is what bad guys do, isn't it?" The Doctor asked himself.

"Doctor!" Cadence exclaimed, rushing towards the Heart's altar.

"You're looking better, Cadence."

"The Crystal Heart! Did he take it?"

"Nope." The Doctor pointed to the Heart, where it was slowly returning to its original fast pace.

Cadence stared, as confused now as she was worried before. "What do you mean...are you going to tell he just left!?"

"Yep. That sounds about right."

Cadence turned to stare at the Crystal Heart with a gaping, shocked mouth. "Why would he leave it alone?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe he has a fashion complex."

Cadence sighed and shook her head.

Fluttershy came fluttering up the stairs with Shining Armor on her back, and she gently laid him on the ground before Cadence. Cadence rushed to comfort her mate.

"Cadence..." Shining said, weakly lifting his head up before turning downwards in shame. "I'm sorry...I should have been able to get to you in time."

Cadence smiled kindly, and kissed him on the forehead. "It's not your fault." Cadence shuddered. "Whatever that...thing was, he was powerful."

Shining closed his eyes. "This is all my fault. Twiley went and brought that thing online because she was upset about what I said."

The Doctor clapped his hands for attention. The sound echoed off the walls, making it a fairly successful gambit.

"Don't talk like that, Captain." The Doctor began marching back and forth, carrying an aura of authority and power from himself as he did so. "Let's recap. What do we know for certain?"

"Shining Armor and Twilight had a spat." Fluttershy provided.

"That whatever that thing is, it somehow sends off King Sombra's energy." Cadence added. "And that he doesn't want the Crystal Heart."

"You say Sombra was killed. You haven't mentioned to me how."

"Well, the Crystal Heart shattered him into a billion pieces."

"All right, I want you to do something for me, Cadence." The Doctor said slowly, tilting his head. "I want to imagine...that Twilight Sparkle and Trixie, combed over every last inch of the ground..." The Doctor wiggled his fingers downwards, meant to convey a sweeping motion. "And picked up all those pieces, and then used them to activate Thunderwing."

Shining seemed surprised. "That thing has a name?"

"Yeah, of course." The Doctor answered dismissively. "Loads of things you can do with a name. Names have power..." Shining whinnied in disbelief, but the Doctor turned upwards with a smile, reminiscing on his past victories. "I am The Doctor...that phrase. That phrase alone has brought whole armies to their knees."

"All right then. What did your fancy magical phrase do to Thunderwing?" Shining asked, which broke the Doctor's thunder somewhat.

"...Don't know." The Doctor answered, not realizing he hadn't introduced himself to Thunderwing when he had the chance. "I'll have to check. I'll be sure to let you know."

The Doctor rubbed his chin and slowly turned around, realization dawning upon him. "He said the Crystal Heart wasn't the Matrix. Fluttershy, would you say that the Crystal Heart has anything- anything all- in common with the Matrix?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Oh yes! Most definitely!"

"So, bear that in mind..." The Doctor muttered, looking down as he thought to himself. "What's Thunderwing's next move?"

"He's...probably going to Canterlot after the Elements of Harmony!" Fluttershy exclaimed.

"Oh no, not Canterlot!" The Doctor groaned, thowing his hands to his sides. "That's where I left the TARDIS. Agh! I hate it when the bad guys go after the TARDIS!"

"I'm sure Celestia is taking good care of your belongings." Cadence attempted to assure him.

"How do you know?"

"The Princess is a kind and caring individual who takes her responsibility to be hospitable to her guests seriously.."

"Right." The Doctor soldiered on and thought for a second. "Elements of Harmony...what are those, exactly?"

"Doctor." Shining interrupted, having regained the strength to stand. "I need to apologize to my sister. I want Twiley back."

The Doctor turned silent, and unlike before, the effect his silence had on the room was quite noticeable. He, taking care to emphasis the sounds of every step, walked up to Shining and held the unicorn's face. "Now you listen here, mate. I...will get your sister back. That's a promise. You hear me? A promise."

"What if you can't?"

"Aahh, rubbish!" The Doctor twirled around away from Shining. "I'm the Doctor. There is nothing I can't do!"

Cadence gazed on wistfully. "You know...for awhile there, I thought you were a silly man with a funny blue box. But seeing you promise Shining Armor something like that...tells me you're so much more."

The Doctor turned to Cadence and glared furiously.

"Now listen 'ere, you." The Doctor growled, approaching Cadence, causing the Princess to back away. "Let's one thing, and one thing straight right here. Always remember, and don't forget- don't you dare forget...because it may have irrevocable consequences on your life"

The Doctor halted his advance, and his expression turned into a wry smile.

"I am a silly man with a funny blue box."

The Doctor turned back 'round to his crowd of Fluttershy and Shining Armor, putting his hands on his hips.

"Now, which of you three..." He said, pointing to each of them in turn. "Is going to give me a ride while we track down Thunderwing?"

Shining and Fluttershy looked at each other, then back to the Doctor, smiling at his enthusiasm. Said enthusiasm was somewhat infectious after it reached a certain point.

"I sense its power. Its radiance. I know the Matrix was on this world once, even if it is not now!" Thunderwing growled as he flapped his wings over the Crystal skies, Twilight flying underneath him. Crystal Ponies throughout the land were shuddering at the feeling of Sombra's magic returning, then turned to see with relief that it wasn't him. Only to scream and hide at the sight of this really quite amazingly huge flying demon.

Thunderwing's steadfast wing flaps suddenly slowed, and the demon clutched at his side like he had stomach cramp from swimming in water after eating.

"My time in the crater has made my body adopt the coat of the natives..." Thunderwing reflected. "Significantly weakening me! Servants!" Thunderwing roared and turned around, wings flaring out as he did so. "Come! Back to the crater where you found me. I must recharge."

Twilight silently nodded, and changed course along with her master, Trixie still hanging from her hooves.

Thunderwing did not know nor did he care why these ponies had rebuilt him. He just knew that made for good servants while in their thrall.

The huge, cold doors of the Crystal Empire's imposing gate opened with all the furious speed of a drunk snail. Out came Cadence, Shining Armor, and the Doctor atop Fluttershy's back, riding off into the cold, wintry veil of the Crystal Empire's vast plains.

"So cold. So bloody cold. WHY is it so bloody cold!?"

"Because..." Cadence started to answer. "I don't know." Cadence looked to Shining.

"Don't look at me!"

They quickly rode out to find and defend the Crystal Empire against Thunderwing. Their shared hope was that maybe a passing traveler, perhaps a merchant, had seen Thunderwing on his way and could point them in his direction. They did not have to get far from the gate to get their first helpful hint, though it wasn't the one they were hoping for.

Shining Armor's horn suddenly formed a deep, bright sphere of purple light at its tip. All three horses came grinding to a screeching halt.

"What is it?"

"My horn is..." Shining grunted. "Detecting a cluster of Dark Energon."

"Is it big?"

"Massive."

"Right! Let's go check it out, then, eh?" The Doctor adjusted himself on Fluttershy's back. "Yeesh, your armor plating is uncomfortable in your pony mode..."

Fluttershy apologized to the Doctor for something she had little to no control over. Shining Armor got on to her for doing so. Cadence yelled at them both to knock it off so they could go investigate the Dark Energon, and maybe, just maybe, find a trace of Thunderwing.

With Shining's horn somewhat literally lighting the way, it took no time at all for them to reach the crater Thunderwing had been imprisoned. There, they saw the humongous surplus supply of Dark Energon pointing out and poking every which way.

Cadence and Shining Armor were shocked and horrified for different reasons that there was so much Dark Energon so near to an area they had been assigned to protect.

Shining whimpered and shuddered, feeling the increasing urge for symbiosis in his horn. "So much...Dark Energon."

"H-how did it get here?" Cadence wondered, her eye turning watery as she mentally berated herself for failing the Crystal Empire.

"Don't know." The Doctor said, hopping off Fluttershy's back and readying his Sonic Screwdriver, which whirred and hummed in a fairly ominous fashion. "I do know how it's getting out of here, though, haha! With a little help from my Sonic-"

The group heard the loud flap of large wings overhead.

"Or not!" The Doctor exclaimed, recognizing the sound as Thunderwing. "Hide! Get to cover!"

The group scrambled and ran around in circles for a little while before they all ducked down behind some snow piles, their heads barely peaking out over the frozen rain.

Thunderwing and his slaves came flying into view. Thunderwing slowed his wings and descended briskly into the crater, resting himself against a wall of cold rock. Twilight dropped Trixie off on the cliff-side next to him and descended herself.

Areas of Thunderwing's armored shoulders began shifting around, clicking and whirring as they converted. Panels split open to reveal a spherical, rimmed, ringed thing inside his shoulders- one each.

"Those look like engines..." Shining whispered.

The Doctor disagreed. "Look more like reactors to me."

"Quiet!" Cadence snapped. "Something's happening..."

Twilight's and Trixie's horns began to shimmer and shine. Shining's horn joined in, flaring up brightly, longing to join them, but Shining slapped it, preferring being unable to use magic over succumbing to symbiosis.

Thin narrow beams shot out from each of the two mares' horns that connected and tied themselves to the generators in Thunderwing's shoulders. Thunderwing let out a relieved sigh.

"Yes...yes! Symbiosis!" Thunderwing flexed his wings and raised his fists in the air before slamming the later down on the clifftops. "I feel my power returning!" He began to shake and sway as cracks appeared in skin.

"Look." Cadence instructed. "What's happening to his skin?"

The coat of Crystal continued to crack, and eventually, it began to peel off in the form of flakes and fall, leaving huge pieces of useless Crystal husk on the ground while also exposing some of Thunderwing's true colors; literally. There was some white revealed on his arm, some green on his thighs and chest, and some purple on his right wing.

"Yes!" Thunderwing cried out. "Some more of this, and I will be free of this Crystal...inhibitor!"

Some flawed logic in that, as Thunderwing's having a Crystal Pony coat was the result- not the cause- of his strength fading while slumbering in the crater. But try telling him that.

Cadence rose up from her hiding place bravely, a determined expression on her face. "We have to stop him. There's no need for him to gain any more power."

"I can't hurt Twiley!" Shining objected.

"But you already did..." Fluttershy pointed out.

"When!?" Shining snapped, unable to believe he would lay a hoof on his sister.

"...When you snapped at her bringing Trixie along for symbiosis, even though that wasn't true?"

"Oh... yeah. Right. That."

The Doctor stepped out of his hiding place and glared Thunderwing down.

"Doctor, what are you doing?"

"I have a plan." The Doctor answered mysteriously. He pointed quite emphatically at them. "Stay here, you lot." He began walking up the curved slopes of the cliff, intent on confronting Thunderwing directly. As if on cue, a high sharp wind began blowing.

"Hey! You! Big one up there!"

Thunderwing immediately got off his resting place and turned to glare back at the Doctor.

"You may not know me..." The Doctor shouted, frigid cold winds blowing his hair and coat around and turning his sweat into ice. "But we met in the Crystal City! I forgot to introduce mysef, but I am-"

"The Doctor!" Thunderwing answered.

The Doctor tsked, then turned around to Shining Armor. "Well, there you go, Captain. Are you satisfied!?"

"I thought you looked familiar, so I scanned my databanks, and yes...you have changed, but you are still the Doctor, Slayer of Daleks, Enemy of the Cyberiad, Last of the Time Lords." Thunderwing narrowed his eyes and leaned forward.

"So tell me, what do you hope to do against a being such as I?"

The Doctor stood expressionlessly, showing no sigh of letting the cold wind around affect him adversely in any shape or manner.

"I intend...to fix things." The Doctor said with a smirk.

Running up the hillslide, the Doctor leaped over a bump, striding through the air with all the grace of a pegasus (who was small, short, and hadn't learned to fly), landing flat on his face just before Twilight's and Trixie's hooves.

The Doctor lifted his head from the snow, spitting snowballs out from his mouth. "Pfft! Pto! Anyhoo..." The Doctor pushed himself upwards, lost his balanace on the slippery cave slide and took a moment to regain his footing. After that, he pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver.

"The Princess told me not to do this again...but I think she'll make an exception, don't you?"

The Doctor slammed down on the Screwdriver's toggle switch, activating it, and swept it over both Twilight's and Trixie's horns.

"Aaah!" The two mares both exclaime in pain, rubbing their horns sorely while the distinguishing characteristics of their eyes- pupils, irises- returned.

"Doctor!" Twilight growled upon reopening her eyelids. "What are you..." Trixie poked Twilight in the shoulder to get her attention. Looking up before she could really lay into the Doctor, she noticed Thunderwing. "What...is that!?"

"Mm. I'd say it's a twenty-story tall Decepticon, who's rather bent out of shape he can't find and destroy the Matrix." The Doctor remarked.

"I know not these Decepticons, but I am not one!" Thunderwing protested.

"Yeah? Well, listen here, buster;" The Doctor boasted, walking towards Thunderwing with no detectable trace of fear. "You just lose your two unicorns. What are you going to do now?"

"An unfortunate...but acceptable loss. Nothing will keep me from my mission of destroying the Matrix!" Thunderwing roared and yet again flexed out his wings, his Crystal coat cracking and peeling even more in the process.

"He's gaining power!" Twilight somewhat obviously exclaimed.

"Yes. We know that, Twilight. Thanks for the hint!" The Doctor yelled.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but-"

"OH FOR PRIMUS'S SAKE!" Fluttershy screamed from her hiding place. "WOULD YOU TWO GET A ROOM!?"

The Doctor blushed profusely while Twilight stared confusedly. "I don't know what that means."

"Trust me, Twilight...you don't want to."

"WRRAAH!" Before the Doctor and Twilight could resume their argument, Thunderwing aimed his arm-cannon and fired. Twilight, Trixie, and the Doctor just barely ducked out of the way in time. The blast hit the snow they were previously occupying, and said snow went flying everywhere, giving Twilight, Trixie, and the Doctor all fines coats of the white powdery stuff.

"Come on! Again?" The Doctor protested.

"Come on, Twiley!" Shining yelped, rushing to his sister's side with horn ablaze and giving a hoof to help her up. "We can take him!"

"No, we can't!" Twilight objected.

"That's quitter talk!"

"No, really, Shining. My, Trixie's, and your magic all have traces of Dark Energon in it! Any spell we use on him will just make him heal and gain more strength!"

Shining made an expression of exasperation at being unable to do anything to help combat this looming threat to them all. "Well, then what can we do?"

"We can think of a plan!" The Doctor shouted.

"Twilight Sparkle, Trixie." The Doctor said with a steely seriousness. "You rebuilt him. You let loose that thing on the world. How?"

Twilight put a hoof on her head, trying to remember what she did while under the thrall of symbiosis.

Thunderwing began charging his arm-cannon and fired at them, sending Trixie, Twilight and the Doctor all flying in different directions. The displaced snow spray from the explosion began giving them all nice white coats of the powdery stuff.

"Oh, not again..." The Doctor grumbled at being send face-first into the ground a second time. He felt his way around and began to roll over. "I don't suppose that blast did anything to jar your memory, Twilight?"

"Yes, actually!" Twilight answered as they all got up. "We found King Sombra's horn!"

"Great! Now what we do about it?" Shining exclaimed, following up with a groan.

"The horn is inside Thunderwing's power-core link." Twilight explained, knowing from her symbiosis the exact details of Thunderwing's creation...his specs, his schematics. "If we can get inside and remove the horn, it should disable him."

The Doctor rubbed his hands together. "Let's do that, then, shall we? How do we get in?"

Twilight pointed at Thunderwing's still-sparkling chest, where open slits in his armor were visible through his crystal coat. "Those vents there are small enough we could get in."

The Doctor took a moment to regard the vents, considering their validity as entryway's into Thunderwing's gigantic systems.

"Mh. Okay. Yes. Eeeyup." The Doctor pointed to Cadence and Fluttershy. "Princess! Fluttershy! We need your help! Get over here and fly me up into one those holes in Thunderwing's chest."

Cadence and Flutteshy didn't seem to understand what the Doctor was intending to do, but they obliged his request, coming out of their hiding places.

"Why are you going in? I know his schematics!" Twilight exclaimed, her voice carrying perhaps just a little bit of actual...concern for the Doctor.

"I'll figure it out. I'm clever like that, you see." The Doctor poked the side of his to prove his boast. "That's me. The Clever Doctor."

Twilight didn't appear too convinced by this, but she relented. "Fluttershy, fly with Cadence and bring the Doctor into those ridges -you see 'em?- and keep your commlink open so I can guide you through. Trixie, Shining Armor and I will keep Thunderwing distracted so you can get in."

Fluttershy nodded before converting to ladybug mode. The Doctor spread his arms out so Fluttershy could lift him up. Fluttershy and Cadence began flying up towards Thunderwing. Thunderwing wasn't blindly obvious, however, and began firing a rapid barrage of shots from his cannon.

"Get out of my way! I will destroy the Matrix, and you shall not stop me!"

Fluttershy and Cadence split away from each other and began to fly around to avoid Thunderwing's barrage. Thunderwing refused to let up on his assault, firing blast after blast at them. It was almost like he knew what they were up to and was intent on not giving them the opening they would need to slip in.

Twilight squinted, narrowing her eyes as she formulated an intensely complex battle plan that would distract Thunderwing. What they needed was to keep his attention scattered and unfocused, too much for him to aim reliably on a single target... Twilight already having been something of a stragist even before joining the Autotobts, she had no trouble figuring what to do."

"Shining Armor, Trixie, start running around in circles around the crater. Strafe your fire on him, shoot at him, but do not hit him. Remember; our goal is to distract him so Fluttershy can fly the Doctor inside. Got it?"

Shining and Trixie nodded affirmatively.

"Good! Now quit standing there looking at me for orders and roll out!"

Shining and Trixie attempted to gallop away in opposite directions, but they were so close to each other that their noses collided painfully against the that of the others. For a proud Captain of the Guard like Shining, this was mildly embarrassing. For a arrogant, haughty, stuck-up magician like Trixie, it was downright humiliating.

Even worse, Cadence caught sight of it and took it the wrong way, thinking of them had been trying to flirt with the other and making a reminder in her head to grill them both about it. A shot from Thunderwing's cannon that narrowly avoided clipping her wings completely removed the thought from her mind though, so Shining was off the hook.

After righting themselves and taking a moment to make sure their trajectiores wouldn't crash into each other, Shining Armor and Trixie began running around the crater, firing laser blast from their horns, taking care that would actually miss Thunderwing. (Which was kinda hard to do, since Thunderwing was so huge.)

One of Trixie's shots, though, hit the side of Thunderwing's face, cracking the coat and turning the eye of Sombra back into the orignall, empty black, fan-blade red optic of Thunderwing's orignal form.

"Trixie!" Twilight scolded.

"Sorry! Trixie missed! ...Wait, Trixie is supposed to miss, so wouldn't that be that Trixie hit...?"

"Never mind! Keep shooting around him- not at him!"

The trio of unicorns continued their shots, attempting to keep Thunderwing's fire spread around the area. When he made an ill-content roar and fired both his arm-cannons in opposite directions, Twilight knew her plan was going to work.

"Um, Doctor?" Fluttershy spoke quietly. "Do you mind if I use my beast-mode cannon?"

"That depends...how much recoil does it have?"

"A little."

Before the Doctor could ask how little was a little, Fluttershy unfurled her conical laser from between her mandibles and fired a shot at Thunderwing's shoulder. It was a good shot and made Thunderwing jerk, but its lasting effect was minimal.

The Doctor shook his head, the recoil from Fluttershy's weapon going through her legs and into the shoulders she was holding him by. "Okay. So that's how much is a little. Good to know for any future adventure we have."

Thunderwing was distracted from the direct hit on him, and quit firing at Trixie and Shining. He relaxed his arms like taking in a deep breath as he prepared his laser breath. Fluttershy ducked downward to avoid the blast, which disoriented the Doctor somewhat. The laser flew off into the distance.

"We got him switching targets!" Twilight yelled to Shining and Trixie. "Maintain fire!"

Cadence, inspired by Flutteshy's direct hit, fired off a few rounds from her own horn, which...somewhat dinged Thunderwing slightly on some of the more pointier bits of his armor.

Thunderwing's head swiveled around as he attempted to keep track of who was firing at him, and from where.

Growling ferociously, Thunderwing crossed his arms and attempted to fire at Shining and Trixie at the same time, though they each managed to jump to the side to avoid.

Seeing their opening, Fluttershy and Cadence blazed forward at Thunderwing's chest, full steam ahead. The Doctor grimaced and braced himself for impact. His entire vision went dark as Fluttershy entered into the black, cavernous ridge...

The Doctor blinked a few times, trying to regain his vision after they successfully infiltrated Thunderwing's internals. Thunderwing's insides weren't exactly what the Doctor or Fluttershy were expecting. The Doctor was expecting something more like that of a regular Cybertronian. Cadence was more thinking something along the lines of fire and brimstone.

Instead, however, Thunderwing's insides were like a great, big huge steampunk machine, bronzed-over copper coating every piece of heavy, grinding whirring machinery, gears spinning and levers pulling crazily. From the shape of the clear tubes and pipes around, it was meant to carry Dark Energon from one part of Thunderwing to another, like circulating blood. But instead of liquid Blood of Unicron, there was instead green magic of King Sombra's horn traveling through the pipes.

Fluttershy gently sat the Doctor down on the ground before landing herself, Cadence descending gracefully behind them.

Fluttershy pushed a button on her leg. "Twilight, we're in. Now what?"

"Find Thunderwing's power core! Sombra's horn will be floating in the air."

"Locate power core, disable floating horn." The Doctor summarized, more for his own benefit than anyone's.

Cadence idly looked around the room for clues, but she let out a tiny gasp too quiet to be heard. The Doctor and Fluttershy didn't notice, it was so hushed, but they heard the horrifcalyl high-pitched metal shriek and solid thump of Cadence's body against the wall. They turned to see Cadence pinned against a large piece of machinery by some black, purple-accented beast, which noticed them staring.

"What is that thing!?" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Unicronian Anti-body!" Fluttershy answered, eyes going bug-eyed (pun not intended.) "And if there's one, there's probably be more..."

"Well, I suggest we start running before they show up!" The Doctor turned to run away, but Fluttershy gripped him by the arm and held him there.

"No. Autobots never leave a mare behind!"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, differences in Autobot and pony language causing Fluttershy's exclamation of the mantra to not give its intended message.

The Anti-body, as though obliging Fluttershy, shrieked again and charged at Fluttershy and the Doctor. The Doctor ducked down, sliding on the floor, but Fluttershy converted to beast-mode and scissored the Anti-body's neck with her mandibles, and began to apply pressure to her mandibles to crush said neck.

The Anti-body began shooting off yellow sparks, flailing and trashing about as Fluttershy pinched it, until finally its rune lines quit glowing, and its body relaxed, landing on Fluttershy's underbelly. The Insecti-pony-con pushed the body off herself and rolled back onto her feet.

"Thanks for the save..." Cadence muttered, rubbing her throat to be sure she could still breath.

"What was that?" The Doctor shouted at the gruesome display of violence.

"Sorry. Autobots are taught to fight, not run."

"Yes, well, Doctors- like me, for instance!- are taught to run, not fight, and avoid violence whenever possible." The Doctor griped, standing and brushing his coat off.

"You think you could've reasoned with it?" Fluttershy asked with a hint of healthy skepticism.

The Doctor looked at the dead Anti-body's corpse, which still looked intimidating even in death.

"...No."

Another Anti-body came shrieking into view and body-slammed itself right on top of Fluttershy, pushing her body to the ground. Cadence, returning the favor, blasted the Anti-body off with her magic. While the Anti-body shifted around and righted itself, Fluttershy jumped on top of it, shoved her hoof/clamp into it, and tore out its circuity.

"Bloody 'ell!" The Doctor swore. "That's violent!"

"Sorry..." Fluttershy mumbled, oddly apologetic for this one even though she didn't seem bothered by her brutal takedown of the other. "Insecticon instincts..."

"We need a new plan." The Doctor concluded. "You two stay here and deal with the Anti-bodies. I will go and find the power-core link."

Another Anti-body came flying right at the Doctor's back, and he was only saved by Fluttershy's and Cadence being quick on the draw.

"Okay." The Doctor said, shaking his head at the third, smoking corpse in the room.

"Better plan; we go find the link together, and guard you from any more Anti-bodies that are waiting." Fluttershy suggested. "And, um...please trust me when I say that there is probably more waiting."

Outside, Twilight, Trixie, and Shining Armor continued to fire misamed laser blasts at Thunderwing, though Shining's military training led to him aiming 'correctly' and hitting Thunderwing in the shoulder, powering Thunderwing's ancient engines with the Spark of Unicron again. "Grah! Is this the best you can do!?"

"Shining!" Twilight berated him.

"I can't help it! I'm a military officer! I'm trained to exercise precise aim!"

"Hmm." Twilight grunted, annoyed. Using her magic to disappear and reappear as Thunderwing attemped to crush beneath his fist, Twilight noticed Thunderwing was still hovering over the crater they had found him in.

"...Trixie?" Twilight said quietly to her student.

"Yes?"

"Take note;" Twilight raised her hoof. "The Doctor, Fluttershy, and Cadence are inside Thunderwing and are about to deactivate him."

"Yes..." Trixie nodded, confused at why Twilight seemed so displeased.

"He's flying over the pit...that's full of Dark Energon...which, if he's deactivated, he will fall right back into it."

Trixie looked upwards as she gave this some thought. "Well, that's bad, isn't it? Wouldn't he just recharge and come back more powerful?"

Twilight giggled and gave Trixie a playful bop on the cheek. "You've learned well! Stay here and cover fire with Shining for me while I go get the Crystal Heart."

Twilight turned and ran off, teleporting as she ran to avoid Thunderwing's energy blasts.

"You're leaving us to fight this thing alone!?" Shining exclaimed at her departure.

"Yeah, don't think this means you don't have to apologize to her!" Trixie snapped at him.

"What- NO! I ALREADY DID THAT!"

"Trixie didn't hear you say anything of the sort..." Trixie said in her usual dismissive tone.

"You were enthralled in Dark Energon!"

"All the more reason you should apologize to your sister!"

"I- where's the logic in that!?"

The Doctor kept having to duck so much to keep his head from getting ripped off by an Anti-body, and drop down to the floor to let Cadence and Fluttershy shoot their respective lasers, the Time Lord though he was going to need back surgery when they were done.

"How big is this Decepticon?" Cadence balked.

"You think this is big?" Fluttershy responded. "We should take you to the New York Bay to see Trypticon's body sometime..."

"Trypticon?" The Doctor asked, balancing out on the grates composing the floor. "What's a Trypti-COOON!"

The Doctor fell down off the edge of the grates they were on, just barely managing to grab his hand precariously on the ledge of the steel.

"Doctor!" Cadence exclaimed, rushing to the edge with Fluttershy. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, girls!" The Doctor assured them, looking down. Even though the best advice for him would be not to look down. "Although, I think I found Sombra's horn!"

Fluttershy and Cadence extended their equine necks over the ledge to look down, and they saw it- King Sombra's curved, red horn sitting misplaced inside a cluster of Dark Energon that was curly and gnarled even for Dark Energon inside a futuristic furnace, visible through a door with ventilation holes. There was small ring of roosts around the furnace. They were probably used by the Anti-bodies to perch on and use their thin tendrils to perform maintenance on Thunderwing.

The Doctor climbed back up onto the platform they were on, backed away and bent his knees. Swinging his arms to and fro, he got ready to spring off. "I'm gonna jump!"

"Wha- there's no need to jump!"

"Nonsense, Princess!" The Doctor scoffed as he dashed across the platform, He jumped off the edge, his coat billowing out behind, and just narrowly caught his hands on one of the roosts. "Ah-ha! Yes!"

"Doctor, you're with two ponies who can fly." Cadence growled at him, annoyed.

"...Oh...right."

"There was no need to jump!"

The Doctor, ignoring Cadence's lecture about safety, swung from roost to roost, climbing them like monkey bars. He reached up and pulled open the door easily. Cadence thought it was actually rather too easy. Her thoughts were entirely justified when a large swarm of Anti-bodies came flying out of the woodwork – er, metalwork? Whatever. The Doctor made haste and crawled inside, crawling over the Dark Energon spikes in an effort to get to the horn.

Cadence and Fluttershy stared the swarm down, not intimidated by their superior numbers and fired their weapons. They hit some Anti-bodies in the optics, blinding them and preventing them from being major threats, but they were so many of them that they kept coming. One of them got close and managed to whip Cadence in the face but good with its tendril. She punched it in the face before it could strike again.

"Doctor!" Cadence yelped. "Are you okay?"

"I – am – walking -across – crystals...of pure evil!" The Doctor grunted out, reaching from one tip of Dark Energon to the next. "That is...generally..." The Doctor lost his footing, kicking off a small piece of Dark Energon that fell down and bounced on the other, lower parts of the cluster, making clinks that echoed with every bounce that were not reassuring. "Not...in... my definition...of okay!"

"Well, try to hurry it up!" Cadence shrieked as she pounded another Anti-body. "Fluttershy and I can't hold these things off forever, Doctor!"

"Hang on, hang on..." The Doctor muttered at her, reaching up higher and pulling out his Sonic Screwdriver.

An Anti-body wrapped charged right at Cadence and wrapped its tentacles around her neck. Cadence starrted grappling with it, trying to use her hooves to pry the tendrils off. "Doctor!"

"I'm trying! Cover your ears!""

"DOCTOR!"

Doctor adjusted the setting on Sonic by pushing a button. The tip of it opened, revealing the green crystal inside.

"DOCTOR!"

With a heavy grunt of rage, the Doctor aimed the Sonic Screwdriver at Sombra's horn. The Screwdriver let out a sonic pulse that hurt Cadence's, Fluttershy's, and even the Anti-bodies' ears. The Anti-body with its tendrils around Cadence let go and dropped to the floor.

"Right! Got it!" The Doctor reached up and jerked the horn from the crystal depositit. "Oh! Ow! Evil evil evil evil!" The Doctor bounced the horn around in his hands like a game of hot tomato before he raised his Screwdriver and soniced it again, rendering it dormant so he could shove it into his pocket and figure out what to do with it later.

Cadence turned around with an elated smile on her face. "Doctor, you did it!"

"Yay!" Fluttershy said quietly.

"Well... I am the Doctor, after all." The Doctor replied smugly, resting his shoulders on the Dark Energon spikes. Cadence shook her head at his eccentricity.

There was a loud groan and grumble, followed by a thud. It didn't take much to deduce the thud was from Thunderwing clutching his stomach in confusion.

"What's...happening to me!?" Thunderwing exclaimed. The loud metal groans were accompanied by everything around them shifting.

"Why don't we get out of here?" Cadence politely suggested.

"Sounds good to me, Princess!" The Doctor answered. Cadence lifted him into the air with her magic and placed him on her back. She and Fluttershy then turned around and galloped back the way they came, building up speed before they made a running jump to take flight.

Trails of leftover blue magic and orange energy trailed behind Cadence and Fluttershy as they appeared, rushing out of Thunderwing's ventilation.

"Cadence!" Shining exclaimed, waving his hoof for her attention. "You're okay!"

Cadence just smiled at him.

Behind them, Thunderwing's comatose body made a loud rumble as it feel into the crater, knocking up snow and whipping it into a cloud like an explosion.

"YEAH!" Shining cheered, jumping and raising his hoof into the air. "We beat him!"

"Everypony stand back!"

Everypony turned around, and except for Trixie, were confused to see Twilight Sparkle running towards the crater with the Crystal Heart floating on her back.

"Twiley?" Shining questioned. Twilight ran by him, completely ignoring him. Not out of resentment or malice, but simply from being too focused on her task. "What are you doing?...You're going to give that thing the Crystal Heart, are you!?"

Twilight stopped to glare back at him. "Yes, Shining, I'm going to give Thunderwing the Crystal Heart."

"Twiley! You can't do that! I know you're upset about what I said earlier, but-"

"This isn't about what you said earlier! This is about-"

"RRAAH!"

Thunderwing came flying out of the crater. Every last piece of Crystal Pony coat on him cracked, shattered, and fell away, fulling revealing his true form of a large white and green robot, his golden face, and his purple wings. His entire body was engulfed in an aura of Dark Energon, purple fires encasing him, swirling around his limbs.

"I AM THUNDERWING!" Thunderwing proclaimed to them. He raised his claw and made a fist at all of them. "Now, feel the full, raw, power of SYMBIOSIS!"

Twilight, Shining, and Trixie all grunted when they were engulfed in the same Dark Energon aura, made to unwillingly achieve symbiosis with Thunderwing. Eyes burning brightly, they all collapsed and fell onto their sides.

"No!" Cadence exclaimed.

"YES!" Thunderwing replied without really thinking about it, flapping his way out of the crater towards them. His shoulder panels unfolded, revealing the generators inside them again. "I will destroy you all, and then I will find the Matrix!"

Cadence and the Doctor started backing away. The Doctor noticed, out the corner of his eye, the Crystal Heart still floating above Twilight's body. He looked at it, then to Thunderwing. He bumped his elbow into Cadence's knee.

"Princess, I think I know what Twilight was trying to do." The Doctor whispered to her. "We need to get him away from the crater. Do you understand?"

Cadence nodded.

"Good. Think you can, uh, distract him while I get the Crystal Heart?"

"I'll try." Cadence answered. She trotted towards Thunderwing, which made Thunderwing pause, as he was confused why she would suddenly come forward for her doom at his hands. "Hey! Thunderwing! Has anypony ever told you, uh, you, uh..." Cadence rubbed her chin, not sure what to call him that he would actually find insulting.

The Doctor tip-toed cautiously towards the Crystal Heart, trying really hard not to catch Thunderwing's attention.

"Uh...uh..." Cadence continued to stutter. Thunderwing turned his attention away from her, no longer amused by her stuttering, and he noticed the Doctor.

"What are you doing?" Thunderwing flew up and towards up, but Cadence flew up as well and put herself in Thunderwing's way.

"If you want him, you have to through me." Cadence growled at him.

Thunderwing pointed his cannon at her. "With pleasure!"

The Doctor grabbed the Crystal Heart, discovering to his dismay that it was actually kind of heavy for somepony like him that didn't have magic to make it float above him naturally.

Cadence flew away from the crater, barely Thunderwing's laser fire or clawed grabs at her tail. "Come on, Doctor!"

"Right!"

The Doctor ran as fast he could with the Heart weighing him down, following after Cadence's trail in the sky and hoping Thunderwing wouldn't realize their plot and turn around to shoot him instead.

"Right..." Wind whipping her hair into her face, Cadence glared out of the corner of her to gauge how close the crater was to them. Not far enough, so she kept flying. The Doctor kept running as well, and he was really starting to wonder when they would stop, as his legs were getting tired and he soon wouldn't be able to run anymore.

Cadence made another check for distance, and decided they were far enough. She turned around to face Thunderwing again. "All right, Doctor, now!"

The Doctor stopped, spun in place to build momentum, and tossed the Heart into the air. Cadence caught with her magic, and before Thunderwing realized what was happening, Cadence hurled the Heart into the ventilation shaft she had entered and exited out of.

"No!" Thunderwing tried to block it with his hand, but his reaction was just a split-second too late, and ultimately, there was nothing he could do. Thunderwing clenched his claws in pain while Cadence grinned at her victory. Thunderwing dropped to the ground and stumbled on his talons. "I feel...cold. No! I AM THUNDERWING! I AM THE DARK ENVOY!" Thunderwing's chest shifted, revealing a generator just like the ones in his shoulders, though larger. "If I must expend every ounce of energy in my core to defeat you, then so...be...it..."

The generator in his chest began glowing blue, when it probably was meant to glow purple. Thunderwing's red eyes also turned into blue, the Crystal Heart's energies flowing through him in place of his natural Dark Energon powers. Blue light shot from his eyes and his mouth. He clutched his head in pain. "No! NO!"

Cadence and the Doctor raised their respective appendages to block the huge flash of light from the Crystal Heart as it flashed brilliantly, tearing Thunderwing apart from the inside out. When the light had gone, Thunderwing was lying on the ground, his body burnt black and smoldering, the Crystal Heart rotating above him triumphantly.

Now with their source of their overload gone, Shining Armor, Twilight, and Trixie came to, rubbing their heads sorely. Shining quickly noticed Thunderwing and the state of his body.

"...Huh. He shrunk."

"The Crystal Heart made him shrink." Twilight concluded. "At least the Empire is safe now...until the next threat comes along."

Shining glanced at the ground uncomfortbly.

"What's wrong, B.B.B.F.F? We won!"

"I'm sorry!" Shining abruptly yelled at her. "I'm sorry for all those rude, horrible, mean things I said to you at the train station earlier, and I-"

"Shining..." Twilight put a hoof to her brother's mouth. "I forgave you for that hours ago. I just wasn't sure if- if you forgave me."

"Aww...come here, little sis!"

Shining and Twilight engaged in a hug.

"Well..." The Doctor said proudly, watching the siblings hug as Cadence landed beside him. "Now that's a happy ending, don't you think, Princess?"

"It sure is, Doctor." Cadence agreed. Even Trixie seemed to have her heart warmed. She was looking away from everypony and dabbing a tear out of her eye while her mouth made little coo's.

Epilogue:

"So, Doctor," Shining asked as he walked the good Doctor back to his TARDIS. "Will you visit Equestria again?"

"Well, I'm certainly not making any plans for it..." The Doctor answered as he swung the TARDIS' door open. "Then again, I never make plans for any of my visits, so who knows? ...What's that?"

A loud metal tromp distracted Shining and the Doctor from their talk of plans. They turned to see Optimus and Celestia approaching.

"Is-is that Optimus Prime?" The Doctor asked...rather fearfully.

"Yeah. Celestia thought it would be good to introduce to you to each other."

"Oh, well, that's really not nessecary, Shining. Optimus and I already know each other."

"Oh!" Shining perked up. "So you're like old friends?"

"Uh, no. More like a war criminal on Cybertron."

Shining stepped backwards, blindsided. "I-I'm sorry, how are you a-"

"Time traveling ailen, big misunderstandings. No time to explain, maybe later!" The Doctor told him quickly, retreating inside the TARDIS and piloting it to disappear just as Optimus and Celestia arrived.

Shining cleared his throat and tried to pretend nothing was wrong. "Hello, Optimus. Hello, Princess."

"Hello, Captain." Celestia greeted, looking around for the TARDIS. "Where's The Doctor?" She didn't notice Shining trying to cue her not to say the Doctor's name.

"The Doctor?" Optimus inquried. "As in...the last of the Time Lords?"

Shining knew better than to try and con Optimus. "...Yeah, that's the one."

Optimus' expression grew displeased. "You are aware of what the Doctor has done to Cybertron in the past, during the period of the War for Cybertron?"

"...No?"

Optimus made a displeased grunt. "Mmm."

"...Should I know?" Shining asked innocently.

"No, but I will you regardless. Once, there was an artifact of intense power, called the Underbase. The Decepticons and Autobots agreed not to use for their goals, as it would cause too much destruction...but, as always, the Decepticons went back on their word. The Doctor was there, and he made the decision to send the Underbase into space, and destroy it." Optimus answered.

"Sounds like the choice you and Celestia would make..." Shining muttered.

"But the choice was not his to make, and that is his crime. If the Doctor should return to Equestria, I would like him turned over to the Cybertronian court to be given a trial proper."

Optimus turned to Celestia, and it was clear he himself was not happy about what he was going to say. "And should he return, I will have no choice to charge the Equestrian Government with aiding a war criminal."

Celestia nodded somberly and saluted. "Understood, Your Primeship."

"You've really got to see this." Cadence assured Twilight, helping the Terrorpony up the naturally formed ice sculpture. "It's beautiful."

"I don't see how a sword could be beautiful." Twilight responded.

"Oh, trust me, Twilight." Cadence answered. "You will when you see it. I don't even think Optimus could lift it. It's nearly as big as him!"

"I don't know...Optimus is pretty strong." Twilight mumbled, looking around for the sword Cadence had been gushing about since they beat Thunderwing. "...Where is it?"

"Where's what?"

"Where's the sword?"

"It's right-...here!" Cadence looked up and her jaw dropped.

Inside the glacier, there was nothing. Unless the huge gash in the ice where the sword used to be.

"It- it was right here!" Cadence exclaimed.

"I believe you, Cadence, but whatever was here, it's gone now." Twilight said, turning and walking away. Cadence felt devastated. That sword was so pretty...Twilight and Shining should've gotten to see it.

Perhaps if she had looked up instead of drooping her head low as she walked away, she would've noticed the shadow atop the glacier, holding that very sword in its hands. The shadow turned and ran off, its footsteps echoing like a Cybertronian's, but Cadence still didn't notice anything.

Meanwhile, at the Autobot base, Trixie was on the phone, making a call on behalf of her new, unexpected friend.

"Yes, hello...my name is Trixie. Is this Sparkplug and Son Salvage? It is? Oh, good. Yes, yes, Trixie has a job for you."

Trixie sighed.

"Yes, Trixie has a penchant to refer to herself in the third person. Anyways..."

Trixie took another glance at Thunderwing's remains, dragged in through the Bridge with an invisibility spell cloaking it at first, before Trixie dispelled it.

"Trixie and her friend have a scrap job for you..."