XVIII: Operation: Endgame
The Imperials stared at the stage in disbelief.
“Ultra Magnus?” Twilight asked after a long pause.
“Yyyes, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Did the human known as Jason just get up on stage and say he was Optimus Prime?”
“I do believe he did, yes.”
“The Optimus Prime?”
“Yup.”
“The Optimus Prime who we know to be most certainly, very definitely dead!?”
“That’s the one.”
“How?” Twilight asked. “You sensed his Spark go out! This doesn’t make any sense!”
Ultra Magnus raised a finger.
“Humans don’t have Sparks.”
Twilight and Magnus stared at each other for a long moment.
“Humans …” Twilight chuckled. “Humans don’t have Sparks! Ha ha!”
“Hee hee.”
“HA HA HA!”
“HA HA HA HA!”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Y’all want to explain to the rest of us just what is so gosh-darn funny?”
“Humans …” Twilight hooked a leg around Applejack’s neck. “Humans don’t have Sparks! That’s how Optimus hid himself! He turned himself into a human! When Ultra Magnus was sensing his Spark go out, he wasn’t sensing Optimus was dead! He was sensing the exact moment Optimus turned into a human! Ha ha!”
“Wait,” Applejack said. “Wouldn’t Ultra Magnus have sensed that when Optimus got turned into a human the first time we went to Canterlot High?”
“Perhaps I did,” Ultra Magnus said. “I think I just blew it off because, at the time, I hadn’t felt his Spark grow steadily weaker before snuffing out. But he’s alive now!”
“Optimus Prime, hmm?” Adagio Dazzle asked. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard of you.”
“Understandable. If I understood you correctly, you have been trapped here for some time, and I … had been going out of my way not to draw attention to myself.”
“Regardless …” Adagio began to push herself up, stopping when Optimus’ sword hummed as it was redirected to stay inches away from her throat. “I won’t let you stop everything we’ve worked so hard to achieve! Aria, Sonata!” Adagio snapped her fingers.
Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk flew at Optimus Prime, their wings outstretched. Optimus hopped back from Adagio and readied his blade. Sonata reached her hands towards Optimus’ shoulder, and Optimus responded by slashing her across the gut, the same he had done to Adagio Dazzle. Aria Blaze was able to grab Optimus’ shoulder. Optimus spun around, slamming the hilt of his sword into Aria’s chest, before following up by punching her in the throat.
“Grr …” Adagio growled, getting to her feet, the massive wound in her gut, which would kill, or at least cripple most normal humans, only making her a little wobbly. Adagio turned to the crowd and began to vocalize.
“Aaah … aaah … aah. My lovers, my adoring fans, your queen needs you! Rise to the occasion and cast out this heretic.”
The entranced crowd clamored, going into an uproar. They made their way towards the stage and crawled up the side, putting their hands on the ledge and pulling themselves.
“Now?” Ultra Magnus asked Twilight, pulling the pump-action on his boomstick. “Can we ruin the Dazzlings’ day now?”
“Now,” Twilight said, picking up Sunset Shimmer and holding her.
“Wha … huh?” Sunset moaned in confusion, her fingers on her forehead as if she was recovering from a hangover.
“Set phasers to stun, everypony. Non-lethal force only.”
Ultra Magnus groaned and rolled his eyes. “Do we have to?” Twilight glared at him. “Fiiine.” Magnus aimed his boomstick, holding it up to his eyes, and fired into the front of the stage, deploying an explosive shell which didn’t hurt anyone (severely, at least) but caused the stage to collapse in and set on fire, burning away and preventing Adagio from calling up more audience members for reinforcements. This done, Magnus trained his weapon on Adagio.
“All of you!” Adagio swept her hand to a portion of her volunteer soldiers. “To that part of stage!”
The audience members began queuing up at edge of the stage, standing around where the stage had been hit. They formed a line, a wall, and stood there.
Ultra Magnus kept his weapon trained on Adagio, her poofy hair firm in his crosshairs, but the enthralled minions kept bobbing around, moving back and forth. “It’s no good.” Ultra Magnus put his weapon down. “She’s using the crowd as a human shield. I can’t get a clear shot.”
“Well, we’ll just have to hope Optimus can handle it himself.” Twilight said.
“It’s Optimus. Of course he can.” Ultra Magnus looked to the stage with a smile. “My big bro can handle anything.”
On the stage, Optimus justified Ultra Magnus’ confidence in him, taking on Adagio’s minions out with ease and confidence. Keeping his sword tucked under his arms, Optimus kicked one crowd-goer in the stomach, slugging another in the head, before capping it off by picking one up and flinging him into the mob, knocking others down like a set of bowling pins. When Sonata Dusk swooped at him again, Optimus whipped his sword back out and moved aside, cutting Sonata’s wing with the sword and tearing a hole in it.
Adagio shook with rage, infuriated by this butchering of her sister. Baring her teeth, she charged at Optimus, picking him by the shoulders from behind and lifting him into the air.
“I won’t let you ruin everything, Optimus! We’ve waited too long for this!”
Optimus flailed his sword-arm about, trying to get a better aim, before able to take the blade and slash Adagio across the stomach again, adding a horizontal line above the diagonal one he’d already put there. Adagio grimaced as the metal pierced her flesh, but seemed otherwise unaffected. Adagio grabbed Optimus by the wrist and pulled, twisting his arm until he was forced to relinquish the sword, his fingers letting go and dropping to the stage.
Adagio pulled Optimus up to face her. Optimus’s other arm was free enough he could get in a punch to her chest, which served to make Adagio even angrier.
“Aaaahyah!” Spitting as she growled, in a surprising display of strength, Adagio lifted Optimus over her head and hurled him into the backstage curtain, where Optimus tore through the fabric and was laid flat on his back.
Not giving him a chance to recover, Adagio got on top of him, sitting on his abdomen and wrapping her hands around his throat.
“Before I choke the life out of you, any last words, Optimus Prime?!” Adagio demanded.
Optimus gave her a look of solace. “A few. A passage. ‘To the last I grapple with thee. From Hell’s heart ...”
Optimus reached around, patting the stage floor for the cane he had on his person. He found it, rolling away from him, and clasped it, curling and tightening his fingers around.
“‘I stab at thee.’”
Optimus lifted the cane up and with the exertion of a tremendous amount of force, stabbed its bottom through Adagio’s chest, helped by the injuries Optimus had inflicted on her prior.
Adagio gasped and stood up off Optimus, clutching at her chest. Optimus rose up and yanked the cane out of her chest, blood splashing out as he did. He whipped the cane around and struck her across the neck, cracking the red gem in her necklace. Adagio gasped again, louder this time, and clutched at her necklace. Optimus, picking up on this, struck her again, kicking Adagio in the gut and making her stagger, her arms flailing and exposing the gem. Optimus grabbed the necklace and tore it off her person. Adagio was frozen still in fear, reaching out for it.
Optimus examined the necklace. He lifted it up and tossed it on the ground, where he prepared to stomp on it.
“No, wait!” Aria Blaze rushed forward. “Please, stop! She won’t survive without her necklace! A piece of her soul is in there! You can’t destroy it!”
Optimus regarded Aria Blaze with curiosity and suspicion. He picked the necklace. “If I destroy this necklace, it will destroy her as well?”
“Uh-huh.” Sonata Dusk nodded. “The same goes for all of us. Each one of us has these little fragments of our essence put into our gems. Who knows how much damage you’ve done to her already just by cracking it? Please don’t smash it.”
Optimus curled his fingers around the necklace. “In exchange for me not destroying the necklace housing Adagio Dazzle’s soul essence, will you be willing to surrender and free this crowd from your spell?”
Aria crossed her arms and scoffed. “Tch. No way.”
Optimus raised the necklace up, preparing to throw it on the ground again.
“No, wait!” Aria screamed, reaching out, causing Optimus to stop. She dragged her hands over her face, letting out a sigh. “Could you … could you just give us a minute?”
“You will have to decide.” Optimus informed her. “Which are you more willing to give up? Your victory and your control over these people, or Adagio Dazzle’s life? Choose.”
“Uh-huh. Yes, we understand that. Come on, girls, huddle.” Aria gestured for Adagio Dazzle to come over to her and Sonata. Adagio did so, and the three of them gathered in a circle, whispering and muttering to each other. Sonata peeked her head out to check on Optimus and make sure he hadn’t destroyed the gem anywhere while they were talking.
The Dazzlings broke up their huddle.
“We’ve decided.” Adagio Dazzle said.
“And your decision is?”
“YAAAH!” Adagio charged at Optimus, wings spread out.
“Adagio, don’t!” Aria exclaimed.
Optimus, reacting quickly, threw the necklace on the ground. He stomped on it, shattering it into pieces.
Adagio lurched and clutched at her heart. She dropped from her flight like a stone, crashing into the stage. She let out a groan and rolled over onto her back, looking up at the sky through squinting, pained eyes.
“Adagio!” Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk rushed to Adagio’s side, each of them taking one of Adagio’s hands into their own.
“It’ll … be okay, girls.” Adagio told. “I’ll be fine … really. Just … glue it back together, and I’ll be … right as rain.” Adagio cupped Aria’s cheeks, before her hand fell down.
Aria’s eyes watered up. Sonata sniffed and wiped her own tears away with her arm.
“We’ll do it.” Aria said, turning to Optimus and standing up. “We’ll surrender.”
“Meanie.” Sonata accused him.
“I have a low opinion of you, such that your insults mean nothing to me.” Optimus told her, disillusionment omnipresent in his voice.
Aria turned to the crowd. She crossed her hands across her chest and vocalized, rocking her head. Green mist rose up off the heads and shoulders of all the affected as the magic was dispelled. Everyone rubbed their heads and asked questions expressing their confusion, not having a full recollection of what happened.
“Alright, you two … and a half.” Ultra Magnus marched towards the stage, stomping for the Dazzlings’ attention. “Let’s go. You’re under arrest. I’m sure the three of you and Flurrie will make nice cellmates.”
Ultra Magnus pulled out some stasis cuffs and slapped them on Aria, Sonata, and even Adagio, just in case the three of them had funny business in mind. Magnus converted into vehicle mode, and the girls were ushered into his truck canopy by the Imperials, where Ultra Magnus restrained with his seatbelts, shooting them out and pulling them nice and taut against the Dazzlings in their seats before starting his engine and driving off to take them to the same jail Flurrie was held in.
After setting Smokescreen with the unenviable, montous task of explaining what happened to the Canterlot High attendees and faculty and waiting for Ultra Magnus to return from the prison, the Imperials gathered around backstage to start questioning Optimus.
Twilight, her friends, and the kids bombarded him with questions.
“Dude, where you have been?” Miko demanded.
“Where did you go?” Applejack asked.
“How long have you been hiding?” Rarity asked.
“Why did you hide?” Jack asked.
“How did you hide?” Twilight asked.
Optimus held his hand out for them stop pestering him with questions. “Please, please … I will explain everything. If, for any reason, my explanation seems unsatisfactory, then you will be free to ask me for more specific details on what I missed.”
Optimus looked at the ground. “After Lazerback invaded the base, I … I knew this was a world that I was no longer welcome in anymore. A world that I thought had no further need of or use of me anymore. So I escaped. I escaped to Canterlot High. I contacted Prowl and Chromedome, as they were the only ones I knew who could help to do what I needed them to, and be relied to keep it secret.”
“What did you need them to do?” Twilight asked.
“With myself in disguise, they approached Sunset Shimmer and brought her to me. They were able to convince her I was a Cybertronian criminal looking for a new lease on life, and able to persuade to use her magic on me to turn me into a human.”
Ultra Magnus cupped his chin. “That would probably be the exact moment when I sensed what I thought was your Spark going out.”
“Scrounging together the money, I went to the human surgeons of this word and underwent plastic surgery in order to hide and conceal my true identity from the denizens of this world who might recognize me from our previous outing to this world, as well as a prosthetic arm to replace the one I lost in the explosion. Knowing that Celeste had taken a shine to me during said outing, I made contact with her and was accepted into her home as her boyfriend. There, free of war and violence and factions, I had hoped to live out the rest of my days in peace and quiet until I died of natural causes … ”
Optimus closed his eyes ruefully. “But sadly, that would not be the case. A few nights ago, I recieved a dream- a vision, if you will, from the half-living, poisoned form of Primus himself. Poisoned from the Changeling Batteries, I assume.”
“Yes, that’s correct.” Twilight said.
“He spoke to me, telling me that he needed to call on me fight once more, that the Last of the Primes was still needed one last time … for one last battle.”
Optimus shook his head, hands resting on his cane. “They all seem like ‘one last battle,’ do they not? Until the next ‘one last battle’ comes along to replace it, and thus it becomes the ‘one last battle’ … and the cycle continues.”
Twilight grimaced, uncomfortable, sensing Optimus was none too pleased about being called back into action after his brief ‘retirement,’ such as it was.
“But why did you stay hidden?” Twilight asked, hoping she could get away from this subject soon. “Surely you heard the news about the Imperials. About what we were doing, and why. We could have used you. Why didn’t you come out and join us?”
"Honestly …” Optimus answered. “I was tired. Tired of it all. Of all the pain, of all the fighting and the violence and ... I just wanted to get away from all of it and stay away. But I see now that can no longer be an option for me.” Optimus stood up from the fountain he was sitting on. He noticed Twilight’s downcast expression, gazing at the concrete.
“Morose though I may be over my inability to live a suburban life, Twilight Sparkle, I assure you I will answer the call when called upon, and I will serve you as a competent, fighting soldier to the best of my abilities, and with all the due effectiveness I am able to muster.”
Twilight smiled, assured by Optimus’ words. “Glad to hear it.”
Smokescreen walked up to them. “Hey guys! I finished debriefing all those Canterlot High people. What’d I miss?”
“Not much. Though you might want to try and catch up with Optimus later.” Twilight answered before turning back to Optimus, getting straight down to business. “Right now, we need to get back to the problem at hand. Nova Prime’s sealed us inside this dimension so he can use the Omega Lock with impunity. He’s broken the mirror connecting the two worlds and sealed the pieces inside a massive, almost impenetrable cluster of Dark Energon. We need to find some way to break it, or at least some way out of this universe before he has a chance to do any real harm.”
Shock crossed Optimus’ features. “Nova …?”
“There’s a lot we need to catch you up on, Optimus.” Twilight said, never losing her stern and serious expression.
“I … yes, of course. I imagine much has changed during my long absence.” Optimus looked aside and ran his hand over his face. Being shocked and surprised in in disbelief about Nova had to wait until a better time; Right now, Twilight Sparkle needed him to bring his A-game.
“I am sorry, Twilight Sparkle.” Optimus said. “I do not have any ideas as to how we might break this Dark Energon blockade you speak of.”
Twilight rubbed her chin. “Couldn’t we get Sunset Shimmer to turn you back to your normal form, and then you could use the Matrix of Leadership on it?”
"Maybe," Ultra Magnus said. "I passed the Principal on my way back. She told me after being freed from the Sirens' spell, Sunset Shimmer went to go work on a way to fix the mirror."
"Well, go get her then! This can't wait! She can't fix the mirror if she can't get to the mirror!"
“Wait.” Smokescreen stepped forward. “I might have a idea that can do you one better.”
“Really?” Twilight asked. “What is it?”
“You all remember my friend, and the self-appointed guardian deity of this quaint little alternate dimension …”
Smokescreen gestured to off in the distance, where a towering figure could still be seen in the horizon, having not once moved from his constant lone vigil.
“Fortress Maximus.”
“Fortress Maximus! Of course! Brilliant!” Twilight bumped her hooves together. “If there’s anyone here who has something hidden away that can help us out of this situation, it’s him!”
“No, no, don’t thank me.” Smokescreen, bowing to an applauding audience which existed only in his head. “I’ll just be over here, being a humble, clever smart guy who came up with the ideas to save the day … yup.” Smokescreen rested his shoulders behind his head. His optics widened when he saw while he doing all of his ego-stroking, everyone else was already moving out. He chased after them, a hand raised up for attention. “Hey, wait for me!”
Arriving at Fortress Maximus’ leg, Smokescreen knocked on the side of said leg. The door hissed and lowered, granting them entry and welcoming them in. Twilight’s Imperial squadron went inside and crowded around the elevator, which lifted them up to the chest of Fortress Maximus. They pooled into the cockpit.
“Ah. Smokescreen.” Cerebros acknowledged them as the Imperials poured in. “It is good to see you again, my friend.”
“Hey, Cerebros.” Smokescreen greeted back, walking up to him. “It’s good to see you, too. Hey, listen … my buddies and I are in kind of in a rough spot right now, so I was wondering if maybe you could help us out again?”
“Again?” Cerebros asked in a tone which Smokescreen might have taken to be a joking, teasing voice, if not for the fact Cerebros was supposed to be programmed. “What do you need, my friend?”
“There’s this guy … Nova.” Smokescreen said. “He wants to cyberform every plant in the universe, and to get us out of his way, he lured us into this alternate dimension, and then trapped us here by breaking the mirror and encasing it with Dark Energon. Can you help us?”
“I … believe I can.” Cerebros said. “However, I believe this will exceed the parameters of what I am allowed to do on my own initiative. I will need an operator to approve your commands. Do you have someone who will qualify for the necessary requirements?”
Smokescreen nodded. “Of course.” He turned with a smile. “And I know just the person …” He looked at Optimus.
“I … would rather not.” Optimus said reservedly, hands on his cane. “My soul is weary, and I am tired and unrested. Commanding Fortress Maximus sounds … taxing.”
“Hmm. Oh. Alright, I understand, Optimus … but if not you, then who?” Smokescreen swept his gaze across the room.
“Perhaps … you, Smokescreen.” Cerebros said.
“Me?” Smokescreen stepped back, putting his hands on his chest in surprise. “Oh, no, no, I couldn’t! I’m far too young! I’ve barely seen any real action on the battlefield! Barely.”
“Youth and inexperience is not the same as having an impure Spark, Smokescreen. Your lack of ‘seeing action’ does not mean your Spark is unfit to operate Fortress Maximus.”
“Well …” Smokescreen curled his fingers nervously. His attention was drawn by Twilight tapping him on the foot.
“Come on, Smokescreen.” Twilight said. “We don’t have time for this. This whole … you being unsure of yourself. If there’s a way to get moving, we need to get moving now!”
“Please, Smokescreen?” Cerebros asked. “Try it for me?”
“Alright.” Smokescreen acquiesced. “I’ll give it a shot.” Smokescreen went into the other half of the room and sat on the operating chair, wiggling as he adjusted himself until he was comfortable. The restraints popped out and latched over him, while the scanning instruments took measure of his Spark purity.
“Spark purity levels at 98%.” Fortress Maximus’ booming deep voice said.
“Excellent. Smokescreen, would you care to give us your first command?” Cerebros asked.
“Oh, uh …” Smokescreen looked down as he considered what he wanted his first command to be, and how to best phrase to get the desired results. “Take us to the Dark Energon cluster that’s blocking the mirror just outside the school.”
“Acknowledged.” Cerebros said.
The entirety of the inside of the cockpit shook as Fortress Maximus began moving, lifting up his massive foot and taking a step forward. His foot caused a quake when it landed, shattering the pavement of the road. Fortress Maximus looked around.
“This is not going to work.” Fortress realized.
“Excuse me one moment. We will be taking an alternate route. Find and grab something to hold onto, will you?” Cerberos asked politely.
The cockpit shook and rattled again, a loud, low-pitched whir humming from somewhere inside Fortress Maximus. The Imperials all scrambled for something to hold onto and brace themselves against.
There was a blinding flash of green light as Fortress Maximus activated his internal Space Bridge. When the light subsided, Fortress Maximus was standing outside the school, the Dark Energon cluster visible from his chest windows.
Fortress Maximus looked down at the Dark Energon cluster, taking the measure of it.
“I will handle this.” Fortress Maximus said.
Weapons bristled from every port and bough on Fortress Maximus’ body, the barrels of various energy cannons humming and missile racks and pods shimmering. He opened up a barrage on the Dark Energon, blasting it with everything he had.
Even the apparent super Dark Energon Nova Prime had gotten his hands on couldn’t stand up to the full might and brunt of Fortress Maximus’ wide, varied and powerful arsenal. Explosions echoed and rocked off the cluster, before its shattering was heralded with a loud, high-pitched crack. Billions of shards of Dark Energon fell off the cluster, falling like raindrops, the cluster so large and massive that its total and imminent destruction had to take some time traveling downwards from the top before it was completely gone, down to the base, revealing the broken shards of the mirror lying on the ground in front of the Canterlot High statue.
“YES!” Twilight Sparkle pumped her hoof.
“Don’t celebrate just yet.” Arcee raised a finger. “We still need to find a way to get back to our home dimension.”
Sunset Shimmer walked onto the scene, a towel wrapped her shoulders. She let out a yawn, still groggy from coming out of the Dazzlings’ spell. With her magic, she swept the shards of Dark Energon away, sweeping the vile crystals up as if they were nothing more than piles of dust which had gotten out of hand from the maid. She reached, the mirror shards, bent down and picked a shard up, inspecting it.
“Hmm.” Sunset tilted the shard in her hand. “Yeah, I can fix this.” She levitated another shard up and brought it and the first shard together, making them connect.
She turned to Fortress Maximus and conjured a megaphone. “Hey, guys? I can fix this, but it’s gonna take me awhile.”
“What’d she say?” Bulkhead asked, the megaphone not quite reaching it.
“She said she can fix the mirror, but it will some time time.”
“We don’t have a while.” Twilight grumbled, slamming her hoof down.
“If I may offer an alternative suggestion …” Cerebros said.
Twilight and all the others turned their attention on Cerebros. All eyes were on him.
“I believe Fortress Maximus’ internal Space Bridge may be powerful to traverse the gap between dimensions and bring you to where you need to be. After all, it was able to bring me and him in the first place.”
“That’s … that’s brilliant! Of course!” Twilight smacked the side of her head for not thinking of that herself sooner. “I wish you would have said something like that earlier!”
“I need only a set of coordinates.” Cerebros said.
“And if I may make a suggestion, I have a particular location in mind …” Optimus said.
The coordinates were input into Cerebros and Fortress’ controls. The Space Bridge hummed.
Smokescreen let Sunset know, speaking through the intercom. “Sunset, we’ll be leaving on Fortress Maximus, okay?”
“Okay!” Sunset said. “You guys go on ahead! I’ll try and have this mirror ready again before you get back!”
Sunset shielded her eyes as Fortress Maximus disappeared in a blur of green light, taking the Imperials and all their forces with him.
June Darby stood outside the area of Outpost Omega-One, Team Prime’s former base. She wore her hair loose and a yellow hoodie to keep her face hidden. The area had been sealed off by hazard fences to preserve it and discourage would-be looters and collectors from scavenging the ruins.
June moved closer to the fence, keeping her head down as she passed another tourist, one of many who had come to see the destruction of the site. She put a hand on the fence. She looked up so she could see the ruins.
I know I’m supposed to be in hiding right now, Fowler … June thought. But I had to come and see it one last time.
Looking at the ruins of the base her sad, almost as sad as the fact this once-great building had become nothing more than a tourist attraction. It depressed her to think the place where her son had spent so much of his time was gone now, just gone. It depressed her even more to think about her son was in here moments before its destruction, and out lost, alone on the countryside, and probably doing what he thought was his duty and helping the Imperials, putting him on the wrong side of the law.
Oh, my poor Jack … please come home soon. If you can hear me, I love you. Wait … what’s that hum?
June had fortitus and surreptitious timing to be here when she was. She was one of many of the tourist who got to bear witness to a green light forming above the ruins of the base, which grew and expanded into a blinding flash. The tourists let out groans as the flash clouded their vision and disoriented them, but when their vision cleared, they all let out gasps and other expressions of shock.
June was surprised to cover her mouth. Right beside the Autobot base, a massive, gigantic, towering titan of a Cybertronian had appeared. June would guess Autobot, due to its blockier proportions and more humanoid face. Made of ebony black steel, and …
“Is that …?” June asked, holding a hand over her eyes, making out a silhouette coming out from inside the Autobot and standing on its shoulder. “Optimus?”
Standing high, high and far, far above the crowd, Optimus surveyed the area. The transit from one dimension to the next had removed any of Sunset’s magic from him, changing him back to how he was mere minutes after the explosion. And he was not looking good. His entire body was robbed of color. What little parts of him which weren’t scorched black were merely scorched grey, the blast having eroded and faded much of his paint job. The silver parts on him were a dull and lifeless grey, his sheen and shine gone. His forehead crest had the top chipped off, his windows were cracked, one of his optics was barely lit, and the other was but slightly better, flickering between a quarter and a third of the size it should have been, both a corrupted orange color from not having proper Energon in him. He retained Jason’s prosthetic limb, forming a dinky arm where his normal arm had been blown off, though it still retained its functionality even in his robot form, at least making sure he had two hands.
Twilight Sparkle walked out of Fortress Maximus and up to his leg.
Optimus looked down at her before looking back to the crowd.
“I had reasoned having Fortress Maximus make his entry into our dimension here, at the site of our former base, would have an impact on the populace. It would make a statement that the Autobots - and myself had returned.” Optimus said.
“Well, it doesn’t look like you’re wrong about that part.” Twilight observed the awed tourists.
Optimus pursed his lips and grumbled. “Look at them.”
“Optimus?” Twilight asked, concerned.
“This was a military base. Battles were fought and staged here. Soldiers rested here. It was destroyed unjustly. People could have died here when this base was destroyed. Yet, after its destruction … after its removal … what do the humans do with it? They turn into an attraction, a site for drawing tourists to penny and dime by selling them senseless knick-knacks and manufactured memorabilia, glorifying and overlooking the horrific nature of the war which caused the construction of this base in the first place, and our continued usage of it.”
“Optimus?” Twilight tapped him on the leg. “I know you’re upset. You have every right to be. But we need to get out there and stop Nova Prime and the Omega Lock.”
Optimus closed his eyes and bowed his head. “Of course, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight and Optimus turned and went back inside.
“Nova Prime controls the Omega Lock, you say?” Optimus asked to double-check and reaffirm as they rode the elevator back inside. “I am familiar with its legend, and assuming it works the same way as it does in the myths, then I may have an idea for how we can fight it and stop it.”
“I’m open for anything," Twilight said, "let’s hear it.”
Onboard the Omega Lock, orbiting adrift in a nondescript region of space, slaughtered Imperial Vehicon corpses littered the sides of the rings, which Thunderhoof and Fracture worked on kicking and booting off into space.
“Ah.” Nova Prime rubbed his hands together, getting ready to do some hands-on dirty work. The Omega Lock creaked and groaned as it was moved and tilted to the side, alining it with Earth, as best as it could given the massive interplanetary light-years distance between the Earth and its current position.
“With those interfering Imperials out of my way and unable to affect my plans, I’m free to cybeform planets to my Spark’s content.” Nova Prime exalted in his triumph. He turned to Steeljaw. “Having someone from the future on my side is such a boon.”
Steeljaw humbly bowed. “I live to serve, Your Eminence.”
Fortress Maximus materialized in front of a Space Bridge operating terminal operating and run by Galloway’s forces and soldiers.
Optimus and Twilight walked out onto Fortress Maximus’ shoulder and crouched. “Are you sure this is where your informant told you the Space Bridge station was, Twilight Sparkle?”
Optimus and Twilight ducked to the side as red and blue energy shots whizzed by them.
“Pretty sure.” Twilight said.
Optimus, Twilight, and Beast Hunters division hopped down and made their way to the station’s front, where an Americon and Galloway-aligned Autobot were standing guard, their weapons raised and smoking.
“Optimus Prime!” The Americon exclaimed at the sight of Optimus. “They said you were dead!”
“And you believed them? Without checking for a body?” Optimus asked.
The Americon scratched his neck. “Uh … well.”
“Enough.” Optimus stood tall. “Stand aside or be blown away.”
“I can’t let you do that, Optimus.” The Americon retrained his weapon on Optimus. “I am to defend this station. Even from you, Prime.”
The Americon felt the heat of a energy weapon warm the back of his head before a barrel pressed into it.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The Autobot said.
The Americon turned to glare at the Autobot. “You … traitor!”
Before anything could come of it between the two, Optimus went and uppercut the Americon in the gut, following up by pounding him across the head before grabbing him by the midsection, lifting him and hurling him away.
Optimus turned to the Autobot. “You did not have to betray your comrade like that.”
“I made an oath to follow your lead, obey your orders, Prime.” The Autobot said. “That came first, before I ever set foot on Earth or signed onto Galloway’s programs, so it takes precedent.” The Autobot saluted.
Optimus saluted back. He and his team moved on.
Twilight burst inside the station proper, where the Space Bridge terminal was manned by two human scientists.
“You two.” Twilight said from behind her mask. “I need you to open up a Space Bridge at a particular set of coordinates.”
The scientists looked at each other.
“Um, we’re sorry, War Princess, but Galloway gave us explicit orders not to allow the use of this Space Bridge by any pony without the proper authorization.”
The scientists reeled back, holding their clipboards up in defense as Optimus Prime stepped into the building.
“Do you two enjoy having your bones unbroken and in their proper upright positions?” Optimus asked. The scientists nodded. “Then I suggest you do as my equine companion says. Follow her instructions to the letter.”
“Yessir!” The scientists scrambled to start working on the Space Bridge controls.
Twilight watched them for a moment before looking at Optimus. “That was kind of dark, Optimus.”
“I am in a very dark mood.”
“Hmm,” Twilight made note of this.
“Omega Lock ready to fire and begin cyberforming.” Steeljaw reported, saluting Nova Prime.
“Excellent. Well? What are you waiting for? Fire!”
“Beginning the cyberforming of Earth.” Steeljaw tapped a button.
The Omega Lock hummed, whirred and warbled. The pool of energy inside its ring fired a huge pillar of a blue beam, aimed dead straight at and heading for Earth.
As the beam travelled into space, a Space Bridge opened up in front of it, which consumed the beam.
Nova’s eyes widened. “What?”
Down on Earth, Optimus, Twilight and the others looked up at the sky with pride, watching the Space Bridge in the sky launching the Omega Beam, redirecting it into space where it would fly off and eventually disperse into harmless particles, a shallow remnant of its divine energies. Bulkhead patted Optimus on the back, while Twilight and Rarity hugged.
Aboard the Omega Lock, Nova Prime was flabbergasted.
“What just happened?”
“Well, if youse ask me, it looks like a Space Bridge opened up in front of youse’ Omega Lock and then its beam somewhere youse didn’t want to go.”
Nova Prime grabbed Thunderhoof by the antlers. “I know WHAT happened, you antler-headed oaf! I want to know why it happened!” Nova pushed him away and tossed him aside.
Steeljaw caught the stumbling Thunderhoof and set him right. After making sure his packmate was okay and not going to be sent flying into space by Nova’s throw, Steeljaw turned to Nova.
“The only logical explanation, Nova, is obvious.” Steeljaw said. “Somehow, despite all our precautions, the Imperials have somehow escaped and are working to interfere with and thwart our plans.”
“Grr …”
“Now, now, please don’t lose your temper.” Steeljaw said. He bowed. “If you’ll accept me, I’d be happy to offer my services in the name of dealing with this unwanted intrusion and complication. After all, your plans won’t work if the Imperials are out there, mucking about and messing with things, but with my knowledge of the future and talent with subsonics, I can assure you they will be immobilized and dealt with accordingly.”
“Go.” Nova pointed a finger. “Do not fail me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Steeljaw said humbly. “Let’s go!” Steeljaw addressed his pack, snapping his fingers and running on all fours across the ring of the Omega Lock, where Nova opened a Bridge for them.
On a land across from Equestria, far enough that it required travel by boat, a hooded figure stood by a cliff.
This land called … Ponyland. Simple and friendly sounding, but monsters walk here.
A white dove flew by. It was caught in a red beam and frozen, paralyzed. A sphere of yellow energy rose from the inside of its beak, a tail trailing behind and swam through the air, entering a fanged, simina jaw. The dove dropped to the floor, its eyes grayed, still technically alive, but functionally so stilted and suffered it might well have been - and it wished it was - dead.
“Hydia …” Tirek said, raising his head up and pulling his hood down, looking at her over his shoulder. “I am ready to start my campaign. I will get you the ingredient that you need.”
On Cybertron, Galvatron walked through an empty hall, his footsteps echoing across the polished chrome of the hall. At least until the metal gave away, and his boots stepped instead into piles of green goop. Lifting his foot up, Galvatron shook it off, masking his disgust and contempt for these disgusting creatures.
Galvatron walked to the core hive of the secret lair, where Changelings buzzed and flitted about, sticking to the wall, flying from one wall to another.
“Oh! We have a guest.” Chrysalis, recognizing Galvatron’s presence, flew up in front of him. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Galvatron?”
“Chrysalis, I am here to discuss a plan to get those … wretched humans out of the way of my master’s perfect world.” Galvatron said.
“Oh?” Chrysalis turned her head flirtatiously. “And do my Changelings and I have a place in this perfect world?”
“Rest assured, I have no love for your kind, either …” Galvatron glanced at the goopy pillars lining the hive. “But I find you far easier to manipulate as a single whole. The humans are too … chaotic. Too disorganized, too scrambled, too … sectioned off.”
“Uh-huh.” Chrysalis nodded. “And would this lack of love be the reason why there are still Changeling Batteries sapping the life from my precious children?”
“Rest assured, I will get to the Batteries in time.” Galvatron said. “I have workers working on taking them down as we speak, but there are … several of them.”
Chrysalis nodded, accepting this. “Now, what was this you said about a plan to get out the humans?”
“Look …” Galvatron projected a blue hologram of a schematic from his arm.
Chrysalis oohed. “Oh. I like that. I like this plan.”
The Beast Hunters and Twilight’s herd of friends watched with pride as their Space Bridge tactic continued working, catching and deflecting another Omega Beam up into the atmosphere.
Their good feelings and good vibrations were put to a halt when all of the Autobots kneeled and doubled over in pain, clutching at their ears.
“Optimus?" Twilight asked.
"Arcee!" Rainbow Dash ran up to Arcee's leg, throwing her hooves over Arcee's leg.
"What's wrong, darlings?"
“Some sort of … signal!” Arcee answered, grimacing her teeth, her face contorting in pain. “Scrambling our circuits!”
“Okay, okay, hang on.” Twilight said. “Just hang on!” She ran into the operating station, beginning to pull and rip pieces and circuits and wires out from her armor. Salvaging what she could from the scientists, she ran back out and set to work on assembling a device, scrambling to use her magic to put all the pieces and parts together in a way that she hoped would work.
“Come on, come on …” Twilight flicked a switch, turning the device. It began to generate a hum.
The Autobots uncovered their their eyes. They let out collective sighs, save Optimus.
“Ah. That’s better.” Arcee said.
“You should be okay as you stay relatively close to this device.” Twilight said. “It’ll block out and deflect whatever it was that was doing this to you.”
“How close is ‘relatively close’?” Bulkhead asked.
“About … 50 meters?” Twilight smiled apologetically and shrugged. Seeing the disapproving glares Bulkhead and Arcee were giving her, Twilight frowned. “Look, it’s something I cobbled together in less than a minute! You need to give me some time before I can make something better!” Twilight looked aside and cupped her chin. “And more importantly, we-”
“We need to figure out what caused the source of the distress in the first place.” Optimus said.
“Right. I was just about to say that.” Twilight said. “Give me a second and …” Twilight disappeared in a flash, then reappeared just as soon. “Okay. I used Fortress Maximus’ instruments. I was able to backtrack the signal to a source in the Appalachian Mountains, but that’s all I could find out.”
“Let’s go!” Bulkhead said, marching forward. He went out of range of Twilight’s deflector, clutched his head in pain, and ran back inside its range.
Twilight chuckled. “Heh heh. Um, maybe after I can come up with an improved version of this? Plus, someone needs to stay here and make sure those scientists keep reopening the Space Bridge to repel the Omega Lock.”
“I’m on it.” Smokescreen volunteered. “After all, I get all the menial labor jobs …” He bemoaned as he walked away.
“Autobots,” Optimus said, “roll out!”
“Ahem.”
“After Twilight Sparkle finishes her device, of course.”
Ratchet continued to sit by the walls, crouched down and despondent.
“Wha … what is this?” Attinger asked, returning with a trio agents, all three of them shocked. Attinger’s men went over to check on the agents Ratchet had struck down.
Attinger surveyed the scene of carnage. He took special notice of the dead Americon.
“Killed the Americon, did you?” Attinger asked, a rhetorical question. He glanced up at the operating table. “And yet you didn’t have the guts, the brass to kill the one hooked up to your friend on the table there?”
Ratchet replied with a scoff. “Hmph. Well … the one on the table wasn’t threatening my life.”
Attinger gestured to the agents. “And they were?”
“I felt as much, yes.”
“You …” Attinger clenched his fist, biting his teeth down on his lip. “Don’t you Autobots take a vow not to harm organic life?”
“Indeed.” Ratchet said. “It is one of our most sacred vows. It’s what seperates from Decepticons.”
“Attinger, sir!” The agent reported, his fingers on the incapacitated agent’s neck. “They’re still alive! We have a pulse!”
Attinger regarded Ratchet with confusion.
“Please. I am still a doctor. I know where to hit to incapacitate without killing.”
Attinger covered his mouth, beginning to feel a little overwhelmed over all of what was happening. “Alright, alright … get them to a medical facility, and get Fowler and our asset off those tables.”
“Will do, sir!” The agents reported, dragging their coworkers out.
Ratchet sighed and pressed down on his knees. He pushed himself and went over to the table, where he unplugged the psychic patch from Fowler and the Americon. The two of them groaned and sat up, the Americon getting off the bed. He looked and saw his dead companion.
“I’m sorry.” Ratchet said.
“Yeah … sad, but I’m not surprised.” The Americon said. “He told me he was going to confront you about killing friends of his before I went in.”
“Ooh…” Fowler groaned, his head rocking. “Got a black magic woman, got a spell on me ...”
“Wake up, Fowler.” The Americon lightly tapped the tip of its finger to Fowler’s head, jostling him awake. Doing Ratchet a favor, the Americon helped Fowler onto the ground.
Fowler huffed and adjusted his suit jacket. He glared at Attinger. “So, what’ll you do with me now, Ghost? Shoot me? Lock me up?”
“I’m thinking.” Attinger said.
“Well, while you think, let me tell you something. You’re a real patriot. Did you know that? I bet you didn’t know. Using alien technology to interrogate a fellow agent, that hasn’t been tested to see if it was safe for use on humans! Real American of you. Ladies and gentleman, Harold Attinger, a real Americon hero!”
“You take that back.” Attinger’s remaining agent whipped out his sidearm and took aim at Fowler.
“No.” Attinger grabbed the agent’s wrist and forced it down. “Let him go.”
“Let him go?”
“Let him go.” Attinger stressed his words, making sure to communicate this would be the last on the subject.
Fowler’s mouth hung open in shock. He glanced at Attinger for a reaction, trying to be sure he wasn’t hallucinating. Sparing one last glance to Ratchet, Fowler ran out of the building.
“Let’s go.” Attinger said to his men, twirling his hand and pointing out the door. He and his agents left without any further word, leaving Ratchet in the hangar by himself.
Alone. With nothing but the dead Vehicon to keep him company and for him to contemplate over.
Ratchet walked up to the Vehicon and looked down at him. He let out a deep sigh. “Another life lost, claimed by the mad pursuit of vengeance at any cost. How many more Cybertronians are going to die of these petty grudges? How many Cybertronians lives will be lost at the expense of unending, bitter feuds lasting long after the Great War was over?”
“Gaargh!” Ratchet’s soliloquy was interrupted by a high=pitched signal going off in his head. It seemed to be a sonic attack on his brain, as though a massive audi speaker had nested up right to the side of his head and blared off at maximum volume.
“Ratchet,” Vigil said, “my scans indicate you are under some kind of sonic attack.”
“GEE, YOU THINK?” Ratchet screamed, unsure he could be heard over the sonic signal.
“Would you like to attempt to compensate and counterbalance for the hum?”
“THAT WOULD BE NICE!”
“Calibrating …” Vigil said. His display warbled in its red lines. “Done.” A different high-pitched hum spread through the room, like glass warbling. The pressure in Ratchet’s head subsided.
Ratchet sighed. “That’s better.” He got to his feet.
“You!” Attinger’s agent ran back into the hanger. “What did you do? We’ve got reports of Autobots dropping like flies all over the continent!”
“Me? I’m not doing anything.” Ratchet gestured to himself before walking up to Vigil and inputting a command.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to utilize Vigil to track the signal to its source. Unless you want to have a continent of disabled, useless Autobots on your hands, I suggest you let me finish and allow me to conduct an investigation on my own. Or would you prefer it that way, with only repentant Decepticons to defend you from the mean Cybertronian boogeymen your organization has conjured with your imagination?”
The agent gave Ratchet a bitter glare and left.
Ratchet scrutinized Vigil’s screen, making sure he was reading the results correctly. “The Appalachian Mountains. Got it. I’ll need to make something to protect myself from that awful noise …” Ratchet rubbed his head. It still hurt.
“Okay.” Twilight Sparkle handed out golden earpiece devices to each member of Team Prime. “Place these on the side of your hand, and it should be enough to block out whatever signal is doing this.”
Optimus and the others affixed the earpieces in.
“Let’s move.” Twilight motioned for them to go through the Space Bridge inside Fortress Maximus, which Cerebros had been able to adjust to function like a normal Space Bridge for their use.
As they made through the Bridge, Arcee looked down and rubbed her wrists. “Are you sure you’re up for this, Optimus?”
“What do you mean, Arcee?”
“You haven’t gotten any medical attention since you came back, even when you might have had a chance to inbetween missions. You’re neglecting yourself, and you’re still using that dinky prosthetic arm.”
Optimus rotated the prosthetic shoulder. “It is a perfectly serviceable arm for what I require of it. I see no reason to replace it.”
Arcee sighed and frowned, turning away and crossing her arms. “Well, you’re the Prime. You know what’s best for you, I guess.”
“We’re here.” Twilight stomped her hoof into the snow as they stepped out of the Bridge. She looked around the valley they had arrived at the edge of. Poking her head over the side of ledge, Twilight looked inside the valley and saw Steeljaw and his gang standing around a large, blue and black hourglass-shaped cylinder device which occasionally pumped its top half up and down.
“Steeljaw, of course.” Twilight said. “It had to be Steeljaw.”
“Steeljaw?” Optimus asked.
“Steeljaw. He’s … a Decepticon anarchist … from the future.”
“You did not mention that during your brief briefing, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Look, Optimus, there’s a lot of things we need to catch you up on, okay? Oh!” Twilight turned and ran back to the Space Bridge. “If Steeljaw is here, there’s only one thing … I owe it to her, after all.”
Twilight entered the Bridge, and shortly thereafter returned with Starlight Glimmer acompanying her.
“Who is this?” Optimus asked.
“Oh, that’s right, you two haven’t met yet.” Twilight said. “Starlight Glimmer, Optimus Prime, Optimus Prime, Starlight Glimmer. She and Steeljaw have a history. I figured I owed her the chance to get a little payback and settle some scores.”
“Optimus Prime?” Starlight asked. “Where I have heard that name before? Oh, you’re Ultra Magnus’ brother, right? Are you as much as trigger-happy, rocket-loving manic as he is?”
Twilight facehooved at Starlight’s lack of tact and sensitivity. Lucky for them, Optimus’ was reponse was nothing more than a raised eyebrow of intrigue.
“Wait, didn’t you die?” Starlight asked.
“It’s a long story.” Twilight replied before looking over the edge of the valley. “Now, we need to come up with a plan of attack …”
Steeljaw rubbed his chin, eying his device.
“What’cha youse thinking, Steelie?” Thunderhoof asked.
“This device produces a subsonic signal across the planet which disables all Autobots, keyed to tune in on their precise signals.” Steeljaw pointed a finger before lifting up a panel. “What was I thinking, my good companion, was that perhaps I could be of further use to Nova Prime if I could modulate to key in and do the same thing to organics, namely humans and ponies.”
Steeljaw bent over and dug his claws into the machine’s circuitry, fiddling with to see if he could make the adjustments to get his desired result.
Thunderhoof reeled back in fear. He tapped Steeljaw on the shoulder. “You might want to take a rain check on that, Steelie! Look!”
“What?” Steeljaw pulled up, his eyes going wide when he saw Optimus Prime and a team of Autobots scaling down the sides of the valley. “Optimus Prime!? But he’s supposed to be hiding in Canterlot High at this moment in time! Grr. No matter.” Steeljaw slammed down the panel shut. “I’ll just use the subsonic device and take them all out. With our future knowledge, we can’t fail. Unless we want our good Decepticon future to go away …” Steeljaw leered at his minions, wanting to be sure his message of what the price of their would be was clear.
“No way!” Thunderhoof assured him.
“Good.” Steeljaw pressed a button on the device. He turned his head to the left and grimaced when he saw the vehicle-mode convoy of Autobots driving towards them. “They’re not stopping. Why are they not stopping? Why aren’t they affected?”
“Here they come.” Fracture said, launching his Mini-Cons off his shoulders and pulling out his bazooka. He took aim at Optimus and fired, aiming to take out his front tire. He missed by an inch, striking Optimus in the hood, causing him to screech and swerve, but be able to continue driving towards them with all six wheels.
Closing the distance between them, Optimus led the charge, reverting to robot mode and drawing what remained of the shattered half of his ruined faceplate, which shrieked in protest at its deployment without proper repairs. Thunderhoof charged at him, and Optimus belted him in the head, pounding his fist into Thunderhoof’s noggin before kicking him away. Fracture deployed a knife and tossed it at Optimus, who raised up his arm, the knife embedding itself inside. Optimus pulled the knife out and tossed it aside.
Fracture’s Mini-Cons jumped into the air towards Optimus with claws outstretched. Bulkhead threw himself in front of his leader, grabbing the Mini-Cons by the heads and bashing them together, tossing them into the snow. Rarity walked up to them, and still bitter about her last confrontation with the two, used her magic to bash them together a second time.
Fracture grimaced and aimed his weapon again. Arcee and Bumblebee took him out, tag-teaming him with their Hunter bows, shooting two iron shafts into Fracture’s chest. Fracture gasped and fell over.
“Yaaah!” Thunderhoof roared and charged at Optimus. Optimus responded by punching him in the face, deploying his sword from his still-good arm, and slicing one of Thunderhoof’s antlers off. Optimus reverted the sword into a hand and grabbed the other antler and pulled until he broke it off, eliciting from Thunderhoof a groan of pain.
Holding both of Thunderhoof’s antlers in his hands, Optimus stabbed Thunderhoof, embedding them into Thunderhoof’s gut, earning an “oof!” impaling him on his own antlers - a cruel method of attack if there was one. Optimus struck Thunderhoof, knocking him down.
Underbite challenged him next, marching up to him. “Nobody treats my buddies that way.” Underbite opened his mouth to take a big bite out of Optimus, but Optimus went under him and punched him in the chin. Optimus proceeded on, crawling between Underbite’s legs and getting under him, where Optimus lifted him up by the stomach and hurled him into the valley wall, where snow fell down on top of Underbite to add insult to injury.
Steeljaw flexed his claws, deploying his auxiliary set from above his knuckles. He roared and charged at Optimus.
Optimus switched his hand into its blade configuration and sliced off Steeljaw’s knuckles-claws, reducing them to nubs. While Steeljaw froze in shock at Optimus being able to do that, Optimus switched his blade to his blaster.
“Hmph! No matter. I’ll just produce a little subsonic force field, and …” Steeljaw pressed a button on the inside of his arms, a yellow sphere of energy forming around him. “Presto. You can’t hurt me.”
Optimus charged his shot, an eye-burning lens flare coming from the barrel of his cannon. He fired the powerful blast, pierced the force field and shot Steeljaw in the stomach, producing a nice smoking hole in the side of him and blasting him backwards onto his subsonic machine.
Optimus marched forward. Pumping up another charged shot, Optimus shot the device, blowing a hole in its stop bigger than the one in Steeljaw. The device quit pumping, the lights on it going out.
Optimus turned his attention to Steeljaw, aiming his weapon and preparing another charge shot.
“You-you can’t kill me.” Steeljaw said. “I’m not from this time period. I’m from the future. You’ll create a time paradox!”
“Will I?” Optimus asked. “Now that would be something I would be quite interested to see. However, if I understand the nature of your time travel, you dying in the past will cause no such thing, so long as your past self remains alive and untampered with to carry out your eventual fate. I am free to do this version of you as I wish.”
“Optimus.” Twilight walked up to him. “As much as he might deserve it, there’s no need to kill him. He’s injured. All of his minions are incapacitated, and his scheme here with this machine, whatever it was, fell through. There’s no need to kill him.”
Optimus looked down at her, his ill-lit optics fading in and out. He walked up to Steeljaw, switched his blaster out for his blade, and stabbed in the knee, causing Steeljaw to howl in pain.
“Optimus!” Twilight screamed and chided.
“Wow.” Starlight Glimmer said, walking up to them as Optimus pulled his sword out of Steeljaw. “After all the good things I heard about you from your brother … you’re even worse than I am, Optimus.”
Optimus became eerily, deathly, unnervingly still. He turned to Starlight Glimmer. “And what, pray tell, have you done, Starlight Glimmer?”
“Oh. Uh, well, you know …” Starlight chuckled airily, getting the sense she said something she maybe ought not have. “Just, um, lying to an entire village, filling it up with conscripts, taking advantage of Twilight Sparkle’s memory loss to try and turn her into one my converts. But you know, haven’t we all lied to an entire village at some point in our lives, am I right? Right?”
Optimus narrowed his eyes at her. “You did what to Twilight Sparkle?”
“Um …”
Optimus cocked his gun. He trained his Ion Blaster on Starlight, the blaster humming before he fired. Starlight got the hay out of the way, leaving the spot, making Optimus’ blast kick up tufts of snow.
“Optimus!” Twilight protested. Starlight galloped across the valley, Optimus turning and firing at her with the single-mindedness of an automated gun turret. Optimus marched continued firing at her, blue balls of energy traveling down the valley, pelting the walls and knocking dirt and snow loose onto the ground.
Twilight watched the scene unfurl in front of her. She looked off to the side, noticing Steeljaw groaning and gasping as he tried to climb up the valley walls with his injured leg, clutching at his stomach wound.
“Oh no you don’t.” Twilight aimed her horn and fired a blast at Steeljaw’s back, which shook him, but he was able to dig his claws in and cling to the valley wall. Twilight adjusted her aim and rose her horn up, shooting a blast at the valley above Steeljaw, triggering a rockslide. Steeljaw reeled back and screamed, losing his grip and falling. The rocks pelted his body on the way down, and when he landed in the snow, he was soon buried under a pile of rocks, pebbles, and boulders.
Twilight smiled, satisfied with her handiwork. She turned back to Optimus and Starlight and gave chase, galloping after them.
Starlight galloped across the plains, looking over her shoulder at Optimus, who was chasing her and firing at her, Starlight teleporting to avoid his fire His Ion Blaster not doing the job and missing her, Optimus converted into truck mode and deployed machine guns from his hood, his body creaking in protest as the barrels deployed from the side of him. The chainguns whirred, spinning to warm up before firing, shooting out a constant barrage of small bullets.
Starlight teleported to avoid one before realizing the mathematical reality that, with so many bullets flying at her, it was a matter of time before one hit. She conjured up a force field around her and continued running, dispelling and resummoning the immobile force field when she had to.
A bolt of magic came hurtling from the west, striking Optimus in the wheels and sending him skidding, almost careening into the valley wall.
Twilight Sparkle teleported behind Starlight Glimmer, positioning herself squarely between Starlight and Optimus and interceding the fight.
Optimus drove up to them and reverted to robot mode. He armed his blaster and aimed it at Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle, get out of the way.”
“Why? So you can shoot her? No.”
“Twilight Sparkle, step out of the way.” Optimus gestured his gun to the side. “That is an order.”
“No! Oh, I’m sorry, I think you need to be reminded about what’s going on here, Optimus. You have been MIA for months now, while I have taken over the Autobots under the banner of the Imperials, and I am the Imperial Commander now, while you are still getting back on your feet, and still don’t know everything there is to know about the world’s changes!”
“Are you …” Optimus paused, utterly gobsmacked and bewildered Twilight Sparkle would be so audacious as to try something like this on him. “Twilight Sparkle, are you trying to pull rank on me?”
“Yes, I am.” Twilight answered, showing no signs of backing down. “Stand down, soldier.”
“You do not have the authority to ...” Optimus sighed and ignored the feeling of slight offense he took to Twilight “Starlight Glimmer must pay for what she’s done and did to you. She must answer for -”
“Starlight Glimmer is well aware what she did was wrong, and she’s done her best since then to make amends for it.” Twilight Sparkle. “Optimus, wouldn’t you be the first to say that we all deserve the chance to atone for our mistakes? That all of us, every single one, down from the biggest Decepticon to the littlest pony, deserve at least one second chance to redeem ourselves and make amends?”
“I would say that.” Optimus replied. “However, that was before I realized the full monstrosity of what lurked inside Megatron, and what darkness that monster was willing to do for his own power and gain. Time and again I allowed him to live, to escape and continue on his merciless crusade of violence and death, because deep inside, a naive, foolish innocent part of me still wanted to believe in him … to believe he could change. That he could go back to being the warrior poet was when I first met him and knew him as. I know better now. When I finally ended his life at New York, I promised … never to make that mistake again. So I ask you once again, I order you, Twilight Sparkle …” Optimus raised his weapon. “Get out of the way.”
Twilight’s hard expression softened. “Can’t you see by not letting Starlight have a second chance and not accepting her efforts to change, you’re making a completely different kind of mistake?”
“Perhaps I am, but that is a risk I must be willing to take. Get out of the way.”
“No.” Twilight said. “I know you, Optimus. You won’t shoot me. I’m your friend. What is wrong with you? You’ve been violent, cranky, and irritable ever since you got back from the Canterlot High dimension. You’ve been violently, viscerally threatening almost everyone you come across that’s on opposite sides from you. Did something hidden in that universe change you? Did you just resent being taken from your happy house-husband life that much? Or is there something more, something else going on?”
Optimus Prime kept his blaster trained on her. His arm began to shake. He raised up his weapon, letting out a sigh as he placed his hand over his eyes. “You are correct, Twilight Sparkle. I will not shoot you.”
Twilight smiled.
“However, that will not prevent me from trying to hit Starlight Glimmer.” Optimus moved his blaster to the side, trying to line up a shot which would hit Starlight, but not Twilight.
“OPTIMUS!”
Optimus froze. He turned around. “Ratchet?” For the first time since he got back, Twilight thought she could see a glimmer of hope in Optimus’ lifeless.
“Ratchet!” Fluttershy cheered as Ratchet walked through the valley.
“I don’t know entirely know what’s going on here …” Ratchet said. “But you need to stop, old friend.”
“I …” Optimus said. “Of course. You’re right, old friend.”
Optimus walked towards the valley wall, turning and sitting himself on a large enough rock. While everyone gathered around him, Optimus ran his hands over his face. He removed his hands and looked at Twilight.
“I am tired, Twilight Sparkle.” Optimus admitted. “Tired of all the war, all the pain and suffering, all the death and destruction I can never seem to escape from. I want nothing than for it all to be over …” Optimus put his hands together. “For it to all to just be over. I have cheated the Grim Reaper more times than I can count. I long for the sweet release of death. I want it all to be over, but it seems, even death itself is not enough to stop me, and there is nothing in this universe that will keep me from being called upon when I am needed.”
“I know.” Ratchet said, stepping forward, careful not to stomp any of his pony friends. He placed a hand on Optimus’ shoulder. “Believe me, old friend, I know. There have been times … after I saw something truly nasty and disgusting, and how horrific the things the Decepticons were capable of on my operating table … I wondered if it was all really worth it. If we would ever be able to stop the war and stem the flood of atrocities. I considered ending it all myself.”
The better of Optimus’ two optics flicked towards Ratchet. Ratchet got on his knees and put both hands on Optimus’ shoulders.
“But that’s the coward’s way out. Suicide is never the solution.” Ratchet pointed a finger firmly, the day any stern doctor would when getting on to their patient. “We still need you, Optimus. The world still needs you. I still need you. We still need you to be called upon for one last battle … one last time.”
Optimus closed his optics. He bowed his head. “I wish I could have full faith and believe in your words, my old friend.” Optimus stood up. “But I understand. I suppose, for now, i will simply have to try to believe in them … and do as I am told … as a soldier, for one last fight.”
“Excellent.” Ratchet smiled. “Glad to hear it, my friend. Here.” Ratchet deployed and open the inside of his Dragonshredder Drill. “As long as I’m here, allow me to fix you up the best I can with what I have on hand …” Ratchet’s arm shook as the Drill began to unload nanobots into Optimus’ good arm. “Er, say, Optimus, what’s with the …?”
“Please do not ask.”
“Alright.”
“Ratchet!” Fluttershy exclaimed, flying up to him and hugging him on the chest, clinging to him like a soft, adorable tick.
“Hello, Fluttershy.” Ratchet said, chuckling. “I’m glad to see you too.”
“How did you find us?” Arcee asked.
“The subsonic signal which I assume that device was producing …” Ratchet flicked his head towards Steeljaw’s machine. “Affected me as well as, I assume, you. Using the humans’ super-computer, I was able to track that signal here. From the looks of it, it appears I missed all of the action, but it was lucky I arrived in the nick of time that I did to talk Optimus down. Who knows what he would have done if the sound of my voice didn’t cause him to flinch?”
“Who knows?” Twilight asked.
“There.” Ratchet said, getting up off his knees and patting his hands after a job well done. “That should do it. It’s nowhere near a full repair job, of course, but the nanobots should get you back to some semblance of a proper working order. Sadly, they can’t generate matter, only repair it. Otherwise I might able to give you your proper arm back.”
Optimus lifted up his arm and flexed his hand. The nanobots coursed through him, doing their thing and repairing him internally. Optimus walked around. He rotated his shoulder, which Twilight noticed seemed to be moving better than before.
“Thank you, Ratchet.” Optimus said. “I can already feel myself improving.” Optimus jumped up to test his legs, which had more of a spring in their step. While the nanobots could do make improvements to his scorch marks, his colors, however, were still faded. He was going to need a fresh coat of paint to fix that.
“While you’re here, Ratchet …” Twilight said. “We should discuss our counter-Galloway defensive and what you can do for us on the inside.”
“Yes, of course.” Ratchet said. “Galloway has put me in charge of a supercomputer named Vigil. He is connected into many of Galloway’s and his operatives defenses. All I need to do is simply set it up and say the word, and half of Galloway’s anti-Autobot measures will be disabled. It should be enough to allow you entry to almost anywhere you wish under Galloway’s direct control.”
“Excellent. Anything else?”
“I’m afraid not.” Ratchet said. “I should be heading back by now anyways. While I have some permission to venture out on my own for this excursion, Galloway’s men will become suspicious if I’m gone too long, and I have every confidence they have some way to track me.”
“Alright then.” Twilight said. “Call us if you need anything, okay? If things get too tense for you, you can rely on us to bust you out of there.”
“I know.” Ratchet said with a smile before turning and leaving. He waved them goodbye. “Goodbye!”
“Don’t say goodbye, Ratchet.” Fluttershy said, flying up. “We want to see you again.”
Ratchet looked confused, not understanding what Fluttershy meant. Not at first. “'Until then.” He saluted them and waved his hand before leaving.
“Hello?” Attinger answered his phone. “Alright, I’m on my way.”
Attinger joined a crowded Washington street, coming up and joining Princess Celestia and Galloway hiding behind some bushes.
“Ah, Attinger.” Galloway said. “I’m glad you’re here. You see that crowd gathered out there?”
“I see them, sir.” Attinger said.
“They’re rioting.” Galloway said. “And they’re armed.”
“What do they want?”
“They’re demanding to know where the ‘real’ President is, which, as we as all know, is ridiculous, because he abdicated his power and position to me deal with the growing Autobot menace.”
“Autobot menace?” Celestia asked. “I thought this was about oversight and regulating space travel?”
“Er, well, yes. That’s what I meant.” Galloway said. Celestia’s questioning expression showed it was clear she didn’t believe him. “Anyways, I was hoping you could help us out to disperse the crowd.”
“It would be my duty, Mister President. It’s what I’m here for.” Attinger crossed his arm across his chest.
“Excellent.” Galloway rubbed his hands together. “Well, gentlemen, ponies … let’s get out there and play.” Galloway winced as a gunshot rang out from the crowd. He, Attinger, and Celestia went out to address the crowd, who were raising up shotguns, signs demanding answers to their questions, and Galloway effigies, which were enough of a concern for Galloway to nervously adjust his collar.
“People, people!” Attinger shouted, just barely able to make his voice heard over the crowd. Celestia shot a spell from her horn to make sure they had the crowd’s attention. “What is going on here?”
“I told you what was going.” Galloway sourly grumbled.
“Due process and the laws and customs of our nation demand I listen to their side before making any decisions.” Attinger said, which didn’t sit well with Galloway.
“What’s going on? I’ll tell you what’s going on.” A rioter marched up to Attinger, heaving a shotgun over his shoulder. “We want to know what happened to the President, and how the infrastructure of our government got so weak and fragile that enough double agents could be planted to stage this hostile takeover! You think we the people just gonna sit back and let your Illuminati or whatever it or it is organization get away with this coup?”
“It is not a coup, it is an orderly transition to a temporary arrangement while we attempt to deal with growing threats we do not fully understand the nature of.” Galloway said.
“‘Orderly transition’ my fanny.” The rioter said. “Growing threats? WHAT growing threats? The Autobots? The guys who had had nothing but good for us where they could? Or maybe it was the Decepticons, who were scatterbrained and aimless, split up into renegade splinter cells all pushing their own agendas? Or maybe, just maybe, it was the Equestrians, whose national motto is ‘Friendship is Magic’? Oh my! Such dastardly terrorists, they are, with their big noses and cute round bellies!”
“Well … yes.” Galloway said. “Mostly those first two. Actually, all three of them.” Celestia glared at him from the corner of her eye.
“You think you my belly is cute?” Celestia asked the rioter.
The rioter pressed his palm to his forehead. “It was an example! It was just an illustration of the ridiculousness that Galloway here is just trying to push us to swallow! … but if you have to know, yes. A little bit.”
“It’s not ridiculousness.” Galloway said. “Let me assure you that the President appointed me to lead us in these troubled times."
"That'd be a lot easier to believe coming from his mouth instead of yours."
Galloway glared at him. “Is my word not good enough for you?”
“Hmm. Come to think of it, now that you ask … no! We want the truth! The whole truth, and nothing but the truth!”
“I am telling you the truth! It is true!” Galloway snapped, beginning to lose his temper.
“We demand accountability! Evidence! Where is the video or audio recording of the President’s order giving you all this power? Where’s the evidence any one of those renegade Decepticon cells posed enough of a threat to warrant these extreme measures!”
“I have told you what happened, and my word should good enough for you! You are the citizens, and I am the leader! You are supposed to obey me! I AM THE SUPREME LEADER OF THE UNITED STATES!” Galloway screamed, breathing heavily.
The rioter looked at Galloway with a smug expression.
“I thought you said you were the President.”
Attinger came to shell shocking realization. Heavens above. He is really crazy. He is really, actually, genuinely dangerously deluded.
Galloway, realizing he’d been caught in the middle of one of his lies, calmed down. He adjusted his tie and turned to Attinger. “Attinger … Attinger, take care of them for me. I don’t care how you do it, just do it.”
Galloway snapped his fingers and walked off, shocked, confused stares from Attinger and Celestia following him as he left, which made Galloway’s back shiver and tingle.
“Oh my.” Celestia said. “I hadn’t realized it before now, but that outburst …”
“Yeah.” Attinger said. “I know what you mean.”
Attinger turned to address the crowd, while Celestia had a realization of her own, drawing her neck up to full height.
“Everything Twilight Sparkle said about him is true.”
“People …” Attinger addressed the crowd.
“Really?” The rioter asked. “You’re still going to defend him after that outburst?”
Attinger took in a deep breath.
“No.” Attinger shook his head. “No, I’m not. I’m going to ask you all something. Go back to your homes. I realize you're upset, and angry and frustrated, but this is going to be dangerous situation. You don’t know the kind of people Galloway deals with, who he has in his pockets. Please. Go back to your wives and children. And I will try to find some way to deal with the situation. You have my word. As a patriot. As an American citizen. As a CIA agent.”
The lead rioter nodded, lowering his gun and carrying it at his hips. “Yeah … yeah, okay. That’s … that’s a lot to give your word on. Alright. I’m trusting you. We’re trusting you to do this.” The rioter pointed at him. “Don’t let us down.”
“I won’t.”
“Okay, people!” The rioter turned to his friends. “This guy here says he’s gonna do something about, and I don’t know about you, but I’d say he’s in a lot better position to do it than the rest of us! Let’s go home!”
“Aw, man …” The rioters grumbled, but complied, dispersing and scattering, while complaining about time wasted and travel fees. The speaker of the riot gave Attinger one last look over his shoulder before leaving.
Galloway marched into the White House, throwing the doors open as he entered the lobby. He grumbled to himself.
“Unappreciative … ungrateful …” Galloway marched up a set of steps. “Don’t they realize they’re supposed to obey me? Do they understand how authority works? Grr ...”
Walking into another room on his way to his desk, Galloway was noticed by Charlotte Mearing, leaning against a wall as if nothing was wrong.
“Hey, Galloway. Oh, I’m sorry, Mister President.” Mearing said. “You look to be in a bad mood. What’s got you down?”
Galloway shook his head. “Oh, nothing, nothing … just those ingrates out the door who refuse to listen to me and acknowledge my authority as the President! It’s so upsetting. I fought hard to get this position. To get this post and bring myself to where I am today.” Galloway pocketed his hands. “Growing up where I did, when I did, I always thought I deserved more … that I deserved better. And one day, I’d grow up and get the best. And I did, and I have, and now those people, those people out there who are supposed to listen to and obey me … won’t.”
“Ooh.” Mearing cooed at him. “That’s so sad.”
“It is.” Galloway huffed, while Mearing approached and trailed her hand seductively along his shoulder before embracing.
“Mearing …?” Galloway asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You know … I might have an idea to make it all easier on you.” Mearing pulled out a mechanical sphere and tossed it in the air, where it hovered and projected a hologram of blueprints. “An old, unused Decepticon idea. Supposedly, it’s a device … a device which could make all those rioters much more submissive and cooperative … and grant you more control over the whole populace.”
Galloway looked over the blueprints, nodding in approval, an evil grin spreading across his lips. “Yes, yes, I like it! I don’t know much about technology, but I want this constructed right away.” Galloway tapped the device with his palm, deactivating it. It plummeted downward, and Mearing caught it in her hand.
“You got it. Coming right up, boss.” Mearing gave him a flirty wink before departing.
Galloway made a thoughtful expression. He adjusted his suit, liking this new version of Mearing and the idea of her being attracted to him. “Now that I think about it, she is acting a bit strange … Mearing’s usually so professional.” Galloway waved his hand, literally waving it off. “Ah, I’m sure it’s nothing. Probably just excited to get this project off the ground and be of use.”
Aboard Fortress Maximus in between goals, Twilight Sparkle was puzzled when one of the various circuit boards and panels began lighting in alternating red, blue and green sequences.
“What’s that?” Arcee asked.
“We’re picking up a broadcast. It’s a message.” Twilight answered, investigating the circuits.
“From who?”
Twilight backed away from the circuits. “From … Princess Celestia. She wants to meet.”
“I have not seen Celestia in some time since my departure.” Optimus said. “Is she doing well?”
“You … could say that.” Twilight said. “Honestly, Optimus … you remember all the things she was doing you disapproved before you left? Well, she’s been like that, but worse.”
“Hmm. Are we still to meet her?”
“Well … yes.” Twilight said. “She wouldn’t be calling if she didn’t have something she wanted to say … even if it’s not something we care to hear. Cerebros, can you use the Space Bridge to get us to the meet?”
“Certainly.”
“Do that, then.” Twilight ordered.
Cerebros opened the Space Bridge, and Twilight and her team went through, coming out on the other side at a closed-off, distant, forested area, untouched by man or civilized development. Princess Celestia was waiting for them there, alone.
“Princess.” Twilight said, drawing up her helmet as they approached her.
“Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia said.
“What do you want?”
Celestia bowed, bending down on her knees. This made Twilight feel incredibly awkward, as she had never seen Celestia be so subservient before.
“I’m sorry. You were right. You were right about Galloway. You were right about everything. I did some investigating of my own, and all I found just further confirmed I should have listened to you in the firs place. I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”
“I, uh, well, I … that certainly wasn’t I was expecting you to say. Um … give me a minute to think.” Twilight paused.
“Yes, Princess Celestia, I do forgive you.”
Celestia let out a relieved sigh and stood up. She looked up. “Optimus Prime. You live.”
“Your Majesty.” Optimus bowed his head to acknowledge her.
“I kept it, you know.” Celestia said. She looked aside. “One moment.” She walked into the forest. The Autobots prepared for a confrontation, hearing the hum of Space Bridge briefly, before Celestia returned, levitating up a sketchbook which was far too large for her to use.
“Your sketchbook.” Celestia said, levitating the book into Optimus’ hands. “I, um, hope you don’t mind, but I went through the liberty of going through and marking my favorite.”
Optimus thumbed the book’s pages. Turning it to the page where his oil-inspired painting sketch of Celestia was one, he found a little smiley face drawn into the bottom corner of the page. Optimus gave Celestia one of his rare smiles, and Celestia blush.
“Thank you.” Optimus said. “I appreciate you keeping it safe for me this entire time.”
“You’re welcome. Anyways …” Celestia cleared her throat. “Twilight Sparkle, I am ready to join the Autobots Imperial and do anything you ask of me to bring order back to this chaotic universe and oust Galloway from his imagined throne. If there is anything I can do to help, you need only ask, and I will do it.”
“Oh, excellent! This is wonderful! This is perfect - wait … wait, no.” Twilight said.
“No?” Celestia cocked her head, confused.
“No.” Twilight said. “Princess, I don’t want you to join the Imperials. I want you to stay with Galloway. You can be of more use to our cause as a double agent. Stay close to him, stay on top of him, keep track of his moves. And then, when we’re ready to move, we can close in for the kill. With you and Ratchet working to take him down from the inside, Galloway won’t know what hit him. Speaking of which, I’m not sure how easy it will be, of if Galloway will let you, but you should try to get in touch with Ratchet. See if you can coordinate your efforts together and doubly take Galloway down.”
Celestia nodded. “Understood. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“I’m not sure … wait.” Twilight raised a hoof. “I just had an idea. It may be an awful idea. It may be that having Celestia on our side is making me feel overconfident. But Princess, can you set us up with a broadcast and try to have Galloway at his weakest in twenty fours, a day from now?”
“I can, and I can try.” Celestia said. “Let me get you something to help you with the first part of that.” Celestia left and returned with a hologram projection sphere of Cybertronian origin.
“Excellent.” Twilight said.
“What’cha thinkin’, Twi?” Applejack asked.
“You’ll see.” Twilight replied, rolling the sphere around in her hooves. “Thank you, Princess. That will be all. Dismissed.” Twilight saluted the Princess, and despite the crazy things involved in their situation and how they got to this point, Twilight felt honored when Celestia saluted back. Celestia left through a Space Bridge.
Twilight gave the word for Cerebros to open their Space Bridge, and they went back through, returning to Fortress’ cockpit.
As they walked, Optimus Prime’s legs came to a sudden halt.
“Optimus?” Twilight asked.
“Twilight Sparkle.” Optimus looked down, away from her and almost shy, if Twilight didn’t know better. “There is something I have been meaning to ask you. You have said that we are fighting Nova.”
Optimus got to his knees. “Is that true? Are we truly fighting Nova Prime?”
Twilight could see in his eyes Optimus desperately wanted for it to not be true, which made answering his question even harder and more painful for her.
“Yes, I’m afraid so.” Twilight answered. “It turns out, Nova Prime is a staunch Technoist and Cybertronian supremacist, believing that all other forms of life are inferior, and should all be made to bow and curtail to the superior Cybertronian species. This, obviously, cannot be allowed to stand, and it it up to us to make sure that Nova Prime’s dark designs do not succeed, and none of his schemes come to fruition. Optimus ... I know it will be hard for you to fight someone you looked up to, but had never truly met before, but I need to know. When the time comes, and our backs are pressed against the wall by lasers, will you be there for me? Will you be willing to deal the deathblow to Nova, if it should come to that?”
“Not to worry, Twilight Sparkle.” Optimus got up. “I have some experience with fighting persons I once looked up to.”
“Oh, and one more thing.” Twilight Sparkle said. “Nova Prime has the Star Saber. Do you know of it?”
“I am familiar with it.” Optimus said. “I am well aware of what it can do.”
“I don’t think he’ll have any hesitation to try and use it on us.”
“While I did not put it into place for this purpose, I have a plan for that.” Optimus said. “It should prove sufficient to equalize our odds.”
“Great.” Twilight Sparkle said. “While we’re at it, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to have you do.”
“Oh?” Optimus was curious. Twilight led him to the weapons rack in Fortress Maximus which housed the various Beast Hunter weapons, of which there were but two left - a set of armor and a pair of blasters.
“Pick one.” Twilight said, gesturing to the wall.
“This is resourceful of you, Twilight Sparkle.” Optimus said. “But I do not need them. While they may help against Nova, I have no use for these upgrades.”
“Optimus, pick one.” Twilight insisted, growling, using her magic to lift the various items off the wall and in front of Optimus’ face. When Optimus continued to refuse, she began to tap him on the head to press the issue.
“As you wish.” Optimus said, grabbing the pair of blasters. Twilight, satisfied, put the remaining pieces back on the wall. Optimus placed the blasters on his hips, declining to activate the upgrade right at this very moment.
Twilight grunted in frustration as Optimus’ continued refusal to upgrade, and in turn, repair himself, but she sighed and hung her head, accepting at least for now, this was as good as she was going to get from him. She walked off, giving him a glare of disapproval over her shoulder.
Nova paced on the ring of the Omega Lock, his hands behind his back in contemplation, his wings bristling with impatience.
“Why hasn’t Steeljaw reported back in yet?” Nova asked. He stopped and looked down, staring into the Omega Lock’s pool. “I wonder if I fired now, if I perhaps could get a lucky shot in …"
On Earth, the Americon came to, groaning and pushing himself.
Smokescreen and the Autobot looked up at the sky.
“Why have the Space Bridges stopped? Why are the Space Bridges stopped?”
“Because.” One of the two scientists answered, coming out of the building with his arms crossed. “My college and I decided we don’t answer to you.”
“You idiots.” Smokescreen growled. “Do you realize what’s at stake? Your planet is at risk. The damage that could be done ...”
“They’ll be the judge of that, thank you very much.” The Americon turned both his arms into blasters and aimed at Smokescreen and his former comrade.
Smokescreen did not take him seriously as a threat. “You can’t take us. There’s two of us and only one of you.”
“I am a trained ex-Decepticon warrior. I’m pretty sure I can take on two Autobots.” The Americon said.
Smokesceen gasped and drew back, which his Autobot friend, the scientists, and even the Americon thought was a pretty overdramatic reaction to the Americons threat, until they looked up to see a blue beam come down from the sky and hit a tree, turning it into a metallic replica of a tree and converting the ground around into solid steel, as if a piece of Cybertron’s landscape had been taken out and plugged into Earth’s surface.
“It’s beautiful … and horrifying.” The Autobot said. “It looks just like Cybertron.”
“Uh ... “ The scientists were at a loss for words, until Smokescreen glared at him. They hurried back inside. “Let us get started back up on those Space Bridges for you, boss!”
“Now that’s what I like to hear.” Smokescreen said.
“Hey.” The Americon tapped Smokescreen on the shoulder. “Why don’t you go on ahead and back to your friends? My partner and I will take care of this and make sure those Bridges keep going. Now that I’ve seen what’s at stake …” The Americon stared off into the distance at the Cyber-tree.
“You sure you don’t want to kick back, relax, and just let Nova take over the whole planet and turn it into a second Cybertron?” Smokescreen asked, dripping with sarcasm.
“No way.” The Americon said. “I’ve seen what conquest and subjagation does to a planet. It didn’t work out for anybody when the Decepticons tried it before. Why would it work now?”
Smokescreen nodded approvingly. “Yeah, okay. I’m trusting you two with this.” The two saluted, and Smokescreen ran out. “Smokescreen to Fortress Maximus. One to Bridge aboard.”
As Smokescreen left through a Space Bridge, the Americon developed questions.
“Wait, he said ‘Nova’, didn’t he? You don’t think he meant Nova Prime?”
“Eh. So what if he did? It’s his problem now, not ours. Well, except for those beams. Those are our problem.”
A Royal Guard ran up to Shining Armor in the Crystal Castle throne room. “Shining Armor, sir! We’re receiving reports of an unauthorized Space Bridge in the bottom floor!”
“What?” Shining Armor asked, breaking away from cuddling with Cadence. The Guard blushed. “Well, don’t just stand there, do something about it!”
Shining Armor and a contingent of Guards went down to where the Space Bridge was, their weapons and horns raised. Twilight and Optimus Prime stepped out of the Bridge.
“Optimus Prime?” Shining Armor asked. “Aren’t you dead?”
“Inside, most certainly, but my body remains entirely functional.” Optimus answered.
“I’m confused.” A Guard whispered. “Was that a yes or a no?”
Shining Armor, annoyed, waved him away. “You do realize this means I have to arrest you?”
“An interesting question concerning law and order coming from you, Star Seeker.” Optimus said.
Shining Armor’s cheeks turned pale. “Oh … you … know about that?” He sighed. “Lower your weapons!”
“Sir?”
“I’m … suddenly not in a fighting mood.” Shining hung his head, and the Guards, though confused, lowered their spears.
“So, Optimus,” Twilight asked, “where is this plan of yours?”
“In here.” Optimus led Twilight to the room where the Pandora’s Box was hanging. The Box shifted shape, and Optimus pressed his hand to it.
“Prime fingerprint acknowledged, Unlocking.”
The Box began to open, folding out before folding it on itself until it reduced itself to a thin, flat pieces of metal stuck together, revealing the Forge of Solus Prime from within, which Optimus took into his hands.
“The Forge of Solus Prime.” Optimus mused, holding the Forge up. “During my self-imposed exile, I used it to craft this container which would continue to change shape to defy any attempts at unlocking it, programming it to respond only to the hand of a Prime in order to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.” Optimus placed the shaft of the hammer on the floor. “The Forge created the Star Saber. It should provide us the edge we need in combat in order to meet Nova’s Star Saber.”
“You hid the Forge of Solus Prime inside my house!?” Shining Armor bellowed.
“Shining Armor, we have more pressing matters to be dealing with right now.” Twilight said. “Like a Cybertronian fanatic in control of a superweapon.”
“Okay, but …”
“And one more thing, Shining …” Twilight said as she and Optimus headed back through the Bridge. “You should go to talk to Celestia. She’s changed her mind on a few things, and I imagine she’ll change yours as well.”
Shining Armor was left puzzled as Twilight and Optimus left.
Galloway was busy on his desk, drawing up the work orders to buy the materials needed to build Mearing’s device.
Attinger came into his office, hesitant and quiet. He paused before speaking. “Sir? We’ve detected that something that we think you ought to see.”
“What is it? Can it wait?”
Attinger shook his head. “No, sir, it cannot, and I really think you should come see for yourself.”
“Fine.” Galloway groaned, tossing his pen aside and pushing his chair out. He accompanied Attinger out to the front porch of the White House, where a floating holosphere projected hovered down to them.
The sphere displayed the projection it was programmed with - a view of the Imperial Leader’s, the War Princess’s helmet.
“To President Galloway and all of his cronies, minions, and anyone else whom it may concern.” The War Princess began her statement in her modulated voice. “Filed inside this projector is a list of demands for the fair treatment of Equestrians and Cybertronians on Earth, and the removal of the restrictions placed on us by Galloway’s alleged ‘Alien Cooperation’ bills. If these demands are not met in twenty-four hours’ time, we will march on DC. We will march on Washington, and we will march on and take the White House. You have been warned.”
The sphere changed into a projection of words, spelling out the Imperials’ demands in plain text as clear as day.
Galloway scoffed. “Those Imperials are really full of it now, aren’t they? Invade Washington? The capital of the United States? Not possible. The entire area was built from the ground up to be as invasion-proof as possible.”
Attinger bit his tongue. Full of it, hmm? Now there’s the pot calling the kettle black. He pushed his sarcasm aside to focus on the more pressing issue. “I don’t know, sir … I’m not so sure. These Imperials have proven themselves time and time again to be resourceful … and determined.”
Galloway flicked his hand. “It’s utter nonsense, Attinger. Put it out of your mind … and put those Imperials out of commission. I want double your men working on finding them and taking them out.”
“Yes, sir,” Attinger said, Galloway not noticing his strained tone. After Galloway left, Attinger whipped out his phone and called.
“Hello? It’s Attinger. Cut all resources and manpower allocated to investigating and finding the Imperials in half. You heard me right, in half. Do I need to spell it out for you? Do it.” Attinger hung up.
Inside Fortress Maximus, Twilight let out a sigh and congratulated herself. “Whew. Well, that’s done. Now we just need to stop Nova and liberate Cybertron from Galvatron before the time limit is up. Is everyone clear on the plan?”
They were affirming nods from all around.
“Go to Cybertron, stop Nova Prime and the Omega Lock, and liberate Cybertron from Galvatron, in less than twenty fours before going and taking out Galloway’s forces, all in one fell swoop on a non-stop momentum train.” Bumblebee clapped his hands to represent them crushing their enemies. “Is that about right?”
“You got it.” Twilight told him, grinning. “Autobots … let’s rooooll out!”
Optimus raised his brow. It felt odd to hear someone besides himself give that command.
Assembling together all of their fighting forces, from the littlest Pony to the last Predacon, Twilight had Fortress Maximus used his Space Bridge to transport them to a desolate, abandoned part of Cybertron where they could arrive and sneak in unnoticed, infiltrating the place while it was under Galvatron’s control before his servants could spot them and realize what they planned to.
Arriving at the bottom of a tower at a far-off region by an abandoned spaceship port, the Imperials made their way up the tower, intending to cross the bridge connecting it to another tower and use the tower from there to reach the more populated areas of the local cities.
On their way up, they passed by a ruined wreck of a hall, the holes in which allowed them to view outside. At this wrecked hall, Trixie stopped on the ramp leading up, seeing something which caught her eye. Spying with her little eye, out in the distance was a massive Autobot, one the size of Fortress Maximus, with faded white and black metal making up his frame, a pair of annate on the sides of his head.
“Trixie?” Ultra Magnus asked. “What are you stopping for?”
“Who or what is that?” Trixie asked, pointing to the deactivated colossus.
“That? That’s Metroplex.” Ultra Magnus answered. “He was dormant on Cybertron a long, long time ago. He came from a race of Cybertronian giants who had faded away from Cybertron long before I was born. In our darkest hour, when the Autobots were at one of weakest, desperately trying to escape our dying planet aboard the Ark while the Decepticons continued to pound at us with everything they had … Optimus reactivated him. Optimus revitalized him, and for awhile, as long as he was with us, we had almost nothing to worry about from the Decepticons. We could almost live without fear. But … the Energon we used to power up him was also the Energon we had meant to power the Ark with, and we didn’t have the reserves to power both.”
Ultra Magnus took in a deep breath.
“So, Metroplex made a choice. He made a hard choice for us, so none of us had to. He gave up his fuel to repower the Ark so we could escape Cybertron. He made that sacrifice for us, and he went back to being dormant. Who knows what might happened to us, to Cybertron, to the universe if he hadn’t done that for us? We might all be dead. We might all be living in the Decepticons’ universe.”
Trixie cupped her chin. “You said he was dormant?”
“Yeah?”
“Then … couldn’t we resurrect him?” Trixie asked. “Like, with just a shred of Dark Energon, we could make him live again?”
“What? No.” Ultra Magnus said. “That’s a terrible idea … that’s a terrible idea! Dark Energon and older Cybertronian lifeforms don’t mix. Besides, don’t you think if we had the means to, we would have revived him by now ourselves? Even with the Changeling Batteries pumping out artificial Energon, we don’t have the ability to revive him. There’s not enough to go around, and the artificial stuff would be too impure to power a behemoth like him.”
Ultra Magnus turned aside. “We need to move. Forget about him, Trixie. And forget your idea of using Dark Energon. Maybe, when this is all over, and the dust has settled and everything is clear, we can come back to him and fix him up … but for now, there’s nothing we can do for him.”
Ultra Magnus went up the ramp, rejoining the bulk of the Imperial forces.
“Hmm.” Trixie’s gaze lingered on Metroplex. She paused before joining back up with the marching army.
“Hmm.” Nova Prime scratched his chin. “You know, it’s just occurred to me that we have this aimed at Earth and can’t seem to cyberform it. I had planned on starting with Earth, but one must always be flexible. Perhaps we’ll have better luck with Equestria. Adjust the Omega Lock to point at Equestria and prepare to fire.”
“Belay that order!”
“What?” Nova asked. He graced himself as a rainbow’s worth of selection lasers, bullets, and magic spells rained down on him, his men and the platform, pelleting him and poking holes in his chest.
Nova looked up and saw the Imperials flying towards them, each of them armed and ready for a good fight.
“Secure the Omega Lock and take out Nova’s men!” Twilight ordered. “Optimus and I will handle Nova Prime.”
“Are you ready for this, Optimus?” Twilight asked.
“I am.”
“Good. Remember what we planned.”
The Imperial soldiers nodded before breaking ranks, splitting off into groups, all of them landing on different parts of the Omega Lock, where they had no trouble ripping through Nova Prime’s men. In particular, it should be no surprise the Technoist Vehicons stood no chance against Predaking and his team.
Nova watched with an odd sort of impassive, yet angry expression. Optimus and Twilight landed to the side of him.
“So, Optimus Prime.” Nova said. “You live yet. The prodigal son returns.” Nova turned to Optimus. “I would attempt to try and reason with you, but I assume Twilight has already told about my policies and where we differ and come into conflict.”
Optimus nodded. “Yes.” Optimus readied the Forge of Solus Prime.
“It doesn’t have to be this way.” Nova said. “We could work together.”
“Are you sworn to your hatred? Are you sworn to be an enemy to all organic races?”
“I am.”
“Then I am afraid it does have to be this way, Nova Prime.” Optimus said. “You have my sincerest regrets. Hi-yah!”
Optimus charged at Nova, who unsheathed the Star Saber from his back. Nova blocked the Forge with the blade, both weapons humming with energy, the Star Saber glowing blue and warbling, the Forge producing electric shocks and spinning its gears.
Optimus pulled the Forge off and went in another blow, which Nova had no difficult guarding against. Nova pushed with the Saber and forced the Forge away, making Optimus lose his footing. Twilight Sparkle opened fire, shooting lasers from her horn, but Nova deflected them with the Star Saber, her spell bolts bouncing off the celestial metal.
“Come on, Optimus! Put some backbone into it!” Nova swung the blade overhead, Optimus blocking it with the pole of the hammer. “Are you even trying?” Nova drew the blade back and kicked Optimus in his unguarded stomach, staggering him back. “This genuinely, honestly feels too easy!”
The Star Saber hummed. Nova Prime slashed it across the air, and a massive crescent beam spat forth from the blade, striking Optimus Prime and sending him flying into the air, what little there was around the Lock, at any rate.
“Is there no fight in you left? Do you just want to die?”
“Somewhat.” Optimus answered
“Well, I am more than happy to oblige!”
Nova Prime sprinted towards Optimus and stabbed him through the chest with the Star Saber, Pulling the sword out and shaking Optimus off, Nova Prime responded to Optimus’ attempted, obligated raising of the Forge by clocking him across the face before stabbing Optimus’ chest again, getting the Star Saber soaked in Optimus’ Energon. Nova slugged Optimus again, which was enough to make Optimus collapse to his knees.
“OPTIMUS!” Twilight screamed.
Nova picked Optimus up by the neck. He punched Optimus again before plunging the sword through his chest a third time.
Twilight attempted to intervene, shooting Nova Prime in the back with a strong spell, but Nova did little other than flinch and glare at her.
Nova lifted the sword up, Optimus still impaled on it.
“So long, Orion Pax.”
Nova shook the blade out from Optimus and delivered a flying kick into his stomach, causing the Forge of Solus Prime to fly out of his hand, scraping and stirring up sparks as it bounced on the Omega Lock. Optimus was sent orbiting until he began to fall into the Omega Lock pool.
“Optimus!” Twilight shouted. “Remember what we planned! Use your Hunter weapons!”
“Huh … ah.” Optimus groaned, reaching his hand towards the blasters on his hip. Twilight used her magic to help him, grabbing his hand in her telekinetic aura and guiding it towards the blaster, where Optimus flicked the switch. Cables flew out of both weapons and began to wrap around Optimus. The cable cocoon had only reached halfway up his body before he fell in the pool. He was submerged.
Twilight threw herself half over the ledge, her bangs hanging over her eyes inside her space helmet.
“Tell me, little pony.” Nova said, walking towards Twilight. “Are you ready to die?”
“Hmm … hmm … hmm ha ha ha ha.” Twilight chuckled.
“You’ve lost your friend. You are about to die. Why are you laughing?” Nova demand. “Is is merely a mad suicide cackle of welcoming death as you accept the inevitable?”
“Nova …” Twilight pushed herself up over the ledge. “Do you know what happened to the last Decepticon who threatened to kill me while Optimus was around? No? Let me tell you about Scorponok. He threatened to kill me right in front of Optimus’ eye, and he almost would have. You know what happened? Optimus beat him to death, with his bare hands. Optimus has been a little … not himself, lately, a little out of sorts. But he’s compassionate and dedicated to his friends … I’m pretty sure even as listless as he’s been, he can’t ignore one of his friends’ lives being in danger.”
“So,” Twilight flashed Nova a cocky grin, “I figure I’ve nothing to worry about.”
Nova dismissed her answer as some feel-good hippie nonsense. He raised the Star Saber up and prepared to strike.
The pool in the Omega Lock let out a ripple. A thud came from inside it, which rocked Nova and Twilight’s feet. Nova paused, looking around to see what it was.
Another ripple went through the pool. And another, and another, until …
“NOOOOOOOOOOVAAAAAA!”
Optimus Prime came soaring out of the pool, his Beast Hunter upgrade complete, unhindered by being dunked in the pool while in the process. His colors had returned, vibrant red, silver and blue on his body. His body was robust-looking, with a massive, bulky chest and stocky, bulky arms and legs which almost made him resemble a gorilla in proportions, spikes lining the underside of his chest windows, blue fire trailing behind a jetpack mounted on his back which had wings in the shape of an x. A fighting spirit was in his blue-again optics, one Twilight recognized and had sorely missed, a fire she hadn’t seen in him since bringing him back from the other dimension.
Optimus flew into Nova, tackling him, wrapping his arms around Nova’s waist and driving him against the wall of the Omega Lock’s pylons.
“No one is allowed to threaten my friends without expecting retribution.” Optimus informed Nova while they grabbed, Optimus struggling to keep Nova pinned against the wall.
“Oh, please.” Nova booted Optimus off. “You’re worse than Dropshot.”
“Dropshot? What did Dropshot do?”
"Dropshot thought we could make tools out of the organics, use them to do our bidding, as partners, even…" Nova said with contempt. "And he continued to do so without consulting me, disrespecting me and disregarding my wishes and protocol when it came to dealing with organic life. Naturally, I couldn't tolerate this affront to my authority among my ranks, so I had Blackout crush him to death beneath his heel, quite literally."
Optimus narrowed his eyes.
“Tell me, Optimus, does that upset you? Does that anger you?”
Optimus gave Nova his response by slamming both his fists into the sides of Nova’s head, breaking Nova’s cheek-vents and shattering his faceplate.
“Yes. Yes, it does.” Optimus reared his fist and jabbed Nova in the head. “What happened to you, Nova? How did you fall so far?”
Optimus grabbed Nova by the waist and lifted Nova about his head, tossing him to the ground.
“You were my hero! My role model!” Optimus raged as he pummeled Nova in the head. “You were everything I wanted to be! Some of the most important things about leadership, I learned from your example! From your biographies! Your history!”
Optimus struck Nova hard enough to send Nova flying and bouncing along the Omega Lock.
“You were an inspiration to us all!”
Optimus reached behind him and produced a chaingun with mounted under his arm. Aiming it at Nova, he fired, pumping Nova full of bullets. Nova staggered back, digging his heels into the ground as the bullets pounded into him.
Optimus still had a more conventional arm-blaster though, his hand retracting and being replaced by a crown-shaped barrel, which he fired plasma fireballs from into Nova, before capping it all off by pulling out his Beast Hunter weapons, drawing up the two winged blasters and firing them both at Nova, striking him with projectiles which combined, delivered more force than an earthquake into Nova’s body, causing his entire frame to crack and shatter as much as it could while still remaining in one piece.
Optimus flew him to Nova and delivered a flying kick into him, knocking Nova back and causing him to lose his grip on the Star Saber, which floated out of his hand and lost its magical glow.
“I will take that.”
Nova reached for the Saber, but Optimus grabbed the Star Saber’s handle first, restoring the glow.
Optimus swung the blade, producing another crescent beam, even larger than the one Nova had produced before. The beam tore through Nova, severing him in half at the waist, his legs falling down while his torso flew up, both of which drifted off into the vastness of space, the light flickering out of Nova’s eyes.
Optimus watched the corpse of his former hero grow small, shrinking as it faded into the distance, to be lost endlessly floating in space … an unjust form of burial, but Nova deserved no less.
The Autobots, having defeated Nova’s forces and retaken control of the Omega Lock, gathered around Optimus to celebrate their victory.
“Whoo!” Crosshairs cheered.
“Alright, Optimus!” Bulkhead pumped his fists. Arcee clapped.
“How do you feel?” Twilight asked.
Optimus looked at Twilight. He looked around, surveying all of his friends, his soldiers, some old and familiar, some new and not, but of all whom were here for him, for Twilight, to follow their leads and do as they asked.
“Honestly, Twilight Sparkle … I feel much better now. I feel more like myself than I have felt in some time. I feel like myself again.”
“So, what do we do now?” Crosshairs asked.
“Now we go down to the planet’s surface,” Optimus said, pointing at Cybertron in the distance. “There, we will attempt to reunify our fractured people. Together, we will make them see reason and reject the tenets and teachings of Technoists, and welcome all other forms life, organic or not, Cybertronian or not, into our home, and accept their help in rebuilding our planet, and in turn, offer them our help in whatever we may assist them.”
“Uh-huh.” Crosshairs said. “And what about the diehards? You know there’s going to be some of them who cling on to their hatred and prejudice through thick and thin, and hold to Technoism’s teachings to the very end.”
“Then,” Optimus walked over and reclaimed the Forge, holding it in one hand and the Star Saber in the other, “to paraphrase a piece of human writing, ahem, ‘we will bash their slagging heads in.’”
“Now you’re talkin’ my language,” Crosshairs said, pointing one of his guns up.
“Dear Autobots, Decepticons, Insecticons, Predacons … to all Cybertronians …” Optimus Prime began his speech with these words, which were then broadcast to every compatible receiver on Cybertron thanks to a little tinkering and magic from Twilight Sparkle.
“Cybertronians, humans, ponies, lend me your ears.” Optimus continued on.
Inside the throne room of Shockwave’s former Tower, Galvatron stood up.
“There is a threat that has been threatening to consume our planet. It is not the Equestrians, it is not the terrans. It is Technoism. The proponents of Technoism would have you believe that we are growing weaker, that allying ourselves with other species has made us grow weak, and it will continue to make us grow weaker and weaker. I am Optimus Prime, and I am here, now, to tell you nothing could be further from the truth.”
“We do not grow weaker when we open ourselves to others. We grow stronger. Being welcoming to others makes our own kind stronger. We grow weaker when we isolate ourselves and reject those not like us … reject those who are as they are, not as we want them to be. If we cannot come together, we cannot be strong. If we do not allow ourselves to learn from others … how can we learn anything? Consider the principle of herd immunity; we cannot acquire the cures to diseases if we do not exchange knowledge, and allow potential immune in to draw our vaccines from. Those who preach the virtues of Technoism say it is about celebrating ourselves and engaging in Cybertronian pride … but there is no reason we cannot engage in Cybertronian pride while still sharing in the pride of others and being viceful ... is no virtue.”
“So I urge you, I beg you, I beseech you, my brothers and sisters. Rise up, and push back against the tide of Technoism that threatens to overwhelm us all and have us isolated from the rest of the universe. It is a bright, beautiful, warm and welcoming universe out there, and the Technoists would have us leave it, and be cold and dark and ugly and miserable all by ourselves if they had their way. So once again, I ask you, people of Cybertron and all others who can hear me to whom it may concern … rise up and take action against these spreaders of hate and lies, against the Technoists ideals which threaten to take over our planet if we let them. Rise up!”
Optimus turned to Twilight Sparkle, putting the microphone away from his mouth. “Would you mind I stole your phrase, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Not at all. Go right ahead.”
Optimus pulled the mic back.
“AUTOBOTS! TRANSFORM AND RISE UP!”
Galvatron ran to the windows of the Tower and converted into vehicle mode, flying out the window, smashing through it and shattering the glass on his way out.
“Where is that broadcast coming from? Where is that signal?”
Galvatron intended to find the source of the signal and snuff it out before its message caught on and spread, but it was already too late. All across Cybertron, Autobots, former Decepticons, civilians, neutrals, were beginning to come together and turn on any sign of Technoism, of prejudice, of xenophobia they could find. Signs were smashed, billboards painted over, and sympathizers taken prison. Riots were breaking out. Some resorted to more orderly protests, such as going to bars and ordering sodas which had been imported for organic consumption prior to Galvatron’s attempts to have it banned. Others remained hostile, throwing cans and other garbage at what they saw of Galvatron’s enforcers.
At the pavilion where Shockwave had made his announcement regarding Predacons, OPtimus, Twilight and the others stood on the stage, a crowd forming around them.
Optimus worked the crowd, pumping them up and getting them excited.
“WHAT WE DO WANT?” Optimus asked.
“EQUALITY!” The crowd cheered. “FAIRNESS! FREEDOM”
“We want to be free to read human and pony literature to our Sparks’ content!”
“We want to be free to exchange ideas about philosophy and the Cybertronian condition with like-minded non-Cybertronian peers!”
“To exchange ideas and theories about science and medicine!”
“We want to consume human and pony food and drink! Or … try to, anyway.”
“We want to be free to watch those amusing human television shows! … What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“WHEN DO WE WANT IT?”
“NOW!”
“People, people! Don’t be fooled! Don’t be hoodwinked!” Lazerback insisted, climbing onto the stage. “You gather around here under the banner of OPtimus Prime, but I’m here to tell you, don’t be deceived! Regardless of how noble it is, your message is at its very core, impure, when you take it from an imposter, because I’m here to tell you …”
Lazerback pointed a finger.
“That is not Optimus Prime!”
“What?” The crowd asked.
“How do you know?” An indivial in the crowd asked.
“Simple.” Lazerback said. “Optimus Prime is dead. I saw it myself. That is an automaton, a puppet, an animatronic designed in the likeness of Optimus Prime … by Twilight Sparkle, to push her own agendas through Optimus’ mouthplate! We all know Twilight Sparkle is a mechanical prodigy, with a knack for Cybertronian systems. Is putting her talents to use creating duplicate so far-fetched?”
“An interesting theory … but an invalid one.” Optimus Prime marched up to Lazerback. “Could a puppet speak freely? Could a puppet have emotions? Could a puppet contain memories of past experiences and encounters?”
Lazerback began to shiver, fear creeping into his circuits.
“Lazerback. I remember you, Lazerback. You did something far worse than anything anyone has ever done to me in my millions of years of warfare. You made me cry, and for that, I can never forgive you.”
Optimus stood tall over Lazerback, leaning down above him.
“Look into my eyes, Lazerback, and see the undying hatred and resentment I have for you what you did, and tell me … if a puppet could hold that kind of resentment and experience that kind of feeling?”
“Uh, yes, well …” Lazerback stammered. He gave a nervous grin. “I … just remembered I have somewhere to be, a ... doctor’s appointment, so, if you don’t mind, I’ll take my leave now.”
Lazerback attempted to exit the scene.
“GET BACK HERE!” Optimus roared at him, grabbing him by the wrist. Lazerback continued to flee, his shoulder shearing up at the socket. Eventually, it wore and tore away, his arm popping out, revealing the circuitry underneath, sparks flying from Lazerback’s shoulder as he made his getaway.
Optimus held Lazerback’s detached arm. He waved it around before laying it across his arms, appreciating his prize. “It will do … for now, I think..”
While the riots against Galvatron and the Technoists went on around her, Trixie returned to Metroplex, walking up to the bottom of his colossal foot and marvelling at him.
“Hey.”
Trixie turned her head to see Starlight Glimmer walking up to her.
“Trixie does not always remember the names of all of Twilight’s friends. Who are you again?”
“Starlight Glimmer.” Starlight answered. “Do you mind?” Starlight sat beside Trixie. “Magnificent, isn’t he?”
“Yes.” Trixie said, happy to have somepony to share in her marvelling. “Trixie hadn’t realized an Autobot could be this way. This … hauntingly beautiful. The way he’s posed, the sheer scale and scope of him … why, his size alone must have taken the dedication of a work of art!”
“I heard about your idea.” Starlight said. “The one about using Dark Energon to revive him.”
“Oh? And?”
“I agree with you.” Starlight said. “I think it’s a good idea. If we can repair him, if we can rebuild him, then … why shouldn’t we?”
“Use Dark Energon to resurrect Metroplex?”
Trixie and Starlight Glimmer were alarmed when Galvatron came crashing down behind them.
“I agree, that is a good idea.” Galvatron said with a smirk. He grabed Trixie and picked her up.
“Trixie!”
“I may not be able to prevent these backlash riots, but I can still have the pleasure of wiping out the Imperials.”
Galvatron deployed the blade of his death-lock pincer. He stabbed it straight Trixie’s guts and out her back, coating his blade in her Dark Energon-tainted blood. He pulled the blade out and opened up his chest, a panel rotating 180 degrees before his chest split into four pieces which lifted up in a plus-sign configuration.
Galvatron touched the tip of the blade to his visible Spark, turning it purple. He closed his chest and walked towards Metroplex, still holding a tight, firm grip on Trixie.
Starlight prepared a spell and hurled the biggest, mightiest lightning bolt she could muster against Galvatron’s chest. It did little more than bother him and make him stumble, as he rubbed the scorch mark off and continued on his way.
Making his way inside Metroplex, Galvatron arrived at the inside of the titan’s core. Galvatron opened up a valve and held Trixie over it, slashing her again and causing her tainted blood to come pouring out, spilling and splashing into the core.
The Dark Energon took effect immediately. The core lit up with a purple light, which then spread through the interior of the room, the floor, the ceiling, the walls, all of it. The sickly purple glow continued to spread, Dark Energon coursing through all of the titan’s body.
From the outside, Starlight could do naught but watch in horror as Dark Energon crystal began to form on Metroplex’s body, popping out from his armor, the sounds of shattering glass being heard as the clusters forced their way out. The round core in Metroplex’s chest was filled up with a luminous purple light so bright it might have seemed pure, if not for corrupted source.
Crystals formed around Metroplex’s antenna, wrapping around and encasing them in a crystalline casing, turning them from neat straight antenna into a pair of jagged, curved spiky horns.
Metroplex’s visor began to fill up with the Dark Energon’s light, bars flashing across his visor like a battery gauge.
At last, the long-dormant titan spoke, letting out the first words he had spoken in his deep voice in centuries.
“M-me-me-tro-me-me-metro-pl-pl-plex … onliiiiiiiiiineeeee.”
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Metroplex!