The Throne of Tirek

by drunkenpandaren

Transform and Roll Out

Crystal Empire, 1500 Years Ago....

"You didn't have to throw me off a balcony," griped Wheeljack as he nursed his aft. Luna looked incredibly amused. Celestia, on the other hand, was throwing a death glare that could be equated to the sun if she was so inclined. "So what's this Sombra guy like anyhow? Bit of a stiff?"

"Prince Sombra is the newly appointed regent of the Crystal Kingdom, soon to be Empire. We have done much to unify the northern provinces with his help," said Luna, since Celestia was in no mood to entertain Wheeljack's questions as they headed through the thankfully huge hallways of the Palace. "He will be assuredly receptive to your needs."

"Good, cause I need to see that mine for myself," said Wheeljack. "Before anything bad happens," he added under his breath.

"Announcing the Sun and the Moon, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and their Royal Guest, the Sojourner of the Stars, Sir Wheeljack!" proclaimed the Page and once again, Luna envied the Page's easy use of what would soon become the Royal Canterlot Voice.

Wheeljack just thought he was loud.

"So this is the one who landed his amazing metal bird outside of New Hoofingshire a night ago," said Sombra with a smile. "Come, come, eat and know me better, pony! Would you like some fruit before we start, or some juices? Crystals perhaps?"

"Actually... if you could get your people to get me a Energon crystal and a mug I'd be appreciative," said Wheeljack. "Wreckers used to have a way to distil Energon on the go, and I have the stuff right here..."

"Wheeljack, are you going to drink this early in the morning?" exclaimed Celestia, scandalized.

"Hey, I live off this stuff! You guys have your fruits and nuts, I have my food." Wheeljack shrugged.

Sombra thought this all to be amusing, and he clapped his hooves for an attendant. "Fetch three of our best Energon crystals and a large mug for our guest. I would be most interested in watching said process."

As Wheeljack and Sombra conversed, presumably over easy guy stuff, Luna leaned into Celestia who seemed to be working savagely on a bran muffin. "Easy, sister, you know how badly those give you trouble later."

"He is so infuriating," whispered Celestia back, watching Wheeljack work the Energon crystal into some kind of handheld distilling machine, Sombra watching with awe and a little eagerness. "One minute, he's actually playing political hardball, the next he's..."

"Calling you Princess Sunny-Butt?" Luna smirked at the glare Celestia gave her. "We are not saying you have such a flank to be teased. We suspect this is how Wheeljack stays... sane."

"Come again?" She looked over at Wheeljack and Sombra who where now laughing at some kind of joke Wheeljack was making, gesturing wildly and Sombra was almost to the point of kicking his hooves into the air. "What gives you that idea?'

"He has the look in his eyes. The same look we had, WE had when Discord was defeated. He has seen war, companions fall in battle. He... could be running from it. This is merely but conjecture at this point, however." Luna took a sip of tea. "One has to wonder just how old Wheeljack is."

"I see... you surprise me, Luna. You were always the more perceptive of the two of us when it came to ponies," said Celestia. "A thing I could learn."

Soon, the meal came to a close, and a very merry Sombra smiled at Wheeljack. "Your request is, of course, granted, my good friend," he said jovially as the Regent-Prince had been put into quite a good mood by Wheeljack's tales and exploits. "I will grant you access to our mines and provide the things you require to mine as much Energon as possible, and gemstones and crystals to cut into your focusing lenses for your ship's engine."

"You have my thanks," said Wheeljack, pausing to raise a fist to Sombra who replied in a bro-hoof, a gesture that would start there and pass on for centuries. Celestia rolled her eyes.

"He's even corrupted Sombra now," she whispered to Luna, who merely giggled.

=====

"So that wasn't so bad," said Wheeljack shortly after their meeting with Sombra had left.

"What did you say to him that got him in such a good mood?" inquired Celestia as the three of them headed down the stairs towards the back entrance that would lead to the mines.

"Just told him stories of the Wrecking days. Mostly of Bulkhead and I. There's a good 'Bot. Smart too, in a lot of good ways. But it was mostly stories of what some people would call 'college'." Celestia facehoofed. "What? I just entertained him."

"You did a fine job. This makes our work with the Regent-Prince easier. Our talks with him and establishing a full Empire in his name will become much easier when he is crowned King," said Luna. "We thank you, Wheeljack, for your aid in this matter."

"Yeah, no problem. So how about that mine...."

As the group headed to the mine, Sombra was still chuckling as the side door's curtains parted. "My Prince, all is prepared." said Tirek.

"Ah, Tirek, good, good. Thank you for your hard work. The Energon is then prepared for shipping to Old Canterlot then?" asked Sombra eagerly.

"Oh yes, quite. The most lustrous shade of violet crystals will be sent there as soon as possible." said Tirek. "All for you, my Prince."

"And soon I will be King. King of a vast Empire. It's good to be the King, isn't it Tirek? And you by my side, I'll be able to learn a lot more." Sombra smiled. "My new friend Wheeljack told me much of the stars, I hope to see them one day."

"Perhaps it may be too soon to trust the metal-man from the stars, my liege," said Tirek smoothly. "He is after all, not a pony."

"And why should that make a difference? I trust you, Tirek. I took you in when you were cold, starving, travelling from a vast distance. You are my friend as much as Wheeljack. Please give him a chance," said Sombra.

Tirek nodded, bowing low. "Yes, my Prince. I will do so."

Sombra smiled widely. "So! How goes the mining?"

"Productivity is up by 50%, Your Highness. There are more volunteers than ever, and more and more ponies are flocking to our city. They wish to expand the borders of the Empire."

"As it should be." Sombra trotted over to the window and placed his hooves on the sill as he stared out onto the landscape. "Every year, the fields are decimated by the harsh weather. There are perils out there I wish to spare my people from. Make sure the farmers send as much food to the Empire storehouses, and invite the common masses to move in when the new housings are built."

"Your will be done, my Prince." Pausing, Tirek added, "My Prince, there is also something else I should mention. One of our craftsmen, a artist named Artsy Artiste has requested that he gift his most recent sculpture to you. As a personal gift for your quarters."

"I am fond of his work," said Sombra. "Send it in."

Tirek nodded and clapped his hands. A pair of servants bustled in, and as one, removed the cover, to which Sombra gasped in delight. "It is wonderful!" exclaimed Sombra, as it nearly glowed in the light of the room.

"I thought you might like it," said Tirek.

The sculpture was of a pair of dancing sea ponies, curved in graceful waves. Their expressions were of glee as the gleaming violet crystal sparkled with a warm light. "It is exquisite," murmured Sombra. "Have it sent to my quarters immediately, and have it set by my bedside."

"By your command, My Prince."

=====

Wheeljack grunted as he pulled a Energon crystal free and nodded. "S'what I thought," he said darkly as he placed it into a bag, separate from the others before returning to the Princesses, who were looking around the vast cave network in surprise. "Hey, I'm done here. I got enough crystals and Energon to last me the trip home."

"And not a moment too soon," said Luna. "We are getting a strange feeling from this place."

"Yeah, that's just the feeling in the air," said Wheeljack as he cast a glance at the huge crack of violet crystal in the wall. "That'll pass once we get out of here."

"Wheeljack... something's bothering you, isn't it?" said Celestia as the crystal ponies worked around them. "What is it?"

"It's nothing," said Wheeljack. "Just 'Bot problems, that's all."

"I'm not buying it," said Celestia, cutting him off by darting around in front of him. "You'd been edgy and cagey ever since we stepped foot in this mine. I want to know the reason why."

"Sister, it has been a trying day. Perhaps we should..." said Luna but Wheeljack held up a hand.

"No... Sunny-Butt's got a right to know." Wheeljack pulled out the violet crystal and held it up as Celestia wanted to get mad at him. "This."

"That...." Celestia peered at it and frowned. "That's not Energon is it?"

"We were under the impression that Energon came in blue," said Luna. "Or are we not mistaken?"

"Got it in one. This here is a nasty kind of Energon. It's called Dark Energon. It's what sparked the war back on Cybertron." Wheeljack carefully set it down and ground it under his heel gently until it was a fine powder. "Your prince tapped into a huge seam of it. You've gotta get him to shut this mine down before any ponies get in trouble with it."

"But, what is so dangerous about it? Even if it is Dark, the word 'dark' does not necessarily connotate evil," said Luna, clearly distressed.

Wheeljack chuckled bitterly. "It is evil, Luna. It's the most evil substance in the universe. It belongs to the Anti-Spark, the god of destruction and chaos incarnate. Unicron the Destroyer."

Crouching down, Wheeljack took out two gems and placed them side by side. "In the beginning, there were two brothers, maybe gods. I dunno the details. But they fought a endless battle. One of them was named Primus. The other, Unicron. Unicron fought Primus to a point where it seemed like he could win. Whenever his blood was spilled, Dark Energon, his lifeblood, was found across the stars. And wherever Primus's blood was shed, Energon was found as well."

"I see... duality then. Light and dark, like Luna and I," said Celestia.

"Yes, but we sisters could never war one another," Luna said with a confident smile. "It is just not done."

"Yeah. Anyway, Primus to beat Unicron, created the 13, 13 Transformers, Cybertronians with the name Prime. Each gifted with a blessing. The Primes defeated Unicron, and Unicron drifted away deep into space, never to be seen again. Our god Primus, fell into a deep slumber as well, and became the core of our planet Cybertron. And from it, and the AllSpark, new life was seeded. Millennia later, after years of peace, a Gladiator rose up in the ranks, naming himself after Megatronius Prime; Megatron. He had with him an ally, a bookish scholar named Orion Pax, his best friend. The pair clamoured for reform, and a war broke out. But this war soon became corrupted and ideals were shattered, and Orion and Megatron found themselves on opposite sides of the war. One day, Megatron dealt a dangerous blow by convincing the guardian of the Vault to release his hold on the supply of Dark Energon. The guardian, Starscream, soon became his second in command, and Megatron ascended to power, a war fought over Energon, Dark Energon, and Cybertron in itself. In the end, Cybertron became a wasteland, and only the hardy remain there now, being picked off one by one by either side."

"And the friends? Megatron and Orion? What happened to them?" asked Celestia.

"During the war, Megatron and Orion came to blows, and it was in this time, that Orion earned the name Optimus Prime. Our leader. And one of the last few Primes out there that aren't encased in stone. Though, I only work with him once in a while, y'know, Wrecker stuff to do across deep space."

"This Dark Energon... what does it do?" inquired Luna. "If it is as corruptive as you say..."

"It's like drinking pure evil. But it's noteworthy for one thing: bringing back the dead. Don't you people have legends of zombies in your world?" said Wheeljack, causing Luna to bristle in fear. "Thought so."

"The old stories of Zebraica's Voodoo Witch Doctors, and their Zombie-ponies... if this Dark Energon could do that to our little ponies..." Celestia turned towards the once innocent looking seam of violet, now a malevolent shade of angry purple. "We need to warn Sombra and have him close down the mine."

"That would be an unpleasant situation for me," came the echoing voice of Tirek from the entryway as he leered down on them. Wheeljack shifted, reaching for a weapon. "You see, I need this Dark Energon for my plans."

"Tirek!" exclaimed Celestia, in a voice that hadn't been heard since Discord's defeat. "Explain yourself!"

"Have you ever heard of the legend of Eternal Night?" sneered Tirek. "I have. They said it would bring about ultimate darkness across this land. And the darkness would be brought by a chariot of night, pulled by ponies corrupted by the blackest of nights!"

"A old mare's tale, even for us. The tale of Megan is a long lost art," snapped Luna, her horn already burning with cold magic.

"But it isn't for me. I've seen it, dreamed it, and now with the power of Dark Energon, I have forged it anew. Behold, the power of the Rainbow of Darkness!" And unhooking a bag from his side, he unleashed into the mine. The workers screamed in fright as they were transformed into monsters, twisted dragon-like beasts. "Arise, arise, my Stratadons and serve me!"

"Enough!" exclaimed Celestia, her horn burning. "Burn."

A jet of white-hot magic lanced out from her horn, but to her shock it was consumed by the Rainbow of Darkness as she was blown backwards from the feedback into Wheeljack's arms. "Get behind me!" yelled Wheeljack as he removed his grenade. "Hey, catch!"

Tirek had a moment to react, cutting off the Rainbow as he leaped back. There was a thunderous detonation as the entrance to the mine collapsed, trapping the three inside. "Hmph," chuckled Tirek as the alarms were going off. "It's time to leave this place."

And taking wing, the Stratadons took flight behind him as he rode off on his chariot, leaving the collapsed mine and two sisters and an Autobot deep within.

Deep within the mine, Wheeljack groaned as Luna poked her head out from under his huge chassis. "Heavy," she grunted, wiggling free. "Sister, are you there?" she asked, lighting up the room.

"I'm fine," said Celestia from under Wheeljack's hand. "He protected me."

"Jus'... doin' my job," grunted Wheeljack, in a dazed voice as Luna gasped. A large rent in his side was leaking blue liquid, one she recognized. "Don' worry, it's just a scratch."

"It's not a scratch, oh, sister, come help us patch him up!" exclaimed Luna as Celestia nodded, the pair focusing healing magic onto it.

"Don't fall asleep, don't sleep, you'll die from this if you fall asleep!" ordered Celestia.

"Sorry Sunny-Butt... can't hear you... going... into sta---" The lights went out in Wheeljack's eyes.

"Wheeljack? Wheeljack! WHEELJACK!"

=====

Present Day

"Wheeljack wake up!"

"Huh...?" Flicking his optics on, he groaned and sat up to the sight of Celestia standing there, hooves on his chest. "Oh, good morning, Princess Sunny-Butt, how are you doing?'

Celestia scowled and headbutted him. "THAT was for making me think you went offline. AGAIN."

"Ugh, granted, I have a bad habit of doing that," admitted Wheeljack as he realized he was laying in the Moochick's ruined home. Looking over at Luna who was also present, she was healing his wounds. "Just like old times, huh?"

"When Teletraan-1 noted your signal went temporarily offline, Luna and I ground-bridged here to find you laid out." replied Celestia.

"It brings back memories," replied Luna, stifling a loud yawn. "We are not accustomed to being awake anymore in the daylight, so forgive our sloppy work at healing your wounds."

"What happened?" demanded Celestia.

"Tirek happened. You were right, he escaped. Slagger must have sucked up all the Dark Energon he was trapped inside for 1500 years and now, he's supercharged. He created a monster out of the swamp, called it the Smooze..."

Luna's eyes narrowed. "You are lucky you are in one piece; legends of the Smooze say it is an unstoppable force, capable of devouring anything in its path."

"It was probably a cheap knock-off anyhow. He seemed to be in a rush since the Moochick wasn't here," admitted Wheeljack, getting up as Celestia hopped off his chest. "So... just like old times, huh? How's the Empire?"

"Cadance has it well under control, and Twilight is probably yelling at her brother right now," said Celestia. "Did he say where he was going? Tirek, I mean."

"All but telegraphed it with a song and dance number. He's going to Nightmare Castle." Wheeljack groaned as he stretched out his limbs and took stock of what he had. "At this point, I wouldn't mind a dance-off."

"Nightmare Castle is on the Isle of Tartarus," said Luna. "We will need to ground-bridge there. But only Celestia and we can authorize it, because of its highly classified location."

"Swell. All right, so looks like I'm going in solo again," said Wheeljack.

"You are not going alone," said Celestia firmly. "Not without the Elements of Harmony with you."

"If you forget, the Elements could only slow him down last time, since you have this no killing policy in place for most enemies," stated Wheeljack. "Unless that policy's changed in the last 1500 years."

"... Once. But it was my little ponies who made the blow," said Celestia.

"... Sombra, right?" said Wheeljack suddenly, making the others look up in surprise. "Hey, don't look so surprised. First thing I did was look him up, hope he survived when I got here. It's too bad, he really was a nice guy."

"Power corrupts even the nicest of ponies. And apparently Tirek had it in place so that even if he fell, Sombra would continue his work," said Celestia sadly. "I am so sorry."

"Don't worry, I intend to finish Tirek off this time, once and for all. You'll look away, just this once right?" said Wheeljack. "I need to do this, before the rust sets in."

"It will be dangerous. Storming the gates of Nightmare Castle will be no easy task. He will have an army," said Luna.

At this, Wheeljack smirked. "Yeah... I know."

=====

"So that settles things," said Shining, shifting his splinted leg carefully as Twilight continued to give him mixed worried and death glares. "We'll join up with Wheeljack and the Princesses, with the might of the Royal Army behind us."

"All Autobots will be pulled out for this battle as well, including three Vehicon units," added Bumblebee, tapping the map of the Isle. "We've just gotten word that Team Prime is assembling as we speak."

"Whoof, bringing in the big boys this time," said Prowl. "And about us?"

"Prowl, you and Jazz need to stay here, in case Tirek tries anything while we're gone. Sorry we can't bring you along." said Bumblebee. Jazz's expression dropped, but he nodded. "It's for the best."

"Oh, we know," said Jazz. "Don't have to like it, but we know."

"A small team will take to the skies, and insert itself into the throne room to confront Tirek directly while his army is distracted," said Bumblebee, drawing a red line on the map. "Once we're in, Lyra will set up the charges, along with Spike, and we'll blow the place sky high once we're done."

"Wheeljack's going to go for Tirek," said Arcee. "He's a close-in fighter, utilizing explosives. If Tirek gets past him, the Elements will have to deal with the re-sealing of Tirek."

"It sounds easy enough," said Applejack. "Are we certain we can actually do this?"

"Fate of the world? Pshaw, we've done this a dozen times already," scoffed Rainbow Dash.

"That was before we started messin' with zombies, Dash," retorted Applejack, but Rarity smoothly interjected.

"Well, we could always have Fluttershy tell them off again."

"Oh, well, I don't know I could do that a second time," said Fluttershy softly. "It might hurt some feelings."

"Aw, come on! The way you handled those Terrorcons was awesome," Lyra chuckled. "I had never popcorned so hard in my life!"

"Well, okay..." said Fluttershy, blushing deeply as Pinkie clapped her on the back.

"And besides, we're all together, nothing can go wrong!"

"Right, so are you coming with us?" asked Twilight of her brother. He shook his head.

"I have to stay here, and coordinate from the war room. Cadance is going in my place, however." He leaned in. "She's been complaining about how I hog the Apex Armor all the time."

Cadance whacked him on the head with a clipboard, giggling. "You love it when I drive that thing, stop it."

"Cadance did handle those Terrorcons really super awesome like," pointed out Spike. "I think we're in good hooves."

"We'll be assembling in twenty minutes," said Bumblebee. "Everyone prep your things, and we'll be ready when the time comes."

As the group disbanded off to do various things and get ready for the battle, Twilight hung by the map as Shining Armor pored over the map. She looked at him, seemingly for the first time. He had always been nice, gallant, a bit of a derp, but when was the last time she really looked at him? He would always come home battered and tired, and not just from guard duty. He would talk about weird things all the time. He stopped playing the fluglehorn and going to recitals as well! Just when did her brother change so much when she was so engrossed in her studies?

"Twilight, are you okay?" asked Cadance, snapping the younger princess out of her reverie.

"I'm just wondering when my big brother grew up," said Twilight sadly. "I missed it growing up. And now... I find out that for five years, he's been running around in missions, hobnobbing with aliens, fighting on other worlds... and here I am trying not to go nuts from little things like visits from Princess Celestia when parasprites eat our town."

"Oh, Twilight, he never meant to hide this from you," said Cadance, pulling her friend into a hug. "But you have to understand that he was doing this to protect you. He wanted to keep you in his life, but you had great things ahead of you, things he had to keep separate from his own life."

"Yeah. Maybe when this is all over, I'll get him to introduce me to this Optimus Prime everypony mentioned... what?"

"... Twilight, Optimus is gone," said Cadance, causing Twilight to gasp. "He sacrificed himself, restoring the Cybertronian race. But don't worry, you can ask everypony about him. Everyone regarded him as family, a friend; for Shiny, he was like a second dad."

"I'd... like to ask him about him then," said Twilight with a smile. "Shining's always been protective of our parents, and to find out he regards one of the Autobots as a second father must mean he was quite the pony, er, person."

"You should hear about the prank wars," teased Cadance. "About the time Shiny spray painted Optimus pink."

"Oh no," stated Shining from the map, not even looking up. "That was all your doing. And Bee's. And Miko's."

Any word edgewise they would get suddenly was interrupted by the explosion of glass blowing inwards as a Stratodon zoomed in, screeching loudly while pulling a familiar ebony chariot. "So sorry to drop in like this but I'm in a hurry," laughed Tirek as Shining groaned, having been blown back from the force of it. "Princess Sparkle, your chariot awaits!"

"Twilight, run!" Cadance dove for the Apex Armor but the moment she suited up, she let out a "No..." as Twilight cried out.

Tirek held the limp pony under his arm, and he smirked. "Good bye, my little ponies, I'll see you at Nightmare Castle!" And with that, he took off as the Element bearers and the other Autobots ran in.

"Give her back!" yelled Rainbow Dash, but Tirek was already out of sight. "GIVE HER BAAAACK!"

"Twiley..." whispered Shining Armor. The unthinkable had happened. Tirek had come for Twilight. And he struck the floor angrily.

"We'll get her back," said Bumblebee angrily. "This, I swear."

"I know you will," said Shining, hobbling to his feet. "Give 'em one for me, Bee."

The pair bro-hoofed as Bumblebee looked at everypony and stated, "Autobots, Element Bearers, Transform and Roll Out!"

To Be Continued...