Transformers Prime: Return to Equestria

by The Carolean

Chapter 10

Luna and Galvatron stood in an open field, along with four night guards. The loyal bat pony guards stood perfectly still, stoic and loyal as ever, despite trading their spears in for large silver platters. Their armor was the purple it has always been, but One of the soldiers had an assortment of fruit on his plate, including apples, oranges, grapes, and bananas, while the other two had empty plates. The three bat-ponies stood in a line, about a pony’s-with between them, directly facing Luna and Galvatron.

“Galvatron, I want to to teleport some of the fruit on the first platter to the second platter. Do you think you will be able to do that?” Luna asked. Galvatron scoffed, smiling contently. His horn began to glow, before one of the oranges on the first plate became enveloped in that same glow. “Remember, do not cast this spell as you would a levitation spell. Visualize the fruit at it’s destination, and your magic will make it so,” Luna told him.

Galvatron closed his eyes, focusing intently on the fruit before him. Magical lightning arced over the orange’s skin, causing the air to crackle. Despite the display of light, nothing happened. Even as sweat began to run down the orange stubbornly refused to move. Finally, he growled in anger, crushing the orange over the guard’s head, drenching him in juice.

Luna used her magic to lift the juice off the poor guard, casting it aside as she tried desperately to hold back a chuckle. “Try again,” she said calmly.

“May I try?” Starscream asked.

Megatron opened his mouth to castigate Starscream, but Luna interjected before any sound could leave his mouth. “Of course Starscream,” she told the pair. Starscream smiled, magic flowing from his horn, Like the last time, the magic enveloped the orange; like the last time, magic arced across the fruit’s skin; unlike last time, however, the orange teleported to the second guard’s plate, along with the first guard, and the platter he was holding. Gravity pulled the first soldier onto the second, fruit flying as their armor scrapped together.

Unable to control herself, Luna burst into laughter, disentangling the two guards ponies as she giggled. “Oops,” Starscream said as a slight shade of red rose to his cheeks.

“Good work Starscream,” Luna praised, lifting the fruit with her magic and placing it on the first guard’s platter.

Suddenly, a fourth royal guard rushed into the forest. “Princess Luna,” he called, coming to a halt just in front his liege. “Your presence is requested in Ponyville, at the cottage of Fluttershy’s cottage.”

Luna nodded, turning to leave with the new guard. “Continue your practice while I am gone,” she said to Starscream. The remaining three guards cringed.

---------------

Princess Luna opened the door to Fluttershy’s cottage, the wooden door creaking as her magic gently forced it open. The cottage looked the same as always, at least as far as the alicorn’s eyes could tell, but she could feel magic pulsing through the house. As she entered, the couch spontaneously levitated, revealing a technicolored spiral staircase. She descended the steps, disappearing deep into the earth. After descending a fair distance, though the exact depth she’d traveled to she couldn’t tell, she reached a large, open chamber.

Inside the chamber, Discord belly-first lay on a couch, Fluttershy situated on his back, massaging his long, thin form. “Oh yes, thank you Fluttershy,” he moaned as she pressed her hooves into her muscles.

Without warning, Luna tapped her hoof on the door frame, causing Fluttershy to jump. “Oh my, Princess Luna, you startled me,” the pegasus said.

“Forgive me Fluttershy, I did not mean to do so,” Luna apologized, before turning to draconequus underneath her. “It is good to see you again, Discord.”

Discord stood, slithering out from under Fluttershy, stretching and cracking his back as he righted himself. “Heh, that’s something I never thought I’d her you say. I suppose that means the Decepticons don’t exactly run a five star establishment,” he said.

“You have no idea,” Luna assured him. “You summoned me?”

Discord nodded, slithering toward the alicorn. “Yes, something strange happened in the Crystal Empire while your Sunbutt and Window-boobs arrived,” Discord told the princess.

Princess Luna cocked her head, furrowing her brow as she did. “Window-boobs?”

Discord chuckled, slightly shaking his head left and right. “Anyway, something disrupted the balance of magic in the Crystal Empire,” Discord explained.

“A disruption? Such as the one Tirek created?” Luna questioned.

“Yes and no,” Discord said as a chalkboard materialized behind him, a suit and glasses materializing on his body. “You see, my dear Luna, to sense magic like I do, you have to imagine the entire world as a dark room, and ponies all carry around little flashlights.” As Discord spoke, images materialized on the board, depicting a room full of ponies with flashlights. Suddenly, a crude stick figure centaur appeared on the board, going from pony to pony, beating the ponies. “Now imagine somepony, or centaur in Tirek’s case, beat up everypony in the room one by one and took their flashlights. That is what Tirek does.” The draconequus paused mid sentence, taking a moment to flick away the centaur that had appeared on his board. “Now, what I sensed in the Empire was more like if somepony attached a car battery to their flashlight-”

“What is a car?” Luna asked.

“Oh, right, you don’t know what a car is,” he said, nodding to himself. “Supercharged their flashlight. That is what I saw in the Empire,”

“What could cause such a thing?” Luna asked again.

“I don’t know, but whatever it was, it was powerful,” Discord said.

---------------

Princess Celestia slowly strode through the Nemesis, shivering every few steps as she walked. Despite having traded in her metal armor for the newer, sleeker, more modern armor of the modern royal guard, she was covered in goosebumps. The armorer had told her that the plating and fabric was very well insulated, but the princess was sceptical of his claims. The Autobots liked the cold, it seemed, since the warship was incredibly cold. Finally, she turned into her destination, the massive automatic door opening despite her comparatively small stature.

In the Nemesis’ medbay, Ratchet stood over Optimus, welding the last of the gaps in his armor shut. Optimus lay on the table, his expression blank as Ratchet carried out his work. Silver patches dotted his armor, some from Ratchet’s welding, others from Cyclonus’ mace. Finally, the medic finished his work, switching off the stream of blue flames that flowed from his welding tool. “There, you’re patched up, now all you need is a fresh coat of paint, and you’ll be good to go,” Ratchet told him as he retracted his welder.

Prime sat up, before swinging his legs over the side of the table. The doctor turned to retrieve his equipment, when Optimus stopped him. “Actually Ratchet, I would like to postpone that procedure,” Optimus said as he slid off the table.

“Really? May I ask why?” Ratchet asked, before Optimus pointed towards the door. Ratchet turned his head to discover Princess Celestia standing in the doorway of his med station. “Ah, I understand,” he said as he strode towards the doorway. “Just remember to lock up after you leave; or else Wheeljack might do something absurd,” he added as he stepped through the exit.

As soon as he left, Celestia and Prime’s focus rested solely on each other. Optimus had a stern look on his face, while Celestia had one comparable to that of a puppy who’d just learned it’s bad to pee on the carpet. Celestia stepped forward, jumping as the automatic door shut behind her, unnerved by the ship’s ominus, dark purple interior. “Before you start, let me explain,” Celestia begged.

“I intended to,” Prime told her.

The alicorn extended her wing, using her magic to withdraw the amulet she had worn in the Empire. “It’s called the Alicorn Amulet. It’s a relic of incredible power that boosts the magic potential of the wearer ten fold,” the princess explained as she levitated the amulet into Optimus’ hand.

“I know, I read of this relic in Twilight’s letters,” Prime said in a more formal tone than the one he usually used around the princess. “and I am fully aware you ignored one detail.”

Celestia cringed as Optimus spoke. “I know it’s dangerous, but...you know as well as I do we are outnumbered and outgunned.” she paused, taking the amulet from Prime’s hand. “We need an edge.”

“I’m not willing to sacrifice you to win this war so long as an alternative exists,” Optimus said, his tone returning to his normal, less formal tone. He kneeled to her eye level, his sky blue eyes meeting her indigo orbs. The princess momentarily glanced towards the Alicorn Amulet in the Autobot’s hand, causing Prime to tighten his grip on the relic.

Upon noticing Optimus’ grip, the princess averted her eyes, caster her gaze back at her friend. “Optimus, I have to do this. My ponies were not meant to live like this.” she drew closer to Prime, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “They hide in fear; their houses are literal bomb shelters; every part of their lives has been directed towards war!”

“I know, I understand your pain,” Optimus said, pausing for a sigh. “I understand your pain better than you realize.”

Celestia gasped, placing her hoof to her mouth as she was struck with a sudden realization. “Oh, Optimus...I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to say you-” Optimus lifted his free hand, silencing the princess.

“You don’t need to apologize,” he told her as he lowered his hand. “Celestia, I cannot in good conscience allow you to use this amulet.”

“But, think of what I could do with it. I could-”

Prime interrupted the alicorn. “You tortured that Decepticon. You nearly boiled him inside his own armor. That is not something the Celestia I know would do,” Optimus said.

Celestia cringed, recoiling from his words. “I...I know. I lost control, and I let the amulet manipulate me, but I’ve learned from that...incident,” she stepped forward, her face nearly touching Prime’s. “I want you to keep the amulet for me. You’re strong, you can keep me from going too far. I’ll let you keep it, then only use it when I need to.”

“No, it isn’t worth the ris-”

“I could revive Cybertron.”

Optimus paused, nearly dropping the Alicorn Amulet as his eyes widened. “What did you say?” he asked.

“I think, between the other princesses and my boosted power, we could undo the damage to Cybertron,” Celestia told him.

“And...you would be willing to do do that? To revive Cybertron?” Prime asked.

Celestia outstretched one of her hooves, placing it on the larger Autobot’s shoulder. “Of course,” she told him with a kind smile.

Optimus froze, his eyes dancing as thoughts raced through his mind. He lifted the amulet to his face, staring down at the red gem in the center of the relic’s black iron, his face reflected in its many surfaces. “Very well,” he said as he stood.

Celestia beamed, leaping and hugging Optimus. “Thank you so much, you won’t regret this,” she told him.

“I hope not,” Prime whispered quietly.

Comments

[trulyoftheyard]

you wouldnt Shockwave be looking for Gelvatron at this point?

[The Carolean]

7644481 Maybe he already is

[trulyoftheyard]

7645410 yeah I guess your wright

[sunlord9]

What Discord said was funny.