BACK TO LIFE

by CROSSOVER KING

Transcending us through space and time

Author's Note:

Happy Labor Day, everyone!

Breakdown was slowly walking along the dimly lit corridors of the Decepticon vessel, the Nemesis. His entire chassis was covered in dents from the battle he had earlier with the Autobots and every time he took a step, he grunted in agony. Even though many of the soldiers saluted him along the way, he did not salute any of them back, because at those moments, he was not concerned at all about whether those troops respected him or not. All he could think of was the fact that he had failed a mission personally given to him by his master and he had no doubt that he was going to be severely punished for it.

Lord Megatron was not known for his forgiveness and there was no real way to tell how cruel his punishments were going to be beforehand.

With those thoughts in mind, Breakdown regretfully continued onwards to the bridge of the ship where he was supposed to debrief his master regarding the outcome of his mission. Once he finally reached his destination, he found the bridge exactly as he had left it earlier that day: soldiers were looking at the images on the monitors around the room while two senior officers were standing beside a throne that was occupied by the lord and master of all Decepticons.

The officer on the left had a mostly gray color scheme, a body as slick as a regular trooper, a smug expression on his face, extremely long and thin claws for hands, missiles attached to his arms, and high heels on his feet. Also, the two jet wings on his back clearly indicated that he transformed into an aerial vehicle. The one on the right, meanwhile, had a mostly purple color scheme, a body as bulky as that of Breakdown, a huge laser cannon for a left arm, one large optic sensor, and an ammunition belt attached from his back to his cannon. While it was clear that he transformed into some kind of tank, it was also clear that the said tank was not Earth-based at all. On top of all that, his overall appearance was very spooky, mainly due to his single red optic that did not seem to reveal any emotions or expressions.

As for the supreme leader sitting on the throne, Breakdown was unable to make out what expression was on his face as he was seeing only the rear side of the throne. The only parts of the occupant that he could see was his left hand, which looked very much like a giant razor-sharp claw.

"Ah, Breakdown! So glad that you could make it!", greasily declared the sleeker-looking officer upon Breakdown's arrival to the bridge. "We were beginning to wonder if you were going to show up at all, but now that you're here, you can finally tell us about what happened during your latest assignment."

In response, Breakdown slightly growled at his fellow commander before looking back at the throne, kneeling before it, and revealing, "I am truly sorry, my lord. I have failed the critical mission you had given me. My troops and I ambushed the humans on an empty road, but then we were attacked by Cliffjumper and Bumblebee. Despite our best efforts, they neutralized my soldiers and I barely escaped with my life. There is little doubt that the humans have allied themselves with the Autobots by now and that they are currently in the secret Autobot outpost that we have been unable to locate ever since we arrived on Earth. I accept whatever punishment you deem necessary."

To Breakdown's surprise, Megatron did not say anything for a handful of seconds seconds and the silence was only broken when the slimy commander from earlier clapped his long claws a few times. He then moved closer to his fellow commander while announcing, "An inspiring explanation, Breakdown. Very well done. You truly are an expert in crafting these. As for your fighting skills, though..."

Suddenly, he slashed Breakdown's face with his claws and knocked him to the ground by delivering a kick to the spot where his right optic once was. Then, he placed his right foot on Breakdown's neck, aimed the missile attached to his right arm directly at Breakdown's face, and shouted, "You are an utterly pathetic excuse for a Decepticon! Not only you got some of your best troopers killed, but you were also thwarted by a couple of puny Autobots! GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON NOT TO ANNIHILATE YOU THIS INSTANT!"

"Because, if you do that, Starscream, I will make sure that you share his fate."

Everyone in the room immediately became silent upon hearing that voice, and started gazing at the occupant of the throne. A few seconds later, the said occupant stood up and turned around to look at his officers, with a very fierce expression on his face. He easily dwarfed every single Decepticon with his size, which was practically the same as that of Optimus Prime. His feet were large with three claw-like toes; two in front and one at the heel. He had a silver colour scheme underneath a dark purple colour, a bloodfull red hue optics, a rather long and flat head, and two blade-like parts that went around the sides of his cheeks. His face had visible scars, on his shoulders were two pads with spikes potruding, his right arm had a powerful fusion cannon and a long hidden blade, and right at the center his chest was the Decepticon emblem.

As soon as he laid his glowing crimson optics at Starscream, he removed his foot from Breakdown's neck, kneeled before his leader, and tried to explain while trembling with immense fear, "F-forgive me, Lord Megatron. I... I overstepped my boundaries for a moment."

In response, Megatron walked directly towards him and when he was close enough, he looked down on the cowering air commander and said with a very menacing tone, "Indeed. You have failed to remember the rule that states only I have the right to dispose of a high-ranking Decepticon like Breakdown. Forget it again, Starscream, and I shall use your chassis as target practice. Do I make myself clear?"

Starscream let out a small frustrated sigh and replied, "Yes, my lord. I completely understand. However, I still firmly believe that Breakdown should be punished for his shameful defeat."

Megatron took one look at Breakdown, who was struggling to rise back up, and then declared, "I think he has suffered quite enough for one day. Besides, as disgraceful as his failure was, it is inconsequential in the long run. During the battle with the Autobots, I sent Soundwave to monitor everything, including the ground bridge that opened up in the aftermath of the battle. Thanks to the modification he had recently equipped Laserbeak with, I expect he will have no trouble analyzing that ground bridge and acquiring the coordinates of its source."

Upon hearing this news, Starscream chuckled with utter delight, stood back up, and exclaimed, "A most brilliant strategy, master! Just say the word and I shall lead a truly devastating air strike to the Autobot outpost!"

"That would not be a logical course of action", suddenly announced the purple-colored Decepticon with a singular red optic. "The construction of our new project is not yet finished and when we do finish it, we are going to require a source of energy powerful enough to sustain it for an indefinite amount of time. That is why both the humans and their gemstones must remain unharmed at all costs."

While Starscream let out a loud groan at that statement, Megatron commented, "I agree with this plan, Shockwave. How long before the construction is complete?"

"Two Earth days at the most, my lord", Shockwave promptly replied. "I shall do whatever I can to accelerate the process."

"Very well. Continue your work, then", commanded Megatron. "As for you, Starscream, I shall give you the order to attack the outpost as soon as Shockwave is finished building the project. In the meantime, you will take Breakdown to the infirmary and help him treat his wounds."

When Starscream was just about to object to this order, he decided at the last second that it was in his best interest not to enrage Megatron further than he already had. Therefore, he walked towards the severely injured but still standing Breakdown and started pushing him to the exit.

After witnessing both of his commanders leave the bridge, Megatron took a quick look at the room and noticed that all of the soldiers were staring at both him and Shockwave. This caused him to yell, "WHO ORDERED YOU TO CEASE WORKING?!", and all of the soldiers immediately continued their monitor duties.

The frustrated Decepticon leader then proceeded to sit back at his throne and start contemplating on how to prepare himself for the inevitable final confrontation with his archrival, Optimus Prime. He had been attempting to destroy Prime for eons and so far, all of their battles had resulted in them being evenly matched. So, for their next and hopefully last fight, he had to quickly come up with a strategy that would culminate in a decisive victory.

While he was in deep thought regarding this matter, a ground bridge opened right in front of him and there emerged a Decepticon who sported stifle-jointed legs and wings that double as arms, making them (along with his fingers) very thin. Also, his face was a visor that functioned like a computer screen and he wore a surveillance drone on his chest.

A few seconds after he appeared, the portal closed behind him and Megatron noticed his arrival. He stood up and excitedly said, "Ah, Soundwave! Glad you finally arrived. Your mission was a success, I presume?"

Soundwave responded by giving a small nod and ejecting the folded bird attached to his chest. Once the bird was hovering in the air, it projected a holographic image of the planet with a small Autobot insignia appearing on a spot somewhere on the southwestern part of North America.

Seeing this spot caused Megatron to both let out a menacing chuckle and say, "Victory is nearly ours, old friend. Not only will the Autobot resistance be vanquished forever, but also our once-majestic home will finally be filled with life once again. At last, we shall become the conquerers we were always meant to be!"

The maniacal laughter that followed was heard across the entire vessel.

---

Meanwhile, back at the Autobot base, the girls were patiently waiting for Optimus to come back from the medical center. Though they started wandering around the base and taking a better look at their surroundings, they soon became bored as there was nothing really that interesting or memorable about the contents of the room they were currently in. Everything was made of either concrete or steel, the words on the monitors were written in a language that neither of them could understand, and there was not even a proper spot to just sit down and rest. Worse, Applejack and Sunset tried looking at their phones, but instantly became disappointed to find out that they were not getting any signal. As for Rainbow, while she did think about using her speed to look around the other rooms for a while, she quickly realized that it would be a bad idea as she and her friends had no idea what to expect from a base inhabited by alien robots.

Thankfully, about ten minutes later, Wheeljack and Bumblebee appeared inside the tunnel, and the girls quickly rushed towards the entrance in order to greet them. Once the Autobots reached the inside of the room, Bumblebee crouched in front of the girls and waved hello at them while making happy buzzing sounds.

"Hey there, Bee", said Fluttershy. "How was your mission with Wheeljack?"

Bumblebee began to explain by using both buzzing sounds and hand gestures. As he did so, Rainbow noticed something on Wheeljack's back she had not noticed before that actually piqued her curiosity. Therefore, she immediately ran between his legs to take a better look at it and upon doing so, she let out an especially loud gasp.

"Oh... My... GOSH!", she then excitedly exclaimed. "You have swords?! That is AWESOME! You're an actual robot ninja!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, those things", Wheeljack somberly said while turning around to face Rainbow. "They're fine weapons, but I don't use 'em anymore. Quit fighting a long time ago. Now, I just repair the equipment, fill up the team's ammunition, and fix their paint jobs from time to time."

"WHAT?! What do you mean you quit?", asked Rainbow. "You look and sound like a legendary warrior. Besides, you've got a pair of swords for crying out loud! I bet your team can always use the skills of a ninja like you."

"I agree with Rainbow Dash", interjected Rarity. "You certainly look like a fierce fighter and you have, by far, the best color scheme out of any that Autobot I've ever seen. Well, maybe besides Optimus. Have you ever thought about adding blue to either your chassis or ear thingies?"

Upon hearing that, Wheeljack both facepalmed and let out a very loud groan. Thankfully, a few seconds later, he heard the door of the medical center opening up, and was relieved to see Optimus, Ratchet, and Cliffjumper walking towards him.

"Hey, check me out, everyone!", Cliffjumper happily exclaimed. "I'm all healed up and looking as handsome as ever!"

"Aw, yeah!", shouted Pinkie while raising her fist up in the air. "This definitely calls for a swift recovery party!"

Right after saying that, she pulled out a party cannon from her hair, and fired a bunch of streamers and baloons, leaving all of the Autobots (especially, Cliffjumper) extremely shocked.

Applejack then let out a deep sigh and announced, "It's Pinkie Pie. Best not to question it. Speaking of questions, may I ask why none of our phones have been getting any signal since we got here?"

"The exterior of the base is shielded from any radio signals", Optimus explained. "Both an impressive feat of human engineering and an extra precaution against a Decepticon attack."

"That's mighty impressive and all, but I promised my granny that I'd call her right about this hour", declared Applejack. "She'll be worried sick if I don't do that in the next five minutes or so."

"Yeah, same here", Twilight interjected. "I'm supposed to call my parents, my brother, and my boyfirend Timber ASAP."

"My parents are also expecting me to call soon", said Fluttershy.

"Yeah, mine too", agreed Rainbow.

"Mine too", Rarity announced.

"Wow, you guys are so lucky!", suddenly exclaimed Pinkie . "I have to call my parents AND all three of my sisters!"

"Well, actually, I'm the only one here wihout any parents or siblings", Sunset sheepishly declared. "With that said, I'd really love to have internet access again some time soon."

Upon hearing all this, Optimus began to think on a solution to their latest problem and said, "Hmmm... Human customs. Something I have failed to take into account."

Then, after several seconds of pondering, he announced to the girls, "Very well. You may temporarily leave the base, but only after the analysis of your geodes is complete. Ratchet, can you make this happen in a few minutes?"

"Very unlikely", Ratchet promptly replied. "With the equipment we currently possess, it should take approximately a couple of Earth days."

"I see", Optimus said before contemplating for another few seconds. Then, he asked to the girls, "How do you feel about leaving your geodes here until Ratchet is finished analyzing them?"

"What? No way!", Rainbow exclaimed. "Their magic gives us incredible superpowers. Without them, we can't possibly defend ourselves from those Decepticreeps!"

Cliffjumper then commented, "Magical superpowers, huh? Now, that's something you don't hear every day. How about you give us a little demonstration, then? We gotta see if you actually got what it takes to defend yourselves from a Con."

He punched his left hand with his right fist immediately after saying that, causing the girls to form a circle and start coming up with a plan via whispering to one another. Shortly afterwards, they broke the circle and turned to face their oncoming sparring partner.

As for Cliffjumper himself, he tried to grab Rainbow (who was the one nearest to him), but right before he reached her, she dodged his hand and started running circles around him as a distraction. Then, Pinkie and Rarity began to attack him with explosive sprinkles to the face and diamonds to the top of his head, forcing the Autobot to take a few steps backwards. Immediately after that, Applejack lifted his right foot with her bare hands and Twilight lifted his left foot with her telekinesis, which caused Cliffjumper to fall on his face, and both Wheeljack and Bumblebee to guffaw.

As he get back on his servos with some difficulty, Cliffjumper managed to say, "Alright... You've made your point... I guess you CAN defend yourselves with those geodes."

Although the girls began cheering for their victory, Sunset soon noticed that Optimus' optics were entirely focused on her and Fluttershy (who was right next to her). Then, she realized that they had not shown their abilities yet, facepalmed for forgetting that fact, and quickly whispered something to Fluttershy's ear. She, in turn, happily nodded in approval and gathered a swarm of ants around her with only a few kind words. Shortly after that, Sunset touched Fluttershy's arm and delved into her memories.

A few seconds later, she let go of the arm and confidently declared, "Ah-ha! I knew you were the one who ate the last slice of apple pie in the bus."

As Fluttershy let out a nervous giggle, Optimus announced "Well, it seems that there is much more to these geodes than meets the eye. They might actually be effective weapons against the Decepticons and depriving you of them will undoubtedly make you very vulnerable."

"However, we do need to analyze them as soon as possible", Ratchet interjected. "The survival of your race and ours depends on it."

"Hmmm... Then, how about this?", Optimus began. "I will assign each of our team members as a guardian to the humans while they are outside and without their geodes."

"Um, that's a great plan and all, Prime, but there are a couple problems", Wheeljack pointed out. "One, I'm retired from field work. Two, there are seven humans and only three of us. Well, besides you and Ratchet."

"I am fully aware of this, Wheeljack", replied Optimus. "That is why I am assigning one Autobot guardian for two humans. For example, your retiremement is suspended, and your assignment is to watch over Rarity and Rainbow Dash."

"SWEET!", excitedly shouted Rainbow and Rarity right after hearing this news while Wheeljack simply let out a sigh.

"Bumblebee", Optimus continued. "I want you to look after Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy."

Bumblebee gave him a salute upon hearing the mission, while Fluttershy and Twilight both gasped in excitement and gave each other high fives.

"Cliffjumper, you will be going with Pinkie Pie and Applejack", commanded Optimus.

While Cliffjumper's mouth was left hanging open, Applejack and Pinkie Pie both exclaimed, "YES!", at the same time.

Then, Optimus concluded, "And... as for Sunset Shimmer... I shall be her Autobot guardian."

"WHAT?!", everyone in the room yelled immediately after hearing that.

"Optimus, you cannot possibly be serious about this!", Ratchet argued. "You're risking your very life for a mere human child. Why exactly is that?"

"Because she requires more protection than her friends", explained Optimus. "Her abilities, while quite impressive, will not be enough to protect her from a highly trained Decepticon soldier, let alone an entire squadron of soldiers. Simply put, she needs an amount of strength that only I possess."

Both the Autobots and the girls began to silently contemplate on Optimus' words and while Sunset gave him a smile, Ratchet took a deep breath and admitted, "You make valid points, as always. However, I still think being out in the open like this is rather reckless for a bot like you."

In response, Optimus put his right hand on Ratchet's left shoulder and said with an assuring tone, "Perhaps so, old friend, but we have little choice. We are significantly low on numbers and I think we both know that three humans would be too much for any Autobot to watch over."

Ratchet took a few more seconds to consider what Optimus had said and eventually, he nodded in approval. Optimus then nodded back, removed his hand from Ratchet's shoulder, turned back towards the girls, and announced, "It is settled. You will leave the base with your respective Autobot guardians and we will watch over you without interfering with your personal lives. However, you must notify us where you are headed every time you step out of your homes. Also, I do not recommend that you meet up in one spot for the next couple of days. It would most certainly make all of us easy targets for the Decepticons. Now, please, tell us the coordinates of your city and give your geodes to Ratchet. He will analyze them, keep them safe, and return them to you as soon as possible."

The girls then promptly handed their geodes over to Ratchet and Twilight gave him the coordinates to Canterlot City before he entered them to the computer and pulled the nearby lever to activate the ground bridge.

As soon as the bridge came online, Optimus commanded, "Autobots, TRANSFORM!", and upon hearing that order; Bumblebee, Wheeljack, and Cliffjumper turned into their vehicle modes (with Wheeljack transforming into a white, green, and red Lancia Stratos.

Optimus followed suit shortly afterwards and when his transformation was complete, the girls all boarded their respective Autobot guardians with great excitement. Sunset was especially ecstatic, because not only she had never been in a truck before, not only the truck she was in was a gigantic alien robot in disguise, but also the alien robot himself was the leader of an entire faction of heroic alien robots. It did not get any cooler than this.

As soon as all of the girls got into the vehicles, Optimus announced, "ROLL OUT!", which prompted everyone to enter the portal and disapperar from sight upon its closure, leaving Ratchet with the peace and quiet he needed to focus on his work.

Comments

[AstralFlare42]

10446465
No problem. It kinda helps to study up on the series you plan a crossover with.

[CROSSOVER KING]

10446629
Yep, it definitely does