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The Prologue: Seeking Trouble1,415 words
Chapter 1: Rumble’s True Worth1,192 words
Chapter 2: “The Prisoners Have Escaped!”1,490 words
Chapter 3: Another Nightmare1,649 words
Chapter 4: A Traumatic Experience2,095 words
Chapter 5: Following the Star1,939 words
Chapter 6: Ego Fight2,055 words
Chapter 7: Attack of the Seekers2,541 words
Chapter 8: Decepticons Mobilize1,322 words
Chapter 9: New Friendships1,767 words
Chapter 10: Taken Hostage2,198 words
Chapter 11: The Decepticon Invasion2,437 words
Chapter 12: The Call of Primus1,881 words
Chapter 13: Crossing Paths2,095 words
Chapter 14: The Team-Up1,538 words
Chapter 15: Preparing for War1,274 words
Chapter 16: The Darkest Hour part 12,553 words
Chapter 17: The Darkest Hour: part 21,411 words
Chapter 18: The Darkest Hour part 34,291 words
The Epilogue: Friendship to the End1,843 words

Chapter 10: Taken Hostage

BACK IN EQUESTRIA

The ex-Decepticon and his new friends traveled to every landscape of Equestria and visited many different ponies there. Skywarp saw for himself how friendly and kind those ponies were and deeply enjoyed every moment in which he had spent time with them. The more he hanged out with his companions, the more he became happy and less nervous.

“That was truly an invigorating experience,” said Skywarp. “It seems that your species are more kind and thoughtful than any Cybertronian I’ve met.”

“Come on, we’re not that sweet. I mean, what are friends for?” Spike grinned.

“Yeah! I knew you would love it here, buddy! Soon enough, you’ll end up befriending everypony!” Rumble smiled.

“This is by far the best time I have ever had in my life. I much prefer this planet over Cybertron!” Skywarp exclaimed.

“Ha, I wouldn’t even go that far,” Discord muttered, rolling his eyes.

“So where are we heading to now?”

“The last place I have in mind is my own home: Cloudsdale!” Rumble replied.

“Cloudsdale? That’s where you came from?” Skywarp asked, arching his brow.

“Yeah! That’s where my brother lives too! Come, Spike and I will introduce you to him. I’m sure he will be happy to know you.”

Skywarp gave a warm smile as he nodded approvingly. He transformed back to jet mode and flew off with Rumble and Spike beside him.

“I’m very happy for Skywarp. Do you think he’ll get along well with Angel and the animals?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh, I’m sure he will. Besides, Angel would love to see a 30-foot-tall sentient alien robot, capable of laying waste to a city, standing and waving at a poor little bunny.”

“Discord...”

“What? I’m just saying what his reaction could be like...” he said, smirking.

“So what is he like? Is he scary-looking?”

“No, no, he’s very friendly. He was also a part of our team-up against the Decepticons last year, but I’m sure he will accept you as part of the family,” Rumble assured.

Suddenly, the colt heard soft whispers in his ears again. He looked around if anyone was behind him although it was just him on Skywarp’s right side and Spike on the left side. “Did you say something, Spike?”

“Huh? I didn’t say anything.”

“Really? I just heard some strange whispers in my ears. I’m not sure if those were the same ones I heard early this morning since they sound kinda different.”

“(Gasp) Are you getting voices in your head?! That’s terrible!” Skywarp panicked.

“No, no, it’s nothing, Warpy. I’m fine... I think,” Rumble said.

“Are you sure?” Spike asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine! I could be hearing some things. It’s almost been a long day, you know.”

The trio finally arrived at Cloudsdale. Skywarp transformed to robot form and allowed Rumble and Spike to lead him to the exact house. The ex-Con looked around and gazed at all the residents, houses, structures, and overall appearance of the town. He silently admired their cloudy home as he followed his little friends.

“Hey, little brother! What’s going on?”

“Hey, Thunderlane! You won’t believe everything that happened today! First, we were ambushed by a Decepticon and were almost taken out until—,”

“A DECEPTICON?! HERE AGAIN?! How?! Did he hurt you in any way?!”

“No, no, I’m perfectly fine! Another Decepticon actually saved our lives and destroyed that jerk!” Rumble explained.

“Wait... what? A Decepticon saved you? But... but how is that possible?” Thunderlane asked, scratching his head.

“That’s what happened, bro! He’s our new friend now! In fact, he is with us right now.”

Right on cue, the said Cybertronian peaked his head just above the cloudy bushes. He nervously waved at the astonished Thunderlane. “Hello... brother of Rumble.”

“Whoa... who is that guy?”

“His name is Skywarp. You can say he is our new ally now!” Spike replied.

Then Thunderlane looked suspiciously at the ex-Seeker as he got closer to him. “Are you sure you’re not playing any tricks with my little brother? Because I’m warning you, if I ever find out you’ve been planning any sort of attack on my family...”

“Thunderlane, relax! He’s not a Decepticon anymore! He just saved Canterlot from one of his own former friends. No need to be afraid,” Rumble assured.

“Yeah, he even saved me from getting killed out there! I and my friends would have been dead if it weren’t for him!” Spike added.

Thunderlane then eased his scrutinizing gaze on Skywarp and understandingly nodded. “If you two say that he’s good and saved ya, then I believe you both. I’m just trying my best to look out for you, little brother. I don’t want to lose you again.”

That caught Skywarp’s attention once he heard that last sentence. “Something happened to him before? I wonder what that was exactly.”

“Any friend of Rumble and Spike is a friend of mine. Sorry for misjudging you, Skywarp. I guess you’re the reason why I heard so much celebration and noise down there, huh? Well, I am more than happy to welcome you here in Equestria. I owe you my gratitude,” Thunderlane thanked, offering for a hoof shake.

Skywarp hesitated for a moment as he was again slightly nervous. But once Rumble gave him a reassuring smile, he raised his arm and shook Thunderlane’s hoof.

It was finally evening; as the sun was setting, Rumble, Spike, and Skywarp landed on a random hill side while viewing the beautiful landscape before them. “Man, I can’t believe it’s the end of the day already. I feel like it just got started.”

“Same here, Spike. We had a lot of fun today,” Rumble agreed. He then gazed on the sunset with a sad look. Skywarp and Spike took notice of it.

“Is something wrong, Rumble?” Skywarp asked.

“Not really. It’s just that... eh never mind,” he said, shaking his head.

“Pal, come on, you can tell us what’s wrong. We’re here for you, remember?” Spike reminded.

Sighing, the colt lifted his head and gazed toward the sunset. “I’m a little sad over the fact that I still have some doubts of my own abilities. Even though I appreciate your encouragement and Red Alert’s advice, Spike, those negative thoughts keep coming back to bring my mood down.”

Skywarp instantly widened his optics and lowered himself to Rumble’s level. “Speaking of which, I want to ask you something about that. When your brother mentioned about ‘not losing you again’, what did he mean by that? Does it also have something to do with those negative thoughts you speak of?”

Rumble sighed deeply. After a brief moment of silence, he faced him saying, “Well... it’s a long story. After Twilight and her friends defeated Megatron last year, Soundwa—(sigh)... a Decepticon captured me and used me as his minion for his own plans. All that time... (sniff)... I thought he was actually good unlike Megatron—until he revealed he was just like him—manipulative, selfish, cruel, sadistic, and evil.”

He started to cry as he continued. Spike wrapped his arm around him as he sadly listened. “He even tortured me to change my biological form into... his image. All that pain and torment I suffered in that machine was too much to bear. I... I can never forget it!” He bitterly wept.

Skywarp had never felt so disgusted, shocked, and angered in all his life until that moment. He picked up the weeping colt and softly stroked him.

“There, there, friend. I know exactly how you feel. My former allies treated me the same way... well, minus the deception part. As your new friend, I swear to you that I will always be by your side. I’m sorry you went through that,” Skywarp comforted.

Rumble wiped off his tears and smiled at his kind words. “Thank you, buddy. I appreciate that so much. I’m glad to have you and Spike as my friends.”

Thus, the trio spent the rest of the evening watching the sunset together.

“Are we just gonna sit here and do nothing?!” Hot Shot shouted.

“There is no way to catch Lout without causing a mass panic to the Autobot citizens,” Ultra Magnus replied. “Furthermore, we have a far more urgent matter that requires all servos on deck.”

“And that is?” Brawn asked.

“A Decepticon uprising is more likely to commence sooner than expected. With all the Decepticon inmates escaped, they could be planning an invasion of our world. With that said, we require all Elite Guard members to participate in our plans to stop them... including Rodimus and his team,” Magnus explained.

Hot Shot and Brawn looked at each other for a moment. “Where is Rodimus anyway?”

“No clue. You think he left for that Equestria place?” Brawn whispered.

“Maybe. We know Red Alert and Ironhide have been gone; how are we gonna explain this to the Commander?” Hot Shot asked, worried.

“Explain what?” The duo looked to see Ultra Magnus frowning on them.

“Uhhh... to... to explain why the sky is... red?” Hot Shot lied, nervously smiling.

Suddenly, Sentinel Prime ran through the front entrance with a look of apparent concern on his face. “Ultra Magnus, Sir! Lieutenant Rodimus is gone! I can’t find him!”

“What? What do you mean he’s gone?” Magnus demanded.

“You may not believe this, but I believe I overheard him saying he was going to a place called Equestria despite your strict orders. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen! Now we don’t have a lieutenant who could help us protect Cybertron!”

Ultra Magnus took a moment to absorb the information until he closed his fist disapprovingly. “This is completely unacceptable. Sentinel Prime, order the troops to retrieve him immediately; this insubordination shall not go unpunished.”

Sentinel smugly smiled in satisfaction. “As you wish, Sir.”

Hot Shot and Brawn nervously looked at each other as they were worried for their team leader.

“I’m afraid that won’t be necessary,” a familiar voice said. Longarm Prime entered the room as everyone looked at him surprised.

“Longarm! It’s been deca cycles since we heard from you! I was starting to worry you were offline,” said Sentinel.

“Where have you been, Longarm Prime?” Ultra demanded.

“I have been spending much significant time on determining the exact moment the Decepticon forces will be arriving. According to my calculations, they will be attacking Cybertron in any cycle now,” Longarm reported.

The Elite Guard gasped in shock. “So it’s true? The ‘Cons are coming? Here? And we were just informed of this... now?!” Hot Shot exclaimed.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner? We could have been preparing for this moment!” Sentinel scolded.

“It’s that simple, my friend. You Autobots will never be able to win the war,” Longarm sneered.

“What? Are you kidding me right now?” Brawn spoke, bewildered by his reply.

“I am not. For the sake of our planet’s ensured conquest, a scheme had to be made... by Megatron,” Longarm said, pulling out his cannon. He blasted Sentinel through his back, forcing him to scream painfully.

Sentinel weakly laid on the ground and looked toward his backstabber. To his extreme horror, Longarm transformed to his true form and pointed his cannon toward him again. All the assembled Autobots gasped in shocking terror.

“What... have you... done?! Who... are you?!” Sentinel groaned, his arm turning to rust.

“I am Shockwave, a loyal servant to Lord Megatron. I have been playing you fools for the longest time just for this very moment to happen. After we have conquered Equestria, Cybertron will be ours for the taking.”

“You have been a Decepticon this whole time?! Why?! HOW?!?” Hot Shot angrily screamed.

“None of that matters, Hot Shot. As for you, Sentinel Scum, I hereby discharge you from duty,” Shockwave said.

“NOO!!” Sentinel muttered before getting two shots to the chest.

The Decepticon spy likewise destroyed dozens of Autobot guards nearby. Three more guards tried to seize him, but he quickly shot their heads off. Then he extended his left long arm, knocked away the Magnus Hammer, and wrapped up Ultra Magnus with his arm.

“At long last, you are all at my mercy... witnessing my true colors!” Shockwave exulted, changing his color scheme from gray to purple.

“Let him go, Shockwave!” Brawn shouted.

“If you wish to see your dear old leader alive, I would suggest lowering your weapons and standing down. Refuse to comply...” he spoke, aiming his cannon at Magnus’s head. “...he will be scrapped. So, what is your choice?”

Hot Shot, Brawn, Perceptor, and Alpha Trion hesitated to stand down; just as Shockwave loaded his cannon, they surrendered themselves to him. “Okay, okay, we are standing down. Please, just don’t hurt him.”

“Wise decision, Alpha Trion. Now, activate the space bridges immediately,” Shockwave ordered.

Without hesitation, Alpha Trion activated every one of them. Satisfied, Shockwave untied Ultra Magnus, took his hammer, and put stasis cuffs on all of them. Then he activated his com link saying, “Lord Megatron, the Elite Guard has been neutralized. Equestria is finally yours.”

Sentinel briefly looked at his rusting body until he closed his optics with remorse. “What... have.. I done?” His body parts slowly rusted away along with his head and spark, killing him.

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