> The Throne of Tirek
>  by drunkenpandaren
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Darkness Rising
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Faster, you fools! We need to get this Energon to Shockwave before the end of the solar cycle. Work harder!"

Starscream was not pleased, but when was he ever? With news that the Grimstone Canyon mine had been compromised by those miserable ponies and their Night Princess no less, he had been in a foul mood ever since then.

And to make matters worse, this little project they were working on required the use of the one substance that Starscream would prefer to get away from as far as possible from: Dark Energon.

Like light and dark, Equestria had its secrets and dark history all to itself, and Dark Energon was the lifeblood of the fallen god Unicron, the antithesis to Primus whose spark beat at the core of Cybertron. Oh Cybertron, how he missed it. But with the ponies and Autobots controlling the space bridge, he was forced to live on this ridiculously too-colourful world.

He supposed he could be in worse places, he reflected as his troops dug for Dark Energon in the depths of a abandoned ruin in the cold northern tundra. He could be on that Earth planet with all of those noisy monkeys and their ridiculous prattle. Knock Out would have been even MORE insufferable if he had access to a more flashy Alt-Mode. The traitor.

"Sir, we've found something," reported in one of the Vehicons, bringing Starscream's attention to it. "You should come take a look at it."

"It's probably just another one of those insufferable pony statues we keep finding, just dig more!" exclaimed Starscream grumpily.

"It's very important," replied the Vehicon soldier, and Starscream raised a brow at the tone. Most Vehicons had personalities, true, but this one was practically ordering, no, insisting he come take a look at it. Must have spooked the troops.

"Very well, I'll come and look at it. But if this starts clawing at my face I will hold you personally responsible for it!"

Grumpily he marched over towards the pit and stared into the black seething mess that was uncovered. "What in the Pit is this?" demanded Starscream seconds before the screaming began.

=====

The Throne of Tirek

=====

Ponyville, Present Day

"That will be seven bits for the whole lot, dear," said Mrs. Cake as Lyra licked her lips at the pile of cupcakes that was presented to her in the two stacked boxes. "Are you getting some for your friends?"

"Oh yeah, a friend of mine asked me to pick up a bunch of them and I'm sharing them around the offic--er, around the party."

"Did someone say party?" inquired Pinkie Pie, sticking her head out of the back room. "And I'm not throwing it?"

Lyra cringed. "NO! It's not really a party, more like just friends getting together and bringing cupcakes and stuff, really it's not a huge thing, Pinkie."

"Ooh ooh, is it a party-party or a not-party? Or is it a party-squared?"

"More just like the office-getting-together party. It's my turn to bring in the baked goods this morning."

"Oh, that's right, dear, you work in an office when you're not playing at a concert, is that right?" inquired Mrs. Cake. "Good for you. Is Bon Bon going to be there?"

"No, she's with the Doctor, er, John today. Not Whooves, another Doctor. Doctor... John. Yeah." Lyra grinned weakly at her own lame joke. "Well I gotta go I uh..."

YOU GOTTA FIGHT! FOR YOUR RIGHT! TO PAARRRRRRTTYYYY!

Lyra fumbled at her jacket pocket, and pulled out her cell phone, wincing at the volume of the ringtone as the Cakes and Pinkie looked at the small cell phone in surprise. Bringing it to her ear she hissed, "Who turned on Ringtone Number 6?"

"Sorry Lyra," replied the voice on the other end and she snapped to attention. "But this is a priority one call from UNIT. Gather up the Elements of Harmony and meet at the usual pick up area for ground-bridging in half an hour."

"Yes, ma'am," replied Lyra, snapping the cell phone shut. "Sorry, this is important."

"Was that a phone? I never saw a phone that small before! It's really tiny and it had the coolest ring to it! Like--!" Pinkie was silenced by a hoof over the mouth as Lyra held her hoof there.

"Pinkie, this is important. Can you do something for me? I need you to gather the girls... and probably Spike too, and meet me at the edge of Whitetail Woods precisely in half an hour. Can you do that? This is deadly important. You're the faster of the two of us."

Pinkie nodded, her head moving like a bobble.

"Good." Removing her hoof, she checked the clock on the wall. "Go, you need to get moving. Half an hour, don't be late."

"Okie dokie loki!" And with that, Pinkie was off like a shot.

Lyra sighed as she pocketed her cell phone and levitated her cupcakes. Mrs. Cake looked on in concern. "Was that... in regards to them Lyra?" she asked quietly, remembering the events of that day.

"Yeah it was. Or it could be much worse. That call was from the Brig's daughter, the one in command of UNIT right now. You remember Kate Lethbridge-Stiffhoof don't you?" inquired Lyra.

Mrs. Cake smiled, nodding in reply. "I remember Kate, and the Old Brig. He once came to the shop, with the most interesting man, the Professor. I was a much younger filly back then, but it was before the incident with the metal not-ponies."

"Bugbears," remarked Lyra and the pair shared a light smile. "I'll keep the girls out of trouble, don't worry. I've got it all well in hand."

"... What are hands?"

=====

"Check, check and check," replied Spike as Twilight finished the day's checklist. "That's everything up till three-thirty today, Twilight."

"Good. That will give me time to go over my notes on this book I've read about the recent migratory patterns of Bugbears," replied Twilight, ruffling her wings. "Now if only..."

"TWILIGHT!" Popping out of the bookcase and startling Spike, Pinkie Pie wiggled her way out of the shelves.

"Pinkie! Look what you did, you scared Spike! Why didn't you use the door?" exclaimed Twilight as Spike hyperventilated on the floor. Twilight levitated him a paper bag.

"Oh, I was going to, but I decided against it. Lyra said you and Spike and the girls have to come right away! I already got the rest of them, and we're meeting in front of Whitetail Woods!"

"Pinkie I have things to do! I don't have time for a party, sorry. You'll just have to tell Lyra--"

"Twilight, it's really important," said Pinkie, cutting her off with her tone. Pinkie was never this serious sounding. "Lyra got a call while at the shop today. A CALL."

"I'm not following you," said Twilight. "Why would getting a phone call be of any trouble?"

"Maybe it was a date?" offered Spike helpfully.

"It sounded really important. She called the speaker ma'am and everything! I think Lyra's a SPY. Or at least super important," said Pinkie.

"Oh please, she's just a musician with a human fascination! What could she possibly be hiding?" scoffed Twilight as she got her things together. "I'm certain while it could be important, we're getting worked up over nothing."

20 Minutes Later...

"Or not, as the case might be," said Twilight as she stared up in awe at the massive complex within Canterlot, the high ceilings and incredible structure built for life bigger than they were. The huge robot, for what else could it be, at the side arguing with a couple of pony technicians. A yellow robot standing there, arms at his sides with a slender feminine one with an amused smile.

Her friends, try as they might couldn't stop gawking at the sheer size of the room as well, and the banks of flashing lights and loud noises. The Royal Guard, mixed members of the Dusk and Day together. Creatures with domed heads and bipedal hands and legs – humans, Twilight recalled. And Lyra grinned as she swept her hoof forward.

"Welcome, girls, to the most classified place in the world. This is UNIT, the Unicorn Intelligence Team, a joint base that works with RID and HEAT, two divisions of Autobot Security. Those stand for Robots In Disguise and uh... actually, I forget what HEAT stands for. Anyhow it's all very hush-hush."

"This place it's... Bigger than what we expected," said Rarity in dazed voice.

"Ah'll say," stated Applejack, noting a couple of humans walk by. "And humans too! Ah didn't realize they were here as well!"

"Space-bridge accident sent a couple of Autobots and ponies to Earth a couple of years ago and, well, that's not important," replied Lyra. "This way, I want you to meet a few people. Follow me, girls."

"What do you make of all of this?" inquired Rarity of Twilight as Pinkie bounced ahead. "All of... this?"

"I dunno. You'd think Princess Celestia would tell me about this, but she didn't..." Twilight sighed. "I... I don't know if..."

"I'm sure she had a good reason for it," said Fluttershy softly, giving her a smile. "After all, Lyra seems to have this well in hoof."

"I guess you're right."

Stopping in front of the big map, Lyra paused and gestured to the two massive robots. "Girls, these are our two Autobot veterans and two of our best friends. Arcee and Bumblebee."

"Hi," said Arcee and Bumblebee chuckled.

"Welcome to UNIT. It's good to finally actually talk to the ponies who saved our nation a few times." said Bumblebee, kneeling down to talk to them.

"Our nation?" inquired Rarity. "Darling, I'm certain I hadn't noticed giant robots around before until now."

"We've been on Equestria for about five years now undercover," replied Arcee. "We, like many ponies, humans, and other species regard it as our home. Our second home away from home. Is that so weird?"

"Ah shucks, naw, it isn't. You find your kin where you can get it, right ya'll?" laughed Applejack. The others nodded.

"Yeah and that would probably explain why sometimes I see carriages running around without a driver," remarked Rainbow Dash thoughtfully.

"I'll say. That hillside is a magnet for those," added Spike.

Tensions broken and the awkwardness of the first introductions out of the way, a pair of ponies stepped up, one very familiar, one not so familiar. Twilight's eyes lit up. "Princess Celestia!"

"Twilight Sparkle, how good it is to finally share this with you," said the Princess, giving her a warm smile. "Everypony, I'd like to introduce you to General Kate Lethbridge-Stiffhoof. She's the head of operations here at UNIT and a trusted friend of mine."

The older mare smiled at the assembled guests. "Charmed I'm sure," replied the mare in a Trottingham accent. "Now then, since we're all assembled, let's get started. If you'll all look over at our map here."

Gathering around the huge table, the map activated as a blinking light appeared and zoomed in. "The Crystal Empire?" inquired Twilight curiously. "What's going on, Princess?"

"I'm afraid Princess Cadance has reported unusual activity in the northern tundra. A group of Bugbears have been spotted by the scouts we have in the Royal Guard."

"Oh my, Bugbears aren't very friendly," remarked Fluttershy softly. "But maybe they can be reasoned with?"

"You have to understand something: Bugbear is a codeword for something much larger than ourselves." said Lyra finally. She tapped a terminal as a larger creature appeared, its metal claws unsheathed in the light. Fluttershy squeaked and ducked behind the table in fear.

"That's no bear," she whimpered.

"Correct. Bugbear is a codeword for Vehicon activity. This is a Vehicon, a mass produced robotic soldier, often used for things such as labour and mining." said the Princess, shaking her head. "They have taken to disguising themselves with false skins and furs, and even as Timberwolves, as not to arouse suspicion."

"It also has an added effect of cloaking them from our long range scanners," put in Bumblebee. "Which is surprising because if the 'Cons weren't in such a rush, apparently, they would have been disguised."

"Which makes this even worse considering they were obviously digging for something. Energon," said Arcee. Further elaborating, she added, "Energon is a crystal, when refined makes fuel for our bodies and is a valuable resource for Autobots and Decepticons to live. Your world like so many others were seeded with it millions of years ago, before the first ponies were even born."

"So they're basically mining out food for your people," summarized Twilight.

"A past-time that would be common among the dragons, I'd imagine," added Rarity, giving the image of the Energon crystal a once over. "Though the things I could do with that crystal...!"

"Moving on, it appears that the mining team found something. Something we'd hope to kept buried," said the Princess, zooming in on the site which was a circular set of ruins. "A ancient power that Luna and I buried long ago might still be there, if only for the speed the Decepticons fled the scene."

"What kind of ancient power?" asked Pinkie. "It's not a good kind is it...?"

"No, it's a terrible one. Do you all remember the legend of Tirek, my little ponies?" said Celestia.

At this, Fluttershy squeaked and dove under the table. Rainbow Dash sighed and went to pull her out. "Sorry, she's been terrified of that fairy tale since she was a filly. Get out of there, Fluttershy!"

"It is no mere legend," said Kate, causing Fluttershy to whimper, "I knew it!" "While Tirek himself is gone, long ago, he opened a gateway to a darker power, and from it mined a power that he forged into the Rainbow of Darkness."

"The Rainbow of Darkness. They said that they could only be combated with the Rainbow of Light," said Twilight. "Princess, what happened back then?"

"It's a long tale, and I will tell you all now, if you will listen," said the Princess. "Come, let us adjourn to a quieter area of the castle."

=====

The palace servants were good about what they did, keeping the food supplied as two Autobots and a herd of ponies entered the big meeting room. Fluttershy had been coaxed out of hiding and was trying to look up at Bumblebee through her long mane. "Um... excuse me, but can I ask you something, sir?"

"Mmm? What is it?" replied Bumblebee.

"Well... it's just that.... you don't look like a bee, and your name is Bumblebee. I was just wondering... why did you have the name Bumblebee?"

Bumblebee chuckled. "Actually our names are equivalent to Equestrian language. Cybertronian names have a bit of crossover between things found on both Equestria and Earth, due to its long histories with both planets in many dimensions. My coloring is sort of like a bumblebee, with the black and yellow though. So I don't mind being named Bumblebee, or Bee for short."

Fluttershy nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Thank you. I didn't know if you were half-bee or not, so I didn't want to offend you by offering honey."

"No harm done. Let's catch up with the others then."

Once inside the room, the ponies assembled around the comfortable table as the Princess took up the head. "The tale of Tirek is one we pass down in our lives from generation to generation as a reminder of what could have been," began Celestia. "But before that golden age of Equestria began, there was a shining city, known as the Crystal Kingdom..."

=====

Crystal Kingdom, 1500 years ago...

Luna paced relentlessly, trying not to keep her anxiety down as Celestia smiled at her. "Luna, you should really calm down a little," said Celestia. "You will worry yourself sick."

"How can we calm ourselves?" demanded Luna. "We have been planning this meeting ahead for many a week. With Discord defeated, peace is returning to the valley and we cannot afford to rest."

"There will be plenty of time to relax, and now is the time for it," soothed Celestia as she sipped her tea. "Sit down, have some coffee."

"You know what that concoction from beyond our lands does to me," replied Luna testily. "We would rather have the tea, thank you."

"Then sit, and wait. Prince Sombra is newly minted, appointed for the time being as regent lord of the Crystal Empire. Discord's rule was hard on us all, and we need to stay focused."

Luna took a bracing sip of tea and sighed. "We grant you that you are right, dear sister."

"I do know I'm right."

Soon, the doors opened and a page clad in the colors of the Empire cleared his throat. "Begging your pardon my lieges, but the Prince awaits."

"Well, here we go. Showtime," stated Celestia, Luna giving her a look. "What, too flashy?"

"You picked up some bad influences from him didn't you?"

"No, never," tittered Celestia as she followed the page who pretended to hear nothing.

Opening the doors, he announced in a loud booming voice, "Announcing Their Royal Highnesses, The Sun And the Moon, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!"

"Oooh, we need to learn how to do that," whispered Luna, suitably impressed.

Sitting at the throne was a pony dressed in regal finery, a young handsome stallion with a smile on his face. He bowed politely in response to their bows. "The Sun and Moon, thank you for joining us here today," he said grandly. "Please, make yourselves at home."

"Your hospitality is nothing short of generous, my prince," said Celestia with a warm smile.

"And your food is excellent. These pears are much to be delighted," added Luna.

Sombra laughed. "These delights are a trifle to accommodate such beauty. Let me introduce you to the pony who made it all worth it. Tirek?"

From the side of the room, a pair of curtains swept open as Celestia's eyes widened in surprise and Luna's jaw dropped. What stood there was an impossibility; the lower body of a pony, but the upper body of a hairless ape. His face was chiselled as if from stone with his sombre expression, but it quickly turned into a smile as he bowed, coming into the light.

"Allow me to introduce my right hoof man, Tirek, who has come from a faraway land to my court."

"The pleasure is all mine," replied Tirek in a voice that simultaneously sent shivers up both princesses' spines and soothed it at once.

"Tirek is the last of his tribe. The last of the mythical race of Centaurs. How blessed is my court to have him here. Why, crystal mining production has tripled since he has arrived, and our people are as happy as ever!" laughed Sombra. "Now please, let the party begin!"

"You are too kind, my prince." As Celestia sat, Luna quickly settled beside her sister, only to find Tirek's eyes on her for a brief moment before the festivities began.

To Be Continued...
> Wheels and Suns
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crystal Empire, 1500 Years Ago...

"We do not like this Tirek." proclaimed Luna stiffly as she prepared for bed that night. "His eyes were all over us."

"He was a charming centaur, but I agree. Sombra has hired quite the interesting pony," said Celestia as she slipped on a dress for sleeping. "His voice sent shivers up my spine whenever he spoke."

"We cannot say how natural he is, but there is something decidedly unnatural about the way he gave us looks. Like he speculates us as common bread on a platter!" Luna removed her crown, placing her horseshoes to the side and tying her hair in a ponytail.

"You know, that's all you've been talking about tonight," said Celestia thoughtfully as she started to settle into the guest bed. "Tirek this and Tirek that. You're starting to sound like I was with Discord."

"That is different, and you know it," huffed Luna as she leaped into bed and drew the covers over her head. "We were not taken with him and you know it. Good night to you."

"Good night, Luna." Extinguishing the candles, the princesses went to sleep that night, never knowing that a pair of eyes were upon them.

=====

Present Day

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you saying that Tirek was once a regular Centaur?" demanded Rainbow Dash. "That's unbelievable!"

"Stories have a tendency to get inflated over the amount of times it was told," said Celestia somberly. "We had at that point, no idea that Tirek's heart was as black as Sombra's was to become. Sombra used to be a good pony once, but his power and lust for crystals became too strong. But you all know how that story ended."

"That's where we come in," said Arcee. "It's not known, but before the war our people were explorers. Still are in many ways. One of them came to your world in search of answers before returning to Cybertron."

"He's still with us actually, the guy who technically made first contact with Equestria." said Bumblebee. "He would be here for this, but he's off saving the universe or something with Bulkhead. His name is Wheeljack..." 

"Someone call my name?" The group turned to see a silver and green robot leaning easily on the door, and he held up two fingers in a mock salute. "Yo."

=====

Crystal Kingdom 1500 Years Ago...

Celestia was up early as always, a few minutes before she had to raise the sun. It was on this day that she spotted something if she hadn't paused to take that one sip of coffee before bringing the sun out from the other half of the world: a streaking comet, no, some kind of flaming bird coming down near the plains outside of the kingdom just outside the village of New Hoofingshire. Distracted, she almost forgot to raise the sun until a sleepy voice cut in.

"Tia? Why's it still dark?"

"Oh, right." Celestia quickly rose the sun and threw off her bathrobe. "Luna, I'm going out, tell Sombra I'll have to decline breakfast for the time being."

"But Tia, where are you going? You need food!" exclaimed Luna, sitting up in bed.

"I'll just have a muffin!" And she levitated a bran muffin out of the bowl and charged out the door, all finery forgotten.

"... But you hate bran muffins."

Charging out the door and taking wing, Celestia pushed herself as far as she could go, zooming across the landscape and quickly clearing the outskirts of the main city. The landscape passed under her as the village came closer. The villagers were keeping their distance away from the object that landed and she could see why.

It was a rubbed-black bird, about twenty times her own size and smoking, hissing steam and smelling of the heat of entry from space. It looked like it had been in some kind of battle, or perhaps had some kind of trouble as the back appeared to sport engines of some kind, not dissimilar to things she had seen from attempts at self-propelled Gryphon war machines.

The back however slowly began to open up and Celestia stood her ground. Or as firmly as she could from behind a tree as she watched a giant step out. He was huge, at least three times her height and she was tall for a pony. He was bipedal, like an ape or a dragon, and his limbs ended in claws. He had no mouth, but then, suddenly a plate slid aside recessing into somewhere as he coughed loudly. "Slag, what a landing," he muttered loudly, and in a language she could understand. "The Jackhammer's not going anywhere at this rate..."

Checking what he called the Jackhammer over critically, he groaned. "I'm going to need to repair it. And looks like I'm out in the boondocks again. Hello, what's this?"

Leaning down, he pulled free a crystal, one she recognized from the empire's mining facilities. The giant howled in delight. "Well what do you know? You hit the jackpot, Jackie old boy, because you just landed on an Energon mine!"

His mirth subsided quickly however as he started to dig a little more and frowned, pulling out precious gemstones and chunks of Energon with his bare hands. "Too rich though... this place is way too rich with Energon. If the whole planet is like this, able to dig up precious gemstones and Energon in the same go... think of the damage the Cons could do strip-mining this planet."

Celestia gasped, a little too loudly at the implications. Strip mine HER planet?!

Wheeljack spun, aiming his gun at her hiding spot and paused, the deathly whine of the blaster powering down. Retracting his weapon, he held out his hand. "Hey, it's okay little guy I won't hurt ya. I'm only a bad guy to the 'Cons."

Celestia flushed as she stepped out and tossed her unruly mane, for she hadn't brushed her hair at all. "The proper term is Princess. Princess Celestia."

"... Riiiiight, Princess," deadpanned Jackie at the messy looking alicorn who slowly took a serious bite of her bran muffin.

=====

Present Day

"That seriously happened," deadpanned Arcee, looking at Wheeljack, who had this wide grin on his face.

"What can I say? Alicorn who looked like she just crawled out of bed demands to be called Princess with hair that had seen better days? I thought she was pulling my chassis," replied Wheeljack. "Though at the time, I was even more of an insufferable ass than usual."

"Wheeljack has his rough edges, but his scepticism was highly noted to be... rather accurate. Luna and I were very new to running the kingdom after all," admitted Celestia, a faint tinge of red in her cheeks.

"Moving on," Celestia added quickly, "Once the awkward explanations were out of the way, such as where Wheeljack was and who we were, that's when things quickly started to go south..."

=====

Crystal Empire 1500 Years Ago.....

"I dunno about this, Celly, I gotta say walking in here makes me feel like I'm going to break something." said Wheeljack as Celestia lead him towards the Crystal Empire's gates. "It looks like glass in there and Wreckers never work well with glass houses, if you get my drift."

"That's Celestia, and it is perfectly safe. We're not going to be breaking everything just by stepping on it. That would be foalish," retorted Celestia, gritting her teeth. In the few short minutes to a half hour that she had met Wheeljack, she could honestly say that he was by far the most aggravating. Was she receiving punishment from Faust or something? Was she to be eternally saddled with misfortune with not-ponies similar to Discord?

"You know I could just dig up a bunch of Energon, a few rubies and cut those into converters for the Jackhammer and be out of your hair. I don't see why I gotta met this Sombra guy of yours for permission," snorted Wheeljack. "Never been much for the whole chain of command thing anyhow."

"You are still on the Empire's soil, and a guest, and it would be remiss to be digging up the countryside for your Enetron." snapped Celestia, her patience wearing thin.

"Energon, Princess Sun-butt."

She glared daggers at him. "What was that?"

"Just calling it as I see it, or is that a tattoo you got in a rebellious phase?"

Celestia almost let loose with a furious scream of rage if it weren't for the timely intervention of a polite cough and a statement of "We had not been aware you were bringing company back to the castle, sister."

Oh thank Faust, it was Luna. Luna would see her through this madness. She would... just stand there looking really, really amused at the whole thing. Curse you, Luna.

"So this is your sister? Hey, I'm Wheeljack." said Wheeljack with a wave of his massive hand.

"Princess Luna. We greet you, metal-not-pony from the stars." said Luna with a courteous bow.

"Hah, see? That's totally princess stuff. You could learn from that, Sunny."

"Wheeljack, I swear by the Heart I will send you into the sun," growled Celestia under her breath.

"Sorry, I've got a allergy to solar flares," laughed Wheeljack. But then he grew serious as he shifted in stance. "Though, I don't think we're in any position to argue."

Turning around, Luna blinked at the appearance of the Empire's Guard, but these were dressed in the dark blacks and violets of the personal guard. "Can we help you?"

The lead commander raised his spear, his crystalline coat gleaming in the morning sun. "Princess Celestia, please step away from the stranger from the stars. He is the one we've been warned about."

"Come again?" asked Celestia. "What do you want with Wheeljack?"

"The steel ones will descend from the skies, and rain fire and brimstone upon this world. A chariot of darkness will herald eternal night, it's messenger bearing the form of man. He has seen it. Our Prince." The Guardsman looked at the Princesses apologetically as one moved to pull Celestia aside.

"A prophesy of destruction, of eternal night.... while eternal night isn't bad, there has to be balance," murmured Luna as the guards pointed their spears at Wheeljack.

"Told you this was a bad idea, Your Highness," grumbled Wheeljack. "So, now what?"

"Stand down, guards, his ship malfunctioned and he landed safely. He does not bring any danger to our world. All we ask of the Prince is permission to mine the needed crystals and he will be off our world within the next sunrise. Isn't that right, Wheeljack?"

"Got a bad feeling bout this," grumbled Wheeljack but he nodded. "That's right, ponies, your friendly neighborhood Wheeljack will just grab and go. No tricks, just lemme dig some Energon and I'll be out of here before you know it."

"All Energon is possession of the Crystal Empire, surely you know that," came that damnedly silky voice as the ponies turned and saluted. Luna bristled but stepped back as Tirek strode forward confidently. "Come now, what do you believe our mining operations are for, Princess? We discovered this power source ages ago, and our best scientists are working around the clock deciphering its secrets. For the good of pony kind, of course."

"Of course," said Celestia, knowing a smooth pass-over when she saw it. Tirek was covering, but for who? Himself? Or the Prince? At this point, it was hard to say. "But as you are well aware, the Old Canterlot Charter clearly states we must share our advances with one another."

"Of course, which is why I had a shipment sent to your people, oh I mean, ponies, a week ago before you arrived. My word, it is so hard to keep these pronouns straight. How do you do it? Everybody, everypony, it is quite difficult when faced with such a difference in culture." replied Tirek smoothly. "Guards, the metal-man has no intention of harming us. We can leave him be. Come along, our talks await, my Princesses."

As they turned to leave, Wheeljack spoke up. "Hey, curious. What color are the Energon crystals anyhow?'

"Why violet of course, the most lustrous shade," answered Tirek. "I will send some to you right away."

"Yeah... you do that." And with that, Wheeljack stepped away, seemingly lost in thought.

=====

Present Day

"That's when everything I knew then was wrong," said Wheeljack, sipping a cup of blue Energon from a cube. "Dark Energon."

"What's Dark Energon?" asked Twilight, having hung onto every word of this story, for as long as it was taking.

"Dark Energon is a substance known as the Blood of Unicron," replied Lyra and she was met by varying degrees of disgust and shock. "It's in a way, metaphorically and literally real blood and it's not, since Cybertronians all have it."

"When I heard that there was Dark Energon on this planet, one that was already insanely rich with regular Energon, that threw up alarm bells in my head," said Wheeljack. "So I contacted Optimus, but it would be a long time before my message would get to him."

"Sombra, as it turns out had run into a seam of Dark Energon, and was mining it out of the earth at an alarming rate. But while that tale ended tragically, the worst was yet to present itself," said Celestia.

"Tirek, right?" said Twilight and the others nodded. Celestia sighed.

"I was young, and unaware of Tirek's manipulations and how deep it would go. The dinner went smoothly, but as the sun went down that night, my worries compounded when I saw him leave on a chariot pulled by flying monsters I had not seen before," said Celestia.

To Be Continued...
> Of Moochicks And Improv
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crystal Empire, Present Day

"Sundancer, you seeing this?" inquired a scientist as she continued to take readings at the old monitors.

"Yeah I do, Firefly," replied the other crystal pony. "Should we keep an eye on it for now?"

"What else can we do? Our job is to keep a monitor on the energy readings of the old ruins while the Guard checks it out from top to bottom. Energy spikes that huge though, maybe we should radio in..."

"Agreed." Firefly trotted over to the radio set up and placed the headset on. "Station 1 to Far Reach Outpost. Come in, Far Reach."

"Far Reach here," replied a male voice.

"What's your status over there? We noticed an energy spike on the monitors."

"We had some minor excitement over some spilled Dark Energon," replied the voice. "But everything is all right. The Guard is here and we're cleaning it up."

"Don't touch any of that stuff, and make sure the hazmat team is cleaning it properly," chided Firefly. "Station 1 over and out."

Far away over in Far Reach Outpost, the speaker set the radio down in its cradle as he chuckled deeply. "Oh don't worry, my little ponies, the Blood of Unicron will be cleaned up, as it were."

Turning around, he gazed across the ruins as he flexed his newly acquired body. This metal shell was far more durable than he imagined, it was no wonder that accursed Wheeljack had hit him so hard before. Around him, the bones of his old followers littered the floor. "This will not do," murmured the form as he clenched a hand and made a grasping motion.

Broken machinery from the ruined Vehicons started to rumble and roll around, wrapping around the bones, clamping to them as the bones rose with draconic roars. "Arise, and serve your master," hissed the tyrant. "Rise, my Stratadons!"

Tucked away, and under guard by lizard-men carrying spears, Starscream hung his head at the shouting. "Oh, not again with the zombies..."

=====

A warning klaxon interrupted the storytelling at that moment, as ponies leaped to red alert. "What's happening?" inquired Bumblebee, tabbing his communications.

"We've got an incoming priority one message from the Crystal Empire," relayed the tech. "I'm putting it on the screen now for you, sir."

Turning towards the screen behind Celestia as she turned around, the wall flickered as a blurry camera full of static was seen, and the screeches of dragons or at least dragon-like wyrms could be heard. "UNIT can you read?" called out Shining Armor. "This is the Crystal Empire."

"Shining!" exclaimed Twilight as the world around him exploded and the camera was knocked off-kilter. "SHINING!"

Holding her down, Applejack tensed up. It was like watching one of Big Mac's videos from the training fronts, but worse. Fortunately, the camera righted itself as he grinned. "Hey Twiley, no time for pleasantries. There's an attack on the kingdom. Fifty, no maybe sixty at the most. The Royal Guard has taken wing and we're fighting back as best as we can. Any available Autobots in the area have joined the fight as well, but we're just holding our line."

He twisted the camera around to quickly capture the view: a fanged maw and bones, tail and spines. It looked like a dragon, but fused with violet parts from broken Vehicon parts. The camera turned back to them. "Princess, you'll need to have your people step it up a notch. These Terrorcon rip-offs are nothing but trouble since they keep getting back up. Find the source controlling it and get it to the Empire ASAP. We'll slow them down."

"Understood. Good luck, Captain Armor," replied Celestia as Shining Armor vanished from the screen. "Bumblebee, I defer to your decision in this situation."

Bumblebee nodded as he turned to Arcee and Wheeljack. "You don't mind me taking charge in this one?"

"Kid, I've got a lead I want to pursue, but not yet. I'll follow orders. For now," replied Wheeljack.

"You've always got my back, Bee, and I've got yours," confirmed Arcee. "What's the plan?"

"We take this advantage. Lyra, get the co-ordinates for the ruins. We'll start there. Princess Twilight, with your permission, I'd like you and your team to accompany us."

"Me too, right?" inquired Spike. "I mean, I've helped plenty of times."

"Spike, no, you're just a baby dragon," said Twilight suddenly. "Those were creatures that couldn't be reasoned with, attacking my brother. I don't want you getting hurt!"

"Twilight, I know how you feel," said Applejack. "Your big brother is out there fighting those whachamacallits--"

"Terrorcons," supplied Lyra.

"Them things. And we know how protective you are of Spike."

"But don't forget darling that Spike saved the Crystal Empire, and it lauds him as a hero," said Rarity. "He is as much of an adult as the rest of us."

"Yeah, and really we've left him out of the loop way too many times. He's our pal, and we don't leave him behind. Right, Fluttershy?" added Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy startled but nodded. "Even if he is a baby dragon, Spike is a good friend. I couldn't possibly leave him behind."

"It'll be like the old stories then!" giggled Pinkie Pie. "Let's get this party started!"

"Then it's settled. Everypony, prepare for departure. Take what you need, travel light. We will ground-bridge you there in fifteen minutes," decided Celestia. "Be strong, my little ponies. Once again, the fate of Equestria rests in everypony's hooves."

=====

The ground-bridge opened up with a burst and a flicker before blossoming into a swirling energy field. From it, three vehicles roared out, carrying passengers before skidding to a halt. Opening their doors, it let out several ponies, a few who looked green. Rainbow Dash fluttered through and the bridge collapsed on itself. "That wasn't so bad," said Applejack, coughing a little as she got out of Wheeljack's passenger seat as Rarity looked distinctly green.

"No vomiting on my carpets," reminded Wheeljack, transforming back into robot mode. Pinkie Pie was removing her helmet as she got off Arcee with a bounce and sported a wide grin.

"I could get used to that!"

"That's what Shiny used to say," said Arcee. "He and I would ride around a lot during missions."

With Fluttershy, Lyra, Twilight and Spike getting out of Bumblebee, he returned to robot mode and held up a scanner. "I'm not picking up any life signs, biological or organic. I am picking up some residue for Energon though."

"Probably from where they mined it out," replied Wheeljack. "I'll take point. That way you'll have more time to run when I throw a grenade."

"What's a grenade? Is it anything like a Party Cannon?" inquired Pinkie curiously.

"Pinkie, no," deadpanned Lyra but then Wheeljack laughed. "Jackie, no. You are not introducing her to explosives."

"C'mon, a little TNT never hurt anyone," replied Wheeljack as they got closer to the ruins.

The mood lightened a little more considerably, the team descended down into the ruins as Bumblebee switched on his headlamps. "Oh, very nice darling, it was getting so dreary in here," remarked Rarity as she lit up her own horn.

"Not much has changed, has it; still dark, still damp..." Wheeljack descended further and leaped down a level before he nodded. "It's still here."

"What's still here?" asked Rainbow Dash as she floated down next to him, wings beating.

Wheeljack drew a massive katana from his back and slashed the overgrown vines, revealing ruined ancient curtains which crumbled at the touch. "Tirek's throne. Man, that guy was an ass; he would sit from here and ramble on about the forces of darkness."

"M-maybe we shouldn't touch it, it's bad for us," said Fluttershy, shying away from the throne which seemed simple at first but appeared to exude a level of malevolence that lingered in the air.

"Ah agree with that," said Applejack. "I'd rather not be in here for as long as somepony can allow."

Leaping to the lowest level, Arcee trained a scanner on a ornate circle which had been moved aside. "Something was under this."

"Yeah, it's where we sealed Tirek," said Wheeljack. "Or at least what was left of him when we were done with him."

"... You tore him apart didn't you?" whispered Twilight, feeling sick. "You killed him, didn't you?"

"Kid, it was a harsher time back then. Tirek was pure evil. We're lucky he survived, trapped in a chuck of Dark Energon. We thought he would be done for, and that he would just fade away. At least, your Princesses hoped it would be the case." Wheeljack rested a hand on Twilight's head. "Look, they did what they had to. Tirek was a monster. He had no good in him."

"I know that. The legends say that he had a heart of blackest night. And nopony could ever change that," Twilight said. "It just feels strange to hear of a pony, even a Centaur being killed like that because he was..."

"Evil, I know." Wheeljack stood up and ran a scanner around as Applejack rested a hoof on her shoulder. "Nothing seems to be out of place here."

Spike however, was straining to listen as he could swear he heard something. "I know I'm not hearing things..."

"What is it, Spike?" inquired Arcee.

"I know I've got better hearing than the other ponies here, and those boxes of yours can't pick up things... but I'm hearing something. A voice. It sounds like..." Spike clenched his eyes and concentrated hard for a moment. "Like somepony muttering to himself..."

The Bots shared a look as Bumblebee ran another scan. "Nothing. No signs of life. Wait..."

And as one, everyone looked down at the covered hole. Nodding, Jackie slid the sword edge into the cover and the other ponies prepared their weaponry, what little they had of it, spells and such. "One..." said Bumblebee.

"Two..." said Arcee.

"Three!" And Wheeljack heaved, springing the manhole-like cover, popping it out and flinging it to the side as weapons whined dangerously.

"I'm saved!" exclaimed a familiar, and much hated voice as Bumblebee shone his headlamps down into the pit. There, crammed into that little space was Starscream, bundled up with thick viny rope made of wiring. "... Oh."

"Oh hey, Screamy, whatcha doing here?" tormented Wheeljack, keeping his weapon trained on him.

"Who's that?" asked Fluttershy of Lyra who wore a disgusted look on her face.

"Starscream, Megatron's lackey-bot."

"I prefer the term Air Commander, thank you very much," snarled Starscream, moving to climb out but Wheeljack's katana rested against his neck lightly. "Ah, Wheeljack, good of you to show up in my time of need. Bumblebee, love what you've done with the voice, Arcee, how IS Cliffy doing?"

Arcee pressed her weapon against his forehead. "Tell us what you were doing down there. Answer me."

"You're outgunned, and have no backup, Starscream," said Lyra sternly. "You have no way out but through us."

"And why should I even bother to let you miserable fleshlings even pose a threat?" spat Starscream.

"We fleshlings are more threat than you can possibly imagine!" exclaimed Twilight, her horn flaring angrily. "Now tell us what we need to know, my brother is out there risking his life!"

"Ah second the motion. Let's truss the critter up and hog tie 'im till he squeals!" added Applejack, her patience wearing thin with the way Starscream seemed to infuriate the Autobots.

"Wait, we can't do that, don't the laws prohibit torture?" said Fluttershy, derailing the conversation.

"Oh, I do so love a good moral dilemma! What will you do, heroes?" leered Starscream.

Twilight's grin grew nasty. "Improvise."

5 minutes later...

"-- And he's raised an army of undead Terrorcons mixed with those monster bones we found laying in this cave, fuelled by Dark Energon but it it's all a ruse while he goes and tries to find the Moochick to fulfill a prophesy about the night lasting forever now GET HER AWAY FROM ME!" shrieked Starscream, trying to get away from Pinkie Pie, who had been locked in the hole with him.

"Chimichanga? Maybe chimimichinga? Chimimimburrito? How about--" Pinkie's mouth was carefully closed up by Rainbow Dash's hoof over her mouth and she continued to talk, the noise muffled.

"Is that everything?" inquired Arcee.

"Yes, that's everything, now will you please--"

"Chimicake? Chimicheesecake? Chimimichimicookies too!"

"YES THAT IS EVERYTHING NOW WILL YOU PLEASE UNTIE ME!"

"Pinkie, darling you can stop now." said Rarity.

As if an off-switch was thrown, Pinkie grinned. "Oh, okay!"

"Sheesh, remind me never to get on your bad side, Twilight," remarked Spike as Starscream visibly flinched when Pinkie Pie pronked by him.

"Love for family makes me do crazy things."

"So where is this Moochick anyhow?" inquired Applejack. "Ah've never heard of him before."

"That's because not many ponies have," replied Wheeljack. "Barely anyone's seen him, Celestia included. Fortunately for us, I have. And I know where he lives." Turning around, he said, "This is where we part ways, Bee. I've got to track down the Moochick solo. It's the only way he'll let me pass into the Mushromp."

"Oh c'mon, Jackie, you're leaving again?" groaned Lyra. "And here I thought you were over your solo days."

"Nothing personal Lyra, the Moochick and I have history. Besides, I'd rather you guys not get stuck in a five minute song and dance while there's things to fight. Laters."

And with that, Wheeljack headed off as the others looked at each other. Starscream harumphed. "Well, if you don't mind I will be leaving. I need time to rest from this atrocity you committed upon my person."

"We'll be watching," warned Bumblebee. Starscream sneered, transformed into a jet and shot straight up into the air and out of sight.

"You let him go? Just like that," said Arcee.

"Far as we know, there's barely any 'Cons or 'Bots left. We may as well cut our losses and not lose anyone else on either side." Arcee had to see the point of that, and nodded.

"So what do we do now?" inquired Spike. "If that Moochick thing isn't here, then..."

"Wheeljack can handle it," said Lyra. "We should go help the Empire fend off those Terrorcons."

"Agreed. The rest of the team should be space-bridged in by now. Bumblebee to base, we need a ground-bridge to the Crystal Empire."

=====

As Wheeljack roared towards the location where the mushrooms grew tall, his mind began to drift. Where Celestia left off, his mind filled in the gaps. He remembered it like yesterday, when he was working on the ship...

Crystal Empire 1500 Years Ago...

"Slag!" Wheeljack cursed in several more languages as the emerald he had been cutting into a focusing lens for his engine shattered. "There's lots of rocks around but none of them are refined enough for use. Maybe I should be getting actual help from that prince of theirs."

Wheeljack groaned and rubbed his shoulder, feeling his joints creak from the long time bent over a table. "But that'd be talking to Princess Sunny-Butt over there and Primus, does she grind my gears. What a stiff. Maybe though I could ask for one gem. One big gem... that'll do it."

A banging at the ship's door made Wheeljack fumble the ruby and crush it, eliciting a sigh. "Darn kids, I needed that!"

Realizing belatedly he sounded like Ratchet, Wheeljack stormed to the door only to find the door wide open with no fillies or foals in sight. In fact, it was the middle of the night and Luna's moon hung overhead clear as day. "Huh... must have been working later than I thought..."

"What you seek is what you find, and not all you find glitters in gold," stated a voice near his feet and he turned around to find a squat man. He looked human, but he was way too small to be human. He was portly, and dressed in an outlandish outfit of green and brown with a large mushroom-like hat.

"What you find may not be gold or jewels, but the journey to find it, well that's a different story. Your ship from the stars, a clear omen of things to come, but is it past, the future? A glimpse of what is to come, or none?"

Wheeljack sighed. "Listen, old guy, if that's what you are..."

"The Moochick is my name, and sought you have found. A little rainbow, I present to you now. Oh dearie me, where is it, where did it go? Perhaps you may know?"

"... Moochick. Okay Moochick, what are you, and are you human? Among the ponies?"

"That is to see, human or something free." He bowed, doffing his hat and underneath he had ears like a human, but his hat sported pointed ears. "Listen, a terrible foe raises in the east, a darkness sweeps but never sleeps. To defeat it, look to the sisters, they be your best bet, and perhaps then you will find them well met."

"Right. Look, can you fix my ship or not?"

"Fix it, fix it yes, a little rainbow to use to see, but can you really sacrifice the light we need? To go or to stay, that is the question at hand, why not try, stay awhile, it's grand!"

Wheeljack sighed and shook his head. "Look, I'd love to say. This place is full of Energon and I could live here. But it's too peaceful. I'm a Wrecker. I wreck things. I gotta keep moving before the rust sets in. I can't be wasting my time having tea with ponies."

"Sad to see you go, but forever entwined your fates now flow. Through time and space, this one is now connected, so take this..." And the Moochick held out an amulet to Wheeljack who took it cautiously. "And fix it."

Turning to go inside, Wheeljack asked, "You going to be okay, old man, getting home? It's dark."

"The night never bothered me, for I am fancy free, but if you seek a stop, come, come to the Mushromp."

As the old man walked away, Wheeljack could have sworn he broke into song.

When there is a four kingdom square
Oooh la day la dee
Ai princess I love thee fair
Oooh tra la night lee
Her mane was soft, and sparkled true
Oooh la de da whoo ha
And I teased her so
Oooh day la da lee

"Strange guy," said Wheeljack, turning back into the Jackhammer and going back to the engine room. Pausing at the door, he turned the amulet over and found it was a tiny little locket. Opening the door of the engine, he prepared to open it. But then paused.

For a moment, Wheeljack debated on using it, and what the Moochick said was true. He was looking out for himself. He didn't really care about this world, it was just another rest stop. And yet...

=====

Celestia was awoken to the sound of rapping at the glass of her balcony window. Blearily, she climbed out of bed and stumbled over to open the door, only to find Wheeljack standing there, precariously balancing on the high balcony.

"Hey, can I come in?" he meant to say.

What he said was, "Morning, Sunshine, you look positively messy this evening, Sunny-Butt."

Celestia threw a pillow at him. She was not apologetic when he hit the ground.

To Be Continued...
> Big Stompy Robots
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ground-bridging, Twilight decided was not a pleasant experience. It was hard on the stomach, making it twist and turn, to say nothing of the shaking of the bones. And yet, she snapped to full awareness as she found the Crystal Empire in chaos. Guardsmen in both royal colors and the silvery metals of the Empire fought the hulking beasts that resembled dragons.

The dragon-like creatures were more than Twilight's worst nightmares, twisted metal and bone, glowing, pitted violet eyes. One snapped up a guardsman and tried to crush down, but was quickly subdued by several trained Vehicons wearing Autobot symbols.

Snagging a passing by guardsman with her magic, Twilight demanded, "Where's Shining Armor?"

"Two blocks down the way, Princess," responded the guard, pointing north. "He and Autobots Jazz and Prowl are holding the line."

"I know those two, good 'Bots." Bumblebee nodded. "Arcee, take Lyra, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Rarity, go left and cut down as many 'Cons as possible that are unmarked. Princess, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Spike, you're with me. Autobots, transform and roll out!"

Charging down the path that was covered in chaos, Bumblebee was a whirlwind of blades and firepower as each pony did what they did best, making their way towards the giant spire which marked the center of the city. Terrorcons screeched, swooping down from the skies as ponies ducked and retaliated with burst of weather, lightning crackling as they fired back at them.

Applejack yelled, "Get down, Twi!" And Twilight dove for cover instinctively as Applejack leaped up and landed heavily on a Terrorcon's neck. "Yeehaw! Git along there, doggie!"

Yanking on its faceplate, Applejack drove it into another, leaping off seconds before the collision, the impact shattering old bones and parts to dust. Spike belched a gout of flame, searing another Stratodon as it turned around at him with a glowing angry glare. "Heh, uh, claw-hoof?"

A statue crushed its head and the monster died under the impact as Twilight had levitated one of the massive marble decorations that still remained and used it as a weapon. "Wow... that was amazing!"

"No time for that now, let's keep moving!" Spike rode along Twilight's back as Bumblebee was up front, slicing through several limbs. Sending an unfocused beam of energy, she sheared off a wrist, causing the nearest enemy to collapse under its weight.

On the other side of the battlefield, Team Arcee was doing its best but were also running into complications, Arcee handling it just fine but the rest of them doing fair to middling.

"Rainbow Dash, a little help please?" pleaded Rarity as she struggled with the giant jaws of a Stratodon who had her pinned.

"Don't worry, Rare, I got you!" With a flying kick, she ploughed hooves first into its face, knocking the Terrorcon prone. "Take that; nopony tries to eat my friends!"

Lyra was doing fairly well, using pinpoint magic beams to knock them down when she bumped into Fluttershy, who was floating backwards from several lurching undead. "Oh, I'm sorry," said Fluttershy. "I'm not used to dealing with zombies."

"They're just reanimated bones, Fluttershy, buck them!" exclaimed Lyra, pausing to smack one in the face.

"But I can't do that, what if they have feelings?" asked Fluttershy, flinching when one snapped at her wings.

"Listen to me, these used to be innocent butterflies."

A pause. "What."

"That's right. Tirek turned them from innocent butterflies into monsters. And then RAISED THEM FROM THE DEAD. Are you going to let that big meanie win?" Lyra was hoping this would instigate some kind of fighting spirit into Fluttershy. She had no idea what was coming next.

"That. Big. Dumb. MEANIE! NOW LOOK HERE YOU BIG MEANIES! You might be mean and scary, half metal and undead, but inside you are all innocent butterflies just waiting to be loved. But nopony, and I mean nopony hurts anyone because they want to; they're forced to!"

The Terrorcons paused, confused, bewildered, and kind of off-balance as Fluttershy advanced angrily on them, jabbing a hoof into a confused Terrorcon who tried to snap at her but only got a gentle smack on the nose for its trouble. "But you don't have to follow him because some meanie says so, get it? Stand up for yourself! Otherwise everypony will walk over you."

Arcee leaned over to Lyra. "What's going on, why are they--"

"Shhh," said Lyra, popcorn bucket in action. "It's getting good."

"Now, you have to be assertive in what you want, but not if it means hurting other ponies in the name of a big dumb meanie. You have to stand up, and tell him that, and make sure not to be walked all over! Now, apologize to the rest of the ponies you hurt, and go to the corner and think about what you did! Do I make myself clear?!"

The Terrorcons nodded, their undead bones crumbling into nothing. Fluttershy sighed. "I hope they passed the message on."

"My dear have you ever considered talking to Iron Will again? Maybe as a co-novelist?" inquired Rarity as the whole street had been cleared by Fluttershy's rampage. Rainbow Dash was sharing popcorn with Lyra.

"Just when I thought I've seen everything. C'mon, let's get to the main tower," said Arcee.

=====

The Palace Tower was littered with dozens of Terrorcon bodies, but the amount of injured ponies was a thankful minimum as Twilight hurried through the ranks. Two Autobots, one of them wearing the skin of a blue sports car, the other, a black and white patrol car nodded curtly. "Yo, Bee," stated Jazz. "Glad you could make it."

"How's the situation?" inquired Bumblebee as Arcee and her team ran in.

"Seventeen injured, no dead, all civilians evacuated to the caves. These Terrorcons keep rising, like someone's fuelling them. Megatron?" inquired Prowl hopefully.

"Not that we've seen, but we've got a hunch." replied Bumblebee.

"This is not my first way I thought I'd spend my first mission out from the home planet, but hey, I'll make due. Beats paperwork," snorted Jazz as Twilight looked around frantically.

"Where's Shining Armor?" she asked. "Where's my brother?"

"Shining went to the front lines, and hasn't returned. He took the Apex Armor with him though, so he'll be fine," stated Prowl.

"The Apex Armor? What the hay is that?" asked Applejack.

"Really big suit of armor we found years ago," replied Lyra. "Shiny loves that thing. He had to fight so hard to let him keep it when he transferred his station here."

"Heads up!" exclaimed Arcee. "Ponies, get behind us!"

Opening fire, the remaining Terrorcons kept swarming, some of them pulling themselves back together after they had been smashed apart. "Slag," growled Jazz, backing up. "We've got to hold the line, the Crystal Heart's behind us. Without it, the Empire'll vanish!"

Firing on several more, they never noticed the three swooping from the sky until Rainbow barked a warning. As Arcee raised her weapon however, it was too close and she braced for impact.

A sickening crunch was heard as Bee yelled, "Arcee!" But instead of mangled blue armor, a huge pony-shaped armor stood there, gripping the Terrorcon before smashing it into the ground. The two strafing ones were blocked by a pink wall of energy, which turned into lassos.

Whipping around the necks of the Terrorcons, the driver of the Apex Armor whirled them around before throwing them magically into the remaining zombies with a sickening crunch and the shattering of old bones.

Silence. And then a rousing cheer went up among the ponies and Autobot warriors, as the haggard Vehicons joined them. "Now that was some mighty fine ropin' there, Shining Armor," exclaimed Applejack.

"That was so awesome! Did you see him just whip those guys around with the magic and slammo!" squeaked Rainbow Dash.

"I dare say it was quite fabulous, and quite the performance, wouldn't you agree?" Rarity said, Pinkie nodding.

"Shining, you rock. Whoo-hoo," put in Fluttershy.

Twilight was silent as Spike looked over at her. She was tearing up as he asked, "Twilight? Are you okay?"

"It's nothing, Spike, I'm just glad my brother was there to save me. That's all," said Twilight, wiping her eyes. "He kept his promise he made to me as a filly. I'm so glad."

"Actually, your brother is over there," spoke the driver of the Apex Armor, and all jaws dropped as Princess Cadance grinned from inside the armor's viewpoint. The armor retracted as Shining hobbled up to her, his leg in a splint. "Shiny, I'm so glad you're safe!"

"I'm glad you're safe too, Cadence." He embraced her as Twilight rewound her jaw. Turning to Twilight, he blinked. "Twilight? What's wrong?"

"You... you.... you big DUMMY! THE ONE TIME! THE ONE TIME YOU CAN HEROICALLY SAVE ME LIKE YOU PROMISED WHEN I WAS A FILLY, AND YOU BLEW IT! Oh, I can't believe you, isn't it everypony's dream to be heroically saved, just ONCE?!"

As Twilight ranted and raved at her brother, who flinched several times, Bee leaned over and said, "Siblings."

"Makes me glad I don't have 'em," muttered Arcee, as she punched Bee in the sides.

"And another thing, you got a broken leg! HOW did you get a broken leg?! You can't have a broken leg; you're the perfect Royal Captain of the Guard---!" As Twilight continued her rant, an ancient set of eyes stared down at her from a crystal ball.

"Yes... perfect. She's the one. After all these centuries, I finally have the perfect pony to drive my chariot. The Age of Eternal Night will begin, so says Tirek."

=====

Cutting his engine, Wheeljack returned to robot mode as he stepped through the Mushromp, pushing aside the huge fallen mushroom with ease. "Huh, this place has really gone to the pits."

It was just how he left it, or hadn't. While he had located the Mushromp years ago, he never took up the Moochick's offer in visiting. Now he was seriously regretting not coming to visit at all. The once majestic mushroom forest looked old, decayed and run down. The grassy fields had turned into swampland from the years under ice from the Windigo storms that had ravaged the cold north half a year ago. In the middle of the clearing stood a house made of mushrooms, a huge cap forming the roof. But it was old, the door off its hinges, and signs of life were lacking.

Wheeljack retrieved a device and ran it around, not finding anything. Not that he expected to, this was the Moochick after all. "Better go say hello," he said to himself, stepping forward through the muck as he rapped on the side of the house.

"Hey, Moochick? You there? Moochick! Hey!"

The sky darkened and he whirled around as a large form hovered overhead with a sinister grin. Wheeljack snarled. "You..."

"How good it is to see you again, Wheeljack," sneered Tirek as he landed. The once-simple centaur was now a hissing violet color, his body outlined with veins most notably running with seams of Dark Energon as he held up a hand. "Where is the Moochick?"

"Not here. You have me as a welcoming committee, though," said Wheeljack, drawing his katanas. "You know, I've been thinking about what you did, and why Celly didn't let me kill you years ago. She said it was a mistake, and we should seal you up."

"And now?" taunted Tirek. "Now that my Stratadons ravage this land, you want revenge for your fallen allies?"

"They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but Wreckers play for keeps." His faceplate locked into place and he charged at an alarming speed as he brought his swords down in a double-swing. "And I've always wrecked something I didn't like."

Tirek responded, bringing his arm up as a blade of pure Dark Energon formed from his wrist, blocking it. The pair fenced back and forth, streaks of light clashing off each other's bodies. A slash slipped in between Wheeljack's sides, glancing off his armor as he responded in kind, cutting into Tirek's body.

"First blood," he smirked as Tirek chuckled. His wound hissed and dripped Dark Energon. "Slag, you're laughing. That's never a good sign."

"Even now you hasten your death, Wheeljack," laughed Tirek as he spun around. "Your time will come, but not today. Today, you face one of my creations. BEHOLD!"

Driving the Dark Energon blade into the swamp, a monster ripped itself out of the ground. "Arise, my Smooze, arise!"

A amorphous blob pulled itself out of the swamp, taking on a hulking form as it opened a "mouth" and roared, pushing Wheeljack back. "I'll leave you two to play for now. I will see you again at Nightmare Castle, Wheeljack. That is, if you survive."

Taking wing on his chariot, Tirek sped away as Wheeljack gripped his weapons as the Smooze advanced on him. "Well... There's always room for jello."

Charging the beast, he ducked under its feet as he slashed at the legs, dealing critical wounds. But the large slash quickly healed up as the Smooze pulled itself inside out and about and thrust out its arm, slamming into the ground. The ground hissed and boiled as it burnt away and Wheeljack flipped away.

"Okay, new plan." Replacing his swords since clearly blades weren't going to do much against it, he charged again, this time going into vehicle mode. Engines roaring, he kicked up dust and mud, spraying it into the Smooze who thrashed about. "Yeah, how do you like that now? That'll slow you down while I get something bigger. Like a giant cosmic spoon."

In response, the Smooze slammed a double-fist against the ground, throwing up a shockwave that threw Wheeljack head over heels with a yell. He bounced once and returned to robot mode to skid on the ground. "Ow. Okay, new-new plan."

Retrieving his grenade, he looked around for something, anything that would help. "Gotta make this one count... but how to...?"

Then he spotted it; a chunk of Energon crystal which had been dragged up from the swamp into the Smooze during its creation. But it was deep, too deep for a throw. Grimacing, Wheeljack got to his feet and stated, "This one's for you, Optimus."

And with a yell, he charged the Smooze, which thrust its arms at him. Several times, it caught him on the legs and arms, his body hissing as the paint and finish cracked. Leaping off a rock, he thrust his arm out as the Smooze extended its mouth and clamped down with a enormous bite.

"Gotcha," said Wheeljack, his voice muffled by being half chomped by the Smooze as he triggered the grenade.

The explosion could be seen for miles as the Mushromp was covered in Smooze, and Wheeljack was thrown across the way into the Moochick's house, collapsing it around him. He came to a screeching halt, groaning as he struggled to keep conscious, looking at the Smooze which was vainly trying to pull itself together. But the light of the Energon crystal had gone out, and quickly as it began, the fight was over as the Smooze dissolved into the swamp.

Satisfied, Wheeljack sent out a distress beacon, and decided it was a good time for a nap.

To Be Continued
> 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...
> A Little Rainbow Is All You Need
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crystal Empire 1500 Years Ago...

"Keep digging!" ordered Sombra as his crystal guard worked faster. "We must save the Princesses and our visitor!"

How could have he been so blind? Why did he let himself be fooled by Tirek's villainy? The fiend had a heart as black as the night he professed to be preparing to bring about. Already the skies were darkening over the Crystal Kingdom. "I will not let him take this land," hissed Sombra. "No. No more. This world has seen enough despair from the chaos Discord brought to our people. Work harder!"

Soon, the last of the rocks were cleared as lights were shone into the cave, and Sombra called out. "Princesses! Wheeljack! Do you still live? Answer us!"

Silence. But then, a faint voice called out from the depths. "Deep within! Wheeljack requires aid!"

Sombra's heart leaped into his chest as several medical ponies levitated the giant out of the mine, and laid him out. "Is he...?" asked the prince.

One of the medics laid his ear against the chest of Wheeljack and bit his lip. "I... cannot tell. I hear faint sounds, similar to breathing. He is warm, but the warmth is fading quickly. He could be dying, and there's nothing we can do to stop it."

"I see..." Sombra turned to Luna and Celestia, the sisters looking tired from their ordeal. "What happened?"

"Tirek. He tricked you, your highness. He used your kingdom to retrieve Dark Energon, and forged it into a weapon. He calls it the Rainbow of Darkness."

"An ominous name indeed," said Sombra. "And what of Tirek? Where did he go?"

"We have a guess," said Luna. "He has erected a castle, known as Nightmare Castle, in a set of old ruins to the north. We will face him, alone. We will return to Canterlot, and retrieve the weapon that will defeat him once and for all."

"My sister is correct. Only the Elements of Harmony can stop him now. Before it is too late," said Celestia. "Though, how effective they might be, we are uncertain."

Sombra closed his eyes and sighed. "Go with our blessing, my Princesses. And know this: I never wished to harm our little ponies, or our friend Wheeljack. If only there was something we could do for him..."

"My Prince, I am getting something," said the medic, drawing their attention. "It's faint, but I believe he still lives. Did he not claim to drink the liquid distilled from Energon? For survival?"

"Yes... he did..." murmured Celestia. She looked into the mine and without warning, charged back inside.

Lighting her way, she lit the paths which were covered in rubble. Left, right, left again. She tunnelled deep into the mine's deepest area and started to dig. Oh, how her hooves hurt but she knew there was some. And soon, she found it: a gleaming chunk of violet crystal. Tearing it free, she charged back into the daylight which was weaning.

"Sister, what madness has overtook you?" demanded Luna as Celestia produced the Dark Energon. "What do you intend on doing with that accursed substance?"

"Wheeljack said it could raise the dead," said Celestia. "He is dying; I will not see it through. Stand aside, Luna."

"'Tis madness," snapped Luna. "This borderlines on the dark necromancy of Tirek! Will you risk him coming back mad?"

"It is the only way," said Celestia as she shoved past Luna.

"Celestia, please, reconsider," exclaimed Sombra as the Sun Princess held the chunk aloft, its jagged spire aimed downwards. "If this could wake the dead, it could spell disaster! What if he dies? What if he goes mad? His blood will be on your hooves!"

"I..." Celestia's grip on the crystal wavered slightly. "I don't know how to save him without doing this. This is the only way..."

"Reconsider. If you go down this path, you are no better than the one who caused him to be like this. Remember the Elements and all that it stands for. Kindness! Remember kindness! Think of Unicron and Primus, think of Orion and Megatron; would Wheeljack want you to walk that path?!"

And finally, Celestia lowered the Dark Energon, the crystal clattering to the ground. She lowered her head, and wept. "No... no... I don't want that... I just want my friend back..."

"Didn't know you cared so much, Princess Sunny-Butt," came a weak voice. Celestia's head snapped up as she gaped at Wheeljack who groaned and propped himself up on his elbows. "That... was one heck of a stasis lock. Miss me?"

Wordlessly, Celestia embraced Wheeljack, giving him a smile.

And then she reared back and struck him full force in a massive headbutt.

"I deserved that," said Wheeljack, dazed as he fell backwards.

=====

Present Day

The ground-bridge opened up, discharging robots that Spike had never seen before. One of them was a truly massive robot, with thick limbs and a barrel-like body all in green. He immediately thudded chests with Wheeljack. "Jackie!" He crowed happily. "Good to see you!"

"Been too long, Bulk," replied Jackie with a laugh. "Come to wreck like Wreckers, huh? Sir!"

"At ease, soldier," stated Ultra Magnus, the huge blue-and-red robot giving the Wrecker a smile. "I see we're working with the locals again."

"You're pretty big," said Spike and Ultra Magnus looked down. "You're going to help us save Twilight, right?"

"You have our word," said Ultra Magnus as more robots came out of the breach. One was a surly red robot carrying an advanced looking medical kit and was arguing with a blue-and-white robot. "Will you two please stop arguing?"

"I'm just saying there's no reason for me to be here on the front lines," argued Knock Out testily. "Smokescreen is just being paranoid."

"And I'm saying we need a field medic, and Ratchet's delegated to you. Our medic." replied Smokescreen.

"So we all know the plan then," said Bumblebee. "Ultra Magnus, are you all right with leading the insertion team?"

"I have got a jet pack hooked up already," replied the unit commander, perfectly willing to take orders from Bumblebee. "I will be carrying the ponies without flight capabilities up to the top of Nightmare Castle."

"Works for us. Anything to save Twilight," said Applejack. "Lyra, you coming?"

"Naw, my place is with the 'Bots," replied Lyra. "This is more your girls' thing. I mean, the six of you are the best of friends; I'll just get in the way."

"Darling, there's always room for one more," said Rarity.

"And it'll be a bigger party when we beat 'em all up," added Pinkie.

"Once we get up there, we'll take out that buckethead and save Twilight, and we'll be done before we know it," exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy just nodded, and then added as an afterthought, "Um, is Spike coming with us?"

"I have a very important job for Spike," said Lyra. "You five go ahead. Spike and I will catch up."

"T-minus 5 minutes and counting. Get into position, everybody, we're going to go in hot." said Bumblebee.

High above in Nightmare Castle, Twilight strained against her collar but she found herself unable to perform the magic needed to escape. Tirek, however, was watching the organization of the rescue with an amused look on his face.

"They think they're clever, striking in two places at once. Little do they know, my troops are already circling around. And soon your friends will join my chariot team."

"We'll never bring about Eternal Night!" yelled Twilight. "Everypony will come, you hear me?"

"Oh poor little pony, I don't care about that. All I care about is getting my revenge on those who wronged me. I had big plans for this world, and you wretched creatures are a plague. Did you ever stop to consider how long I've been trapped in that Dark Energon?"

"1500 years," replied Twilight. "And not once did you learn the lessons of friendship."

"No one knows friendship. No one." Tirek got up and clenched his fist, dark energy boiling from it. "We'll see how friendship-laden your friends are when they're ground into dust. Arise, Stratadons, and serve your master!"

Twilight could see the crystal ball from where she was chained, and the sight of monsters ripping out of the ground made her cry out, "Run, everypony, run!"

"There's nowhere to hide," replied Tirek. "Nowhere to hide at all..."

=====

Crystal Empire 1500 Years Ago...

Wheeljack cut through an enemy, sending it sprawling to the ground as he marched onto the Nightmare Castle. Looking at the front gates, he smirked as he retrieved a grenade and tossed it into the moorings of the building. Detonating it, he blew a hole into the castle as he stormed inside, only to be met by legions of lizards with spears. "Out of my way!"

Kicking and punching through them, he took care not to kill anything, for Celestia made him promise not to. And soon, he climbed to the top of the tower were he kicked the door in. "Knock knock."

"Wheeljack. I've been expecting you," said Tirek, standing up from his throne. "Tell me, why do you fight for this world?"

"Dunno," replied Wheeljack, drawing his swords. "The same reason I always do. I don't like tyrants."

"Fair enough. Now why don't you put down your sword, and I put down my Rainbow of Darkness... and we settle this. Metal-man to centaur." And he set his bag aside as he cracked his knuckles, stamping his hooves against the floor.

Wheeljack smirked and replaced his weapons, shifting into a combat stance. "Sure thing. I'm up for a little rousing game of punch-out."

A long moment passed. As if a tumbleweed passed by, the tension in the air rose. And then, the pair moved, burying their fists in each others faces with resounding impacts. Wheeljack was surprised; this guy could hit hard and he was on par with the blows of several 'Cons he had fought during the war. But he was surprisingly not-squishy either. All hard muscle, almost stone.

"You're not bad," said Wheeljack, skidding backwards.

"I was not the top fighter of my clan for nothing," sneered Tirek, wiping his lip.

"Oh yeah? What happened to them?"

"You'll soon be joining them." The centaur charged him but instead of punching out, he kicked with his front hooves, slamming Wheeljack through a wall. "You're fighting a being with six limbs, metal-man. Pay more attention."

"Oh, I did," said Wheeljack and he held up a detonator. Tirek looked downwards and there sat three grenades.

The explosion crumbled the top three floors of the building as the pair fought all the way down, punching and kicking, smashing masonry against each other until they hit the bottom.

Landing hard, the opponents wrestled with one another as Wheeljack slammed him through a statue, Tirek kicking out with his front hooves as he threw the Autobot into another statue. "Enough!" From the top floor, the bag holding the Rainbow of Darkness fell and he caught it in his hand. "It is time you died, metal-man."

"The term is Autobot." And Wheeljack charged just as Tirek unleashed the full force of the Rainbow of Darkness into his face.

=====

Present Day

The explosions rocked the Castle as Spike stumbled, but Lyra held him up with a burst of magic. "Careful, one step and it's a long way down."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm good at making stairs seem easy," replied Spike with a swallow as they descended further deeper into the castle.

Exiting into the room beneath the castle, Lyra smirked. "All right, set the charges. Press the red button when you've got them placed."

"How many times have you done this before?" asked Spike as he fished out a charge and set it up across the room.

"Too many times," replied Lyra. "We're going to collapse the Throne of Tirek under him to sever some of his power to the earth. That should slow him down if he survives getting hit by the Rainbow of Light."

"This brings a whole new meaning to the word 'combat,'" remarked Spike. "Done. Lets get out of here."

"Right. Lyra to base, we need a ground-bridge. Stat." The portal opened up and the pair leaped through, the bridge closing up as they landed in the receiving area of UNIT. "How are things looking there on the field?"

"Insertion was tricky but doable," replied one of the techs, as Celestia had deemed to go to the battlefield, and Luna was there at UNIT, presiding over the workings. "The Mane Six, er Five are going up to the top. Arcee and Smokescreen are there. The rest of the Autobots, Crystal Guards and Royal Guards are fighting on the front lines against the Terrorcons."

"Princess Cadance?" asked Spike. "What about her?"

"What the Princess has been screaming over the battlefield is not fit for public consumption. She gets mouthy during battle," replied Luna with a smirk.

"Typical Cadance," stated Lyra. "Let's hope the girls are having one better."

Back at the battlefield, the five-plus-two Autobots peered around. "No guards; I don't like it," said Smokescreen.

"It's an open invite, then," said Arcee, holding her gun steady. "Smokescreen, circle around back. The rest of us, we're going in the front door."

Smokescreen nodded, twisted a device on his wrist and sunk into the ground. Pinkie Pie whistled. "Now that was cooooooool."

"On three then?" said Applejack and everyone nodded. Arcee counted down and Applejack bucked the door as hard as she could, breaking it open.

"Girls it's a trap!" yelled Twilight.

"Well DUH," dead-panned Pinkie seconds before magic collars wrapped around the Element Bearers' necks and magic bindings grabbed Arcee and pulled taut. "I mean, if we didn't know it wasn't a trap we would have blundered in way more unprepared than we are now!"

"Pinkie, now's not the time t'be runnin' your mouth, sugarcube," sighed Applejack.

Clapping, and Tirek stood up. "Bravo, ponies, bravo. I see the long years of my imprisonment has yet to dull the humor of your world. Brilliant."

"Let them go, it's me you want. You need four ponies to drive your chariot, which means you have 3 more right?" demanded Twilight.

"Oh, it was never about the chariot. I told you this, my dear Sparkle," sneered Tirek. "This is simply about revenge. Now, where are Wheeljack and Celestia and Luna?"

"That's what this is about? You want the Princesses and Wheeljack?" demanded Rainbow Dash.

"Of course I do! They ruined everything and forced me to endure it. The sounds, the breathing, the mad, mad drums in the night, all of it! Even the sweet release from his voice could not stop the rage boiling in my mind!" yelled Tirek.

"Of course, it all makes sense now," said Arcee. "They said they trapped you in Dark Energon. And Dark Energon is..."

"Our Lord and Master, UNICRON," snarled Tirek, cursing and revering the name. "Even now, through space and time, I can hear his wails and rages. It never ends, it never sleeps. I will end it all in his name, and his name alone! And then I will be sated, whole..."

"Whoa, somepony's gone completely off the wall," whispered Rainbow Dash to Rarity.

"Quite. He is quite mad." replied Rarity.

"Even now, this world connected through space and time to our master's home planet isn't enough to distance me from him," half-sobbed Tirek. "That is why I will defeat you all. Celestia! Luna! Wheeljack! Come and face me, or face the extinguishing spark of your little ponies!"

"You rang?" Dropping out from the ceiling or rather through it via Smokescreen's help, Wheeljack grabbed Tirek and slammed him through the wall and out into the courtyard in a freefall. In the same motion, Celestia appeared in a flash of light and her horn glowed, breaking the bonds that held her ponies.

"Quickly now, while he's distracted, use the Elements of Harmony!" ordered Celestia.

"Right!" The six assembled as Wheeljack held the tyrant in freefall, and Tirek yelled out as the rainbow came plummeting at him.

"NO! Rainbow of Darkness to me!"

A torrent of black energy erupted from the ground, and engulfed Tirek, throwing Wheeljack into the wall. It wrapped around him, the colors of the rainbow in washed out shades of black and silver swirling around the crazed centaur.

"I will destroy your world, in Lord Unicron's name," snarled Tirek, firing a beam that obliterated several ranks of his own men and throwing guards and Vehicons aside. "Feel this power; the Rainbow of Light will not avail you this day!"

And steadily, the Rainbow of Light began to get forced backwards as the six strained against it as everyone watched.

=====

Crystal Empire, 1500 Years Ago...

Wheeljack strained against the darkness and was thrown into the wall, the wall splintering inwards. Tirek laughed. "Such power, from such a strange force. I will break you, Autobot."

"Enough!" In a flash of light, Celestia and Luna appeared. "This ends today, Tirek!"

"You cannot defeat me," boasted Tirek. "Not while I have the Rainbow of Darkness!"

"A foalish assumption," replied Luna as she brought three gemstones to bear, Celestia bringing three more out of her bags. "For we have a power unmatched."

And the sisters glowed as the elements spun, whirling into a rainbow of light which coursed at Tirek. He fired back, but the Rainbow of Darkness did not hold against the Rainbow of Light, which splintered it under the force, and it exploded. "NOOOOO!" He howled angrily as the Rainbow of Darkness formed crystal around him and soon, Tirek stood there encased in the very material he sought to wield.

"Heck of a light show," said Wheeljack, sitting up. "What was that?"

"The Elements of Harmony," said Celestia, helping him stand. "He will sleep forever, imprisoned in Dark Energon."

"We will seal this ruin, and keep any and all who trespass away from it," added Luna. "For the good of ponykind."

"You shoulda let me kill him," Wheeljack said.

"That is a line we cannot cross," said Celestia. "Come, Sombra will want to know of these developments."

And with that, the trio vanished.

=====

Present Day

Time seemed to slow, as the Elements of Harmony fought with the empowered Rainbow of Darkness. And in that stillness, a voice called out to Wheeljack. "So, a choice must be made, for better or for worse. The rainbow you kept all this time, now works?"

He turned and the Moochick stood there. "The prophecy of a little needed rainbow is needed, yes, but why hesitate when in times of duress?"

"Just thinking... to myself that this could have ended years ago." Getting up Wheeljack grinned at the Moochick. "But regrets aren't something I do."

"Hey, Tirek!" Tirek looked down at Wheeljack who held up the tiny locket. "See this?"

"It can't be..." said Tirek, his voice wavering in fear.

"Maybe a little rainbow is all we need right now." And rearing back, he threw it at the tyrant.

Tirek retaliated, firing the Rainbow at it and the locket was engulfed. But for a moment, nothing seemed to happen until color began to creep into it. The beam from the Elements of Harmony suddenly tripled in intensity, until the whole world turned into a shining rainbow of light. Tirek screamed, and then, everything stopped.

"What happened?" asked Twilight as everyone floated down in the vast white void. "Did we get him?"

"I think we did?" asked Rainbow Dash curiously.

"You did, and you succeeded, good for you! And everything's come full circle too!" exclaimed the Moochick happily and the ponies jumped, including Celestia who gaped at him. "No need, no need to thank, just doing my job. The Moochick is here, and will be at all."

"I don't understand," said Twilight as Celestia moved closer to the group. "What does he mean by that?"

"It means that this is a circle: something meant to happen in the past and the future," said Celestia with a sad smile. "My choices in the past, and Wheeljack's decisions in the future changed everything."

"I hung onto the Rainbow of Light, a little piece of it. I was going to use it for the engines, but y'know," said Wheeljack.

"And that changed the future?" inquired Bulkhead.

"More like fulfilled to a point that is. Always the future splitting off there is. Like a river with the twists and turns, never quite knowing what memory holds," explained the Moochick.

"Now it is time for you all to go, and celebrate your victories. But never forget the things you've seen in history." And the Moochick snapped his fingers as the world resolved around them into a beautiful garden with giant trees.

"Oh, how beautiful," said Fluttershy as everyone, robot and pony came to meet them. "Hello, Mr. Butterfly. Oh yes, good to hear you're taking advice now."

To Be Continued
> Epilogues
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ow. Ow, Twiley..."

"No buts, mister. You are getting waited on hand and hoof," exclaimed Twilight as she fed him food and levitated his leg onto a pillow.

"Ow. Seriously, I can take care of myself," pouted Shining Armor. "Twilight?"

"Do you really not want me around?" asked Twilight softly. "After all of that..."

"What? No! No, of course not it's just..." Shining rubbed his head and sighed. "Twilight, the world is much more dangerous than we possibly could imagine. I wanted to keep you safe, and to do that I had to keep some distance. There's things out there that would change how you look at the universe in a whole and I didn't want to worry you. Please understand that I love you, you're my little sister and I wouldn't want anyone else to harm you."

"I know you did, that's why I want to know everything," said Twilight. "All of it."

"Okay. It began when Big Mac and I were accompanying Cadance on a foalsitting trip to Ponyville..."

=====

"Cleanup is expected to go smoothly," said Luna as she directed the crews. "And the Vehicons are very proficient workers."

"Hard to believe last year we were slagging the whole lot of 'em," said Arcee. "How are the kids holding up?"

"If by that, you mean the Element Bearers, they are fine. Lyra is taking them on a tour of all of the restricted areas," deadpanned Ultra Magnus, his tone disapproving.

Elsewhere, Lyra pointed a few things. "And this is the vault where we keep all the cool stuff and--"

Alarm bells rang out as the five of them leaped to alert. "What's that? Are we under attack again?" demanded Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, I can't take much more than this!" exclaimed Fluttershy as a whirring, grinding noise could be heard.

Lyra laughed. "No, it's just the incoming traveller alarm."

A blue box appeared in the far side, and a head popped out of it. "Oh, hey Lyra, did we miss Ponyville again?"

"Yeah, you did. Tell John that you're off again?" said Lyra. Bon Bon grinned and gave her a salute before ducking into the police barn again before vanishing. "Roomies, whatcha going to do about 'em?"

=====

"So you're going again."

"Yeah, can't stay around for long. I like to keep moving. Maybe visit the kids on Earth for a while," said Wheeljack. "I got a warp drive attached to the Jackhammer now, so we're set to go."

Celestia looked at him and she smiled. "You know, I never thought I'd say this after so many years but... you're welcome to stay."

"Heh, maybe. When the rust'll set in." He saluted and before vaulting over the palace walls added, "See you around Princess Sunny-Butt!"

"I can still send you to the sun for that!" called out Celestia as Wheeljack drove off. "Goodbye, for now."

Finis