Prologue

War has irreparably changed us.

For a time, such a concept was completely unknown. Life was defined by enrichment and progress, and war was merely a word we heard about in archives and records. However, when war is brought to you, you are forced to fight back. To abandon your culture and past, all for the sake of survival. War forces the worst out of us all, forces us to do ghastly and unspeakable things. In our seemingly endless crusade, I have made decisions that are worthy of being called deplorable. We, as a whole, are guilty of the atrocities of war. It is here, in this place, that I now ask the question – how can we truly say we are just in our cause? How can we speak of the ideals of freedom when we are just as guilty?

War may have been brought to us, yet we still perpetrate it. To that end, our past, our lives, our legacy, is that of war. And it is my single, greatest regret.

----

- Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters
Circa One Thousand Years Ago

At the top of the highest castle balcony, Princess Luna surveyed the expanse of empty land before her with half-lidded eyes and a despondent frown. Time and again she and her beloved sister would raise and lower the sun and the moon. Time and again she would see the ponies revel in the day, yet slumber during her marvelous night.

"Tis' not fair...", Luna quietly lamented with a gentle sigh. "And yet, tis' a necessary sacrifice...perchance someday the ponies of this land shall value my dream."

As much as she wanted the night to be appreciated, Luna also understood its significance. Without the night, the world would quickly grow weary without rest, and without the day, life could not be sustained. Luna understood this all too well, and yet could not help but feel a quiet sadness in her heart. She would always tell herself, "It was a necessary sacrifice". As she stared into the deep, twinkling blackness of the night sky, she felt a presence behind her. Standing from her kneeling position, Luna was met by her sister, Princess Celestia. She met her gaze with a slightly puzzled expression, creasing her brow and idly tilting her head to one side.

"Dear sister, what bringeth you out of yon bedchambers? Tis' much too soon for dawn."

Celestia responded with a deep concern in her eyes. "Dost' thou sense an ill air about?"

Brought out of her reverie, Luna turned her head up and squinted, taking a more careful look at the night sky. After a moment's time, her expression matched her sister's.

"Yes...yes I do."

Luna closed her eyes as her horn glowed a light shade of black. After another moment's passing, her eyes snapped open, becoming wide as her pupils contracted. Spreading her wings, she yelled out loud with panic in her voice, "I must hastily awaken the royal guard, we are invaded!"

Luna flew off the balcony and down the castle walls with enough fervor to create a small cyclone of wind behind, leaving a bewildered Celestia in her wake. Trotting to the edge of the balcony, she watched Luna throw the double doors open with her magic and fly inside without stopping, feeling the beat of her heart begin to quicken.

"Sister, what dost thou see that I do not...?"

Celestia knew her sister understood the night much more that she did. She knew such panic would not be unwarranted, and knowing that her sister was in such a state of mind did not sit well with her. Determined to better understand this mysterious situation, Celestia searched the skies herself, looking for anything that seemed out of place, her eyes darting between every star and nebula in the sky. After a few minutes had passed, she spotted two flickering bodies of light that seemed unnatural. No, they were unnatural. As if they were not stars at all, but...

"...the invaders sister speaks of!"

Celestia watched these strange aberrations break off from one another, one veering off to the southeast, and the other staying its course above the castle, becoming larger and brighter with every passing second. Reading the writing on the wall, she flew inside the balcony doors with the same ferocity as her sister and barred it shut, levitating a wooden beam into place with her magic. Determined to get an explanation from her sister, she flew down the spiral staircase made her way to the main atrium on the ground floor, meeting up with Luna and a very mobilized royal guard in waiting.

"Brace thyself dear sister, the invaders come!"

Despite not fully understanding the situation, Celestia would not doubt Luna's word in the least. However, nopony within the castle walls could be prepared for what came next. The Princesses and the royal guard only managed to see it for a brief moment before it made landfall...a beige, metallic behemoth that seemed larger than the greatest mountain, streaking past the windows at an unimaginable speed. As it crashed into the valley below, the impact shook the plateau the castle stood upon, and smashed the windows of the lower floors, blasting dust and debris everywhere. A bang like a volcanic eruption rang in the heads of everypony inside, and the earth beneath their hooves cracked and broke, causing it to become uneven and unstable. The guards immediately formed a protective barrier around the Princesses with their magic, struggling to hold their ground and not move an inch. It would be another five agonizing minutes until Celestia ordered them to stand down with a wave of her hoof. With the danger averted for now, the guards broke formation and unlocked the castle doors. The white alicorn looked to her sister, who looked back with a knowing nod. They knew what came next without even having to discuss it. They needed to investigate this unknown monstrosity from the sky immediately.

----

"Tis' a vessel from the heavens..."

Celestia approached the alien structure one step at a time, her mind shocked and unable to form words. She could feel the intense heat from the impact, and was aghast by both it's sheer size and power, as it had cleaved a shallow, but immeasurably massive cavern into the cliffside. She felt Luna come up beside her, resting a hoof on her shoulder. Celestia spoke to her sister without looking away, "Dear sister, thou spoke of invaders. Wouldst be right to assume they lie within this vessel?"

Luna stared evenly at the monstrosity before her, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "I do not know...I had sensed many interlopers bearing down upon us from the stars, yet now I feel nothing. Me thinks they perished in the crash?"

Her words weren't comforting enough to dispel her worried expression. She looked to her sister and replied, "Tis' possible. But we shant tempt fate." She turned to face her soldiers, pointing a commanding hoof in their direction and announcing, "ROYAL CANTERLOT GUARD, WE SHALL CONSTUCT A MAGICAL BARRIER AND SEAL THIS CAVERN. WE KNOW NOT THE DANGERS THAT LIE WITHIN THIS METAL BEHEMOTH, SO EQUESTRIA MUST BE PROTECTED FROM IT BEFORE DISASTER BEFALLS US."

The guardsman saluted and replied in unison, "At once, your highness!"

As the royal guard galloped off to gather materials, Celestia suddenly gasped and unconsciously jerked in place. She turned to Luna with panic in her voice, "Oh, sister! There art be a second vessel from the stars! We must...hurry southeast and...!"

Leaning to one side, she stumbled and nearly collapsed, only to fall onto Luna's backside. Seeing the tiredness in her eyes, the smaller alicorn replied with concern in her voice, "Sister, thine domain be yon daylight. Thou art too weary to entertain such thoughts."

Allowing her sister to collect herself and stand again, Luna placed her right hoof on her cheek and smiled warmly. "Fret not, dear sister. T'would be best for I to depart southeast and seal the second behemoth. Mine night is still young."

Celestia nodded in agreement, matching her smile as well. "Verily. I shall remain to construct the seal here. Have safe passage, dear sister."

Luna lovingly nuzzled her head against Celestia's chin before she flew off towards the castle. As she waited for the guard's return, she sighed and turned to face the colossal vessel once again, this time with determination in her eyes.

"It is no coincidence thy craft from the stars now lay beneath this castle. I forgive any benevolent beings that may lie within for mine transgressions, but thou art still dangerous to this world. Equestria is simply not ready for what you may be."

----

"But why!? Why canst thou understand my dream!?"

Princess Celestia stood bewildered before Luna, her eyes filled with hurt and confusion. It was only one month ago that they had first seen the vessels from the stars on this same balcony, one month that they had sealed them away to never be opened. They were obligated to oversee the gates, to prevent any mishaps in their design, or to allow anypony outside of the castle to discover their existence. However, over the past few weeks since, Luna had become increasingly aggressive and jealous over their duties as keepers of the sun and the moon. It was as if she had completely forgotten about the danger sitting just underneath their noses. Now it had culminated in this very moment, as Luna had refused to lower the moon and allow the dawn to come.

Celestia pleaded with her sister, "Please, stop this! Thou art understand what will happen without mine daylight!"

Luna gave her a cold, pained look, as tears flowed freely from her eyes. She retorted slowly, "I care no longer. For countless years, I had watched silently, painfully...I had watched Equestria dance and frolick in yon daylight, whilst mine night is ignored. Well then...no longer. Mine dream is a dream no longer."

It was then that Celestia first sensed it. A malevolent power that she had never sensed before, crushing and suffocating her, coming from the one pony that she valued most. Pure black energy surged forth from Luna's body, her eyes glowing a bright, hot white.

"If Equestria cannot see my dream...then I will show them a nightmare!"

Stomping a single hoof down, the black energies swirled around Luna, completely enveloping her. Forming into a sphere, coils of darkness spewed forth from it, tearing the balcony and surrounding area apart, cutting and dragging themselves across stone and marble until only half the room remained. Jumping backwards to avoid the coils, Celestia's eyes remained on her sister, never looking away. What she saw afterward however, would forever be seared into her memory. The sphere formed itself into wings, wings that suddenly spread outward to their full length, showering her sight with jet black feathers, revealing the being underneath...a being that was no longer Princess Luna. Clad in dark, silver armor with a mane and tail that resembled a cold nebula, the creature that was her sister stared her down with malice in her eyes, and spite in her smile.

"Remember this night, dear sister! T'was the night that became everlasting! For I, am Nightmare Moon!"

In that very moment, Princess Celestia could feel nothing but grief and dread. It was as if her heart had frozen over in a sheet of ice, leaving behind a dull, heavy sting in her chest. It was only a month ago that she had felt her sister's loving embrace, her warm cheek against her own. But now, jealousy and turned her into a monster. She barely noticed the royal guard mobilize around her, attempting to subdue Nightmare Moon. She barely noticed them being batted away like gnats, or hearing the creature's heartless cackle. In her heart and mind, only two truths were evident. Her sister was gone from this world, and the only one who could stop the monster known as Nightmare Moon, was herself.

----

- Present Day, shortly after the Royal Canterlot Wedding Party
Canterlot observation tower

"It was the most heartwrenching moment of my life. I felt as though I had not only failed Luna as a sister, but as a friend as well."

Twilight Sparkle stood behind her teacher with rapt attention, barely registering the fact that her left hindquarter had gone to sleep almost an hour ago. She hadn't even the desire to interject or ask anything, her normally inquisitive nature suppressed. Feeling her throat go dry, she swallowed, just now realizing how enraptured she was.

Princess Celestia continued with melancholy, "Perhaps that is the reason the elements of harmony lost their luster for a time. Even with all my power and influence, I could not heal my heart..."

She turned to face her student, her eyes widening slightly at seeing her current state and the face she was making. "Oh! I'm terribly sorry Twilight, I hadn't meant to upset you with this story so soon after the wedding."

The purple unicorn grinned and closed her eyes. “No, it's alright Princess. You wouldn't of told me if you didn't think it was necessary.” She opened her eyes, “Besides, we all know how the story ends.”

Celestia returned her smile at hearing this. Twilight continued, "What you needed to tell me about was the sealed gates, right?"

“Yes...Queen Chrysalis' attack on Canterlot reminded me of old worries.” Her expression became more pensive as her mouth fell back into a frown. “And judging from the look on your face, you've pieced together the rest of the story?”

Twilight nodded. "Mhm. I've always wondered why Canterlot was moved to the mountainside from its place in the Everfree Forest. It's so you could keep an eye on both sealed gates, right?"

Celestia smiled widely again. "I've always liked that sharp mind of yours."

Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin momentarily, looking away in thought. "As a matter of fact...it also explains the reason why the Everfree Forest exists in the first place. You must of forbade anypony from interacting with that part of land, so it would develop on its own. And ponies don't go in there because of all the danger and mystery surrounding it. It's the perfect natural defense!"

Celestia nodded as well. "That's precisely the truth. Now Twilight, can you tell me the reason why I am telling you of the sealed gates?"

She was currently used to getting all of her assumptions correct so far, that she lowered her head and looked away after hearing her last question. Not having any sort of answer, she asked, "Well...no. Why are you telling me, Princess?"

Celestia sighed softly, trotting over to a window overlooking the garden where the party was. "Humility, Twilight Sparkle. When Queen Chrysalis defeated me, I was not just reminded of my failure to protect my beloved sister, I was reminded that I am only one pony. And I'm certainly not perfect."

Twilight galloped up to Celestia's side like a flash of lightning. "That's not true! You're loving, and kind, and you've always been there for everypony! What Chrysalis did, i-it's not your fault!"

Celestia smiled softly and ran a hoof through Twilight's mane while looking her in the eyes. "What I mean is, I can only do so much. Being humble is something only the greatest of hearts can do." She took a moment to levitate the golden tiara off of her head, looking deeply into the jewel at its center. As she did this, Twilight saw a certain weariness in her eyes that she had never noticed before. "I have been watching over Equestria for such a long time. I have witnessed civilizations rise and fall, alliances forged and broken. But most importantly, I've seen the love and harmony that holds us all together. So, I do what one mare in my position can do. As both a benevolent monarch, and a kind nurturer. To know your limits, to know what is within your power, to know that there is no absolute perfection in life, is to know humility, Twilight Sparkle. Which brings me to why I summoned you here."

Celestia looked into Twilight's eyes with a seriousness that she had never seen. She attempted to look back with the same intensity, but couldn't hide how nervous she was feeling. "I want you to help me look after the gate in the Everfree Forest. Tell your friends what I have told you here, but nopony else. If the gate is disturbed for any reason, you must immediately notify me or Princess Luna." Celestia closed her eyes and put her tiara back on. "Those two gates represent my greatest fears. The fear that whatever lies inside of those vessels, can destroy Equestria in the blink of an eye." Celestia looked back to Twilight. "You and your friends have protected our home from the greatest of threats. I know I can trust you."

Twilight faltered, stuttering a few words and looking away for but a second, but regained her bearings quickly, standing upright and sticking her chest out. "You...you have my word, Princess. I promise I won't let you down."

Bowing to Celestia, Twilight left the observatory to return to her guest room at the castle. As she trotted down the spiral staircase, she took some time to reflect on what she had just experienced. Twilight had seen the Princess' serious side before when Discord escaped confinement, but never like this. Keeping watch over an ancient gate seemed simple enough, but after she saw Celestia in such a state, it intimidated her immensely. Was the power behind the gates really that great and terrifying? Despite her promise to the princess, was she really able to keep it? Slowing to a halt midway on the staircase, Twilight quickly shook off such doubt, instead turning her angst into ingenuity, thinking of ways she could personally keep tabs on the Everfree Forest. She chuckled to herself, "I mean it's not like anypony's just going to waltz into the extremely dangerous, absolutely mysterious, scare-the-pants-off-you Everfree Forest anytime soon, right?"

----

- Ponyville, Literally three days later

"Uhm, are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Course it is! Ah've been 'round the place enough, it's like ah know it like the back of mah hoof!"
"Uh...yeah. JUST in case your memory decides takes a vacation, I've got a compass, a water canteen, some signal flares, marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate bars, a tent..."
"Wait, are we camping or just exploring?"
"I figured we should be prepared for anything!"
"You wanna go camping, don't you?"
"Looks like it t'me."
"H-hey! Knock it off! Why don't you tell me what's in your bag then!?"
"Weeell...some textbooks, a ruler, a pen and pencil, and-"
"Isn't that just yer schoolbag?"
"I, uh...kinda forgot to do my homework for the weekend."
"Ugh, never mind! Please tell me you're prepared!"
"Sure are! Ah've got some rope, lightbulbs, a featherduster, a blanket..."
"Did you just rummage through your closet or something?"
"Well, yeah. Ah'm pretty sure we're gonna need this stuff."
"Not feeling confident right now fearless leader."
"Me neither..."
"Oh, don't git yer apples in a bunch, we'll be fine girls! And it's durin' the daytime, so we can't possibly get lost! Are ya with me or not!?"
"Ready as I'll ever be!"
"Uhm...ok! I'm ready! Let's go!"
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER EVERFREE FOREST EXPLORERS, YAAAY!"

The Search, Chapter 1: Contact

View Online

- Everfree Forest, midday

Sunshine beamed though the small cracks in the dense forest canopy, dotting the ground with spots of light, while the trees rustled and dropped their leaves from a gentle wind. The air smelled of moist moss and green mildew, and unseen creatures beyond the foliage squawked and snarled. It was here that three little fillies trotted in single file, each carrying a saddle bag over their back. Applebloom, an earth pony with a yellow coat and a bright red mane tied back in an oversized magenta bow, lead the two others down a narrow forest path with a bound in her step. Following directly behind was Scootaloo, an orange pegasus with a reddish-purple mane, and a look of apprehension plastered on her face. Following uncomfortably close to her was Sweetie Belle, a unicorn with a snowy white coat and her mane separated between two shades of dark and light purple respectively. Her stride alternated between a slow canter and a sudden gallop, her mind torn between worrying about what was out there and keeping up with her friends. Feeling her hindquarters getting sore from the all of her sprinting, a low hiss from a nearby bush caused her to jump forward with a squeak and wrap her forelegs around the neck of the pony in front of her.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!"

Sweetie Belle looked at the young pegasus she was clinging to and grinned sheepishly before letting go. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and sighed, her exasperation near its peak.

"Ugh, Applebloom, we've been wandering down this path forever! I'm starting to think this whole 'explorer' thing's turning out to be one big goose egg. I mean, we haven't seen anything that could be called a discovery!"

Sweetie Belle spoke up, "Uhm, I'm sorry Scootaloo. It's just...I'm still nervous about this place since the last time we were all here."

They hadn't forgotten. The three of them had once ventured out into the forest in the middle of the night to search for a lost chicken, only to run afoul of a Cockatrice. It was a very terrifying moment for all of them, and was still on Sweetie Belle's mind.

Applebloom retorted in her usual southern accent, "We can't give up now girls! This here's th'spot I don't normally go past. Ah'm sure if we keep on this here path, we're sure to find sumthin' nopony's ever seen!"

It wasn't enough to lift Scootaloo's spirits, though it was enough for her to raise an eyebrow. “You sure about that? Cause' it seems to me like we're just wandering in here without a plan.” She huffed softly, her head lulling to one side as she watched the trees pass by. “You know what, never mind...I'm still saying we should've tried reading up on demon slaying! That would've been so cool!”

Scootaloo jumped a little ways ahead of Applebloom, standing on two hooves and making a pose. "Defending the innocent and defenseless ponies, armed with weapons of mystical power, the demon hunter Scootaloo slays all evil creatures that lurk in the night!"

Sweetie Belle, not slowing her stride, trotted up to Scootaloo with her own eyebrow raised. "Do demons even exist? I mean, I'll believe in ogres, manticores, and sirens, but really? Ghouls and ghosts and zombie-ponies? That's just plain silly."

Scootaloo cartwheeled once and backflipped, landing next to the unicorn. "Come on, where's your sense of adventure?"

Sweetie Belle scoffed, "Back home, where I left my daffodil sandwich...and my geometry book."

Applebloom looked back and hollered, "You still worryin' bout' that? Don't worry, y'all can jus' copy off me later. And if ya want, I'll share mah lunch with ya...too..."

The other two fillies both share a nearly identical look of confusion as they watched Applebloom slowly freeze in place, her face going slightly pale. Already somewhat impatient from their little nature walk, Scootaloo spoke up first, "Uh, what's wrong with you? Don't tell me you forgot to do your homework too!"

Applebloom gulped, her eyes drifting upward. "Um, Scootaloo? Remember what ya said bout' demon slayin'? W-well...it's not a demon, but...!"

She pointed a shaky hoof behind them, her pupils shrinking and her mouth agape. The other two fillies had to force themselves to turn their heads, causing Sweetie Belle to shriek and grasp her forelegs around Scootaloo's neck again, the latter pony darting her head back and forth trying to find out what was scaring them so much.

"Wha-what is it? What's going on? What are you all looking aa - !"

Her worried rambling is stopped midway by her friend's hooves jerking her head upward, causing the color to drain from her face as well. Coiled around several trees both near to them and far, was a giant serpent. Its tongue flicked out of its closed mouth to taste the air, and its unmoving eyes were set directly on its quarry. It slowly opened its mouth, a gray mist creeping out of it, turning the branches that it touched to stone. The girl's next reaction was something anypony would've done automatically.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

----

- Sweet Apple Acres

An orange mare wearing a cowboy hat on her blonde mane rummaged through her closet with an annoyed expression, dust caking her hooves and face. Spitting a little and wiping her face in a vain attempt to get the dust off, Applejack said to herself, “Dag nabbit, where's that dern featherduster? Ah feel like ah jus' walked through mah cellar durin' spider season...”

She sighed once and stepped away from the closet, tapping a hoof on her chin and looking at the ceiling.

"Come ta think of it, where's that sister a' mine? She's s'posed ta be helpin' clean the farm this month an' I haven't seen her all day..."

----

"I really shoulda' helped Applejack with cleanin' today!!!"

Far off the beaten path, the three fillies galloped frantically away from the hungry serpent. In her panic, Sweetie Belle tripped over an exposed tree root and tumbled to the ground. Hearing her friend fall to the ground behind her and thinking fast, Applebloom immediately turned on her heel and took her hoof in her mouth, pulling her away right as the monster came down to bite a tree. Scootaloo slowed just enough to confirm seeing her friends get to safety, as well as see the tree it bit become lifeless and gray. As Sweetie Belle and Applebloom caught up to her, Scootaloo managed to squeak out between breaths, "What is that thing anyway?! And why is it another monster that turns things into stone?!"

Applebloom replied, "Ah think...(pant)...Twilight called it, uh...basi...basi-somethin'...!"

Sweetie Belle finished her sentence, "A basilisk! The mist from its mouth petrifies anything it touches!"

Scootaloo's legs would have been paralyzed if not for the adrenaline rush and the sounds of crunching branches following her. "You've GOT to be kidding me! I didn't sign up for this!"

Applebloom interjected, "Well...(pant)...look on the bright side! You did say you wanted ta' slay some demons, didn't ya?!"

Scootaloo was incredulous, nearly tripping over tree roots herself before sputtering out, "Applebloom, this is the WORST possible time to be sarcastic! Besides, I wanted to read about demon slaying, not actually do it!"

Sweetie Belle interrupted both her friends, "Less arguing, more running!!!"

All three fillies were terrified to look behind themselves. The only thing they could do was run and run, ignoring the pain in their legs and the cramps in the abdomens, not even knowing how much time had passed or how far they had galloped. Not aware if they'd lost the basilisk and not looking where they were going, they kept running with reckless abandon until they reached a steep, fog covered cliffside devoid of trees. Dropping down onto her belly upon seeing the ravine, Applebloom let out a defeated sigh.

"Oh...no...we're done for...!"

Not wanting to give up, Scootaloo turned around and prepared to strike back at the serpent, despite the wobbling in her legs and being out of breath. "I-if I'm gonna get gobbled up, I'm at least gonna give it some indigestion!"

Sweetie Belle, however, didn't share her enthusiasm. She instead faced the ravine, ducked down, and covered her eyes with her hooves. Any minute now that basilisk was going to come bursting out of the forest, bashing through the trees and sending splinters and dirt everywhere. Scootaloo was going to be eaten, if she didn't get petrified first, and there was nothing she could do but cower here with her head in the sand. Though after what felt like hours of nothing but silence, she took a peek behind herself, seeing only a calm forest and an orange pegasus slumping to the ground herself to catch her breath.

"Ok...I think...we're safe. We lost it,” Scootaloo said between gasps.

The other two fillies climbed to their hooves, forcing themselves to look behind at the forest again to confirm that it was indeed gone. Sweetie Belle continued shaking like a leaf, while Applebloom's eyes fell to the ground, feeling like she'd just pulled an April Fool's prank gone wrong. She already knew there were dangerous creatures lurking the forest, but even she couldn't imagine that such a massive beast would chase them around like this. Trotting over to the trembling unicorn's side, she put a hoof on her shoulder, calming her tremors somewhat.

"Look...ah'm sorry girls. Goin' so far into the forest was mah idea, ah didn't think it'd turn out like this..."

Sweetie Belle took her hoof in her's and looked away, still feeling like she wanted to cry. Scootaloo flapped her tiny wings to hover back into a standing position, spinning back around and giving Applebloom a slight glare. She took a breath to give a retort, but ended up closing her mouth and just grunting softly to stop herself. The looks on her friend's faces were enough to quell any angry feelings she had. Walking over to Sweetie Belle's side, she said, "Don't blame yourself Applebloom. I mean, I was pretty dumb following you, right?" She put her hoof on her other shoulder, "Relax. We're still here in one piece, right?"

Sweetie Belle looked up at her friends, no longer trembling, but not ready to show a smile just yet. “Y...yeah. I guess so.” She climbed to her hooves, scraping at the ground with her hoof, her eyes downcast. “Can we go back now? I'm starting to think this is a sign that we shouldn't be here anymore...”

Scootaloo sighed through her nose. “Yeah. I've had just about enough of this place, too. What about you, Applebloom?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah, just a sec...” She was only partially listening, her attention focused on something beyond the fog. Stepping away and leaning over the ravine, she squinted past the fog and said, “Hey, ya'll see somethin' there? Ah think it's some kinda...castle?”

The other two filly's ears perked up. There was only one thing it possibly could have been. Applebloom galloped along the cliff side, her eyes never leaving what she saw beyond the mist. Sliding to a stop at an old, decrepit bridge, her thoughts of guilt and fear were quickly forgotten, her eyes going wide with awe. Jumping up and down, she yelled, "Ah knew it! Ah knew it! Ah knew we'd find somethin' amazin'!"

Moss and trees grew uncontrollably on its weathered stone walls. The center had collapsed in on itself, no doubt from countless years of neglect. Two identical towers stood on either side of it, and an ornate staircase in the front led up to a set of wooden double doors, weathered by the elements. Scootaloo's mouth hung open with a smile, while Sweetie Belle stood up with wide eyes and short breath. Sure enough, they had stumbled upon something they had only previously heard about, something they thought they'd never see in person. The ruined castle of the royal pony sisters.

“(GASP), does that mean...?!”

Applebloom immediately took a look at her flank, only to be met with the same disappointment she's become all too familiar with. Still blank, still no cutie mark. Seeing this out of the corner of her eye, Scootaloo turned around and responded, "Well, technically we already knew about this place. Maybe we should take a look inside?"

Her eyes wandered a bit before settling back onto the castle, her chest stuck out and her mouth curled into a determined smile. "Yer right! Ah'm not lookin' to give up yet! C'mon girls!”

She bounded toward the bridge, with Scootaloo following closely behind. Sweetie Belle on the other hoof, could only squirm in place with her foreleg outstretched towards them, her mouth open and her lower lip trembling. Although she shared her friend's overwhelming zeal to get her cutie mark, she was never a fan of doing anything excessively dangerous. After being chased by a deadly basilisk into perhaps the deepest possible part of the forest, all she wanted to do now was go home, finish her homework, and take a nice, long afternoon nap. She moaned to herself as she watched them scurry across the bridge, her friends not even noticing how rickety and old it was. As much as she wanted to go back, she couldn't leave them either, nor did she want to be alone. She scrunched her eyes shut for half a second before they snapped open as she yelled, "Wait up, guys! I'm coming too!"

----

- Golden Oak Library, Late Afternoon

"Come on Twilight, you've been at this for days! Don't you think you've done enough?"

A small, purple dragon with green dorsal scales looked on with agitation at a frantically pacing unicorn. Her lavender coat was matted with sweat, and her dark violet mane was a mess of tangles. Despite having bags under her eyes, she acted as though nothing was wrong with her, much to the dragon's dismay. She walked back and forth from one end of the library to the next, skimming through a row of books on one end, to checking the notes on a desk at another.

"...and you've looked at that crystal like, a thousand times now! It's not gonna go off!"

It was no exaggeration. Every time Twilight had passed by it, she made sure to look at a small octahedron crystal hanging on the wall. She responded without looking in his general direction, "Spike, this is serious! This isn't just some normal assignment, the Princess specifically gave us the task of protecting the sealed gate!" She pointed a hoof to the crystal with her nose in a book, "And I have to make doubly sure that the alarm crystals I set at the gate don't go off without me knowing!"

Spike stomped a foot down with balled claws and retorted, "But you said it yourself! The gate's in the Everfree Forest! I mean, what more can you do from here?!"

Twilight closed the book and levitated it back onto the bookshelf, this time moving over to a thumbtack bulletin board covered in post-it notes and flash cards connected by lines of string. "Oh, there's PLENTY left I can do! I've been thinking about creating a self-propelled observer unit with a two-way visual feed, one that can fly above the forest indefinitely! Then there's the security fence I came up with 2 hours ago, the pitfalls we need to dig out today, the landmines..."

Spike raised an eyebrow and took a step back. "Land...mines?"

Before he could imagine what awful things were going on inside that unicorn's head, a knock at the front door brought him out of his reverie. Seeing her rambling on about some magic babble, he said to a non-listening Twilight, "Uh, don't worry, I've got it..."

Spike opened the door to meet an ivory white unicorn with an exceptionally styled purple mane and tail, carrying a saddle bag draped over her back. He immediately and unconsciously blushed before stammering out, "O-oh! Hi Rarity...! What, um, brings you over...?"

She responded with a refined air about her, "Why, hello Spike! I had just finished this absolutely lovely jeweled necklace, and I was wondering if...uh..."

Rarity now noticed Twilight darting back and forth throughout the library, seeing that she had signs of sleep deprivation. "Oh, dear...I was hoping this sealed gate business would not put Twilight into one of her moods..."

Spike's brow creased as he looked back at her, being reminded of the current situation. "Well, yeah...she's been like this ever since we got back from Canterlot a few days ago. But, um, you were saying something about a necklace?"

Rarity replied, "Yes, of course." She opened her bag with levitation and pulled out a beautifully detailed gold necklace, its centerpiece being a brightly colored emerald. As she put it on, she said, "I had decided to try my hoof at crafting complex jewelry, and I think it turned out simply divine! Don't you agree?"

Spike was too distracted by the emerald necklace to hear her, his tongue hanging out of his mouth and dripping with saliva. Leaning closer to it, he slurred out, "Uh, yeah...it's great Rarity..."

Smiling wryly, Rarity simply pushed Spike away gently. "Yeees, well, I'm afraid this jewel isn't on the menu. But don't fret, I was thinking of you too Spikey-wikey." She opened her saddle bag again and pulled out a semi-large pile of roughly cut, asymmetrical jewels. "Those are the ones I used as a trial run for making this necklace, so feel free to eat them if you like." She let go of her levitation and dropped the jewels in his waiting arms, his eyes sparkling.

"For me...? And so many?! All right!" He wasted no time plopping down on the floor and munching into the gems. Smiling at the happy dragon, Rarity now turned her attention to the still frantic Twilight Sparkle, her attention in yet another book.

"Twilight, darling - "

"Let's see, divide by the square root of..."

"Twilight? What ever are you - "

"I can't forget about the energy requirements or mechanics..."

"Ugh, Twilight, puh-lease get your nose out of that book! It is impolite to - "

"...no, that'll just spread radon all over the place..."

Rarity glared at her with one eye larger than the other, but only for a second. Stepping directly behind her, she chuckled smugly while peeking around her shoulder. Talking to her friend was fruitless, she decided to use a more direct approach.

"There we go! I finally found a way to balance this equation! Now, only four hundred ninety seven more to - ah, AH!"

Since her attention was solely on the book in front of her, Rarity simply levitated it away from the desk. Twilight, however, was still making an attempt to read it. Her head followed its every move, despite it floating through the air. Squinting an eye, Rarity forcefully snapped away the book and hid it behind her. Twilight finally made eye contact with Rarity, her expression becoming neutral. "Oh, hi Rarity. When did you get here?"

The snowy unicorn groaned with puffed cheeks and reeled her head back. Stamping a hoof down, she said, "Now see here Twilight Sparkle, Spike tells me you have been at this for days! It is unbecoming of you, it is bad for your complexion, and your mane is in utter shambles! Somewhere along the way, you simply must take a break!"

Twilight took a moment to check her reflection in the alarm crystal, now noticing how bent out of shape she looked. "Huh...maybe you're right. I look pretty miserable right now."

Spike managed to chime in between bites, "Hey! That'sh what I've been sh'aying all day!"

Twilight frowned and replied sheepishly, "Alright, I apologize. It's just..." She held that thought for a moment, but decided not to voice it. "...never mind, it's not important." She took a quick glance up at her mane. "I guess for now I could brush this rat's nest on my head, huh?"

Rarity smiled with satisfaction. "It's a start. Now then, I came over here because I wanted to get your opinion about this project of mine - "

*knock, knock*
"Hey Twi, you in there?"

Another knock at the door interrupted Rarity, causing her to huff in slight frustration. Downing one more jagged ruby, Spike darted over and opened the door to greet Applejack. Tipping her hat to him, she stepped inside and immediately noticed Twilight's disheveled state. "Hoo wee sugarcube, you like you've jus' went seven rounds wrestlin' a grizzly bear."

Twilight's head drooped and her ears fell. "Yes, well, I noticed. What brings you over?"

Applejack continued, "Well, if'n y'all have the time, ah'm lookin' for Applebloom. Was wonderin' if ah could get some help findin' her, seein' as how she's s'posed to be helpin' clean the farm this month. Ah haven't seen hide or hair of her all day."

Rarity closed her eyes and sighed. "Well, I supposed my latest creation will have to wait. I certainly don't mind lending a helping hoof."

Applejack smiled. "Thank ya kindly Rarity, wasn't even expectin' ta see ya. You comin' with Twi?"

Twilight replied, "Oh, sure. Let me just get something ready."

She levitated the alarm crystal off the wall and walked over a desk, taking out a long piece of string. With a quick flash of magic, she took the string and looped it through the top of the crystal, creating a makeshift necklace. Rarity saw Twilight's creation and added, "Hmm, it's a start, but this necklace certainly could use some more intricate design choices..."

As she put it on, Twilight responded, "No Rarity, this isn't jewelry. This is an alarm crystal I created to notify me of anypony disturbing the sealed gate. If any one of the other crystal's magic is disturbed, it'll send a signal back to this one. This way, I'll know for sure if somepony's trying to get inside."

Spike gave her an annoyed look. "Twilight, why didn't you just wear it around your neck to begin with?"

Twilight jerked to a stop, unable to find any words. "Well...uh...never mind that! We have to look for Applebloom, remember?!"

Spike merely gave her a deadpanned stare.

----

"Ya find anythin' yet Scoot?"

Scootaloo flipped over a small slab of stone covered in nonsensical scribble before replying, "Nah. Nothing but dust and cobwebs. This is all ancient and mysterious and everything, but it's nothing like one of Daring Do's adventures...it gets boring fast."

Applebloom raised an eyebrow in interest. "You read Daring Do? Didn't take ya ta be the bookish type."

She rubbed a hoof behind her head and looked away, chuckling. "Well, Rainbow Dash raves about the series all the time, so I, uh, thought I'd give it a shot..."

Applebloom's eyes became half-lidded as she whispered to herself, (“Knew it had somethin' to do with Rainbow Dash”.)

“Ow!”

A soft thud echoed in the adjacent room, causing the other two filly's ears to perk up. Stepping into the doorway, they found Sweetie Belle face down on the floor and groaning to herself. Scootaloo suppressed a snicker by putting her foreleg over her mouth; apparently she tripped over a raised tile. As Applebloom helped her up, she dusted herself off, flinching as her hoof brushed past her face. "Owww...I fell on my nose."

Letting a smirk out from behind her hoof, the orange filly said, "How'd you miss something so obvious? It's not even dark in here!"

Sweetie Belle puffed her cheeks in frustration. "It's not my fault! That tile came out of nowhere! Well, I mean - it popped up out of nowhere!"

Scootaloo replied with a silly grin, "Yeah, sure, next thing you'll say is that the rest of the floor's gonna come flying at you...huh?" Raising an eyebrow, she noticed an unusual glow coming from beneath the tile behind her. Flapping her wings like a hummingbird, she exclaimed, "Hey guys, I think I finally found something! Help me pull up this tile!"

Eager to not make their excursion fruitless, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom both got behind the tile and pulled it up off the floor with their hooves along with Scootaloo. After a few minutes of strenuous activity, they finally managed to flip the heavy tile over with a loud slam, kicking dust up everywhere and making them avert their eyes. A soft sneeze could be heard as the dust settled.

"Ugh, nevermind. It's just another dumb jewel," Scootaloo complained.

Applebloom raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Ah dunno, Scoot. Ya ever seen a sapphire glow like this?" She asked Sweetie Belle, "Hey, you spend a lot of time with Rarity. Can ya tell me if there's anythin' up with this here gem?"

Rubbing her nose, Sweetie Belle got a good look at the protrusion under the tile. It was the top of what appeared to be a large sapphire crystal jutting straight up out of the ground. However, it pulsed with a vibrant and bright blue hue. Sneezing again, she responded, "Well, it looks like a sapphire...buuut, I don't think it is. As a matter of fact, I don't know about any jewels that glow so brightly like this at all. A-choo!"

Applebloom gave her friend a wry smile. Going into her saddle bag, she pulled out a white cloth with her teeth, saying, "Here, ah brought a handkerchief. Might wanna get all that dust outta yer nose."

"Oh, thanks Applebloom." Sitting down and taking the handkerchief in her hooves, she went to blow her nose, only to sneeze loudly and forcefully into it. At the same time, however, her horn unexpectedly sparked with a pale green flash of magic, enough to brightly illuminate the whole room for half a second. Her friends doubled back, wide-eyed and gasping.

"Whoa, Sweetie Belle, did you see your horn?!"

"Yeah! Ah don't think ah've ever seen ya do that! That was illumination magic, right?!"

"Huh, what? I did magic?" Sweetie Belle instinctively took a look at the horn on her head, with no particular reason why. She would have taken a bit longer staring at it, but was distracted by what sounded like electrical sparks at her hooves. Taking a look at the mysterious crystal in the ground again, she noticed that it was indeed emitting blue electricity. She slowly backed up as she also noticed that the energy it was putting out was increasing. "Uhm, girls? I...think we better run! I don't like what that jewel's doing!"

The girls sauntered away slowly from the errant jewel at first, only to go into a full gallop one at a time after a large crack appeared in the gem. Unfortunately, they were only able to get several meters away before the gem exploded with a deafening boom, shaking them down to the bone. A massive shockwave of azure energy collided into their backsides, blinding them and knocking them off their hooves. A thunderous bang rang in their heads, and the force from the blast sent the three of them skidding into the nearest wall. As the dust settled, Sweetie Belle shook the dust from her mane and looked back at the hole where the crystal was, seeing only a giant, blackened crater. Slowly standing up, she lamented with a defeated sigh, "So much for discoveries...I guess that thing didn't like magic much."

Applebloom didn't even bother getting up, instead rolling onto her back and flailing her hooves. "Ohhh, we were so clooose! First we almost get eaten by that giant snake monster, then we get lost, and now the one thing we actually find up and explodes! This day can't get any worse!"

Almost on cue to her complaining, a slow rumble reverberated throughout the ground, the intensity increasing with every passing second. Having a feeling where this was going, Scootaloo said to her, "Hey Applebloom, do you know what Murphy's Law is...?"

She stood up and replied in a shaky voice, "Um, no...? Does it have somethin' ta do with what ah just said...?"

The girls had no time to react. Without any further warning, the floor beneath their hooves fissured open in multiple places and crumbled apart like brittle pumice, revealing a dark, lightless pit beneath. Shrieking loud enough to shatter glass, each of the fillies all had the same things on their minds.

("Me an' mah big mouth! NOW we're done for!")

("Oh no oh no oh no oh NO!)

("This isn't fair! I wish I could do something...!)

Thankfully for them, the end they were all expecting didn't come. Only a painful landing and the sound of stone falling from above jarred them back to reality. Shaking her head, Scootaloo immediately climbed to her hooves and turned flicked her head up, her pupils contracting at what she saw. She called out to her friends, "Guys, get up quick! We've gotta find someplace to hide, the floor's gonna cave in on us!"

Sweetie Belle barely heard her over the sound of rocks falling, pushing past the pain of the fall to stand. Knowing they only have moments to spare, her eyes quickly scanned the area, trying to find anything that could protect them. Ignoring her racing heart and trembling limbs, she pointed a hoof in front of her and cried out, "Over there! There's a hole in the ground we can jump into!"

Applebloom heard what she needed to hear and scrambled to stand, though a strange clinking noise made her pause. Lifting up her foreleg and looking under it, she asked, "Wait, what did we land on?! It feels like metal!"

Scootaloo reprimanded her, "We don't have time to worry about that now Applebloom, you wanna get squashed?!"

A massive boulder landing directly next to her with a deafening crash made her jump and cringe, quickly reminding her that she shouldn't be asking questions. The three of them galloped with all their might into the small hole, not thinking about what may be waiting inside at all. While the hole was quickly covered with falling debris, the surrounding area sparked with electricity. Multiple lights in the walls and floor slowly flickered to life, and unknown constructs began to creak and groan with motion.

----

- Ponyville Town Square, Dusk

"Any sign of her, Rarity?"

"I'm afraid not, Twilight. I'm starting to become rather worried now..."

"Don't get yer frills in a twist, ah'm sure she's doin' fine. Till I find her at least."

"Ooo! Ooo! I get it now! You're all searching for Applebloom, right!? Or, waitaminute, maybe it was that pony yelling at Twilight's door? Or maybe - "

Rarity and Applejack's thoughts were suddenly derailed by a bouncing, energetic, extremely pink pony with a mane style resembling cotton candy. Twilight's head drooped as she brought a hoof to her face, not even bothering to question where she came from.

"Pinkie Pie, that's what I've been telling you the past few hours! Haven't you been listening?"

She immediately dashed into Twilight's face, stopping only centimeters away. The huge smile plastered on her face was somehow both obnoxious, yet cute. "Nope! Y'see, I thought it'd be fun to try and figure out what you were doing by myself by secretly following you around, and that wouldn't be fair if you just told me, silly!"

Twilight wanted to groan out loud, but held it in as she was expecting this from her. She replied, "Pinkie, first of all, there's nothing secret about you following directly behind me and asking what I'm doing over and over again. Second, this is serious! None of us have found Applebloom, and for all we know she could have gone missing!"

Pinkie finally stopped bouncing around and frowned a little. "Oh, I'm super sorry Twilight. I didn't mean to - WAH!"

Her sentence is suddenly interrupted by a massive body spasm, as if she were doing an impression of a jello mold on a rickety train. It lasts for a few seconds before abruptly stopping, leaving Pinkie's eyes wide. She nonchalantly explained, "Huh. My pinkie sense tells me that not only Applebloom, but Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are all in really big danger right now."

Rarity instantly grabbed Pinkie by her shoulders, the panic evident in her eyes. There were times where she would keep her cool under stress, and others where she would freak out over something frivolous, but this was anything but the former. "WHAT?! What do you mean by that?! What kind of danger?!" She shook her a little bit. "And just why are you so calm about it?!"

Pinkie closed her eyes and smiled warmly. "Because, silly, they're all fine. A four second full body spasm means that whatever danger that happened's all gone now. You really should learn how to keep your cool under stress, Rarity."

Even though she was an aloof and eccentric earth pony, Pinkie Pie's "pinkie sense" was somehow able to predict select events before they happened, whenever something strange happened to her body. And although Rarity had her misgivings about that last comment, she wholeheartedly trusted Pinkie's intuition, calming down somewhat.

"Well...if you say so. Please forgive me, it was rather unladylike of me to - "

"OH NO! OH NO, OH NO, OH NOOO!!!"

Rarity nearly jumped out of her skin from Pinkie's sudden outburst. "Good HEAVENS Pinkie, what is it this time?!"

Her expression suddenly becomes frantic and fearful. "My LEFT EYE'S itchy!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Uh...ah don't follow."

She darted between her friends rapidly as she explained herself. "Um, Hello-o?! THAT means that right after the really dangerous thing happened, something ELSE super-duper scary bad's gonna happen at the same place! And it's gonna happen...at...at...!"

"...the sealed gate..."

Surprised, Pinkie smiled widely at Twilight, her mood suddenly making a 180. "Oh wow, you're right Twilight! Does that mean you have some kind of Twilight sense that you never told us about?"

Twilight's face was filled with fear and dread. "No Pinkie, look...!"

Hanging from her hoof was the alarm crystal necklace - pulsing rapidly with a bright white light.

"Judging from this reaction, it means literally ALL the alarm crystals I set up at the gate were just set off!"

Applejack and Rarity were ready to start panicking. The alarm crystal going off and Pinkie's prediction about their respective sisters was grim news indeed. Rarity could feel her heart going a mile a minute, and Applejack was seconds away from running off by herself into the Everfree Forest. Thankfully, Twilight was able to keep herself collected enough to give a plan of action.

"Girls, this is no time to panic! I've been preparing for this for days!"

After taking a deep, cleansing breath, she replied, "Rarity, Applejack, go get Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie, you're with me - I have to send a letter to Canterlot immediately. We'll meet up at the forest entrance before going in, now move!"

As the ponies galloped off in different directions, Twilight took a second to take in the situation, staring at the flashing alarm crystal hanging in her hoof. Despite all her recent obsessive tendencies, the rational part of her mind told her that it was not going to go off. It couldn't go off. Why would it? Nopony else knew of the gate but her friends and the Princesses of Equestria.

"So why...? Why now, after I just found out about it?"

Twilight is brought out of her silent contemplation as she noticed Pinkie Pie bouncing off in another direction. "Pinkie, I said you're with me!"

----

- ?????, Early Evening

Applebloom awoke to darkness and a still-prevalent headache. Groaning as she stood up, she rubbed a side of her head and called out, "Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle! Are y'all ok?! Ah can't see anythin'!"

A voice from a few feet away answered her. "I'm here Applebloom, I'm all right." It was Scootaloo. "You ok, Sweetie Belle?"

There was no response. She called out again, "Sweetie Beeeelle! Are you theeeere?!"

Again, no response. Taking a moment to let her eyes adjust to the darkness, Applebloom barely managed to make out her surroundings. They were in some kind of giant hallway, composed of what seemed like metal. Pieces of random debris lay scattered across the floor, and some larger obstructions seemed be stabbed through the walls and ceiling, the finer details of these objects obscured by the dark. The only source of light came from several hundred feet away, at the end of the hallway. As she squinted in the darkness, Applebloom could feel her heart drop.

"Scoot, she's not here. We must'a gotten separated when we tumbled down that hole..."

She sat down and buried her face in her hooves. "Ohh, this is all mah fault! It was mah stupid idea to come here an' now Sweetie Belle's gone missing! She's all alone right now an' she could be hurt or scared or - "

"Knock it off Applebloom!" Her tirade is suddenly interrupted by a shout in her ear. She looked in her direction with tears threatening to fall. "I'm not liking this any more than you, but we gotta focus! Look, we all fell down that hole together, so she can't be too far behind. The sooner we find her, the sooner we can all get out of here. We'll worry about yelling at you later."

The sound of her voice had resolve, but even in the dark Applebloom could see that Scootaloo's expression betrayed any sense of courage. She was just as worried and scared as she was. Taking a moment to calm herself down as best she could, she stood back up.

"O-ok...you're right. We gotta find Sweetie Belle. Then we can jus' forget this day ever happened."

Aside from finding her friend, Applebloom was also just as concerned about getting out of this mess as soon as possible. The thought that someone so close to her was in trouble because she wanted to explore such a dangerous place felt awful. It weighed heavily on her conscience. She kicked a piece of debris into the wall as she trotted toward the light source, making a clanging noise and startling Scootaloo.

("Ah wouldn't be surprised if they didn't wanna talk to me anymore...ah don't think ah've ever screwed up so badly. Even worse, Applejack's prob'ly gonna ground me for life...")

Applebloom slowly came to a halt when she noticed only one set of hoofsteps. Looking back, she saw that Scootaloo had stopped just short of the hallway's corner, while she had kept trotting past her without realizing it. She called out to her with a slightly shaky voice, "Scootaloo, what's wrong? Why'd ya stop?"

Her eyes were wide and awash with a mix of astonishment and uneasiness. She replied, "Applebloom, just...look. Look around you."

The light was coming from the ceiling, being emitted from what looked like a large, shining panel. What it revealed, however, left her speechless. The entire corridor was indeed constructed of metal, an unusual beige-colored alloy. Giant pipes were lined across the ceiling as well, traveling down the middle into the next room. But what stood out most of all, was the state of the corridor itself. Multiple bullet holes and burn marks were littered across the walls, a strange tendril hung out of a gash in the ceiling that sparked intermittently with electricity, and a massive silvery cone adorned with angled hooks around its sides was smashed through the right side of the room. Scootaloo slowly came up beside Applebloom to confirm her fears.

"There's no way this place was made by ponies. All this stuff looks like something out of a sci-fi movie." She slowly trotted over to one of the many gashes in the walls, cautiously brushing it with her hoof. "Not only that, there was a big fight going on here, using who-knows-what kind of weapons. Applebloom, I-I think..." She was becoming increasingly nervous. Applebloom gulped. "I think this is an alien spaceship...!"

"A-aliens?!" In the first few moments, she didn't want to believe it. Such a thing was completely outside the realm of rational thought. But looking at the structures around her, and the devastation that had transpired in here, she had no other explanation to turn to. Instantly her mind conjured images of creepy black monsters with claws and two mouths, the skinny creatures with bulbous heads, the hulking, nightmarish beasts with mandibles and a sinister roar. Applebloom could feel the adrenaline rush from earlier coming back.

"SWEETIE BEEELLE!!! WHERE ARE YOUUU!?!"

She started galloping down the corridor without any sense of reason, driven wholly by irrational terror. The only thing she could think about was finding Sweetie Belle and getting out of this place before any of those horrible, disgusting aliens could find them.

"Applebloom, stop! Don't go off on your own!"

Scootaloo was terrified herself, but had enough rationality left to know that they couldn't split up. She galloped after her, pushing past the aching tiredness in her hooves, just barely trailing behind. As she sees Applebloom go around a corner and out of sight, her pursuit is briefly interrupted by a noise coming through the walls. Aside from the fading sounds of hoofsteps, it had been relatively silent until now. Scootaloo unconsciously slowed her stride and strained her ears to listen for anything else. After just a few moments, her fears were confirmed.

("Oh no...I think I hear something moving around! Something big!")

It was the rhythmic pounding of something huge walking around that resonated through the walls. And whatever it was, it sounded close. Now knowing for sure that this place was inhabited, she picked up her pace again and rounded the corner, this time entering another darkened room with what looked like an elevator shaft on the right side. The sight that greeted her thankfully alleviated her biggest worry.

"Sweetie Belle! Oh, thank Celestia you're all right!"

Applebloom had her forelegs wrapped around her in a big hug. Sweetie Belle on the other hoof looked like the stress of this day had finally gotten to her. Her eyes were drying up now, but it was clear that she was recently crying. She returned the hug and buried her head in Applebloom's shoulder.

"I-I'm so glad you're a-all here...(hic)...I w-would've gone looking for you all, but..."

Noticing that she was still trying to calm down, Applebloom finished her sentence for her with a guilty look in her eyes. "She sprained her hoof during that fall down the hole. Was countin' on us findin' her, seein' as she couldn't walk."

"Oh man, this isn't good..."

Scootaloo was grateful that Sweetie Belle was found, but the faints sounds of pounding through the walls reminded her of how dire the situation still was. There was no way she wanted to be put in any situation where they had to face the source of the noises. Since running around aimlessly looking for an exit was no longer an option, she turned to the next best thing.

"We gotta find someplace to hide, quick! I heard something really big moving around just now and I really don't wanna know what it is!"

Applebloom's recent panic attack was quelled upon seeing Sweetie Belle's injury, but not completely. She still shared her friend's sentiments about not wanting anything to do with the denizens of this place. Pulling Sweetie Bell's foreleg over her shoulder somewhat forcefully, she helped her to stand.

"Ah'm so sorry Sweetie Belle, this is all mah fault...if it wasn't fer me an' mah dumb idea we wouldn't be in this mess an' you wouldn't of got hurt and we wouldn't be lost in this alien spaceship an' - "

Sweetie Belle's head snapped up as she heard that last part. She looked Applebloom in the eye and interrupted, "W-what? Alien spaceship?"

Now that she had calmed down, she was able to take in her surroundings. And everything in this room practically screamed "alien".

"That's right! All ah was thinkin' about was gettin' our cutie marks, an' ah ended up puttin' mah best friends in danger! Y'all prob'ly hate me now..."

Sweetie Belle noticed Applebloom's bottom lip was quivering. She was on the verge of tears as well. She replied in a comforting tone, "Uhm...Applebloom, I don't hate you. It wasn't your fault that big, scary snake chased us here, and that earthquake was pretty much my fault."

Even though she was hurt, lost, scared, and bewildered by this place, she pushed those feelings aside. Just as she thought about earlier, the well-being of her friends was more important.

Scootaloo was also concerned enough to be distracted from the noises she heard. “Look, we're all pretty upset about the way this day turned out. But I don't hate you either. Sweetie Belle's right, you can't take the all the blame. We pretty much all screwed up together.”

Applebloom eyes drifted to the floor. She knew that it was all true, but still felt immense guilt for ever bringing them here to begin with.

“Anyway, this has to wait! We still have to find someplace to hide, otherwise -”

A distant whistling noise could be heard in the middle of her sentence, culminating in an ear-splitting explosion that cut her off. Flames and debris burst from the top of the elevator shaft, raising the temperature of the room at least ten degrees. Scootaloo instinctively jumped forward and hugged her friends as they all shrieked in fear, screwing their eyes shut. Moments after the explosion, a loud, metallic slam resonated throughout the room. The telltale pounding she heard from earlier let her know that something had just jumped down the shaft, and was walking toward them.

(“Oh no...they found us...!”)

They were all afraid to look. They didn't want to see the thing that was in the room with them. But morbid curiosity got the better of them all. Simultaneously opening their eyes, they finally got an eye full of the alien they were so afraid of.

(“...w-what is it...?”)

(“That thing looks really dangerous...!”)

(“Some kinda...metal ogre...?”)

Walking towards them was a bipedal giant, made entirely of a glossy, dark metal. It had two arms and two legs. Its joints made the most unnatural of noises as it walked, clanking and whirring softly. There were wheels attached to its legs and back, and was carrying a strange cylinder with holes on the face on its right shoulder. Its head resembled something more akin to a helmet than anything else; its eyes were like a glowing red visor, it had a faceplate instead of a mouth and nose, and its forehead looked like a horned crown. However, its most striking feature was its rectangular torso. There were multiple sections of its shoulders and legs glowing a sinister purple color, but a large plate in its torso glowed the brightest, branded in the center by a purple insignia. An insignia that resembled its face.

“U^#no/n li+e *orm% id{n*&fied. T)ere #* a hig& pr=bab^%ity /f t^$se c/ea*u+%s b+^ng i]di\e&!us to t?%s *&anet.”

Its faceplate moved in tandem as it spoke, sounding in an unworldly, harmonic monotone. Still hugging each other, Applebloom was the first to squeak out words.

“Wh...what's it sayin'? What's it gonna do to us?”

Scootaloo responded, “Applebloom, it's an alien! Did you think it was gonna speak english?!”

“Th# ope^a%*on m^+t r&mai< ]?*ert. &e^%ina#ing.”

Sections of its right arm suddenly split apart, yet it somehow stayed together as the pieces shift around. In less than a second, it had transformed its hand into some kind of firearm. Its barrel was smoking and hot, indicating that it had been recently fired. The fillies could feel their hearts fill with ice as it pointed the barrel in their direction.

(“It's...really over now, isn't it...?”)

(“It's gonna shoot us, it's gonna SHOOT US!”)

(“This is...all mah fault...”)

None of them could think or act. They were completely frozen in terror. They only thing they could think about, was that this metal giant was going to kill them. And there was nothing they could do about it but stare down the gun it was pointing at them. The click of the chamber and the sound of an empty magazine falling to the floor was enough cause them to shriek once again. They hardly noticed the crescendo of steps coming from the adjacent hallway.

“S%^ndwa#e!”

The sound of something slamming itself down in front of them filled their ears before they heard automatic gunfire and ricocheting bullets. Sweetie Belle was the first to notice they were unharmed, as she cautiously opened her eyes. What met her gaze, however, left her astonished and confused. It was another metal giant, but this one was using its own body to shield them. Sweetie Belle cried out, “Girls, look!”

Opening their eyes with the same amount of caution, Applebloom and Scootaloo were met with the backside of a red colored giant. This one also had wheels attached to its body, in the base of its legs and elbows. It was knelt down and had its arms crossed in front of itself, trying to block as much of the other giant's gunfire as possible.

(“It's helping us...?”)

The three fillies all thought the same thing. However, they were not going to have much time to contemplate it. The attacker was forced to fall back into the right corridor as more metal giants started dropping into the room from the burning elevator shaft, each of them armed with their own weapons. Their protector fell to its knees, its body smoking from point-blank gunfire. One of the others that had dropped down came over to the it, apparently showing concern. After a moment of them speaking in their alien tongue, the rest ran off to pursue the attacker. As their pounding footsteps became more distant, the red giant slowly stood up and faced the three cowering fillies.

Scootaloo was the first to say something. “W-what now?! Are you gonna sh-shoot at us t-too?!”

This giants face resembled something they were used to; two eyes, and a mouth. Therefore, it was easier to read its emotions – and what they could glean from its expression was some semblance of concern. The giant said nothing, knowing there was a language barrier between them. Instead, it studied the three of them for a moment before backing up a few steps, and in the same way the attacking giant had transformed its hand, this one transformed its entire body. They now knew what the wheels in its limbs were for; it had shifted its body parts around into the shape of a four wheeled vehicle. A door on the side of its body opened upward, revealing a space inside. It was beckoning them to go inside.

Scootaloo, however, wasn't about to trust an alien she just met. “Oh NO, there's NO way I'm getting inside some freaky alien! I bet you just wanna probe us and dissect us and whatever, but – hey! Sweetie Belle, what do you think you're doing?!”

Sweetie Belle had let go of Applebloom's shoulder and was currently limping toward the vehicle/alien's compartment. She responded to Scootaloo while eying the red insignia on its side. “Girls, this alien just saved our lives. I think...I think we can trust him.”

----

- Outside the Sealed Gate, Nightfall

“This is unbelievable. What could have caused so much devastation?”

Twilight stood aghast before what remained of the gate, the rest of her friends staying closely behind with shared sympathies. Massive cracks covered the entire framework, and pieces of the outside facing had already crumbled down. Looking at it now, it was as if it would fall apart from the slightest breeze at any moment. Applejack trotted over to a piece of debris and rolled it over with her hoof, revealing a part of a scrambled rune marking.

“Boy howdy...they sure don' make em' like they used to.”

Twilight responded, “That's just it Applejack, they don't. These are ancient, royal rune seals we're talking about, there's absolutely no way anypony could have even attempted to dispel them, let alone the entire gate. Knowledge of this kind of magic is known only to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, so whoever or whatever did this is must be capable of completely nullifying magic itself. It's the only explanation I can think of.”

A sky blue pegasus sporting a mane and tail lined with all the colors of the rainbow flew up next to Twilight, hovering several feet off the ground. She glared intently at the ruined gate.

“Who cares who did this or why?! Pinkie Pie said Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were in there, right?! We gotta bust in and save them right now!”

The gate didn't crumble away enough to have an opening, but she was prepared to make one. She reeled back and readied herself to smash through an exposed crevice, only to have her charge brought to a halt by Applejack biting firmly onto the end of her tail.

“GAH! Hey! Why do you keep doing that when I'm trying to get things done?!”

Applejack spit her tail out and replied, “Be-cause, the last thing we need's a rock slide comin' down on us Rainbow Dash! Look, I'm rarin' to go as any feller here, but we need a plan.” She looked in Twilight's direction. “Have any ideas Twi?”

Her face was filled with insecurity. “Well, no...just give me a second to think...”

Rarity, however, was becoming increasingly impatient. “Please, you must think of someway to get inside Twilight! My little sister's in there! The longer we stand here, the more danger she could be in! Oh, she could be at the mercy of some horrid monster for all we know...!”

Twilight snapped back, “I'm THINKING! Just – just don't hassle me!”

Out of everypony here, Twilight was the one most rattled. There were too many things going through her mind at once. She couldn't help but think about how the gate's magic was destroyed, how those three fillies could end up inside there, and what this could mean for all of Equestria. Because of her failure, the home she loved so dearly could very well be razed to the ground, just as the Princess had said. Shaking her head, she did her best to not think about any “what-if” scenarios right now. What mattered was the task at hoof. Scanning the cracks on the gate, she quickly formulated a plan.

“Girls, I'm going to use a concussion spark one of the cracks. This is going to need pinpoint accuracy, so stand back. I don't want to cause an avalanche.”

Her friends did as instructed, standing closely together a few meters behind her. She took a deep breath and focused her eyes on her target, the tip of her horn generating a small, glowing orb.

“Here goes nothi – WAH!”

Twilight's concentration is broken by a strange, dark colored vehicle smashing through the gate from the inside. Both herself and her friends managed to dive out its way as it drifted to the left with a loud screech of its tires, speeding its way down the ravine.

Applejack waved the dust out of her face before saying, “What in tarnation was that thing?!”

Before anypony else could respond, a smaller, red vehicle broke out of the gate through a different section, apparently pursuing the one that nearly ran them over. As the others watched it speed out of sight, Twilight's attention was on the damage to the gate. She gasped as she noticed the cracks were getting noticeably larger.

“Everyone group up, quick! The gate's falling!”

The moment they were all huddled up, Twilight created a transparent barrier around them all as the gate finally gave way to age and damage. Giant pieces of stone and metal fall to the ground, kicking up massive clouds of dirt and dust. Thankfully, the only things bouncing off the barrier were bits of pebble. She released her spell as the earth stops shaking, confident the danger had passed. As the dust clears, the ponies were given another reason to feel intimidated.

(“This...this is what Princess Celestia had seen one thousand years ago. This is what she feared the most.”)

The story was still fresh in her mind, but to actually see it before her was a different feeling entirely. It was just as Celestia described it; a colossal vessel rivaling the mightiest mountain. And now that the gate was nothing more than a giant pile of rubble, it was time to move.

“Nothing stopping me now! I'm goin' in!”

Rainbow Dash was the first to act. She sped over the massive mound of broken stone without a second thought, only to fly right back over it with a resounding yelp. Hovering near Twilight again, she exclaimed with a slight nervousness, “Guys, we've got company! BIG company!”

Moments after her abrupt return, two metal giants had climbed atop the stone mound. The left one had a white torso and ocean blue arms and legs. Its eyes were obscured by a red visor, yet still possessed what looked like a nose and mouth. The other was nearly the complete opposite; it stood at least several meters taller than its companion, was colored almost completely red, and had a faceplate instead of a mouth. It's most striking feature was a triangular shaped cannon in its torso. They both slid down the rubble and landed in front of the ponies with a loud, metallic thud. Twilight took a step backward.

(“...No! We can't back down now!”)

These giants stood at least one or two stories taller than them all. They could just as easily step on them like ants. However, Twilight doesn't allow herself to overtaken by fear. Gritting her teeth, she took a step forward.

“There should be three fillies inside that ship of yours! Where are they?!”

The red giant was taken aback, looking between the ponies and his partner.

“H(y, t%ey +*n't s^eak ou+ l#!gua}e...”

As soon as the red one talked, they realized it didn't understand them. It was also evident that it was at a loss of what to do or say. The blue one simply fiddled with something on its forearm, seemingly ignoring the situation. Fidgeting in place a little, the red giant took a step forward and held out its hand in front of itself.

“Erm... Bah-weep-graaagnah wheep nini bong...”

The ponies were only met with more confusion. Save for Pinkie Pie.

“Ooo! Bah-weep-graaagnah wheep nini bong!”

They turned their confused looks to Pinkie. Applejack responded, “Pinkie, why in the hay are you repeatin' what it said?!”

She replied in a “matter-of-fact” tone, “Because! That's the universal greeting!”

Twilight couldn't believe her ears. “Pinkie, that isn't anything! It's just a bunch of gibberish!”

Even the giant looked disappointed. Rainbow Dash huffed, “Alright, that's it! If you don't wanna tell us where those fillies are, I'm just gonna smash you guys up till ya do!”

She flew up into the air, ready to dive kick them at an astounding speed. The red giant readied itself for it, bringing its fists up.

“WAIIIT!”

A chick yellow pegasus with a soft pink mane and tail flew in front of the red giant, her forelegs out at her sides in a protective manner. She had been unsurprisingly quiet all this time, but she knew what Rainbow was about to do would only make things worse.

Frantically flapping her wings backward to come to a halt, she yelled out, “Fluttershy, what do you think you're doing?!”

She took a moment to look into the red giant's visor before looking back to Rainbow Dash. “It's okay! I don't think these giants mean any harm. I mean...I've been trying to tell you all for a while now.”

“She's right you know.”

All eyes were immediately on the blue giant. It gave a warm smile and calmly said, “Sorry about the silent treatment, but I had to take some time to translate your language. As they say, patience is a virtue.” It tapped a few buttons on its arm again. “I'm sharing the data script with everyone right now. Shouldn't have to worry about any miscommunication anymore.”

The red giant grunted in frustration. “Ugh, couldn't you have done that sooner?! I went ahead and made a lugnut of myself for no reason...”

Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity were at a loss for words. Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs while still hovering, not quite ready to trust them yet. Fluttershy simply matched the blue one's smile. Pinkie Pie had a maniacal grin on her face.

“This is so AMAZING! I've never, ever, EVER seen anything like you guys!” Pinkie started bouncing all around them, poking and prodding their legs. “So are you both like, giant alien robots?! Cause' I don't think I've EEEVER seen a giant alien robot in Ponyville before! Are you new around here?! What are these wheels in your legs for?! Have you ever – mppff!”

Twilight teleported to Pinkie's side with loud spark and shoved a hoof in her mouth before teleporting back to her original position with her. She shouted to the blue one, “Ok, well, now that you understand us, tell us where Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo are!”

As if to answer her question, a red vehicle came barreling down the stone mound and screeched to a halt next to the red giant. Their greatest worry was lifted as the door opened on its side.

“Sweetie Belle! Oh, thank heavens you're all right!”

The moment Rarity spotted her sister, she was scooping her up into a hug seconds afterward. Scootaloo rubbed a hoof behind her head and looked at the ground, not sure how to feel about the situation. Applebloom slowly exited last with a depressed look on her face.

Applejack just as quickly galloped over to her own sister and hugged her in the same manner. “Oh mah stars an' garters...! I don' know what I'd do if anythin' happened to ya...”

Now that she was safe, Applejack let go and rested a hoof on her shoulder, looking her square in the eyes. “Applebloom, what in the sam hill are y'all doin' out here?”

She said it with concern, but Applebloom mistook it as an accusation. She bit her lower lip as it started quivering again. “Applejack, ah...ah...!”

The guilt in her heart was too much. Applebloom buried her head in her sisters shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably.

Sweetie Belle let go of Rarity and limped over to them. “Applejack, please don't be mad at her! She's really, really sorry! And - and it's not her fault!”

“It's all right. Ah'm not mad at anypony.”

She wanted to know what they were doing here, but instead opted to let her sister calm down, lovingly stroking the back of her head.

“Besides, ah've got a bigger question I want answered.”

She looked to the 'robots' as Pinkie called them.

“Don't y'all worry, I can accommodate.”

The red vehicle transformed into another giant, much to the shock of everypony watching. It spoke in a raspy, gruff tone, with an accent not that dissimilar to Applejack's. “Ah saved these here young'uns when they were attacked by Soundwave. Nearly toasted mah circuits doin' it too.”

Twilight stepped forward, no longer wary of them. She asked them in a calmer tone, “Who and what are all of you?”

The gruff one looked down into her eyes and sighed. “Mah name's Ironhide. The guy with the howitzer in his chest next to me's called Warpath, and the walkin' zen archive over there's named Beachcomber.”

He gestured to the insignia on his chest, a red symbol that resembled a face. “We're the Autobots.”

----

“Fear not Megatron, Cybertron shall remain as you leave it.”

----

[Shockwave's Case Files: Entry: # 001]
Lord Megatron and the bulk of the remaining Decepticon forces have now departed Cybertron aboard the Nemesis, leaving myself to seize control of what remains. Whether or not the space bridge will take them to the target planet remains to be seen, however, Lord Megatron's orders are absolute. Totalitarian control and preservation of the Decepticon cause are, and will always be, priority one.
And thus, I begin these case files to archive any pertinent current events and scientific findings throughout my temporary regime. My first order of business will be to find a suitable replacement for my left arm, as well as construction of a new research and development facility.

The Search, Chapter 2: Diplomacy

View Online

She was tired. Exhausted. But she still pressed on, motivated entirely by bravado. It didn't matter how many brambles scratched her, how much mud she trudged through, or what kinds of monsters she'd have to face here. She had been preparing for months just for this one moment, and she wouldn't let it slip through her hooves. Checking the trail of hoofprints to make sure she was following the right path, she let a weary smile creep across her lips.

“Tonight's the night I get EVEN with you...(pant)...Twilight Sparkle...”

----

“Autobot? What in the hay's an Autobot?”

Applejack was the first to question the one called Ironhide. He started to reply, but a raised hand from Beachcomber stopped him. “Please allow me the honor. It looks like you're about to blow a gasket there, old pal.”

His words rung true as his companion made a fist and looked away with a tense expression. He continued, “We're a race of sentient machines from the planet Cybertron.” Twilight mentally shuddered at the thought of an entire race of these things inside that vessel. “The name 'Autobot' refers to the faction of Cybertronians we belong to, as shown by this.” He tapped the insignia on his chest. “We've -”

Ironhide cut him off, holding a hand in his face. “Yeah, well, we'll tell y'all 'bout that later. Right now we're pursuin' an extremely dangerous Decepticon and we don't got time fer talkin' 'bout our life stories!”

Pinkie innocently asked, “What's a Decepticon?”

It was obvious his patience was wearing thin. “Bad guys! The same one that nearly scrapped meh while ah was savin' those kids! And the longer we sit here gittin' all warm an' cozy with each other, the further he gits away!”

Rainbow Dash interjected, flying square in his face. “Oh yeah?! How do we know YOU'RE not the bad guys here?!”

Ironhide looked her in the eye, attempting to remain level-headed. “Look, ah know we ain't exactly, er...trustworthy right now. But ya gotta understand, if we don' move now, we're gonna lose track of em'!”

Fluttershy floated softly to the ground, timidly adding, “Uhm, well, there was someone chasing after that, uhm...Decepticon. Was that smaller, red vehicle an Autobot?”

Warpath scoffed and shook his head. “Must've been Cliffjumper. Shoulda known that hothead would go off on his own.” He turned his attention to Rainbow Dash. “Anyway, gramps here is right. The sooner we get goin', the sooner we can KABLAM!” He drove his point home by smashing his fist into his palm. “ - turn that Decpti-creep into a smokin' crater!”

“I'm afraid that will have to wait Warpath!”

Everyone's attention is once again drawn to the top of the stone mound, a mostly white colored Autobot standing atop it. “We've managed to deter the remaining Decepticon forces inside the Ark, but we've suffered massive casualties! There's far too many Autobots that are in need of immediate medical attention, and I'm going to need every hand I can spare!”

Warpath retorted, “Are you serious Ratchet?! We can't leave that Con' on the loose, s'pecially not a Con' like Soundwave! We all know what he's done! You think for one second I'm gonna let him get away?!” He faced Ironhide. “C'mon old man, back me up!”

He was visibly showing his distaste for the situation, averting his eyes from everyone present and clenching his fist tighter. After taking a moment to assess his priorities, he slowly relaxed and responded in a calmer tone, “No Warpath, he's right. Gettin' everyone patched up is more important than chasin' after Soundwave. Best we kin' do's hope that Cliffjumper's got it covered.” He knelt down onto one knee and looked at Twilight. “Sorry, what's yer name missy?”

She was getting used to simply watching these 'Autobots' that she was somewhat startled when Ironhide addressed her. She cleared her throat, “Oh, (ahem), I'm Twilight Sparkle.”

He nodded once. “Twilight. Ah'm guessin' this is a lot to take in right now, but ah promise y'all the time to git things straightened out. It's jus gonna have ta wait.” Standing up, he announced, “Alright, lets move out Autobots!”

At his command, all three of them transformed into their respective vehicle forms, Beachcomber's being a dune buggy, while Warpath's was a hover tank. “Sorry 'bout all this.” Ironhide apologized to the ponies present before following behind the other two Autobots up the stone mound and out of sight. The one they called Ratchet spared a glance at them before departing himself.

A rather awkward moment of silence followed soon afterward. Here they were, witness to the awakening of an entire civilization of technologically advanced machines - or as Pinkie had put it, 'giant alien robots' that could transform into vehicles as if it were second nature. Nopony here knew how to react or what to say. Deciding the atmosphere was getting rather chilly, Rarity voiced her thoughts first. “Well...then...that wasn't quite what I expected...”

Twilight's gaze rested firmly on the colossal spaceship. “...actually, I should have seen something like this coming. When Princess Celestia told me of the gates, she also mentioned that she apologized to whoever was inside. They were sealed away because both the princesses feared that whatever these things were could ultimately destroy Equestria. The thing is, nopony actually met the Autobots...” Her gaze drifted to the ground, suddenly being reminded of a lesson about friendship she had recently learned. “And here I was stressing about 'the terrible threat' behind the gate...”

Brushing past the stifling atmosphere of the moment, Applejack added, “Well, anyway...I'm gonna take the fillies home already. Thinkin' they've had enough excitement for one day.” Applebloom had stopped crying now, but was still holding her sister close, trembling lightly from the stress. Fluttershy trotted up to next to her, gently stroking her head. “I'll go with you Applejack. It's gotten dark out, so all the nocturnal animals are probably up. I don't want some naughty critter to bother poor Applebloom.” Her eyes flickered over to Twilight. “Oh! Uhm, unless you want me to stay, Twilight...”

She looked over and responded, “No, it's okay Fluttershy. The rest of us will get to the bottom of this, you two just get them home.”

After saying their goodbyes, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash began taking turns air-lifting them out of the ravine. As this was happening, Rarity trotted up to Twilight. “Well, do you have a plan of action? Because, honestly, I still don't know how to feel at the moment...” Though she was eternally grateful that Ironhide had saved her sister, one look at the Autobots made her feel incredibly anxious. Aside from Beachcomber and perhaps Ratchet, the other two felt violent and brutish. She was worried that the rest of them had the same kind of disposition.

Twilight showed uncertainty in her eyes as she stared at the ground, but only momentarily. Creasing her brow, she looked to Rarity and said with resolve, “I'm going to help them. They saved those fillies' lives, so it's only best that we do the same.”

At this point, Rainbow had finished bringing them back up the ravine and heard what she wanted to do. “Hold it, HOLD IT! Just like that, you're going to trust them?!” She zipped in front of her. “We don't know anything about them! How do you know this 'Ironhide' didn't save those kids just because he wanted something out of it?!”

Twilight put a hoof onto the stone mound, making eye contact with her. “I don't know that, Rainbow. But that's what I intend to find out.” She looked to the rest of her friends. “I'll understand if you don't want to come with me, but...this is best possible course of action. We have to put this mystery to rest, right now.”

She teleported to the top of the pile of rubble and galloped out of sight. Rainbow Dash simply floated there, her mouth hanging slightly open. She almost missed Pinkie Pie bouncing past her. “Pinkie, not you too!”

She stopped mid bounce and nonchalantly exclaimed, “Aw, c'mon Dashie! I didn't think they were bad robots! I bet we just have to get to know them, that's all! And besides, I have to get started planning! Giant robots means an even giant-er super duper welcome party!”

“Well...in any case, I suppose I should give Ironhide my thanks...” Rarity adjusted her mane and followed the still-bouncing Pinkie up the stone mound. “Ohh, all this filthy dust is going to RUIN my pony-pedi...”

Rainbow Dash was beside herself. She apparently was the only pony here who had any inkling of common sense. She brought a hoof to her face, disheartened. “Ugh, you gotta be kidding me...” With a deep, resigning sigh, she hollered out, “Wait up guys, I'm comin' too!”

(“WrrrRRrrrrr...”)

She made it to the top of the stone mound before hearing the most unusual sound, stopping mid flight and taking a quick look behind her. Figuring it was some kind of weird forest animal, she shrugged it off and flew after her friends.

----

“Ironhide, the power grid's fluctuating, I need it stabilized!”

“Already on it! The relay blew another moleculon fuse!”

“Oh no...this one's leaking badly! Someone get me an energon defibrillator, stat!”

“O-over here! Just managed to get it working!”

Navigating the twisting corridors, Twilight followed the voices and commotion to a massive room, even in comparison to the Autobots themselves. Judging from the complex consoles, diagnostic screens, and lack of any stretchers or tables, this room was recently turned into a makeshift sickbay on short notice. The sense of urgency was high here, as she saw all four of the Autobots she had recently met, plus several others she had yet to be introduced to, frantically running from place to place, either working on fixing equipment, or each other. Twilight's breath became short upon seeing so many brutally injured lying in a row next to each other. She felt her friends slowly coming up behind her, but didn't look away.

Rarity brought a hoof to her mouth, aghast. “Oh...my...t-this is dreadful...”

Pinkie had plopped down onto her haunches, covering her mouth with both her hooves. “It's so horrible...”

Rainbow Dash hovered behind them all, unsure of whether to still feel distrustful, or sensitive to their plight. “Oh man...these guys got messed up pretty bad.”

It was a grim sight indeed. But she wouldn't let it unnerve her. Galloping over to the one giving orders, Twilight called out to him. “E-excuse me? You're called Ratchet, right?”

She couldn't see what he was doing from her angle, but she saw sparks coming from the shoulder of an Autobot he was working on. He briefly glanced down at Twilight. “The natives?” His eyes drifted over to her friends in the doorway before concentrating back on his work. “I'm afraid this isn't the time. Your concern about us being here is warranted, but it's not something that can be discussed now. Countless Autobots are in danger of dying.”

Twilight visibly winced at the thought of anyone dying, but quickly retorted. “I-I know! We're here to help!”

“You can't be...” Ratchet sighed in slight annoyance, but replied politely. “I appreciate your valor, but I refuse to believe there's anything the four of you can do. Our anatomies are clearly different, not to mention you lack any sort of Cybertronian medical background. I'm sorry to say this, but you would only be in the way.”

She wanted to argue this further, but her train of thought was interrupted by another white Autobot appearing in the doorway. This one had blue eyes, a cylindrical faceplate for a mouth, and two cone shaped protrusions on the sides of his head which blinked with blue lights as he spoke. “Hope you're finished over there Ratchet, cause' we've got a huge problem!” He had the arm of another wounded Autobot over his shoulder, a smaller yellow one. His eyes were black and lifeless, and there was a giant, sparking wound in the left side of his chest. “Whatever jolted us all outta emergency stasis did the same to Bumblebee here, and I can't put him back! If we don't find a way repair this, he's gonna die in, like, less than a cycle!”

“Thank Primus I just finished...” Ratchet immediately ran over and put Bumblebee's other arm over his shoulder. The ponies standing near back up slightly out of their way. “There's a space for him over here, lay him down gently, Wheeljack.” Twilight galloped over next to Ratchet, this time getting a better look at what he was doing. She watched him examine the wound in his chest methodically and carefully, eventually finding two ends of a severed cable that sparked with blue electricity. “From the looks of it, he took an ion cannon point-blank...I'm surprised he's even functioning at all. Wheeljack, please tell me you manged to salvage a welder!” He stood up and shook his head. “Don't have the time...I'm finding damaged Autobots all over the place.” Ratchet slammed his fist into the floor in frustration. “Blast! You were right, if I don't find a way to repair this energon cable, he'll die for sure...!”

As Twilight saw the cable, her eyes lit up. “Ratchet, I can fix that cable! All I have to do is put those two ends back together, right?!”

Ratchet couldn't believe his auditory sensors. “You can't be serious! A wound this severe requires delicate precision and the proper equipment! I can't trust the life an Autobot soldier in the hands of a complete amateur, much less someone from a different world!” She responded with utmost conviction, “Hooves. And if it's something like this, it shouldn't be any problem at all. Please Ratchet, you have to trust me!” He was taken aback. It looked like he wanted berate her for being foolish, but a look of resignation fell over his face. “There's no time...and we're completely out of options. Alright, you may proceed if you're so confident.”

She nodded once and teleported on top of Bumblebee, surprising all the Autobots watching. Her horn glows a soft magenta, and the two ends of the cable in Bumblebee's chest do the same. “Okay...delicately...” As she slowly fits the ends together, a quick flash of light blinded Ratchet for a second, causing him to shield his optics. When he looked down into the wound again, he saw that the cable had been completely repaired, with no signs of wear or tear. “This...defies all logic and physics, how did...!” He looked between Twilight and her friends once again, reminding himself of his priorities. “Ah, never mind! I...I will allow you four to assist me. However, you absolutely must follow my instructions.”

Twilight smiled. She calls out to her friends, “Hear that?! Come on girls, let's get to work!”

Pinkie Pie and Rarity matched her smile and galloped over to Ratchet. Rainbow Dash still had her reservations, but wasn't about to let any of these Autobots die. Slamming her front hooves together, she joined them.

----

She immediately regretted following her into the forest now. It took nearly an hour to get to the bottom of the ravine without falling, and what she found at the end of the trail was something she hadn't expected at all. A combination of tiredness and intimidation caused her to fall backwards.

“Wh...what IS that thing?!”

Although she had voiced it out loud, she actually had no interest in finding out. The only thing she wanted was to get far, far away from the giant 'whatever this was' in the cliffside. Unfortunately, the moment she turned around to start scaling the cliff again, she was met by a black pegasus clad in dark bluish-purple armor and uncharacteristic bat wings, staring at her with yellow, slitted eyes. She squeaked in surprise when more of these pegasi start landing around her.

“The Canterlot night guard?! Then...that means...!”

Her eyes turned to the night sky. Sure enough, an ornate purple chariot drawn by two more bat-pegasi streaked across sky and landed directly in front of her. The alicorn exiting her escort caused her to fall to her haunches again.

“P-princess Luna?! But, how...why...what are you doing here?!”

Luna raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Actually, I should ask the same of you.”

----

- Several Hours later

Ratchet closed a panel on another wounded Autobot and sighed in relief. “Wheeljack tells me that's the last of them...I thank you all for your assistance. We've saved a lot of lives this day.”

“It's the least we could do Ratchet. I mean, after sealing this place up and all...”

The long night and strenuous activity was starting to wear Twilight down, but not enough to have one more chat. Feeling it was now appropriate, she asked him, “Well, now that all of these Autobots have been patched up, would it be a good time for you all to explain yourselves?”

Ironhide set down a piece of complex machinery, walking over to her, “Now's a good a time as any.” He noticed that Rainbow Dash still has the same grimace he saw earlier. “Still feelin' antsy, missy?”

She scowled, “The name's Rainbow Dash, not 'missy'. And even though I helped fix you all up, that doesn't mean I've got any reason to trust you yet.”

He held a hand up, “Fair enough. Hope we kin' earn that trust eventually.”

Rarity also had a grimace, but for an entirely different reason. “Ohh, I'm almost certain my beautifully styled mane is out of place somewhere...Ironhide, could you be a dear and hold still for a moment? I have to make due with your leg as a mirror, all this icky manual labor has probably ruined me...”

“Uh, sure thing...”

Twilight sighed out of both weariness and exasperation. “Rarity, the only actual labor you got done was with your magic. And trotting back and forth pointing out all their wounds for us doesn't count.”

Ratchet managed to catch a specific word during their little comedic return. (“They can't be serious...could they? Does magic actually exist on this planet?”) It was a subject he wanted to explore, but decided someone else would be more appropriate. Besides, it was time for both of them to exchange stories. “(Ahem), in any case, I believe we should meet up with Perceptor first. He's been busy attempting to get Teletraan-1 back online, so we should find him on the bridge.”

“Um...ok.” Twilight had no idea what he was talking about. “Alright everypony, let's – wait a second.” She stopped herself short, looking around the sickbay. Noticing the hint of shock in her eyes, Rainbow Dash asks, “Hey, what's the matter Twilight?”

Her face paled almost as white as Rarity's coat. “...where's Pinkie Pie?!”

----

The aforementioned pink pony looked behind her with a troubled expression as she trotted down the battle scarred halls.

“I really hope they don't mind me leaving so suddenly. I just can't stand the thought of somepony – (somebot?) - still hurt somewhere...I must remain diligent! Vigilant! On top of things...i-int! And, OH! You! You over there! Are you hurt anywhere at all?!”

“...”

“Hello-o, Pinkie to Autobot!”

“...”

“(gasp), you must be really, REALLY hurt! Like, so hurt you can't even talk! I've got to get you to Ratchet pronto!”

Unfortunately for her, she wasn't quite able to discern Autobots from machinery or wreckage just yet, mistaking a broken munitions crate for another casualty. Not to be deterred, Pinkie got behind it and started pushing to no avail.

“Come...on...gotta...get you...fixed up! Bleh...how'd you get so heavy anyway? It's like you ate a million cupcakes in one sitting! I can't even eat that much without getting a big, nasty, tummyache!”

Realizing this wasn't working, Pinkie took a few steps back and snorted out. “Okay, I can do this! Nurse Pinkie's gotta get you some medical attention!”

She galloped forth and body slams the crate, causing it to slide forward a few feet and leaving a Pinkie Pie-sized imprint in its place. Peeling herself off, she proclaimed, “Ha! How's that mister one million cupcakes?! Now I just need to do this exactly seven hundred eighty three more times until we get to the sickbay!” What she didn't realize was the impact from a pony body slamming a munitions crate jarred a grenade out of place inside of it. “Alrighty, here I go agai – WAAHHHWE'REUNDERATTACK!!!”

Right as she moved back to gain distance again, the crate exploded, igniting the munitions and spraying flames everywhere. Assuming something was attacking, Pinkie galloped off in a erratic pattern without any clear destination. Quickly ducking into a darkened room, she grinded to a halt and sat herself down with a tired sigh. After giving herself a moment to think, she said out loud with a raised eyebrow, “...that was just a crate, wasn't it? Well...at least nopony – I mean bot got hurt.” She took a quick look around herself. “Wait...where am I anyway? Ohh, Pinkie, you just had to get yourself lost now, didn't you?!” She got up and began to leave, only to stop herself short at the doorway. “Double wait! What if there's somepony, I mean bot injured in here too?!” She turned around and walked back in the room, “Helloooo, if there's an Autobot that needs some fixing up, please say somethiiiing! Ouch!” While she was aimlessly wandering around in the dark, Pinkie stubbed her hoof against a wall. Sitting down again, she rubbed it with her other hoof. “Owie...all this annoying darkness is making it too hard to see in here. I wish somepony or somebot would turn the lights on...” Pinkie's eyes widened as the room's lights activated immediately after she made her comment. Making a thoughtful face, she responded, “Um...I wish a giant chocolate ice cream cake would appear for me to gobble up!” She held her hooves out with a big smile on her face, actually expecting a cake to appear, only becoming disappointed five minutes later. “Drat. I thought for sure that would work.”

“IDENTIFICATION: NOT FOUND. REQUEST: EXPLANATION.”

“EEEP!”

Pinkie's ears were suddenly filled with a deep, booming voice that seemed to come from everywhere, startling her and causing her to jump backwards. Her head flicked around wildly, searching for its source. “W-who said that?! Why do you sound like someone turned the bass to eleven?!”

“THREAT ASSESSMENT: ZERO. RESPONSE: INCONCLUSIVE. REQUEST: EXPLANATION.”

Getting a better idea of where the voice was coming from, her eyes go to the wall where she stubbed her hoof. However, she was quick to realize it wasn't technically a wall as her eyes traced what it was connected to. Pinkie was forced to walk back slowly to get a better look at the Autobot sitting against the wall.

“Oooooo...”

He was gigantic. Gargantuan. Enormous. Simple words couldn't describe just how big this Autobot was, even relevant to the ones she had recently met. The 'wall' she bumped into was in fact his left hand; some kind of detailed cone-shaped apparatus. His right hand was just as strange, it being a four-pronged, circular claw. His rectangular torso housed two domes facing forward in his hips, with two more adorned on dual wire-framed steel beams held on his back that curved left and right respectively. His head was shaped like another dome, as he had no neck, but a recognizable face with eyes and a mouth. Along from his obvious size, everything about him was exaggerated, from the loud whirring of his joints, to the small moving parts of his armor. He held the Autobot insignia on chestplate, letting Pinkie know he wasn't a danger.

“Hi there! I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?”

He bent forward slightly to look down at her, not showing any emotion. “IDENTITY: OMEGA SUPREME.”

“Um, so...your name's Omega Supreme...?” She was having some difficulty getting used to his method of speech. “Sounds like something Dashie would come up with! Sooo, why are you just sitting here? Shouldn't you be meeting up with your friends?”

“INTERNAL SYSTEMS DAMAGE: EXTENSIVE. PROLONGED MOTION: ILL-ADVISABLE.”

“(GASP), so you're hurt too?! But where? It's kinda hard to miss something like that being as big as you are, but...oh.”

The rest of his body showed no visible damage, but now that Pinkie was looking for something out of the ordinary, she was able to spot it instantly. Sticking subtly out of his chestplate were gnarled, black, pulsating crystals.

“Oh my...that looks really painful...”

This was worse that what she first witnessed back in the sickbay. Something about those crystals instinctively made her uneasy. Just looking at them for this short amount of time made her feel...bad. She couldn't properly describe the feeling, all she knew was that she felt was bad. Those crystals were bad. And they were lodged in his chest. Pinkie tore her eyes away from the sight and looked into Omega's eyes.

“IDENTIFICATION UPDATED: PINKIE PIE. DESIGNATION: UNKNOWN. RECOMMENDATION: DEPARTURE.”

Pinkie tilted her head to the side, taking a second to decipher what he was saying. “Wait...I-I don't wanna just leave you like this! I mean, you're hurt, right? Lemme get Ratchet, he can -”

“FURTHER REPAIRS: IMPOSSIBLE. CURRENT STATUS: STANDBY.”

“O-oh...” So there was nothing more that could be done for him. Pinkie's eyes fell downward, shifting back and forth slightly in thought. He couldn't leave, and he couldn't get fixed up right now, but she just had to do something for him. Not being able to meet up with the other Autobots or even move right now was just too sad. (“Sad...? Silly me, of course!”) Her repressed mood was quickly replaced by her usual happy-go-lucky smile.

“...I know what I can do for ya, Omega! Laughter is the best medicine after all!”

----

“The explosion came from this direction, hurry!”

What was previously a search for a missing pony suddenly became a mad dash to locate a possible attack. Rainbow Dash had no trouble keeping up with Ratchet and Warpath as they ran down the corridor, but the same couldn't be said for Twilight or Rarity, no matter how fast they galloped. As the three of them rounded a corner, Rarity's speed dropped to a canter.

“Pick up the pace Rarity! We'll get lost in here if we can't keep up!”

She pouted a little, “But Twilight! I just got my mane back into place, I can't possibly let it become ruined again!”

There were times where she just couldn't understand her friend's priorities. “Ugh, are you really – never mind, there they are.” A part of her wanted to continue complaining, but thankfully everyone else ahead was stopped at a massive, open doorway. Ratchet and Rainbow each shared an incredulous look as they looked inside, whereas Warpath was quite the opposite.

“Bwahahahaha! This is hilarious, what's she doin'?!”

As they approached the doorway, Rarity and Twilight's moods were just as soured. Pinkie Pie was here alright, tearing around the room, doing Celestia knows what. In one moment she was spinning around like a top on her foreleg, in the next she was juggling scraps of metal while balancing on the corner of an empty crate.

“GENERAL PHYSICS: DEFIED. LOGIC CIRCUITS: OVERLOADED. REQUEST: IMMEDIATE REMOVAL.”

Right as Twilight was about to do her best to calmly ask Pinkie what she was doing, her train of thought was interrupted by a booming voice that she could literally feel blasting through the doorway. She and her friends shrieked a little when they got a look at its source.

“Oh! Hey there everypony! And everybot! I'm just doing my best to make Omega Supreme here smile but I haven't been very successful yet ya see I tried singing, break dancing, telling funny jokes, tying balloon animals, tightrope trotting, tying myself into a balloon animals while tightrope trotting, but then I decided to just try everything I know at once but – mmpphh!”

Pinkie quickly found another one of Twilight's hooves in her mouth, courtesy of a teleport. “Pinkie, I know you're a little loopy, but are you CRAZY?! This isn't the same as trying to make a dragon laugh, I-I mean, this guy could easily flick you away like a dust bunny!”

It seemed like her standpoint was lost on Pinkie, as she merely smiled her usual, innocent, smile. “Oh Twilight, there's nothing to worry about, see?” She pointed a hoof to Omega's chestplate. “He's an Autobot! That means he's one of the good guys!”

The same grimace Rainbow Dash had throughout the night was back.

“...yes, well then, your...concern is appreciated Pinkie Pie, but I feel as though you've done enough for now.” Ratchet was the first to change the subject. He walked within earshot of Omega, asking him, “It's good to see you out of stasis and still functioning Omega, how are you feeling?”

He turned his head, “POWER CELLS: 49 PERCENT. EXOSTRUCTURE: OPTIMAL EFFICIENCY. INTERNAL SYSTEMS DAMAGE: EXTENSIVE.”

(“His power cells have been charged...? It must have something to do with the phenomena that awoke us...either than that, it seems there’s no change in his condition.”) He began walking back towards the doorway, speaking to everyone present, “That's enough pleasantries for now. We still have to find the source of that explosion.”

Pinkie chimed in, “Oh, if you're all wondering about that, that was my fault. I'm so sorry, I thought this crate thingy was an Autobot, but I think there was a bomb inside and -”

Ratchet jerked to a halt as he heard her explaining herself. It was obvious from his expression that he really wanted to respond to this, but simply couldn't find the words. Everypony else in the room either was groaning or had a hoof on their face, expecting this sort of development. Warpath was still snickering.

“Man, I'm glad I decided to follow Ratchet, this girl's a laugh riot!”

Before he could get any more confused or stressed, Twilight came up next to Ratchet. “Um, try not worry about her too much. She's just being Pinkie Pie.”

He brought a hand to his head, attempting to calm himself. “In-in any case...Warpath, could you escort them to the bridge? There are a few more matters I need to attend to before I will be able to join the rest of you. I'll radio Ironhide that the situation has been taken care of, so he should be there soon.”

“Oh, wait! Ratchet, can I ask you something?”

He got just outside of the doorway before being stopped by Pinkie. “Ah...yes, what is it?”

She asked with genuine concern, “There were these horrible looking black crystals sticking out of poor Omega's chest, is that the reason why he can't move from that spot? I mean, just looking at those nasty things made me feel really really bad, so that's why I wanted to cheer him up...”

Ratchet raised an eyebrow in interest for a moment before his expression grew pensive. “...yes, I'm afraid that's precisely why. As for what they are, well...” He stopped himself, eventually looking away. “...you will understand once we explain ourselves.

----

After traveling up several elevator flights and traversing what felt like an endless distance of corridors, the four ponies were led to a circular doorway. As Warpath approached, it split into thirds and opened in a clockwise manner.

“Alright, we're here.” Three of them breathed a sigh of relief, save for Rainbow Dash. Getting here was nothing short of a workout. “Hey Perceptor, ya get Teletraan-1 workin' again?”

“I am almost finished Warpath, but I will need at least fifteen microcycles to finish debugging several hundred more lines of code.”

As the ponies entered the room, the first word that came to mind about the decor was 'complex'. Nothing in this room was familiar to anypony; all of the walls were lined with consoles and computers, monitors displayed difficult algorithms in an alien language, and some kind of strange circular contraption was recently set up in the center. The Autobot that responded to Warpath was seated on the left side of the room, typing away on a keyboard behind another row of computers. He looked up for a moment from what he was working on, eyeing their guests. “Ah, I see the representatives of this planet have arrived. I am Perceptor, chief science officer of the Autobot forces. Please forgive me for not greeting you properly, I am currently engrossed in some rather tedious coding processes.”

He spoke with the same dignified air as Rarity did, much to her surprise and elation. She couldn't help but think of a certain high society friend of her's back in Canterlot. “Well! It's lovely to know that there are Autobots with a sense of refinement I see.”

“Heeey...!”

“I am Rarity, it's a pleasure to meet you, good sir.”

“I'm Twilight Sparkle.”

“Hi theeere! I'm Pinkie Pie, the bestest party thrower in all of Ponyville!”

“Hmf...” Seeing that their cyan pegasus was still being a grump, Twilight jabbed her in the ribs with her elbow, earning an irritated look from her. “...Rainbow Dash.”

“...guess that accounts fer' everyone then.”

Ironhide appeared in the doorway, carrying a few coiled up cables in his left hand. “Looks like it's jus' us fer' now. Everyone elses either fixin' up the ship or salvagin' parts.” He walked to the machine in the center and plugged the cables into it, connecting them to one of the many consoles on the wall.

Pinkie asked, “Ooo, what'cha doin' with that big, metal doughnut thingy?”

After making the connections and typing a few keys on the console, the machine in the center sparked to life and created the image of an intricately detailed silver sphere out of light. “It's a holographic image inducer I asked Perceptor to bang up real quick. Provides the 'show' part a' show n' tell.”

Twilight was already quietly fascinated by the level of technology the Autobots possessed. If the situation were less serious, she would be as giddy as a filly in a candy store. Ironhide walked over to the image, “This is Cybertron, our home planet.” He paused for a moment, as if he said something he shouldn't have. “Well, I guess I should be sayin' was our home...” The last few words came out with an unmistakeable pain. “Before everythin' went downhill, the Autobots were scholars and workers. Only thing we were ever interested in was learnin', creatin', and advocatin' freedom for all Cybertronians. S'what Autobot stands for, autonomous robot. Problems is, we didn't exactly have the nicest of neighbors...”

He walked over to the console again, typing a few keys. The image of Cybertron vanished and is replaced with a purple insignia, a stark contrast to the red one the Autobots carried. “Unlike us, the Decepticons were mostly gladiators that lived on violence and mayhem. Only thing these guys ever knew or wanted was to fight. Eventually, one of em' came up with the idea that Cybertron should be ruled through power an' control...”

Typing on the console again, the image inducer displayed a terrifying and imposing Cybertronian whose whole visage evoked brutality, causing everypony in the room to shudder at the mere sight of him. His entire body was silver and jagged, with glowing, purple highlights in his torso and limbs. Connected to his right arm was a massive cannon, equal in size of the arm itself. His eyes were a heartless crimson, and he held the Decepticon insignia in his chest. “...this is Megatron, the undefeated champion of the Kaon gladiatorial pits, and leader of the Decepticons. He brought his ideals to the Cybertronian High Council, and when they just as quickly trashed em', well...” His voice got noticeably lower. “...that was the start of our civil war.”

Rainbow Dash interjected, “Yeah, well...that doesn't explain what you're all doing here.”

Twilight chastised her, “Rainbow! Show some tact! Ironhide just told us they've been at war!”

“Nah, it's alright. I don' blame her fer bein' all riled up bout' us bein' here. Besides, I'm gittin' ta that part.” He brought the image of Cybertron back up again. “The war lasted fer eons. Countless Cybertronians fell in the line of duty, till' we eventually suffered the greatest casualty of all...” They had not noticed the glowing, yellow lights on the planet until they faded from view. As it left, it made the image of their homeworld significantly colder. “The conflict from the war caused the core of Cybertron to shut down, stoppin' its production of energon.”

Twilight asked him, “I've heard Ratchet say that word a lot when we were in the sickbay, what exactly is energon anyway?”

“It's the fuel all Cybertronians need to keep functionin'. Without the core producin' it, we can't survive. Our home became barren and lifeless...” He clenched his fist as he brought up the next image, a still frame of a chamber with a massive sphere. Multiple cables came out of its sides, and an ill purple light shined through its detailed lining. “This image is straight from my memory files. Megatron infected the core with dark energon, thinkin' it would empower his troops an' wipe out the rest of the Autobots. Unlike ordinary energon, dark energon corrupts an' destroys anythin' it touches.” His attention turned to Pinkie Pie. “Ratchet tells me you paid a visit to Omega Supreme. Did ya git a good look at his chestplate?” She merely nodded, now that she understood what was hurting him so. “Yeah...Omega's one of our heaviest hitters. Ratchet's done what he can for em', but the crystals in his chestplate are too close to his spark chamber. If any a' those dark energon shards expel their energy, his spark'll be extinguished and he'll die.”

Twilight was beginning to put the pieces together in her head. Ironhide continued, “Anyway...when news spread of the core shutdown, a planet-wide evacuation order was given to all Autobots. This here hunk-a-junk we're standin' in's called the Ark. Was supposed to be our salvation, the last transport that would take us to a new home beyond the stars. Problem was, well...you've seen how scrapped this place is. The Ark wasn't built for combat.”

It was no exaggeration. Twilight had seen the innumerable scars of battle on the way here.

“Oo! Ironhide, can you back up a second?” Pinkie Pie took her turn asking a question. “If the Decepticons have a super-duper-evil leader, does that mean the Autobots have a super-er GOOD guy leader?”

Ironhide's fist relaxed as his eyes drift to the floor. Warpath, who had his arms crossed and was leaning against the wall, had a similar reaction. Even Perceptor had stopped typing upon hearing Pinkie's inquiry. “Wh-what? What's wrong? Ohh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you all sad, I-I was just wondering...”

Another awkward silence followed. Twilight was already tired from all that was happening tonight, and these increasingly frequent moments were only making it worse. Warpath was the first to break the ice, “Beachcomber and Wheeljack reported that Megatron and our leader were fighting on the Ark's upper decks when we entered the space bridge. There's a high chance they didn't even make it here at all.”

Ironhide's voice had a hint of melancholy as he continued. “His name's Optimus Prime. He's the leader of the Autobots, an'...a close friend'a mine. He's the one who issued the planetary evacuation order an' commissioned the construction of the Ark. There've been times when his orders were questionable, but ah know fer sure he was only doin' what needed to be done. In the end, Prime's always been the glue that hold us all together.”

Warpath spoke up again, “That's why Perceptor's been busy gettin' Teletraan-1 back online. We need the sky spy operational so we can start scourin' the planet. Ain't no way I'm gonna believe Prime's been done in just like that, no matter what the odds say...”

From the was they spoke of him, and the way all three of them had reacted, it was clear that their leader commanded a great deal of respect. They were willing to go above and beyond for his sake, even when it seemed like hope was lost. Twilight's thoughts briefly touched on what it would be like if Princess Celestia wasn't around.

“Anyway, nuff' bout' that fer now. We're gittin' off topic again.” The next image Ironhide brought up was that of a swirling, orange vortex suspended in space. “At the climax of the war, the Cons' managed to tear open a portal in space-time. Not really sure bout' the specifics, but what I do know is that they were plannin' on goin' to another planet to drain it dry of any energy resources they could find, revitalizing the Decepticon army. Good news, a team of Autobots managed to smash the space bridge transmitter, leavin' the Ark with a one-way ticket to a new home. Bad news, the feedback from the emitter's destruction caused the portal to become unstable. Worse news, the Cons' followed us...”

For the final image, Ironhide displayed a menacing-looking spaceship. Its size was comparable to the Ark, as the image was apparently taken from Ironhide's memory files again. It had a long, pointed bow, and rounded wings that curved forward. Its hull was covered in armaments, and massive, silvery tow cables came from the underside, driving themselves into their ship. “This is the Nemesis, the Decepticon's most powerful battle cruiser. They ambushed us right as we were bout' ta enter the space bridge, an'...y'all should know the rest of the story.”

This was all too much to take in at once, and going by way too fast for anypony to keep up emotionally. Twilight had knelt down onto her belly, the gravity of his story making her weak in the knees. At this point, even Rainbow Dash was starting to feel sorry for them. She refused to look any of them in the eye, turning her head away.

“Like ah said, ah'm sorry bout' all this...we were soldiers on Cybertron, but I guess at this point we're more like refugees. Only thing we wanted was ta find someplace where we could survive, someplace ta call home...”

Twilight was once again having a hard time finding the words she wanted to say. Instead, she opted to say what needed to be said. “Ironhide...one thousand years ago, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna saw the Ark and the Nemesis fall to Equestria firsthoof. I'm guessing that's right after you entered this...space bridge. At the time, they were afraid of what these 'behemoths' from the sky could do to our world, so they locked both ships away behind impregnable, magic sealed gates.” Perceptor eyed Twilight for a moment when he heard the mention of magic.

Warpath interrupted her, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up! You're sayin' the Nemesis is here too?! Oh, yeah!” He slammed his fist into his palm. “Nothin's stoppin' us from goin' over there and BLAM, KAZOW, scrappin' the rest of the Cons' while they're still in stasis!”

Everypony became a little mortified at his display. The Autobots and Decepticons clearly hated each other, and this was a prime example of their conflict. Twilight stamped her hooves down as she stood up to retort, but Ironhide did it for her. “Outta the question, Warpath.”

Even though he had a visor and a faceplate instead of any discernible features, they could tell he was upset as he looked at Ironhide. “...WHAT?! Y-you can't be serious! We have a chance to stop the Decepticons once and for all, and you're sayin' NO?!”

“We came here lookin' fer a home, not a fight. If the Nemesis is sealed behind this 'gate', then that's gonna have ta be good enough. It ain't right to bring our war to another civilization.”

“But what's to stop somethin' from smashin' that gate open and wakin' the Cons' up?! I mean, the same thing happened here, right?! We're not gonna get another chance like this!”

“Forget it Warpath...look, ah'm only tryin' to follow Optimus' example. He wouldn't want unnecessary destruction, s'pecially when yer gamblin' with someone else's home.”

That was enough to pacify him, as he begrudgingly looked away. Twilight was beginning to surmise that Cybertronians were not that much different than themselves, at least socially. She was none too pleased about Warpath's outburst, but at least they understood when to restrain their anger.

“Actually, Warpath brings up a rather interesting point.”

Everyone's attention is drawn to Perceptor. He doesn't face anyone, but continued talking whilst typing away. “I'm terribly sorry for my silence, but I've been analyzing the energy signatures of the immediate area, and my findings are proving to be quite astounding.”

Ironhide responded, “Then I'm guessin' Teletraan-1's back online?”

“Yes, debugging was completed several microcycles ago.” He slid backward in his chair slightly as multiple holographic diagnostic screens are activated around the monitor. “According to this data, we have been in stasis for approximately 988 decacycles. I am assuming in their increments of time, this equates to 'one thousand years'. What I am finding fascinating however, is the results of what forcefully jarred us out of stasis and re-energized our power cells.” He turned to face everyone in the room, the ponies finally getting a better look at him. He had yellow eyes, a face that resembled Ironhide's, and a strange cylinder on his left shoulder. “My readings indicate that a fairly large vein of raw energon situated directly above the Ark was detonated.”

Ironhide was surprised. “Wait, there's energon on this planet?!”

Perceptor responded, “I am afraid that particular vein may have been a simple coincidence. There are multiple deposits of energon within the immediate vicinity, but none outside of it. My guess would be that these deposits were seeded when the Ark made landfall. Any number of damages or leaks in the hull would have instigated a naturally occurring vein.”

“(sigh), figures...but what does an energon explosion gotta do with us wakin' up?”

“That is what I find fascinating.” He gestured to one of the diagnostic screens. “Apparently an unknown energy was introduced into the deposit. Whatever it was, its unique wavelength reacted violently to the presence of energon, much like a positive and negative polarity. As it entered the deposit, it was unable to leave it, increasing its power exponentially until the entire vein detonated at once from the stress. Now aside from completely defying the laws of conservation of energy, the resulting explosion also created a shock wave of pure energon, somehow traveling through solid matter and removing us from stasis. Or so I have theorized...”

“Hey. Ah thought you were a scientist, Perceptor. What you just said doesn't make any sense.”

“It's unfortunately the only plausible hypothesis I have available.”

While those two continued to debate this mystery, Rarity noticed Twilight was rubbing her foreleg over her mouth in thought, piquing her curiosity. “Twilight, you've been rather quiet, is something the matter?”

“Not really, I've just been thinking...the gate's destruction, the Autobot's revival, those fillies ending up inside the Ark...there has to be some kind of connection. But I feel like we're missing something, like, just one piece of the puzzle...”

“Well...ok....” Rarity sat down on her haunches, softly sighing. Although she had decided she had nothing to fear from the Autobots, the excitement from this night had physically and emotionally drained her, much like her friends. Pinkie Pie had already fallen onto her back and passed out during Perceptor's explanation, and Twilight was straining herself to stay awake. The only one who seemed fine was Rainbow Dash, although she had stopped hovering behind them some time ago to rest her wings.

(“War, refugees, Decepticons...oh, this is simply too much to take at once! If only I could have a moment's rest right now...perhaps a visit to the spa tomorrow afternoon would perk me up.”)

“...excuse me, Rarity was it?”

She was brought back to reality by Perceptor. He walked over to her and knelt down, “Please forgive me if this is invasive to you, but may I examine that necklace you're wearing? The mineral in the center of it is quite intriguing.”

Rarity smiled and brought a foreleg across her chin, squealing with delight. “Oo, I had no idea Autobots had a sense of fashion! I'd be delighted to let you critique it! Now don't be too harsh with me, it is my first piece of jewel work...”

“Uh, yes...quite.”

She unhooked the necklace and levitated it in front of Perceptor, although he didn't take it immediately. Instead, he stared at it as if he were dumbfounded.

“...hm? What is the matter, Perceptor? Ohh, it's the embroidery, isn't it?! I'll admit I did make a mistake there, but I tried to make it work...”

“N-no, that's not the issue. How are you doing that?”

“Um...I'm afraid I don't understand.”

“Your horn is glowing with the same aura as your necklace. Is there some sort of anti-gravity device installed in either one?”

“Oh, this? This is simply levitation. It's one of the basic fundamentals of magic, we all learn it at a very early age.”

“There is that word again...but I find this hard to believe. Are you telling me that magic, real magic, somehow exists on this planet?”

“Oh, of course! Magic is an essential part of our society. Why without it, the sun and the moon would not be raised or lowered!”

“What...I-I don't understand. Planetary revolutions are based solely on orbit, what you're insinuating is...”

Perceptor trailed off, bringing a hand to his head in confusion. Even Ironhide and Warpath were looking at her funny. Not wanting him to become any more stressed, Rarity interjected, “Erm, well, Twilight would be more appropriate to discuss this with. I'm not particularly proficient with magic, however, she is an expert on the matter. Anyway, you wanted to examine my necklace?”

He shook his head, deciding it was matter to be explored later. “Uh, yes of course...” He took a step backwards and transformed into what looked like an electron microscope. No matter how many times she saw it, Rarity wasn't getting used to seeing that anytime soon. “I want to run a full spectrographic analysis on the mineral in that necklace. If you would be so kind, I would like you to place it beneath the lens.”

It was her turn to feel awkward. “Uh, mhm...” As she levitated her necklace in place, she could see the lens moving up and down slightly, and could hear Perceptor mumbling to himself. “My word...this molecular composition is nearly identical...perhaps if...Warpath, can you get me a techvolt emitter?”

“Yeah, sure, but what for? Doesn't look like anything in here needs a kickstart.” He walked over to a console and typed a few keys, dispensing yet another complex piece of machinery. It resembled a firearm, but had three triangular plates that were arranged around its fore end.

Perceptor transformed back into his bipedal form, dangling her necklace by a finger and taking the emitter. “I wish to confirm something.” It combined with his right forearm, activating a blue electrical current between the three plates. In a quick motion, he dipped the necklace into the current for half a second and pulled it straight out. As he deactivated the emitter, Perceptor smiled triumphantly. “This is truly astonishing! Come take a look at this!”

Ironhide and Warpath were both confused and surprised. As he knelt down to give the necklace back, Rarity saw that the emerald centerpiece had transformed into a glowing blue jewel. “Ooo, such a beautiful luster! I've never seen a sapphire shine so, so brilliantly! Though, I must admit the emerald brought out my eyes a tad bit better, but I mean LOOK AT IT! Oh, I don't think I'll eeever take it off now...”

“No, you don't understand, the mineral in your necklace is a dormant form of energon! This is precisely what we had hoped for! You absolutely must tell us where we can find more of these minerals!”

Rarity nonchalantly explained, “Oh, that. Jewels like this can be found in the ground all the time, yet it does require some digging and some patience. I'm not too enthralled about excavation, but I do have a spell that can locate them for you all.” She demonstrated by activating this spell, creating a magical aura around her necklace.

“UWAAA!!!”

“BAAHH!!! TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF!!!”

Unfortunately, it also caused the energon inside the Autobots present to be illuminated through their bodies, showing their circulatory systems for all to see. Warpath and Rainbow Dash were both freaked out by this, urging her to turn the spell off. Raising an eyebrow, she complied, much to their relief.

“Ah, man...that was creepy. Warn me the next time you show my guts off like that! I'm gonna have that burned into my memory files for weeks...”

“Yeah...what he said, Rarity.”

Twilight was aware of what was going on around her, but most of her attention was focused on contemplation. Her eyes were closed to drown out the noise; she couldn't shake that nagging feeling of the one missing piece that tied all of this together. “Perceptor said an unknown energy was introduced into that energon vein...but the only thing they wouldn't understand would be -”

Her eyes snapped open at the realization, immediately drawing her attention to Rarity's necklace. Sure enough, she saw the signs of instability, as it began vibrating and emitting sparks of blue electricity. Not saying a word and acting on instinct, Twilight hastily galloped over to Perceptor and bit the necklace's chain, throwing it as far away as she could.

“Twilight! What is the meaning of...!”

The loud explosion of her necklace and a wave of azure energy cut her off. The moment it passed through the Autobots, it dropped them to their knees, causing them to cry out in agony. Rarity and Twilight didn't fare well either, the energy of the shock wave affecting their horns. Rainbow Dash flew into a panic at the sight of everyone in pain.

“Hey, what's wrong with all of you?! What happened, why'd that explosion hurt you guys?!”

“Gaaahh...! What jus' happened?! It feels like someone jus' kicked mah spark from the inside...!”

“No, my necklace! OW, my horn! B-but, my necklace...”

“I'm sorry...I figured it out as soon as you did your gem-finder spell...” Twilight grunted a little to get her horn working again, the electrical power from the blast interfering with her magic. With a little bit of straining, she was able to push out the malignant energy. “Listen...I think we all just found out how that energon deposit exploded. That unknown energy Perceptor was talking about, it was magic.”

Warpath looked over himself and the other two Autobots, giving off a wary vibe. “Hey, wait a sec...if what you're sayin's true, how come WE didn't go boom...?”

Perceptor responded as he climbs to his feet, “Ugh...I am guessing...it is because it was raw energon, unprocessed. Nevertheless, we should immediately allow Ratchet to give us all a thorough examination to prevent any lingering effects.” His expression goes to urgent as he realized something. “...oh no!” He scrambled to the console he was previously working on, only to confirm his fears; the monitor was unresponsive and filled with static. He slammed a fist down, “Blast! It was just as I feared...that explosion has scrambled Teletraan-1's entire source code! It will megacycles to defrag!”

Rainbow Dash responded, her tone slightly dismissive. “Alright, you've been talking about this 'Teletraan-1' for awhile now, and I don't really get it. What's so special about this computer thing anyway?”

Perceptor sighed in frustration, “You don't understand, Teletraan-1 is our main supercomputer! It's responsible for long range communication, data processing, but most importantly, reconnaissance! If it's offline, we will not be capable of using the sky spy to locate Cliffjumper or Soundwave!”

Warpath adds, “...or Optimus.”

Everyone here unanimously believed the situation had just taken a bad turn. And unfortunately, it was only going to get worse.

“I heard the explosion on the way here, is everyone alright?!”

The door behind them all opened to reveal Ratchet. He was frantic as he entered, but relaxed slightly when he saw that no one here had any visible injuries.

Ironhide responded to him, “Everyone's fine Ratchet, at least physically. We have bigger problems to deal with, anyway.” He gestured to Perceptor who had once again seated himself at the console, furiously typing away.

“I see...well, I wanted to inform you all that an encampment of the natives have seated themselves just outside of the Ark, though they have not made any aggressive actions. Judging from their attire, they seem to be of political authority.”

Twilight could feel her heart starting to race again. “Ohmygosh, I completely forgot! I had Spike send a letter to the castle about the gate, Princess Luna and her personal guard must have arrived a long time ago!”

“Oh man, thank Primus you're here Ratchet! You gotta give us a once over, there was this weird explosion of energy and -”

“I cannot be concerned or distracted with a physical diagnostic right now, Teletraan-1 MUST be operational, otherwise -”

“What are you waiting for Twilight, we can't keep the Princess waiting!”

“zzzzZZzz...more cupcakes...”

The bridge had degenerated into a cacophony of arguments, only adding to Twilight's stress. She had been obsessing over the gate for days on end, and these last few hours were like every single stressful moment of her life amplified by ten. It was only natural for her to reach the boiling point.

“QUIEEEEEEET!!!”

Everyone here surprisingly complied, bringing their attention to her. Twilight was starting to feel better after that outburst, sitting down and sighing. “...now listen up! All this arguing isn't getting us anywhere!”

Everyone here silently agreed, but were not able to voice any particular thoughts. Ironhide was the first to respond, “Well, ya have anythin' in mind? We jus' found out Teletraan-1's gonna be offline for a good while, an' we don't got any other way a' trackin' Cliffjumper or Soundwave fore' somethin' bad happens.”

“I-I know that...but I have an idea. I'm not sure if it'll work, but it's better than nothing. But first, Ratchet, you have to give those three a medical assessment. They were exposed to some kind of, erm...weird energon, and I don't want anything to happen to them. The rest of us have to go meet Princess Luna out front.”

Ironhide nodded, “Sounds like a plan. Alright, you go do what'cha need to do. Jus' hope this idea a' yers works.”

----

“Listen, what are you keeping me here for anyway? I mean, I was just -”

“Looking for Twilight Sparkle I assume.”

“Wh-what?! How did you – I mean, you're the princess and everything but -”

“She had informed me that the sealed gate in the Everfree Forest had been disturbed. No doubt she would have arrived here. And to answer your previous question, it is because I do not wish for the masses to learn of the metal behemoth. It could spread fear and panic.”

Fear and panic was what she was experiencing right now, both at the sight of this mountain of metal, and Luna's personal guard keeping watch over her. As she cursed herself for letting vengeance cloud her judgment, her vigor was returned as she saw her target at the top of the stone mound, followed three of her friends. Twilight, however, wasn't particularly excited to see the deep sky blue unicorn with the alice blue mane knelt down next to Princess Luna as they all descended.

Pinkie Pie yelled out, “Oh hey! It's that pony that was yelling at your door, Twilight!”

“Trixie?! Ugh, of all the – what are you doing here?!”

She smiled a haughty smile. “Oh? What does it LOOK like? I have studied the most complex and advanced spells for months, endured the heckles and jeers of everypony around me, even followed you into the dreaded Everfree Forest, and you're wondering why? It's so I could make you pay for my humiliation!” Any panic that she had was apparently forgotten.

Twilight couldn't believe this was happening at such a critical time. Princess Luna remained silent for now, deciding to let them resolve their differences. “Listen, I understand where you're coming from Trixie, but you couldn't of picked a WORSE time for revenge!”

“Oh really? Well, you're just going to have to MAKE time, because I won't stop until...uhhh...”

Trixie's face paled as her eyes drifted to the top of the stone mound. Twilight looked behind her to greet her new acquaintance as he slid down and landed with another loud thump.

“Wh...WHAT IS THAT THING!?!” Trixie fell to her haunches for a third time tonight upon seeing the metal giant before her. Luna's personal guard immediately made a protective perimeter in front of her, ready to attack. Twilight was thankfully able to pacify them quickly. “It's alright sirs, we don't have anything to fear.” She turned to their guest, “It's nice of you to join us Beachcomber.”

“Pleasure's all mine. I love getting to know new people. Or, you're called ponies, right? Heh, my mistake.” He put a hand on his hip and gave a two fingered salute. “Nice to meet you, Princess.”

Luna stared at Beachcomber in confusion, not saying a word. Wondering if she was distressed, Twilight asked her, “Princess Luna, is something the matter? I know he's kind of intimidating, but I can honestly say he's no threat to us.”

She brought a hoof to her forehead and looked down, “No, it is nothing...I apologize for my rudeness, Beachcomber. I am Princess Luna.” She turned her attention to the unicorn next to her. “Now then Twilight Sparkle, I understand that you are familiar with the situation now?”

She sighed, “I sure am...please sit down, we have a lot to go over.”

----

[Shockwave's Case Files, Entry #: 008]

After assessing every possible variable, I have finally confirmed the Ark and Nemesis' new destination after discovering they had not made contact with the previous target planet. And I must say, this planet may prove to hold significantly larger promise than what was archived by the ancients. Not only does this world hold multiple opportunities to harvest energy, but the dominant species displays unusual phenomena that I had originally deemed impossible. Further research will be required to fully understand these strange, quadrupedal life forms.

On a minor note, totalitarian control of Cybertron is now complete. Guerrilla warfare presented by Elita-1 and the Dinobots have proven to be something of a hindrance, but are a mere annoyance at best. Furthermore, augmentation of my prototype weapon to replace my left arm is successful. A field test is required to confirm its destructive power and application, an opportunity I may have in the near future.

The Search, Chapter 3: Ambush

View Online

- San Palomino Desert, Noon

Twilight finally became aware of the glaring sunlight and bumpy ride as she wiped the tiredness out of her eyes. She was surprised she was able to sleep under these conditions, but chalked it up to the last few days of non-stop worry and physical activity, especially in the few hours prior.

“Finally awake, sugarcube?” Applejack sat next to her with her forelegs crossed behind her head.

“Almost...I'm glad I manged to get some rest, though. I don't think I've studied or worked that hard in, ever. How's the compass working out, Ironhide?”

The dashboard in front of her lit up in tandem as he spoke. “We're followin' in the direction of the last way it pointed, so ya might wanna check it again so we don' get lost.”

Twilight smiled sheepishly, her brain still in the throes of half-sleepiness. “Oh, right.” She levitated a small compass out of her saddlebag and applied a spell to it, bringing the shards of crystal inside of it to life. The crystals came in three colors, red, blue, and green, but the one she paid attention to was the green shard. “Adjust your heading by 15 degrees west by southwest. We're getting closer.”

“On it.”

She put the compass back as she surveyed the arid landscape. She was glad that Ironhide's vehicle form had cool air inside; Twilight was able to visibly see the heat in the distance, and could almost feel the dryness of the sand. Trudging past all of these hills and dunes in such an unbearable climate was a nasty thought. As she mused about how bad it was going to get the moment she stepped outside, both of them are startled when Ironhide jumped a particularly large sand dune, the landing impact shaking the two of them around. As Applejack put her hat back on, she complained to him, “Hey, mind easin' up a bit on the stunts? Some of us aren't as thick-headed as y'all.”

“Hey what's the matter sweet stuff, you afraid of a little action?”

Applejack made a face at the green humvee driving closely to them. “Ah, put a sock in it short-stack...”

The voice that came through Ironhide's comm-link sounded a tad bit unnerved. “Hey! Don't call me a short-stack you little -”

“Cool it, Brawn. Ah got enough problems with all this sand an' heat muckin' up mah gears, don' need the two a' ya makin' things worse.”

“Tch...” The one called Brawn scoffed. “...still don't understand why you insisted on coming out here anyway.”

Applejack replied in a natural tone, “Cuz' Twilight here's one a' mah closest and most important friends a' mine. You know a little somthin' bout' that right, bein' loyal an' carin' to yer friends?”

“This situation's a little different, sister. For all we know, Soundwave could be lurking around just a few clicks from here. Last thing we want's any civilians getting hurt.”

“Ah, take yer silly military mumbo-jumbo someplace else. Jus' fer the record, ah've got an idea a' what we're gettin' into.” Applejack eyed Twilight's saddlebag. “Still, ah'm a might amazed you managed to bang up that there little compass on the spot like that.”

She smiled to herself, reminiscing over the trial she had dealt with this morning. “Actually, making the compass was the easy part. I had a little trouble dealing with something much harder, though...”

----

- The Ark, six hours earlier

“You want the Great and Powerful Trixie to help YOU?! All that lack of sleep must have driven you out of your little mind, Twilight Sparkle!”

There were a number of things Twilight wanted to do right now, all of them involving rest in some way. None of them, however, involved talking to this blowhard of a unicorn for even five minutes. Twilight set down her saddle bag, put a hoof between her eyes, and took a deep breath, doing her best to exhale all of her stress and to focus on this daunting task. If she was going to convince Trixie to do the impossible, she would have to be as careful as a surgeon.

“Listen...you're the LAST pony I want to ask help from. But this has all become very complicated, and we don't have anypony else to turn to.”

Trixie brushed a hoof through her mane, chuckling to herself. “Well, it's nice of you to acknowledge Trixie's greatness, but the answer is still no.” Her expression changed from amused to spiteful. “If you haven't already figured it out, Trixie's reputation was RUINED after you humiliated me! Everywhere I go, I'm laughed at and mocked!” She walked up to Twilight and jabbed her hoof at her chest. “And it's ALL. YOUR. FAULT. If you or these...'Autobots' want help, ask somepony else!”

“Trixie, you brought that on...!” Twilight quickly restrained herself, visibly clenching her mouth shut. She knew that arguing with her would only make things harder. “...ugh. We can't ask somepony else. Just as Princess Luna said, nopony must know of the Cybertronians. We can't afford to create mass hysteria. But most importantly, we need a third unicorn. We...need YOU, Trixie.”

Princess Luna watched the blue unicorn's rage smolder with half-lidded eyes. Although she remained outwardly stoic, she was amazed that Trixie could display so much raw anger at Twilight immediately after being frightened by both herself and the Autobots. A dull pain tugged at her heart at this thought; vengeance was more important to her than even being afraid. And Luna understood better than anypony that the need for revenge could overshadow the most treasured parts of yourself. To force you to do horrible things. Even turn you into a monster.

(“Her sentiments...they were not so different than my own for a time.”)

She stepped forward, coming between the two of them. At this point, it wasn't just about convincing her to help the Autobots. It was also about showing empathy, about personal catharsis. “Trixie, I know not your vendetta with Twilight Sparkle, but I beseech you. This is not about pride or vengeance. It is about necessity. Their enemies, the Decepticons, are undoubtedly a threat to Equestria. As fate would have it, you are the only one in the position to help protect our home. Neither I, nor my sister can depart with the Autobots, for we must be ready to mobilize the Canterlot guard in the event of disaster. And we certainly cannot arouse suspicion...the populous would question why the Princess is traveling with unusual machines. Trixie...” Luna bowed her head and placed her foreleg over her chest. “...I do not ask you as the Princess of the night. I ask you as I am now, an individual...please help Twilight Sparkle and the Autobots.”

Trixie's glare didn't diminish, but Twilight guessed she was contemplating the situation as she slowly looked away. She wasn't very confident this was going well though, even with Princess Luna being as forthcoming as she was. What she knew of Trixie wasn't good; even though she was in Ponyville for less than a day, she acted pretentious and self-centered the entire time. The thought that she would care about anypony other than herself was a longshot. Twilight felt her chest go heavy, realizing they could very well be in for a 'worst case scenario'. (“Oh, who am I kidding? This is Trixie we're talking about! I mean, I've never met a pony so arrogant and shallow! The only thing she cares about is getting back at me, why in Equestria would she ever even consider-”)

“...very well. Trixie will help you, Twilight Sparkle.”

“...huh?!”

Twilight looked at her as if Pinkie Pie had just given a formal lecture on ergonomics, completely forgetting how tired she was. Her left ear twitched once and she could feel her heart skip a beat. She had already assumed she wasn't going to be hearing those words, and yet one surprise led to another. Breathing a sigh of relief, the heaviness in her chest lifted with the knowledge that all bases would be covered. “Oh...thank you, Trixie. This means a lot to all of us, it really -”

“But don't get the wrong idea! As soon as this all blows over, it's back to business as usual, got it?!”

She now realized that the glare in her eyes was still there, like she was trying to burn a hole in her skull. Trixie may have confirmed that she wasn't completely self-centered, but that didn't change her apparent disposition. Deciding this was the best she was going to get out of her, Twilight held back an exhausted yawn to reply, quickly being reminded that she needed rest. “That's fine, Trixie...we can worry about that when Equestria's not in danger of becoming a warzone. Here, you'll need this.”

She opened the saddle bag she had with her and pulled out a small compass, levitating it in front of Trixie. She looked at it as if it would contaminate her horn, but took it with her own levitation anyway after a moment's hesitation. “I worked with Perceptor all night trying to understand energon's unique energy wavelength, and this is the best I could come up with. The shards of crystal inside that compass are attuned to seek out active energon wherever it may be in Equestria. All you have to do is apply a gem finder spell to it, and the shards will point you in the right direction.”

Trixie looked between Twilight and the compass with a scrunched up cheek. After another wordless pause, her horn lit up with a soft blue aura, indicating she activated a gem finder spell. As she looked into the compass, her mouth creased into a scowl. “And I suppose you have some sort of explanation for this? Are you trying to make a fool of Trixie again?!” She shoved the compass back into Twilight's face, clearly upset that there were multiple shards of crystal all pointing in different directions.

At this stage, the only thing keeping Twilight awake was raw frustration. “No, no, no! This is the reason why we need a third unicorn! I've run the numbers over and over again, but it all pointed to the same result - somehow, there's three active energon signals in Equestria, and only one of them is pointing to Soundwave and Cliffjumper. The other two are a complete mystery. Rarity and Rainbow Dash have already started following the red shard's trail up north, and Applejack and I were about to pursue the green shard to the southwest. I'm going to ask Fluttershy to accompany you while you pursue the blue shard to the east.”

She slowly levitated the compass back to herself, raising an eyebrow. “(sigh), Very well...although Trixie isn't too fond of working with a stage hand. I suppose there's going to be some Autobots providing a ride?”

“Yes. But as for who's going with you, it's not my call to make. Don't worry though, you can trust them.”

“And just why should Trixie trust them?”

Princess Luna interjected, going back to her usual, commanding tone. “Twilight Sparkle tells us that one of the Autobots protected three little fillies at the risk of his own life. I, for one, wholeheartedly believe we can trust beings willing to make such a sacrifice. Beyond that, you agreed to help us. Trusting Twilight Sparkle means trusting the Autobots as well.”

Trixie looked into the compass again, more as a reason to avert her eyes. “Ok, fine...but what about that friend of yours that won't stop bouncing around? Isn't she going with one of these groups too?”

Pinkie Pie popped up inches away next to her, eyes manic and bright, nearly causing Trixie to fall over again in surprise. Twilight smirked at the face she was making, suddenly feeling better. “Twilight asked me stay behind so I could get the Autobots, um...an-ti-qua-ted, with Equestria! They've been asleep for a long, long time, so they're probably out of touch with the world. That's where I come in! I'll be showing them what the best tunes are, all the places to have a nice picnic, OH, and we can't forget all the yummy treats Sugar Cube Corner has to offer! You know, all the usual stuff. And the best part is, I get to make tons of wonderful, new friends!”

Trixie started edging away from her the moment she started talking, getting about several meters away when she finished. “Do you have to do that?! Don't you know anything about personal space?!”

Twilight cleared her throat, “(ahem), ANYWAY...you'll know you've reached the energon source when the shard starts flashing. The faster the flash is, the closer you'll be.” She draped her saddle bag over her back and stepped a few times in place, shaking some stiffness out of her legs. “Now, I've got a few more things to take care of, so I'll be heading out first. Ironhide's dividing up the Autobots accompanying us right now, so your partner will be here shortly. I'll tell Fluttershy to wait for you at the forest entrance.”

“One last thing, Twilight Sparkle.”

Trixie stopped her right as she passed by, causing her to stifle a groan. She turned her head to look at the same glare that had been plaguing her all morning, not even bothering to respond. “I want you to remember that this doesn't change anything. I'm only helping you right now because Equestria's in danger. As soon as this 'Decepticon' threat is over and done with, we settle things.” She now did something Twilight wasn't expecting at all – she held her hoof out like a friendly rival would. She also could have sworn that the ever-present glare staring her down softened slightly. “Understand?! The next time I see you, you're going down!”

Her words were as cold and selfish as ever, but it seemed to Twilight that there may have been some underlying sense of friendly competition. She knew that Trixie cared about fame and recognition more than anything, and was willing to go to any lengths to obtain it. Even blindly wandering into the Everfree Forest. But here, in this moment, the brash unicorn in front of her was displaying something else she had yet to see – respect. Twilight turned around completely, and placed her own hoof against her's. It was only fair that she reciprocated. “Alright Trixie, you're on.”

----

“Sheesh. Now ah get why you were able ta sleep like that. That sounded more annoyin' than trying ta roller skate through a buffalo stampede. You sure she's gonna help us, just like that?”

Twilight responded as she looked out the window, her brow creased. “Mostly sure...at the very least, I had Fluttershy go with her. I'm hoping she'll be able to help Trixie loosen up a bit.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, “Either that or she'll jus' walk all over the poor thing.”

Twilight's head drooped upon hearing that last comment. She fidgeted in place like she was uncomfortable for a second, and her eyes were fixated on Ironhide's dashboard. “I'm...I'm sure she'll be fine. She can take care of herself if things get...'heated'.”

The cowpony next to her had yet to lower her eyebrow, her skepticism getting thicker by the second. “Twilight, ah'm not even sure if sendin' her out at all was the best idea. Ah get what'cha mean 'bout tryin' ta get Trixie's head out the clouds, but Fluttershy's still Fluttershy.” Applejack's attention was drawn out the window as well, her expression becoming neutral. “Well...ah can at least trust her not ta get hurt or anythin' if they're the ones unlucky enough to crash inta this 'Soundwave'. Speakin' a which, what're the Autobots you sent with her like, Ironhide?”

“Ah asked Warpath an' Prowl go with em'. Warpath ya already know, but uh...”

Brawn's voice from the intercom cut him off with a static-filled retort, “Ok, first of all, I'm surprised Prowl took a command decision from you, old man. Second, are you serious?! There's a reason no one likes going out on assignment with that hardcase! They're probably gonna end up -”

“Ah'm tryin' not ta think about that. But the guy got appointed sub-commander fer a reason. Him an' Warpath'll be able to deal with whatever comes their way.”

“Yeah, so long as they don't scrap each other first.”

Twilight's gaze didn't leave Ironhide's display, her thoughts focused even more intently on how those two were doing. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Rarity and Rainbow Dash could work together under these circumstances, but now she was worried that innocent, little Fluttershy would crack under the stress. Not only was this excursion dangerous, she was working with Trixie of all ponies. And what Ironhide had said about Prowl didn't sit well with her, either. She breathed out forcefully, making a vain attempt calm herself. Worse yet, Twilight herself was the one who made the decision to have her go. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if something happened to her.

“You ok there, Twilight? You've been starin' at meh for awhile now.”

She unconsciously jerked back wide-eyed and looked out the window again automatically, not considering her ride was still able to see her in this form. “Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be rude.”

“Nah, it's no big deal. Looks like ya, erm...got a lot on yer mind still.” His voice sounded awkward, like he was forcing the words out. “So, uh...whaddya do fer a livin'?”

“Huh?”

“Well...the compass ain't goin' off yet, right? Thought ah might, uh...loosen up the mood a bit till' we get there.”

Brawn chimed in, “Ironhide interested in small talk? That's a first!”

Twilight could tell he was trying to help her take her mind off Fluttershy and Trixie, considering how unnatural he sounded. “Oh, well, I'm nopony special. I've been a personal understudy of Princess Celestia ever since I was a little filly...aaand more recently I've moved to Ponyville Library to further my studies.”

“So, yer a librarian?”

She tapped a hoof on her chin, “Well, yes, I suppose you could say that.”

“...heh heh.”

“Hm? What's so funny?”

“Ah, nothin', jus' an inside joke. So, who exactly is this Princess Celestia you've been talkin' about? And what're ya studyin'?”

Twilight placed a hoof on the window, smiling softly as she watched the desert fly by. “Princess Celestia is the monarch of Equestria. She's governed our home for countless generations, maintaining peace for all ponies near and far. All of us are extremely lucky and thankful to have her as a ruler.”

“With the way ya talk, this place sounds a lot like the way Cybertron was durin' the Golden Age.” A disgruntled sigh sounded through the intercom. Brawn didn't seem like he wanted to hear about old times. “Anyway...bein' a student of yer leader sounds like it's full a' perks.”

“It's still a lot of hard work. Though aside from actual lessons in spellcasting, astronomy, herb compounding, and whatnot, learning about the magic of friendship has been absolutely wonderful.”

“...what?”

A small pause occurred before both Autobots replied in unison. Twilight was half-expecting this sort of reaction, arranging herself into a kneeling position as she smiled at Ironhide's display. “I know it sounds a little...ridiculous. In fact, before I came to Ponyville, I wasn't really interested in making friends at all. I just thought it was a waste of time. But...” Her gaze drifted over to Applejack, who smiled back with a wink. “...in the short time I've lived here, I've made some irreplaceable bonds. Now, I can't possibly imagine my life without the friends I've made. Friendship truly is a wondrous and powerful thing.”

“Ugh, gag me already...”

Applejack found herself grimacing at Brawn once again after his response. “Well s'cuse us fer showin' a little sensitivity.”

His retort dripped of vitriol. “(sigh), that's not the point! Listen, on the battlefield, the only thing you can rely on is brute force and a good shot! Your little 'magic of friendship' trash ain't gonna stop a Con' from blowing a hole through your spark! Then again, I don't expect a techhead who's never fired a neutron rifle in their life to understand...”

“Ah said cool it Brawn! Thought ah told ya to ease up on scientists!”

“Forget it old man! Twilight and Perceptor are the same, we can't rely on them when the chips are down! The only things you guys are good at is staying safe inside of a lab, while the bots who actually matter get shot at and scrapped!”

“Brawn, do ah gotta remind ya that Twilight and Perceptor are th' only reason why we're even able to track energon right now?! When are ya gonna get it through that thick head a' yers that -”

“Whatever, so they banged up some lame radar at the last minute. If it wasn't for that, I'd have left them behind. Last thing I want is these...'ponies' getting in my way.”

Applejack slammed both her hooves on the window, her rage boiling over. She yelled directly at Brawn, “Why you no good, tinhorn, varmint! Ah outta come out there right now and show you a thing er' two 'bout -”

A hoof on her shoulder stopped her mid-sentence. She turned to face Twilight, who merely looked back at her with somewhat saddened eyes, whispering to her, (“It's okay, Applejack. We come from different worlds, not to mention they've been at war for who knows how long. I can understand why he'd act like this.”)

She raised a cheek, her anger not subsiding just yet. ("Have you spit yer bit er' somethin'?! Ah can't jus' let this two-bit military man get away with insultin' us!”)

(“Just let it go. Talking back isn't going to make things better. The only thing we can hope for is if he figures out our standpoint on his own.”)

Applejack broke eye contact with her, her eyes cast downward, darting back and forth. With a great sigh, she crossed her forelegs and sat back down, staring out the windshield with an irritated expression. “Alright, FINE. Ah ain't fergettin this anytime soon though.”

Twilight didn't say anything more, afraid that she would agitate the proverbial hornet's nest any further. As her eyes once again drifted to the rolling sand dunes, her attention was drawn to a soft pulse coming from her saddle bag. Pulling out the compass for confirmation, she told her ride, “Ironhide, stop here. We've gotten close.”

----

- The Ark, Aerialbot Deployment Hanger
Noon

“Hi Omega! Hope you weren't too lonely while I was gone!”

The loud whirr of Omega Supreme turning his head filled the immense hanger, his eyes set on the energetic pony bouncing into the room.

“IDENTIFICATION: PINKIE PIE. QUERY: PRESENCE.”

By now, Pinkie had gotten used to the way he talked. “No reason, I just wanted to spend some time with you! I got to show Beachcomber and Wheeljack around the forest, but they didn't have enough time to visit Ponyville before they had to, um...do you know what a reactor is? Anyway, I guess everybot's still busy fixing this place up. That and Wheeljack seemed mad about something, so I figured I'd leave him alone for now.” She smiled and turned her head slightly to the left, leaning forward while she looked up at him. “Sooo, how're ya doin'?”

“CURRENT STATUS: UNCHANGED.”

Pinkie waited expectantly in the same pose for a full two minutes before she realized he wasn't going to be saying anything further. She pouted a little and sat down, unsatisfied. “Ohh, that's not what I meant...how come you talk like that anyway? It's kinda hard to figure out what you're saying sometimes if you only say two words. Do you have a sore throat? Are you just shy? Or (GASP), is it because you swallowed a beehive and all the bees came out and stung you from the inside and -”

“CONVEYANCE: OPTIMAL. FURTHER DISCUSSION: UNNEEDED.”

Pinkie brushed her foreleg across her mouth, looking upward at nothing. “Ummm...I guess it's okay to just say what you need...but, you're like, the only giant robot here that's like a...robot.” Pinkie zipped away faster than Omega's optics could track. In the span of mere seconds, she had already climbed onto his left shoulder, her bright eyes looking into left eye. “I mean, haven't you ever sat down with your friends and just spent time with each other? How about playing frisbee in a park? Or, or eating a whole chocolate cake in one sitting!? Ooo, that sounds REALLY good right now...”

Omega turned his head to face her, his booming voice making Pinkie's already squiggled mane even more wild. “EXPLANATION: INCOMPREHENSIBLE. PRIMARY FUNCTION: GUARDIAN. FURTHER ACTIONS: INCONSEQUENTIAL.”

Despite being blasted in the face with a wave of sound, her smile didn't disappear until she heard his very last word. Pounding her forelegs in place, she yelled at him, “WHAT?! Whaddya mean in...inconse-whatever?! Spending time with your friends is, like, the most important thing ever! I mean, you...” Pinkie paused for a moment, a certain, nasty thought entering her head. Her voice softening, she continued, “...you think of the other Autobots as your friends, right?”

“AUTOBOTS: COMRADES. PROTECTION: PRIORITY ONE.”

Her smile returned. “Well if THAT'S true, you should spend time with them! Friends aren't just about boring, old work, they're about partying together, talking together, laughing together, and playing and running and jumping and – well, maybe you shouldn't do those last few things. A-anyway! If you're not sure what having friends is all about, that's what good ol' Pinkie Pie's here for!” She zipped over to his head, hugging him the best she could. Though for her, it was more like hugging a wall. “Cause we're best, best, bestest friends too!”

Omega had yet to show any change in his expression. “ACTIONS: INCOMPREHENSIBLE.”

Pinkie frowned for a second before making a nervous smile. “Oh...well, that's okay, you'll -”

“NEW OBJECTIVE: COMPREHENSION. REQUEST: GUIDANCE.”

Her face brightened like the sun coming out after a cloudy overcast. With a joyful heart and renewed vigor, she hugged him again. “Yay! I can't WAIT to show you everything I know!” As she plastered herself to his cheek, her eyes spied his chestplate, suddenly being reminded of his affliction. “Well...we'll get to everything once you get better.”

----

Twilight wiped her brow of an unexpectedly large amount of sweat, being careful not to let any grains from her hoof get in her face or mane. She had been walking for only fifteen minutes, yet the heat of the stagnant air and blistering sands were already taking their toll on her. Applejack wasn't faring much better, as she had taken her hat off to fan herself. Levitating a canteen of water out from her saddle bag, she took a quick sip before focusing on the compass in front of her. “Oh, great...guys, wait up!”

Ironhide and Brawn walked several meters ahead of the two of them, stopping upon her request. “Alright, this better be good, Sparkler.”

Twilight ignored the smaller Autobot's snide comment. “The shard's pointing almost directly downward...and you know what that means.”

Applejack put her hat back on, deciding it would work better to protect her head from the sun. “Ah, horseapples...now how in the hay are we gonna sift through all this sand? We don' even know how deep we're s'posed to dig!”

Brawn crossed his arms, scoffing. “You sure that thing isn't on the fritz? Wouldn't be surprised.”

“Ya wanna go a few rounds chrome-dome?! Cuz ah'd be happy to buck ya all th' way back ta yer stable, tiny!” Applejack was fed up with Brawn's constant cynicism, planting her hooves into the sand and lowering her head in an offensive manner. The Autobot in question faced the cowpony and held a tightened fist in front of himself, moments away from taking her up on the offer. “That's it! I'm not being called 'tiny' by something an eighth my size!” Being half the height of every Autobot the ponies have encountered seemed to irritate him, and Applejack picked up on it quickly.

“Both of you stop, we're supposed to be working together...” Twilight's tone would have shown more concern, but the desert climate overrode any amount of stress for that situation. Even a small breeze was painful and hot, the bits of sand stinging her face. “Ironhide, do either of you have a quick way to get down there?”

The red Autobot shook his head, resting his right elbow in his left palm and stroking his chin in thought. “Nah...might'a been different if th' demolition expert actually brought a detpack with em'!”

Brawn and Applejack didn't hear either of them. They were too busy engaged in a glaring contest. Ironhide groaned and began walking toward them, “Dag nabbit, will th' two a ya git over yerselves?! Yer makin' this desert hotter than it already is!”

*FSSSSHHHH*

A plume of sand erupted in front of his path, obscuring his vision and finally getting Brawn and Applejack's attention. As the wind blew the sand away, Ironhide transformed his right hand into a short barreled shotgun. “Issat an Insecticon?! Here?! Does Shockwave got one up on us already?!”

Brawn smiled and clenched both his fists, happy he was able to take his anger out on something. “Heh, first time I've seen one! This is gonna be good!”

“Wait, stop! You don't understand!” Twilight galloped in front of the grizzled veteran, “That's a delver myrmex indikos, you can't just shoot it!”

Applejack added, “Twi, why don' you jus' call it a giant ant?! Yer fancy science speak's jus' gonna confuse us!”

The ant was nearly as large as both Autobots. It twitched its massive pincers, staring directly at Ironhide. With a shrill cry, its spindly legs carried itself towards him at an unexpected speed, its intention to skewer his midsection. With Twilight in front of him, he was forced to take the ant head on by its pincers, the impact grinding his legs into the ground and kicking up clouds of sand all around him. The pony at his feet cried out to him while covering her eyes, “Don't hurt it! It's just a wild animal!”

Ironhide grunted as his metal joints buckled and groaned. “Ah git it, alright! Jus' let meh do mah thing!”

Careful not to let the ant touch her, he flipped it left and onto its side, slamming it into the ground by its head. Twilight spat a few times and shook her head to get the sand out of her eyes and mane. When her vision cleared, she saw that the ant was still twitching its legs, but was otherwise incapacitated. “(sigh)...thanks Ironhide.” She walked over to it with trepidation, wary that it might attack again. “I don't understand, myrmex aren't supposed to be anywhere near this big. That, and...” She looked up at Ironhide. “...it wasn't agitated or threatened, yet it went straight for you as soon as it came out of the ground.”

Several localized rumbles throughout the ground let them all know they wouldn't have to time collect themselves. Multiple other plumes of sand erupted around them all, followed by the clicking of pincers and the myrmex's screech filling the air. Within moments, both the ponies and Autobots were surrounded on all sides by countless giant insects. “Everyone huddle together, NOW!”

Applejack had no trouble galloping over to Twilight's side, but Brawn was forced to punch a few ants out of his way. The moment the two of them were near, she immediately generated her magic barrier, pushing the myrmex away and giving them breathing room.

“Okay, that's kinda useful. Mind if we start bashing them now before these things scrap us?”

“They're too strong...! I...I can't keep this up much longer!”

The ants had not given up their quarry, as every surrounding offender began slashing and pounding away at the shield. Twilight grunted in pain, her teeth clenched and her eyes forced shut. All of her willpower was focused on keeping the barrier up for what little time they had. Knowing they only had mere moments before an army of ants mobbed them, Ironhide was forced to make a decision. “Brawn, ya think ya kin clear a path fer us? Cuz the only way I see us gittin' outta this mess is goin' down there!” He pointed to the hole the first ant made, causing Applejack to look up at him like he had lost his mind.

“Are ya outta yer apple pickin' -”

“Your logic circuits crossed, gramps?! That's where these things came from! You know, the things that are trying to shred us into little bitsy pieces?!”

She tipped her hat forward and turned her head away, her eyes on Brawn. She was begrudgingly starting to accept there were some similarities between herself and her favorite Autobot.

“These bugs jus' gave us a way ta the energon signal. Like it er' not, we gotta go down there. Now take point Brawn, fore' Twi's force field gives out!” He transformed his hand back to normal and stared down his compatriot, letting him know that he was dead serious.

“Ugh, I hate it when you're right...everyone in the pool!” He lowered his head and ran straight for the tunnel, jumping down it without a moment's hesitation. Ironhide lowered his hand down, prompting the ponies to let him carry the both of them. “Sorry if ah'm a bit rough.” Applejack smirked once and nudged Twilight's shoulder, her eye peeking open in response. When they were safely in hand, he cupped his other palm over them and followed Brawn down the tunnel, the barrier dispelling moments afterward. Not wanting to let their prey escape, the myrmex gave chase, their screeches echoing down the chasm.

Ambush, pt 2

View Online

- Sweet Apple Acres, Afternoon

*knock, knock*
“Applebloom? Applebloom, are you in there? It's Sweetie Belle, please open up...”

She had been knocking on her door for at least five minutes, with no answer whatsoever. She didn't even hear any movement from inside.

“Scootaloo's here too, we just wanna talk. Nopony's mad at you, honest.”

Still no answer. Sweetie Belle frowned and looked at the floor, realizing that this wasn't going anywhere. Careful not to bang her cast, she walked back down the stairs to meet up with her friend.

“No luck, huh?” The orange filly was sat down on the couch near the window, and had a frown that matched her own.

“No...Granny Smith told me that she hasn't come out of her room since last night.” She brushed her cast with her other rear leg, her eyes still staring at the floor. “I just wish there was something we could do...”

Scootaloo got up and walked over to her, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Just give her some time alone. She's still blaming herself for everything that's happened.”

She snapped her head up, “But-but we don't blame her! It was an accident! I-I mean, nopony could've known what was down there!” She fell to her haunches, moments from crying again. “I just...I just want her to be okay...”

Sweetie Belle felt herself being embraced by her friend, her eyes closed. It looked to her that she was holding back tears as well. “Me too. But we have to give her some space for now.”

Upstairs, Applebloom rolled over onto her left side, staring out of the window. It was probably around the fifth or sixth time she'd moved at all today, her limbs protesting either soreness or sleepiness. She hadn't even bothered to tie her trademark bow in her hair. Her eyes stung from crying all night, and the thoughts of what she had done prevented any rest. She hugged a pillow to herself, her head hazy with anguish.

“Maybe ah shouldn't talk to them anymore...ah don't wanna hurt them again.”

----

(“Applejack, I've been meaning to ask you, how's Applebloom doing? Getting caught up in this mess looked traumatic for her.”)

(“None too good, Twi...she didn't say a word on the way back to the farm. She wouldn't even come outta her room to go to school. Ah'm a might worried bout' her...”)

(“Would y'all pipe down?! Last thing we need's those bugs findin' us again!”)

They had somehow managed to lose the swarm of myrmex in their own expansive tunnels, and were currently hiding in a small crevice Brawn had smashed open for them. Their only source of light came from a dim illumination spell, courtesy of Twilight's horn.

(“Well, old man? It was your idea to come down here. You got a plan? Or do I have to deal with being crammed in a box for another megacycle?”)

Ironhide responded while peeking around the corner. (“We ain't even gonna have time to cool our gears. These things kin sense us somehow.”) He brought his head back into the crevice and looked down at the ponies in his palm. (“Twi, how far are we to the target?”)

Twilight already had the compass floating in front of her. (“I'd say about 100 to 200 yards. I think we'll be able to make it there in a few minutes in your vehicle forms.”) She grimaced, realizing something else. (“Then again, I'm not sure how winding these tunnels are. Delver myrmex have a habit of making very expansive colonies.”)

Brawn chuckled, pointing a thumb to himself. (“That's what I'm here for! If we need an entrance, I'll make one!”)

Their leader nodded, deciding on a course of action. (“Alright...only thing we kin do right now is confirm the target.”)

(“And how are we supposed to get there without being diced into energon cubes?”)

*CRASH*
“SKREEEE...”

The wall across from them rumbled and smashed open, spraying bits of sandstone in their direction and revealing another squad of screeching insects. Acting on instinct, Ironhide whipped out his scatter blaster and fired several times at the ceiling, starting a cave-in. “No time ta think bout' that, we gotta move!”

The Autobots transformed into their vehicle forms, forcing Twilight to teleport herself and Applejack onto Brawn before they hit the ground. She unfortunately was not able to stop their falling momentum, as they both hit his backside rather hard. “Ow! Ironhide, watch what you're doing!”

“Sorry Twi, mah hands moved faster than mah head...!”

Applejack held onto her hat as they accelerated away from the collapsing tunnel. She was finding more reasons to like him little by little, this time because of the space on his rear end. She wouldn't of been able to save her prized possession if she had to hold onto something. Gritting her teeth, Applejack took a second to find her center of gravity on a speeding Autobot, edging herself over the windshield to get a decent view up ahead. “Twi, crank up the juice on yer horn, their headlights ain't cuttin' it!”

As the path ahead of them illuminated, they noticed more cracks appearing in the walls as they sped by, no doubt more myrmex following their every move. The cowpony looking ahead felt a creepy sensation in her nerves, and an icy feeling going through her limbs. No matter how far or fast they traveled, more and more ants kept cropping up. Even so, she kept facing forward. She didn't want to imagine what it looked like behind her, knowing that the entire corridor must be covered in vicious ants by now. And from the way things looked, it was only a matter of time until one of the ants managed to intercept them. Startling Twilight a little, Applejack dove into her saddle bag and pulled out a pre-tied lasso by her teeth. “Think ya can multitask yer spells? These two are busy savin' our hides right now, so we'll hafta keep these varmints off em'!”

“No problem Applejack, just hang on a second!”

It was hard maintaining a levitation, gem finder, and illumination spell all at once, but she was eventually able to gather her wits and teleport the two of them back inside Ironhide. Now that she had some stability, she didn't waste any time poking her head out the left side window to see just how many myrmex were chasing them.

“Oh no...!”

It was like a wave of knives and antennae was flooding down the tunnel. Some of them were even crawling over each other just to ensure that no space was left unused. Their intermittent screeches were bone chilling, and the clicking of their legs was so numerous, it was like a fall breeze blowing over a mountain of leaves. A sudden left turn down the tunnel jerked her away from the window and back to reality, slamming her into her friend. Knowing what that entailed, Twilight looked at the compass again while still plastered to Applejack.

“Ironhide, you're off by 23 degrees west! Maintain your heading!”

“And how do ya expect meh to do that with these bugs chasin' us?!”

“I...I don't know! Just figure it out!”

“Get offa me already!”

As far as getting to the target location was concerned, Twilight had no choice but to trust their judgement. Dealing with the swarm chasing them on the other hoof, she could do something about. Scrambling to the window again, she pointed her horn towards their aggressors and started firing concussion sparks, remembering to keep the compass at her side. The blasts she fired were powerful enough to smash the sandstone around them, but the ants didn't even flinch or slow down. Rather, they uselessly bounced off their exoskeletons.

“Might as well be throwin' corn kernels at em'...hold on Twi, ah got an idea!”

With her lasso still in her mouth, Applejack looked forward out of her own window, waiting for another myrmex to appear in their path. The second she spotted one piercing its pincers through the ceiling, she spun the rope, and with the motion of an hardened expert, lassoed one of its pincers. A combination of gravity and an apple farmer's jaws brought the ant down with a loud crash, tripping up the wave of insects behind like a row of dominoes. Applejack reeled her rope back with a grin, amazed that she was able to pull it off.

“Careful, will ya?! That thing was way too close for comfort!”

“Ah, that ain't nothin' you can't handle! Ah'd be a bigger problem if we were ta throw down, short stack!”

“Will you stop calling me - !”

A rapid pulse from the compass forced Twilight to intervene. “Enough! Brawn, we've reached the target! Break open the floor, NOW!”

“You don't have to tell me twice!” The camo green Autobot sped ahead and transformed, punching the floor the moment he skidded to a stop. “One entrance coming – huh?!”

At first he thought he should have pulled his punch, realizing seconds later that it wouldn't of made a difference. The entire tunnel around them shattered and fell, finally revealing the target they had been pursing since this morning.

“Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...!”

The first thing that could be processed was their eyes and optics obnoxiously filling with an all encompassing azure light. The second, was that the chamber beneath the crumbling tunnel had to be around 200 yards deep. The third, was the panic that followed after being dropped into such a deep cavern – a cavern that housed a massive mound of energon crystal.

“Of course! Myrmex are known to collect gold and jewels in mounds like this! That must be the reason why they're attacking you two!”

“Twi, stop yappin' an' git yerselves to safety! Me an' Brawn kin handle the fall, but th' two a ya can't!”

Getting to safety was indeed at the face of Twilight's thoughts, but her last words came out like a knee jerk reaction. Knowing that she only had seconds to spare, she grabbed Applejack and teleported to the only place she could see that could almost break their fall; the top of the energon mound. Once again, she couldn't stop their momentum, but a hard landing was much more preferable than a fatal landing. The fall was like landing on pointed cobblestone, slightly jagged, but not enough to create lacerations. Twilight dispelled her magic before they landed, knowing all too well what would happen if any of her spells got too close to an energon deposit this big. Applejack managed to catch the compass between her hooves before it fell, much to the relief of her partner. She squeaked a sigh out, “All this tumblin' around's makin' me feel like a saddle at a rodeo...you okay, Twi?”

Rubbing her head with a groan, she replied, “Fine...but I'm more worried about those two...!”

Taking the compass and rope again and depositing it back into her bag, Twilight edged her way across the energon mound, being overtly careful not to nudge anything the wrong way. Her research on it was still fresh in her mind, and the last thing she wanted was their journey to end in a ten ton explosion. Peeking over the edge while on her belly, she saw that the Autobots were already fighting hordes of myrmex, Ironhide fending off any that came near him with his scatter blaster, and Brawn resorting to his bare fists, punching and throwing them into each other. They weren't as numerous as what was chasing them down the tunnel, but that would not last much longer. Twilight was beginning to feel an irrational panic well up from her chest and into her head; sure, they had finally reached their destination, but so what? They were smack dab in the middle of a vicious ant colony bent on tearing apart her new friends and harvesting their energon, with no conceivable way out. She felt her hooves going to her head without thinking, her breath speeding up. “Oh no, what do we do, what do we do?! They can't keep this up forever, it's only a matter of time until the myrmex tear them apart!”

“Twi, these things have energon inside em'!”

“W-what?!”

Between blasting the ants in the face and bashing them with his firearm, Ironhide eventually noticed a blue glow coming from the cracks inside their carapace. As the barrel of his gun met with the head of another myrmex, he yelled to her, “Ah don' understand it either, but this means we've only got one way outta this! If these bugs are carryin' energon, they you've gotta blow that mound sky high with yer magic!”

Applejack jumped to her hooves and galloped over to the mound's edge, not caring in the least about how dangerous it was. “That's the nuttiest thing ah've heard all day! Ain't NO WAY we're doin' that! Twilight here told meh that an explosion like that dropped ya both ta yer knees, and that was only a small one! Who KNOWS what'll happen if this mountain lights up!” She had displayed her anger earlier, but not like this. Brawn may have said some insensitive things that riled her, but the thought of anyone here getting brutally injured out of necessity infuriated her. She would have kept going on about how wrong this was, but Twilight had already decided.

“No Applejack, that's the point! An energon explosion caused by magic will stop all the myrmex in the colony! Ironhide's right, there's no other way!” Before she could argue back, the lavender unicorn grabbed her and teleported to the Autobots feet. “Everyone stay close!”

“Twilight, NOOO!”

The cowpony's protest hung in the air as Twilight fired a single blast of magic at the colossal energon mound. As it collided, the myrmex immediately ceased their attack, their heads turning toward their prized possession in unison. Scuttling past their prey, every insect began climbing the energon mound, others even joining them from indiscriminate parts of the colony. Eventually, the amount of ants covering it blotted out the azure glow. Twilight and Ironhide could only watch the electricity build within the target location in dreadful anticipation. They had already experienced how it felt to be at ground zero of an explosion like this. They knew how much it hurt. And just as Applejack said, there was no telling what a blast of this magnitude was going to do to them. The red Autobot transformed his shotgun back into his hand, clenching it tight. The only thing he and his partner could do was walk it off when it was over. Twilight, however, still had one more thing she could try.

“I'm sorry about this, Applejack...”

Leaping in front of everyone, she generated her magic barrier once again as electricity began arcing out between the swarm of myrmex.

“...but we didn't have any other choice!”

“Twilight, you...you plum...!”

*BTOOOOOOOM*

The sound was deafening. The light was blinding. The earth beneath them shook, and the hordes of insects were slammed against the walls of the chamber with sickening cracks, doing nothing to contain the shock wave of azure energy. Twilight's barrier held for naught a second, shattering into mystical glass as the explosion contaminated her horn in the same manner as last night, only magnified ten fold. Her body quaked and her eyes rolled back into her head, a severe migraine throwing her coordination off before she fell over, not even giving her a chance to scream. The Autobots didn't fare much better; Ironhide and Brawn had energon arcing out of their bodies like an incomplete circuit, an obvious sign of overloaded power cells. Spasming just like their pony friend, both went limp and fell over with a loud slam. Applejack was the only one unaffected, but was forced to play witness to her friend's suffering as the wave passed by.

“Dag nabbit, Twilight...there shoulda been another way outta this mess...!”

Aside from the electricity still sparking out of the Autobots, the chamber had gone pitch black with the detonation of the energon mound. Galloping over to her side, Applejack knelt down onto her knees to check on the lavender unicorn. “Twilight! Twilight, please tell meh yer alright!” Her head faced the other two victims. “Ironide, say somethin'! Brawn...are ya okay?!” There was no response from anyone. Feeling her heart racing faster, she put an ear to her friend's mouth. “Oh thank Celestia...yer still breathin'.” It was at least one sign of good news. With the knowledge of her friend's safety, she was able to calm down enough to notice the clicking of the myrmex had stopped.

“Looks like Ironhide was right...” She turned her attention to the unconscious pony at her hooves. “Still, ah don' even know if it was worth it...ah really hope th' three a ya are gonna be fine...”

Applejack knelt down completely and rested her chin on Twilight's shoulder, closing her eyes. For the first time in her life, she had never felt so powerless.

(“...still don't understand why you insisted on coming out here anyway.”)

Brawn's words echoed in her mind. She wanted to be there for Twilight, for them all, but all she could do in this situation was hope her friends weren't mortally wounded.

“No...that ain't right. Ah still gotta do somethin', even if it ain't much!”

She jumped to her hooves, reminding herself that she needed to pull her weight. Looking to the ceiling, she wondered out loud, “First thing's first, we gotta find a way outta here.”

A small rumble beneath her threw Applejack off balance, nearly toppling her over. At first she thought it was an earthquake caused by the explosion, but what happened next would make her wish it was just that.

*CRASH*

The sounds of sandstone being broken echoed in the chamber, pieces of debris landing all around her. She couldn't see what was causing it, but judging from the way it sounded, something alive was punching through layers of earth.

“...don't tell meh there's still some a those bugs left?!”

The crash emanated from where the energon mound was. However, the sounds she heard afterward were the same ones she had grown accustomed to in the past tweleve hours; scraping metal and clanking gears. The sounds that Cybertronians made when they transformed. Dark purple light shone in the darkness, followed by the metallic slam of 'something' jumping near. No, some things. The lights framed themselves around bipedal bodies, letting Applejack know that these were indeed Cybertronians. The insignia on all of their chests, however, made her unconsciously take few steps back, her teeth grit and her knees shaking.

“D...Decepticons...!”

Her eyes had now slightly adjusted to the darkness. There were five of them in total, each sharing a similar color scheme; a sort of forest green. What drew her attention was the massive gash one of them had in their chestplate. It sparked and leaked in the same way as the energon discharge she saw coming from the Autobots. In fact, they all looked damaged in some way, whether it be from battle or from age. The largest one started walking toward her fallen comrades, drawing a weapon and laughing a hearty laugh.

“Lo+ki# }&at we go^ h$!e?! Som( Au^%b@ts >*ady t( be%#m& +pa%e par=*!”

That feeling of helplessness was back again. It was bad enough she couldn't do anything about their injuries, but what could she possibly do against Decepticons?

“Ah...ah gotta do somethin'!”

She jumped over her slumbering friend, making it a point to put herself between them. Scooping up a small piece of sandstone, she tossed it into the air, turned around, and bucked it at the approaching Decepticon with a single hoof, the piece smashing against his head hard enough to make him stop. His attention turned to his attack, his yellow visor staring her down.

“S&, ^ou w$}na ge; bl+st`d }=rst, <*h?!”

“Whoa nelly...I really botched this one up...!”

Applejack succeeded in what she set out to do. But all that meant was now this huge thug was going to blast her before getting to her friends.

“Oh no you don't! Head's up, Decepti-scum!”

It was Brawn. The Decepticon had just enough time to face him before the smaller Autobot jumped up and grabbed the arm his weapon was attached to, bringing him to the ground and onto his back as if he were made of air. With a grunt, he swung their attacker around once and threw him into the one with the gash in his armor, sending them both flying. Applejack could only stand there in disbelief, not fully understanding how someone so small could chuck something so big.

“Boy howdy, so that's why yer called Brawn!”

The damaged Decepticon threw the other off him, clutching his wound and screaming in pain. He started yelling at the other four around him in their alien language while still on his back, making gestures and pointing at the pony standing near them.

“W*^tev$r th+” t{ing i@, /=ptu%e it $?r i+]erro#at!~n! Br$w+, >*ke a- e^it #n +(e +ei#”ng! }*ast O?>, Vor%*x, +\t u< %?t o* h@*e!”

The one that collided with his apparent leader sprung to his feet and transformed into his alternate form, a twin barreled artillery tank. His frame tilted back slightly and produced two grounding clamps in the front, slamming them down to provide stability. Both Brawn and Applejack quickly got the message as he pointed his main guns up at the ceiling.

“Hey hey, you'll bury us ALL if you're doing what I think you're doing!”

He rushed the tank with every intention to stop him, but realized too late that he let his panic get the best of him. One of the other Decepticons dashed directly in front of his path and shot him once, throwing him off his feet.

“Brawn, no! AHH!!!”

*BTOOM* *BTOOM*BTOOM*

Applejack covered her face with her foreleg and averted her eyes, feeling the force and heat of artillery fire. The shells en route to the ceiling left behind a jet black smoke trail, resulting in deafening explosions. While she was looking away, two of the others transformed into flying vehicles, one of them a shuttle with a massive jet engine, and the other a helicopter. The spinning of the chopper blades caused the cowpony to peek over her elbow, unfamiliar with the sound. It was just enough of a distraction for the fifth Decepticon to dash over while she was unawares, grabbing her with his cold, metallic hand. Dropping her hat, Applejack struggled against his grip with all her might, only for it constrict even more. It was as if he was letting her know he could crush her with the slightest of gestures.

“Hey! L-leggo a' me! Let GOOO!”

Her cries for help merely earned a cruel laugh from all five of them. The shuttle Decepticon blasted his engines and flew overhead, giving the signal for her captor to jump up and grab his wing, not paying any mind to how his movements were affecting his prisoner. His grip made it hard to breathe. Her eyes were screwed shut in a futile attempt to alleviate her stress, and the amount of g-force the flier created made her sick to her stomach. When the familiar heat of the desert sun hit her face once again, Applejack opened her eyes to a horrid sight; they were at least several miles in the air, and the hole created by the artillery tank had started to crumble. The pony's lungs pressed against metal, desperately trying to get more oxygen. Her friends were still down there, being buried alive.

“NOOO!!! TWILIGHT, IRONHIDE, BRAWN!!!” She tore her eyes away from the sight, tears falling freely. “You...y'all ain't gettin' away with this!!!”

Once again, her protests were ignored. Looking around, she saw that all five of the Decepticons were here, three of them hitching a ride on their fliers. They came to a quick landing just outside of the semi-collapsed crater in the myrmex colony, the two vehicles transforming back into robot form. Her captor tossed her to the ground with an idle motion, each of them surrounding her in a wide circle. Applejack gasped for air and coughed up the sand that entered her lungs.

“Yer gonna...get it now...!”

She quickly righted herself with defiance in mind, but the Decepticon that took her here already had a dual-barreled firearm pointed in her face. He was the only one here with a visible mouth, creased into a smile that seemed to say 'just try something'. The cowpony sat herself down slowly, realizing she was at the mercy of these thugs. Her cheeks quivered and her face was flushed red with frustration and grief. There was nothing she could do.

“Alright, data script's translated. Time for some answers.”

The voice came from the one with the gash in his armor. He typed a few commands on his arm with his free hand while the other clutched his wound. “Blast Off, weld this shut. I'd rather not lose any more energon.”

“Sure thing.”

One of the fliers transformed his hand and produced a flame, narrowing it into a blue stream of heat. As he worked on his apparent leader, Applejack decided to at least try and make sense of the situation. “Alright...ah already know yer Decepticons, but whaddya plan on doin' with me? Who the hay are all you creeps anyway?”

His faceplate moved in tandem with his speech, much like the Autobots she'd seen before. “Who we are is none of your concern. And we'll be asking the questions here.” The one called Blast Off transformed his hand back to normal, stepping aside to let him walk closer. Staring her down with his yellow visor, he continued, “I think it's obvious you've met with the Autobots, so I'll cut straight to the point. What is this planet and how did we get here?! How many Autobots are still functioning?! Where are they holed up?!”

She kept facing the barrel of the firearm, her eyes set on her questioner. “Ironhide was right bout' you Cons...y'all ain't nothin' but trouble.” She faced him completely, anger seething in her words. “Ah ain't tellin' ya nothin', hear me?!” It was true that she was afraid for her life. But her values were more important to her than preserving it, especially after seeing her friends buried. She would rather be gunned down than betray them.

“Should've expected this.” The rest of them walked back a distance, save for the helicopter Decepticon. “Vortex, this thing's all yours.”

“Heh heh heh, thought you'd never ask!”

He jumped into the air and spun around, transforming back into his vehicle mode and flying directly over Applejack. His blades began spinning at an incredible velocity, sucking up the sand around her.

“How's about you have a taste of Vortex's wild ride?!”

----

“Twil...wake...”

Her head felt like it was literally throbbing. Every muscle in her body strained to move, as if she had run an entire marathon in the span of twenty seconds.

“Twilight, wake up!”

Consciousness inevitably came, but she didn't want to open her eyes. Every action she was taking, every movement of her body, even every thought she was thinking; it made her hurt even more.

“Grrr! C'mon Twi! This thing's too heavy...ah can't keep this up forever!”

“That's...Ironhide...!”

Twilight's eyes snapped open while she lay on her side. In the corner of her eye, she saw the old Autobot standing over her, holding what looked like the entire ceiling of the cavern over his head. Brawn sat off to his left, clutching his left shoulder. Feeling the urgency of the moment, she started to jump to her hooves, only to feel a shooting pain in her skull the moment she moved her head. Falling back down, she prodded her horn with her hoof fearfully and cautiously, the same pain filling her head and traveling down her spine.

“ARRGGHHH...! That's...that's right...! The energon explosion...my horn's still contaminated...”

The thought of malignant energon festering in her horn made her feel even worse than the pain she was experiencing. Celestia knows what it may have been doing to her while she was unconscious.

“Twilight, it's too far for any of us ta make a run for it! You gotta teleport us outta here!”

Easier said than done. Teleportation of anything around her own size was easy enough, but she had never attempted to move anything the size of an Autobot. Even worse, her magic was currently unstable from the blast wave. There was no way she could trust herself with such a daunting task while she was in this state.

“Ya better hurry up, Twi...ah've probably got less than a microcycle...!”

The sounds of buckling metal and sand falling on her face reminded her of the current danger. She knew what she had to do to fix the problem with her horn, but it was like tearing an old band-aid off. No, more like pulling out a harpoon with a barb.

“O-okay...I can do this...!”

The lavender unicorn's horn sparked with blue and magenta energy, her eyes shut and quivering. Trying to isolate this amount of energon corruption pushed both her willpower and pain threshold to its limits. It was as if her head was full of needles, and she was forced to remain calm while somepony shook her really hard.

(“It's no good...it hurts too much! I-I can't...”)

Ironhide dropped to one knee with a slam, the ceiling drawing ever closer.

(“No! It can't end like this...we have to get out of here!”)

The energy discharging from Twilight's horn blended into a single shade of bright purple. She sensed the hairs on her coat stand on end and the tingling of static around herself. It was the last thing she felt before ten thousand tons of sandstone came crumbling down.

*DTOOOOM*

The sound was her death knell, her body jerking into a fetal position. She shuddered in place for a full minute before realizing that she shouldn't be able to move at all. That she shouldn't be feeling the same migraine that had been terrorizing her. That she should be dead. Twilight's eyes opened slowly, unsure of what just happened. The sight that greeted her washed away any stress left in her chest.

“We're safe...? But-but how?! I was panicking, I-I didn't even get a chance to cast anything!”

Her head still hurt immensely, but not to the point where it was debilitating anymore. Finally able to stand on four hooves, she took a quick look around. There was a new hole in the cavern ceiling, and charred pieces of sandstone littered the area. It appeared that they had somehow moved from the deathtrap below them to above it. Brawn stood and began walking toward her, replying while still clutching his damaged arm. “Don't know how you manged it, but...you did. Thanks for the save, Sparkler.”

Twilight's head was still darting around. “Wait, where's Applejack?! (GASP), don't tell me...!”

“Relax, she's still alive. For now, anyway...” Reaching her, he held out his hand, the cowpony's hat in his palm. The unicorn standing in front of him levitated it to herself while he called out, “Hey gramps, hope you're listening, because we've got a situation. The Combaticons were the real source of the energon signal.”

Ironhide had a hand on his own shoulder, rotating it around to work the kinks out. He sat down, resting his right elbow on his knee, the news apparently something he didn't want to hear. “Scrap...this day jus' keeps gittin' better an' better. Ah'm guessin' they took Applejack ta interrogate her?”

“Yeah. Right at the same time Brawl blasted in a new skylight. One of them got me good...sorry to let you down.”

“Don' apologize ta me. Ah ain't th' one with a captured friend.”

Brawn let go of his wound and moved the fingers on his damaged arm, scowling. “I told her this isn't a picnic...not my fault she didn't listen.”

Twilight chose to ignore his last comment. “Tell me, who are the Combaticons? And what are they doing out here in the middle of the desert?”

Ironhide grimaced and averted his optics. “The Combaticons are Megatron's elite military unit. There's five of em' in total, an' each of em' specializes in very a specific field of warfare. The fact that they're even here at all changes everythin'...”

Brawn continued for him, “Jazz and Jetfire both reported that Bruticus was blasted off the Ark's deck by an aerial strike. That probably explains what they're doing here; must've fell into the desert all those decacycles ago. Too bad he didn't burn up on re-entry...”

Twilight interjected, “Wait, who's Bruticus?”

“It's the Combaticon's combined form. He's the reason why the Ark fell out of the sky...he targeted our fuel tanks right before we entered the space bridge.”

Twilight's head was still awash with dull pain and energon contamination, but it didn't inhibit her thought process. It was pretty simple to fit the pieces together. “Then...the energon deposit. It's here because the Combaticons fell to Equestria. And when it exploded, it woke them up the same way it woke the Autobots up.”

Ironhide punched the ground, apparently one step ahead of her. “Ah know...mah stupid idea's th' reason why they're outta stasis.”

Brawn's wound still crackled intermittently with energon, but was otherwise still able to use his arm. “Can't worry about that now. What's the plan?”

“Ah'm outta ideas...those ants aren't nothin' compared ta what we've got on our hands now. They outnumber us, out gun us, and out muscle us. We wouldn't stand a chance in a frontal attack. Worse yet, Applejack's probably spilled everythin' she knows bout' what's goin' on by now...”

“What?!” Twilight began walking up to him, ignoring how much it hurt to move. “Applejack is one of the most loyal and dependable friends I know! She would never betray us!”

“Ah'm not sayin' she's the kind that would, ah'm sayin' that Vortex ain't gonna stop till' she does. He's the Decepticon's interrogator; even the best of us have had vital secrets pried out cuz' a him.”

Brawn clenched a fist, “Which means we gotta act, and fast! Look, I managed to get a good look at Onslaught, and he's got a huge, honking hole in his chest right here!” He pointed to the left side of his chestplate. “Isn't that something we can take advantage of?!”

“Even if we take out Onslaught, it's still four ta two. We still wouldn't stand a chance out in the open.”

“No, you're wrong. It'd be four on four.” Twilight had the energon compass out once again, holding it in her hoof. Although it was somewhat difficult to maintain a gem finder spell with her horn still corrupted, the pulsing shard inside told her enough before she dispelled it. Putting on Applejack's hat, she explained, “These Combaticons didn't get very far. In fact, they should be just outside the myrmex colony. And that gives me an idea.”

Brawn looked away and crossed his arms, scoffing. Ironhide's brow creased, unsure of how he should handle this. “Look, Twi...ah appreciate yer gusto, but this ain't somethin' ya kin take lightly. Fightin' giant bugs is one thing, but these are trained professionals. Those five Cons gave us some a' th' biggest problems near th' end a' the war on Cybertron.”

“That doesn't matter! Listen, we might be outmatched as far as muscle goes, but we've got a few other things that are just as good! Fresh legs, and the element of surprise! Just like Brawn pointed out, they must still be exhausted from their last fight on the Ark! That means they must all be damaged and low on ammunition! We have a fighting chance, but you have to trust me!”

The old Autobot stood up, putting a little too much force into his legs. It seemed like he wasn't having any of this. “Ferget it! Ah've seen way too many Autobots git scrapped cuz' a' dumb decisions, an' ah ain't lettin' you make one too!”

Brawn held a hand out in front of his senior, “Hold on a sec. She might be onto something.” He turned his head to face Twilight, smiling smugly. “Think I might've been wrong about you, Sparkler. Let's hear you out.”

----

“You know, I can stop this at any time. All you have to do is tell us everything you know!”

This was the worst Applejack had ever felt in her life. True to his name, the Decepticon Vortex had created a makeshift tornado in his vehicle form, trapping her inside until she said what they wanted her to say.

“You...ain't gettin'...nothin' outta me, hear?!”

She brought her forelegs to her mouth to suppress another bout of nausea. In the past fifteen minutes, she'd been thrown around so much that she was getting used to being dizzy. The winds flailed her limbs around constantly, the heights giving her vertigo. And yet, the only thing they had got out of her were more insults. She knew better; Vortex was planning on dropping her when he was done, even if she talked.

“Vortex, my scans indicate this thing is using the atmosphere to live. Cut off the supply.”

“Ooo, sounds like fun Onslaught!”

“HAH HAH HAH HAH! This outta be good!”

Applejack's hooves moved from her mouth to her neck, the tornado suddenly being robbed of air. So far she had only been thinking about protecting her friends, but for the first time since this torture started, she began to worry about her own life. Trying to breathe was futile, her lungs only filling with heat and stagnation. Her chest was tight and her vision was starting to blur.

(“Ah don' wanna go out like this...but ah'll...never...!”)

“What? Vortex, what happened?! Where did that creature go?!”

“I don't know! It just vanished in some pink flash!”

Applejack breathed in greedily and forcefully, her voice cracking a little as a result. She had never appreciated having air in her lungs as much as she did now, or being firmly seated on the ground. Right on the verge of blacking out, she felt sompony's hooves around her before her rear felt the hot sands again. Her breaths returning to normal, her eyes opened to see her trademark hat being worn by the pony she came here with.

“Twilight, yer okay!”

Smirking, she cried out, “Hey Onslaught! I've got a surprise for you!”

Hearing his name, the Decepticon turned around to see a bright, azure glow. Finally gaining a feel for it's unique wavelength, Twilight forced the energon corruption in her horn to the surface, compressing it into a sphere twice her own size. With her head clear and her weapon primed, she fired it directly at Onslaught. The recoil launched her backward a small distance, her friend's hat flying off. Taken completely by surprise, he was only able to finish turning around before the sphere of magic and energon collided with his chest, exploding with no actual force, but shorting out his power cells with a familiar shock wave.

“UGGGHHHH!!!”

The three other Combaticons around him were similarly affected, their backs becoming rigid and their bodies spasming. Vortex gained altitude to avoid the shock wave, unsure of what just happened.

“I don't know who you are, but you've got some guts to pull something like that! I've got something for ya, ya little –”

*BLAM*

With the others under the effects of energon overload, Ironhide took aim from afar and blasted his tail rotor with his shotgun, forcing the helicopter to transform in mid air before he crashed. Not letting the chance slip by, Brawn transformed and sped to the falling Decepticon, jumping a sand dune and crashing into him moments before they hit the ground. Going back to robot form, he got a good grip on his chestplate as they landed, showing off another smug smile.

“If you wanted to fly away so badly, you should've just asked me!”

Grinding his feet into the sand, Brawn hefted Vortex by his armor, raised him over his head, and threw him into the other Combaticons, dropping them all like bowling pins.

“Now, Ironhide! Give them the nitrogen!”

He was already in vehicle form, halfway there. Transforming and skidding to a stop, he pointed the fingertips of his left hand at their downed foes, spraying a white, gaseous substance at them. Vortex made an attempt to claw his way past his teammates, but was in no position to react fast enough. In the span of five seconds, the Combaticons were frozen over, their bodies still and smoking with cold, white ice.

(“Heavens to betsy...”)

Applejack simply sat there aghast as she put her hat back on. Just moments ago she was fearing for her life, and in the next she finds out her friends were safe and sound, saving it. Was this how battles were won during their war? Were the Autobots used to dealing with situations like this all the time? She stood up and dusted herself off, still feeling slightly wobbly. The questions invading her head didn't help either.

“Twilight...ya saved mah life. And ya even brought mah favorite hat back!”

The unicorn stood up and shook the sand out of her mane and tail. She placed a hoof on her horn and sighed softly, a few pangs of pain still swimming about her head. She responded with her eyes still closed, “It was a team effort. There's no way we could have subdued them without working together.”

She adjusted her hat, looking at the ground while chuckling. “Yeah...yer right. S'pecially since it was Ironhide's fancy water gun that turned em' inta cocktail ice. What was that anyway?”

Both Autobots had walked over to them both, overhearing their conversation. “It's kinda like chemist kit inside mah hand. Ah'm able ta shoot all kinds a' stuff; liquid nitrogen, hydrochloric acid, crude tar, an' whatnot.” He demonstrated by pointing his hand upward and shooting a few white puffs out of it. “But if ya wanna thank someone, thank Twi. She's th' one who hatched a plan ta save ya. Even got us outta that pit.”

“Yeah...I gotta admit, she did pretty good for her first day out in the field. Can't say the same for you though. You should be lucky you got someone to come to your rescue!”

Ordinarily this would get another rise out of Applejack, but one look at Brawn's shoulder snuffed out those feelings pretty quick. Galloping over to his side, she exclaimed, “Brawn! Ah thought that shot did'ja in, are ya alright?!”

The smaller Autobot raised an eyebrow. It seemed like he was expecting to have another argument. “Oh, yeah. I'm fine. What, you think a shot to the shoulder's enough to scrap me?”

“Heh...guess not.”

*BTOOM* *BTOOM*BTOOM*

Unfortunately, their victory was cut short. Both Autobots raised an arm in front of their face at the noise, flashes of orange light disrupting their optics. They had failed to notice that Brawl's main guns mounted on his back were not completely frozen, giving him enough leeway to haphazardly fire off shells straight up into the air. Ironhide saw the mortars sail up and curve back down, quickly realizing they were too close to their blast radius.

“Look out!”

Once again acting on instinct, he grabbed both ponies in each hand and began running, nearly tripping over himself in the soft, desert sands. They barely managed to get within a safe distance before the mortars came down around the Combaticon's icy prison, the force of the blast pounding against Ironhide's backside, the already sweltering air becoming hotter. He crouched down and held his hands close to himself, doing all he could to protect them from the explosion. Turning his head around, he set his jaw; even though the smoke hadn't cleared, he could already hear them talking, breaking away from their frozen trap.

“Argh, Brawl...how are you on ammo?”

“That last salvo was all I had left. I'm out.”

“That's fine...it doesn't matter at this point. We're not taking any more chances.”

Another hot wind blew away most of the smoke, revealing they had indeed managed to melt off most of the liquid nitrogen. Clutching his chest and holding a fist out in front of himself, he announced, “Combaticons! Combine into Bruticus!”

Two of the Decepticons tucked away their limbs and folded their bodies, transforming into the legs. Onslaught jumped into the air and transformed into the torso, connecting to the legs and producing a head in proportion to his body. Vortex and Blast Off transformed into their respective vehicle modes before flying into Onslaught's sides, producing hands and becoming the arms. The newly formed Decepticon tested moving its fingers and legs, taking a step forward. Even in the sand, the booming stomp of its leg shook the ground.

“Bruticus online! Ready for action!”

Stepping down from Ironhide's grip, Twilight got a full view of their new enemy. She forced herself to stand her ground, gulping. This monster was at least three times larger than most Cybertronians she'd encountered. Vortex's helicopter blades were mounted on its left shoulder, and Blast Off's engine made up its right forearm. Its legs were more solid, no doubt to provide stability. Two large cannons were mounted on its back, and its face was covered in a pentagon-shaped plate, its crimson eyes piercing even though the glaring sunlight. Twilight briefly thought about where Onslaught was keeping all these parts. He took a step backward on his right leg and slowly raised his right fist, clutching it so hard it was shaking.

“Twi, quick! Git that barrier a' yers up, NOW!”

She complied the second everyone was together, and not a moment too soon. Reeling back and putting his whole body into the blow, Bruticus slammed the ground like a hammer, generating a shock of both force and sound, powerful enough to distort the air and make the waves visible. Twilight's barrier held, but only barely; the moment it struck, she fell to her knees, gasping. It was like being punched in the face.

“So...strong...! Ugh!”

Her barrier flickered and vanished, nearly lapsing into unconsciousness again. The strain on her magic was taking its toll now. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up. Shaking her head lightly to stay awake, she felt the giant Decepticon speaking.

“Huh, looks like the sand absorbed most of the juice. Doesn't matter! I'd rather pound you bugs into paste myself!”

He began walking toward the four of them, each step feeling like a small tremor, the metal of its body clanging against itself and the desert. Applejack had her friend's neck around her forelegs, trying to keep her standing.

“Guys, Twilight can't keep on doin' this! What are we s'posed ta do?!”

Brawn had his legs planted apart, ready to dodge the next attack. “There isn't anything you can do! It took an entire squad of Autobots to take this guy down!”

“No...we've still got a chance!” Twilight righted herself, pushing past the exhaustion the day had wrought. “Onslaught's wound, the one you saw when we were in the colony, where exactly was it?!”

He pointed, “The left side of his armor, there!”

Bruticus' body was already covered in battle damage and bits of ice, but looking closely, it was there. A dent in his body larger than anywhere else, arbitrarily welded over. It stuck out like a sore hoof, looking like an obvious rush job.

(“I feel like I'm going to pass out any second now...but I've got to do this! I might be the only one who can!”)

The massive Decepticon balled his fists and swung recklessly the moment he reached them, once again putting his whole body into the blows. Clouds of sand burst into the air as his hooks connected with the ground, not caring or even looking at what he was trying to hit. Ironhide and Brawn dodge to the left and right respectively, while Twilight teleported herself and Applejack out of harms way, behind him.

“Hey! Quit MOVIN'!”

He turned his attention to the red Autobot, gaining a thankful sigh from the lavender unicorn. She was already formulating a plan.

“Ironhide, keep his attention on you!” Reaching into her saddle bag again, she pulled out the lasso and tossed it to the cowpony. “Applejack, stay on his right side! Brawn, go with her and get ready for my signal!”

“Hey! Since when am I taking orders from you?!”

“Just do it!”

It was becoming apparent that although Bruticus had more than enough power to flatten them all, he didn't have the speed or mobility to effectively use it. Even for an old codger, Ironhide had no problem dodging any and all punches he was throwing. Having enough, he transformed his right hand into a narrow cylinder, igniting a pilot light. “I've got something for YOU, Auto-bug!”

Utilizing Blast Off's engine, Bruticus fired a massive stream of flame, hot enough to melt the sand around them without even directly touching it. Ironhide was forced to transform to vehicle mode and strafe around him to avoid being incinerated. His sluggish movements still persisted as he tried to burn him, but under these circumstances the old Autobot wasn't able to counterattack either.

“A flamethrower?! Wait...that's it! Ironhide, can you produce potassium chlorate?! If so, fire it at his feet!”

“Yer th' boss, Twi!”

Getting behind him and going back to robot mode, he pointed his left fingertips and sprayed a fine, white powder at his right leg, covering it in white crystals. The Decepticon simply laughed at this gesture. “What, you run out of pebbles to throw at me?! You're makin' this too easy!”

Onslaught himself would have already realized Twilight's plan. However, Bruticus was single minded, intent only on crushing whatever was in his path and nothing else. He wasn't capable of comprehending how reactive the chemical caked to his leg was. The moment he turned his flamethrower on to burn the Autobot, the powder exploded from the residual heat, stopping his attack and dropping him to a knee.

“Now, Brawn! Throw off his balance! Applejack, take him down!”

He had no problem listening to her now. Running to his right leg, he dug his fingers under the sand and lifted with all his strength. He strained for around two seconds before prying his weight off the ground, sending him backward slightly. It was enough for Applejack to lasso Bruticus' neck, using the momentum created from Brawn's intervention to force him onto his back, the slam of metal resonating throughout the desert. The moment he was down, Twilight teleported onto his torso, pointing her horn directly at his patched wound.

“This is what you get for torturing my friend!”

All it took was a single concussion spark. She hadn't said it out loud, but she was counting on the fact that Bruticus' power cells were still corrupted by the initial energon blast she fired. Her gamble turned out to be the best course of action, as their enemy fell into a seizure, a mixture of azure and magenta electricity arcing out of his body. Her magic spent for now, Twilight jumped from his body before she could fall, pushing her muscles to gallop away, his screams of agony getting further away. A few stray volts licked at her coat, but she was unharmed when she came to a halt. Taking a moment to catch her breath before looking back, she smirked a little with half-lidded eyes; the Combaticons had disassembled, their bodies smoking and unmoving.

“Yee haw! Atta girl Twilight!”

Applejack galloped over and joined the exhausted unicorn, lifting her foreleg over her shoulder moments before she collapsed. She could feel her heart beating like a humming bird and the grains of sand stuck in her coat grinding against her. She'd have to remind her to take a bath later.

“That was some fancy horseplay ya did there. You doin' okay Twi?”

Her voice sounded weary and forced. “Nothing a good nap won't take care of – (GASP), HEY!”

What she saw next felt like somepony pinched a nerve in her heart, feeling a jolt of anxiety down her spine. Once again pushing past her tiredness, Twilight galloped back to the fallen Combaticons and jumped onto Onslaught, staring down the barrel of a scatter blaster.

“Ironhide, what do you think you're doing?!”

He looked back at her, his brow creased. “What's it look like? Ah'm finishin' what we started.”

“But...but, you can't just kill them!”

“Twi, I'm mah day, I've scrapped so many Cons, ah've lost count. An' the Combaticons are too much of a threat ta th' Autobots, ta any of us. You gotta step aside.”

She slammed a hoof down, glaring at him. “No! Ironhide, you...you're a good person, I know this! If you kill them, you won't be any better than them!”

His thoughts turned to the conversation they had on the way here, about how she talked about the 'magic of friendship'. He didn't voice it out of respect, but his sentiments were with Brawn. He had been fighting this war for so long, longer than most of the other Autobots. He knew what it meant to take down the enemy, what it entailed. Looking into her tired eyes, he saw naivete. He saw innocence and optimism. He saw an individual untouched by conflict. Transforming his arm back to normal, he decided.

“(sigh), Twilight...if you kin find a way ta haul this scum back ta th' Ark, ah won't scrap em' here. We'll lock em' up in th' brig.”

Her legs gave out, causing her to fall to her belly. With her anxiety gone, her energy was too. “...thank you, Ironhide.”

His expression remained pensive, walking a distance away and transforming to vehicle mode. Brawn scowled at the unicorn, his arms crossed. “Tch...forget what I said earlier. You don't deserve to be out here on the battlefield.”

Applejack ignored him, slowly approaching the downed Decepticon team, looking at the smoking body of Onslaught while biting her bottom lip. “Don't listen ta him, Twi. It took a lotta guts ta do what ya jus' did.”

Twilight inched her way over and slid off his body into the waiting hooves of her friend. “It's okay...like I said, we're from different worlds. There's no way we could understand their feelings. But...”

She watched Brawn storm away, clutching his shoulder again. “...maybe we can learn from each other. Now come on, we've got to find a way to gift wrap those Decepticons before we can get going again. We can't keep the others waiting.”

“Alrighty.” Applejack looked up at the still bright sky. “Got things done all before supper too.”

(“WrrrRRRrrr...”)

“Huh?!” Her head snapped around, hearing a barely audible screech. Disengaging from her friend after she saw the look in her eyes, Twilight asked her, “Applejack, what's the matter?”

She lifted her hooves up one at a time, looking at the ground as if she were searching for something. Breathing out, she pulled her hat over her eyes. “Uh, it's nothin' Twi. Ah jus' thought some more a those bugs were after us. Think ah've had a bit too much sun fer one day...”

----

[Shockwave's Case Files, Entry #: 072]

Matter transmutation. Energy and force manipulation. Animation. Control of atmospheric conditions. These are a small number of phenomena I have witnessed, and all attempts to understand the semantics and mechanics behind any it have proven inconclusive.

At first, I had believed these creatures to be primitive and complacent. Despite the amount of time I had observed this civilization, no amount of technological advancement was shown. And yet, in the past few decacycles, I had come to a realization. This is not a world ruled by science and machinery. It is one where the mysterious phenomena called 'magic' had advanced instead. It is most definitely a commodity worth exploiting for the Decepticon cause...

As such, priority has been given to a number of projects; improvement of space bridge technology. A new R&D facility designed specifically for experimentation of 'Equestrian' life forms. But most importantly, snuffing out the remaining bugs that had been interfering with my ultimate designs.

The Search, Chapter 4: Shaken

View Online

- Carousal Boutique, Six hours ago

“Hurry UP Rarity, we don't have all day!”

Rainbow Dash found herself yelling at the fashionista's second floor window once again. It only took them around a half hour to get back to Ponyville, yet she had been pacing back and forth enough times that she was more tired now than she was at the Ark. The morning sun peeking over the horizon didn't do much for her mood either. The more time they wasted here, the worse the situation could get. Having enough, the cyan pegasus flew up and pressed her face against the circular window...and let out an exasperated groan that fogged up the glass. She couldn't believe she was seeing this, and yet somehow she also expected it; Rarity was standing over her bed, mulling over an open suitcase. The fate of Equestria was at stake, and she was concerned about what to pack. Throwing up the window, Rainbow bolted in and landed on top of the suitcase, clasping it shut and eliciting a quick scream from the snowy unicorn.

“Are you seriously thinking about packing...scarves?! Actually, why are you even packing at all?! We don't have time for this, there's no telling what'll happen with those two robots on the loose! We've gotta get the lead out, NOW!”

Rarity huffed, moving her head back in disgust. She tapped the bottom of her mane with her eyes shut, “Hmf, how rude! The compass Twilight gave me is clearly pointing north. Do you honestly expect moi' to rough it in the frozen north without proper winter wear? Not only that, I've got to worry about my complexion drying out, the rugged terrain chafing my hooves, and my horn is still hurting mind you – WAH!”

“Hey Jazz, I got her! Let's get goin'!”

Normally she wouldn't resort to such forceful actions with her friends, but Rainbow knew that she probably would've droned on for another hour about how harsh the trip was going to be. Taking the compass in her mouth, she grabbed Rarity by the waist and flew out the window without letting her get another word in edgewise. Outside the front door was a Cybertronian in vehicle mode, a greyish-white car with red highlights in his wheels and headlights. His top panel slid forward, revealing the riding space they'd have to share for the next few hours. She dropped the shrieking unicorn inside from the second floor before landing next to her with a thud, the panel sliding back into place.

“Alright, floor it! There's no time to lose!”

“You're the boss!”

Jazz's tires screeched as he kicked his nitro in gear, the sudden momentum throwing the ponies aboard into the back of the seat. He was already aware he was supposed to remain as subtle as possible, but judging from his irate passengers, the sooner they got going the better. At the moment, he didn't care how much noise he made. Rubbing the areas around her horn softly, Rarity scowled in the pegasus' direction.

“What has gotten into you, Rainbow Dash?! This is rather extreme, even for you! I haven't even got a chance to rest my poor horn, and now I won't even have a way to keep warm...”

“Never mind that, just get that gem finder spell going, pronto!”

Looking into her eyes, Rarity could see that her pupils were twitching. Not only that, but her body was quaking ever so slightly like a metronome – it was probably her heart beating like a drum.

(“Wait...is something actually wrong?)

Putting her own problems and concerns aside, she sighed internally. This night had been stressful for everypony, and it was starting to show.

“Oh, fine.”

In the back of her mind, she was afraid something might happen if she used magic, but the familiar spark and glow of a gem finder spell put her worries to rest.

“Alright then, the compass is pointing...that way. Now Jazz, I would like you to be a tad more genTLLLE...!”

A sudden left turn threw both ponies into the right passenger side, Rainbow catching Rarity and cushioning her impact, the cold metal sending a shiver down her limbs.

“OHH, how am I supposed to get some beauty sleep like this...?”

“Did...did you just make a square turn?!”

“Sorry gals, guess I don't know my own strength! I'll try to take it easy next time around!”

Flipping back into a standing position, the poor unicorn slammed her hooves onto the flashing dashboard. She didn't even notice her teeth grinding and her voice cracking. “And just what do you mean by 'next time'?! Why, I am starting to think you're the real menace we ponies have to worry about!”

“Hey, take it easy! Ain't nothing to stress yourself over! Just trying to take some of the heat off of your pal there!” Approaching an open path, Jazz revved his engines, their speed starting to surpass 100 mph. “Speakin' of which, she's starting to remind me of another hothead I know. Everything okay there, Dash?”

Rarity sat back down and looked at her friend, her concern once again on her overtly pushy mood. She was staring at the flashing dashboard in front of her with a creased brow and her hooves set at her sides, her hindquarters idly bumping the bottom of the seat every so often with a metallic tap. After a short moment, she scrunched up her face and flicked her head away from the display.

“Don't worry about me, okay? Just...just try not to toss us around too much.”

“No problems here! It'd be hard to warm up to the locals if I wasn't polite!”

Even somepony without Rarity's perception could see the chip on Rainbow's shoulder. She was expecting her to still be distrustful, not overbearing and dodgy. Something else must be bothering her, but what exactly? And how was she going to bring it up? Deciding to put a pin in that problem for another time, Rarity changed the subject.

“Ah, well then...wasn't there supposed to be another Autobot joining us? I'm fairly certain Twilight and Ironhide agreed on teams of two each...”

The voice in front of them sounded nervous. They could almost imagine him rubbing the back of his head. “Uh, yeah, about that...”

----

- The Ark, 2nd team's time of departure

“Wheeljack? Fancy meeting you here. And here I thought you were heading out with Jazz' search party.”

Beachcomber found the aforementioned Autobot standing just outside the Ark, at the foot of the ruined gate. His arms were crossed and his optics stared down the ravine.

“Still am, I just got out here. Had to finish doing a head count inside the ship first.” He was tapping an index finger against his arm. Contrary to what he just said, his tone and mannerisms were showing some impatience, like he had been standing here for a while. “You seen him around? I don't wanna waste too much time enjoying the scenery.”

He chuckled, “Not sure you're gonna have much of a choice. Him and the two ponies helping with the search already left around a megacycle ago.”

“What?!” Wheeljack took a single step around to face him, one of his optics larger than the other. “He just ditched me?! What's he gonna do if he's the one to run into Soundwave?! There's no way he can deal with him and keep those ponies safe!”

“Actually, if I know Jazz, I'm going to guess he's counting on running into Soundwave.” Beachcomber stepped down from the stone mound and put a hand on his shoulder. His calm demeanor hadn't changed. “Cliffjumper's been his partner for a long time. It makes sense that Jazz would want to cover for him. All we can do now is hope that compass works.” He raised a finger, “A storm in one's spark clouds their judgement. If there's any Autobot that can handle Soundwave, it's him. Now, would you like to join me? I hear Pinkie Pie's wanting show some of us around.”

Defeated, Wheeljack huffed, “Yeah, yeah sure...” His head was lowered and his fists were clenched at his sides. Kicking a boulder out of his way, he continued, “I still can't believe that guy got sub-commander...eh, fine. Guess I can use this time to tinker...”

----

- The Crystal Mountains, Late Afternoon

“Ooo, Rainbow Dash, you're really going to get it this time...!”

Rarity glared at the gray skies and falling snow, her anger the only thing keeping her warm and alert. She had been mentally counting every last second the pegasus had been gone, eagerly awaiting any sign of reprieve from this all-encompassing blizzard. It had been exactly fourteen minutes and thirty six seconds since she saw her rainbow colored tail disappear past the overcast of clouds, and no change whatsoever had occurred. Just the same fierce winds freezing her eyelashes, and the same cold snow pounding her coat.

“It's Rarity, right?! You sure Dash can do something about this storm?!”

Between her chattering teeth, the howling wind, and her eyes never leaving the skies, she barely heard him. “Weather management is supposed to be her job, though she is being rather rude for making us wait this long, ESPECIALLY after this morning! I can't imagine the last time I've been forced into such horrid conditions!”

“Yeah, well, you'll have to excuse me for holdin' my enthusiasm, cause' I'm not buying it! Even if I'm supposed to believe, uh, 'pegasus' ponies can move around air currents, what's a small thing like her gonna do about a storm this big?!”

(“You know, I think I am starting to agree with you...”)

Fifteen minutes and forty seven seconds now. At this point, her forelegs were getting sore from being wrapped around herself for so long. Just as she was about to complain some more, a thundering boom resonated throughout the mountain range. Looking behind her, she spied a spiral-shaped mass traveling through the gray cumulus clouds like an auger drill. Several moments after it passed over them, the overcast smoothed out and the blizzard lightened, reduced to a gentle snowfall. Rarity sniffled and shook the snow from her coat as she stood, squinting even harder at the harsh skies. Sure enough, a streak of rainbow light burst from the clouds with a flashy skydive, the pegasus stopping in front of her partners. A triumphant grin was plastered on her face as she floated there, her forelegs on her hips.

“See that? Even a miles long blizzard like this is nothing to me!”

Her friend was not impressed. It took some willpower not to sputter while she yelled out, “Honestly, Rainbow Dash! Do you have any idea how many hours of rehab I'll need at the spa after this little nature romp?! Why, it'll take a miracle to fix the damage done to my poor mane!”

“Hey uh, you do remember the real reason why we're all out here in the cold, right?”

Both pairs of eyes were on Jazz as he dusted the snow off himself as well. Now that the snowstorm had cleared up, they were able to get a better look at his robot form. His wheels were tucked in his shins and set on top of his forearms, making his limbs look bulky. The front portion of his vehicle form made up his torso, and the top part of his face was obscured by a blue visor. They were beginning to think that at least half the Autobots had visors instead of eyes. Still, he also had what looked like a nose and mouth.

“I know I haven't. Time to get that compass goin' again, Rare.”

It's like her plight didn't even matter. She stuck out her bottom lip as her glare intensified, the rest of herself shaking ever so slightly. Coherent words couldn't even come to mind as she stood there.

“...hmf!”

Rather than risk making a spectacle of herself, Rarity simply turned away from the two of them without another word. Levitating the compass in front of herself, she trotted off by herself, not even bothering to give the others any prompt. Jazz grimaced and placed his right fist on his hip, following after her.

“Think it just got even chillier around here. You sure you two are friends? All this lady's been doing so far is complaining about pretty much everything.”

Rainbow matched his walking speed and floated at shoulder level with him. “Rarity can be a little uppity sometimes, but she's cool. Maybe she'd simmer down if you gave us a ride again? Your other form was a lot warmer.”

“No can do. Terrain's too rough, so there's no telling what I might run into. That and this is supposed to be a covert mission. Can't keep quiet with squeaky wheels.”

“Alright...” She looked ahead, watching her friend stomp further away. “That reminds me, how are you so sure this 'Soundwave' is gonna be all the way out here? Rarity wouldn't have given me this headache if we ended up going to the beach instead of Fluttershy...”

“Soundwave is the Decepticon's communications officer. Right before Teletraan-1 got unplugged, I took a quick look at the most viable relay points around the continent, ones with the biggest transmission radius and least interference. Near as I can tell, the best one was somewhere north. Wasn't able to get a decent fix on where it exactly was though. I'm gonna have to ask Perceptor to follow up on that later.”

She squinted an eye as she looked up at him. “Okay, hold on. How exactly is he gonna contact anyone? Actually, who is he gonna talk to? The Decepticons are sealed away behind one of those huge gates.”

“Yeah, but he doesn't know that...” Jazz stopped mid sentence, looking around the skies. “...best we keep quiet about that too. You never know if the hills are listening.”

Rainbow had no idea what that entailed, but decided to believe him. He continued, “As for how he's gonna pull it off, it's his specialty. Soundwave's got two alternate forms, one for getting around, and another that's tailor made for communications. I'm guessin' he's gonna try and see if Megatron's still kicking.”

She slowly floated to the ground, feeling a sudden urge to get her legs moving. As she fell behind in her stride, Jazz spotted her chewing on her bottom lip out of the corner of his optics. He slowed down as well, scraping some ice off the side of his head with an index finger.

“...that was a real show you put on a second ago. How'd you manage to pull that off anyway? Last time I checked, atmosphere couldn't be pushed around like that.”

She looked up at him, but kept her wings folded. “Oh, that? That was just a quick smoothing job. Me and my team of pegasi are used to clearing up skies this thick back home. You shoulda seen us wrap up winter last season!”

(“You guys are makin' less and less sense...”) He brushed another tuft of snow off his shoulder. “Don't get all high and mighty on me now. You can break the sound barrier, but you can't stop this stuff from falling?”

That was enough to invigorate her again. She flew up a few feet away from his face, “Hey! I'm not a miracle worker! This was the best I could on short notice, okay?!”

“Uh huh. Tell that to your purple-headed friend stompin' away!”

A corner of his mouth was creased into a grin. Rainbow crossed her forelegs and continued to float in front of him, flying backwards. “You still on about that? She'll be fiiine! She knows I can only do so much!” She put her hooves together. “Me and Rare? We're like this. We understand each other, inside and out!”

*pomf*

A cold feeling smacked against her head and backside. Looking ahead, she saw Rarity turned toward the two of them, her eyes narrowed and her pout from earlier still there. She was holding another snowball next to her with blue levitation.

“Yeah, reaaal close, Dash.”

She wiped the snow off with a sheepish grin. “Uh, eh heh...I better catch up with her...”

Rainbow left him behind and joined the irritated unicorn. She had stopped at the top of a steep hill overlooking a small, concave clearing. There was an icy wall to the left of them, a smaller part of the snow capped mountain they had scaled. The rest of the path gave way to a jagged cliff, reminding them of their current elevation. The compass in front of Rarity pointed downward into the clearing, flashing at a steady rate. Now that they had finally reached their supposed destination, she was able to take her mind off the past six hours.

“Now, what did Twilight say again...the faster this flashes, the closer we are?”

“Forget the compass Rarity, look!”

While trying to make sense of the compass in hoof, she had failed to notice the red Cybertronian lying face down in the snow. He was in bad shape; even from a distance, they could see parts of his armor were either iced over, or riddled with black welts and gunshot wounds. Rainbow Dash was already flapping her wings.

“Hey, whoa!”

Just before she could fly down, she felt her tail being grabbed again, painfully pulling at her spine. Jazz had caught up to them and clutched her extremity before she hit top speed.

“Hey, let go! That's Cliffjumper, right?! What are you stopping me for?!”

He let go of her and leaned in close, keeping his voice down. “You gotta play it cool, Dash. Take a good look around here – a wounded teammate in the middle of a clearing. No other options of escape, cept' down. This whole situation's screamin' trap.”

She exhaled from her nose harshly, the cold air making it look like steam. She glared at him while yelling out, “Who cares if it's a trap or not! You said Cliffjumper's your partner, right?! A real partner would never leave them out in the cold like this!”

Rarity spoke up, “Rainbow Dash, please be reasonable for once! You can't just - ”

The pegasus wasn't listening to another word. With her tail free, she flew down the hill to the downed Autobot's side, flapping her wings to blow the loose snow off of him.

“UGGG, yoooou...!”

“Hey – hold up!”

Too late. She was already galloping down the hill to join her friend. Bringing a palm to his forehead, he groaned, “Wonder if spec ops involves dealing with these two...”

Only thing he could do now was roll with the punches. Transforming his right hand into a long-barreled firearm, he slid down the hill by his heels to join the three of them. The ponies stood aside as Jazz slowly rolled his partner onto his back with his free hand to assess his damages.

“(sigh)...looks like he's gonna be fine. He's not quite in stasis lock, but it looks like somethin' disrupted his electrical relays. Gotta pretty good hunch as to who...”

He grabbed Cliffjumper by the waist and hefted him over his shoulder, much to the shock of his two other partners. Rarity stepped back with her mouth wide open, while Rainbow Dash flew up next to his head, practically yelling into his auditory sensors, “W-what do you think you're doing now?! Aren't you supposed to, like, not move him?! What if you're making his injuries worse?!”

He heard her, but didn't slow down. “Relax Dash, most of this damage is just on the outside, he can walk it off later. What we need to worry about is gettin' outta this clearing before somethin' bad happens.”

They made it halfway up the hill before a sudden quake threw the ones on the ground off balance. Rainbow flew down to help Rarity stay on her hooves, while Jazz fell forward, grinding the barrel of his weapon into the ground for support. He could feel a rhythm to the tremors, a rhythm he was all too familiar with.

“Dash! Take Rarity and get outta here!”

She was already holding her off the ground by the waist. “Ugh, didn't you hear me! I'm not leaving anyone behind!”

“You're not gonna have much of a choice! Soundwave's tryin' to create an - ”

“AVALAAANCHE!!!”

Rarity shrieked and pointed her hoof at the top of the icy cliffside. Rainbow was already cold from the climate, but one look at the unstoppable wave of snow tearing down the mountain froze her nerves from the inside as well. Her grip on her friend's waist tightened, and she could feel her pupils contract. Her composure was immediately shot; she was left with mere seconds to fly herself and Rarity to safety, but leaving behind Jazz and Cliffjumper was something she could never do. She started making anxious moans and squeaks, her head darting between the avalanche the Autobot. Thankfully, or unfortunately, Jazz made the decision for her.

“HEY! Let go of me!”

“Sorry Rarity, looks like I'm gonna have to be rough with you all again!”

He transformed his hand back to normal and grabbed both ponies, throwing them away from danger like a baseball. Keeping the grip on her friend steady, Rainbow expertly righted her wings in mid air to stabilize herself.

“You two find Soundwave and keep an eye on him! Me and Cliff will catch up later!”

It was the last thing they heard before the two Autobots were swept away by the onslaught of snow. Rarity looked away with a cringe. Rainbow was forcing herself to flap her wings. Her jaw was set and her eyes were screwed shut. It was all she could to not fall into shock. Snapping her eyes open, she yelled out, “Hang on, I'm coming!”

“Rainbow Dash, STOP!”

She was about to argue back, but one look into Rarity's pleading and misty eyes stopped her. “I'm...sorry. I know this is the hardest thing you'll ever have to do, but...we have to do as he said.”

Her reaction was expected. “NO! I - I can't! And you can't change my mind, not even you - ”

“I lost the compass down there! If we don't go after Soundwave now, we'll never find him!”

It was now that she realized the compass that was supposed to be levitating next to her definitely wasn't. She took another look down the mountain as she continued, “Listen to me...this is the absolute worst day of my life. But the reason I'm still here is because it's all for a good cause. We must find Soundwave before it's too late.”

She was right. Deep down in her heart, she knew she was right. But this was still an impossible decision. It was either leaving those Autobots to die, or leaving a dangerous Decepticon on the loose to hurt other innocent ponies. No matter what she did, someone would suffer. Her thoughts once again turned to the sight that had been plaguing her mind ever since she saw it; the Ark's sickbay. All of those Autobots injured and mutilated. It didn't sink in at first, but realization eventually came. This is what they lived with day to day. This pain, be it experiencing it or seeing it, was something they were accustomed to. And it terrified her. When they started this journey, all Rainbow could think about was stopping Soundwave before the same thing happened to Ponyville. Or Cloudsdale. Or Canterlot. Or any part of Equestria. She looked up the cliffside with strained eyes, saying something she thought she'd never hear herself say.

“Let's go.”

Shaken, pt 2

View Online

“Heh heh! Have a nice fall Auto-dweebs! All fifty stories of em'!”

“Rumble, return. All hindrances should be neutralized.”

“Sure thing, boss.”

“Grrr, I still don't get why you didn't let me scrap him! I woulda been done REAL quick, just one good stab in da spark and BAM!”

“Priority will be given to the operation, Frenzy. No other distractions are acceptable at this stage.”

“Yeh, whateva ya say...”

----

- The Ark, Late Afternoon

“Are you certain, your highness? It is against standard protocol to leave you unattend - ”

“Please, lieutenant. Allow me to be a little selfish, just this once. I'll be fine, I promise.”

“...as you wish.”

Princess Celestia thanked her escort and stepped down from her chariot, breathing a soft sigh as her gaze was set on the 'behemoth' she had personally sealed away all those years ago. The sight was just as imposing as she had remembered it; the pinnacle of technology and artistry, a massive vessel capable of carrying an entire civilization across the stars. And as she had been informed by her sister, the last hope of a dying race.

(“I have to make things right...for the Autobots, and for myself.”)

Not wasting another moment, she flew over the stone mound and onto the upper decks, searching for some sign of activity. As she trotted along the uneven and scarred floors, she wondered to herself just how anything could have survived such an ordeal. No matter where she looked, the scars of warfare made themselves known. Collapsed structures shedding its debris everywhere, gashes in the hull that seemed to span for miles, the scent of ash and copper permeating the air and filling her chest. If it were not for the faint sounds of movement below, one would assume this place to be nothing more than a dead ruin.

*scrrrch*

Celestia stopped, looking under her hoof. She had stepped onto a brittle and rusted shell casing, crushing its center to pieces. A familiar ache tugged at her as she stared at it.

(“Negligence...I could have done something, and yet...”)

She placed her right foreleg over her heart, eventually closing her eyes to hold back the tears. All the Autobots had wanted was a new home, someplace far away from the constant threat of destruction, and yet she denied it to them. Instead of helping them, she forsake them without even knowing who or what they were. For all the good she had done over the millennia, she was guilty of the one thing that started wars and created strife since the beginning of history. The fear of the unknown.

(“Those that have power and do nothing are just as guilty as those who do harm...do I really deserve to wear this crown after all I've let happen...?”)

No, she couldn't worry about that right now. She came here to speak with the Autobots. She needed to better understand all that has happened in this short amount of time. Raising her head, her ears flicked about, listening intently to the nearest commotion. Thankfully, she didn't have to listen for long.

“Sideswipe, how's the excavation coming along?”

It was faint, but Celestia could hear a distant conversation overlapped by an unusual humming noise. Outstretching her massive wingspan once again, she fluttered over to the edge of the ship with the grace of a swan, making as little noise as possible. Down below, she spotted three Autobots conversing. She couldn't make out two of them from the height she was at, but they looked nearly identical, save for one being red and the other being yellow. The third on the other hoof, explained where the humming noise came from. He was mostly white, with red highlights on his shoulders and legs. His head was a spherical helmet, and his eyes glowed a bright blue. The noise came from the jets in his feet, keeping him suspended in mid air. He spoke with a slight cockney accent.

“Alright, no sense wasting time here. Go and help Blaster calibrate line of sight transmissions, we'll need to be prepared when they get back. I'll try and cue up some heavy machinery.”

The other two acknowledged him and transformed, speeding off inside the Ark. The third cranked up his thrusters and reached the same floor as Celestia, eliciting a quick gasp from her at his display of speed. The moment they made eye contact, the Autobot jerked backward, surprised by her visage.

“What's this? We weren't expecting company again so soon. Who might you be?”

Luna had already told her of the Cybertronians, but seeing one up close made her feel somewhat self-conscious. His appearance and size was nothing short of intimidating and fascinating. She placed a hoof over her mouth and cleared her throat, “I am Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria. I've come here to...personally ask several questions about the current state of affairs.”

He glided to the left and shut off his thrusters, landing some distance next to her with a metallic clang. It was hard to carry on a discussion with such noise going on. “Royalty I see. That would explain the regal air you have about you. You'll have to forgive us for our rudeness then, quite literally all of the Autobots are working round the clock to get the Ark somewhat functional again.” He placed his right forearm over his midsection and bowed slightly. “My name is Jetfire. I'm currently overseeing excavation of energon deposits that have accumulated over the decacycles passed. Power right now is a serious issue, and we need to gather what we can.” He gestured to the surrounding area below, with Celestia's attention following suit. Sure enough, there were more Autobots down there digging around with rudimentary tools, without much success. “This job requires my full attention, so we can continue our conversation if you don't mind walking.”

He began moving towards a large ramp in the floor before he finished speaking. As she flew up next to him to catch up, she responded, “Not at all, Jetfire. It would be best if I got to know you all better, regardless.”

He typed a few keys on his chestplate before continuing, “So what's on your mind, Princess? Coming to the Ark alone just to chat is rather bold of you, considering you're the leader of your race.”

She kept her head forward. “Indeed, it was a risk. But I had to see with my own eyes the civilization that I...”

“What was that? I couldn't hear you.”

Her lips were pressed together ever so slightly. “...it is nothing. I – I understand that the energy source you call 'energon' can be fashioned from the jewels and crystals of our world?”

He had an eyebrow raised as he looked at her, but let it slide. “...that discovery shocked us all when word of it spread around. From what we've been told, these minerals occur naturally in the planet's crust, and in abundance no less. Further experimentation will be needed for safety reasons, but if luck keeps swinging in our favor, we should have more than enough energon for our needs.”

Jetfire saw her gaze becoming sterner as he spoke. “Ah - don't get me wrong. We only intend to produce enough energon for subsistence. We are guests on this planet, after all. The last thing any of the Autobots want is conflict with innocent beings.”

There was a nervousness in his voice, the same kind Celestia would notice when ponies spoke to her in an overtly proper manner. Just like how they were afraid of disrespecting royalty, it seemed like Jetfire was afraid of coming off as possessive or callous. Instead, she could feel a genuine concern for the well-being of everyone around him. Her eyes downcast, she replied, “It is comforting to know the Autobots are capable of such compassion...” She frowned, starting to fear the worst. “Please forgive me, Jetfire. When I came here, I was not entirely sure what I could accomplish. Perhaps I...”

He held a hand up, “I'm sorry to interrupt Princess, duty calls. Gears! Has Wheeljack given you his report? I need to know what Decepticons we have in the brig.”

Looking around, Celestia saw that they had come to the entrance of a narrow corridor on the right. A much smaller Autobot was standing guard, tweaking a few wires in the wall. Most of his body was red, save for his arms and feet, which were dark blue. His head was shaped like a wide dome, and his mouth was creased into an irritated scowl. He spoke without turning away from his work, “Just got it half a cycle ago. A lot of the Autobots had to be put into stasis, the crash really did a number on em'. As far as the scum we've got locked up goes, there's Skywarp, Thundercracker, Dirge, Ramjet, and Thrust. Only other seeker we couldn't find was Starscream. Knowing him, he probably bailed right before the oil hit the fan.”

“Were there any others unaccounted for?”

“Wheeljack's given me a full clear on the Ark. If there were any other Cons' hiding around here, they'd have to be cloaked.”

“Nice to hear some good news for a change. Make sure to keep some energon manacles on hand, we should be expecting some more 'arrivals'.”

Gears shut the panel harder than he should have, denting the wall. “Mind telling me why we didn't just scrap them to begin with? Keeping those filthy Cons' alive has got to be the dumbest - ”

He stopped short at seeing the alicorn floating next to his colleague, not really sure what to make of her. He raised an eyebrow, his scowl not disappearing. “Say, who's your sparkly friend there? Some kind of cyber fairy?”

Jetfire stepped over to him, trying to make his response private, though Celestia could still clearly hear him. “Be careful what you say around her, this is the native species' leader, not to mention royalty on this planet. You need to show more respect than that.”

“Wait, so you're the one who put that wall up?” He stepped past him, standing before her with a clenched fist in front of him. “You know how much the Ark's degraded over all these past decacycles?! We probably could've salvaged the fuel tanks and turbines if we weren't in stasis! Now we're stuck on some backwater planet with no way back to Cybertron!”

“Stop that this instant! You don't have any right to say that, Gears!”

“Course' you'd side with the light show floating there. You were always too soft. Go get Huffer to stand guard, I'm gonna go help dig.”

He stormed off without another word. Celestia landed and sat down on her haunches, his words affecting her deeply. Gears was a stark contrast to Jetfire. His disregard for life didn't say much about his character, but blaming her for not being able to leave Equestria had some painful layer of truth. He was an example of her failure to help and protect the Autobots.

“Please Princess, don't let what he said get to you. Gears is always in a foul mood.”

It was too late for that. She replied with closed eyes, “Jetfire...do all the Autobots hold such contempt for me and my decision?”

He walked over to her and knelt down, trying his hardest to sound sympathetic. “I'm sorry, I can't exactly speak for the rest of us. But if it means anything to you, I don't blame you for sealing the Ark. To you, we must have seemed like the greatest threat your world has ever seen. And in many ways, you might have been right.” He extended his hand, gently placing a finger under her chin. She raised her head and looked into his optics. “Believe me, the Autobots aren't exactly saints either. We've done much worse over the course of this war.”

Celestia closed her eyes again and spread her wings. “...thank you, Jetfire. I believe I've heard what I needed to hear. My apologies for distracting you from your work.”

“Anytime, Princess.”

She flapped her wings, about to backtrack her way out. Just when she was almost out of earshot, she heard him yelling down the corridor, “Oh, one last thing! You should speak with Optimus once we find him! I'm certain there'll be plenty for you two to talk about!”

----

They found him. With his tracks still fresh in the snow, it wasn't hard. He was about two hundred meters down the narrow cliffside path they were on, keeping a finger pressed on his chestplate whilst speaking to apparently no one. As he turned in their direction, Rarity pulled Rainbow Dash further behind the rock they were hiding behind, fearing they might be noticed. She was becoming even more difficult to restrain, especially after what happened. The act her friend was forced to endure went against her very nature, and she was lashing out the only way she knew how.

“Will you let go a' me already?! That Con' ain't getting away with what he did!”

She's even taken to calling them 'Cons' now. Keeping her forelegs wrapped around her waist, she retorted, “And just what do you expect the both of us to do?! That fiend will shoot the both of us down for sure if we blindly charge in!”

“There's no way I'm just gonna sit here and do nothing!”

“Calm down, will you! Do you honestly think I don't want the same thing?! This is the same monster that attacked my poor, sweet, Sweetie Belle! But even so, we can't just – omf!”

She was flailing even harder now. “Rainbow Dash, you must stop this madness at once! I'm trying to tell you there's something wrong about all this!”

Her friend hadn't cared to listen, but when they reached the upper cliffside, Rarity noticed two other sets of tracks in the snow. They were much smaller, but the squarish shape of the prints indicated they were Cybertronian. It was evidence that Soundwave had backup somewhere, and in the worst possible place. A place they couldn't see.

“Can you please listen to reason, just this once?! Can you PLEASE trust what Jazz told us?!”

In the back of her mind, she knew she should be listening to her. That she should have faith that Jazz and Cliffjumper were going to be alright. Unfortunately, it was only in the back of her mind. The rest of her conscious thoughts screamed louder than a banshee. She wanted payback, no matter what.

“I've got Soundwave DEAD in my sights! He's not...getting away from me!!!”

Rainbow tucked her powerful wings under her friend's forelegs and threw her off, moving them with such violent fervor that she generated a powerful gust, dwarfing the previous blizzard's wind speed ten fold. Rarity tumbled backwards at the sudden shock, spitting out dirt and snow like it was scalding poison the moment she righted herself.

“Hey Soundwave!!! Heads up you walking trash can!!!”

Her face was flushed and red. Her eyesight quivered. She didn't even know if she had to strength the do what she planned, nor did she care. All she could think about was making the Decepticon in front of her hurt. Flying just under mach speed, Rainbow flipped around and stuck one of her hindquarters out. Soundwave had just enough time to turn his head around before the cyan pegasus kicked him square in the face, causing a metallic clang to ring throughout the mountain range. The blow wasn't enough knock him over, but he was forced to roll with it, throwing him off balance.

“Ug - OW!”

Kicking him like that felt just like she should have suspected. It was like bucking a slab of granite. Her leg stung and throbbed with pain, but that wasn't enough to stop her. As he turned to face his attacker, Rainbow's confidence swelled. She succeeded in cracking his visor.

“Frenzy, eject. Operation: Disorientation.”

Turning to face her, Soundwave pressed the side of his chestplate, causing it open up like a tape deck. A strange, square object ejected from the compartment, instantly transforming into another Cybertronian as it landed. The pegasus moved her head back in confusion; he was no larger than herself, but looked just like any other bot she'd seen so far. He was mostly colored black, and had red highlights lit up in his limbs and torso. Much like his apparent master, he had a two piece visor instead of eyes, but had a mouth instead of a faceplate. Rainbow shuddered internally when she saw him smile. Even from a distance, she could see him subtly grinding his jaw in anticipation.

“Nice head ya got dere, freak! It's gonna make shootin' ya down all da easiah!”

The moment he went for the handguns protruding from his back, every red flag went up in her mind. Pushing her wings even further than before, Rainbow was forced to bob and weave through Frenzy's line of fire, performing aerial feats that even she couldn't come up with in her dreams. Bullets whizzed by her head, and the sounds of gunfire echoed throughout the air, like they were threatening to create another avalanche. Her flight patterns were taxing and all she could do was dodge, but she had no choice. The last thing she wanted was to know what a gunshot wound felt like.

(“This...this is insanity! There isn't anything the two of us could do to those monstrosities!”)

Rarity peeked out from behind the rock, doing everything in her power to keep the rest of herself hidden. She could only watch as one of her best friends risked her life in a haze of rage. And the longer she watched, the faster her heart beat. Her thoughts were awash of grim possibilities and raw emotion. She was dodging bullets sure, but the rainbow trail she left behind gave her attacker a pitifully easy way to track her movements. What if a shot grazed her wing? What would they do to her if they managed to shoot her down? Would they torture her? Beat her?

(“Are we...are we going to...die?!”)

Rarity put her hooves over her head and crouched down further behind her hiding spot, no longer caring about the dirt mussing up her coat. At this point, not even screwing her eyes shut could stop her tears from falling. Her limbs were quaking uncontrollably, and every breath she took stung. She had never been more terrified in all her life.

(“I - I don't even belong here! I'm just a fashion designer, not a fighter! Rainbow, they'll...!”)

“GAAAHH!!!”

Rarity could feel her pupils contract and her tears sprinkle across her face as her eyes snapped open. That scream belonged to Rainbow. Scrambling to her hooves, she rushed out from behind the boulder to get a clearer view, her right hoof shooting to her mouth to stifle a gasp. The pegasus lay before the two Decepticons, lying face down in a mound of dirt and snow scraped up from a hard landing. A loud and consistent noise could be heard, coming from Frenzy. Soundwave merely stood there with his arms at his sides, watching his underling take his time walking toward his prey.

“What's the mattah? Don't like my taste in music? S'alright, I'll make it all bettah, heh HA HA!”

This was it. That monster was going to kill Rainbow Dash, just as she feared. He was already pointing the barrel of his handgun at her head, and all she could do was cover her ears, uselessly trying to drown out his sonic attack.

(“...I – I have to do something. I'm the only one who can.”)

Yet she couldn't move. Her hoof was still over her mouth, and her breaths were shallow. Her legs felt stiff and rigid. Her heart was the only thing that she could feel, thumping faster than ever. Her fear had frozen her in place, in the same position she was in when she left her hiding spot. Rarity had only seconds to act before the Decepticon blew a hole in her head. Moments until her friend was gone for good.

“NOOO!!!”

The imagery alone pushed her over the edge. She began galloping down the cliffside path, without even the slightest idea of what to do once she got there. All she knew was that she had to do something, anything to stop him before it was too late.

“Alert, Frenzy. Disable the magic-user approaching from the rear.”

“Wha – huh?”

Sadly, Rarity found herself repeating the same mistake she just advised against. Now aware of her presence, Frenzy simply turned to face her, hunched forward with his fists tightened around his handguns. She saw the air distort for half a second before her eardrums were pounded with the most deafening screech she had ever heard. Screaming in agony just like Rainbow, she fell forward and slid a small distance, her hooves immediately squishing her ears down. The noise rattled her skull like a jackhammer, her attempts to protect herself all for naught.

“Ooo, decisions, decisions...”

Now she understood why Rainbow couldn't move. This was the worst pain imaginable. She couldn't even form a coherent thought. All she wanted was to make the screeching stop.

“Ya know what? I think I'll blast da purple one, I wanna see what ya insides look – URK!”

“Don't you DARE hurt her you no good Con'!!!”

Taking attention off of his first target was an arrogant mistake, one that he would soon pay for. Rainbow Dash was still enraged, and aside from a ringing in her ears, had no debilitating injuries. Grinding her hindquarters into the ground, she stuck her forelegs out in front of her and took off directly into Frenzy's backside, tackling him hard enough to shove him off the mountain path. Soundwave reflexively held a hand out in his direction the moment she struck him, but couldn't react fast enough. He was only able to listen to his profanities as he tumbled down the cliff.

“Hey! No one tosses my brotha' off a cliff and gets away wit it!”

The larger Decepticon's chestplate opened up once again, ejecting another robot of the same size. He was nearly the spitting image of Frenzy, save for having dark blue highlights in his limbs. What truly set them apart were the massive, four pronged piledrivers he had instead of forearms. Slamming them together, he shouted, “Get ready to crumble! *CLANG, CLANG* Before RUMBLE!”

“Rumble, your actions are unauthorized. Return immediately.”

Unfortunately for him, Soundwave's droll orders were ignored. His twin brother was just shoved off of a jagged cliff, and not even his boss could stop him from getting revenge. Feeling just as much rage as Rainbow, the minicon jumped into the air and raised his arms above his head, attempting to flatten her cranium. The pegasus was forced to ignore her sound-induced migraine and push her already exhausted wings even further just to stay alive. She could see strands of her mane get clipped as she flew out of harm's way, Rumble's attack smashing a piece of the path and sending massive cracks through the cliff face.

“Get back down here ya lousy, good fa nothin' - !”

She could hear him speaking, but his words felt garbled and distant. Her attention was focused solely on the unicorn struggling to get to her hooves, sliding on melted snow and falling all over herself. Rarity was nowhere near as resilient as herself, and it showed. She flew to her side as if the Decepticons attacking them didn't even exist. There was no way she was going to let anypony get left behind again.

“I gotcha Rarity, just hang on tight!”

Her ears folded over at the sound of her shouting. “Too...noisy...”

Rainbow pulled her friend's foreleg over her shoulder and threw the rest of her onto her back. Her wings were a little restricted from having a passenger, but were still good to keep her in the air.

“You think this is some kinda joke?! You ain't gonna be laughin' after I drop the rest a' this mountain on ya heads!”

Soundwave looked down at him, “Structural integrity of the path has been compromised. Use of your seismic attack is ill-advised.”

Once again, he wasn't listening. Rumble banged his arms together again, releasing a little steam. “Time ta shake things up, ya stupid lookin' softies!”

It was now that Rainbow found out how that avalanche was caused. He spread his shoulders out and faced his piledrivers towards ground as they began moving like well-oiled pistons, slamming the earth in rhythmic tandem. She nearly lost her balance before taking to the air once again, giving him a curious look. This creep knew she could fly, so what was the point of this?

“...uh oh! Not good!”

She then remembered the last threat he made, and with the way the cracks in the earth were creeping up the mountain, he was going to make good on it. There were probably seconds before another, even larger avalanche of snow and rubble happened, and there was no way she could dodge it in time with Rarity on her back.

“Happy landings!”

Do or die time. Either she acted now, or they both got flattened. And with no means of retreat, the only option left was to charge in one last time.

----

“Look Jazz, just go on without me! I'm only slowin' you down here!”

“Yeah, and look what happened the last time I left ya alone. Lying face down in the snow cuz' of an obvious trap.”

“Hey, I don't wanna hear that coming from you! Besides, Frenzy blindsided me, it could've happened to anyone!”

Cliffjumper wiped his optics of snow as he looked up the mountain. From down here, it didn't seem like they were making any progress scaling this cliff. He couldn't even see the peak, much less any sort of path. Sighing for the umpteenth time, he said, “Listen, my name's Cliffjumper, not Cliff-climber. You'd be making a lot better time with that grapple beam of yours. And didn't you say those natives went on ahead? What if Soundwave finds out he's being tailed?!”

Jazz looked down a bit, clutching the cliff with one hand while his other was idle. “I'm no Ratchet, but I can tell when someone's taken a beating. Like it or not, Frenzy's battle cry knocked you out, so your circuits could be fried for all I know. I ain't takin' the chance a' you fallin' over like a crate a' nuts and bolts.”

It was true, even if he didn't want to admit it. The shock of the avalanche may have given him a kickstart, but his limbs felt like they were rusted over. Just scaling this cliff was taxing, like he was trudging through polluted oil. Looking back up the mountain, he gave up the argument. “Suit yourself, partner. But I'm still saying – WHOA!!!”

Cliffjumper let go of the left part of the wall and flung himself sideways, digging his right hand into the rock moments before a smaller robot fell past him. Looking down, he caught a quick glimpse of him before he flicked his head towards Jazz.

“That was Frenzy! Hey, you don't think…!”

His partner slid down the cliff, holding out his hand. “I don't think, I know! Grab on Cliff, looks like we're gonna have to risk it after all!”

Jazz wasn't sure if the cliff face was capable of supporting the weight of two Autobots, but it looked like time wasn't on their side. Frenzy falling down the mountain could only mean one thing; those ponies were fighting Soundwave. They had to take him down now, before they got themselves killed. Cliffjumper grabbed his hand and let go of the wall as Jazz fired a straight beam of white energy from the top of his right wrist, grappling it to a much higher point. He breathed a sigh of relief as he reeled the two of them upward.

(“Shoulda done this sooner. Hope we ain't got much further to go...”)

Right before he was about to fire his grapple once again, Jazz felt a shock through his arm, causing him to hesitate. Looking up the mountainside once again, he was met with the same problem he had just dealt with moments ago.

“Change of plans, Cliff! We're gonna have to make a detour!”

“Wait, what?! What's going on?!”

With his grapple still attached, Jazz dug his feet into the wall and jumped as far left as he possibly could, using the extra boost to fire his grapple to a new spot further off to the side. Cliffjumper's grip on his hand was starting to slip, so he used the momentum of the swing to throw his partner ahead of him, trusting him to find a new spot to cling to. He ground his fingers into the wall, sliding down some distance, but was otherwise okay. The white Autobot grappled to a point next to him seconds before a torrent of snow and rubble came crushing down the mountain, mere inches from the two of them. Cliffjumper held a hand in front of his face, shielding his optics. “Hey, Jazz...that isn't good, is it...?”

Jazz said nothing. He simply hung from the wall by his grapple beam, staring at the avalanche. They were too late. From the looks of things, those two ponies were probably buried under tons of snow and rock by now.

“Jazz! Cliffjumper! You're alright!”

The Autobot's attentions were brought above them, putting their fears at ease. Rainbow Dash floated down next to them with a weary smile, with Rarity still on her back. Her eyes were shut tightly and her hooves were wrapped around her neck.

“So you're, uh, Rainbow Dash? What the scrap happened up there?!”

“Heh! We kicked Decepticon butt, that's what happened! Right, Rare?!”

She wasn't making a sound. Giving her a worried look, she rubbed the back of her head before continuing. “A-anyway, this tiny Con' tried to drop that avalanche on us, so I had to rush him before he could finish. That's when Soundwave finally tried to shoot us down, but get this! Rarity put up a barrier spell at the last minute! Blocked all those bullets AND clocked that dumb Con' right in the face! I threw him off so bad, he ended up smashing the path! Serves them right for trying to blast us!”

Cliffjumper stared at her in disbelief, his grip on the wall loosening. He couldn't process just how something of her size, with no apparent combat training, was capable of taking out one of the most infamous Decepticons known. Just what exactly were these creatures called 'ponies'?

“I'm not finished, though! No one gets away with trying to hurt me, or my friends! I'm going down there and taking him - ”

“STOOOP!!!”

Rainbow's angry tirade was interrupted by the unicorn on her back yelling into her ear. She turned her head, prepared to demand why she would do something so rude, only bite her tongue the second she got one look at her. She hadn't noticed it before now, but Rarity was still trembling. Her eyeshadow was streaked across her cheeks from silent tears, and her mane was a disgusting mess of mud and tangles.

“Rainbow...you're scaring me. Why are you acting like this...?”

Her voice was so small and meek. She didn't sound anything like her usual, haughty self. “Rarity, I...I'm just trying to...uh...”

What exactly was she trying to do? Kill him? Just like what Soundwave tried to do to them a moment ago?

“...please take me home, Rainbow Dash. I don't want to be here anymore...” Her last words were forcefully squeaked out, like she was doing everything she could to not start sobbing. Rainbow grimaced, her eyes downcast and looking at nothing. Seeing one of her best friends in such a pitiful state because of how she had been acting all day hit her like a ton of bricks.

“Look, I'm gonna go on ahead...you guys can take care of those three Cons', right?”

Logically, it wasn't the best decision. Anyone could see just how ragged they both looked, especially Rainbow. Her breathing wasn't stable, and the way she flapped her wings made it obvious that she was straining to stay afloat. With what he knew, Jazz made what he thought was the best call.

“No problem, Dash. Just make sure you get home safe, alright?”

“I'll manage.”

With that, she flew off. Rarity was right earlier, she wasn't acting like herself. All day Rainbow was thinking about was taking out Soundwave before someone died, and yet she ultimately was the one who put both of them in danger. Because of her angry zeal, somepony she deeply cared for was nearly killed. As for Rarity herself, she feared she may have been traumatized by this whole ordeal. She couldn't stop shaking and crying, nor could she stop thinking about the implications this single day had. What if Rainbow Dash ended up just like Warpath, violent and unfeeling? What if she hadn't taken out Frenzy in time? How many other Decepticons were out there?

(“No one was coming to our rescue...”)

Her mind was a jumble of bad emotions, but those last words burned with the most truth. For all intents and purposes, they were helpless against Soundwave. He didn't even bother to do anything himself until the very end, as if whatever they did to him didn't matter in the slightest. Like he was toying with them. Like they were insignificant. The very thought was horrifying. The Decepticons were monsters, and Equestria wouldn't stand a chance against their might. Even now, she could still hear his discordant monotone.

(“Alert, Frenzy. Disable the magic-user approaching from the rear.”)

Wait. He called her a 'magic-user', yet she never actually performed any spells beforehand. How did he know about magic?

----

[“Ja – krzzzz - Jazz can you read – krzzzzz...”]

Shortly after landing at the foot of the mountain, Jazz' comm-link activated on its own. He tapped the side of his head a few times before saying, “This is Jazz, do you copy?”

[“Roger. This is Blaster, I've just got finished calibrating line of sight transmissions.”]

“Aw man, got my hopes up too. Thought you tech heads got Teletraan-1 workin'.”

[“Perceptor's saying he's still got at least another megacycle on that. What's your status?”]

“Well, Cliff got trashed. Tell Ratchet to get his medkit ready. On the plus side, we've got Soundwave, Frenzy, and Rumble buried under a couple clicks of snow. Any way we can get some aerial support out here, and fast?”

[“I thought we all agreed not to dispatch fliers. Something about keeping a low profile?”]

“Yeah, well we also don't have any way of getting past all this ice without some heat. I ain't chancing the Decepticon's communications officer getting away again.”

[“You've got a point...I'll send Powerglide. He can at least run in silent mode.”]

“Hey thanks Blaster, I owe you one. By the way, you talk with Ironhide and Prowl yet?”

[“I got word from Ironhide that he just completed his mission. Says he's got a surprise waiting for us. As for Prowl...”]

“Lemme guess, you got chewed out for not using a secure line?”

[“Well, no...there was some strange interference, and then we...just lost contact with him. Haven't heard from him since.”]

----

- Horseshoe Bay, Dusk

“Get outta my way Fluttershy, I'm puttin' an end to this war, RIGHT NOW!”

“Absolutely not! I won't let you hurt this creature!”

“Do you have any idea what you're doing?! Do you know how many Cybertronians this guy's killed?! I ain't lettin' you stop me!”

Trixie sat on her haunches with her mouth agape, watching that scardy pony stare down the barrel of a hovertank with her forelegs out in a protective manner. How in Celestia's name did she end up in here anyway? That crazy robot was prepared to blow all of them to bits, just so he could make sure that other terrifying robot suspended in black crystal died. Just what exactly did he do? Was Warpath just insane?

“It ends here! Even if I'm goin' down with him! Megatron's gotta die!”

----

[Shockwave's Case Files, Entry #: 118]

Elita-1 has been captured and sent to processing. Her forces have been scattered, most likely to avoid drawing attention. Unaccounted for are the Dinobots. As such, developmental efficiency has increased 43.88%.

What intrigues me was their choice of hiding places – the ruined hall of records. My sentinels are investigating the area as I speak to confirm any possible variables.

Space bridge functionality has been upgraded to allow for more stable transport, as well as compacting the bridge itself in order to localize it on the planet's surface. When the time comes, my forces will be prepared to depart for the target planet.

The Search, Chapter 5: Murky

View Online

- Canterlot Throne Room, Late Afternoon

Celestia trotted down the lavish hallways of Canterlot Castle at a snail's pace, her eyes lazily tracing the hem of the red carpet. So, there were indeed Autobots angered by her decision. Jetfire may have been sympathetic, but Gears' attitude towards her was just as she expected - as well as feared. Even now, she questioned whether or not sending those innocent ponies to the outer corners of Equestria alone was such a wise choice. From what she had been told, the Decepticons were warmongers, and anypony who was unfortunate enough to encounter the one that escaped from the Ark would undoubtedly be exposed to warfare. She raised her head, increasing her stride. The captain of the Canterlot guard was still out on his honeymoon, so it was up to her to organize Equestria's first line of defense. Using her magic to open the double doors to the throne room, she raised her eyebrows upon seeing the pony staring out the window.

“Luna? You're up rather early, is something troubling you?”

The night blue pony made eye contact with her, her mouth just slightly creased into a frown. Her eyes showed a hint of tiredness, but not from a lack of sleep. “I could ask of you the same, dear sister. And...yes. Something troubles me deeply.”

Celestia walked up to her sister, placing a wing over her in a warm hug. With a sad smile, she said, “Well, I suppose we all have something on our minds...would you care to go first?”

Luna leaned into her embrace, closing her eyes. “It...it concerns the time before my...fall. I cannot seem to recollect it. All I can remember of those days were bouts of jealousy and hatred. But sister...when I first encountered Beachcomber, I felt something within the recesses of my heart. A certain feeling dear to me, as if I were playing with an old friend. I cannot truly explain what it is, but it feels like...nostalgia.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow, giving her a curious look. “How very strange...is this not the first time we have ever encountered the Cybertronians?”

“Indeed, it is...which is why I wish to remember. Something inside tells me that my faded memories possess the answers I seek. Though so far, my efforts have all been for naught...”

The sun Princess rubbed her cheek against her sister's, soothing the turmoil in her heart. “Please do not stress yourself too hard. Perhaps your memories will return when the time is right.”

Luna looked in her sister's eyes again, showing a small smile. “I thank you, dear sister.”

*slam*

“Your highness, you wished to speak with – oh!”

A white pegasus clad in golden armor threw open the doors to the throne room, stopping himself short before he entered any further. “Please forgive me, I had not intended to interrupt...”

Celestia stepped forward to face him, folding her wing. “No, it's quite alright lieutenant. There are matters that I need to discuss with you.”

Luna disengaged herself from her sister, knowing that royal duty called. Closing her eyes, she said, “Very well then. Dusk approaches regardless, so I will take my leave.”

----

- Horseshoe Bay, Two Hours Ago
Just Outside Baltimare City Limits

“(sigh)...Twilight Sparkle's ridiculous compass is pointing directly into the bay. So, can either of you take us out to sea? The Great and Powerful Trixie refuses to soil her attire with salt water.”

“Ugh, somebody fry my motherboard already...”

Even in vehicle mode, it was clear Warpath was getting more restless than a windsock in a thunderstorm. He had only spent around four or five hours hanging around Trixie, and already her banter was wearing his patience down to the size of a proverbial pebble. His cannon tilted up and down repeatedly, and his hover jets rocked him back and forth.

(“Oh man, if I gotta listen to this blue thing even a nanosecond longer, I'm gonna - ”)

“...both Warpath and myself are equipped with hydrofoils, so going out into this mass of water will be of no consequence.”

Then there was this guy. The white and black vehicle resembling a police car, complete with red and blue sirens. Thankfully he was mostly silent up until now, but he knew it wouldn't last forever. He rolled up next to Trixie, the disdain in his voice clear. “As for your apparent disposition, I suggest you stow it. Your whole purpose here is to lead us to the energon signal, not to listen to your arrogant remarks. It's ineffectual and annoying.”

Well, at least they agreed on something.

“Hmf! You're lucky Trixie agreed to lend her marvelous talents to your silly little mission! And also...ugh, where is Fluttershy?! Why would she go off by herself at a time like this?!” She kicked a rock into a bush, leaving a visible hole in its leaves. This whole excursion was a waste of time, and her supposed partner was only adding to her frustration. “You know what? Forget her. Her simpering cowardice would only get in Trixie's way.”

Prowl's rear wheels kicked up dirt, accelerating in front of the blue unicorn and cutting her off. Covering her face with her foreleg, she gave the Autobot a mean look as he retorted, “Out of the question. As per our agreement with Princess Luna, both of you agreed to accompany the two of us. And despite my own resentment for such conditions, I will not defy protocol.”

Trixie sneered at the vehicle in front of her with grit teeth. “Oh, fine! Then help Trixie find her, if she's sooo important!”

“Warpath and I are here to investigate the energon signal, not babysit a couple of ponies. She's your responsibility, not ours.”

This was unbelievable. He hadn't said a word the entire time, and yet Prowl had managed to get under her skin in less than a minute. She glared at him as if she were trying to incinerate him with her gaze, unconsciously causing one of her eyes to twitch. If he wasn't a three story tall robot, Trixie would have probably attacked him by now out of sheer anger. Instead, she took her rage out on the foliage around her, thrusting branches and leaves out of her way with levitation as she stormed off.

(“I am getting so sick of everypony treating me like I'm nothing! Now I've even got aliens belittling me! Alien robots of all things! Oh, mark my words, you'll ALL see just how terrifying the Great and Powerful Trixie can be!”)

----

“Oh, uhm, thank you mister sailor. I'm sorry if I disturbed you or anything.”

“Fluttershy! What in Tartarus are you doing over here!? We've about to shove off!”

The yellow pegasus yelped at Trixie's enraged shouting, nearly tripping over her own hooves. As the unicorn came bursting out of the brush, she saw her speaking with a burly, light brown stallion carrying a white duffel bag over his shoulder. He wore a blue kerchief around his neck, and had a manecut resembling faded white hardtack. She surmised it was probably due to sun and saline damage. He spoke with a gruff tone, “I guess this is the pony you were talkin' about?”

Fluttershy nodded in a crouched position, covering half her face with her forelegs. “U-uhm...we were about to...go into Horseshoe Bay to go looking for, uh...something.”

“Dressed like that? Don't think that's a good idea, miss.”

He was referring to her wizard's cap and cape, decorated with white and gold stars. Her choice of clothes were perfect for a street performer, but not exactly for sailing. Trixie eyed him up and down, giving him a pretentious look as she raised an eyebrow. “And just why is that such a bad idea? I seriously doubt there's anything dangerous about going over a bay.”

“If that's what ya think, you're as good as shark food. Listen lady, I used to be part of a shipping crew that transported goods between here and Manehatten, and Horseshoe Bay used to be the main hub of oceanic commerce. At least until Howler showed up a couple years back...”

Fluttershy stood up again, tilting her head sideways. “Howler?”

The sailor pony grimaced, looking down with a pained expression. “It's some kinda sea monster. Problem is, nopony's ever gotten a good look at it. Only thing we sailors ever see is a black shadow goin' across the water, and this loud, creepy howl. Next thing you know, your ship's capsized. Took my sea legs away, he did...” He raised his head, looking Trixie in the eye. “That's why I'm sayin' it's not a good idea. Nopony's ever gone back into Horseshoe Bay cause' of that thing. I'd say turn back now, but it ain't my business tellin' fools what to do...”

With that, he hefted his duffel bag and trotted off, his head lowered once again. Fluttershy watched him leave as Trixie came up in front of her, shouting into her face, “And just what were you doing going off by yourself?!”

She backed up slightly, looking away. “Oh! I'm so sorry Trixie, but...but you see, I've never been so close to the ocean before. I thought I'd be able to see some plants and animals that live near the sea, a-and I saw this paw print I've never seen before and...”

“...and you decided to go off looking for what made it.”

“Please forgive me, Trixie! I'm almost positive it belonged to a big kitty cat! I just wanted to meet him and say hi, but I, uhm...ended up here instead. I'm sorry...”

Trixie put a hoof on her face, dragging it down. “Ugh, never mind that. We need to get going, now.”

Fluttershy yelped again, going back into her crouching position. “Y-you mean...we're going into Horseshoe Bay?! But what about what that sailor pony said?! W-what about Howler?!”

“What about Howler? The Great and Powerful Trixie does not believe in such silly fish stories. Now get a move on! Trixie is not beneath dragging you!”

----

“So, uhm...how do you like Equestria so far, Prowl?”

“Don't distract me, I'd rather not have us go off course because of inane chatter.”

Poor Fluttershy frowned, her eyes drifting out Prowl's window once again. All she had wanted was something to help take her mind off the sailor pony's story, yet no one here seemed interested in speaking with her at all. Prowl seemed anti-social, Warpath kept making awkward excuses to avoid her, and she dared not speak to Trixie after the way she yelled her. Instead, she again found herself scanning the waters as they rushed by, hoping against hope that it was just an innocent fish story after all.

“Wha – Prowl, stop here! The compass is flashing!”

He came to a sudden halt, throwing an unsuspecting Fluttershy into the windshield upside down. Paying no mind to her, Trixie said, “It seems like we've arriv – ugh. Forget it, it just stopped. Keep going down the way we were – what?! Now it's flashing again!” She took the compass between her hooves and brought it to her face, glaring at the blue shard. “Hmf, just as Trixie suspected, it's broken.”

Fluttershy fell onto her side and rubbed her head. Crawling off the dashboard, she looked into the compass as well. “Excuse me, Trixie? I-I'm sorry, I don't want to interrupt you, but - ”

“This is what happens when you trust an amateur with making enchanted hardware. Well, what are we supposed to do now?”

“U-uhm, about the compass...”

“It may have been a false alarm. And logically speaking, I seriously doubt Soundwave would be out here in the middle of the ocean without good cause.”

“The blue shard's pointing down...and-and it's moving...”

Trixie leaned back into the seat and crossed her legs at the knee, her tone becoming dismissive. She tossed the compass into Fluttershy's hooves and said, “Oh well, then I guess our five hour journey across Equestria was just a wild goose chase...can we go back now? The Great and Powerful Trixie has some unfinished business to take care of.”

Warpath's voice yelled through Prowl's intercom, “You mean we came all the way out here for nothin'?! AUGH, you gotta be kiddin' me! I didn't even get to blast anything!”

[“Krzzzt – Prowl? Prowl, do you read?”]

Several lights in his dashboard's display became active, signaling another voice coming through his intercom. “This is Prowl. Is this line secure?”

[“Ah...yeah. This is Blaster, what's your status?”]

“We can confirm that Soundwave is not at this location. However, the compass that was given to us is showing irregularities. Whether or not this means an instability in the energon signal or an instrument error remains to be seen. Regardless, we'll be departing the area soon.”

[“What – krzzzzt – that? Your sig – krzzzzzt...”]

“Blaster? Blaster, do you copy?”

The line crackled with static, eventually becoming silent. Trixie's eyes were half-lidded as she raised an eyebrow, while Prowl responded, “That's odd...what could be causing this interference?”

“HWOOOOOOHHH...”

It was then that the air resonated with a deep, baleful howl. Fluttershy squeaked, instinctively hopping over to the blue unicorn and wrapping her forelegs around her in a crushing hug. Trixie wasn't quite ready to acknowledge the sailor's story as true, but couldn't stop herself from trembling along with her. That sound wasn't just frightening, it was real. Just like her encounter with a certain wild animal from the Everfree, there was a chance that her life was in danger again. But she didn't want to believe it, she didn't want to acknowledge some absurd urban legend. Unfortunately, it only took one fearful, steady look out into the bay's waters to finally convince her.

(“There isn't a cloud in the sky, but...!”)

It was there. A black shadow passing by beneath the waves, slowly fading from sight. Not wanting to allow the last part of the story to come true, Trixie gathered her wits the best she could before stammering out, “Prowl! Get...get us out of here NOW before it...BEFORE IT GETS US!!!”

“What is going on here?! What was that noise, and why are the two of you – GAH!” A strange, massive object emerged from the sea, separating the two Autobots and throwing both ponies into the right side window. Trixie was too busy screaming her lungs out to notice, but Fluttershy was just brave enough to peek open one of her eyes, quickly recognizing what lay under the waves. The thing that nearly threw them into the ocean was a grey dorsal fin, matted with dark purple, crystalline welts.

“Oh my goodness...! E-everyone! I think that's a megalodon!”

Trixie pulled her hat back, uncovering her eyes. “A megawhat?!”

The terrified pegasus opened her mouth to speak, but the only things that came out were harsh breaths. She watched the fin dip completely beneath the water before she was able to speak again. “It's...it's a...GIANT SHARK! A shark so big it can gobble up a pony in one bite! PROWL, RUN AWAAAY!!!”

“Stop yelling at me, I know when we're outclassed! Warpath, fall back!”

“What?! I didn't come all the way out here just to turn tail and run! Where is that fish, I'll KABLAM, blow it outta the water!” The moment he stabilized himself, Warpath faced his cannon in the last place he saw the fin disappear to.

“Are your logic circuits crossed?! We're sitting ducks out here! Fall back to shore immediately soldier, that's an order!” Judging from what little he'd seen, this 'megalodon' was most likely capable of devouring them whole, and Prowl had too much pride to allow himself to be eaten by an offworld creature. He jerked his hydrofoils around and faced dry land, only partially caring whether or not Warpath followed his command. The red Autobot sat in place for a moment, but reluctantly followed suit. A dissatisfied grunt could be heard over the intercom as he caught up.

“U-uh, listen Fluttershy, I'm – I mean – Trixie apologizes for yelling at you, so can you please fly us out of here?! I don't know if we're going to make it to shore fast enough...!”

“HWOOOOOOHHH...”

There was that dreadful howl again. Only this time, Trixie was forced to cover her ears. That sea monster was close, and getting closer by the second. Prowl didn't have a rear window to look out of, but she could just imagine its giant dorsal fin slowly rising out of the water behind them. Her nerves getting the better of her, she grabbed Fluttershy by the shoulders and started shaking her. “WHAT are you waiting for?! Get us out of here before it's too late!”

Unfortunately, the delicate pegasus had been reduced to a quivering mess. She tried to unfold her wings, but they were almost literally glued to her backside. No matter how hard she strained, she couldn't get them to budge a centimeter.

“I...I'm sorry Trixie, but I...I can't...!”

“What do you mean you can't - AAAHHH!”

The ponies were thrown to the rear this time as Prowl's entire chassis was suddenly tilted backward, his armored plating groaning and creaking. Trixie held her head forward so as not to slam it against hard metal, gasping at the sight outside the windshield. Feeling her whole body cringe in fear, she scrambled forward and started banging her hooves against the glass to no avail. She could only watch as a colossal set of jaws clamped down in front of her, as if it were eating the sky itself. It was the last thing anyone saw before everything went dark.

Murky, pt 2

View Online

- Beneath Horseshoe Bay, Dusk

Trixie awoke to a sore body and a hazy mind. She was conscious, but refused to move or even open her eyes, not even wondering if the position she was in was uncomfortable. It was like there was an aura of pain surrounding her. She was afraid that moving would only make it hurt more.

("What...what happened...? Where am I? The last thing I remember was...”)

“Ug – koff!”

Her lungs however, didn't care how much pain she was in. Rolling onto her side, Trixie involuntarily spat up what felt like a pint of sea water, gasping for air afterward.

("Ugh, disgusting...”)

As she lay there, she was grateful that her supposed pain was just imaginary, and mentally bucked herself for having such a silly thought. She could still feel her hat and cape, though they weren't exactly comfortable to wear right now. They were both sopping wet and smelled like ocean, just like everything else around her. She'd have to magically dry those off later.

(“That's right...we were inside Prowl running away from...”)

Trixie's eyes snapped open, having remembered the last thing she saw. Those huge jaws swallowing them whole. She scrambled to her hooves, only to fall back down as her rear legs slipped on the end of her wet cape. If she wasn't hurting before, she definitely was hurting now.

“Ow! Why am I even bothering with – wait. What?”

The unicorn stood up again, much more calmly this time. Her curiosity piqued, she tapped a hoof in place a few times.

*klack, klack*

Trixie wasn't big on anatomy, but she was certain that didn't sound like a megalodon's stomach. That sounded more like rock, or crystal. What was the meaning of this? They were eaten by that sea monster, weren't they?

“HWOOOOOOHH...”

Well, that was enough to confirm it. It was the same howl that terrified her earlier, only this time it came from all around her, echoing off the walls. Somehow, this place was indeed it's belly. Deciding that she had enough, Trixie levitated her hat off and illuminated the area with a flash of her horn. As the darkness receded, she felt herself unconsciously take a step backward.

“Wha...what is this?!”

It was like she was sucked into another world. She was expecting disgusting walls of stomach lining and pools of acid, but instead was met with a twisting network of opaque, dark purple crystal. There was no rhyme or reason to its structure, everything looked like it could collapse at any second. Pillars of crystal splintered off into many jagged subsections that extended out like a collection of knives, and thick walls were suspended in mid air by threads no wider than a centimeter. The floor she was standing on felt solid in one area, and brittle in another. Even the air itself was like a foreign entity, blowing into her face one second, and against her back the next. If she didn't hear the beast's howl, there was no way she could have guessed this place was its stomach.

“...huh? Prowl? Warpath? Fluttershy?! Where are all of yooou?!”

With her bewilderment at this place fading, Trixie eventually realized that she was alone. Looking around, she couldn't tell just how expansive this cavern was, her illumination magic only reaching so far. The only option left was to explore.

“(gulp)...Okay! Th-this is nothing! The Great and Powerful Trixie fears no beast, dragon, or sea monster! I'm...I'm certain the others are in the depths of peril, s-so they will no doubt require my awesome magics to - ”

“HWOOOOOHH...”

“EEK!!!”

Trixie pulled her hat over her eyes, darkening the area and filling her nostrils with the smell of sea water. Slumping a bit, she magically conjured a blow dryer, chuckling as the hot air blew over her.

“Eh heh heh...like Trixie said, this is nothing...I-I mean, this is the whole reason why Twilight Sparkle sent me here! She was counting on this sort of thing to happen to such inexperienced lowlifes! Why this entire operation would have fallen apart from the get go if - ”

“Stop using magic you idiot! Do you want to blow us all to scrap?!”

She shrieked and shut off her magic without question, only to regret it a second later. That angry voice belonged to Prowl. As she raised her hat, she wasn't sure if she should feel grateful or unfortunate.

“(a-ahem). I, uh...Trixie has things under control you nitwit! Besides, how do you expect us to see in here without an illumination spell?!”

Even in the darkness, she could see him raise his arm and tap something on his body, beaming the headlights in his torso directly into her face. Trixie growled as she covered her eyes with a foreleg, knowing for certain he was doing that on purpose.

“I have had just about enough of you. If you stopped your incessant boasting for even one moment and analyzed the situation, you would have realized this entire cavern is composed of dark energon!”

She turned her head in his direction to try and make eye contact, but couldn't get a good look at him with that glare. “Dark what?! What are you talking about, why does that matter?!”

Prowl placed a palm on his face, shaking his head. “Did Twilight even bother to brief you on...ugh. Of course she didn't. Listen to me pony, and listen carefully, because I will not repeat myself. Your world's 'magic' and raw energon react violently when they come into contact with each other. If even the smallest amount of magical energy is introduced into energon ore, the entire deposit detonates. You do understand the implications of that, don't you?”

Trixie looked under one of her hooves, feeling the gravity of what she almost did. One single misstep with her spells would've been all it took to blow the entire cavern to smithereens. She felt her throat go dry and her legs go slightly numb, but not because she was nearly incinerated. The last thing she wanted to admit out loud was that this rude alien was right about anything.

“...I'm not some patsy you can just push around...”

“What was that?!”

The unicorn looked away with clenched teeth, trying her best not to say anything else under her breath. “N-nothing! Look, do you have any way for us to get out of here?! You're the leader right?! Think of something!”

Prowl studied her for a second before turning away, walking off by himself. He made no gestures to let her follow, knowing she would do it anyway. Pressing two fingers on his temple, he said, “The outer layers of this dark energon deposit are mostly inert, yet my scanners are showing a spike in energy levels the further we descend. Judging from the readings I'm getting, there's a high chance the source of this corruption is at the center of the cavern. For now, we'll investigate. And do try not to do anything else that will kill us all.”

Trixie was forced to half gallop to keep up with his stride. Her cape was sticking to her back, and she had to constantly keep her hat from falling over her eyes. Both pieces of her attire were cold and clammy, and now the shoulder she fell onto earlier was getting sore. Coupled with the fact that this Autobot kept talking down to her, she was close to boiling over.

(“You...you don't have any right to treat me like this! None of you do! Not you, not Twilight Sparkle, not anypony! Look at you, acting all high and mighty, just because you're three stories tall, you stupid - ”)

Trixie's eyes widened. Bringing herself to a full gallop, she jumped directly in front of Prowl and cut him off. He thought about simply stepping over her, but the look in her eye made it clear she had something to say.

“Hold on a second! You're accusing Trixie of nearly blowing up this place, but it was you who nearly drowned me! Why in Equestria would you transform in the middle of us getting swallowed by a sea monster knowing FULL WELL we can't breathe underwater?!”

At this point she was just reaching for things to verbally assault him. She wanted to assert herself in some way, any way to give her piece of mind. Prowl stared her down, replying in a dour tone, “There was an energy surge the moment Warpath and I entered this cavern. It momentarily scrambled our systems and forced us out of our alternate forms. I can hardly be blamed for such a thing.”

Feeling this was another waste of time, he ended up stepping over her anyway, leaving Trixie standing there with her mouth hanging slightly open.

(“I can't believe this...!”)

She clenched her teeth again and turned around, glaring at him with hateful eyes. “That's IT?! I nearly drown and you don't even apologize?! Just who do you think you are, anyway?!”

She ended her last word with a stomp of her hoof. Prowl stopped, turning just enough so that one of his optics stared back at her. “What I am, is logical. And as it stands, my logic center has deduced that you are nothing more than a nuisance. To think that Ironhide trusted the inhabitants of this planet with such a daunting task defies all reason...nevertheless, you are here, testing my patience.” He turned and began walking off again, his words softening as he got further away. “Don't follow me. Stay here until I've analyzed the situation fully. I'd rather not have some...'pony' getting in my way.”

*stomp*
“Y-you...! You dare talk to The Great and Powerful Trixie like some common insect?! I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS!!!”

There have been times in the past where the showmare had been ridiculed, both on the stage and off. She could take a tomato or two, or even endure complete humiliation in front of an entire town. Those memories however, felt so small and distant now. In this moment, she was literally seething. A vein was visible on her forehead, steam blew out of her nostrils, and all she could see was red. Never in the entirety of her life had she even been more insulted. Reeling back on her haunches, Trixie slammed her forelegs down, ready to charge this scumbag of an alien. She wasn't even thinking about whether or not she could, because it was the only thing she wanted.

*kthooom – CRASH*

Fortunately, the moment before the enraged unicorn could make a serious mistake, the wall between herself and Prowl exploded in a blaze of flame and crystal. Trixie automatically raised a foreleg in front of her with wide eyes, her rage simmering down at the sight. If she actually decided to charge him, she'd look like that wall right now - broken, and in pieces.

“That was Warpath's cannonfire...!”

The white Autobot made a 180 and jumped through the smoldering hole in the wall, leaving Trixie behind again as she fell to her stomach. This was the second time today that she's had such a close scrape with death. The realization crept over her like a dense fog. How much longer was it going to be until her luck ran out?

“...please stop! If you keep firing that cannon, you might hurt him!”

(“Fluttershy? She's in there too?”)

Trixie stared at the hole in the wall as she rose, not quite understanding her words. That yellow pegasus acted so timid and cowardly on the way here, but right now she was staying inside of a room with a trigger-happy Autobot armed with a bunker buster. It dawned on her that she had just as many close calls as all of them today, but was still willing to stare danger in the face. Why? She'd have to go inside to find out.

(“I, uh...geh! Trixie won't be showed up by her of all ponies!”)

If Fluttershy could somehow be brave, then it should be no contest for an all-powerful unicorn like herself. She trotted over to the smashed wall with trepidation, trying to avoid cutting herself on some stray, jagged crystal. Lowering herself a bit, she hopped over the still-smoldering areas on the floor and bounded into the room, tumbling around as she entered. Trixie watched the world spin once and rolled into a sitting position, forcing her to re-adjust her hat again.

(“Alright, what's going on...here...huh...?”)

Hot. It was SO hot. The temperature must have risen at least ten degrees. The air was stifling, nauseating, like she should be choking on the atmosphere instead of breathing it. A sense of dread overcame her heart, making the fine hair on her coat stand on end, and she had just jumped in here.

(“What...what's going on...?! I just got here, why do I feel like this?!”)

The room itself was circular, and had a low ceiling. Fluttershy was indeed here, floating in front of Warpath, the latter still in vehicle mode and pointing his cannon at the...thing behind her. What was it? It looked like another Cybertronian, but...wrong. Terribly wrong.

(“Oh my...goodness...! What IS that?!”)

Trixie felt her breath quickening. Everything she had seen up to this point, the Ursa Minor, the megalodon, the horror of being devoured, the shell that nearly blew her to pieces, it paled in comparison to what she was saw in this very moment. The robot was encased in a column of the same crystal that made up the entire cavern, the upper half of his body sticking out like he was trying to escape. However, this crystal was translucent, and glowed between a shade of pure black and light purple, like it was alive. Steeling her nerves, she got up and walked forward to get a better look, only to fall down again the moment she got a good look at his visage. Her knees had grown too weak to support her now. More black crystal spewed forth from giant gashes in his chest and right arm, like he had been impaled with a great sword. By any and all accounts, this guy should be dead, but somehow...somehow, Trixie just knew whoever that was still lived. And it looked like Warpath came to the same conclusion.

“Get outta my way Fluttershy, I'm puttin' an end to this war, RIGHT NOW!”

“Absolutely not! I won't let you hurt this creature!”

“Do you have any idea what you're doing?! Do you know how many Cybertronians this guy's killed?! I ain't lettin' you stop me!”

“It ends here! Even if I'm goin' down with him! Megatron's gotta die!”

Someone had to do something. Someone had to stop him before he set off an energon explosion and wiped them all out. Trixie knew this was the worst possible time to freeze up, but she all she could do was sit and watch. All she could do was listen to the chamber resonate with the metallic clink of another shell being loaded into Warpath's magazine. It was barely audible, but rang in her ears like thunder. It looked like her luck had finally run out.

*kchack*
“Don't you DARE finish loading that round, Warpath! I will NOT hesitate to target your vital circuits!”

A hot wind blew in on her right side as Prowl's leg stamped down next to her. With her shock ebbing away, Trixie looked up at him with confused eyes. His left hand had transformed into a smallish handgun, and he was pointing it directly at the base of Warpath's main cannon.

“Our objective was to investigate the energon signal, nothing more! Just because the Decepticon leader is here, that does NOT permit you to defy mission protocol! That includes endangering the lives of civilians and outsiders! Stand down immediately!”

The room fell silent, save for the hum of Warpath's hover jets and Fluttershy's flapping wings. He hadn't finished loading his cannon, but wasn't moving an inch either. Just enough time had passed to let an uneasy stillness fill the room before Prowl repeated, “Stand. Down.”

After what felt like an eternity, the red Autobot lowered his cannon and transformed back to robot form, falling to one knee. He began punching the ground relentlessly, sending splinters of crystal flying in all directions. Fluttershy squeaked and flew behind Prowl's shoulder, poking her head out to watch.

“Why?! Why are you stoppin' me?! HE'S RIGHT HERE!!!”

Trixie flipped around and rose to her hooves again, watching him take his rage out on the floor. He sounded so angry, but at the same time, it was nothing like how she herself felt a few minutes earlier. No, he also sounded defeated, anguished. Thinking back, this was not unlike like the time when she was driven out of Ponyville and made a laughing stock. Her expression cringed as she looked away - she knew exactly where he was coming from.

“The fact that you stopped at all means you already know the answer. The last thing we Autobots do is kill innocent beings. Even if we were presented with the chance to destroy Megatron.”

Murky, pt 3

View Online

Warpath spent the better part of fifteen minutes pounding away at the floor before he finally had enough, slumping down into a kneeling position. Shards of crystal crackled between his fingers as he continued to clench his fists, his visor staring at the crater he created.

“Then what are we supposed to do?! You know as well as I do that we can't just leave Megatron here!”

Prowl had his fingers on the side of his head again, replying as a data stream flashed across his optics. “I'm working on that. Give me a few microcycles to finish my analysis of this cavern, then I'll figure something out. In the meantime, just give me some quiet for a change.”

“Uhm...excuse me, mister Prowl?”

His attention was brought to Fluttershy's small voice, the yellow pegasus backing away as she saw the irritated look in his eyes. “Ugh, what is it now?!”

She hesitated at hearing the tone of his voice, but only for a second. “I...I want to apologize. All this time I thought you were just another mean old bully, but I...guess I was wrong. There's no way you could be so bad, not after the way you talked about protecting us.”

He replied with a quick sigh, “The Autotbots fight for the sacred virtue of freedom. To deny any innocent beings that virtue by taking their lives is illogical.”

Fluttershy frowned as she floated away, softly landing a good distance from the central pillar. His words were indeed just, but he sounded so dour. It was like he was acting out of necessity instead of want. Did Prowl really believe in those morals, or did he follow them just because he thought he was supposed to?

“...what's your deal, anyway?!”

It was Warpath again. Seemed like he wasn't quite done raging yet, as he had gotten up to yell at Fluttershy some more. “Listen to me, you don't know who Megatron is! You don't know what's he's done! He ain't like the rest of us, he's a monster! Why the heck would you wanna protect - ”

“I wasn't talking about Megatron.”

That stopped him mid sentence, considering it was so unlike her to sound so confident. Though it only lasted for a second when she realized she cut him off.

“Oh! I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you...wh-what I mean is, I was talking about Howler.”

Trixie's ears perked up, her expression quickly going from uncertain to incredulous. “What?! You mean the stupid fish that ate us?! Why in Celestia's name are you even worrying about this sea monster?! WE'RE STANDING IN ITS STOMACH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!”

“I-it's not his fault! This poor shark is thrashing around because all this dark energon is giving him a tummyache! That's why he's howling so much, he's trying to cough up this whole cavern!”

Fluttershy gazed back at her with pleading eyes. Even now, she was still concerning herself with the animals around her. It didn't even matter to her that this creature nearly killed them. The unicorn knelt down onto her belly and looked back at Megatron's suspended form, more as an excuse to avert her eyes. She didn't want to admit that she might be right.

“...she might be right. According to my scanners, this cavern extends for approximately 0.4 clicks in all directions from this room, give or take. Judging from the jagged state of this deposit, I can't imagine carrying it around inside one of oneself would be too comfortable.”

Trixie eyed him and grit her teeth. What, could he read minds too?

“Well...what in Primus is Megatron even doing here?! Matter of fact, how is he still alive?! He fell off the Ark, right?! Don't tell me he can survive a wound like that, and re-entry!” Warpath had arranged himself into a sitting position, resting his elbows on his knees. He couldn't blast him right now, so he had to settle for asking questions.

“I believe it has something to do with dark energon itself. Not only does it somehow empower him, but it can also preserve his life. Even after sustaining such heavy damage...this entire cavern is evidence of that. It's as if the dark energon spread outward from that wound in his chest to create a protective carapace.”

“Hold on, you sayin' this stuff is alive?! I've never heard of that!”

“It's only conjecture. Then again, we were never able to get proper analysis done on dark energon. We were always too busy clearing it out of our way after all...as for how he got here, I wouldn't know anything about that. You, you seemed to know this creature's name, can you tell us anything?”

He was looking at Fluttershy. Stuttering a bit, she replied, “Uhm, well...megalodons are supposed to be extinct. I wouldn't know how...Megatron...got here. I'm just wondering how this sharky got so big. I've never seen one up close, but I'm sure megalodons aren't supposed to be this huge.”

“Who cares about Megatron, OR this stupid fish! Trixie only cares about how we get out of here! You, Prowl! Have you figured anything out yet?!”

He chose to ignore the tone she was taking with him like a professional would. “...I have something, though it's a bit of a gamble. Warpath, did you bring any thermal detpacks with you?”

The red Autobot stood up, “Uh, yeah. Just two of em' though.”

“It'll have to do...alright, I've pinpointed the location of at least three critical points in this cavern. If we can detonate the charges at the correct apex, the megalodon should be able to dislodge the mound from its innards on its own. Though at the same time, we run the risk of collapsing the entire cavern if they're improperly placed...Warpath, I'm sending you a rough schematic of the cavern now. Remember, if the detpack isn't placed in the exact coordinates I'm giving you, then all you'll do is drop this place on our heads. So try and show some restraint for once.”

His partner pulled out a strange device from his backside. It was somewhat larger than his hand with a rectangular shape, and had two cylinders sticking out of its sides near the bottom. He pressed a button in its rear, causing the cylinders to spin and retract into itself. Tossing it to Prowl, he said, “Yeah, sure...and what happens when the cavern's out of this thing's stomach?”

Catching the device, he replied, “We won't have much time to act. The cavern is already structurally unsound, so there is a high chance it'll break apart when the water floods in. You'll have to stay transformed to keep both of those ponies safe on your way out.”

“Hey, whaddya mean on our way out?! We aren't just gonna leave Megatron here, are we?!”

Prowl had already turned around and started walking away. “You expect us to attack him under these circumstances? You might as well step in front of a warp cannon while you're at it.” He pulled out another device himself, a sphere no bigger than his index finger. Dropping it off to his side, he continued, “Our only option is to leave a homing beacon behind and return with backup. We're ill-equipped to handle the situation as-is.”

Fluttershy floated up near him, her eyes still filled with worry. “Mister Prowl? Shouldn't one of us go with you? It might be dangerous going off by yourself.”

She couldn't help but notice his comment about keeping the both of them safe. He already had his right hand on the hole made in the wall earlier, and was about to step through. Turning his head, he replied, “As I've said earlier to that blue one, I've had enough of dealing with you ponies. Our original mission objective didn't involve babysitting you. Warpath, you deal with them.”

She frowned as she watched him step through the wall, feeling the other Autobot come up from behind. “Ah, jeez...don't let Prowl get under your circuit boards. He ain't exactly a ray a' sunshine. Nobody likes goin' out on assignment with that guy, s'pecially me.”

Fluttershy stared at the floor, looking at nothing. “Warpath...why does he act so cold? I mean, he talked about protecting us, but then he goes and...”

He crossed his arms, “Tch. All I know is that he's a grade-A hardcase. Don't think any of the Autobots are even friends with him.”

She moaned to herself softly and looked at the floor, the news only making her feel worse. There was an entire civilization of Autobots inside the Ark to be friends with, but apparently he just pushed them away. She couldn't begin to grasp just how anyone, pony or Cybertronian, could live with being so alone.

“Enough with the chit-chat! If that insufferable robot says we need to bomb something in here to get out of this fish, then what are we doing standing around here?! Trixie is not interested in being inside the belly of a monster any longer, so let's pick it up!”

Warpath stood, placing a hand on his face while shaking his head. He just realized he was going to be stuck with Trixie's mouth until the charges went off. Taking a look at the central pillar through his fingers, he considered taking that shot at Megatron again just to end it.

(“Ugggh...this day just keeps getting better and better...”)

----

Navigating the cavern's expanses proved to be a challenge. There was no singular path that could be taken due to the abhorrent ways the dark energon spread, so they were forced to take one detour after another. Warpath was their only source of light, so the two ponies followed closely behind.

“So, why exactly do you choose to care about this hideous creature? Because Trixie is certain that it doesn't care about you.”

Fluttershy flinched and stifled another squeak at the sound of her voice. Aside from the occasional complaint from their powder blue companion, they had been traveling in relative silence. Looking to her left, she replied, “Uhm, well...how can't I? Just look at all of these jagged crystals. I definitely wouldn't want them poking around in my tummy...”

“Psh. You're not making any sense. This thing came out of nowhere, went straight for us, and swallowed us whole! How can you not see it as anything other than some mindless monster?!”

“He's not a monster!” She flew up in front of Trixie, raising her voice. “He's a megalodon! And the only reason why he ate us is because this cavern is making him go crazy! Don't you know what that feels like? To be scared and hurt?”

She scoffed back, “The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't get scared. Trixie always conducts herself with dignity and a cool head.”

“But...weren't you scared when Howler first showed up? And, and back when you first saw Megatron? I even saw you fall over.”

She looked away with her jaw set upon hearing that comment. She could have sworn that Fluttershy didn't see that. “Ah, well...that was different! It - it was hot in there! The sudden change in temperature made me dizzy, that's all!”

There was no way she could admit it. From what she saw, she was probably the only one in that room who was petrified. But that wasn't her, and she knew it. She knew she was above petty things like fear and weakness. She knew in her heart that she was great and powerful, not pitiful and helpless. And there was no way they could understand.

“Trixie...everypony gets scared. It's okay to admit it, I won't judge you. I mean, we're friends, right?”

All that did was earn a quick glare from her. Turning up her muzzle, she trotted past her, “Hmf! Trixie already told you that she does NOT know fear! Trixie is the most powerful and magical unicorn in all of Equestria! To think she would be anything like you lowly ponies is laughable! Trixie does not need friends, and she certainly does not need you – omf!”

Her nose was filled with the scent of saline and metal as Trixie walked straight into Warpath's leg. Stepping back and rubbing her face, she yelled at him, “What do you think you're doing just stopping like that! Haven't you figured out yet that we're not as fast as you?!”

He had turned his torso to the side and was looking directly down at her. “...what did you just say?”

“Oh, what? Did Trixie say something to offend you too? Are you going to chew her out just like Prowl did? Trixie would not be surprised.”

His voice was slightly shaky as he responded. “Uh, naw, I don't mean that...what did you just call yourself?”

She turned her head away with a smug smile, looking back into his visor. “Hm? The most powerful and magical unicorn in ALL of Equestria? Well, Trixie knows it's hard to believe, but it's true. Want to see proof?”

“Uh...no thanks, I um...believe you. Just thought you said somethin' else...” He stepped away from her in a hurry, leaving her to wonder what that meant. Though he didn't move very far as he jerked to a halt after taking a mere two steps. Putting a finger on his temple for a second, he suddenly punched the wall to his left. Fluttershy squealed and zipped behind the two of them a good distance.

“Ugh, again?! What the scrap is wrong with this place?! It's like no matter where we go, we keep running into a dead end!”

Trixie mimicked Warpath's exasperated grunt. Glaring at him, she said, “Can't you do anything right?! All you've done so far lose your temper and make us walk around in circles! Trixie is beginning to think you Autobots are all incompetent fools! If Trixie had a map of this place, we would never - ”

The pony's angry rambling sank into the walls and floors as Warpath found himself clutching his face again, this time with a trembling hand. He was already driven to the brink at least twice today, and he was moments from losing his composure again.

“...you think for one second that The Great and Powerful Trixie is going to stand by while the rest of you parade around us like you own the place?! If we weren't surrounded by all this putrid dark energon, Trixie would - ”

“ARRRGGH, I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!”

Warpath transformed without warning, making the unicorn double back in reaction. He must have heard her say her name at least twenty times during that tirade, which unfortunately made it that much more difficult to try and ignore. No matter how hard he tried to focus on finding a path that didn't end in a wall, all he could hear was 'Trixie this' and 'Trixie that'. The last straw had been placed, and he wasn't going to deal with it.

“I don't care if this place falls apart, we're gettin' outta here!!!”
*KTHOM – CRASH*

The red Autobot pointed his main cannon at the wall he punched and fired, peppering Trixie with small bits of crystal as she reflexively raised a foreleg in front of her. The heat from the blast lapped at her face, and the noise rang in her ears like a pinball in her skull, causing them to fold over. Sure enough, the next few things that filled the air were more incessant complaints, mostly involving life endangerment and noise pollution. It didn't matter at this point though – this wall was the only thing separating Warpath from the blast point. Transforming back and taking out the detpack, he leaned forward into the hole he made, spotting a somewhat thick column of crystal extending out into the darkness above his head.

(“Alright, here it is...just gotta make sure it's facing inward at a 2.2 degree angle an'...what else was I supposed to do? Augh, what's with this schematic, it doesn't make any sense!”)

[“kzzzzt – Warpath, what happened?! I – kzzzt – that shock from over – kzzzt.”]

He tapped a button in his torso a few times, trying to adjust his comm-link. “No worries Prowl, I've got it under control! Just had to clear some trash outta my way!”

[“I don't know – kzzzt – did, but there's a massive – kzzzt – going throughout the entire – kzzzzzzzzzt.”]

“Prowl? Hey, pick up! You get cut off or somethin'?!”

No response. The only thing that came back through the receiver was static. Not thinking much of it, Warpath finished setting up the detpack and leaned back out of the hole he made, satisfied he was one step closer to getting away from that pony's motormouth.

(...hold on a sec.)

Even with the static, it shouldn't of been that easy to hear him. Why was it so quiet? He was certain that Trixie would’ve been screaming her head off by now for being ignored, but somewhere during his conversation she stopped. Looking back down at the two ponies, he found her staring blankly ahead into the darkness. Her legs shook like they were about to give out again, and it looked like she was trying her hardest to remain stone-faced, despite having her mouth loosely hanging open and sweat going down her brow.

“Warpath, b-behind you!!!”

Fluttershy poked out from behind Trixie, pointing a hoof behind him. Transforming his right arm into a long-barreled minigun, Warpath thrust himself around, grabbed the top of his weapon with his free hand as it revved up, and fired into the corridor, spraying bullets at anything that moved. More inert energon shattered as some unknown forms in the dark scuttled around like cockroaches before being blown apart. Shining his lights over, he discovered the shattered, smoking remains of at least seven smaller robots, no larger than the two ponies in the room. Judging from what was left, they resembled six legged insects. Their bodies were a mix of crystal and circuitry, and they glowed with the same ill purple as the central room.

“Aw scrap, not these things again!”

Warpath transformed into vehicle mode and pulled up next to both of them rather quickly. “Forget bein' careful, we gotta bail, NOW!”

Fluttershy jumped on without any hesitation, but Trixie of course felt the need to demand an explanation. “What ARE those things?! Why are they so...disgusting?!” She felt herself edging away from them, feeling her stomach go queasy as she watched their legs twitch like they were still alive.

“All ya need to know is that they're bad news! I fought em' on the way to Cybertron's core once, they're made of dark energon! Which is pretty bad considerin' we're standin' in like two hundred tons of the stuff!”

Parts of the cavern sparked with purple light as more insectoids burst forth from the walls and floors like they were hatching from eggs. They made no noise aside from the scratching and clicking of crystal against crystal, scampering towards the three of them at nearly seven miles an hour. Just watching the way they moved made Trixie's skin crawl, finally motivating her to hop on as Warpath kicked his nitro into gear. All she wanted was to get away from the creepy crawlies as fast as possible.

[“kzzzt – rpath, come in!”]

Looks like the comm-link was working again, albeit still garbled by static. “Prowl! Somethin's goin' on, parts of the cavern are comin' back to life and makin' those dark energon bug things!”

[“I know that, I'm – GAH!”] Gunfire could be heard over the intercom, followed by the sounds of smashing crystal. [“I've traced the – kzzzzt – back to the central room! Make your way back there and disconnect Megatron from the cavern! I think he's somehow subconsciously creating – kzzzzt.”]

“Prowl, you're breakin' up again! Wha dya say?!”

[“kzzzzt – and whatever you do, DON'T forget to use restraint! Do things heavy-handed like always and you'll – kzzzzt.”]

Prowl's distorted voice was drowned out by interference before the line went completely silent. Not even static came though anymore.

“Little late to start bein' careful! Only thing I understand right now is KABLAM!”

An explosion from behind sent a massive tremor through the cavern, signaling that Warpath detonated the detpack remotely. Intense fires singed the backside of Trixie's coat, and more bits of shrapnel ricocheted off the Autobot's armor. Fluttershy screamed at the noise, hanging for dear life onto the speeding tank.

“Quit your bellyachin' Fluttershy, I've got this! Plowin' ahead's always the best way to – UGH!”

An insectoid had latched onto Warpath's main cannon, having spawned from the ceiling a little ways ahead. Its bladed legs dug into his armor, intent on shredding into him. This time it was Trixie's turn to scream, as it had landed practically next to her.

“AHHHH!!! GET AWAAAY!”

Seeing one up close was so much worse. It was like she was suddenly covered in millipedes and spiders, crawling around on her skin by the hundreds. She put her forelegs over her head, screwed her eyes shut, and fired a concussion spark, not even caring about the consequences. That thing had to go, and it had to go now.

*pyo – KTHOOOM*

“Whoa, what the scrap...?!”

Peeking an eye open at first, Trixie eventually realized what she just did. There was nothing left of the insect but a single leg, still hanging out of his armor. Using levitation, she pried it off and flung it behind them, the leg shattering into pieces as they sped by.

“Wait a nanosec, you weren't just blowing hot air?! Why didn't you just blast those things from the start?!”

Trixie didn't say anything at first. Her mouth twitched a little like she wanted to talk, and she was staring at the space where the bug was. She knew the spell for a concussion spark, but had no idea it was that powerful. No, she had no idea she was that powerful.

“I, uh...of – of course! You never should have doubted the Great and Powerful Trixie! Trixie merely wanted to, uh...test how useful you were to her, that's all!”

“Augh, you're meltin' my processors with that dumb act! Just give me some cover fire, will ya?!”

“Hmf! If you insist!”

The blue unicorn threw off her magician's hat, the smell of burnt cloth letting her know that her first attack already ruined it. Steadying herself on the speeding Autobot, she took sharp aim at the emerging insects ahead and fired shot after shot of bright, lavender energy, marveling at the power behind this spell. Every shattered insect, every massive crater she made in the walls, it all felt so good. She couldn't even feel the slightest bit of recoil, or any sort of fatigue from using this much magic at once. Trixie grinned like a maniacal mare – this was the most fun she ever had in her life.

----

“HWOOOOOO...!”

Prowl fell onto a knee to stabilize himself as another tremor shook the cavern. Crystal stalactites fell from the ceiling and pierced the floor like paper, while the walls around him crumbled and shattered, making the air look like the inside of a snow globe. As he jumped to his feet again and ran from danger, the Autobot kept two fingers on his temple, keeping his firearm at ready.

“Warpath, come in! What in blazes are you doing over there?! The entire cavern has become unstable!”

Another insect spawned from the floor, lunging at him. Grunting in frustration, he took his hand off his head and blasted it to pieces without stopping.

“You're deviating from the plan, aren't you...of all the – ugh!”

Prowl's stride slowed, his legs becoming wobbly and his shoulder scraping a wall. He could literally feel the inside of his head vibrating as sparks went off inside his logic center. All Warpath needed to do was set up a detpack and detonate it in unison with the other, and he couldn't even do that right. Even worse, he's somehow managed the worst case scenario; according to his calculations, they had less than a cycle until the dark energon cavern collapsed completely and flattened them all. Communications were down, his partner could only be making things worse, insectoid drones were endlessly harassing him, and despite setting off his own detpack, the megalodon still wasn't capable of regurgitating the cavern. Nothing was going according to plan, and the stress was overloading his circuits. He could only pray Warpath managed to hear the last part of his message.

“Haaa...have to...get to the last point! It's the only way!”

Prowl tried to focus on the task at hand, but even that was difficult. He was merely armed with a subsonic repeater, and that wasn't nearly enough firepower to destroy the blast point. He had to think of another course of action, and given the current situation, he simply couldn't focus. All of the chaos surrounding him was too much to bear.

----

“KABLAM!!!”

Back at the central chamber, Warpath blasted another entrance into the room, skidding to a halt in a blaze of flame and debris. Trixie held onto the rear end of his cannon the best she could, knowing he'd forget about the momentum from his sudden stop. Fluttershy, however, wasn't as prepared as she was flung from him at high speed, forcing her to tumble into the room like a beach ball. Flopping onto her belly with her forelegs splayed out, she waited until the world stopped spinning before trying to adjust her eyes to the sudden burst of light.

“Warpath...could you please, pleaaase, try to be more gentle? I'm starting to think you're not being careful about – EEEK!”

The room had changed dramatically in the few minutes they were gone. The glow that was coming from the central pillar Megatron was encased in had spread, invigorating the once inert dark energon in over half the chamber. The Decepticon himself was obscured, covered in hundreds of insectoids, moving together like a single organism. Fluttershy finally remembered that she had a pair of wings and flew backwards, getting as close to Warpath as possible. Trixie jumped down, the force of her landing cracking the floor under her hooves. Her head was lowered and her crazed eyes were slightly bloodshot.

“One or one million, it doesn't matter how many of you disgusting bugs stand in Trixie's way! You'll be dust in the wind when she is done with you!”

Just as she fired her first shot, she heard the Autobot behind her transform, followed by the sound of her spark colliding with something that didn't break. Raising her head, she saw that Warpath had somehow produced a large hammer and thrust it down in front of her, blocking her shot. Trixie looked up at him like she was insulted.

“WHAT do you think you're doing?!”

“Didn't ya hear what Prowl said?! You fire one shot into that stuff and you'll turn us ALL into dust! You gotta hold back here, understand?!”

“I, uh...! Trixie does not want to hear that coming from you!” The energy from her horn dissipated, though a little reluctantly. Once again she didn't want to admit fault for being so overzealous.

("You an' me both...”) Warpath stepped over her, brandishing his hammer. “You two stay close! Prowl said somethin' about pryin' Megatron outta that thing, so I'm gonna do it!”

“Oh?! And just how do you expect to do that?!” She turned her attention back to the horde of already advancing insectoids.

“I, uh...I'll figure somethin' out! You two just stay alive!”

Fluttershy looked on as Warpath started thrashing the insects in his path, watching him sweep his hammer across them like he was raking leaves. 'Stay alive', he said. How could he say that so casually? Was it because he was used to having his life in danger? She was so lost in thought at those two words that she didn't notice an insectoid lunging at her from behind. Only a spark from Trixie's horn smashing the creature apart brought her back to her senses. She shrieked as the noise rang in her ears, bringing her forelegs to her mouth.

“Stop spacing out! You're lucky Trixie decided to save your life - AHH!”

The pegasus' pupils slowly contracted as she watched her get blindsided by another crystal bug, tearing off the sapphire broach holding her cape together before she blasted it to bits as well. She wanted to do something for her, to protect her just the same, but all she could do was float there. It was getting hard to just breathe and flap her wings now.

(“What do we do, what do we do...?! Those insects just keep coming!”)

It was true. For every enemy that was destroyed, two more spawned from the surrounding crystal. And every time another insectoid spawned, the glow from the central pillar spread further, like it was trying to compensate for its losses. Poor Fluttershy had her lips scrunched together, trying to suppress another scream. Her floating had become erratic and the humidity of the room was making her dizzy. No matter how she looked at it, this was a losing battle.

“Warpath, Trixie, we have to run away! Those bugs keep getting replaced, they won't stop until they get you!”

Warpath smashed another insect under his hammer before he picked up on what the chamber was starting to look like. There were so many holes dotted all around the place, like a hundred pipe bombs went off at once. “Ugh...! Scrap, she's right! What are we gonna do?!”

“HWOO...KAAAH. HWOOOOOOAAAHH!!!”

The megalodon's howl echoed far and wide as the cavern was struck with a colossal tremor, a tremor much more violent than the ones before it. The chamber tilted slightly at first before bobbing back and forth like an unstable boat. A giant crack split across the entire floor, sending arcs of purple lightning everywhere, and parts of the ceiling started to fall and crash into the floor. The insectoids were no longer able to hold their footing as they slid across the ground and smashed into each other, completely at the mercy of the cavern's movements. Warpath attempted to remain still, smashing his hammer in place to use as a foothold. It was clear what was happening now.

“Hey, alright! Prowl did it! The shark's coughin' up the cavern! Now all we gotta do is get outta here!”

He pried his hammer out of the ground and retracted it back into his arm the moment the shaking came to a stop, though it was still hard to walk. The floor was now on a thirty degree slant, and getting steeper. Transforming back to vehicle mode, he opened a hatch in the base of his cannon.

“All aboard! Time to jet before this place blows!”

Fluttershy wasted no time flying into his compartment, nearly grazing her wing on entry. She cowered there for a few seconds before realizing that Trixie wasn't following behind her. Poking her head out, she spotted her just standing there, staring at the glowing central pillar. She took a breath to speak, but Warpath cut her off.

“Hey Trixie, what're ya doin', takin' a pitcture?! Let's MOVE!”

She didn't respond. She didn't even flinch. Instead, she just stood and watched as the insectoids clamored together once again, climbing all around Megatron and stabbing their legs into the now sparking dark energon. It was like she knew they were up to something.

“Trixie! TRIXIE! Say somethin' – GAHH!”

The wall nearest to Warpath cracked and broke open, engulfing him in a torrent of sea water. The pegasus in his hatch held on, holding her breath until he moved out of the way. She spat a couple of times and moved her wet mane out of her eyes before calling out to her.

“Trixie, please! We have to go, the cavern is sinking! Why won't you move?!”

The moment she finished, Trixie finally turned her head and retorted, “Stay back you foals!”

She turned back, not taking her eyes off the flashing pillar despite the copious amounts of water flooding into the room. More and more insectoids piled around the pillar, freezing themselves in place. When there was no longer any more space, they simply climbed onto each other's backs. Warpath finally figured out why that pony was just standing there – as more of those bugs stuck themselves to the pillar, the further and faster the glow spread.

“...this ain't good! They're tryin' to reactivate all the dark energon in the whole cavern! There's no way we can outrun an explosion THAT big!”

“(GASP), oh no!”

The chamber had become too steep for him to transform now. Not giving up, Warpath attempted to fire shell after shell at the insectoids. His rounds collided with water, exploding in fire and steam, and numerous bugs blew apart like paper mache, but no matter what he did, he couldn't stop the spread of dark energon. Fluttershy put her forelegs over her head and rested it down on the lip of the hatch, tears starting to stream down her face. She couldn't think of anything she could do other than panic.

*pyaooo*

Her head peeked out from under her hooves, hearing a familiar noise. It was the same noise she heard every time Twilight conjured a barrier. Snapping her eyes open, she found that Trixie had indeed raised her horn and created a barrier, it's purple light illuminating the entire chamber. It passed though the floor and ceiling, cutting off the spread of dark energon. Fluttershy stared at it for a full minute before jumping from the hatch and recklessly flying into the barrier, feeling her heart in her throat as her weak hooves pounded on it again and again. For whatever reason, Trixie was on the other side.

“Trixie, what are you doing?! The dark energon is going to explode, you have to get out of there!!!”

She continued to pound on the barrier like her life depended on it, but to no avail. She knew it was useless to do this, but she couldn't stop herself. The stinging pain in her hooves felt like a dull, distant ache compared to the pain she was feeling in her chest. All she could think about was getting her out of there before it was too late.

“Trixie, please! Don't do this!”

In her heart, Fluttershy already understood what she was witnessing here. She knew that her barrier was the only hope they had of survival, the only thing stopping the spread of dark energon. She simply refused to accept it. All she could do was watch Trixie turn her head towards her, showing off the same arrogant smile she had seen countless times over...as everything inside the barrier vanished a burst of lavender energy, leaving nothing behind but inky darkness and an empty crater.

“...uh...uh...!”

Fluttershy's wings stopped moving, the rest of her body going into emotional shock. Warpath sped down the incline with his hatch still open, catching her before she fell into the lightless waters. Slamming it shut, he spun around and fired one last mortar at the hole where the water was flooding in. There was only one way back to the surface, and it was through the bay itself.

“No...please, no...!”

The only light inside Warpath's compartment came from the floor. A dim, red light, barely illuminating anything. Fluttershy found herself staring at the source as she lay on her side, her breath short and her legs numb. She barely felt the Autobot tossing her around as he dodged incoming debris to ascend to the surface, her mind still firmly locked on what she just witnessed. That Trixie, a hopeless, arrogant braggart, was capable of performing such amazing feats of magic after all. That her prowess was so great, she was capable of teleporting something so enormous away from them. That somepony who acted so self-centered and haughty, would do something so...selfless. No, there was still a chance she was still alive. She could just teleport back to shore, right?

“Agh, finally! We're out!”

Warpath's hatch opened once again, revealing a star-filled night sky. Fluttershy took a deep breath and scrambled out of the hatch, motivated entirely by desperation. She wasted no time jumping on his armored hide and searching the black waters, looking for any sign of her.

“Where is she, where is she!?!”

*KRA-THOOOOM*

An earth-shattering explosion thundered in the distance, nearly one mile away. Even under the blanket of darkness, a bright column of purple water shot into the stratosphere, turning night into day. Warpath grunted as he tried his best to maintain stability on top of the waters. Fluttershy went limp again, feeling sea water fall down on her like rain, the sight of the explosion burned into her mind.

“No...NOO!!! TRIXIIIIIIIE!!!”

----

[Shockwave's Case Files, Entry #: 172]

That old relic was a fool. He had no idea what he had created. The untapped potential, the endless possibilities...wasted on such pointless, illogical sentiment. Rest assured, I will make much better use of your innovation, old friend.

Processing plant 7A has been decommissioned. Any and all pertinent data has been reallocated and the facility scrubbed and demolished. As such, the rrrrrrrrr -

“Ugh, shut UP! I already know that! Just tell me where the scrap you're hiding her!”

[“...mia, Chromia, come in, do you read?! This is Firestar, over!”]

“Ah, what?! What do you think you're doing breaking radio silence?! You've compromised the entire mission!”

[“You're over your mission time limit by like a whole megacycle, it's a little late for that! Besides, we've got bigger problems than – hey!”]

[“Sorry ta cut in toots, but you all gotta hear this! Shockwave's on his way here, an' he's bringin' a whole mess a sentinels with em'! I'm thinkin' the cat's outta the bag, you gotta get back here an' take the old guy someplace safer than here!”]

“Wha – Swoop?! What are you even doing there?!”

[“Savin' yer hide, that's what! Grimlock's already outside bustin' heads, but it's only a matter a time till they start doin' the bustin'! I don' know what's goin' on here, but that loony Con ain't holdin' anything back right now!”]

“Uh...alright. I'm on my way!”

The Search, Chapter 6: Forward

View Online

“Twilight, please, just calm down!”

“No! I don't want to hear it!”

----

- Sweet Apple Acres, After Midnight

Applebloom felt herself being roused from sleep, hearing somepony talking downstairs. Her eyes peeked open ever so slightly, looking at the light coming from beneath the door as she lay on her side.

(“Mm...? Applejack? What're ya doin' up so late?”)

She wiped the sleep and dried tears out of her eyes, inching herself over to the side of her bed. Her stomach rumbled with a mix of hunger and nausea, and her head swam with a dizzying, yet mild ache. The prickly feeling in her legs let her know that she shouldn't have just laid on her bed all day, even if she was still feeling sad.

(“Ugh, I feel so icky...”)

The feeling in her hooves returned as she pushed her door open, though her head still felt quite hazy. The hall light was a little painful to take in, making her squint her eyes while she gingerly trotted down to the top of the staircase.

“...ah'm sorreh ah gotta skip out on mah chores again Big Macintosh. But ah can't leave Twilight and Fluttershy out ta dry like this, not after what happened. You can hold down the fort fer another day, right?”

“Eeyup.”

(“After what happened? What's she mean by that?”) Applebloom made her way down the staircase, setting aside her own feelings for now. She wasn't really ready to talk to anypony right now, but she at least wanted to know what was going on. Applejack nearly tripped over herself galloping over to the foot of the steps when she heard her coming down.

“Applebloom! How're ya feelin' little sis?! Ah've been a might worried about ya...”

She wanted to scoop her up in a hug, but restrained herself. Her mane was all tangled and flattened on one side, there were dark circles under her eyes, and it looked like she was still kind of trembling. The last thing she wanted was to upset her again.

“Um...well...” The smaller filly looked away, her eyes darting about. “U-uh...did you...what happened while you were gone, sis?”

Applebloom looked back at her with genuine concern. Sighing and taking off her hat, she sat on her haunches and said, “...ah really don' wanna tell ya, seein' how yer still, um...gettin' over things. But it ain't in meh ta keep anythin' from anypony, s'pecially mah kin. Somethin'...” Applejack's head lowered as she slowly cringed and looked away, the very thought making her chest hurt. “...somethin' bad happened.”

----

“Rainbow Dash was right about you...you robots all along! I should have known you were all the same! You're all just monsters! MONSTERS!!!”

“Hey! That ain't fair, Twilight! You weren't there!”

----

- Carousel Boutique

*knock, knock*
“Hey, Rarity? You up?”

No response. Putting an ear to the door, Rainbow Dash thought she heard some rustling around inside, but it was otherwise completely silent. Stepping back a bit, she said, “Look, Rarity...I'm sorry. I messed up. I got in over my head, again, and you...we could've died back there. I-I was just angry and...and I guess...I was scared too. It wasn't right for me to put both of us in danger.”

Still nothing. Not even a creaking floorboard.

“A-anyway, I didn't come by for that...I've got some bad news. I just got back from the Ark, and, well...”

Rainbow gulped and looked at the floor, trying to keep her nerves steady. “...it's about Trixie. She didn't come back. I don't know what happened, but - ”

The door unlocked and opened in front of her, much to her surprise. Apparently Rarity was directly behind it the whole time. The mare standing there still looked like a mess, however. Her purple mane was washed clean, but looked untouched. She wasn't wearing any makeup to hide the stress in her complexion, and she had a bathrobe sloppily wrapped around her, like she'd been rolling around with it on. She stared back at Rainbow with her mouth hanging slightly open, confusion evident in her shaky eyes.

“...what do you mean?”

----

“Why can't you understand that casualties in a combat situation are inevitable?! Do you have any idea how many of my comrades I've had to step over just so the rest of us could live?!”

“That's just the point! Equestria is NOT a warzone! YOU all made it this way!”

----

- Canterlot Observatory

“...I feel another ill wind in the air, sister. A cold, foreboding wind...it is not unlike that night over a thousand years ago.”

Luna spoke to her sister while knelt onto her belly, gazing deeply into the starry sky. Celestia stood at the entrance to the balcony, the tone of her voice bringing a frown to her face. She wasn't distressed like she was that fateful night, but her current disposition made her just as worried. It was as if Luna already knew disaster was on the horizon...if it hadn't happened already.

“It has only been the a day. Are you certain that...that...”

Her voice trailed off. She didn't have the heart to finish that statement.

“It is...only a feeling. I cannot help but fear the worst.”

Celestia closed her eyes and sighed through her nose. “I understand...in any case, the Canterlot guard is prepared to mobilize at a moment's notice. I can only pray that I need not give the order...”

----

- The Ark, thirty minutes ago

Poor Pinkie Pie didn't know what to do. From the moment Fluttershy entered the bridge, everything went from joyful smiles to downright gloom. Even in the second before she galloped over and started sobbing into her shoulder, Pinkie saw a horrible, glossy look in her eyes. The same kind you get when you go into shock. Something terrible happened out there, and all she could do was let her cry her eyes out.

“I can't believe I let myself trust any of you! I thought you robots were just like us on the inside, but I couldn't of been more wrong! The only thing you all understand is war and attrition!”

The atmosphere in the room didn't help either. Twilight was furious. Tears streamed down her face just the same, but her eyes were just as full of hate as they were full of sadness. She had been yelling at Ironhide and Prowl ever since they entered the bridge fifteen minutes ago, and whenever Pinkie tried to calm her down, she refused to listen. She was even taking jabs at Perceptor while he worked at his console. Her rage had made her irrational, and Pinkie hardly recognized her right now.

“But worst of all, I can't believe that all of you just started going about your business like nothing happened! Somepony just DIED!!!” Twilight emphasized her point by slamming a hoof on the floor. At this point the other Autobots had fallen silent. “How can you all act like this...?! She's gone! Don't you know what that means?! She's gone and it's all your fault! How DARE you bring your war to us!!!”

She huffed few times while her eyes darted between the three of them, trying to find something else to say. There was a pain in her heart that she had never felt before in her life, and she wanted to get it out. But no matter how much she screamed, nothing helped. It only made her feel worse. With nothing left to say or do, Twilight ran from the room. She didn't know where she was going, but she couldn't let herself be inside the Ark a second longer. Pinkie took a forlorn look at the Autobots before closing her eyes and walking out with Fluttershy, her foreleg draped over her. As her sobs became distant, Ironhide stepped back and sat against the wall with a grunt, looking at the floor.

“...she's right ya know. Bout' us bein' warmongers.”

Prowl crossed his arms and scoffed, “Oh, please! The fact that she's comparing us to the Decepticons is outrageous! Her anger may be justified to some extent, but she had no right to - ”

“Give it a rest, ya gearhead. We deserved every lick a' that.”

His superior gave him a dirty look upon the word 'gearhead', but decided to let it slide after seeing the tired look in his optics.

“It was jus' s'posed ta be recon. Git in, git out. But from the way things went, us jus' bein' here was the problem. Energon ain't s'posed ta be on this planet, and neither are we.”

“You know as well as any of us that we could hardly be blamed for that! No one could have predicted where the space bridge was going to take us!”

“We're still here though. And someone from this world's dead cuz' of it.”

Prowl uncrossed his arms and took a step forward, his fists clenched at his sides. “Oh?! And how many hundreds of thousands of Autobots have died in the line of duty?! How many more were slaughtered when Iacon was laid under siege?! How many escape ships were shot down by Trypticon during the evacuation?! To think that pony could be so selfish, especially after Trixie sacrificed her life to save us!”

“That's jus' the thing, Prowl. You ain't even considerin' the way they see it.” Ironhide looked up from the floor, giving him the most serious look he could make. “I had a lot a' time ta think while we were draggin' the Combaticons on back. Started thinkin' about how normal it felt ta be puttin' a bullet in Onslaught's head. Woulda done it too if Twilight hadn't stopped meh. I mean, what happened to us?”

Prowl crossed his arms again while raising an eyebrow. It was clear he couldn't comprehend what he was saying.

“We ain't s'posed ta be soldiers, Prowl. We're workers an' tech heads. Only reason any of us know how ta fight is cuz' a the war. And I think...I think we lost somethin' somewhere along the way. Somethin' these ponies take fer granted.”

Prowl didn't need to hear any more from him. He knew exactly where this was going. “Tch, I can't believe you're questioning our motives now, of all times. We either fight, or we die. That's how it has been, and that's how it always will be.”

He walked out of the bridge without another word, leaving an uncomfortable silence behind him. Only the clacking of the keyboard in front of Perceptor made any noise, and even then it was starting to slow down. Ironhide's eyes fell to the floor again as he let out an exhausted sigh.

“...ah'm gittin' too old fer this.”

A few moments passed before the clacking stopped altogether. Turning in his seat, Perceptor said, “Forgive me if this is inappropriate, but...despite this tragedy, I cannot help but feel a weight lifted from my spark. With her sacrifice, Trixie managed to accomplish something that the Autobots were unable to do throughout the entirety of the war. As it stands, none of us will have to fight any longer. Our battle is finally over.”

Ironhide didn't know if he was just trying to take his mind off this tragedy, but it didn't help either way. Yes, the war with the Decepticons was over after eons of conflict, but all he could think about was the price that had to be paid.

“It wasn't worth it...”

----

- Golden Oak Library

*knock, knock*

“Sorry, could you come back later?”

*knock, knock, knock*

“Look, this really isn't a good time, alright? Twilight's in a really bad mood, and I don't even know what's going on - ”

*knockknockknockknockknockknock*

Spike thrust the front door open with the intent of shoo'ing away whoever it was, only to find Pinkie Pie standing sideways on her right hooves with the other half of her body in the air. Her eyes were wide and surprised, and she was looking at the door.

“Pinkie?! If it was you, then why didn't you say anything?!”

She leaned further to the right and flopped down onto her back, but for only a split-second. Flailing into a sitting position, she said, “I'm sorry Spike! But I'm sooo discombobulated right now, I-I mean, I had to take poor Fluttershy home but I couldn't stop worrying about what happened to her so I went back to the Ark to find out but then I couldn't stop thinking about what might of happened to Applejack so I rushed over and-and...!”

She was still speaking coherent words, but was making less and less sense the longer she rambled on. Spike continued to listen to her with a confused stare, in spite of not getting any of it. Though he had to stop her once she started making weird gestures and poses along with her explanation. She looked tired enough as it is.

“O-okay, I get it! Calm down for a sec, will ya?!”

“ - and-and I think Trixie's died! It's so horribl-e-e-e-e...!”

The small dragon jerked backward. That's why Twilight galloped up to her room and locked the door without a word. “Oh, man...are you serious...?”

The despondent Pinkie stopped thrashing and plopped down onto her hindquarters, silently nodding with an uncharacteristic frown. Spike felt himself breathe out as he stood there, shocked. They were only gone for a day, how could something like this happen so suddenly? Sure, Trixie was a blowhard and a fraud, but she didn't deserve to die. When was the last time something like this ever happened?

“(gasp) – a-anyway...I came by because...I need to tell Twilight something...”

Coming out of his reverie, Spike saw that Pinkie about to pass out from exhaustion. It looked like she was serious when she said she was running from place to place just to find out what was going on. Gathering himself, he said, “It...it looks like you're pretty tired. Come on inside, you can tell me everything once you're feeling better, okay?”

----

- Ten minutes later

Spike sat on the floor of the library with a blank stare, not really sure what to say. He had just got finished listening to the most fantastical story he had ever heard. Tales of giant ants, evil combining robots, a shark the size of an island that swallows ponies whole, it all seemed more like something he'd hear as a bedtime story than something that happened in a single day. Pinkie was quite the busy little pony in the last few hours to know all of this.

“Well, that's it I think...ohhh, I'm so worried! Everypony was so sad when I came by! Even I'm not sure I can make all my friends smile again...!”

Of course they'd feel down, knowing what all of them went through. Feeling he was being silent for too long, Spike forced out, “U-uh, well, um...you said you needed to tell Twilight something? I don't think she's even awake right now, but I'll be sure to tell her later.”

Springing up in place, Pinke said, “O-oh! That's right! Beachcomber stopped me right before I left the Ark! He said the Autobots were going to hold a funeral!”

Spike raised a cheek as he looked at her. After listening to her story, he was starting to empathize with Twilight. “You sure those guys aren't just trying to save face? I don't really know if I should trust them right now after what you told me.”

“Well, it's not just for Trixie...” Pinkie sat down again and looked at the floor. “...it's for their leader, too. Since all three of those areas didn't turn up anything, that means...”

“Oh. Yeah...” He slowly turned away, regretting what he said. “I'll be sure to tell Twilight. You wanna stay here for the night, Pinkie? All that running around must've made you - ”

*thump*

Looking back, he saw that Pinkie had fallen over onto her side and passed out. Spike made a wry smile as he grabbed a blanket from another room to cover her up, idly wondering how she managed to stay awake this long, especially after galloping from place to place. Yawning, he started to wonder the same about himself.

(“I really hope everypony starts feeling better soon...especially you, Twilight.”)

Upstairs, a very awake Twilight Sparkle hugged a pillow to herself while she lay on her side, staring at the twinkling night sky. She said some awful things back there, things that she never thought she'd hear herself say out loud. Thinking back, she wasn't sure how much of it she meant and how much of it was just a burst of emotion.

("Somepony died...somepony I knew. I...I talked to her just this morning. I can't believe she's just gone...")

Rolling onto her back, Twilight was reminded of how most ponies react to death. Specifically, the stages of grief they go through. She'd read about it a long time ago, but didn't pay any mind to it since it didn't affect her at the time. She sighed through her nose, a sense of irony pressing against her like that ceiling of sandstone. For the first thirty minutes during her tirade aboard the Ark, she demanded that they go back and comb the area. She desperately held onto the belief that Trixie could have teleported away from the explosion, that she was injured and alone out there and that she needed help. She refused to believe that she was just gone, even when the evidence was right in front of her eyes.

Prowl directly showed his data tracks of the incident for everyone to see. His scanners didn't detect a single shred of sentient life for miles. Nothing was at the coast of Horseshoe Bay, and nothing was in its waters. Even the megalodon had somehow gone missing. She distinctly remembered staring at the numbers for what felt like a lifetime. She remembered going over them again and again, looking for anything out of place, any sort of mistake she could use as leverage to prove them wrong. And that was when her head went into a red, fiery haze.

("Denial and anger are the first two stages respectively, and I followed them to the letter...just like one of my checklists...”)

Twilight felt her eyes drooping against her will. Her legs felt like putty and her head still ached from using so much magic. Even with all the grief going though her mind, her body was protesting how tired it was. She closed her eyes, finally ready to go to sleep.

(“I don't think I could ever trust them again. But...I should at least pay my respects. For Trixie, and for Optimus Prime...”)

Forward, pt 2

View Online

- Coast of Horseshoe Bay, Dusk
One Week Later

The walk to the plateau was uneventful, yet still tiring. The train station was about twenty miles from where they needed to be, and despite Spike's protests, she declined taking a ride with an Autobot. The last thing she wanted was to spend any amount of time alone with one, no matter who it may have been. Looking forward, she saw the rest of her friends standing closely together. Applejack looked the same as always, albeit with a look concern on her face as she approached. Rarity wore a traditional black funeral dress, complete with black lace trim around the hips and hems, a black corsage, and a misty, black veil. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash stood shoulder to shoulder with Fluttershy, with one of Rainbow's wings draped over her. The yellow pegasus wasn't sobbing her eyes out anymore, but it was clear she was still depressed.

“Looks like everypony's here already. You doing okay Twilight?”

She simply nodded as she walked, lowering her head to watch the blades of grass go by at her hooves. Spike rode on her back, frowning once again as he saw the ever-present look of emptiness on her face. A week had already passed, and yet the days flew by like mere seconds on a clock. Before they knew it, the day the Autobots had scheduled for the funeral had come.

“Heya Twilight. Glad ta finally see ya outta a' that dusty, ol' library.”

She raised her head to greet her friends, but had a hard time trying to find something to say. Her mouth hung open slightly and her eyes were half-lidded.

“You doin' okay, sugarcube? You don't look so good.”

Her eyes darted between each of them before she closed her mouth and jerked her head away. “I'm...I'm fine. I've just been feeling tired lately, that's all.”

Everypony watched her saunter away as Spike looked back at them with a worried look. He wanted to talk with them all about how she's been doing, but couldn't bring himself to leave her side, especially since this was the first time in a week that's she had left the library. Rarity slowly cringed, the pain in her friend's eyes rattling her. “My goodness...she's taking this much harder than any of us, it seems...”

Applejack glanced at her for a moment before looking back at Twilight, sighing. “Well...ah think we can all say that Trixie wasn't exactly a ray a' sunshine, what with her trussin' meh up like a turkey. All the mare seemed to care about was bein' top dog in Ponyville, so...it's kinda hard to believe she saved Fluttershy and them Autobots by doin' what she did. Guess we didn't really know her at all, huh...?”

Rarity nodded to herself, replying with a soft voice, “I heard they were going to have a duel when they returned. Something friendly and innocent to help bury the hatchet. Perhaps the reason why Twilight is so out of sorts is because she was looking forward to seeing Trixie's good side for once...”

A gloomy and uncomfortable silence fell between them. Yes, they were here to honor their lost comrade, but at the same time they didn't want to be reminded of the details. Feeling like it went on long enough, Rainbow eventually said, “W-well...c'mon guys. We can't leave Twilight alone like this. Let's get going.”

----

“Alright...ah ain't good with words, so ah'm gonna keep this short...”

Ironhide was the first to give a eulogy, standing in front a battalion Autobots. Twilight stood a good distance to their left of the group, flabbergasted at the sheer amount of soldiers standing at attention. If she had to guess, every single Autobot that was aboard the Ark was now here.

“(sigh)...me an' Optimus go way back. Even before the war started, we'd always try and find some time now an' then just ta talk. He always had mah back, and ah always had his. So, well...ta think that he didn't even make it ta this planet just tears meh up. Ah always thought that his ideals and integrity would be all that he needed to keep movin'. Ta keep us movin'. Now it looks like we'll hafta do it ourselves...” Ironhide took a moment for himself, his optics downcast. The rest of the battalion remained at attention, with their legs apart and their arms behind their backs. Twilight thought she saw one of them flinch when he stopped, but didn't pay any mind to it.

“Well, ah ain't givin' up. Our leader might be gone, but that doesn't mean we can't keep on livin'. So...ah'm gonna keep movin' forward no matter what.”

He then stepped away from the front, joining a white Autobot on the left. Twilight assumed this was Jazz, considering his position in the group. As the next Autobot stepped forward, she began to wonder why they needed to continue acting like a military unit. Since they no longer needed to fight, what was the point? Couldn't they just carry on like they normally would? Or, was this how they normally were? Before she could ponder it any further, Twilight glared at the next Autobot stepping forward, reinforcing the thought of them being nothing but heartless soldiers. It was Prowl.

“Today...we mourn the loss of a hero. An individual who gave us back our future, by paying the ultimate price. To allow our generation to continue living on...to continue to learn and create, to love and hate. Though our time together was brief and strained, the Autobots will not forget your noble sacrifice.”

Twilight scoffed, visibly sputtering at the sound of his voice. (“I can't believe him...why don't just erect a statue in his honor while you're at it?”)

“...Trixie Lulumoon, the Autobots will remember.”

As he finished, the Autobots said in unison, “We will remember.”

(“...what?”) Twilight raised her head, looking at Prowl with wide eyes. (“He's talking about Trixie?”)

“I will be honest...at first, I thought her to be nothing more than a nuisance. And as we entered the megalodon's belly, a dangerous liability. Logically speaking, perhaps I was correct. But even I cannot ignore the kind of bravery and valor she displayed. The ability to put yourself above others for the sake of their survival, even at the greatest of costs...it is the same quality that all of us had displayed over the course of this long, brutal war. Had I known she was capable of such selflessness, I would not have demeaned her as such...for that, I am sorry. Truly, truly sorry...”

Twilight rubbed the back of her foreleg with her hoof and looked away. She was beginning to feel guilty for the things she said.

“...so for Optimus Prime, and for Trixie Lulumoon, we salute you. Till' all are one.”

Once again, they say in unison, “Till' all are one.”

Raising a hand, Jazz announced, “Receive arms!”

Off to the right, two rows of Autobots produce a small firearm, all of which were attached to their right hands. They raised and pointed them out to sea, acting at once like a well-oiled machine.

“Order arms!”

At his command, they fire their guns off into the distance, leaving a blazing, white trail through the marmalade sky. A gentle breeze blew the smoke from their weapons away before Jazz repeated his order. Again and again they continued to fire at nothing while standing perfectly still, the recoil from their guns the only movement they showed. Twilight stood there transfixed, unable to look away. The thought of them having such a practice surprised her more than it should have.

“...it seems they are not as different from us than we first realized after all, Twilight Sparkle.”

She jumped, hearing a familiar voice behind her. Spinning around, she was greeted by Princess Celestia's warm smile.

“Wha – Princess? When did you get get here?”

Closing her eyes and smirking, she said, “Twilight, I've been here the whole time. I wanted to know how you've been doing after your ordeal, but I did not want to upset you any further. Your friends seemed to share my sentiments as well.”

Her eyes met with her friends', every single one of them looking at her with worried concern. Even Fluttershy's attention was completely focused on her, despite everything that had happened. Lowering her head, she said, “I'm...sorry for worrying you all, it's just...I don't know what to think right now.”

Walking next to her, Celestia continued, “Twilight, do you understand the meaning behind what they're doing?”

She turned back around to watch once again, clearing her throat a bit to focus herself. “Of course. Here in Equestria it's called a twenty-one gun salute. They're normally done for military processions and funerals.”

“Of course. But do you remember the origination of this ceremony?”

Twilight could feel her eyes on her, but continued to look forward. She knew the answer, but didn't want to say it.

“In olden days, it was to show the enemy that their munitions were empty, so that neither side was capable of firing back. If I'm not mistaken, this is the Autobot's way of saying that their war is truly over. That they no longer have to risk their lives in the line of duty.”

She bit her lip and lowered her gaze, knowing that it was time to answer for what she did.

“Twilight, I've known you for several years now. I know you understand how much they've lost. Can you truly justify hating them because of Trixie's sacrifice?”

Her eyes scrunched shut, a single tear cascading down her cheek. Princess Celestia had never been more right to say this, and her head agreed with her one hundred percent. But the pain in her heart was too much to bear. It was filled with nothing but anger and sadness. All she could think about was how unfair it was to have somepony taken from her so suddenly. She had never needed to deal with such a tragic loss before in her life, and she wasn't acting like herself because of it.

“No...I shouldn't hate them...b-but...”

Twilight felt somepony nuzzling up against her. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see Fluttershy standing next to her. Looking at her straight in the eye, she said, “Twilight, please don't hate them. I know how much it hurts to lose someone you care about so dearly, but it wasn't their fault.”

Behind her, Rainbow chimed in, “Yeah! It was the creep, Megatron's fault! Him and his dark energon are the reason why...uh...” She stopped herself by biting her tongue, realizing there wasn't any tactful way of finishing that statement.

“Twilight, what we mean to say is that...” Rarity stepped forward, swallowing to fix her dry throat. “...we're afraid that you'll lose yourself. That we'll lose you. I don't want Trixie's death to be the reason we stop being friends...especially after what she did for us...”

Twilight sighed softly, her breath feeling like a hundred suns. “I know...I know that. And I'm so sorry for causing you all so much trouble.”

Spike jumped down from her back, suddenly getting all bright-eyed. “C'mon, cheer up Twilight! Because of what Trixie did, none of those guys will have to fight anymore! Megatron's gone for good, and the rest of the Decepticons are behind bars! If anything, we should be happy for them!”

“Yeah! And you know what THAT calls for!” Pinkie bounced into the air with a burst of confetti and the biggest smile, “Aaaaa VICTORY party!”

Everypony around smiled with her, though Twilight only managed half of one. “Thanks Pinkie, but...I just need some more time to sort things out, okay? I promise I'll be fine.”

The pink pony stopped in mid-air and dropped like a rock as Twilight trotted off. Spike gave everypony else a quick look before running after her and hopping up onto her back again. Flopping onto her belly with her legs splayed outward, Pinkie made a grumpy face. “Ohh, darn it! I thought we had her!”

A soft, discontented sigh could be heard behind them all as Celestia said, “As much as I'm worried about her myself, all we can do now is give her time...and hope for the best.”

----

- The Ark's Bridge, Noon
The next day

(“This isn't right. We're missing something. I have to know what.”)

Teletraan-1 had been debugged megacycles ago, but something compelled Perceptor to stay. There were unanswered questions that had been plaguing his logic center, preventing him from focusing on anything else. What was Soundwave doing so far up north? According to Jazz and Cliffjumper's report, he was seen attempting to establish a communications link. At first he thought he was trying to discern whether or not there were other Decepticons within the vicinity, but the coordinates he chose didn't add up. The atmospheric conditions of the area as well as the natural layout of the terrain would make it difficult to establish any sort of communication, much less maintain it. Was he simply acting out of desperation, or was there something else at work here?

“Hey professor, you want me to weld your behind to that chair while I'm at it? Wouldn't want ya to slip off.”

Jumping a bit, Perceptor turned in his seat to see Jazz standing there with a hot welder in his hand. Apparently he was fixing up a console on the other end of the bridge. “Oh dear, I must have been a little too absorbed in my work again...did you need something?”

Jazz made a wry smirk and set down his tool. “'Absorbed' ain't the same as not bein' able to notice the other Autobot stompin' around you for the past cycle. And man, I can hear you clacking away at that computer from deck five, what gives? You still worried about Soundwave?”

Perceptor groaned softly before turning back to the screen, typing faster than any normal eye could perceive. “There are too many contradictions and variables. I can't rest until I've uncovered exactly what he was up to.”

“Not sure how combin' over a bunch of data is gonna help.”

“(sigh), I'm assessing any and all geological abnormalities in the northern hemisphere, though all I've manged to find is a low-level electromagnetic disturbance, most likely due to a number of metal ores I've detected within his last known coordinates. That and...ugh.” He paused to groan at the screen before hammering in a specific series of keys. Judging from his speed and efficiency of hitting them, he'd been doing this same act for quite some time. “...this planet's latent...'magic'...seems to be interfering with my instruments. I've had to debug the same lines of code again and again.”

“...you sure Teletraan-1 isn't the only thing that needs debuggin' right now? I'm pretty sure I saw smoke coming from your fingers.”

“Jazz, forgive my discourtesy, but I am not in a jovial mood at the moment.”

“Look, all I'm sayin' is that maybe you're lookin' too hard into this. I'll admit this situation with Soundwave ain't sittin' well with me either, but right now all I'm tryin' to focus on is fixin' up this hunk a' junk so we can get offa this planet. Can't exactly argue that we've overstayed our welcome.”

Perceptor stopped typing and slowly looked off to the side, giving his words some consideration. “Perhaps you're right...redoubling our efforts to amass energon should be our top priority. In any case...Jazz, were you able to successfully interrogate Soundwave?”

He placed a fist on his hip and shook his head, “Think he left his voice chip under that avalanche. Scumbag hasn't said a word since we dug him out, and his pets aren't any help either. Really hope Sunstreaker doesn't get stuck with guard duty, way those two are talkin'...”

*kzzt*
[“Hey Jazz, you there?”]

The voice coming through the comm-link belonged to Brawn. Tapping the side of his head, he responded, “Yeah, what's up muscles?”

[“We've got company. One of those Princesses showed up again, the blue one. I tried to tell her this wasn't a good time, but she just ignored me and flew off into the Ark. You mind telling her to get outta here for me? I've got my hands full moving these rocks around.”]

“Uhh, sure thing...” Taking his finger away from his temple, he said, “Gotta go for now. Aaand...since it doesn't look like you're ready to move from that spot any time soon, make sure you keep me in the loop, alright? Hope you don't find any bad news, professor.”

Perceptor watched the door close behind him before going back to his work, typing away furiously and analyzing the endless stream of diagnostic data. He knew there were other pressing matters to attend to, but until every single variable and possibility had been analyzed and exhausted, he wouldn't be able to rest.

----

- The Ark, Aerialbot Deployment Hanger

Though he had logged the concept of 'friendship' as an objective, Omega Supreme hadn't made any progress in the past week. It was made even more difficult due to Pinkie Pie's erratic behavior. He had requested guidance in the matter, but recently her actions were even harder to comprehend, most notably right now. For the past few cycles she was forcing herself into awkward poses for no apparent reason. As she made yet another failed attempt to flip herself upside down, he finally decided to question her.

“ACTIONS: INCOMPREHENSIBLE. REQUEST: EXPLANATION.”

She dusted her mane off before planting her forelegs on the floor, determined to stand on her head. “Oof – don'cha know?! EVERYpony knows you think twice as better when you're upside down! Maybe even two and a HALF times better! Because right now I really, reaaally need to – wuh, WAH!”

Although she was being as persistent as ever, her anatomy didn't agree with her. Pinkie wobbled around like a falling redwood and fell onto her back for the umpteenth time. She grimaced as she lay there, but more out of worry than physical pain.

“...figure out how to help Twilight. Ohh, I was doing so good helping everypony else out the past week, but Twilight won't even come out of her house! What if she never comes out?! What if – (GASP!)” She rolled onto her belly, “What if she stays in there for so long that she forgets that she ever had friends?!” She rolled onto her back again, “What if she starts dreaming up new friends, like imaginary friends but not real?! And then when we finally bust down the door to try and talk with her we can't because she's too busy having a tea party on the ceiling and - omf!”

Pinkie continued rolling away and coming up with ridiculous ideas before eventually running into something, coming to a stop on her back. Looking up, she discovered Princess Luna standing there with a bewildered expression. “Oh, hi there Princess! Didja come here to think about something important too? Maybe we could help each other stand on our heads!”

The night blue alicorn heard her, but couldn't respond. Her mouth hung open, her wings were unfolded, and her eyes couldn't leave the colossal Cybertronian sitting against the wall. As he stared back with his deep, crimson eyes, she felt something from him.

(“What is this sensation...? I have no reason to mistrust the Autobots, and yet I feel something...dreadful from him. Something suffocating, bleak...something familiar. It is just like that time with Beachcomber.”)

Luna flapped her wings and took off, leaving a somewhat confused Pinkie Pie on the floor. She flew up to eye level with him, steeling her nerves for what may come.

“I am Princess Luna, of Equestria. Please, tell me who you are.”

Looking her square in the eye, he responded, “IDENTITY: OMEGA SUPREME. DESIGNATION: GUARDIAN.”

That was enough to clear any doubts she had of him. “...Omega. I came to the Ark for knowledge. I wish to know the reason why there are memories I cannot recall, and now I am certain this place has the answers I seek. When I laid eyes upon you, I had sensed something...sinister from you, despite your allegiance. It is something I had most assuredly felt countless moons before, but only now am I remembering it. Please, can you tell me why?”

His expression remained as neutral as ever. “DATA: INSUFFICIENT. QUERY: INCOMPREHENSIBLE.”

Luna grit her teeth for a moment before shouting, “Please, you must know!”

The pink pony below rolled over and sprung up into a sitting position, looking back and forth between the two of them with scrunched eyebrows.

(“Something sinister? What's she talking about?”)

Galloping under where Luna was floating, Pinkie called out, “Uhmm, Princess Lun~aaa! I know he's bigger than three of my houses, but Omega isn't a bad guy at aa~all! So you shouldn't have to worry about anythiiing! Unless you count the dark energon in his che~est!”

“Dark energon?” She flew back a bit to get a better look, instantly seeing the black crystals sticking out of his chestplate. A chill ran down her spine, and her skin felt prickly all over at the mere sight of them. This was most assuredly the source of the negative feelings she had sensed.

(“This pain in my heart...it is not something I know. But this...dark energon...”)

Her head began to throb and her stomach lurched. For every second longer she gazed at these crystals, the worse she felt. But she couldn't bring herself to look away. Beneath all the pain these horrid things were causing, there was a faint feeling of familiarity. She had seen them before, someplace deep within her memories. Floating down, Luna approached the dark energon fragments, inching closer to them at a snail's pace. Her breath became shallow as she extended one of her forelegs out.

“AH – hey! Princess Luna, don't! Those things are super dangerous!”

Pinkie Pie's panic was rightfully justified, but she couldn't stop herself. The moment her hoof made contact with one of the crystals, she jerked it away like she had touched an open flame. She flew backwards at least five meters and cradled her foreleg with the other, looking at it with frantic eyes.

(“Of course! It was in that place that I...!”)

Pinkie drew a breath to ask what was going on, only watch Luna fly out of the doorway again at top speed. She stared at the empty space above her for a second before closing her mouth and plopping down onto her haunches again.

(“Whu...what was that all about?”)

She frowned and raised an eyebrow while looking at the floor. The look in the Princess's eyes didn't sit well with her. Something grave was upsetting her, and it definitely wasn't about Twilight or Trixie.

“LUNA'S DESIGNATION: POLITCAL FIGURE. REQUEST: EXPLANATION.”

Pinkie snapped her head up and looked up at Omega, raising her eyebrow even higher. “Huh? Whaddya mean 'explanation'? Are you asking why she's Princess? Well, Luna's responsible for raising and lowering the moon at night! That's a BIIIG responsibility for such a little pony! Well, little compared to the moon, anyway! That and - ”

Omega cut her off, saying, “POWER OUTPUT: MARGINAL. OFFENSIVE CAPABILITIES: NEGLIGIBLE. DEFENSIVE CAPABILITIES: NEGLIGIBLE. CURRENT RANK: ILLOGICAL.”

For the first time in a long time, Pinkie stopped talking to balk at his reasoning. She creased her brow and scrunched her lips, making a huffy face. “Heeey! Wait just one pony-picking second! Just because Princess Luna doesn't have giant laser cannons and homing rockets and attack drones and a tractor beam DOESN'T means she doesn't deserve to be Princess! Well...she WAS banished inside the moon for a thousand years for being Nightmare Moon, b-but that's not important! She's sorry for being a big meanie, and we all forgave her!”

“LOGIC: INCOMPREHENSIBLE. DATA: EVIDENT. REQUEST: EXPLANATION.”

“Omega...” Pinkie's expression softened, realizing that he was acting this way because of his lack of social interaction. “Princess Luna isn't Princess because she's strong. She's Princess because we all look up to her. Yeah, she isn't perfect, but that just means she's like everypony else. She does her best for us, and that's what's important! It doesn't matter if you're strong or not, cause' ya don't need a reason to be there for your friends!”

Omega simply stared back at her without saying a word, while Pinkie frowned again. She'd eventually learned that this was his way of telling her that it wasn't possible for him to understand what she was saying, no matter how much she explained. He normally did this when she went off tangent, talking about random things like cake and ice cream, but it stung to know how little he knew about just having a heart. Sighing a bit, Pinkie said, “It's okay. I guess you don't get it now, but I'm sure you will someday!”

----

“Hey! Watch it ya blue sparkball!”

Brawn nearly dropped the boulder he was carrying on his shoulder as Luna cut him off, flying out of the cavern like her life depended on it. Throwing it into a pile of rocks on the left side of the gate, he stepped outside just to glare at her as she flew southward.

“The scrap's her problem?! Tch, these ponies shouldn't just be coming and going like they own the – what the?”

He tapped his temple, bringing up a simple diagnostic scan. It wasn't as sophisticated as some of the other Autobots, but it told him enough.

“What's that pony doin' giving off a dark energon signature?!”

A little distance behind him, another red Autobot chimed in, “Hey, what's the matter musclehead? That shot to the shoulder too much for ya? Need Ratchet to look at it again, huh?”

Brawn scoffed, turning around and retorting, “Ah, can it Sideswipe, I...actually, yeah! Think my shoulder's on the fritz! Matter of fact, I'm gonna take a quick ride to get the kinks out, you handle clearin' the rest of these rocks out, alright?”

“Wai - what?! Get back here ya scrawny...!”

Brawn had already transformed and sped away before he could finish complaining. He wasn't exactly sorry for leaving him to clean up the rest of the fallen gate, considering something else was troubling him. He needed to know why Princess Luna was reading just like a faint piece of dark energon.

----

- Badlands, Site of the Nemesis
Midday

“(sigh)...perhaps there was no reason to come here after all.”

It was just as she left it. The scorched, red earth. The looming, barren mesas. The faint stench of sulfur. The dark skies filled with clouds that never lifted. The decaying wasteland devoid of life. And the one thing preventing the resurgence of war and death - the gate sealing away the Nemesis, still in pristine condition. Princess Luna stepped over to it, brushing off some of the age old dust that had accumulated on its runes.

“I know now why my memories were lost so easily. The resolve in my heart was weak...looking back, it is as if it were another life of mine. And now it is too late. Even with all of my power, there is nothing I can do...”

Unlike the Ark, the Nemesis had crashed directly onto the land, making it difficult to properly construct the gate. Luna remembered that in order to seal this behemoth away, she and her royal guard were forced to sink it into the earth itself with their magic. Construction on the gate lasted for weeks, pushing them all to their limits. She could still feel the weight of the stone and metal pulling at her back as she helped air-lift the raw materials needed to their destination. She remembered how disoriented she felt crafting each and every sealing rune one after another, never resting for one moment.

“In the end, I marveled at how I had a hoof in creating this. A supreme gate laid flat onto the earth, sealing away Equestria's most dangerous threat. All of ponykind's strength and ingenuity, brought together for one common purpose. But when the time came to close it, you...”

Luna closed her eyes as a silent tear fell from her face. Her memories had returned, but all it had brought her was more grief. She hadn't shown it, but she was indeed hurt by the loss of Trixie and Twilight Sparkle's subsequent withdrawal into her library. Even with this new found knowledge, it wouldn't change anything.

----

Brawn kicked his nitro into gear, feeling his axles glowing red from heat. The ground underneath his tires was getting soft, forcing him to accelerate even more to compensate.

“Guh, how'd I lose her so fast?! Scrap...if Jazz ever found out I couldn't keep up with a pony, I'd never hear the end of it!”

[“Kzzt – Brawn, do you copy?! This is Perceptor, respond! Are you still outside the Ark?!”]

He winced internally at the sound of his voice. “Uh, hey Perceptor! Look, I didn't mean to ditch Sideswipe like that, but I can explain - ”

[“What?! Ugh...never mind that! You need to get back to your post immediately! Soundwave has deceived us, he's – FSSSHH.”]

“Wait, what was that about Soundwave?! Perceptor, you there?!”

Brawn transformed back to robot mode and skidded to a stop, slamming his fingers against his temple. He waited a few minutes, but the only thing coming back through the comm-link was static.

“Not good...guy said something about Soundwave, so it can't be good. I gotta...wha?”

Coincidentally, Brawn had managed to catch up with Luna at the site of the Nemesis' gate, but that wasn't where his attention was focused. There was a Cybertronian standing a little ways away from her. Someone he thought he'd never see again.

“By Primus, it can't be!!!”

----

There was nothing left she could do here. Feeling like she'd felt sorry for herself long enough, Luna unfolded her wings to depart.

“Princess, LOOK OUT!!!”

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of a voice screaming at her. Looking to her right, she saw the one called Brawn charging at her at full speed. Before she had any time to react, he scooped her up in his arms at the same time the sound of a cannon fired off closely behind her. He only manged to get a few meters away before a purple sphere of energy collided with the space where she was standing, the resulting blast sending the both of them flying. Brawn spun around the best he could and fell on his shoulder, skidding on the ground for at least ten yards and kicking up a cloud of dirt. Luna coughed a little from the smoke filling her lungs and quickly pried herself free of his grasp, intent on retaliating against whoever shot at them. Though when she got a good look at her attacker, she froze.

“Tch. Pathetic Autobot.”

She had only seen his visage as a hologram. She had no idea how terrifying he was in real life. The Cybertronian lowered his right arm, revealing the glowing Decepticon insignia on his chest. Looking at him now, it was the same as viewing the dark energon in Omega's chestplate, only magnified ten fold. Luna saw Brawn stand up in the corner of her eye, clenching his fists so hard that they started to shake.

“How's this possible...HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE!?!”

The dust had cleared. A small trail of smoke blew away from his fusion cannon, and an evil smile crept across his lips. Ignoring Brawn and looking straight at Luna, he announced to her in an demeaning voice, “Forgive me, your highness. We had not been properly introduced. I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons! And I have come to claim what is rightfully mine!”

----

- Sea of Rust, Cybertron
Five Megacycles Ago

[Shockwave's Case Files, Entry #: 181]

Final entry. The plan has reached its final phase. Space bridge functionality has been restored, and retrieval of the artifact is mirocycles away. Soon, the glory of the Decepticons will finally be restored.

“Sir, the target is beyond this door.”

“Indeed it is.” Shockwave raised his left arm and blasted a hole in the door, sending decayed shrapnel everywhere and leaving the edges hot and melted. Stepping inside, he saw his objective sitting in a chair in the middle of the room. The Autobot had a large blue crest on his forehead, arching upward like a beetle's pincers. Interestingly enough, he had a white beard, with two pointed parts extending down from his mustache, and a third from his chin. Even in the darkness, his blue eyes shone with calm wisdom.

“Alpha Trion. You must know why I am here.”

The Autobot across from him sighed, as if he were releasing a lifetime's worth of grief. “...I had such high hopes for you. I had only watched you from afar, but that brilliant mind shone brighter than any star I had seen in this long life of mine. If only you had not rejected your heart...”

“Spare me. Emotions are petty, meaningless. They only acts as an encumbrance to scientific progress. But that is beside the point. You have something in your possession that I had been seeking for quite some time.”

Alpha Trion raised his head, “Where is Elita-1?”

“Do not stall for time, relic. Give me the key to Vector Sigma.”

He simply sat there, staring Shockwave down with pained optics. After a moment's silence, the Decepticon pointed his left arm at the old Autobot.

“I am not beneath disassembling your exostructure to find it.”

Sighing once again, he tapped a few keys in his left forearm as a flat, rectangular piece of metal extended from it. It was yellow in color, and had very complex and intricate circuitry adorned on its face. Pulling it out of his arm, he held it in front of Shockwave.

“It is as you say...I am but a relic of the past. Therefore, I have no means of resisting you. But at the very least, please tell me what you've done with her...”

The Decepticon snatched the device from his hand, saying, “I haven't the slightest idea. It is entirely possible that she is still being held within one of my research facilities after I had extracted all relevant data from her. Keeping track of something so inconsequential is inefficient. On that subject...”

Shockwave pointed his arm at him once again as a purple glow emanated from within. “You are no longer relevant.”

The Search, Chapter 7: Destroyer

View Online

Luna felt like there was ice in her veins. Her legs refused to move and all she could hear was the metallic thump of his steps over her labored breathing. This was the being that every Autobot hated and feared, the monster responsible for inciting a civil war that claimed the lives of countless innocents.

(“Trixie failed...! Her sacrifice was for naught, he still lives!”)

In her attempt to stabilize her breathing and calm her nerves, she soon realized it was worse than she thought. Megatron hadn't simply come back from the brink of death – he showed no signs of injury or damage. No, there wasn't even a scratch on him. It was as if the wounds he sustained inside of the megalodon didn't even exist. How was any of this possible?

*KHA-THOOM*

The shock of another fusion cannon shot brought Luna's mind back to the battle, forcing her to raise a magical barrier around herself and Brawn, hoping against hope that it would hold as she watched it approach. The shot collided with her shield and exploded with a deafening bang, the feedback causing her to scream and drop to a knee. It was as if someone had smacked her in the back of the head with a lead pipe.

“Luna, get outta here! You're the one he's after!”

Peeking an eye open while gritting her teeth, she saw Brawn looking down at her with desperate optics. She tried to stand once again, but was quickly brought back down by two more shots hitting her barrier, burying her face in the dirt.

“ARRRGGGHHH! No! I will not...leave you to your death!”

Turning back to face Megatron, Brawn retorted, “Will you just shut up and get out of here?! If he gets to you, he'll reactivate all the Cons inside the Nemesis! That maniac'll start the war all over again!”

“B-but...!”

Her barrier flickered and faded away as one more shot exploded against it, causing Luna to completely collapse from the pain, falling sideways to her left. Her ears folded over from a ringing sensation, her brain pulsed with agony, and her horn sparked with blue electricity. Brawn, however, took this as an opportunity to attack, running towards him at full speed. He knew Megatron's clip had to be empty now, so this was the only moment he would have to strike. Balling his right fist, he took a swing at his fusion cannon, putting his whole body into the punch. There was no way he was confident enough to try and take him down with brute force, so disarming him was his next best option.

“Bah, insect!”

It was a fool's errand. Megatron simply stepped backward on his right foot, and with a lazy gesture, rammed the barrel of his cannon into Brawn's midsection. Even with her ears folded over, Luna could hear the sickening crunch of metal as he was sent flying over two yards away. Her vision was blurry as she laid there, but she could most definitely make out that horrible monstrosity picking up her only ally by the head, his limbs going completely limp.

“What did you expect to accomplish on your own?! Even after 988 decacycles, you Autobots still refuse to die! I grow weary of snuffing out your sparks!” Megatron's grip on Brawn's head tightened, hairline cracks appearing in the sides of his cranium. The damage brought his senses back online, causing him to claw uselessly at his captor's arm. When he realized there was no way to escape his grasp, he slammed a key on his chestplate with his palm, causing it to blink red at an even tempo.

“Gh...you might...take me out...but the rest of the Autobot's are...gonna know I'm here!” Even with his voice blocked and his exostructure damaged severely, his tone hadn't lost any bravado. Though it only earned a hearty laugh from Megatron.

“Heh ha ha HAAA! On the contrary, you feeble-minded Autobot! I am counting it!”

----

- The Ark, Bridge
Fifteen Minutes Ago

“Wait...cross-reference the electromagnetic disturbance at point D-008 with the last two recorded coordinates!”

The monitor in front of Perceptor zoomed out, displaying a rough world map of Equestria overlaid with a grid. The northern part of the map was littered with a green, digital haze, representing the disturbance. After a few microcycles of processing, a red line traveled between the desert, the bay, and the northern mountains, the display turning a yellowish red color inside of the drawn triangle. He slammed his hands onto the console and finally stood up from his chair, staring at the readings onscreen.

“Impossible! It's a tachyon array! Soundwave wasn't trying to contact Megatron at all, he's been in contact with Cybertron all this time!”

Perceptor knocked the chair out of his way and ran to the rear of the room, slamming his palm onto a button on the wall. Not caring that he nearly broke it, he yelled into the receiver, “Attention Autobots, this is a priority alert!”

----

- The Ark, Brig

*bang*

Gears smacked the barrel of his path blaster against the wall next to Soundwave's cell, sneering at him on the other side of the energon screen. He'd been doing this every so often to try and get a rise out of him, but there hadn't been a single time the Decepticon reacted to anything he did. He just sat there against the wall, unmoving, his arms and legs bound by manacles. Gears scoffed and walked back to the entrance with a lazy stride. It didn't make any sense to him as to how he could be so still for so long, and it was starting to creep him out.

“You wouldn't be so tough if ya weren't on the otha' side a that cell! Why don't ya come back here and open this thing up so I can open YOU up?! Huh?!”

Down the hall, Rumble flailed against his bonds and started pounding on the screen again, his blows only succeeding in causing small, electrical flashes. Gears lowered his head and brought his hand to his face, the door sliding closed behind him.

“Would you stop making a fool of yourself already? You're starting to act like my idiot partner.” In a cell across from him, Thundercracker stood against the wall watching the miniature Decepticon throw yet another tantrum.

“Yeah! You're crackin' my auditory sensors with all that – HEY! You insultin' me again?!” Skywarp yelled at the wall dividing their cells, causing the wall to rattle. “If I didn't have these things on my arms, I'd...!”

“...you'd what? You're disarmed and helpless. Even if we weren't in these cells, I'd still end up pulling your transistors out through your optics.”

“Say that again ya gearhead! When I get outta here, I'm gonna...!”

The noise of the door opening again followed by Gears' harried footsteps cut him off. He still had his path blaster drawn on his right hand and had a furious expression on his face as he came to a stop in front of Soundwave's cell again, pressing the barrel of the gun against the barrier.

“What's goin' on here?! Perceptor just said you've been talking to someone on Cybertron! Spill it, Decepti-creep!”

For the first time since he was imprisoned, Soundwave raised his head and stared down the Autobot in front of him, though he still remained silent. It only took a few moments of inaction before Gears decided he'd seen enough, clicking the chamber of his weapon and punching a key on the wall, taking down the barrier to the cell.

“Forget what Ironhide said! I should've done this megacycles ago!”

The second it was down, Soundwave's faceplate finally moved to speak, “Laserbeak. Ravage. Initiate phase three.”

From somewhere in the ceiling behind him, a thin, red laser beam shot down and pierced the barrel of Gears' weapon, rendering it useless. He only had enough time to become aware of what happened before a massive gash suddenly clawed its way across his torso, bringing him down to a knee. Clutching his wound, he tried to swing blindly at whatever whatever was attacking him, only eliciting a mocking, metallic growl from around him. Another slash across his neck took him down, turning his head sideways and spilling a few drops of energon onto the floor. The other prisoners shared a confused look as a small, long-beaked Decepticon bird flew into Soundwave's cell and perched onto his shoulder.

“WrrrRRRRrrr.”

The bird reeled its head back a bit and fired the same red laser from its beak at the locking mechanisms in his manacles, forcing them open. Standing up and pointing a finger forward, he commanded, “Laserbeak, disable the remaining locks. Ravage, return.”

The bird flapped its segmented metal wings, flew outside, and began melting the keypads lined on the cells one after another with its laser. As Soundwave stepped outside, another miniature Decepticon flickered into sight at his feet, the small, electrical field around it signifying the deactivation of it's optic camouflage. This one resembled a black panther adorned with missile launchers on its hips, its glowing yellow eyes curled into a constant glare. It made a low, steely growl before jumping upward and transforming into a cassette tape, landing perfectly into his master's open chest compartment. Thundercracker was the first to step out, examining and gripping his right forearm after his manacles came off.

“So, you wanna tell us what's going on? If you could've gotten us out of these cells all along, then you better have a real good reason for not doing it.” He emphasized his point by slamming his fist into his palm and cracking his knuckles.

“Autobot communications have just been disrupted remotely,” Soundwave droned. “Radio silence will last approximately 5.8 microcycles. Escaping captivity takes priority at this time.”

“W...wait...”

Their attention was drawn to a weak, raspy voice at the opposite end of the hall. Inside the last cell, Vortex pressed his body against the barrier with his arms and legs still bound, the charred and unmoving bodies of his comrades behind him. Ramming his shoulder against it, he cried, “Why aren't you...you guys opening my cell?! You clowns better not leave me behind! I've got, ugh...I've got a score to settle!”

“Megatron has deemed the Combaticons a liability. Assistance will not be provided to you, or your unit,” Soundwave said, turning his back on him. “Seekers, I am providing coordinates. ETA, 2.7 cycles. Scramble.”

“See ya, Vortex! Wouldn't wanna be ya!”

“Sorry. Megatron's orders and all.”

“Tch, whatever. I'm not going to miss any of you.”

Vortex leaned against the barrier, watching his fellow Decepticons run through the open door. It was only a moment before he started ramming into his cell again, screaming, “Hey! HEEEEY!!! Get back here Soundwave! I'm not done with you yet!”

His angry pleas became muffled as the corridor became bathed in flashing red lights, with klaxon alarms blaring louder than his voice.

[SECURITY BREACH IN DECK B-02. REPEAT, SECURITY BREACH IN DECK B-02. ALL AUTOBOTS, CONVERGE.]

----

- Badlands, Site of the Nemesis
Now

“Did you really believe you Autobots were in control? That your pathetic attempt to search for your beloved leader would actually bear any fruit? Hah! All you have managed to 'succeed' at is providing me with much needed information! For you see, Ravage and Laserbeak have been observing you from the very beginning!”

Her senses were dulled slightly, but not so much that she couldn't continue hearing the savage beating Megatron was giving Brawn. Luna blinked until her vision came back into focus, just in time for her to witness the Decepticon punch him in the face so hard that pieces of his head literally broke off, with some of the debris landing right in front of her. Her eyes went wide and she breathed out forcefully at the sight, kicking up a cloud of red dirt in front of her as she watched him spin around like a ragdoll and fall onto his side. The shock was enough for her to ignore the burning, green crack of pain inside of her skull, her legs finally responding to her commands and rolling her into a semi-kneeling position.

“Even as I speak these words, Autobot, Soundwave is already leading your pitiful allies to this location,” Megatron taunted, grabbing Brawn by his forearm and suspending him in front of his face. “What you don't seem to understand is that my remaining forces on Cybertron are prepared to sortie halfway across the galaxy at a moment's notice. Once I give the order, Shockwave will open the space bridge! Your splintered, uncoordinated forces will be DECIMATED by my sentinels!”

Brawn coughed, a blue trickle of energon leaking out of the corner of his mouth. “Dream on, Mega-jerk...you really think, urk...those tin cans are gonna be enough to take US out?!”

Megatron smirked, the right side of his face curling into a grin. “It's true that I question their efficiency under these circumstances. Then again, it would seem that fortune favors the bold today.”

He raised the beaten Autobot up and slammed him face down into the earth, cracking the ground around his body, his limbs creaking and crackling as he struggled to move. Megatron stepped forward once and stamped his right foot down onto his body, eliciting another scream of agony from him. He chuckled once before raising his head towards Luna, shouting, “Hear me, Princess! If you wish for this insect to remain functioning, you will IMMEDIATELY unlock the seal to this gate!”

Her headache had yet to subside, but it wasn't as debilitating as it was a few moments ago. She ground one of her knees into the dirt, forcing herself to stand while she looked at Brawn's battered form. From what she could see, half of his face was gone and his right arm was crunched and torn like tin foil, making her shudder internally. She couldn't even tell if he could live through something like this.

“Why...aren't...you...gone yet...?!” Brawn muttered, his voice trying it's best to scream. “Why do all of you ponies gotta be so stupid?! Get...out of here...NOW!”

Luna looked between Megatron and her fallen ally, glaring at the former with a hardened gaze. Stabilizing her balance and taking a slow, deep breath, she said, “I am afraid that I cannot do as you ask, even if I had wished it...” She took a moment to look at the gate, frowning. “The runes placed on this gate were intended to be eternal. Nothing in Equestria can dispel them. And even if I were able, I would NEVER - ”

“UUUGGGHH!!!”

The sound of a heel being ground into Brawn's back grated in Luna's ears, stopping her in her tracks, his screams of agony even worse than before. Megatron continued to chuckle under his breath, relishing in his pain.

“As much as I would enjoy prolonging this speck's pain, I no longer have the patience to negotiate. Open the gate, pony.”

He practically spat the word, further infuriating Luna. The pain was still there, but she could no longer feel it. Rather, she found herself purposely charging magical energy in her horn, it's pale blue glow returning and amplifying. All she wanted right now was to blast a massive, charred hole in that monster's chest, yet with all of her strength and motivation, she was powerless with Brawn as a hostage. All she could do was lock eyes with his captor, slowly grinding her hooves into the ground to restrain herself.

“It is as I said! Releasing the runes upon the second sealed gate is beyond mine, AND my sister's power! No matter what you do to him, it simply CANNOT be done!”

Megatron studied her expression and considered her desperate words, eventually ceasing his torture on Brawn with a scowl on his face. “For argument's sake, let's say that you are indeed speaking the truth. If that is the case, then we will simply have to resort to more...direct methods.”

Mechanisms unseen by Luna resonated in the air as he reached behind his back, eventually pulling out a glowing shard of energon nearly five meters long. “I understand that this planet's unique power source has a rather...fascinating effect when introduced into raw energon ore. And I do believe that such a phenomenon was responsible for the reactivation of the Autobots.” Gripping the crystal in hand, Megatron flung it onto the gate and watched it roll to a stop near it's center. “My dear Princess, if you please.”

Luna looked between the shard of glowing ore lying on the face of the gate and the beaten, angry face of her compatriot, no longer sure of what she should do. One little spark of magic was all it would take to fully rekindle the war between the Autobots and Decepticons. This one, fleeting decision would decide whether or not a single life would expire, or thousands more. For if she chose to destroy the gate and free his army, all for the sake of protecting the life of one Autobot, it would mean that their greatest fears would come to pass. Countless lives had already been lost, and countless more would soon follow, but Equestria itself would be the one to lose everything. This nation would not survive a war between these two titans.

“I can't believe you're even thinkin' about this...just get out of here!!!”

Luna's head snapped back at Brawn, the former clawing his way forward inch by inch, digging his fingers into the ground and struggling to raise his upper half just to make eye contact with her. “Wait...don't tell me that this is more of that 'magic of friendship' slag Twilight was spoutin'?! Don't you get what's going on here?! THIS is war! This is what it's all about! Out here, it's scrap or BE scrapped! There's only one right choice to make here and you KNOW it!”

The desperation in his flickering optics was real. And judging from the resolve in his voice, this sort of situation was something he had experienced many times before. Luna slowly closed her eyes and stepped forward towards the gate, the glow in her horn intensifying even further. Megatron laughed evenly, satisfied with her decision. Brawn simply fell limp, no longer able to strain himself any further.

“Excellent. You have done well in not making an enemy of me.”

She stopped at the edge, lowering her head as her closed eyelids quivered ever so slightly. Taking another deep, cleansing breath, she replied, “Yes...I do believe I have made the correct choice.”

*FSSSHHHH*

Megatron's world went black as a beam of pure, concentrated magic collided against his face with the force of a thermo rocket, knocking out his optics and sending him flying several yards away. Luna flapped her wings a single time, soaring into the air and glaring down at the beast before her, no longer holding back her rage. “I should have done this the moment I gazed upon your despicable visage! As Princess of the night, it is my duty to protect Equestria from all that lurk in its shadows! I will NOT let you have your way, Megatron!”

Transformers: Ancient Legacy

by Goldymarg

Prologue

The Search, Chapter 1: Contact

The Search, Chapter 2: Diplomacy

The Search, Chapter 3: Ambush

Ambush, pt 2

The Search, Chapter 4: Shaken

Shaken, pt 2

The Search, Chapter 5: Murky

Murky, pt 2

Murky, pt 3

The Search, Chapter 6: Forward

Forward, pt 2

The Search, Chapter 7: Destroyer