My Little Pony & Robot Friends: Infiltration

by Darkryt Orbinautz

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Sad, Crossover
Length: 94140

One year ago, the Decepticons came to Equestria, and from that event, the Ponies met the Autobots, and working together, the Ponies ended the war that plauged Cybertron for so long...but at the price of exposing themselves to humanity.

The war is over, but at a cost; the Cybertronians, Ponies, and other forms of alien life have been revealed to the people of Earth. Despite Optimus' and Celestia's best efforts, the humans grow more suspicious. Team Prime and the 'Autobot Pony Division' must struggle to keep things peaceful between their factions and Earth, while new players enter the game…

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-08-20 19:54:20 UTC

Other Visits

A year had passed since the Great century-spanning War between the shapeshifting aliens known as Cybertronians ended. A civil war between the valorous Autobots and destructive Decepticons that had destroyed their home world of Cybertron, and countless other worlds engulfed in flames. A year had passed since the need to jump from one innocent world to the next had ended, since the Autobot teams and Decepticon battalions scattered across planets from Cybertron's satellites to the darkest reaches of the solar system, nearly on the edges of black hole.

The end came from a most unusual development; a trap laid by a lone Autobot Wrecker trooper had succeeded and partially destroyed the Decepticon flagship, the Nemesis, where it crashed into a world known as... Equestria.

Not wasting any time, Megatron, the Decepticon lord and Master, set out with a plan to force the inhabitants to yield their planet to him and his legion. For a time it worked, but in the process, but the 'Ponies' of the local world had risen up and overthrown him using magic the likes of which recorded civilizations had only imagined previously. When Megatron's ship was repaired, the Ponies followed him, unintentionally following him to Earth and taking part in the Great War there. Joining forces with the team of the Autobots' leader, Optimus Prime, and over the course of their adventure, their power, assistance, and interference led to a climatic battle known now as The Decepticon New York Massacre, where Optimus was finally pushed to his edge and ordered to his combined force of humans, ponies, and Autobots the execution of as many Decepticons as possible, and the hidden true form of the Decepticons' ship, Trypticon, lay at the bottom of the New York Bay waters, and all but one symbol of the Decepticons' power were destroyed.

The Decepticons were exiled from Earth, and retreated to their dead world of Cybertron, stranded and branded as outcasts from Pony and Human alike.

From this, the Autobots, Ponies, and the existence of aliens was revealed to the human public. Slowly but surely, evolution took place and the Autobots, Ponies, and humans allied their governments and began to work towards interstellar harmony, and recovering the Iacon Database ejected into space across the galaxy so the Autobots could reclaim their heritage.

An enterprising Decepticon, Shockwave, took command of the Cybertron-stuck wayward Decepticons. Through clever manipulation, Shockwave earned the Decepticons a place in the forming government by taking a problem off Equestria's hooves - with arcane science conceivable only by Shockwave himself, he strung an Equestria creature known as a Changeling by the hundred-thousands, attaching them to satellites that fed their own shapeshifting magic into to the very Core of Cybertron, regenerating the dead world, causing the scattered Cybertronians across the galaxy to begin the voyage home.

Now, in the year 2013, tensions begin to rise as Optimus Prime's causal friendship with the Ponies' leader, Princess Celestia, is seen as threatening to the U.S White House, Twilight Sparkle left with a bad case of misanthropy after betrayals on Earth, and several returning Autobots and Decepticons are naturally unhappy to see the outcome of the war to be more complicated than just their side wiping the other out...Friendly feuding escalation

Leading into

Our ruination

You've been beat by

Infiltration

In the ashes of - our devastation

You'll turn and see

Your revelation!

"Welcome to –

The New Nation!"

Friendly Sibling escalation

Building up to

Our ruination

Accept the ashes of

Your devastation

A trifecta beat by its

Infiltration

It's time to enter

The new nation

Don't turn your head; it won't give you

Your Revealaaaaatttttiooon!

Revealaaaaatttttiooon!

The scene was rocky. The terrain was bare of plant life, with only the most sturdy, arid flora able to stand the dry, dry conditions. Rock formations of all shapes and sizes were visible for miles. Some of them weren't naturally, and were put there for a purpose unknown to the local, shiny beast combatants. The mystery filled them all with a sense of dread, knowing there was something here, yet not here. Something near, yet far.

It was several million years ago to Twilight Sparkle in this rocky, jagged piece of land. Except it wasn't.

In fact, here, not only had Twilight Sparkle never existed, but she also never would.

High above the sky, a swirling blue portal...er, swirled. Excess energies built up beyond the portal's ability to contain were discharged as bolts of cyan lighting strikes, which struck places lightning shouldn't -and in some cases, couldn't. It hit the ground, it hit the same place not just twice, but even so many as six times.

The local combatants mentioned above were present beneath this unstable portal, fighting over control of it. Whether to protect those here, and those yet to come...or use it to destroy those very ones yet to come.

The smooth-skinned apish leader of the faction intending to protect struck a decisive blow against the shiny Tyrannosaurus Rex leader of the faction whose intention was to destroy. He attempted to get up, refusing to be defeated and let his plans lay to waste, but the protector stomped him back down.

"No. NO!" The tyrannosaurus Rex hissed. "I will claim this portal, and with it, victory over not only this battle, but the entire Beast Wars!" The dinosaur stood up, and his waist rotated, his head furling against his back as his body shifted and converted to a much larger, imposing form.

"Guess again!" The blue gorilla growled before punching the Rex in the face, knocking him off his clawed feet. The portal began to suck T. Rex in.

"No! NOOO!"

Another fighter in the fray noticed. A pointy purple robot with features like an arachnid. "I'll save you, 'Master'! Hehehe..." He fired a string from his wrist. The string was small, thin, but strong, and practically translucent, barely visible underneath the dark lightning of the portal. It attached to the Rex, but rather than pull him back down, it dragged the spider along with him.

They flew up around in circles, being sucked into the chaotic portal like it was a black hole bent to consume them all. The Master and his spider-friend were sucked up in it, and made to disappear. The portal surged and crackled, energy reaching critical mass from the absorption of Transmetalized metals...

The remaining combatants raised their arms to shield themselves and brace for impact, sensing a volatile, violent reaction from the portal any second now.

But it never came. Instead, the portal stabilized and dissipated before their very optics, completely disappearing and leaving no trace it was ever even there. Energy signatures quickly dropped the thing from their radar.

The combatants stared, awed, unable to grasp the full reach of the very bizarre thing that just happened.

Meanwhile, on a much further advanced Earth, two creatures known as Little Ponies walked along the empty desert road of the city of Jasper, engaging in small talk about human political policies, and just how strange, odd, and just plain inefficient they were when compared to their home of Equestria. On Equestria, everything ultimately submitted to the iron will of the Princess, no matter how much independence they enjoyed, or how little they valued the Princess' own opinions.

"So you agree with the haters about this?" Rainbow Dash, the cyan coated one, raised her eyebrow at her friend, the yellow Fluttershy.

"No, no." Fluttershy insisted, answering in her usual demure tone that was barely above a whisper at the best of times. "I just mean I understand why they think of the issue the way they do."

Rainbow scoffed, arrogant and sure of her own opinion being the 'correct' one as usual. "You know what these humans should do? They should get themselves a Princess. None of this 'Parliament' or House of Representatives nonsense. Get a Princess to dictate everything. That'll solve the problem!"

Fluttershy looked down, disagreeing with Rainbow's aggressive philosophy, but not aggressive enough herself to voice her dissent with Rainbow's delusion.

Before they could continue walking, before Fluttershy could unwittingly take more of Rainbow's verbal abuse, and before Rainbow Dash could unwittingly deliver said abuse, unfamiliar energies began swirling in the area around them, and the two Pegasi flexed their wings out, trying to use their pegasus magic to detect what dark spell had been cast. Even though the wings were where pegasus magic was gathered at its strongest, they detected nothing, despite the physical evidence that said very much otherwise.

"Okay, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash concluded. "Insecticon mode."

Fluttershy nodded. Pulling out a white tiny gem from her wing, she smacked with her hoof, and in a flash of green light not unlike that of a Changeling, she was standing in her slightly-taller than Rainbow, armor plated, half-Insecticon hybridized form. (It's a long story. Well, not really. It's actually very short; Fluttershy had been turned into an Insectiponycon, because she was deemed fit by an Insection Queen to take care of her own nest of Insecticons, but anyways...)

"See anything on your sensors?" Rainbow questioned, preparing, ready, and eager to fight.

"Lots of Energon." Fluttershy answered. "But there's something...strange about it."

"Strange how?"

"It's almost like it's...I know this goes without saying, but it's like it's alien!"

Before Rainbow could grill Fluttershy as to how it could have been alien, when Energon by its very nature of being fuel from a far-off world was alien, the blue energy swirling began to reach a peak. Gathering together and coalescing into a huge portal, as deep, dark and uninviting as a super-massive black hole in space, sucking in every space ship and transport cruiser that was unfortunate to stumble upon its location...

"What is that!?"

"Why would you think I know!?"

The portal began throbbing, pulsating as it directed its unknowable energies to its mysterious purpose. Rainbow and Fluttershy could only stand there and watch, as the power surging through and forth came to a head and proceeded to...spit out two purple Cybertronians that fell to the ground. After each of them landed with a hard thump and a loud grunt, the portal disappeared in the blink of an eye, as if it itself knew just as much as Fluttershy and Rainbow did about what it was doing.

The two ponies exchanged looks with each other, before galloping towards the two downed Cybertronians.

"Mmm." Rainbow hmmed at them, she and Fluttershy circling around the two robots less like herbivorous ponies and more like carnivorous lions. "Too small to be Autobots...too big to be Mini-Cons..." Rainbow observed.

"Kinda organic-looking..." Fluttershy muttered. She gasped quietly, thinking that she might have just been presented with the opportunity to talk with more technoorganic hybrids like herself. Her friends were always such good listeners, but there was something special, precious and unidentifiable about talking with somepony who was the same.

The smaller of the two groaned and put its claw to its head, and pushed himself up. As Rainbow had observed, he was much too small to be an Autobot, yet too large to be a Mini-Con...

He was purple and dark, dark blue. A much darker blue than Shining Armor's mane or Optimus' legs. It was almost intimidatingly dark, like it was without a soul or emotion to its name. His head was smooth and round, except for the two horns on it, and the six mandibles forming its mouth. His face was barely more than said mandibles and an yellow visor. The exact shape and size of his blue parts on the chest kinda looked like tough guy jacket, giving the feeling of a biker from the robot.

He seemed quite startled at the sight of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, like they were something straight out his darkest dreams and worst nightmares. Scrambling to his knees, fearful for his life, he put his hands together and made some sort of cross sigh at them, crawling on his thighs away from them, Jasper's distinct empty dirt leaving a record of his crawling that would last forever...or at least until Rainbow came forward and swept her hoof over the dirt afterward when this interaction was done.

"Begone, pony creatures!" The spidery-robot hissed at them, spider legs on his back arching over his shoulders, like scavenging crabs prepared to defend themselves. "You will not take my Spark to your Pit of Rainbows!"

Rainbow and Fluttershy looked at each other and exchanged befuddled giggles. They could at least gather that, for all their oddities, these two were certainly Cybertronians, given their use of terminology like Spark and the Pit. (...of Rainbows!)

"I've read about you!" The spider-bot hissed, unaware his unconscious companion was now returning to his senses. "Pony-Creatures! They drag off the Sparks of the Wicked and the Wild to their Pit of Rainbows for horrific, flowery punishments at the hooves of Breezies!"

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy exchanged glances, and light, soft giggles in their confusion. "Breezies?"

"Pit of Rainbows?"

"We're not going to drag you to a pit full of rainbows." Fluttershy assured the spider. Then she noticed the other robot rising and turned to him. "We won't drag you down either."

The second robot made a surprised expression, having been out too long to hear the conversation. It was understandable that he would be confused when that was the first thing he heard when he woke up.

He was much larger and more bulky than the spider, though still too small for Autobot sized. He could reach Arcee's knees, at the least...but one of his arms was clearly wearing a tool that ended in a vice that extended his reach, so that may not have counted for much. His shoulders were bulky, and his feet were reptilian, and there was a pointy bug-like symbol in the crest of his helmet. He was mostly purple, with a grape-like face, and a lots of brown on him as well.

Fluttershy took a particular eye towards the symbol in the helm, completely unfamiliar with it despite all the research Ratchet would let her eavesdrop over. "I've never seen that symbol on your helmet before. What is it?" Her voice was bounding with innocent curiosity.

The larger robot turned to the smaller, who shrugged.

"Mm.." He noted, taking in his surroundings and standing up on his feet, which made him stand considerably taller than Fluttershy was comfortable with. "I am, uh...Joe. Yeeesss. And this is the...flag of the, uh..."

He looked up, and saw the beautiful shimmering stars in the quiet Nevada night, and had an idea. Thinking the name of ancient, powerful Decpeticon warriors, he put their name together with the stars and came up with a new name on the spot.

"The Star Seekers! Yeeesss." Joe rasped.

"Uh, we met the Star Seekers?" Rainbow questioned. "And I don't know what you are, but you're definitely not them."

Joe was quick and smooth to dismiss this, as he was particular good at doing when came to making people believing his fat stinkin' lies. "Erm. Same name. Different organizations." He looked to the spider, forced his arm under the spider's soldiers, and lifted him up to his feet against his will. "And this is my faithful companion, Alec."

"Oh, please." The spider muttered, looking away from Joe and the ponies both.

"We are an...exploration group!" Joe told them, a brief pause in his speech that more manipulative ponies like Twilight or Rarity would easily detect for what it was; a pause to think of a lie. However, Rainbow wasn't that observant, and Fluttershy was too trusting. "We scrounge around the cosmos, looking for artifacts!"

Rainbow and Fluttershy exchanged happy looks.

"Artifacts, eh?"

"I assure you, we have no shortage of those for you to find and dig up!" Fluttershy told them.

"Let's get these guys back to base." Rainbow ordered, turning around to lead these two new diggers back home. "Optimus and Ratchet would certainly appreciate more rats to send out for when they locate Iacon Artifacts!"

After the two ponies walked away some distance, the two so-called Star Seekers could talk freely amongst themselves.

"Alec!?" Alec exclaimed. "What kind of Predacon name is Alec?"

"Star Seeker." 'Joe corrected. He leaned in close, intimidating the spider back into his place- beneath his thumb, and under his control. "Do not question me, Tarantulas." The larger one snarled, speaking with his usual sense of melodrama and boisterous speech. "If I had wanted, I could've just as easily convinced those organics that you were a criminal and I was an Imperial Peach Marshall chasing you. And yet, I did not, because you are still useful to me."

Tarantulas backed away, shoulders going limp in defeat and looked down in acknowledgment of the truth in his master's words. It was hard to deal with the irony, as 'Joe' was just as much as a criminal as he was. "Yes...that is true."

"Good."

Tarantulas's visor darkened briefly, doing the closest as a robot could to blinking as he took in his defeat. "What is your next command, Mighty Megatron?"

"It's 'Joe'...for now." Megatron corrected, adding in a low growl. "And for now, we do as these brightly-colored four-leggers ask of us."

"Mmm. Yeeesss..." Tarantulas hissed, cribbing Megatron's schtick. His earlier fear of being dragged into a rainbow-filled pit had prevented him from taking notice of Fluttershy, but now that he was calm- as calm as he could ever be- he became quite interested in her technoorganic properties.

"Mm. Interesting, she's part organic, yet partially Transmetalized. I wonder if she knows as much..."

"What are you blabbering about?" Megatron snarled.

"Nothing. Let us follow." Tarantulas stepped forward and took the lead, walking towards the ponies before they noticed the two of them had yet to follow. Megatron grunted, not convinced of Tarantulas' motives.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, quite a few steps ahead of the two robots by now, felt a lack of the shadowy feeling of metal they were so accustomed to when a Cybertronian was with them, and turned around. "Hey! You coming?"

"Erm, yes!" Joe reassured them, raising a finger. He bent down to whisper harshly in Alec's ear. "Beast mode."

Joe's right arm, the one with the vice, stiffened up, and his entire waist turned sideways, a shiny metal dinosaur head furling out from his back as he converted, turning into a metallic T. Rex. Alec's transformation scheme consisted of him getting down on his stomach and the arachnid bits hanging off him being put to use to turn him into an equally-shiny spider.

Fluttershy's eyes lit up brightly, quivering, elated at the sight, much to Rainbow Dash's confusion. "You have beast modes!?"

"Yes." Joe said, tromping towards them with a sort of professional strut to his walk, like he was a rogue, but knew how to behave in an upper-class society. "We have beast modes."

"Oh, I can't tell how excited I am to somepony to talk to! I'm a techno-organic, so it's hard to relate..."

"Sorry to disappoint you, dear," Alec said, but there was little sympathy in his voice. "But we're wholly mechanical. We just look organic."

Fluttershy's features drooped. "Oh...okay." She turned away from them, scuffling her disappointed hoof in the dirt. Rainbow Dash had her amused gaze fixed solely on Joe's reflective snout. As Joe and Alec approached, Rainbow Dash looked up at Joe's face and giggled.

"What is it you find so amusing about me?" Joe inquired.

"Sorry. Just...your snout is incredibly shiny. I mean, look at that." Dash flapped her wings, propelling her upwards, and touched her nose to Joe's. "It's almost hypnotic, how shiny that is. I know another guy- an Autobot-" Dash didn't catch the curl in Joe's lips at the mention of Autobot, "That turns into a ...a much bigger T. Rex." Dash boasted gleefully, crossing her front legs as she got out of Joe's face.

"Ah!" Joe raised one of his stubby claws to object. "It's not the size, my dear, it's how you use it."

Dash was dumbstruck by Joe's objection.

"I told you." Fluttershy said quietly with a smugness usually reserved by Rainbow Dash herself. "I keep trying to tell her that, but she wouldn't listen to me." Fluttershy whispered to Joe, who nodded.

"Let's get a Bridge going for these guys." Rainbow insisted, trying to steer the conversation away and shrug off the fact that somepony else with no insight into their friendship with each had just unabashedly agreed with Fluttershy's advice over hers. She pushed her hoof to her ear. A click beep-beeped out from her ear. "Yo, Ratchet! We have some 'bots here who could use a place to crash and R and R... what makes me so sure? They just dropped out of the sky from a blue portal, that's what makes me sure! THANK you!"

Rainbow Dash pushed her hoof against her ear, causing another click. She was hanging up on her call. "Eeesh...Ratchet's not so sure about bringing some new guys in, but what does it matter? Everypony on Earth already knows where their base is anyway...besides." Dash turned towards Joe. "We can trust you not to make a ruckus in the Autobot's hometown, am I right?"

"Of course..." Joe said suavely, waving a claw.

A sudden whir of energy startled both Alec and Joe, and they each stepped backwards when a huge, swirling green portal not unlike the blue portal that brought them here materialized before the group. The difference being the energies swirling in the green portal were pink and light, while in the blue one, they were black and dark.

Fluttershy, always ready to play the role of 'mama', spoke soothingly to the terrified Star Seekers. "It's all right. This is just a GroundBridge. It's used for travel over long distances. It won't hurt you, okay?"

"No, no, of course!" Alec insisted, raising mandibles in the eye. "Er, since it looks so similar to the blue portal that brought us here, we just assumed..."

"Oh, I understand." Fluttershy assured him. She jerked her head towards the portal. "But come now. I'm sure Optimus will be pleased to meet you!"

Joe became awed, staring off into space, transfixed at something. "Optimus...Prime?"

"I, um, don't know any other ponies named Optimus..."

Joe smiled maliciously, the teeth of his dinosaur mode showing in full view, giving off an evil aura all around him. "YES! Let us away, through this...what did you call it?"

"GroundBridge."

"Through the GroundBridge, Taran- Alec!" Joe put his claw to his mouth and cleared his throat. "Let us away!"

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stepped, closely followed by an increasingly excited Joe and as always disdainful Alec. To the pegasi, the journey through the dimensional currents of the Bridge, the light green road that twisted through dimensions, was familiar one by now. But to Joe and Alec, it was a surreal experience. Perhaps not entirely because of their unfamiliarity with the Bridge, but because they were looking forward to what was on the other side...

After a relatively brief time through the Bridge's atmosphere, which was actually quit relaxing when Decepticons or out-of-control Dark Energon-fueled machines, they stepped out into the Autobot base.

Joe's reptile eyes quickly set about scanning the room, like he had never been in an Autobot base before, and wanted to memorize every minute detail about it. He and Alec appeared quite intimidated by the physical appearance of Team Prime. Fluttershy didn't notice Joe looking down at the Autobot symbol in the floor and growling at it.

The white robot monitoring the obviously advanced computer turned to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, still upset and seeing their new friends as potential enemy agents. Red and blue Optimus, blue Arcee, and yellow Bumblebee, gathered around to greet their visitors.

"Hello." Optimus was the first to start the welcoming. "I-"

"Am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots." Joe said quickly. Perhaps a bit too quickly. "And...that white one crowing over the monitors is Ratchet...but I haven't such lucky guesses over the rest of you."

Ratchet seemed quite offended that his daily monitoring would be referred to as crowing.

"These are Arcee and Bumblebee." Optimus answered, gesturing at each of them in turn. "How do you know my name?"

Joe looked upwards, his red optics narrowing at Optimus with a hatred that was enough to keep an Equestria ice spirit fed for a week, if not more. "Some...light reading I did."

"Mm." Optimus noticed the contempt in Joe's tone, but he wasn't so impolite as just walk up to someone and say "Hey, I think you hate me, don't you?" so he left it alone. Optimus started gesturing around the room. "Well, also with us are Twilight Sparkle, Pinkimenia, and Rafael."

Sitting at opposite corners of the room, hiding and letting the natural light bend the shadows in such a way that it could hide them each from the social situations they both preferred to avoid, Twilight was reading a book and Raf was fiddling with a tool. Pinkimenia, better known as Pinkie Pie, was sitting on an elevated platform used for eye-to-optic interactions with the Autobots, tapping her chin in thought, thinking silly Pinkie Pie style thoughts about things that really didn't need that much thought devoted to them.

Twilight was in a corner because, although she was now on good terms with the Autobots, humans were still targets of her ire. Raf was fiddling with some sort of toy of his, taking a screwdriver to what appeared to be a scale-model catapult.

Twilight briefly raised her head from her book in acknowledgment of their guests, but Alec caught her eye, and she caught his. Their gazes lingered on each other much longer than they had any business being. Alec converted to robot mode and walked around the edge of the floor's Autobrand, visor still on Twilight. They both shook their heads and returned to what they were doing, putting their respective appendages on their heads.

"Well, that was weird..." Twilight said to herself quietly. "Almost like symbiosis, but not..."

Symbiosis was a little-understood process that was engaged in by Cybertronians and Ponies alike that had an evil substance known as Dark Energon infused into their respective bloods. Exactly how it worked wasn't clear, even to Ratchet, for all the tests Twilight let him perform on her in the name of science, but those basic facts were undisputed. But Alec didn't have Dark Energon, or Twilight's horn would be making sure everypony around knew it as well...

"Well, that was certainly an interesting experience..." Alec muttered.

Rainbow Dash, failing to see any point in her continuing to stick around with Joe and Alec, flew up and landed over at Raf's corner, where Raf nervously glanced up at her before taking his catapult and scooting away from her.

"Aw, c'mon!" Dash chided, trotting over and putting her equine neck over Raf's hair, which was more like a mane of leaves. "What'cha you got there?"

"Toy catapult..." Raf muttered. "You-you wanna see?"

"Sure!"

Raf lifted up the catapult up, which despite the fact parts where scattered everywhere, was still functioning, and he fired it at Rainbow Dash's nose. The toy boulder bounced on the bridge of her nose before falling to the floor and rolling away from her hooves lazily. Dash burst into insensitive laughter.

"Are you serious!? You call that a catapult!? That thing couldn't hurt a fly!" Dash fell onto her back, hooves kicking.

Raf turned away, trying not to let Dash get to him, but Pinkie Pie noticed and was on them both in seconds. That was in fact how long it took her to get from where she was to the both of them.

"It doesn't have to hurt a fly, Dash." Pinkie said with a scolding tone of a doting mother. "Raf has fun playing with it, and that's all that matters."

Dash's laughter abruptly stopped, and she looked confused at Pinkie's defending of Raf. "O...kay." Taking the hint she said something she didn't mean to, Dash flapped her wings and flew away.

"Don't worry, Raffie." Pinkie said encouragingly, pulling the human boy into a hug against her chest. "Auntie Pinkie's gonna protect ya!" She ruffled his hair.

Raf wasn't sure what to think. He didn't think he needed another guardian besides Bumblebee, one to deal with emotional threats while Bumblebee dealt with physical ones, but Rainbow Dash had been bothering him, and a hug from Pinkie always felt nice... Raf wondered if maybe she had some sort of secret technique to make her hugs better anypony else. It certainly wouldn't be surprising, given the way Pinkie's mind, uh... 'works'.

Alec turned towards Fluttershy. "Uh, excuse me, Fluttershy, but I was wondering...are you aware you're partially Transmetalized?"

Fluttershy made a curious squeak. "Oh! Transmetalized? No, no, I...I never heard that term before. What does it mean?" Fluttershy's eyes lit up light a night lamp. "Is like being a techno-organic? Are you techno-organic Transmetals?"

"Er, no. Sorry. We're Transmetals, but we're not techno-organic. We merely look organic." Alec flexed his claw. "Anyways, particulars of being Transmetal is having a vehicle mode...a loose one, mind you. It's not much more than simply having wheels under your legs."

It was clear by now to anypony with half a brain cell to go between them that Joe was upset at Alec explaining to Fluttershy the finer workings of this mysterious Transmetalization. Fluttershy herself was disappointed that she didn't actually have fellow techno-organics to talk to.

Joe draped an arm around Alec's shoulders. "Alec, why don't you go talk to one of the other ponies? I'm sure your scientific knowledge would be just as entertaining to any one of them..."

Alec saw right through Joe's ruse. Joe was trying to drive Alec away so that Alec couldn't explain more to Fluttershy, as part of another one of his ambitions plans. Alec played along. "Yes, of course, commander!"

Twilight got up and trotted towards the elevator that led to the roof of the base. Alec noticed this, and converted into his vehicular mode- no doubt to teach Fluttershy while escaping Joe's suspicions. As he said, it wasn't much more than wheels under the legs, as his spider legs curled up and stiffed while a tiny wheel unfolded from his mandibles. The back end of his abdomen sprung out and twisted, turning into a large hind wheel. Being a motorcycle, vehicles well-known for their tendency to be as obnoxious as possible, Alec had no trouble accelerating up the stairs so fast it was like he glided over them. He pedaled as fast as he could to get into the elevator with Twilight before its doors closed.

"Wait!" Alec called as he drove in, converting to robot to stand next to Twilight. Twilight whinnied as the doors closed in, locking them in together and sealing them off from the rest of the outside of the base.

Alec watched with rapt attention as Twilight used her magic to push the elevator's buttons.

"What floor do you want on?" Twilight questioned him, doing nothing to hide her displeasure that he -a newcomer Fluttershy had dragged into the base- had followed her in here.

"Whatever floor you're going to." Alec humbly answered, placing a claw over his green-spotted chest. Twilight rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"You're one of those..."

Back in the bottom floor, where the elevator had since left them, Ratchet decided it was high time Joe put his money where his snout was, and drew away from the computer.

"Joe...if you're really an artifact hunter, as you so claim..." Ratchet pointed a finger to show he had no faith in Joe's abilities. He pulled away and gestured at the computer. "Then you should have no difficulties in deciphering these Iacon coordinates and pinpointing the location of the artifacts in the database."

"Yyyeeesss..." Joe rasped, "I should have no problem." Rising up to the challenge head on, Joe tromped forward to Ratchet's computer. Ratchet, for all his grouchiness, was at least well-mannered enough to give the smaller Joe a lift onto the controls, so Joe could hit the keys using his feet the way ponies did when attempting to operate Cybertronian machinery.

"Hrm...well, at least you used standard Cybertronix..." Joe muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Carry on. I will get to work." Joe looked down at the keys and walking around on the keyboard, trying to figure out what each key did exactly. Ratchet leaned back against one of the base's many railings, disinterestedly watching Joe go to work. Fluttershy walked in front of his leg, and Ratchet noticed her neck was hanging rather low. Ratchet was no by means a bleeding Spark, but Fluttershy brought the softer side out in everypony, and not even cranky, rusty, crabby Ratchet was an excepting to that.

"What's wrong, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy sighed. "I was hoping Joe and Alec would techno-organics so I could talk to them about being one...but they're not."

Ratchet pursed his lips, wondering what he could say comfort the saddened sensitive Insect-pony-con. Unable to think of anything to say that directly related to her dilemma, so he defaulted to something he was more familiar with. "Fluttershy, would you like to hear about the Cybertronian concept of Rossum's Trinity?"

Fluttershy gasped, flattered Ratchet would so willingly volunteer Cybertronian knowledge that (she incorrectly assumed) was highly respectable and only privately shared. "I'd be honored! What is it?"

"Rossum's Trinity is a principle that states the three of the Cybertronian's pieces...the brain module," Ratchet knocked on his head. "The Spark..." Ratchet beat his fist against his chest, the way gorillas did to issues challenges to each other. "And the transformation cog..." Ratchet converted his arm into its blowtorch configuration. "Damage to any one could cause shutdown in all three...say, when you were converted into a partial Insecticon, do you get a brain module, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy put her clamped hoof over her ear. "I don't know...I don't think so..."

Ratchet briefly wondering if maybe Fluttershy got a Spark, or even stranger, half a Spark with her techno-organic half, but quickly dismissed the thought. There was no way the pod her conversion took place in had the means to imbue a pony with a Spark, if a transplant like that was even possible. But it was actually mostly because there was no way it could make a Spark without the use of a legendary Cybertronian artifact known as the All Spark, which had been lost to space to keep the Decepticons from abusing it during the war.

The war was over now. So...surely they could launch an expedition to go and find it, couldn't they?

"Fluttershy?" Ratchet suddenly questioned. "Have you been to Cybertron since Shockwave used the Changelings to re-power it?"

Shockwave, a Decepticon who worked as Megatron's pet mad scientist in early days of the war. Since Megatron had been a casualty of the last battle of the war – fittingly named The Decepticon New York Massacre – Shockwave had given in to a long ambition to lead the faction.

"Oh, no. I would like to, though. I heard the Changelings' magic makes all the buildings quite pretty. I'll need my space suit, though..."

"No need. An unforeseen side-effect of the Changeling magic was to create an atmosphere...or at least oxygen."

"Maybe I should go there, then..."

"If Shockwave will let you..." Ratchet grumbled, inherently distrustful of the Decepticon Lord with good reason.

Shockwave was conspiring to achieve Megatron's goals of conquest in ways Megatron could not. With politics. So he let the Autobots come and go in peace, as treating the Autobots badly would reflect bad on him, as the Autobots were on good terms with Equestria, and Equestria had given Shockwave the Changelings. So it would make Shockwave look bad to the various Autobot, Decepticon, and non-aligned Cybertronian political parties for him to mistreat the Autobots.

Twilight remained silent with Alec as the elevated traveled up the shaft into the top of the tower. Even with Alec's occasionally attempts to make small talk.

Twilight was growing frustrated, as she felt herself drawn to Alec like a magnet. What was that was drawing her horn to his him?

The elevator skidded to a stop, signaling they had reached their destination. The doors slid open with a mighty hum, and Alec followed as Twilight stepped out onto the edge of the base.

"The stars are out tonight..." Alec said, trying to continue his efforts at small talk.

"Uh-huh..." Twilight nodded.

Alec looked upwards at the stars, then towards to Twilight. "I'll tell you a secret, Twilight?"

"What?"

"My name's not Alec. It's Tarantulas. Joe is actually a Predacon who took the name of the original Megatron."

Twilight's eyebrows shot up in alarm. She looked to Tarantulas, and reached a quick, decisive conclusion. Twilight, whose mind worked like a computer, picked up on the fact that he had not identified himself as being a Predacon.

"That's why my horn keeps reacting to you! You're a Spawn of Unicron, aren't you?"

Tarantulas let out an eerie cackle that Twilight ten different kinds of uncomfortable, and he seemed rather creepily not at all disturbed at Twilight having found him out so easily. "Yyyeeess...yes, I am."

Dark Energon's tendency to reach out to its kindred had been calling out to Tarantulas, sensing the innate connection he and it had with each other, against Twilight's wishes, and regardless of any potential objection she would have.

"You know..." Twilight said slowly. "I have a good understanding of Cybertronian biology, and I'm good with magic...I could kill you easily..."

"But you won't." Tarantulas countered.

"Really? How do you know that?"

"Because... 'you're better than that'." Tarantulas made a finger quote as he spoke, narrowing his visor at Twilight, daring her to prove him wrong.

Twilight darkly closed her eyes, ruminating on just how far gone she really was. How deep her Dark Energon infection let her hatred run. For although she may have bad choices before the influence of the Unicronian blood, the foul fuel had unquestioningly loosened her moral values.

But by how much?

She turned around, feeling the light of the moon on her Cutie Mark, and walked towards the elevator...only to stop, spin back around, and let loose a blast of considerable size from her horn onto Tarantulas.

Tarantulas was shot down and blown backwards. He clutched at the smoking, sparking wound now in his chest. Twilight left him injured, but alive. Tarantulas just realized this when he looked up and saw Twilight Sparkle gone, barely catching the sliver of movement as the elevator doors finished closing.

Inside the elevator, Twilight realized she had given in to her Dark Energon's violent urgings. As she batted her thoughts back and forth with herself, worrying if maybe she didn't have her Dark Energon under control like she thought she did, the idea she should warn Optimus and the others about Predacon Megatron utterly escaped her mind's notice.

In the main lobby, no one noticed the elevator doors slide open, or an obviously doubtful Twilight trot out and away. She stopped briefly and lifted her head to look up at everypony. At Optimus, at Fluttershy, at her friends. With a sigh from her doubts, she continued on her way.

"Erm, Optimus!" Joe shouted, raising his arm vice for attention. "I believe I have decoded one of the coordinates!"

"Excellent work, Joe." Optimus approached the computer and placed his hand on the edge of the keyboard, investigating the set of decoded coordinates. "This coordinates would indicate the presence of the Star Saber...on Equestria."

"Star Saber?" Joe and Arcee asked in unison.

"The Star Saber is a legendary artifact of the Primes." Ratchet explained. Being the educated surgeon he was, he knew about the Primes and their myths. Even if he questioned every one of them. "It's...it was a sword wielded by the one of the Thirteen Original Primes."

"That's it?" Arcee scoffed. "A sword?"

"A sword with the power to tear worlds asunder, if thrust into the wrong hands." Optimus added, gaze stoically on the computer screen. "These coordinates would suggest in the locale of the Crystal Empire on Equestria."

Twilight, who had been so close to the exit, froze. Something went click in that huge head of hers. "Uh...Optimus? What does the Star Saber look like?"

"I do not know." Optimus admitted. He turned to Twilight, an exceedingly rare moment of him actually expressing surprise with a raised up browplate. "Twilight Sparkle, given your infusion of Dark Energon, you would've felt an intense pain had you come into contact with the Star Saber. Have you felt such a pain during an excursion to the Empire?"

"No..." Twilight stuttered. "B-but, uh, Cadence did want to show me a sword she said was huge and beautiful."

Optimus stepped forward, and Twilight could tell this was an urgent matter to him. "Where?"

"Uh...when she brought there, it was gone. The ice was shattered. Somepony took it."

Twilight didn't think she would ever see Optimus thunderstruck in her lifetime. She knew he worried- he was a leader, after all, and all leaders worry- but she doubted she'd see him show as such.

"Impossible...the Star Saber responds only to the hand of a Prime."

"And..." Twilight realized. "You're the Last Prime..."

So for someone to have taken the Star Saber from its resting place should have been impossible with Optimus there. Unless there was magically some other Prime, just causally running around Equestria without any of Optimus' responsibility, under the radar and off the grid, and just so happened to be in the area after Cadence was there, but before Cadence and Twilight returned.

"Ooh! Really? How touching!" Joe mockingly exclaimed, putting his hands together affectionately. "I had been waiting to reveal this, but to know you're the last of your kind... is an opportunity too good to pass up!"

Joe pointed his arm vice at Optimus. The vice stiffened, its many hinges stopping completely to give a straight aim. A light shade of purple light began gathering around its tip and gathering into a ball, which fired straight into Optimus, shattering his left chest-window and throwing him against the wall. Everypony was shocked at first, naturally, but as they recovered, they had different reactions. Arcee pointed her guns. Ratchet grumbled that he was right not to trust Joe, Fluttershy felt guilty for bringing him in, and Twilight felt the same for not remembering to warn Optimus.

"W-why did you do that!?" Fluttershy practically screamed at Joe.

"Because he's not Joe! His name is Megatron!" Twilight answered harshly, baring her teeth at Megatron.

"Yyyeeesss... I am Megatron, leader, of the Predacons!" Megatron announced, raising his fist into the air dramatically while Optimus groaned and struggled to get out of the wall. "In my own universe, a parallel dimension to you, the Autobots won the Great War with the Decepticons!"

"And we've won the Great War in this universe, too." Ratchet snarled.

"Hush!" Twilight snapped at him. "It's rude to interrupt the villainous monologue! I should know! I spent several weeks as one, remember?"

"Their descendants, the Maximals, rule us Predacons as second-rate citizens. And I, a nameless rogue..." Megatron's voice went sorrowful for a moment, before returning to its boisterous volume. "Pulled off the heist of the century- possibly of all centuries! We went back in time, meaning to kill our Optimus Prime and end the Great War in our favor! But alas, the Maximals discovered us, and attempted to stop me from my goals. Recently, a bizarre portal appeared that we fought for control over, which is how me, and my associate, Tarantulas, ended up here. Ah, here he is now!"

The elevator opened, and Tarantulas limped out of it, still clutching at and reeling from the wound Twilight inflicted on him. Twilight frowned and looked away. Megatron

"It may not be the Optimus Prime I intended to kill, but I will happily off-line him anyways!"

Optimus finally succeeded at tearing himself from the wall, and he converted his right arm to blaster configuration. "Be that as it may, Predacon Megatron, if you attempt to take my life, be prepared for me...to fight for it." Optimus fired. Megatron jumped off the computer console onto the floor, causing Optimus' blast to hit it instead and blow apart the keyboard.

Optimus was aghast at this destruction of his own property. How did he, with all his combat experience, not realize that would happen?

"You-Ratchet needed that!" Optimus snarled.

Ratchet laughed manically, hands in the air like he was in a holy rain. "Yes! I...have been...justified."

"You...you're a Decepticon descendant?" Fluttershy quietly mumbled at Joe, her anger steadily starting to rise. "You tricked me to get into the base! You-you used me!"

"Yyyeeess!" Megatron growled. "Rather skillfully, might I add."

"You-!" Fluttershy raised her own hoof-blaster at Megatron, but Megatron charged at her and gripped her neck with his vice, which then electrocuted her. Megatron converted into his beast mode, unfurling concealed roller blades from his feet and VTOL fans from his sides. He picked Fluttershy by the scruff of her neck in his jaw.

"Tarantulas!" Megatron commanded. "Let us make our escape!"

"Er...of course." Tarantulas staggered forward, still hurting. Despite his injuries, Tarantulas managed to jump off the stairs and convert into his motorcycle mode. But as he jumped the top of Raf's hair caught in Tarantulas' gears, so when Tarantulas took off racing, Raf was hanging off from his side, being dragged.

"RAF!" Pinkie screamed.

The Autobots attempted to fire on the fleeing Predacons, but when they both had hostages, and both were small, fast vehicles, aiming a good shot on them that wouldn't hurt the hostages was difficult, and the criminals managed to slip through the exit.

"Daaaagh!" Ratchet screamed. He really didn't like the idea of Fluttershy being anypony's hostage. She was so fragile. He was seriously doubtful she could handle the stress of a situation like that.

"What do we do now!?" Dash demanded, equally concerned about Fluttershy.

"Divide," Optimus answered, "and conquer. Autobots, separate into teams and roll out!"

"Dah! Goo! Frah!"

Raf sputtered as he caught dirt in his mouth, hanging off Tarantulas' side as the Predacon sped through Nevada's plains.

"Hmm..." Tarantulas mused, having not noticed Raf's hair was stuck in his gears until now. "Megatron, it seems I have one of the Autobots' humans stuck to me. Shall I get rid of him?"

"No." Megatron replied, Fluttershy still hanging limp from his jaws. "He will make an excellent bargaining chip, yyyeesss..."

"Can I-pfft- offer- phaf! Something?" Raf sputtered out through breaths of dirt.

Megatron and Tarantulas skidded to a halt to let Raf talk freely, swerving off to the edge of the road.

"What, human?" Megatron snarled, doubtful this puny organic could offer him anything of value, but curious if he would betray his comrades.

"Old MECH base..." Raf answered weakly, raising a finger. "Not too far from here."

Megatron narrowed his reptilian optics at Raf. "How do I know this isn't a trick so you can lead your Autobot friends to us to rescue you?"

"You can't...really." Raf admitted. "But I...am really tired of breathing dirt through my nose."

Megatron put his claws together, thinking on the potential benefits and respective drawbacks of taking the human's offer.

"Can I ride on one of your backs?" Raf asked. "I'll behave..."

"Hmm..." As Megatron pouted whether or not humor his request, Fluttershy came to in his jaws.

"Raf!" Fluttershy exclaimed at the sight of him. "Are you okay?"

"No..."

"Silence!" Megatron ordered, dropping Fluttershy to the ground so he could talk more clearly. "I am in command here, and I will decide who gets to ride whom!"

"Oh, okay." Fluttershy crawled away and showed her submissive side- which took Megatron by surprise, as all the Maximals he had captured remained defiant, sure they would be rescued. "But can't we lift Raf up a little? He must be tasting dirt every time your wheels do a full rotation, and he's..." Fluttershy spared a glance at Raf, then leaned in close and whispered to Megatron like she was committing a huge conspiracy. "Fragile."

Megatron grunted, thinking that if one hostage was going to volunteer that the other was fragile so willingly, then perhaps Raf really was making a genuine offer for a base solely so he could stop eating dirt, rather than as part of any foolishly hopeful escape plan.

"Very well. Rafael, where is this...MECH base?"

Raf pointed. "140 clicks southwest."

"Mmm...Tarantulas, give our human, eh-heh, luggage to Fluttershy. Fluttershy, you'll be kind enough to carry Rafael with us, won't you?"

"Oh, yes!" Fluttershy eagerly nodded. "I'm very kind."

"And..." Megatron quickly added, pushing Fluttershy down by pressing their snouts together. "You'll be smart enough not to attempt an escape...won't you?"

Fluttershy squeaked in a way that would have been adorable, if it wasn't for the terrible situation they were in before nodding.

"Good." Megatron turned away. Tarantulas lifted his mandibles over his back and lifted Raf off him and onto Fluttershy's back. Fluttershy lifted her Insecticon wings and fluttered low to the ground, just above Tarantulas' eye level, and followed the Predacons obediently.

"Don't worry, Raf." Fluttershy whispered over her neck to him. "I'm sure Optimus and the others are looking for us."

"I..." Raf stammered. "Thanks, Fluttershy." Raf slumped against her neck. "I needed to hear that."

"You're welcome." Fluttershy told him happily with a smile, but that quickly faded as she remembered they didn't have

much to be smiling about.

Team Prime and their pony compatriots wasted no time in putting their pedals to their metals and splitting up on the roads. The GroundBridge wouldn't do them any good without a fixed idea of the Predacons' destination. Twilight, paired with Dash, had the frame of mind to pick up one of Ratchet's scanners and program it to pick up on Fluttershy's unique techno-organic signature.

"Come on!" Pinkie complained, banging her hoof on Bumblebee's dashboard, her weapon of choice – her custom Party Cannon- sitting in Bumblebee's passenger seat. "We need to find Fluttershy and Raffie!"

Bumblebee suddenly and abruptly hit his brakes. Pinkie her seat belt dig into her chest as she thrown forward.

"Hey! What gives?"

Bee-beep beep whee click wreeen whiiirrop. Wra wrrraa beep beep beep beep clic!? (You don't think I don't want to find Raf and Fluttershy just as much as you do!? Bumblebe scolded her. Pinkie was appalled, gasping loudly.

"I never said that, Bumblebee!"

Beep beep click wheeeo. ("I know you didn't.") Beep click click wheeo beep eep eep. (But we're not gonna find them any faster.)

"I'm sorry, I just...I'm really worried about them." Pinkie admitted, slumping back against Bumblebee's car seat in her despair. "Especially Raf."

Beep? (Oh?)

"Yeah...Fluttershy has that nice thick coat of Insecticon to protect her, but what does Raf got?" Pinkie questioned him. "And you know what the worst part is, 'Bee? After I made Rainbow Dash quit picking on his toy, I told Raf Auntie Pinkie was gonna protect him...and I didn't."

Wreeep beep ep. Click eep be-be beeped... breeoop. (We will find him. And we'll protect him...together.)

Pinkie felt a little better from Bumblebee's comforting. Bumblebee was supposed to protect Raf, too, wasn't he? He was, and he didn't either, so really, neither guardian was truly at fault.

Elsewhere, driving straight through a cactus he didn't see in the dark – it somehow placed itself in between the beams of his headlights- Optimus was starting to experience a similar problem with Ratchet as Bumblebee just finished having with Pinkie.

"Can't you go any faster, you- you semi!?" Ratchet's headlights blinked as he screamed, driving at speeds that were probably not street legal, much to Optimus' discomfort, who never strayed from the official speed limit if he could help it. "We need to find Fluttershy before those Predacons string her up and torture her!"

"Are you all right, old friend?" Optimus asked with an impressive calmness, given that his subordinate had just raised his voice at him. The calm, low tone provoked a realization from Ratchet, who felt remorseful for losing his cool with his Prime officer.

"I'm...sorry, Optimus. I just want to be sure Fluttershy's safe. And Raf, as well."

The two different makes of trucks drove in silence for awhile after that, taking in some nice quiet time to let Ratchet blow off some steam. (Figuratively of course, not literally.)

"Ooog..." Ratchet groaned and squealed to his stop, wheels slowly grinding. "I need a break, Optimus...we've been driving for miles, and those Predacons couldn't have gotten out of state at least..."

"Understood." Optimus nodded, pulling up besides his old friend.

Ratchet made a sound like taking in a deep breath. "My apologies, again, Optimus, for blowing up like that."

Optimus remained silent, which both soothed and unnerved Ratchet. He may have been just giving Ratchet some time to air his grievances...or Optimus was more offended by it than he let on.

"It's just...she's so sensitive, and if one of those Predacon ghouls decided they wanted to stick her with a hot poker like some seventeenth-century human who-"

"She is stronger than you give her credit for."

Ratchet's windshield wiper raised up like an eyebrow, and Optimus started up again and resumed driving with no further comment on the subject, leaving a stupefied Ratchet in his dust. Ratchet's processor just completely stopped working in the face of this revelation. Fluttershy was...strong?

As he laid there, a civilian ambulance parked amidst loose desert rocks, Ratchet began to replay all the moments he had really gotten to know Fluttershy in his mind. She was sweet. She loved animals. She apologized when she broke something of his (which is more than could be said for the likes Bulkhead and Rainbow Dash, whose apologies were always halfhearted.)

But she was also frail, like a flower...how could he have been underestimating her strength? He thought about the time he rescued from the Insecticon stasis pod that converted her into the hybrid she was today...how he interrupted the process turning her into an Insecticon, making her only half-Insecticon.

The more he thought about it, the more he came to see the truth in Optimus' words. Fluttershy had emerged from the pod, a half-pony, half-Insecticon freak of nature and...she ran with it. She didn't crumple herself up and break down over being a disgusting hybrid.

She didn't lock herself away, claiming she was too hideous for the world to see her face.

She took on her new nature, and she put what she had been given to good use in the Autobot cause. In fact, for a pony who loved animals the way she did, getting made into a part Insection...a part animal, while still being pony enough to maintain her friendships must have been something absolutely wonderful to Fluttershy.

It was after that line of thought that Ratchet realized how far ahead of him Optimus had gotten. "O-Optimus! Wait up for me, now!"

The MECH base Raf pointed out to Predacon Megatron for his use, a few miles ahead of Twilight's and Rainbow Dash's heading, was suitable to his standards. Though clearly abandoned and in disuse, the warehouse was holding up fairly well. That didn't keep Megatron from converting to his robot mode and charging his weapon and blasting the door wide open, replacing with a hole large enough for him to walk through, where he couldn't have fit into the human-sized door before. Tarantulas converted to his robot mode as well.

"Ah, yyyeeesss!" Megatron hissed, walking into the building and observing the various equipment the former occupants left behind. Computers, tracking devices, abandoned vans...everything a human could ever need to run a terrorist cell. A human, but not a Predacon. One must make do with what one had, Megatron would say. Tarantulas, Fluttershy, and Raf followed Megatron thorugh the door.

Tarantulas approached the dormant computer and pushed the power button. The computer burst to life, and Tarantulas started rummaging through it. "Mmm..."

"What is it?" Megatron asked, walking over to check on Tarantulas' progress.

"It's been scrubbed clean of whatever data was on it, but it's still functional." Tarantulas reported. "Give me a cycle, and I'll have everything we need set up on it."'

"No." Megatron insisted, turning an optic towards Fluttershy and Raf, who were sitting obediently in a corner. "We are not far away from the Autobots' base, and it won't be long before they narrow down our position and locate us. We are only here to rest our feet as we plan our next move."

"Hmm..." Tarantulas turned away from the computer to their hostages. "We should tie them to keep them from escaping...or at least lock them in a room."

"Agreed." Megatron scanned the area for a door to another room, and found one. "There. That should do." Megatron pointed his bronze Transmetal finger at the cold grey door. "March yourselves in there like good little hostages."

Raf moved to obey, but Fluttershy held her leg out to stop him. "No."

"No!?" Megatron repeated in the form of a question, quite surprised by Fluttershy's defiance, especially when she had been so submissive before.

"You can knock me out, ponynap me, lock me in room together with Raf, but you do not get to decide how I present myself." Fluttershy put her hoof against her chest proudly. "I will be prancing into that room, thank you very much."

Fluttershy, the lioness that she was at heart, bit onto the scuff of Raf's shirt and lifted him up, then pranced into the room, slamming the door behind her by lifting her tail and wrapping the tip of it around the doorknob, pulling it shut with a thwack.

Megatron and Tarantulas stood there in shock, blindsided by Fluttershy's sudden show of fighting spirit.

On the other side of the door, a former weapons storage room that now had nothing but empty shelves, Fluttershy climbed up and deposited Raf on the shelf, where Fluttershy thought he'd more comfortable there than on the floor. After depositing him, Fluttershy turned around and curled up into a corner.

"Uh...wow." Raf muttered, just as, if not more shocked as Megatron and Tarantulas were. "That was something, Fluttershy. Where did that come from?"

"Um...well." Fluttershy scratched nervously at the back of her ear. "It was the first thing I thought that was enough to show I wasn't really afraid of them, but not so defiant they wouldn't hurt you."

Raf raised his finger. "So you were...you were looking out for me?"

"Of course... why wouldn't I? We're friends, aren't we?"

"Well, I guess that's true. I, just... well, it's not Bulkhead's job to look after me, and it's not Bumblebee's job to look after Miko." Raf muttered, uncomfortable with all the special care he seemed to be getting from ponies left and right tonight.

"Taking care of everypony else shouldn't be divided into jobs." Fluttershy said, with a slight distaste in her tone for the idea of treating something as important of taking care of those close to her as a nine-to-five paid job. Fluttershy then rolled onto her side to take a nap.

"What are you doing?" Raf asked, incredulous.

"...T-taking a nap while we wait for the others to find us?"

"You can't take a nap at a time like this!" Raf yelped, raising his hands into the air. "We're hostages inside an enemy base! We can't take a nap!"

"Why-why not? Twilight and Optimus will find us, won't they?"

Raf's hand shook in the air, at a loss for words. He put his hand to his forehead. "Okay, we can be sure Twilight and Optimus will get here...we can be sure of that...but we can't be sure we'll still be here when they get here."

Fluttershy gasped. "Oh my gosh, you're right! What do we do?"

Raf turned his head away to think, then got a smile on his face and pointed his finger. "We stall. We need to find a way to keep the Predacons here for as long we-"

The door swung open, and Tarantulas stepped into the room, preventing Raf from finishing his sentence. "You." Tarantulas pointed to Fluttershy. "Come with me. Now. I want to run some tests..."

Fluttershy rolled over, before getting back up on her hooves. "No."

"No-!? Listen here, you, you're trapped, you're MILES away from ANYONE you care about-"

Fluttershy flew up, her Insecticon wings beating incredible fast and loud, and flew up right to Tarantulas' face. "You're...not...taking me anywhere where I can't take care of Raf."

Tarantulas' visor contorted in confusion of Fluttershy's continued -and escalating- defiance.

"You know, I happen to have a horde of Insecticons at my beck and call." Fluttershy informed him. "I don't know what they're like in your universe, but in this one, they're juggernauts. All I have to do is send a mere thought, and this place will be swarmed in minutes...or, however long it takes them to tell Ratchet they want a GroundBridge."

Tarantulas' features contorted, almost like a...smirk. "Well now...it just so happens I have a hatred of a certain alien species in my universe, so I made sure to plant some posts that prevent telepathy."

Tarantulas turned the tables on Fluttershy, literally and figuratively, as he proceeded to get into her face. the way Fluttershy was in his just a moment ago. "You can't call your friends. Nehehehehe!"

"Oh...okay." Fluttershy lowered herself back to the ground, collapsing onto her haunches.

"Now, I repeat.." Tarantulas hissed. "I would like to run some tests."

"What kind of tests?" Fluttershy asked with a note of suspicion.

"I want to understand more about your techno-organic nature." Tarantulas explained. "I believe if I could somehow replicate it, I could put it to good use."

"Well..." Fluttershy turned her eyes away and scuffed her hoof. "The reason I'm techno-organic is because I was crowned an Insecticon princess."

"Hmm..." Tarantulas put his claw to his chin, turning away as he pondered to himself. "So, it stands to reason that all I have to do harness this techno-organic power...would be to become an Insecticon Prince!"

"Prince!" Fluttershy gasped, putting her hooves over her mouth. "Does- does that mean you...want to marry me?"

Raf couldn't believe what he was hearing. Tarantulas was still thinking over how to put twist this knowledge to his own use, so he wasn't really paying attention and literally just said "Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever."

Fluttershy gasped even louder. "Oh my! Well...we'll have to start making plans." She began listing off all the things a pony needed for her special day. "We need a cake, a chorus, some dresses...who'll be the best mare?"

"Eh...what?" Tarantulas questioned, turning his attention back towards the conversation.

"Didn't you say you wanted to marry me? So you could be an Insecticon Prince?"

Tarantulas blinked. "Excuse me one cycle." Tarantulas opened the door and stuck his head out. "Megatron! The pony and I appeared to have a communications breakdown!"

Megatron, sitting at the computer desk and mulling over his plans a proper tyrant, grunted to make let Tarantulas know he heard him. "Yes?"

"I can either set her straight, or should I play along with her fantasy?"

Megatron pursed his grape-like lips. "What does the fantasy entail?"

"Me dressing up in a tuxedo."

Megatron's optics bulged out of their sockets. He put his hand over his mouth to contain himself. "Play along with the fantasy?"

"What!?" Tarantulas narrowed his visor, then slammed the door.

Megatron dropped to the floor, putting both his hands over his mouth as he attempted to contain the uproarious laughter threatening to burst forth from it. He was amused the idea of Tarantulas in a tuxedo.

Who wouldn't be?

Back in the prisoners' room, Tarantulas grumbled while Fluttershy continued to list off all the things she dreamed of for her wedding.

"And we'll have beautiful techno-organic spider pony fusion babies!...Hmm...I wonder if being an Insecticon means I'll have to eat your brains like a black widow spider..."

"No, no, no, no!" Tarantulas hissed, stomping his foot for emphasis. He pointed a finger at Fluttershy threateningly. "Listen to me, little pony, we are NOT getting married, and we are NOT having techno-organic spider pony babies! I...how is the idea of that beautiful to you?"

Raf raised his hand. "Yeah...I'm trying to keep out of the conversation, but I have to agree with him on that one."

"Well..." Fluttershy started shyly. "I love animals."

"Whatever." Tarantulas scoffed. "We're not getting married, OKAY?"

"Okay." Fluttershy nodded submissively.

Tarantulas made a sigh that most organics would describe as like letting out a deep breath. "...Okay."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"OKAY!" Tarantulas threw his arms up in the air. "Fer bootin' up cold, some ponies you just have to explain everything to, don't you!?"

Megatron burst into the room, preventing any further hilarious misunderstandings and alarming Raf severely. "Tarantulas, what progress have you made on your plans?"

"Not much." Tarantulas admitted. He reached into his waist and pulled out from it a hand-held buzz saw that was glowing the same green as the arachnid eyes on his chest, and began to stalk towards Fluttershy. "But I'm sure a good old-fashion dissection will take care of that!"

Fluttershy began backing away, while Raf raised his hands over his glasses to obscure his vision from the horrific sight. "Um...aren't you Cybertronians?" Fluttershy mumbled. "Don't you have the technological know-how to take a look on my insides without cutting me open?"

Tarantulas paused. "Yes...but this way is much more fun!"

Tarantulas continued to approach, eventually making Fluttershy back against the wall. Fluttershy spread her front legs out and held onto the wall.

"No. She's right. Besides..." Megatron grabbed Tarantulas' arm with his vice. He waggled a finger disapprovingly at Tarantulas. "Wounded hostages fetch much lower prices."

Megatron let go of Tarantulas' arm. Tarantulas made an indistinct noise of frustration and threw his buzz saw against the ground and stomped off, frustrated he couldn't indulge in his sick habits. "Techno-organic Transmetal knock off!"

"Forgive him. He's a bit...touchy." Megatron said to Fluttershy. Just because he was a rouge with a superiority complex and no regard for any life but his own, that didn't mean he had to be rude to his unwilling guests.

"N-n-no p-problem..." Fluttershy stuttered, still shaken from how close that buzz saw got to her.

"Just to be sure, you do remember it's not a good idea for you to try to escape, don't you?" Megatron questioned coolly, despite the anger that could easily spew forth.

"Yes."

"Excellent." Megatron turned away and left the room.

Fluttershy slumped and sighed. Raf, taking his hands off his eyes, noticed. He also noticed that she seemed even more depressed than she had been the rest of this horrid night. "I know this hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows, but what's wrong?"

Fluttershy turned her head away shamefully. "Tarantulas told me I was partially Transmetalized, and that meant I would have a vehicular extra mode...but I haven't figured it out what it could be..." Fluttershy sighed again and laid down on her stomach.

"Um...maybe you could use the time we have to practice and find out?"

Fluttershy's eyes widened. She quickly got up on all fours. "That's a great idea!" She converted into her green-plated, orange-optic ladybug mode and began pacing around, trying to see if she could somehow trigger her conversion into her undiscovered vehicular mode.

Meanwhile, outside the abandoned MECH warehouse they were inhabiting, Twilight and Rainbow Dash arrived, Twilight's borrowed scanner leading them right to Fluttershy's signature.

"She's definitely in there." Twilight noted, checking the scanner again.

"Right..." Rainbow Dash muttered.

Twilight glared, not liking Dash's tone. She knew what that tone meant. It meant Rainbow Dash was going to do her thing. Which typically involved charging headfirst into danger with no regard for the consequences. "Don't you think we should wait for Optimus?"

"Yeah..." Dash nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. "We probably should..."

Twilight was glad Rainbow Dash realized they should wait, but that was undone by a realization in short order.

"...You're going to charge right in anyway, aren't you?"

"You know it!" Dash took to the air and bolted straight towards the building.

"Wha-" Twilight stammered, her head twisting from trying to follow Rainbow Dash's movement. She started galloping as fast as she could to catch up with her friend. "Wait for me! At least I'M ALREADY HERE!"

Inside the base, Tarantulas and Megatron began to discuss their next move, unaware of the elite pony strike team about to break down the door and barge in.

"Have you found anywhere we could go?" Megatron questioned, hand resting on the back of the computer chair.

"Yes...I did a search on the computer." Tarantulas answered, turning the computer chair and standing up out of it. He walked towards the hole in the wall where the door used to be. "Our best option is to go-"

Tarantulas was interrupted by the sound of a click coming from just behind his head. He tensed up and turned around to see the MECH rifle Dash had liberated so long ago pointing straight at his face, Dash's tail arched over her back like a scorpion's tail, the rifle her stinger.

"Only place you're going is the scrapheap, pal!"

Twilight, a little late to the party -or perhaps Dash was a bit early- appeared by Rainbow's side, panting from the mad sprint she made to catch up with Dash. "(Huff...huff)...yeah! Where's...Fluttershy, you...tinfoil turkeys?"

Tarantulas threw his arms up in surrender and started backing away. "Easy now...you have me at your mercy...no need for violence."

"I'll have you know, I like violence." Rainbow Dash taunted him, walking forward so Tarantulas' face and the barrel of her gun were never far away from each other.

Tarantulas attempted to make small talk, attempting to plead for his life while not quite doing so. "Eh...who doesn't, really?"

Dash grunted. She was done making threats, and she was here to rescue her friend, not terrorize some piece of slag metal like Tarantulas. "Where's Fluttershy?" She was about to lower the gun to Tarantulas' chestpiece and pull the trigger when a cheap shot by Megatron threw her around.

"Grrr! I HATE it when the bad guys don't have the brass bearings to shoot me to my face!"

Megatron did not care for Dash's chivalry, however, and merrily fired another blast to keep her off her hooves while Tarantulas retreated back into the hostage room.

"Ooh!" Fluttershy bemoaned, able to hear the sounds of blaster fire occurring from the other side of the door. "That must mean our friends here!" Fluttershy, still in ladybug mode, crawled up the shelf she put Raf and patted his shoulder with her insect leg. "Don't worry, Raf. We'll be free soon."

"I hope you're right, Fluttershy..." Raf muttered, thinking of the worst case scenario, where Megatron would be able to capture their friends and add to their list of hostages somehow.

"Oh...I wish I could do something more. Oh...oh! I'm so upset, I could just-I could just transform with meaning to!" Fluttershy did exactly as she said, automatically transforming without being able to control it.

"F-Fluttershy!" Raf stuttered, awed. "You..."

"I know!" Fluttershy exclaimed, calming down and quickly turning back into her pony mode before Tarantulas came back into the room. Not a moment too soon, as Tarantulas threw the door open, buzz saw back in his claw.

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes and growled.

"Your friends have arrived to rescue you." Tarantulas sneered, a blast of laser fire audible behind him. "As you have no doubt heard. We could use a little extra firepower."

"W-what are you saying?"

Tarantulas pointed the buzz saw at her, and a green bolt of energy shot from it and knocked Fluttershy onto her side. Raf, overcoming his fear for a brief moment at the sight of Fluttershy being bullied, jumped off the shelf and ran up to Tarantulas, banging him on the knees. "You- you leave her alone, you big bully!"

Tarantulas remained dismissive of the human's valiant, but futile efforts, and swatted him aside, his Transmetal claw sending Raf flying to the floor. The human dealt with, Tarantulas approached Fluttershy with a some sort black USB casing with the Predacon insignia on it.

"W-what's that?" Fluttershy weakly muttered at the sight of it.

"Predacon shell program." Tarantulas answered, emanating a sadistic glee. "Never leave home without it. All I have to do is put it in the right slot, and you'll happily fight your friends in Megatron's name!"

"N-no." Fluttershy whispered, horrified at the prospect. "No...NO!"

Back on the other side of the door, Twilight and Rainbow Dash continued to exchange fire with Predacon Megatron, each one of them taking a shot with their respective weapon, (in Twilight's case, her horn) only for their target to jump to the side and dodge it.

"What have you done with Fluttershy?" Twilight demanded.

"Wouldn't you like to know!" Megatron taunted. He turned his gaze towards the ceiling and, thinking quickly, fired on it, making the plaster crash down from the ceiling onto Twilight, burying her in rubble. Megatron grinned at his victory, but the rubble pile shook and Twilight burst forth from it like a trooper on steroids -which she arguably was.

"That's it!" Twilight growled, making her way out. "I was trying to be nice to you, but now you've forced my hoof! Dash, I'm going into Terrorpony mode."

Megatron laughed at such a ridiculous name. "Terrorpony?" He wasn't laughing so much when Twilight' body seemingly burst into purple flames. When the fires extinguished, her body was adorned with purple crystal spikes, huge bony wings poking out from her sides. A disgusting noise came from her hoof, and a very large, long almost...sword-like crystal came out of her ankle.

She charged at Megatron with her, uh, 'sword' raised. Megatron blocked her attempted slash with his vice, and he and Twilight proceed to fence with each other.

Tarantulas kicked the door open. "Megatron! I come bearing reinforcements! I have successfully converted Fluttershy into a Predacon!"

Twilight froze at this. "What?...No...no." Megatron took the opportunity and bashed Twilight aside with his weapon.

"Excellent, yyyeeess! Bring her here, so that I may...command our new recruit."

Tarantulas stepped aside and presented Fluttershy, who marched out of the room with a burning determination in her eyes.

"Fluttershy, attack your former comrades!" Megatron pointed to Dash.

Dash stepped back, her gaze locking with Fluttershy's. "Fluttershy, no...don't."

Flutteshy took in a deep breath and huffed. "I..."

Fluttershy collapsed against the floor, drained of not just her will to live, her will to simply...be. "Like, whatever, man."

Tarantulas' jaw, such as it was, did its best to drop.

"Urg...something tells me that wasn't quite you intended to happen." Twilight boasted, getting her strength back up.

"Silence!" Megatron commanded. "Fluttershy, attack now!"

"Meh." Fluttershy rolled over on to her other side. "Whatever..."

Tarantulas curled his claw into a fist, cursing in his head his bad luck. He pushed the thought aside and drew his buzz saw/gun on Rainbow Dash, and the fire fight resumed.

Raf came to and groaned, rubbing the side of his sore head. Remembering what just happened before he was knocked out, he gasped. "Fluttershy!" He ran out the door to see the fire fight, and saw Fluttershy lying limp and uncaring in the doorway.

"Fluttershy!" Raf knelt to his knees, pleading for her to come to her senses. "I don't know what Tarantulas told you, but whatever it is, it's not true! You've got to get up and help Twilight and Rainbow Dash!"

"Whatever..." Fluttershy muttered, rolling over again, this time to her other side. Raf noticed the Predacon shell program chip tucked neatly into her ear.

Raf put his hand over his face, irritated with himself that he would be so stupid not to realize how easy this would was. "Oh come on. It's that easy?"

Raf reached down and tore the program from her ear, and she was right back to her old self again. "R-Raf? What's going on...oh!" She noticed the fire fight.

Raf put his hand on her neck to reassure her. "I think now would be a good time to reveal your new trick."

Fluttershy smiled, catching onto his meaning. She stood up and motioned for the Predacons' attention. "Hey, Tarantulas!"

Everypony stopped to see Fluttershy standing, a new found true determination in her eyes.

"Tarantulas told me that I was Transmetal, and that meant I had a vehicle mode...sort of. But the point is, until a little while ago, I had no idea to get into this vehicle mode. But now...now I do!"

Fluttershy converted into her ladybug mode, and then...her insect legs folded up and were covered by treads like a tank's, her mandibles lifted up, her wings folded down over her sides, and in what Twilight and Tarantulas found most surprising, was that a tri-barreled Gatling gun appeared, mounted underneath her mandibles.

With a grinding noise, she rolled over to point her fancy new weapon at Tarantulas.

Tarantulas put his claws up in front of his face to protect himself. "Oh nno!"

Fluttershy let loose on Tarantulas, as a Wrecker would happily put it, "Pumping him full of holes". (Holes really did start appearing Tarantulas' chest) as she unloaded a whole case into him, pushing him back from the force of the gunfire.

Tarantulas collapsed, not dead, but now thoroughly no use to anypony. Megatron saw this, and realized he was now outnumbered three -possibly four, depending on whether or not Raf counted- to one, rather than three to two. The girls all realized this, too, and regrouped, staring at him with triumphant smiles as they trained their weapons on him, daring him to fight now.

"Humph." Megatron lowered his weapon.

"That's a smart Predacon..." Twilight mused. "I figured out the energy of the portal that brought you and Tarantulas here. I can use my magic to re-create the portal and send you back."

Megatron grunted again and turned away. Twilight's horn lit up and sent out a straight blast of electricity that turned into a swirling portal of purple energy just in front of Megatron. Megatron collected Tarantulas, throwing the unconscious spider over his shoulder and walking through the portal.

The danger having passed, Twilight and Rainbow exchanged a happy smile with Fluttershy, who converted to pony mode and returned it. Fluttershy turned towards Raf, who made a thumbs-up.

Then they heard the sound of a weapon charging, and a blast from Megatron's cannon came back through the portal and hit the computer's controls.

A klaxon began blaring, red lights starting to flash through the complex. "Self-destruct sequence activated."

"Self-destruct sequence!? WHY does this place have a self-destruct sequence!?" Twilight screamed.

"All the bad guy lairs have one..."

"Can you fix it?"

Twilight scrambled to the computer and made a quick analysis. "Yeah, I think I can. Give me a moment...come here, Raf, I could use your hacking skills with this."

"Y-you want my help?" Raf stammered, unable to believe Twilight would employ him even with her contempt for his species.

"I'd rather we not get blown up, Raf!"

Twilight helped Raf up onto the adult-sized controls, and working together, the robotic and computer expertise between them enabled to handily and decisively end the self-destruct countdown.

"Whew!" Twilight wiped her brow. "That's a relief...I mean, I knew I could- I mean, we could do it. Couldn't have done it without you, Raf" She looked to Raf. If Raf was uncomfortable when Twilight asked him for help, it was nothing compared to her giving him praise.

"But...I thought you hated humans?"

Twilight wrapped her leg around his shoulder and nuzzled their cheeks together. "I do...I hate them completely...but I don't hate my fellow Autobots at all." She pulled her cheek away, leaving Raf to his blush. "Do you want to ride on my back?"

"Actually...given everything we've been through tonight, I think I'd like to ride on Fluttershy's...if-if that's okay."

"Of course."

Twilight lifted him up with her magic and gently placed him on Fluttershy's back. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy with Raf on him, all happily trotted out of the base, eager to tell Optimus they had Fluttershy and Raf back safe and sound.

"Hey..." Raf said quietly. "Does anyone else Predacon Megatron started that count-down as a distraction so he could escape the portal and stay in our universe instead of going back to his own?"

"No..." Twilight answered nervously. "But that's a good theory...what makes you say that?"

Raf looked down the road, where he saw skid marks off a motorcycle going off into the distance that the girls had yet to notice.

"Call it a hunch..."

"Hmmm..." Tarantulas mused, standing on a cliff with his master, bathed under the light of the radiant moon. "That was brilliant, the way you activated the self-destruct sequence to distract them."

"Yyyeesss, of course it was. I thought of it." Megatron rasped. "But there is a power vacuum int his universe...an empty hole, where a Megatron was. This universe, like our own, was cowered at the name of Megatron, and..."

Megatron, in his frustration, turned towards the moon and fired at it. He then raised his vice to it and snapped it proudly to the moon's light.

"IT SHALL DO SO AGAIN!"

Meanwhile, off in a far corner of space, light years away from Cybertron or Equestria, a ship was floating...and in the ship, an attractive white-coated Equestria mare with a black blazer jacket monitored the computer equipment for her master. She saw energy signatures she didn't recognize – the Transmetal Predacons, but all in all...

"Well, we have some unexpected guests..." The mare noted, turning away from the computer to her master, who was sitting on his throne, cloaked in shadow...but that didn't hide the insignia on his shoulder.

The same insignia Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen had found in the form of a badge at a place called Downtown City during a little accident a few months ago.

"The test of the Dark Bridge was a success."

"Excellent." The shadowy figured said slowly, his creaky voice wracked with a pain that wasn't his. His glowing optics narrowed in the darkness.

"All the preparation in the world won't prepare you for my return, Optimus Prime."

Termination Day, Part 1

And the mercy seat is waiting, and I swear my head is burning, and I feel my body yearning...

-Johnny Cash, "The Mercy Seat"

INFILTRATION

Story 2

TERMINATION DAY

(Try to imagine it with a Decepticon Symbol in place of the 'A' In "Day".)

It's an odd feeling. Being so integral, so loyal to something, then casting it all away like it's nothing to you anymore. To make the choice to abandon your cause, to desert your soldiers to the nearest one-eyed computer on legs. To simply shed yourself like a used husk... to no longer be that person...

Or so went Dreadwing's monologue to himself, trailing behind Rainbow Dash, his new captain. It was the strangest thing, how Dreadwing, the bronze-faced, blue-armored Decepticon Seeker, became a Wonderbolt cadet, and thus Rainbow Dash's wingpony. She was a good captain, Dreadwing thought, but he found some of her sudden orders random and questionable. Like trying to clear the clouds in ten seconds flat. To a Cybertronian, clearing clouds was improbable, but really nothing special. To a pegasus pony, it was a test of mettle. Dreadwing had beaten Dash's records of ten seconds flat with a time of 8.47 seconds, but Rainbow Dash insisted it didn't count because he used his trademark Gatling to blast them all.

"All right, Dreadwing!" Dash shouted, straining her voice so he could hear her over the hum of his own turbines. "Dive!"

Dreadwing would've questioned her order to suddenly dive down, grazing his wings against the tips of the Everfree Forest they were flying over, had he not learned quickly not bother trying to get a sensible explanation for her flights of fancy. He dived down, following her orders and her example, flying straight through the forest canopy.

This had the unfortunate side-effect of startling Fluttershy, and her Insecticons, as they were in the forest feeding the animals as Fluttershy loved to do, especially with her Insecticon buddies. They, and the animals they were feeding, scattered and nosedived to avoid being smacked by Rainbow Dash, the living torpedo, or Dreadwing's wings.

After the unlikely duo pulled up and returned to the sky, Fluttershy took in several deep breaths and stood up right, observing the scene of Dash's and Dreadwing's carnage. No one had been hurt, but the poor little animals were shaking for their lives.

"I should probably tell Dreadwing and Rainbow Dash they're flying too close to the ground..."

Fluttershy looked again at all the little animals and big Insecticons around. The squirrels were shivering, the birds were making clusters to defend themselves, and the Insecticons were groaning and rubbing their heads, occasionally looking to each other to make their fellows were in one piece.

"...Then again..." A rare hint of resentment actually formulated in Fluttershy's tone, seeing all the panicked animals. "I'm not sure I can handle talking to them right now."

Fluttershy looked upwards at Dreadwing's fading form and pouted. She started walking towards a rabbit to stroke it and reassure it everything was going to be okay. "It's all right, little one...Dreadwing didn't mean to scare, Rainbow Dash is just a bad influence on him."

Fluttershy looked up again the smoke trail Dreadwing had left behind. She started to wonder about the fact he had defected from the Decepticons, and somehow ended back up on Equestria as a Wonderbolt in training. Then Fluttershy's mind start putting two and together, remembering something that happened to her shortly before Dreadwing joined them...something horrible, something awful.

Simply remembering that awful experience caused to hyperventilate. A horrible realization dawned, a horrible one. One she wanted to deny even more than anything she had ever wanted to deny before.

"They're going to come for Dreadwing."

"You!" Fluttershy pointed her hoof/clamp at one of her Insecticons. "Come here, Johnson. Your Princess has a special assignment for you."

The Insecticon addressed as Johnson turned to one his fellows, who shrugged at him and bade for him to approach. Johnson tromped towards her and got down his knees, crouching down so Fluttershy could whisper into his audio receptor. "How may I serve you, My Lady?"

Fluttershy fluttered upwards and began to whisper into his ear.

Meanwhile, Dreadwing and Rainbow Dash continued to fly on, taking no notice of the animals they had just scared half to death.

"I know better than to ask, but what was the point of that?"

"To show how awesome we are flying!" Rainbow Dash answered her Seeker, rolling over to backpedal through the air. She flew back around and perched herself on Dreadwing's wing to take a break.

"Captain, I am not comfortable with you on my wing like that."

"Hey, after all that awesome flying, even an amazing flier like me needs a break." Dash breathed on her hoof and rubbed it against her chest proudly.

Dreadwing's cockpit hissed as it was opened. "I'd much prefer you ride in the seat."

"What are you, my mother?"

"If you fall off my wing and forget to fly, I will not have your friends hold me responsible for your death."

Dash scoffed and rolled her eyes, but she relented and flew into the pilot's seat, buckling herself in as the cockpit glass lowered down.

Dash put her hoof against her chin, bored already of Dreadwing's interior. She wasn't a fan of technology like Twilight, or distracted by shiny things like Pinkie, so Dreadwing's fancy controls did nothing to stave her boredom. Her eyes rolled from corner to corner, until she saw Ditzy Doo flying nearby, dressed up in her mailmare outfit, cobalt hat on her standing proudly, her mail bags ruffling with each flap of her wings.

"I wonder where she's headed off to..." Dash muttered. Since the formation of the alliance between Cybertron, Earth, and Equestria, Ditzy Doo's business had skyrocketed. She somehow had the means to get a letter and packages (not exceeding a certain weight limit, of course) to get from one planet to the next, seemingly without the use of a Ground or Space Bridge, or even a star ship.

"You know what, Dreadwing?" Rainbow Dash whispered, wrapping her ankles around his control stick. "I wanna know what Ditzy Doo has today, so follow her!" Dash jerked the pilot stick to the right, causing Dreadwing to jerk and spin out. Being a professionally trained Decepticon, Dreadwing recovered quickly, and then used gave Dash's hooves a low-intensity electric shock to 'persuade' her to remove them from his controls.

"I am capable of both following your orders and piloting myself, Rainbow Dash." Dreadwing informed her.

"Hmph." Dash crossed over her hooves. She raised an eyebrow, taking note of Dreadwing's cockpit. "Hey...why do Decepticons and Autobots come with organic-sized cockpits?" It was a good question. All the Cybertronians Dash had ridden, bar Arcee in motorcycle mode, had cockpits large enough to hold a pony or a human, neither of which was exactly a common sight on Cybertron. The smallest recorded creature there was a pest known as a Scraplet, and the cockpits were much too large for them.

"Have you heard of Quintessons?" Dreadwing asked. "In the distant past, they attempted to take over Cybertron. The cockpits present in a Cybertronian- if they're present- are leftovers from that time."

Dash found this to be excellent food for thought. What did these Quintessons look like? Were they big? They had to be, or else they would need some pretty hard brass to try to take over Cybertron.

Following Ditzy Doo led them right to Ponyville, and Twilight's library. Dreadwing let Rainbow Dash, then lowered himself down to the ground enough that him transforming and landing on the ground wouldn't cause too hard a tremor. It was good of him to be mindful, but there was no avoiding some shaking when a Decepticon-sized entity dropped to the ground from a suspended height. Thankfully, while some flower pots shook and some plats swayed, nothing fell over and broke.

Ditzy, not noticing or caring she was being spied on, knocked on Twilight's door. Twilight quickly answered. "Hello? Hi, Ditzy Doo! Do you have something for me?"

"Yes-sir-ee Bob!" Ditzy answered, handing over the envelope in her mouth. Twilight took it with her magic, opening it and unfolding the letter inside, absentmindedly throwing Ditzy her obligatory delivery fee. Ditzy saluted and flew off, while Rainbow Dash and Dreadwing walked up to the library to investigate the mysterious letter.

"Hey, Twilight!" Dash drawled, Dreadwing crouching down so he could overhear. "What do you have there?"

Twilight hesitated to answer, unease showing on her face. "It's...a letter."

"I know that! What kind of letter?"

"It's a human research facility..." Twilight answered. "They want me for their research."

"Awesome!" Dash exclaimed, draping a wing around her friend. "I'm so proud of you! Finally, your genius is recognized!"

"...Perhaps you didn't hear me, Rainbow Dash; a human research facility."

Dash's pride at her friend fell away. "Oh, yeah." Dash maneuvered around to get a glance at the letter over Twilight's shoulder. "What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know." Twilight answered. "I think I'll need to take this to Rung..."

"Who?"

"My therapist."

Dash scratched her head. "I know you don't like humans, but since when do you see a therapist for it?"

Twilight sighed, folding the letter back up. "Since he decided my 'contempt for humanity outweighed the extent of how they wronged me' or something." Twilight looked down at the letter again, reading it again.

Dash pursed her lips as Twilight's attention shifted away from her. "Eh...come on, Dreadwing." Dash jumped and did a back flip into the air. "I think I'm ready to fly on my own again."

Dash turned away and flew straight up. Dreadwing turned around and converted, following after her without any question. At least, none that he would voice.

Twilight watched them go, before closing the door and navigating her library until she found the terminal she had installed to communicate with any Autobots she had the phone number of, in a manner of speaking. She always enjoyed the many uses of different machines. She was even still working on completing her own GroundBridge in her basement.

After tapping the highly decorated machine that looked something like an overly decorated personal computer, it unfolded, showing its hinges and a screen. With a light form her horn, Twilight seized control of the keyboard and made it dial Rung's frequency. Static flashed across the video feed, before clarifying itself and turning into an image's Rung's face, with its chin and humongous browplates.

"Ah, Twilight Sparkle! You called at an excellent time. I was just checking my messages. What do you need?"

"Hello, Hung-Up," Twilight responded, showing him the same amount of respect and tolerance towards as she did the humans she loathed by not remembering his name. "I have something...interesting here."

Rung looked annoyed Twilight hadn't called him his actual name. He was starting to suspect she actually could remember it, but choose not to address him with, just to annoy him. "What is it?"

"Some humans running a research facility on Earth want me to help with their studies. I don't know how to respond..." Twilight unconsciously held the letter, folding it nervously in her ankle.

"Oh..." Rung's optics glistened. "Oh, this is perfect!" Twilight could see through the feed Rung clapping his hands together.

Twilight didn't share his enthusiasm. "Uh, what's perfect?"

"Twilight Sparkle, I highly recommend you take up this offer!" Rung exclaimed. "By combining these two things – humans, whom you hate, and research, which you love – you can build a positive association to replace your hatred!"

Twilight looked at the letter again, hesitant, but seeing the truth in Rung's suggestions. "They do seem to have some good equipment and research going on...if I helped, they could probably get something good done..." After a moment of tense silence, during which Rung frowned at her reluctance, she nodded her head firmly. "Okay! I'll do it! I'll take up the research, and I'll learn not to hate the humans...as much! Thank you, Rung."

"Wha- you said my name right!" Twilight shut the computer off before Rung could lash out further. "Hey!" The hinges collapsed, and the screen folded in with a khoo-choo-chee, causing it to appear less like a computer and more like a trash can with an awkwardly slanted square for a lid.

Twilight folded the letter up neatly before pocketing it into her tail hairs. She walked out the door, taking a deep breath of fresh air as she got ready to throw herself at the whim and mercy of the human professors who so interested in having her help them study.

Hmm...maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

She was distracted by that thought when she saw Rainbow Dash and Dreadwing still flying around Ponyville, Rainbow Dash showing off her flight skills, and Dreadwing following her lead, despite that he questioned every turn she made.

Twilight shook her head when she saw how other, less steely Ponyvillians than herself had their daily business interrupted by the sound of Dreadwing's engines.

Rainbow Dash made a loop-de-loop, then flapped her wings in place. She covered her mouth as she yawned. "Okay, Dreadwing...let's head back to the academy. I want to take a nap."

"You're found of that, aren't you?" Dreadwing muttered.

"You say something?"

"Nothing!"

They flew off into the distance, their shadows fading into the breezes as they flew over the mountain range, back to the Wonderbolt Academy where their bizarre partnership had begun. The sky was quickly fading from blue to red as Celestia made her sun adjust position appropriately to the time of day. Perfect time for take a nap, as by the time Rainbow Dash woke up, it would be time for dinner!

Arriving at the Academy's elevated plateau, normally inaccessible to those without flight, Rainbow Dash and Dreadwing, Dash stretching her wings and Dreadwing doing an involuntary- actually, it was more like an automatic salute when he had finished transforming.

"Geez, D.W. What's with the salute? Chillax once in a while." Rainbow told him coolly.

"Chillax?" Dreadwing questioned, crossing his arms to demonstrate his impatience with Rainbow Dash's language. "I do not understand the meaning of such a ridiculous word."

They arrived to the cabin with Rainbow Dash's quarters in it, and Dash continued to talk as she pulled out her room key. "It means to chill out and start relaxing." Dash jerked the door open and stepped inside. "Good night, wingpony!"

"Have pheasant dreams, Captain."

Dash stopped. "Do you mean pleasant dreams, or do you actually want me to dream about pheasant birds?"

Dreadwing stared, almost as confused as she was. He pointed a finger. "The first one...I think."

"Okay. Well, good night- wait..." Dash noticed a silhouette coming through the sky. A ovoid piece as out of place as a cereal oat amongst a jigsaw puzzle against the stars. Dreadwing, thinking the way he was trained to think, his first move was to reach for his Gatling and prepared to fire. As the shadow got closer, Rainbow Dash heard a noise she was struggling to make out with Dreadwing's gun loudly charging right next to her.

Once the figure was close enough for what lights hadn't been turned off on the Academy's edges to make out, Dreadwing and Dash could both see it was an Insecticon. Dreadwing kept his gun raised, not sure if it was one of Fluttershy's group, or Shockwave's army remnants. Once it transformed and approached them with with a sense of familiarity, they felt like pretty good in saying it was Fluttershy's. This was proven right when they could make out a sticker in the shape of Fluttershy's Cutie Mark on its chest.

The Insecticon came close enough to speak without shouting, and knelled at Dreadwing. "Princess Fluttershy has decreed she would like to see you."

"Oh..." Dash noted. "Uh, okay." Dash came out of the door, but the Insecticon stomped its foot in front of her, preventing her from passing Dreadwing's leg.

"Him." The Insection said, pointing at Dreadwing with its long, sharp claw. "Alone."

"Wha..." Dash muttered. She wanted to fly up into the Insecticon's face and punch him for daring to suggest taking her and Dreadwing apart, but she knew better than to think she could dent its tough hide.

"It's all right, Captain." Dreadwing assured her, putting his Gatling back into his holster for it. "I seriously doubt Fluttershy is capable of any unscrupulous dealings."

Dreadwing followed the Insecticon out of the plateau and to the landing bay, used for both landing and taking off, much to Dash's discontent.

Watching the two titans fade away into the night, before the lights of their power sources revealed themselves again as they transformed and rose up, Rainbow Dash had to chide herself for thinking as silly thoughts as she was. This was Fluttershy they were talking about. She would never do something questionable, even to a Decepticon, much less a former Decepticon. This was one of her best friends! How could she have questioned her motives? On top of that, Dreadwing was a highly trained and skilled warrior! If Fluttershy had something a nasty surprise waiting, he could take of himself.

Perhaps it was because she gotten closer to, and more protective of Dreadwing than she fully realized, more than she was comfortable admitting. He was good wingmech -wingman, wingpony, oh forgot it. Point being, he would be hard to replace. It was rare there was somepony who had not only the patience, but also the flight skills to put up and keep up with all the nonsense Rainbow Dash's adrenaline-demanding flight patterns would put her partner through.

She took another glance at Dreadwing's flames trailing behind him. She sighed, not fully grasping why she worrying about him so much, and went into her quarters to take that nap.

Dreadwing flew uncomfortably next to the Insecticon. Not that he was afraid Fluttershy had ordered his head on a pike, or something. But why had she called him at all? What did she have to talk about that couldn't be talked about in front of Rainbow Dash?

"Insecticon..." Dreadwing asked politely. "Why does her majesty Fluttershy wish to see me?"

The Insecticon groaned. "She said she wanted to talk to you."

"About?"

The Insecticon flew onward, focused on maintaining its course. Dreadwing decided to get his answer, he'd have to be a bit more forceful. He tipped over slightly and banged his wing into the Insecticon's hide, doing no damage, but all the same giving it plenty of warning of what would happen if he didn't answer.

"About?"

"She...did not say." The Insecticon rasped.

"Hmph." Dreadwing muttered. Looking at the shape of the ground below, Dreadwing made a conclusion. "This isn't the right path to Fluttershy's log cabin."

"No." The Insecticon admitted, showing no sighs wanting to deceive Dreadwing. "No, it's not."

"Where are you taking me?" Dreadwing demanded, making sure to emphasis the Insecticon would not like what was about to happen in his tone.

"Just keep flying. We're almost...correction, we are there." The Insecticon dived, and Dreadwing, though still suspicious, followed. They converted to automaton form, and landed. Dreadwing was graceful, though forceful, bending his knees to blunt the impact. Meanwhile, the Insecticon was entirely forceful with no hint of grace.

"No, no, no." Dreadwing heard Fluttershy's voice chiding. "You're supposed to play the-"

"Fluttershy!" Dreadwing snapped.

"Oh my!" Fluttershy exclaimed, turning around as she jumped off her hind hooves ten feet into the air. She didn't think to use her wings, so she dropped right back to the ground. "Dreadwing!" Fluttershy huffed, hoof on her heart as she tried to regain lost breath. "You startled me."

"Hmm. My apologies." Dreadwing said curtly, scanning the scene. Before him and Fluttershy was what appeared to be a warehouse with a huge slider door, big enough to fit any of her many Insecticons. Fluttershy herself was sitting at the bottom of the door, while beside her were three Insecticons, each with white bibs and black neckties that had been refitted to fit them. One of them had a cello hung limp in his claws.

Fluttershy righted herself and cleared her throat. "Ahem...shall we go in?"

The two Insecticons without musical instruments shoved their claws under the door and forced it open. Dreadwing was still uncertain, but he didn't see any normal tells of murderous intent, so he followed her inside.

"What the huh!?" Dreadwing shrieked in surprise at what was inside. There was a large table set up. A very large table. Large enough to seat him and a few Autobots. There were two seats, positioned opposite, each Cybertronian sized. Placed at one was plate of gourmet organic food, not that Dreadwing knew, and to the other was an oil can twisted and banged into the shape of goblet. It was also lit with candles.

"Please." Fluttershy asked him, gesturing to the empty seat as she fluttered up and sat in the one with the organic food. "Have a seat."

Dreadwing did so, made too vapid by how simply odd this was, did as she requested. His jaw still half-open in confusion, he glanced down at the goblet and saw it was full of brown oil.

"W-what is this?" Dreadwing pointed at the cup swirling in front of him.

"It's premium." Fluttershy answered like a goblet made out an oil can filled with premium fuel was the most common thing in the world. "Please, drink up!" Fluttershy held up her own cup, a wine glass with purple fluid in, and swirled it around. "Indulge yourself..." She happily sipped from her cup, her eyelids at an uncharacteristic for her low point.

Dreadwing looked down again the goblet, and picked it up. He eyed it curiously, still not sure he should drink it. If Fluttershy was going to kill him, it would probably be with poisoned beverages. She could walk away, and not have to see the horror on her victim's face as they died, while still being sure they were dead. Upon further reflection, he realized she had no motive to kill him, so he cautiously sipped it slowly before putting it back down.

Fluttershy seemed amused by this, giggling. "There's no need to be conservative. I have plenty." Fluttershy clapped her hooves together. The Insecticons that were outside, came inside. The one with the cello took up Fluttershy's side and began to play the instrument. One Insecticon took Dreadwing's goblet and poured into from a filled oil tankard, acting as the water pitcher.

Dreadwing glared at the cup as it was set down for him, then he looked at Fluttershy.

"So, how's life with Dash at the Academy?" Fluttershy asked, making small talk as she cut into her food with a knife and a fork.

"It's fine." Dreadwing answered.

"Good, good...she's not working you too hard, is she?"

"No?"

"Excellent..."

Dreadwing was no conductor, but the music the cello-playing Insecticon sounded more like a funeral dirge, rather than the appropriate dinner music.

That was all he needed to put the puzzle pieces together. His last clue. The final hint.

Dreadwing sighed and put his hands on the table. "How?"

Fluttershy seemed taken aback by this. She dropped her silverware, then picked up a napkin to wipe her face, even though there was nothing on it. "How? How what? What do you mean?"

Dreadwing slammed his fists on the table, making the silverware clatter and both their drinks splash in their cups, though they didn't spill onto the tablecloth. "How do I die?"

"D-die!?" Fluttershy screamed. "Why would-why would you think you're going to die, and how would I know?"

"Your Insecticon is playing a funeral dirge." Dreadwing pointed, pointing at the Insecticon in question. The Insecticon appeared uncertain whether or not that meant he should stop, so he kept playing. "You're being extraordinarily nice to me...even by your standards. You have a set-up, an expensive drink, a waiter to attend my every whim...and given what I know about you and your kindness, my conclusion is that you're trying to soften the blow before you tell me I'm to join the scrapyard in the sky, as you would any of your friends! Am I wrong?"

Fluttershy looked away.

Dreadwing stood up from his seat and slammed his fists again.

"Tell me, Fluttershy! Am I wrong!?"

Fluttershy continued looking away, staying silent.

"Well..." Dreadwing narrowed his optics and grimaced. "The only OTHER reasonable explanation is that you harbor ROMANTIC FEELINGS FOR ME!"

Dreadwing got a stark-raving mad grin on his face as he watched Fluttershy be boxed in by his verbal checkmate. "Well?"

Fluttershy sighed, then let loose. "Okay! Yes! You're right! You're going to die! Violently, painfully, and miserably!"

Dreadwing's grin did not falter, and he eased himself back into his seat. "There. Was that so hard?"

"Yes." Fluttershy whispered, though Dreadwing didn't hear her.

Dreadwing grunted. Pushing his seat out, he got up and began to walk around. He covered his face with his hand, not sure what to think about this revelation. Removing his hand from his face, he sighed. "How? How do I die?"

"They're going to come for you." Fluttershy answered, feeling guilty that she was telling him this, as though it was her own fault that Dreadwing was doomed. "And I think you know who I'm talking about."

Dreadwing turned away from the table, from Fluttershy's face. "What would you have me do?"

"Go to Cybertron." Fluttershy answered questioned.

Dreadwing turned back around and raised his brow.

"I..." Fluttershy fiddled with her hooves. "Tricked them into thinking I was dead once already. If they came here to Equestria, and found I was still alive...they would kill me, and this time, they would make absolutely certain I was dead."

Dreadwing stepped back, bewildered, before getting another crazy smile on his face. He was a stalwart solider, and did not fear the eyes of death in battle. Staring at Fluttershy's eyes, and pretending that they were death's was a disjointing experience. He wouldn't recommend trying it to anyone he liked.

"You want me...to return to Cybertron...to die...so you can live!? Fluttershy!" He pointed at her. "I didn't think you capable of such a selfish request!"

The Insecticons growled while Fluttershy flew out of her seat. "Oh, no! It's not selfish at all!"

Fluttershy put her hoof against her chest.

"I am not afraid to die."

Dreadwing glared.

Fluttershy rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "But...on Earth, when Twilight died, Pinkie Pie almost killed herself before we found out Twilight...and if she reacted that way to losing Twilight, how do you think she and the others will react to losing me!?"

Dreadwing gritted his teeth. Her point was illustrated to him perfectly; for Twilight to die was one thing, but losing somepony as sweet, giving and selfless as Fluttershy would be enough to push anypony to their breaking point.

"Very well." Dreadwing said solemnly. "I will do as you ask. I will depart for Cybertron in the morning."

"Thank you..." Fluttershy muttered. "I really appreciate you doing this...it means a lot to me."

Dreadwing snorted, then approached the door. He stopped just short of it, to Fluttershy's curiosity, and turned around, heading back to the table and gulping all the premium that was in the goblet. After putting it down, Dreadwing walked towards the door, before bursting into a dash and transforming into the night.

Fluttershy looked down. She put her hooves over eyes, lowering herself to the ground as she broke down crying.

The morning after, Rainbow Dash awoke and just had a feeling. Just-just a feeling that she got in her bones, that seemed to say today was going to be very unpleasant for her. As she yawned and stretched out of her bed, she tried to ignore it. She got out of bed and her quarters, and was quite startled to see no sigh of Dreadwing's vehicular mode parked anywhere nearby.

"Hey." Dash called for the attention of the nearest cadet, coming out of the quarters next to her. "Have you seen Dreadwing?"

The cadet shook his head no before pulling down his goggles and flying off.

"Hmm..." Dash looked around the area, quiet clonks from her hooves emphasizing her worry about Dreadwing. Dreadwing was a loyal, dependable solider. It wasn't like him to just disappear and go out for fast food or something. It was completely like Dash to do that, but not him.

"Maybe Twilight or somepony will know where she is..." Rainbow Dash galloped towards the edge of the cliff, waving goodbye to her commander Spitfire as she passed. "My wingpony's missing, so I'm gonna go find him! See ya later, coach!"

Spitfire showed no displeasure at this.

Rainbow Dash jumped off the cliff edge, wings naturally flaring out as the ground beneath her hooves ran out. Wasting no time, she made a beeline for Ponyville, flying as fast as she could – which as anypony would attest, was pretty freaking fast. She made no notice of the clouds or how they moved so slowly it was like they were in a different time to her, focused only on getting home and finding out where her wingpony went.

Some ponies waved at Rainbow as her signature bolt of rainbow colors curved into view, but like the clouds moments ago, she ignored them. Unlike the clouds, which couldn't feel, the ponies wondered what was causing Rainbow Dash to ignore everything around her even more than usual.

Determined to find out what happened, Rainbow Dash charged into Pinkie's residence which was also partially partially her restaurant as well. Everypony who was usually there at this time was there on time.

Unlike her partner, today.

There was Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy, with Pinkie Pie on the other edge of the counter, doling out coffees, sweet drinks and morning pastries as customers ordered them.

"Hey." Dash approached the table where Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy were seating, causing whatever conversation they were in previously to cut short. Dash didn't pick up on Fluttershy's nervous expression. "Dreadwing's disappeared on me. Does anypony know where he went?"

Rarity and Twilight looked to each other while Fluttershy started shrinking into her seat.

"No." Twilight answered.

"How bizarre. I understood that Dreadwing was actually quite punctual." Rarity added.

"Think, Rainbow Dash." Twilight pointed her hoof. "Did Dreadwing say or do anything to indicate where he might have gone?"

"No...although, now that I think about it." Rainbow Dash turned a suspicious eye on Fluttershy. "One of Fluttershy's Insecticons came over in the evening and said she wanted to see him." Rainbow Dash put her hooves on the table forcefully, while Fluttershy shifted her eyes. Rainbow Dash recaptured her attention by slamming her hooves on the table. "Do you know where he went, Fluttershy?" Dash snarled in a tone she didn't normally like using with Fluttershy.

Fluttershy shifted her eyes one more time, before cracking in the face of pressure. "Yes! Yes, I do! I-I asked him to go Cybertron so that I-so that I could live, and none of you would have to deal with the grief of me dying."

Rarity and Twilight looked to each other.

"Fluttershy, darling, whatever do you mean?"

Fluttershy ducked into the table. "Do...any of you know the Decepticon Justice Division?"

Rarity and Rainbow didn't, but Twilight did, and this was clear from the blush on her face.

"They tried to kill me once for that time I pretended to be loyal to the Decepticon Cause, you know, when they took over Canterlot." Fluttershy explained. "I managed to fool them into thinking I was dead, but yesterday, I realized they were going to come for Dreadwing sooner or later, so I asked him to leave so the Division wouldn't discover I was still alive."

Rarity and Rainbow struggled to process this, while Twilight thought about what she had done involving the D.J.D.

Rainbow Dash leaped over the table and grabbed Fluttershy by the shoulders. "YOU ASKED MY WINGPONY TO DIE ALONE!?"

Everypony in the restaurant noticed Rainbow Dash's outburst. It was hard to miss. Twilight and Rarity got out of their seats and put themselves in front of Rainbow and Fluttershy before rumors of Rainbow mistreating Fluttershy could spark.

"Nothing to see here, everpony! Just a light- well, actually a very large misunderstanding between friends." Rarity assured the crowd, waving a hoof. "Rainbow, darling, you're making a scene." Rarity whispered to Dash. Dash rolled her eyes and let go of Fluttershy, but it was clear she was still furious.

"Why don't we go outside?" Fluttershy meekly suggested, amber eyes trained on Pinkie. The four of them got up and began to shuffle towards the door, Rarity and Twilight smiling extra at everypony extra forcefully to protect Rainbow's reputation.

Once inside, Rainbow Dash raised her hoof to punch Fluttershy in the cheek, but managed to stop herself. "Explain this to me again, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash demanded. "You asked Dreadwing to go to Cybertron, so these...Decepticon Justice guys could kill him!?"

"Pardon me, but I find the idea of Decepticon justice somewhat...contradictory." Rarity interjected.

"It's less like justice and more like single-minded fanaticism that punishes deserters of all shapes and sizes." Twilight added. "Actually, I take that back. Pardon my pun, but 'Fanaticism' doesn't really do them justice."

"You didn't see them, Dash." Fluttershy reminded her, speaking fearfully. "They were...unnatural. There's no way you could have stopped them. We would all try to fight them, and then we would all get killed. At least this way, some of us survive..."

"There's nothing that I can't stop!" Dash snapped at her, but Twilight held out her hoof to Dash's chest.

"No, Rainbow Dash. She's right. I-I met their leader." Twilight admitted.

"And you survived?" Fluttershy whispered.

"If we tried to fight him, I'm pretty sure he would obliterate us, our friends, families, and everything in the area, just for good measure." Twilight explained, ignoring Fluttershy's question. "At least with their new target on Cybertron, we could probably fight them with better chances there."

"On their home turf!?"

"Actually, their 'home turf' is a far-off planet called Messatine." Twilight corrected her.

"How do you know so much about them, Twilight?" Rarity questioned. Again, their questions to Twilight were ignored.

"There's five of them...Tarn, Kaon, Tesarus, Vos, and Helex." Twilight rattled off, listing all her mysteriously acquired information for all of them to hear, to better prepare for the fool's task of fighting them on Cybetron.

"I think it was Helex and Vos who came to my house..." Fluttershy muttered.

"They all have their own unique powers, alternate modes are almost entirely composed of torture devices. Armor is coated with unknown materials that makes them more or less invincible..." Twilight let out a deep breath. "We may need to get Optimus Prime's help."

"May?" Rarity repeated.

"I'm going to get Spike to write a letter to Celestia so we can use the Space Bridge in Canterlot."

The four of them started walking towards Twilight's library, but then they stopped and turned around to Fluttershy.

"What do you think you're doing!? You can't come with us! Then there will have been no point in you asking Dreadwing to leave!"

"I-I want to help." Fluttershy stuttered. "This is all my fault, after all."

"Darling." Rarity put her hooves on Fluttershy's shoulders. "None of this is your fault at all. You were merely trying to protect your life, and by extension, our sanity." Rarity pulled her close and nuzzled cheeks. "There is no need to apologize for looking out for us."

"Okay.."

"Maybe you can gather a troop of Insecticons." Twilight suggested helpfully. "Uh..just make sure they leave your name of their war cry."

Fluttershy nodded, and then they were on their way. Within minutes of arriving at the library and sending the letter, there was a Space Bridge opened up for them to jump into and find themselves in the Autobots' base, going from one end of the solar system to the other within a matter of minutes.

As they tumbled through the Bridge, landing on a platform, Twilight was too eager to ask for help to realize they were interrupting something. "Optimus! We need-"

"Autobots, I cannot overemphasize the importance of your task." said Optimus' stoic voice, as he gestured at the computer.

"Oh..." Twilight realized she had spoken out of turn and backed away. In front of them, separated the safety railing were three Autobots whom Twilight guessed were who Optimus was talking to. Ultra Magnus, Optimus' more laid back brother and leader of the Wreckers. (By "laid back" that meant "Reckless, violent, and everything a Wrecker hopes to be.") Recently returned Grimlock, leader of the Dinobots and – as Rarity eloquently put it - "The Autobot's Decepticon," as Grimlock was somehow more violent than Magnus, yet remained firmly on the side of good. Grimlock was pretty much the biggest jerk one could be while still (barely) being an Autobot. He looked a little uncomfortable, having to crouch to fit inside the base.

There was a third one they didn't recognize, who seemed to have Magnus' colors, but a model of Optimus' body as his framework. Steel bars were visible in his proudly protruding chest, and he was adorned with the power lines found in Cybertronians every so often. Twilight could easily sense the friction between him and the two loose cannons he was standing in between.

"It is paramount that these Decepticon uprisings on the expanse of outer space be immediately quelled, or at the very least, contained to the planets they are stationed on. Lest the Decepticons under Shockwave's Neutrality Agreement hear of it and decide they'd rather follow the lead of these warlords and their blood lust, rather than Shockwave's logic."

"'Kay." Magnus said.

"Any excuse to bust some heads." Grimlock muttered, pounding his fists together.

The 'bot they didn't recognize saluted, apparently taking the situation more seriously than Grimlock of Magnus. "I will do my best to quash these uprisings, and any thoughts of rebellion, sir." His voice was extremely stern. Quite possibly sterner, and definitely less warm than Optimus'

Optimus nodded to let them all know he heard what they said. "Autobots-"

"Who's the new guy?"

Every Autobot in the room turned to the ponies.

Optimus cleared his throat and stepped forward. He gestured an open hand at the new arrival. "May I present, commander of the Cybertron Elite Guard, Magnum."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Magnum." Rarity said sweetly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Magnum, sir." Magnum tersely corrected her, hands on his hips.

"Uhp uhp uhp!" Ultra Magnus objected. "She's a Wrecker, Magnum. She answers to me."

Magnum was appalled by this. "This organic is a member of your Wreckers? Why am I not surprised?" He pointed a finger at Magnus, who rolled his optics back. "Putting an organic in harm's way is one of the most sacred Autobot codes, so it's no surprise to see why you would put this pony in the line of fire!"

"At ease, Magnum." Optimus said coolly, attempting to defuse the situation before it escalated into blows. That was bad enough itself, but with Grimlock here, he would no doubt be eager to encourage a brawl. "These ponies have demonstrated not only a willingness to throw themselves into the fray, but an aptitude for it as well."

Magnum seemed placated by this, but he still looked displeased.

"Well, on the bright side," Ratchet interjected, glaring at Magnus, Grimlock, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight all in turn. "It's nice to have someone here who actually respects proper procedure for a change."

Twilight was shocked that Ratchet had included her in that group. "Wha- since when do I not follow proper procedure!? I always follow proper procedure!"

Ratchet raised a finger of his own. "Raising undead Terrorcons with which to terrorize a human populace is not proper procedure!"

Magnum looked to Ratchet, then to Optimus, then to Twilight. "Is this true? Have you been dabbling in the forbidden art of Dark Energon?"

Twilight was wondering what Optimus meant when he mentioned Decepticon uprisings, so she decided now was good time to ask. Hopeful that would diverge the conversation enough that Magnum wouldn't be able to mount an investigation into her recreational activities. "You said something about Decepticon uprisings, Optimus?"

"Yes." Optimus answered, turning back to the screen. "As you know, when our home world of Cybertron went dark, our kind scattered across the galaxy, spreading our war to countless other worlds. Now that news of Megatron's demises has reached these outposts, ambitious warlords are escalating their actions."

"Precisely to what end, we don't know." Ratchet chimed in. "All we can speculate is that either without Megatron's orders, they're free to cause carnage as they please, or that they hope to convince the Decepticons to flock to them and carry on the war."

"I have contacted various Autobot commanders to dispatch squadrons to attempt to control the situation." Optimus concluded.

"How about it, Rarity?" Ultra Magnus said, pointing at her approvingly, which made her blush. "You wanna go into space to wreck and rule?" Magnum scoffed. Magnus noticed, but didn't say anything.

"Well..."

"Take your time." Magnus assured. "I have some prep to do if the Wreckers are gonna go into space. Mostly, it's just figuring out where in the Pony Hell Wheeljack went."

Magnum didn't hold his breath this time. "Ultra Magnus, these are guests in our base of operations, and we should be polite to them." This time, Magnus scoffed.

"That's enough." Optimus warned them.

Twilight cleared her throat. "Anyway, the reason we came here is that we need help to fight the Decepticon Justice Division."

For all their seriousness, or in some cases, reckless bravado, every Autobot in the room was aghast at this.

"Fight the Justice Division!?" Magnus exclaimed. "Have you gone mad!? You can't fight the Justice Divison! It's- it's suicide! With more letters! It's suicide, with more letters." He pounded his fist into his head to emphasize his point. "It's certain death with delusions of survival!"

"Please!" Twilight pleaded. "They're going to come for Dreadwing! Rainbow Dash's wingpony!"

"Dreadwing? The Decepticon Seeker captain?" Magnum questioned, not up to speed on Dreadwing's status.

"While the Decepticon Justice Division is feared, and rightfully so," Optimus said. "I cannot let them punish Dreadwing for the simple crime of not wanting to fight anymore. Ratchet, contact the Rescue Bots, and have them prepare the Space Bridge."

"Optimus, are you sure you want go down this path?" Ratchet objected. "Tarn will certainly make every effort to extinguish your Spark, if given the opportunity."

"Rest assured, old friend..." Optimus spoke comfortingly at first, but his tone turned darker as he continued on. "I have no intention of giving him that opportunity."

Twilight cleared her throat. "Um, Optimus? I...I met Tarn before."

This seemed to quickly catch Optimus and Ratchet's attention.

"I...really don't want to risk seeing him again." Twilight admitted. "And I've...accepted an offer to come work at a human facility for scientific research. So...I'd hate to abandon my friends, but I really don't want to see Tarn, so could I do that instead?"

Optimus gave a rare smile, no doubt pleased Twilight had developed past her contempt for humanity enough to accept a work offer. "Of course, Twilight Sparkle. Tell Ratchet the coordinates, and he will prepare the GroundBridge."

Twilight smiled back, happy Optimus understood. "Oh! Rarity, Rainbow Dash! Make sure you go get Shining Armor's help! His Dark Energon infusion should provide a substitute for me!"

Twilight dashed down the stairs, ran to Ratchet's feet, and quietly whispered the coordinates. Ratchet pulled the Bridge, and Twilight was gone a moment after.

"Are we...sure Shining Armor will be so pleased as to provide such a tactical advantage?" Rarity questioned. "I've noticed he's not nearly as enthusiastic as our dear Twilight during symbiosis."

"Either way, Dreadwing is in danger and needs our help." Dash retorted, concerns about Dreadwing's survival being more important to her than Shining Armor's comfort or discomfort.

Elsewhere, several miles away, Twilight stepped out of the GroundBridge to be treated a sight she found most welcoming- a laboratory. A nice, big, laboratory to boot. There were multiple buildings, one in the center that was larger than any of the others, but they all shared a white color scheme and glossed over azure windows.

Surely, there was a plethora of interesting human scientific devices inside for her to use!

Speaking of humans, there was one at the door. She was around middle-age, about average attractiveness with long black hair. She was dressed in the typical (or stereotypical, if Ratchet was asked) white lab coat over a magenta shirt and black pants.

"Hello!" Twilight waved to her. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. I was sent an invitation asking if I wanted to come work here?"

"Ah, so that's what a pony is doing out at my humble laboratory!" The human said, coming closer for to her to talk. "I was wondering what an alien like yourself might be interested at my simple work office."

Twilight chortled, taking a look up at the building complex. "If that's humble, I don't even want to know what you call great."

Both Twilight and human shared a good laugh at her jab. The human offered Twilight her hand nd introduced herself. "I'm Professor Lucy Suzuki. I work for the pharmaceutical division of Sumdac Systems."

"Sumdac Systems?"

"That's the name of the laboratory! Named after our founder, Issac Sumdac!"

Twilight smiled, feeling oddly like she and this human could get along with each other. Even if she reminded her of Ditzy Doo on her more directionally-challenged days. "I...like it?"

"So, what's a fancy-schmancy alien like you doing, coming to help our primitive tech?" Lucy asked.

"Well, hahaha," Twilight chuckled nervously as she followed behind Lucy to the gate. "I kind of hate humans, so I was hoping that if I worked here, I could get over it through positive association. I hate humans, but I love science."

Lucy frowned. "Aww, that's a shame. Come on!" Twilight was surprised when Lucy offered her hand without any concern for Twilight's contempt. "I'll take you in for a tour, and maybe you can see we're not so bad after all!"

Twilight smiled anxiously, before giving her hoof. "I think I'd like that."

Lucy, with a surprising amount of strength Twilight was surprised by, Lucy excitedly ran into the facility, dragging Twilight with her. Twilight was amazed by everything she saw. There were geraniums that were quite large and healthy – a far cry from the pollution and poor plant care she had taken all humans to engage in. She saw briefly caught glimpses into the various buildings, where lights and sounds of all sorts of scientific experiments were being done, much to her increasing excitement.

Twilight stumbled when Lucy suddenly stopped and let go of her hoof. Twilight turned to see another human, male, short, overweight and with a skin a shade lighter than Agent Fowler's. His black hair pointed upwards with a white stripe in it.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Professor Sumdac!" Lucy apologized, clasping her cheeks with her hands. "I was just so excited to show Twilight here around the facility and-"

"It's all right, Doctor Suzuki." Sumdac assured her, waving a gloved hand. "Did you say Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight caught the mention of her name and grinned to show she was paying attention. "That's me."

"Oh, how splendid!" Sumdac jumped up and down like an excited child, clapping his hands. "I heard about your scientific experience, and was hoping you would lend your valuable skills to my facility, but I knew about your issues with...my kind. So it is good to hear you've accepted my proposal!" Sumdac gave her a thumbs up.

"Well, I'm ready to get to work, Professor!" Twilight saluted.

"Glad to hear it, Miss Sparkle. I believe the botanical division is trying to splice some Oriental plants together." Sumdac pointed at the direction which Twilight assumed was the botanical house. "Why don't you see if you can help them out a little?"

"I'll do my best."

Sumdac walked off, excusing himself as he had more business to deal with, being the head of a huge company that didn't limit itself to just one branch of science.

Twilight whispered into Lucy's ear after Sumdac had left. "Is wrong of me to think he looks like a pineapple with banana slugs for arms?"

Lucy giggled. "No. I think that, too."

"You know what, Doctor Suzuki? For a human, you don't seem that bad."

Twilight took another look around, and heard a very reassuring sound. The sound of an electric power surge as something, somewhere went horribly wrong, as science is wont to do, that would inevitably have to be contained by saner individuals in specialized suits.

"I think I might like it here."

On Equestria, Applejack charged into the Guard's quarters, startling Shining Armor, causing him to flail around and fall back from the table he was discussing important matters on with his guards, whom he had just embarrassed himself in front of.

"Shining!" Applejack snapped. "The gals and Ah are gunna go fight these rowdy Decepticons on Cybertron, and Twilight's not available. We're drafting you in to fill in for anything that may need some Dark Energon, or doesn't need it, but she gives anyway."

Shining looked around his guards. He lifted his pink helmet off his head and held in front of him. "I'm sorry, guys, we'll have to finish this later." The guards all muttered words of sympathy and understanding. Shining turned to Applejack, putting his helmet back on. "You know I don't like using the Dark Energon in my blood!"

"Well, tough." Applejack spat at him. "Me and the girls are down a Terrorpony, an Insectipony, and a nest of Insecticons, so we need yer help."

Shining sighed, and resigned himself to oblige. His natural sense of chivalry, combined with the fact his parents raised him to be courteous to mares, meant he could not say no, not with a clear conscious, at least. "Fine...let's go. Soldiers, tell Celestia to fire up the Space Bridge."

Shining walked besides Applejack to the Space Bridge platform, high on a platform in Canterlot where it was visible for all the ponies below to see so they would know where to go in the event they should decide they would like to go and see Cybertron or Earth up close with their own eyes. Shining noticed that Rarity didn't seem to be too in love with the mission they were going on. He found this alarming, as usually, Rarity would adopt the mask of destructive-loving attitude of a Wrecker when Cybertron was involved. Rainbow Dash also looked extremely disgruntled and bitter.

"Uh...you okay there, Rainbow Dash?" Shining asked.

"No." Rainbow answered forcefully.

"Okay! I'm...loving this mission already." Shining said sarcastically as he let the magic disguise fade and reveal his mutations.

They stepped into the Space Bridge and stepped out onto a suspended metal bridge on Cybertron, somewhat like a Cybertronian version of a freeway. Shining hadn't been there before, so the splendor of seeing the planet of metal for the first time appeared to him for the first time. That was quickly soured, however, by him noticing the presence of Changelings strapped to metal grids that electrocuted them with they fidgeted too much, drawing on their magic to power the planet itself. Dreadwing was on the bridge, overlooking the streets below where Autobot with ground-based vehicular modes were stuck traveling.

"Dreadwing!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, running up to her wingpony.

"Rainbow Dash?" Dreadwing questioned, confusedly turning around. "What are you doing here?"

Rainbow Dash beat her hoof against her chest. "I'm here to keep Tarn from sending you to the scrapheap!"

Judging from his expression, Dreadwing didn't what to think about this at first, but he figured it out. He stomped towards her, shook his first, and growled. "There is a reason Fluttershy asked me to leave Equestria and come here, Rainbow Dash! Tarn does not care how many other that will have to fall, or what he will have to destroy to get to me!"

"I know!" Dash growled back, stomping forward at him in response. "But I won't let him get you! You're my wingpony – my partner – and that means I have to look out for you!"

Dreadwing's optic twitched. "Ever since last morning, I have been having doubts of my change in allegiance, and this is my answer! Do you not realize you are walking straight into the jaws of death!?"

"Yeah, I know! DO YOU!?"

"NAAAHH!" Dreadwing raised his fists into the air and stomped on the ground. "A Seeker faces death with dignity!"

"Yeah?" Dash countered.

"Should we do something?" Shining whispered to Applejack.

"You know wut, Shining? Ah reckon yer right." Applejack answered. She walked up and put a hoof on Rainbow Dash's wing. "Maybe Dreadwing's right, R.D. Maybe we should just fall back and let him do what he's gotta do."

Dash's jaw dropped, offended at the notion. "I didn't come here all the way to Cybertron to help Dreadwing just to leave him to die!"

"I DID NOT ASK YOU TO COME HERE!" Dreadwing bellowed at them. "All you had to do to GET here was step through a Space Bridge." Dreadwing pointed in the direction of Kaon, where Shockwave's Tower and his own Space Bridge resided. "And that is all you have to do to leave!"

"I..." Dash snarled. "Am...not...going...to leave...you...alone."

Dreadwing raised his finger to say something, but he was cut off by a piercing scream from a voice that pierced their souls.

"DREEAADWIIIING!" The unmistakeable deep voice of Tarn screamed so loudly that it was audible for miles. It was as deep as an organ being played in low timbres to mourn someone's passing. The voice rattled their bones and stopped their hearts. "We know you're here! Come out and face us, traitor!"

Rainbow Dash was surprised that the 'Justice' Division was here already, but she regained her composure and started barking orders. She pointed quite emphatically at Dreadwing. "You. You will stay here. That is an order from your captain. Shining Armor, Applejack, Rarity and me will go and deal with Tarn and his goons." Dash turned to her friends. "All right, ladies, let's roll out!"

They galloped across the bridge, tails waving in the wind, before Dreadwing could even articulate his protests against this. Dreadwing gritted his teeth and turned with his arms crossed, unable to bring himself to disobey a direct order from somepony who was technically his commanding officer...even if he disagreed with it.

Rainbow Dash took the lead of the group. It was her wingpony on the line, and therefore her mission , after all. After some galloping, they swerved around to look over the edge of the bridge to see the Decepticon Justice Division looking around the town square, scaring the various crowds of Autobots and Decepticons who up until now were just minding their business. Little Pony and human tourists, visiting to see Cybertron, followed their lead and got out of there.

"There they are..." Dash growled to herself quietly. Each one in turn. Vos, black and silver with a faceplate, who appeared to made out of things a pony would find in a torture dungeon reconstructed into a robot. Kaon,named after the city, who, mostly beige, with little pink grooves on his, a pale, long face, and two electric generators pumping in and out of his back like pistons. Helex, extremely dark green almost to the point of being black with a window in his chest. Tesarus, whose face was covered by a red 'X' shape, a gnashing pit in his chest, and two huge claws coming out from his back like cords. Then there was Tarn himself. Purple and white, his shoulders were made entirely of treads, he had two cannons on one arm, one atop the other, and the Decepticon symbol etched into his face.

"Dreadwing!" Tarn aimed his cannon and blasted an unfortunate wall whose only crime was being a wall. "Come out here, NOW! You are one of the worst traitors Kaon has ever found! You were loyal once to the Cause! What possessed to join with these ponies instead?"

Rainbow Dash snarled, but being so high up on the bridge, Tarn thankfully didn't hear her.

Tarn took a look around and made a frustrated noise. "Bah! Decepticons! Spread out and see if you can find him!"

The other members of the Division nodded, and they spread out, marching in four different directions to find the Seeker who had abandoned the cause.

"I will find you..." Tarn growled.

"Oh, this is perfect!" Dash said, thinking she was talking to herself. She rubbed her hooves together in anticipation.

"What's perfect?" Shining Armor asked.

"Tarn's all alone!" Dash answered as she raised her rifle and charged it. "We'll just kill him, and that will convince the others to back off!"

"Ah'm not so shore that will work..." Applejack muttered. Rainbow didn't hear her and let off her shot, sending a red laser directly down from their position, straight into Tarn's face. There was an impressive display of smoke and fire.

"Nice!" Shining complimented. "I didn't think that would really..."

Once the smoke cleared, they could Tarn's face was completely intact.

"...Work." Shining finished.

"Who did that?" Tarn looked left and right, before looking up to see Rainbow Dash and her team staring down at him. "Ah! Now there's something you don't see everyday." Tarn converted into his vehicular mode – a tank with gunner chairs for the other members of the Division to ride in- and angled his barrel up at the bridge. "A bright, cute Little Pony with a death wish!"

Tarn fired. A metal sphere launched out of his cannon, its shape masking its nature as an explosive shell. It hit the bottom of the bridge, causing it to collapse. Rainbow Dash flew off before the rubble could clip her on the wing, and Shining conjured his force field spell to protect himself, Applejack and Rarity. Rarity chose a more direct approach and just levitated herself and them to another bridge. The rubble from the bridge landed on Tarn himself, burying him in the bridge's ruins. Dash smirked, confident Tarn had just terminated himself by crushing his body under the weight, but Tarn burst out of the rubble in his robot mode, screaming bloody murder and promising to take his anger out on them. He converted to his tank mode again and fired at Rainbow Dash, who causally moved out of the way, leaving the shell to explode in the air harmlessly.

Tarn converted again and began to march towards Shining Armor, Applejack and Rarity. Dash pounded at him with her rifle, but each shot did little more than produce a cute 'Pa-ding!' sound as it hit against Tarn's seemingly-invincible armor.

Rarity charged her magic and joined in on firing on Tarn, but her magic did as much good as Rainbow's gun.

"Watch..." Shining said to Rarity. "Twiley told me that Dark Energon has at least one use for it that I can use."

"An' that would be?" Applejack questioned.

Shining's horn began, well, shining intensely, a sphere of purple light forming around it. A six-pointed star flew out from the sphere and hit Tarn in his chest, causing a cluster of Dark Energon to spontaneously sprout from his armor plating. The light on Shining's horn remained, attempting to use symbiosis to bring Tarn under his heel.

"Rrraagh!" Tarn screamed and ripped out the cluster with his bare hands, before tossing it to the ground and blasting it with his cannon, causing the shards to scatter bomb the area around him.

Shining's jaw dropped. Twiley had been insistent that even Shining could utilize the Dark Energon for this purpose, and this had been the Dark Energon's chance to prove to him it wasn't completely horrible, and for it to fail so badly, at now of all times made his stomach lurch badly with the sting that came with failure.

Shining saluted at Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash, ma'am, you're leading the mission. My purpose being here – to provide Dark Energon- has failed. Permission to make a tactical withdrawal?"

"Denied!" Dash shouted at him. "However, I will grant you permission to 'run away like the little pansy you are'." She added coldly.

Shining bit his lips, but after creating a few force fields here and there for Applejack's and Rarity's retreats, he silently galloped along the bridge, fleeing from the fight, a new objective now dominating his mind. Applejack muttered something about him being easily discouraged, and looked down to see Tarn was still approaching their position.

There were some more powerful blasts coming from another overlook which made him stagger, but the zealot continued his march. After being made to stagger several times in a row, Tarn lost his temper. "Rraagh! Who's shooting at me now?"

Tarn turned around to see Optimus Prime and Bulkhead standing on the edge of the bridge Tarn had destroyed. Optimus and Bulkhead leaped off the edge, on the ground where the battle was proper.

Bulkhead put his fingers to his head and waved Rarity. "Sorry I'm late, my little Wrecker!"

"I forgive you!" Rarity shouted back at him playfully.

"Optimus...Prime." Tarn snarled. "It is fitting, then, that at last, I can punish the Decepticon's largest traitor- the friend of Megatron who abandoned him when the war broke out." He was referring, of course, to Optimus' former friendship with the deceased Megatron before Megatron fell into insanity.

"It was Megatron who caused the war." Optimus reminded him, pointing a finger at Tarn. He converted his arms into their blasters. "And I was friends...with D-16."

D-16 was the name Megatron was assigned by his superiors before Megatron took a new name for himself. The mention of Megatron's pre-Decepticon name, the flag of the rampant slavery that incited Megatron's rebellion. Tarn, of course, knowing all the history of the Decepticons and their upbringings, knew the meaning of D-16, and being reminded of glorious Megatron origins as a measly working-class slave miner, made him fly into a rage.

"AAAAAARRAAGH!" Tarn screamed, firing his cannon at Optimus without any of his normal precise aim. "I was here for the traitor Dreadwing, but you I will terminate with extreme gratification, Optimus Prime!"

"I look forward to it!" Optimus answered, defiant to the end, running around to avoid Tarn's blasts. Bulkhead fired what shots he could, but even consider how much more powerful his Autobot blasters were compared to Dash's human-made rifle, it didn't seem to faze Tarn in the slightest.

"Optimus, blasters aren't working!" Bulkhead rather exclaimed rather panicky.

"Maintain fire!" Optimus ordered, shooting his blasters at Tarn and strafing the Decepticon. A shot from Tarn's hit Optimus square in the gut, and sent him flying. He seemed to tumble backward in the air in a phenomenon known as bullet time, doing a full flip before landing on his back, dust from the ground coming up in puff as his weight displaced.

Bulkhead was temporarily distracted by the defeat of his leader. "You're gonna pay for that!" The ex-Wrecker converted his arms to melee configuration and rushed Tarn, smacking him in the face and making him stagger backwards before Tarn realized what happened. Tarn froze...and then slowly turned to Bulkhead, who realized he may have made a mistake. Tarn proceed to slam his fist into Bulkhead's cheek, knocking his lights out. Bulkhead collapsed unconscious to the ground. Tarn looked at him almost pitifully, wondering if it was even worth it to bother killing this measly Autobot. But then Tarn looked ahead, and saw Optimus on his hands and knees, trying to push himself up. Tarn causally strode towards the Last Prime, then slammed his foot into Optimus' back, pushing him back down.

"So here we are, Orion Pax." Tarn hissed. "You, beneath my foot, which you are not even worthy to give a message to, let alone be crushed under it." Tarn emphasized the word by pressing hard into Optimus' back.

Dreadwing, gazing out into the distance, sighed. He heard the plonk of hooves behind him, and turned to see Shining Armor coming to join him.

"Hello, Captain." Dreadwing spat at him, meaning no ill will towards Shining, but letting his resentment at Rainbow telling him to stay show through. "Have you news of how the battle goes?"

"Not really..." Shining admitted. "I tried to use Dark Energon on Tarn, and it didn't work out so well, so I withdrew."

Dreadwing gave him a hard glare. "You abandoned your comrades in the middle of a skirmish!?"

"Well, when you put it that way..." Shining scraped his hoof. "But look at this way; they wanted me for Dark Energon, I gave Dark Energon, and it didn't do anything. So I asked to be excused, and I was."

"Hrrrm..." Dreadwing turned away, obviously still upset, but unsure what to say to express his dissatisfaction with Shining's answer.

Shining trotted up to the ledge and threw his front hooves over it. "Don't get me wrong, though, I hear what you're saying, big guy."

"Mmm...do you now?" Arms resting on another ledge higher up than Shining's, Dreadwing was skeptical.

"Yeah. I never would have left if Dash told me to stay and fight for my friends..." Shining said. He rested his head in his hoof. "I'm just...a little shaken up right now. Dark Energon. Need I say more?"

"No." Dreadwing answered irritably, hearing an explosion from the fight echo off in the distance.

"It's all about loyalty, man." Shining harped, going into full-on hippie mode. "If you need to leave, and your friends are okay with that, then you can leave."

Dreadwing raised a browplate, intrigued by Shining Armor's notion. "Is that so? … It must be nice to have friends."

"Not nearly as nice as having a wife..." Shining muttered dreamily. His eyes popped as he realized he was going off-topic. "Ahem...anyways, it's nice to know your friends will support your decisions, no matter what."

"Yes..." Dreadwing answered quietly, looking down. He pulled his arms off the ledge and turned away, walking away from the ledge and towards the destroyed bridge.

"Wha-where are you going!?" Shining exclaimed.

"My Captain, my friend, Rainbow Dash, did not support my decision to face Tarn alone." Dreadwing snarled at him, pulling out his sword to Shining's alarm. "The mercy seat is waiting for me, Captain."

Dreadwing turned, sprinted forward, and converted into his Lightning mode. He flew over the edge and towards the bridge where Rarity and Applejack had gone to after the first bridge was destroyed, transforming and landing on the now-vacant bridge with a thump, and crouched to observe the battle.

Applejack charged at Tarn's foot and bucked it, putting in all the force her hind legs could muster, but Tarn punted her aside before doing the same thing to Rarity. Tarn stomped Optimus' back again and raised his cannon-arm. Borrowing a trick from Megatron's own book, Tarn's cannon lifted up slightly, and a blade unfurled from underneath the barrel. It was a long, black blade with white rim, with a tip that curved like a scimitar. The blade was raised, Prime was pinned. Everything was set for Tarn to deal the killing blow.

Dreadwing reached to his hip and whipped out his pistol, but one of his many weapons, and fired at Tarn's head. The bullet bounced off harmlessly, but it caught Tarn's attention. "Who's shooting at me NOW!? Tarn shrieked, but he was elated to see it was his original target, Dreadwing. "So, Dreadwing! You finally show yourself!"

"What!?" Dash screamed. She flew to the bridge and landed by Dreadwing's feet. "Dreadwing, what are you doing? As my wingpony, I ordered you to stand down!"

Dreadwing looked at her and grunted. "I was a Seeker." Dreadwing crisscrossed his arms and ripped the Wonderbolts' logo off his wings, revealing the Decepticon symbols underneath. Dreadwing literally toss them both into Dash's face, where the stickers stuck to her cheeks. Rainbow Dash peeled them off, and cried, looking at the discarded stickers in her hoof. She looked up at Dreadwing, wanting, but unable to say "How could you?"

"And as of this moment, I am no longer your wingpony, but a Seeker again."

Dash tossed the stickers to the ground. "No! I'm not going to let you do – this!" Dash's voice turned stained, as she felt cold metal pressing against the back of her neck. The tip of Dreadwing's curved sword.

"I will not have my loyalty or honor disgraced by having you and your friends die for me." Dreadwing informed, speaking without a trace of sadness or fear in his tone. He removed the sword from Dash's neck and turned towards Tarn. "TARN! I know you have come for me! Come to the elevated platform due northwest of here, and I will meet my fate with dignity."

"Excellent..." Tarn was so pleased Dreadwing had given himself up, he forgot all about executing Optimus.

"I won't let you do this!" Rainbow Dash yelled at Dreadwing. Dreadwing turned to her and punted her off the bridge to the ground below. Dash grunted when she hit the ground, too surprised to spread her wings.

To ensure none of them would follow him and as a result, get themselves killed by Tarn and his cronies, Dreadwing pulled a plated bomb and threw at the ground. The blast was fairly tame, compared to what his bombs usually did, but the resulting shockwave was enough to knock Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and the briefly conscious-again Autobots out.

Tarn was close to the epicenter of the blast, and when the smoke cleared, not only was he uninjured, but he hadn't even been moved from the bomb's pressure wave, even though he was right next to it.

Dreadwing, his challenge to Tarn issued, and his former Wonderbolt captain unable to stop what had been set in motion, Dreadwing turned, transformed, and flew off the platform where the Decepticon Justice Division would spend all day waiting for him. So even though he specified sunset for the time, the Division would be there all day from this point onward, waiting for him...and they would rampage again in search of Dreadwing if the Seeker didn'tturn up. That was fine, as Dreadwing was a mech of his word. He would be there.

Dreadwing flew to the platform he specified, northwest. The platform didn't much to note about it, aside from the fact it was dark green with a grid pattern. The time neared sunset as he approached, and as predicted, the entire Decepticon Justice Division was gathered, waiting impatiently for him and ready to slag this traitor and move on to their next target.

Dreadwing transformed and landed on the rim of the platform and stood to face them.

Tarn pointed to Kaon, who converted into his alternate mode. Calling it a 'vehicle mode' would be misleading, as he turned into a Cybertronian-sized electric chair. "Into the chair."

Dreadwing regard Kaon's for a minute, as if in contemplation. Then he whipped out his pistol and shot out the generator on Kaon's chair-back. Kaon short-circuited, electric sparks flying from, and automatically transformed back to robot mode. He staggered, trying to stay on his feet, but was overwhelmed by his overload and fell.

The other Division members looked on in shock, then turned to Dreadwing with anger written on their faces.

"You want to kill me?" Dreadwing screamed at them. "You want to slaughter me like a pig in a barn!? No! You do not have the right to kill me!"

Dreadwing drew his blades, one thin and silver, the other broad and blue, shaped like a thunderbolt, and crossed them in a 'X', making a echoing clang at the Division.

"Come hither...and earn it."

The Division members that still stood shook their fists, then charged at Dreadwing. Helex came at him first and knocked the swords out of Dreadwing's hands, but Dreadwing countered by slapping a bomb to Helex's face. Helex flailed backwards as he attempted to pry the bomb off his face. Next was Tesarus, who launched his corded claws at Dreadwing. Dreadwing grabbed the cables before the claws could grip him, and swung Tesarus by them, throwing the surprised fanatic off his heel struts. Tarn came at Dreadwing and got a good slap in, making Dreadwing stumble, but before Tarn could press his advangtage, Dreadwing recovered and gave Tarn a boot to the stomach, throwing him backwards. Vos leaped on Dreadwing and wrapped his arms around Dreadwing's neck and tried to choke him. Which didn't make much sense, as Dreadwing was a Decepticon and therefore did not need to breath. Dreadwing bent over and threw Vos off his back to the ground and stomped the leathery 'bot in his stomach, but Tesarus got up and launched a claw from behind, seizing Dreadwing by the midsection. Dreadwing struggled against the bind, then with some difficulty, reached for his sword on the ground, grabbed it, and used it to slice Tesarus' claw off.

He fought long.

He fought hard, against the beat of the setting Cybertronian sun.

He fought nobly, even as he fought for his life.

Every time their armor and his blades would graze,

He'd make sure they could see his face.

He fought long.

He fought hard, refusing to fall until the fight was done.

He fought honorably, to the bitter end...but ultimately...

It was a fight he could not win.

Dreadwing batted Vos away again, and prepared to strike a killing blow, but Tarn came behind him and stabbed through the back with his arm-blade, impaling Dreadwing through his chest. Tarn jerked his sword and watched with masked glee as Dreadwing gasped and fell. Tarn raised his hand to signal their work here was done. Helex picked up the unconscious Kaon, and they left, to go wherever they went when they weren't hunting Decepticons or Autobots down.

Rainbow Dash woke up around the same time as Applejack, Rarity, Optimus, and Bulkhead did. Dash rubbed her head. "Oooh...what happened?"

Rainbow Dash's eyes popped, and she looked around, remember exactly what happened before she blacked out. Dreadwing. Dreadwing renouncing his allegiance to the Wonderbolts and renewing his commitment to the Seekers by throwing the Wonderbolt stickers into her face, just after... just after he challeged Tarn.

"No!" Dash screamed to herself, taking to the skies and blazing through skyscrapers. "No, no, no, no!"

After some manevering, she passed by a building, but as she passed it, she caught a glimpse of a claw that could only belong to Dreadwing, she backed up and headed straight for it.

"No! NO!"

Rainbow Dash crash-landed, skidding to a halt on the platform, looking on in denial at Dreadwing's broken form. His left leg had been severed below the knee, several parts on him were sparking, and his expression was an expression of pain that was only half-finished before he offlined, causing him to look really stupid.

Optimus' fingers reached over the platform, and he lifted Rarity and Applejack up as Bulkhead crawled beside him. "Rainbow Dash, are you all right-?"

"Oh my..." Rarity murmured, seeing Dreadwing's body.

Applejack put her hat over her chest, as she always did when she wanted to be sure everypony knew she meant was saying. "Ah'm so sorry, R.D...Ah guess there are some things you just can't fix..."

"No!" Rainbow swore, in denial that there were things that just couldn't be fixed. In denial her newest and best wingpony was dead before her eyes. She began pounding on his still-attached leg, her hoof making thumps against the navy blue metal.

"No! NOOOOOO!"

Termination Day, Part 2

Into the mercy seat I climb, my head is shaved, my head is wired, and like a moth that tries to enter the bright eye, I go shuffling out of life, just to hide in death awhile... -Johnny Cash, "The Mercy Seat"

INFILTRATION

Story 2

TERMINATION DAY

(With a Decepticon Symbol in place of the 'A' In "Day".)

Twilight watched with fascination at the plant before her on a dissecting tray, watching as it grew right before her eyes. "Wow...isn't science amazing?" Twilight oohed to herself, putting her knees on the table to enjoy the sight. The two human scientists next to her nodded. Unlike Lucy and Sumdac, they weren't so big on having a pony – an undead pony with magic that quite easily kill them at that – helping out with what was supposed to be their project. Before either one of them could express disapproval and upset Twilight, Lucy burst into the door.

"Hey, Sparkly!"

"Hello, Doctor Suzuki." Twilight greeted mechanically, too enamored with the plant to care much. "Have something for me?"

"No, not really..." Lucy answered as she waltzed into the room. "And please, call me Lucy."

"Uh-huh..." Twilight nodded, eyes still more on the plant. The plant was starting to grow a little beyond what the scientists had prepared for.

"Uh, Miss Twilight?" One botanist raised his hand. "The plant's not supposed to be growing that large..."

"It'll be...fine." Twilight attempted to assuage his worries, but the plant's vines began growing larger and thickening. It also began to make noises that Twilight was sure would turn from what they were into snarling if the plant was allowed to grow. Seeing the potential danger, Twilight relented. "Okay, okay, I can fix this." She beamed the plant with her magic, setting it aflame. The plant shrieked, its vines curling from dehydration as the flames burned through its veins. The fire alarm system went off, subjecting Twilight, Lucy, and the two botanist to an unwelcome shower. Twilight, not wearing clothes anyway, only found it mildly annoying that her damp hair drooped into her eyes. The botanists in the room grumbled about their lab coats being wet. Lucy airily laughed it off and draped her arm around Twilight's neck.

"How about we go find something else for you to do?"

"Sounds good!" Twilight eagerly agreed, making an observation that, if that little burnt pile where the plant used to be was the result of her working on a plant, she'd probably do better with something else.

They walked out of the botany lab to be welcomed by the sight of Shining Armor wandering around, being at the same time fascinated by the scientific innovation going around him and intimidated by the science-y science his puny knight in shining armor mentality didn't really understand.

"Shining Armor!" Twilight exclaimed, happy to see her brother here. She ran up to and they embraced in a hug. "What are you doing here? You were supposed to be backing up the others' against the Division!"

Shining chuckled awkwardly. "Heh-Heh...yeah...that didn't go so well, so I left. I heard you working at a facility, so I thought I might as well visit."

"Oh..." Twilight looked down. She had known him long enough to understand what he meant when he said certain things, and she knew he was talking about the Dark Energon. Somehow, it wasn't up to snuff. "Yeah..."

Twilight removed herself from him, then trotted away slowly. Shining grew concerned, as her legs were moving stiffly as though her body was numb. "Twiley, what's wrong?"

Twilight ignored him and continued on her way. Shining sighed and trotted the opposite direction from her. Lucy noticed the cloud of depression hanging on between the two siblings, and resolved to treat at least one of them, so she ran up to Twilight to take her turn at asking what was wrong.

"Hey, Twilight! What's wrong? Seems like Shining said something that upset you..."

"He did." Twilight admitted, coming to a stop for her new friend. "He resigned from a fight with some Decepticons who were causing some trouble, and I told Optimus I was scared to see them again."

Lucy put her hand to her chin. "Were you?"

"Yes...but not for the reason Optimus and the others think." Twilight answered, and Lucy could tell Twilight was feeling guilty about something. "It's because I did...something for the Decepticon in question and I couldn't think to bear what would happen if Optimus found out, and especially from that Decepticon, out of them all."

Lucy put a hand on Twilight's back and rubbed it comfortingly, hoping to sooth the horse and assure her she was among friends and could talk freely without judgment. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"No. Come on." Twilight tore away from Lucy and pointed a building that had a plastic sign in the shape of a Tesla coil mounted above the door. "I want to go see what's in there." Twilight, regaining her enthusiasm at all the wonders Sumdac Systems' advanced technology had to offer her, quickly dashed towards the door.

"Ah," Lucy sighed in relief and clapped her hands together, happy to see Twilight could shake off her depression so quickly. "The electricity building..." Lucy ran after her into the building.

Shining Armor watched them go, equally glad that Twilight could get so happy so quickly. He then felt the familiar feeling of somepony bumping into his chest. He and it were well-acquainted with each other, as he couldn't count on his tail hairs the number of times Twilight had ran straight into his chest because she wasn't looking in their childhoods.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" The human that ran into him said, throwing his arms and backing away. "I wasn't looking where I was going, and-"

"Hey." Shining Armor put a hoof on the human's shoulder. "It's okay. Used to happen to me all the time. Brought back some good memories..." Shining Armor rubbed his chin, reminiscing of better times with his sister. He then noticed the distinctive 'S' logo on the uniform of the human. "Hey, aren't you Issac Sumdac?"

"Hmm? Oh. Yes, I am."

"I heard about what you did for Twiley..." Shining told him. "It's good of you to give her a chance."

"Oh yes." Sumdac nodded, agreeing with Shining Armor's statement. "I read her military file, and I have no doubt whoever wrote was extremely biased about it."

"Wha-Twiley has a military file?" Shining questioned.

"Yes." Sumdac rolled his eyes. "You should have seen it. 'Insane Pony fanatical to the Canterlot cause only granted amnesty by virtue of serving the Autobots'." Sumdac scoffed. "Unbelievable."

Shining's interest was piqued, as he was fairly sure from Sumdac's sample of the file's writing that he knew was behind it and its obviously slanted view. General Madison. A human military commander Shining had yet to meet himself, but going from Twilight and her friends' reports, he was a real piece of work with a grudge against whoever looked at him funny. He dismissed the thought, as inspiration to investigate a human General was not what he came here for. "Excuse me, Mister Sumdac."

"Professor Sumdac."

"Professor." Shining nodded his head. "But you know about Twiley being infected with Dark Energon?" Sumdac nodded. "Good. I want you to remove it."

"What!?" Sumdac exclaimed. "But according to my sources, who I assure you, are not only very reliable, but law-abiding, removing the Dark Energon from Twilight Sparkle's body could kill her!"

"I know." Shining Armor said. "But I read about the work you do, and I think, I think if anypony can do it, it would be you."

Sumdac shifted his eyes away. "It doesn't seem particularly right to do this."

"Listen to me, Professor." Shining said, raising his hoof. "Dark Energon is an evil, evil substance, and the less of it there is in the universe, the better. Don't you think that's worth doing, if you can do it?"

Sumdac rubbed the back of his head, agreeing with Shining's sentiment, but also still thinking of his own strict set of moral values.

Shining Armor kept on pestering him, though, telling Sumdac all about horrible experiences Shining Armor had because of the Dark Energon infusion in his own bloodstream, trying to press upon Sumdac the need for this to be done.

When he was done, Sumdac crossed his arms. "From the sound of things, Captain Shining Armor, sounds as though you are looking to expunge the Dark Energon from yourself, and your sister is merely a test subject."

Shining instantly moved to defend himself from his accusation, but as soon as he adopted his defensive stance, he found his mouth couldn't form the words to express how this was not a selfish attempt at regaining his own normalcy.

"Well?" Sumdac questioned.

"Just-just do it!" Shining snapped, shaking his hoof, intimidating Sumdac into submission, as Sumdac did not think he would be able to last long in a fight between the two of them. "The Dark Energon NEEDS to be gone! You understand me!?" Shining turned around and stomped towards the exit, his tail whipping back and forth in rage.

Sumdac pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number on it. "Hello. It's Sumdac. Yes. I need an experiment arranged. We're going to remove the Dark Energon from Twilight Sparkle. Yes. Yes...don't you think I know it's her life support!? She'll be in danger if we do, but I have just avoided a confrontation with her brother, and I have no doubt he will petition Celestia to bulldoze the whole facility if we don't!"

Sumdac didn't know Shining Armor that well. As upset and resentful as he was, Shining Armor wouldn't go that far, and if he did, Celestia would never approve. But Shining's outburst had scared Sumdac.

Inside the electricity building, Lucy sighed and hang up the phone. She pouted, seeing Twilight, unaware her brother had, for all intents and purposes, authorized for her to be sent into the mercy seat. Twilight was playing with a plasma ball, touching her hoof to it and being absolutely enthralled with how the electric currents responded to her hoof, forgetting she was here to work and not play.

Lucy cleared her throat and prepared herself for what she just been ordered to do. "Hey, Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes?" Twilight answered automatically, but remembering what happened with the plant earlier, she turned to Lucy sooner. "Sorry, yes, Doctor Su- I mean, Lucy?"

Lucy smiled warmly. "Could you come with me? I just got a call for another experiment we want you to do..."

"Ooh!" Twilight squealed and clapped her hooves, excited at the idea of further experimentation. "What is it?"

"Follow me, please." Lucy gestured towards the door. Twilight followed eagerly. As they walked across the courtyard of the facility towards where the extraction process would be set up almost as soon as it had been ordered thanks to the lightning-quick staff of the Sumdac industry. Hearing Twilight's gleeful pitter-pats behind her, Lucy reflected that it was uncannily like leading a lamb into the slaughterhouse. Only, while the lamb being slaughtered was unfortunately the only way to get a commodity- lamb meat- this, was just luring a pony into a pointless experiment.

Once inside the building with the required equipment, Twilight could instantly tell something was up. Inside, there were half-circle computers set up, blinking shadowy green, blue and red lights. There was a seat, presumably before the test subject – Twilight's eyes widened when she realized the test subject was her- and a variety of manipulator arms with pointy things attached to their ends.

"Into the chair, please..." Lucy said.

"W-what's this test about?" Twilight stuttered, no longer so confident and happy in her pursuit of science. Before anypony could answer her questions, a trio of lab assistants ran up behind her and shoulder-charged her, sending her flying into the chair. Automated restrains on the chair began activating, pinning Twilight to it. The chair elevated into the air and adjusted herself. The manipulator arms began moving, clicking their claws and testing their syringes.

"W-what are you doing!?" Twilight screamed.

"Your brother really wants us to remove the Dark Energon from you." Lucy sadly informed her.

"WHAT!? You can't do that! That will kill me!"

"I know, I know. But Professor Sumdac told us to go ahead and do it." Lucy covered her face, unable to bear seeing what she was overseeing any longer. Her voice started breaking as the full implications of the betrayal she had just made occurred. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry."

"You can't- urgh!" Twilight grunted when a syringe stabbed into her chest. "You can't do this to me! I may not have wanted it when I knew all the facts, but the Dark Energon is a part of me now!"

Lucy started crying. Feeling the tears build up in her hands, Lucy took them off her face and realized all she had to do was say one word to make this right. "Stop. Stop the experiment, right now."

A machine operator whistled. "Sorry, Lucy, no can do. Ain't no stopping it once its started."

The syringe pulled back, drawing Dark Energon blood from Twilight's chest.

"No! No!" Twilight flailed and struggled, slamming her hooves against the restraint. "You can't do this!" Her veins started glowing. Emanations of energy like purple braziers began to swirl around her body. Her voice took on multiple tones and timbres, taking up different pitches for each syllable, sometimes repeating like an echo. "It-it-it-it is a part of me (part of me)..."

The operator raised an eyebrow. "Okay. She's on purple fire and talking in multiple voices. Should we be worried?"

Twilight jerked, and broke free of the restraints. She wrapped her hoof around the manipulator arm that took her blood sample and pulled it, tearing it from the base with superhuman, (superpony?) strength and tossing the humongous piece of machinery aside like it was just a loose tiny gizmo. Seeing this brightly-colored, big-eyed pony lift up an expensive and heavy piece of technology without any effort, everyone in the room reasonably concluded the answer to the operator's question was-

"Yes."

Rainbow Dash sat on the Autobot-sized work table, looking up at the computer monitoring Dreadwing's slow decline into complete death. Optimus and Bulkhead had helped Dreadwing up and brought him to the nearest Autobot infirmary, where a middle-sized, red and white, polite, chipper Autobot by the name of -get this- First Aid set him up and diagnosed him. Dreadwing was bolted to the table by metal plates, his limbs were still sparking, and his face looked like it was wearing a stupid, gaping expression because his limp jaw was hanging loose.

"He's lucky. He's still alive...for a few megacycles, anyway." First Aid had said. "Make due with what you have."

Climbing their way up, Applejack and Rarity got onto the table with Rainbow Dash. Seeing the way Rainbow Dash's eyes were nearly taped onto the monitor, Rarity and Applejack gave worrying glances.

"Ah'm sorry, Rainbow Dash." Applejack brought her hat over her chest. "We all did our best, but sometimes our best just isn't...enough."

Rainbow Dash continued watching the spikes in the display of the monitor, acting like she didn't hear them, or that they didn't even exist. Applejack and Rarity decided to leave her alone to mourn.

"Hey." First Aid greeted, walking back into the room. "Question for you, Rainbow Dash."

Like her friends before him, Rainbow Dash ignored him, focused on the monitor.

"What was your relationship with Dreadwing?"

First Aid thought she was going to continue ignoring him, so he turned to leave the room.

"He was my wingpony." Rainbow answered at last.

"Ah. So, your..." First Aid took a stab in the dark to guess what 'wingpony' translated to Cybertronian terms. He was fairly good on the mark, too. "Flight partner, then?"

"Yeah..."

Rainbow Dash was startled when she felt a cold presence around her back, but relaxed when she saw it was just First Aid's metal hand on her back, fingers wrapped around her shoulders to comfort her.

"I am so sorry for your loss."

Rainbow Dash would've dismissed him. She wanted to swat his hand off and tell him he had no idea what kind of loss she was going through right now, seeing Dreadwing, a proud warrior, slowly die on a medical table. She couldn't bring herself to, as First Aid sounded so...sincere.

"You know what it's like to lose a partner?" Dash questioned him.

"No." First Aid took his hand off her back, and headed towards the door, presumably to attend to other patients. He stopped at the door and rested his hand on the frame.

"But I do know all life is precious."

He left, finally leaving Rainbow Dash alone. Rainbow Dash sniffled, not because she was alone, but because she was alone with a chassis that was soon due to be a corpse. Cybertronian funeral rites would dictate Dreadwing's body would be either launched into the nearest sun, or melted down into scrap metal to make new protoforms. It was beautiful, in a way. Several Pony and human cultures had beliefs that the passing of old life lead into the creation of new life, but Cybertronains malleable metal frames could be melted down and used to carry out that belief.

Rainbow Dash sighed, and looked to a second medical table, stationed opposite the one she was using as a perch. She noticed a large purple device with yellow paint on the end, just before it turned into a claw.

"Huh." Her attention finally turned away from the monitor, Dash wondered what the device was. She shouted. "Hey, First Aid? Could you come back here?...Uh, please?"

"Please wait a moment! I am in the middle of a delicate operation!" First Aid yelled back. Rainbow Dash heard a surge of coursing electricity, followed by what was probably a pained shout, but she wasn't sure. "Uh...guess now I'm not! Just hold in there, solider; the random shocks should stop in a while."

First Aid came back into the room with her, leaving his other patient to recover. "What's wrong, Rainbow Dash? Monitor show something unusual on the monitor?"

"No, no." Rainbow Dash shook her head. "I was just wondering what that thing there on the table was." She pointed the claw device.

"Oh. That." First Aid realized, and Rainbow Dash could hear a definitive drop of politeness in his tone, disappointed Rainbow Dash would notice that device of all the things on either table. "We call it the Spark Harvester. Came from The Institute."

"Spark Harvester?"

"Yeah. It..." First Aid paused, not comfortable with telling Rainbow Dash about what the device did, given her current emotional state and her partner's current physical state. "It harvests the Spark. We tend to use it only in the worst cases, as a humane to euthanize patients unable to be saved."

Rainbow Dash frowned. That had to be one of the worst things she ever heard...yanking a Cybertronian's Spark out – ripping their soul – as way to humanely put them out of their misery.

First Aid nervously tapped his index fingers together. "Would you...would you like me to use it on Dreadwing?"

"No."

First Aid exclaimed in relief, pretending to wipe sweat off his brow. "Whew! That was close. I thought you were gonna say yes, which would be bad, 'cause I wasn't gonna do it anyway."

"Yeah..." Dash muttered, looking down and seemingly not caring about what First Aid had to say. She jumped down and flew onto the floor, looking up at Dreadwing. For some reason, even though she said she didn't want First Aid to use it, she kept looking at the Spark Harvester.

"Hey...does it just extract the Sparks, or does it extinguish it?"

"It just extracts them." First Aid answered. "Extinguishing is usually done by external means like crushing between a vice...wait, why?"

"Just wondering..." Dash lied through her teeth, an idea forming in her mind. "Could you use it to move the Spark to somewhere else?"

"I...don't see why not." First Aid answered.

"I'm...gonna go for a walk." Dash said, trotting towards the door and walking past First Aid's leg.

"Good idea." First Aid made a thumbs-up. "Go do that. Get some fresh air before you get any crazy ideas."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie all sometimes had crazy ideas, but Rainbow Dash only ever had 'awesome' ideas. Sometimes she would go down as far as displaying that she only had 'cool' ideas, but never so low as 'crazy'.

Stepping outside the sliding doors of the infirmary, Rainbow Dash stopped and took in a deep breath, appreciating the fresh, clean, crisp air after being stuck inside the stale, stuffy infirmary for so long. She stepped in place a bit, stretching her wings and legs before she began her actual walk. She flew up straight into the air and crash-landed her way down to the nearest lower level of tiered Cybertronian city.

From up above on the nursery, the place below didn't look so bad, but actually on it, Rainbow Dash found it was lit rather dimly, looking almost like it was night. She felt rather liked the suspended bridge – a different one from earlier. Cybertron had a lot of suspended bridges. After all, its original inhabitants could turn into cars at the drop of a hat! But it seemed rather like going under it would be like going into a sewer entrance.

Not one to let an unsettling atmosphere scare her away from the promise of an adventure, Rainbow Dash reared up and charged at the bridge.

Rainbow Dash was expecting it to actually be a sewer. To have a bunch of unpleasant smells and rivers full of run-off from factories coursing through, stinking it up, but she found on such thing. It was more like an underground highway, with street lamps lighting up the way.

She walked through the street, feeling actually rather bored by it. What she wouldn't give for something exciting to happen, for something to pop out of the ground and scare her, give her a fight, and have her trounce it...

Something to keep her mind off Dreadwing...

"Ow! What the-!?" Rainbow Dash bumped into something heavy, solid, and metal. Looking at it, she found it was a leg like a Cybertronian. At least at first glance. Taking a closer look, Rainbow Dash could tell it wasn't Cybertronian. She knew Cybertronians came in all shapes and sizes, but there was something off about this one. For one thing, it had a beautiful, almost haunting sheen to its golden color.

Looking up, Rainbow Dash saw the head and torso of the strange robot thrown back against the wall. It's head was simple in design, having no features beyond its smooth roundness and a zigzagging maw for a mouth. There was a hole in its chest like someone had just stabbed it. Rainbow Dash worried she may have just come across the corpse of a murder case, when she heard a noise.

"Hey! What's the big idea-!?"

Rainbow Dash saw the shadow of...some Cybertronian running off into the distance, a humongous sword hanging off his unknown shoulders. He looked extremely sharp and angular.

Rainbow Dash decided she didn't want to go after him. She was afraid that the assailant may decide to have her join this strange golden robot. At least, that's what she told herself, but in truth, seeing Dreadwing nearly bite it had robbed her of her aggressive, fighting spirit.

Rainbow Dash looked around again and saw two huge swords lying, just out of the gold robot's grasp, with Energon and a weird light green substance that must have been the gold robot's fuel bled out onto the concrete. Seeing all this, Rainbow Dash figured there must have been a fight -not necessarily a murder- and relaxed a little bit.

She climbed up the golden robot's leg, then noticed something shimmering on its chest. She flew up to take a closer look and saw it was some sort of screen flashing information, green text on a black background.

"Legislator..." Rainbow Dash read out loud. "Extremely powerful, excellent fighter... non-Cybertronian, but has trans-formative abilities...can be deactivated and used for spare parts as you like."

Rainbow Dash was surprised by the next bit of text that flashed. The text turned red.

"Defective unit...best left for scrap, as per instructions of...Drift?" Rainbow Dash read aloud. Dash didn't know any Drift, Autobot or pony, but if he was willing to leave his name on something he killed, there must have been some murky water she didn't know of that made it 'okay' for him to commit roboticide.

Rainbow Dash considered all the possibilities for this thing. Despite how little she knew, despite the moral implications, she kept coming to the same conclusion.

Using the Spark Harvester.

Rainbow Dash exercised an unusual for her amount of caution, to make sure no one saw her bringing a Legislator into the building. It was definitely challenging, as the Legislator was not only huge, would clonk loudly when moved, but Rainbow Dash loved a good challenge.

After getting some tow cables that put out enough work to overcome her lack of sufficeent strength, some dragging and too close for comfort encounters that nearly resulted in her being found out, Rainbow Dash finally managed to bring the Legislator into Dreadwing's assigned room.

Rainbow Dash, pulling the inactive Legislator by the arm in her mouth, dragged up it to the medical table and propped it up against it. Once the Legislator was rest, she took a moment to breath. She beat her hoof against her chest. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes to think about her plan, then opened them to observe the Legislator. To observe what would be...

Rainbow Dash rubbed the Legislator's shoulder.

Dreadwing's new body.

"Rainbow Dash, what is that, and what are you doing with it?"

Rainbow's eyes widened. Oh scrap! She turned to see Rarity standing in the door. Rainbow flew up, trying to use her wings to hide the Legislator from view. "What's what, Rarity?"

"That...thing." Rarity moved her head to see what parts Rainbow Dash was blocking, but Rainbow Dash kept moving.

"Slag it, Rainbow Dash! Let me see its face!" Rarity, infuriated, activated her magic and threw it Rainbow Dash aside, putting Rainbow Dash on her head and allowing Rarity to see the Legislator's face in full view. "I repeat..." Rarity drawled. "What is that?"

"It's...It's something called a Legislator." Rainbow Dash answered. Rainbow Dash pointed to the Spark Harvester. "See that tool on the table? It's called a Spark Harvester. I thought- I figured that I could use the Harvester to put Dreadwing's Spark inside the Legislator and-and keep him alive."

Rarity's jaw dropped. "Rainbow Dash! That is – is wrong on so very many levels!" Rarity turned around to leave. "Using a device to remove a somepony's Spark...unacceptable! I don't care what your excuse is, Optimus would never allow such a-"

"Can you honestly tell me you don't know what it's like to know you might be able to save a partner and not even try it?" Rainbow Dash shrieked.

Rarity froze like someone in the hallway had just thrown a sword into her chest. Rarity then looked over her shoulder at Rainbow Dash, giving her an extremely disapproving glare.

"I know more about what's it like to nearly save a partner than you will ever know." Rarity gritted her teeth and hissed in a way Rainbow Dash didn't think was possible for ponies to do.

Rarity stood there in the hallway for a little while, leaving Rainbow Dash to wonder what Rarity was talking about.

"That...hey, are you talking about that time Bulkhead got injured our first time on Earth and you went back in time heal him?"

"Yes..." Rarity rasped, too quietly for Rainbow Dash to hear. "Injured."

Rainbow Dash scuffed her hoof. "So, uh. What- what do you-"

Rarity turned around. "I will help you."

Rainbow Dash blanched. "What?"

"I will help you transfer Dreadwing's Spark into that...thing." Rarity explained, trotting back into the room. "Just tell me what you need me to do."

"Oh, uh, okay." Rainbow Dash completely lost her train of thought, really not expecting Rarity to say something like that. Rarity walked to the base of the medical table the Extractor was. Rainbow Dash pointed to Dreadwing's chest, where his Spark lay. "Push his chest until you find the button that opens it, and work on pulling his Spark while I try to open the Legislator."

"Legislator." Rarity corrected.

Rainbow Dash pulled up her hind legs and bucked the Legislator square in the chest. Rarity was about to scold her for treating Dreadwing's new host body so abusively, except the Legislator's body seemed to sense Rainbow Dash's intent, its chest letting off steam and hissing before opening like the same way a Cybertronian's would.

Rarity grabbed the Extractor in her magic, and tapped the butt of it to Dreadwing's chest. Dreadwing's chest-cockpit pulled back like a windshield, and his own engines pulled away, revealing a bright, blue glowing orb levitating inside Dreadwing's internal systems. Rarity sang about her feelings.

Because that's what they do in the show.

Rainbow, Darling,

I know what it's like to see a partner harmed

With my help, we'll keep your wingpony from buying the farm

I still remember that cold night,

With that dark crystal's cursed light...

Way up high on the clifftop,

A little boy tried to stop me,

And then...then I couldn't make the blood stop.

It all fell apart.

A titan appeared before me and exiled me to a rock where the grpyhons roam,

An isolated land filled with sea and sea foam.

I thought I was alone, but then I found my friend.

And with her help, I made my nightmare end.

That's what happened back then.

That's why I'm helping you now.

I will help you up on your hooves,

I will show you how.

How to keep your wingpony with you,

Without that friend's help, I don't know what would have become of me.

That's what happened then.

That's why I'm helping you now.

I will help him on his feet.

I will make him shout out loud!

No pony knows what I did to make things right,

No, no one understands what I did that night.

It was a painful lesson to learn.

Everypony is bliiind to

The turmoils

In a so called 'Wrecker Pony's' mind...

It took awhile to for me to understand...

We shouldn't revive our friends, just because we can.

Just because we can revive them,

Doesn't mean we should.

(But Rarity!

If we don't try,

How will we know whether it's bad or good?)

(I know, if we pop his hood,

We'll see his Spark is still pumping.

We'll see his Spark is still aliiiive!

Annnndd...that's all we need...

To make sure he survives.)

...

Just a little working together,

(Working together!)

We'll make everything better, yes,

Yes, we shall scrub off all that rust,

(All that rust!)

We'll keep him from biting the dust!

I see his optics...so lifeless and dark...

(We see his optics!)

But we will bring power (Power!) back to this departing Spark!

Levitating the Extractor to it, the machine knew what it had to do, and instantly extended its claw out to grab the Spark and take it from Dreadwing's chest without Rarity telling it to. It was somewhat unnerving.

Nervously, and increasingly losing her confidence that this was the right thing for her to do, Rarity levitated the Extractor to the Legislator, where once again, the Extractor knew its goal and extended, inserting the Spark into the Legislator's chest. The Spark fidgeted and shook almost in protest, before the Legislator's panel closed.

The Legislator picked up where Dreadwing's Spark left off, fidgeting and twitching and jerking. Electricity began jumping from its shoulder to its arms to its knees.

As the sparks' burning got brighter, Rainbow Dash and Rarity turned to each other.

"Perhaps this wasn't the best idea, darling."

"What are you talking about? It totally is!"

"Rainbow Dash, do you realize what I mean?"

"Oh. Oh, no, I thought you meant "Best Worst Idea Ever", like, as in, the best of your worst ideas."

"Oh, well in that case, yes."

"Is this getting confusing?"

"A little, darling."

Before their confusing conversation could get more so, the Legislator reacted to the infusion om Decepticon life-force, blasting them both away with a huge blast of unstable electricity, sending them flying onto their sides against the second medical table.

After a moment, the white flash cleared from their eyes, and they could the results of their handiwork. The Legislator was standing, and its optics were glowing a deep shade of carmine. Dreadwing's eye color.

"Rainbow Dash? Rarity?" The Legislator droned at them, speaking in a robotic, emotionless tone that had Dreadwing's voice running through as some sort of undercurrent. Dreadwing raised his new arm, observing his new hand, twisting it at the wrist.

Rainbow Dash beamed and rushed up to hug her creation's leg. "Dreadwing! You're alive!"

Dreadwing did not share her enthusiasm. "Rainbow Dash...are you sure of that? Are you certain that I am...alive?"

"You're talking, aren't you!?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, a tear in her eye. She moved herself from him a little, and rubbed her hoof along his ankle. "You're alive...you're alive, I'm so happy..." She hugged him extra tight. "We're gonna have so much fun together...I'm gonna show you all the things we never did...teach you to play horseshoes..."

There was a clonk, startling Rainbow Dash. She pulled away to look at him, and his optics turned from carmine to cyan.

"Pony detected." A computerized, soulless voice bleeped at her in a tone without fear or empathy. "Prepare to be...Legislated."

"Who in the Pit are you, and what did you do with Dreadwing!?" Rainbow Dash demanded, bucking the Legislator by in its boot. The Legislator, in response, punted her across the room.

"I am a Legislator."

"Oooh...kaaay." Dash drawled. "You know what? For simplicity's sake, I'm gonna call you 'Larry.'"

"Legislator units do not respond to individual names-!"

Rainbow Dash flew up and bucked the Legislator hard across the cheek, making its head do a 360 degree spin.

The Legislator became much more cooperative. It raised its hand like it was preparing for a handshake. "Hi! My name is Larry!"

Rainbow Dash smiled. "That's better."

"It still doesn't solve the real problem, here." Rarity reminded her. "I believe the problem lies within this Legislator's … own Spark. " Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Is the root of the problem. We should try to figure out a way to disable it."

"How are we gonna do that?" Rainbow Dash questioned, holding Larry by the neck as causally as Fluttershy holding one of her choir birds on her leg. "I didn't see a Spark in there!"

"I was speaking figuratively, darling. I believe Shockwave should hold the answer." Rarity suggested. "He is a Decepticon most in tune with his 'logical side', as it were."

Rainbow Dash shuddered. "That computer on legs? I know he's complying with Celestia, but he still gives me the creeps."

"I know, darling, but he's our best bet right now."

The Legislator's head jerked, electricity sparking from its neck as the two different AI's within competed for dominance.

"Rainbow...Daaash." Dreadwing's voice came out of the Legislator, and he sounded quite pained. "What's happen...niiiing?"

"Don't worry, D.W!" Rainbow Dash insisted, flailing her front legs around, calling Dreadwing by his nickname. "We're gonna make you better, okay? It'll be all right, you'll see!"

"Hmm...we'll need someway to get him out of here with anypony noticing." Rarity realized.

Rarity gazed upwards at the Legislator's massive, towering frame.

"That could prove difficult."

Rarity's ears flattened against her head when she heard footsteps come from the door.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" First Aid shout cheerfully. "I was hoping to get your mind off things, so I went out and-" First Aid saw the Legislator, which looked at him balefully, as though it had no thoughts of its own. "Okaay!" First Aid threw his hands in the air and slowly backpedaled out of the room. "I can see you lovely ladies have everything under...control...here..."

First Aid took off running down the hallway, his arms flailing behind him in a panic.

Rainbow Dash looked at the Legislator's face, and grimaced. "I'm sorry, Dreadwing...I didn't think it would turn out this way."

Dreadwing said nothing, but that could have been because he was preoccupied fighting with the Legislator for control of its body.

Rarity put her hoof to her ear, pressing and activating her Commtab earpiece to the nearest 'public access' frequency. "Hello? Decepticon HQ? Come in, Decepticon HQ. This is Rarity Belle of Equestria. We have something of a situation. What kind? Well, uh...we have a very strong, very proud Decepticon' Spark stuck inside a new body, and it's...it's not working as well as we hoped."

Rarity proceeded to provide a more detailed explanation of what was going on.

"You'll send somepony right away? Really!? Thank you so much, darling! … No. No, sir, I am not flirting with you. It's just a little speech quirk of mine."

Rarity took her hoof away from her ear and exhaled. "Guess what? They don't really have anything bothering with them, so somepony should arrive right away!" Rarity smirked to herself. Just as she predicted, using the words 'strong' and 'proud' to describe him made the Decepticons, otherwise chafing under Shockwave's truce agreement, much more willing to help,

They heard a GroundBridge's telltale whir hum open and then close outside.

"Come on, come on..." Rarity motioned for Rainbow Dash to hurry, and both ponies ran up to the Legislator's legs to stabilize Dreadwing as he staggered his way out the door. They didn't really support him, due to their weight difference. But the feeling of warm hooves on his otherwise cold boots gave the dazed and disillusioned Dreadwing a sense of direction for where he needed to amble about.

They managed to get out through the medical facility. Sometimes passing doctors or exiting patients would stop and stare at the Legislator, but they would think better when they caught Rarity giving them an evil eye like a woman scorned.

"Well, doctor?"

"What are you looking at, huh?"

"Nothing to see here! Move along!"

Once they got outside, Rarity was elated to see Shockwave had been kind enough to send Blackout, a large, hefty olive green Decepticon that could throw down with the best of them. Blackout tried to make a human gesture with his round claws, but he didn't do it the right way and just made himself look silly. Rainbow Dash didn't understand why Rarity was so happy, forcing her to explain that with strength like Blackout's to help, they could get to Shockwave's laboratory in no time.

Blackout converted to his six-bladed helicopter mode and lowered a winch for them to use. Rainbow Dash took the tensile cable into her mouth and flew it around her Legislator buddy's arms and legs, tying them together, before placing the hook of the winch into the Legislator's back. Rainbow Dash signaled to Blackout for lift-out, and Blackout shook like he was nodding his head before lifting the Legislator up and flying in the direction of Kaon. Rainbow Dash helped Rarity up and hitched a ride onto the Legislator's boots. Normally, she would've just flown by herself alongside Blackout, but Rainbow Dash didn't want to be any closer to those rotors than she had to. They were kinda loud, and she didn't want to hurt her ears.

"Rainbow Dash..." Dreadwing's distorted voice droned from under the rotor's incessant whirring. "Why would you do this to me?"

"What?" Rainbow Dash's mouth hung limply, confused. "I-I was trying to heal you! To patch you up!" Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and sniffed, holding back a tear. She wanted to say "Don't worry, D.W! Everything will be all right!" but honestly, she didn't know anymore how all right everything was going to be.

"We're here!" Blackout's low voice shouted at them as the looming grey tower of Kaon's chieftain became visible in the distance. Even though Cybertron was alive and well, producing Energon and everything, much of Kaon, including the so-called throne room, still looked barren and undecorated. Deteriorated from misuse. The Decepticons liked it that way.

At the bottom of the tower, Shockwave himself was waiting outside the doors, ready to tackle whatever problem that had occurred.

Blackout lowered himself down to the tower's property and retracted his winch suddenly, causing Dreadwing, Rainbow, and Rarity to drop the ground clumsily.

"You could have given us a warning, darling!" Rarity protested, rubbing her sore...Cutie Mark. "Oooh..."

"Well?" Shockwave demanded, ignoring the oh-so-pressing needs of Rarity's ever so delicate bottom, darling, and getting straight to business. "Who and what is the patient?" Shockwave pointed at the Legislator. "Is this it?"

"Yeah." Rainbow confirmed. "It's Dreadwing. Some really uncool Decepticons tried to send him to the scrapheap, and I tried to fix him by transplanting his Spark into another body..."

Shockwave glared disapprovingly. "Illogical. How much do you understand of Cybertronian biology? You should not have attempted such a complex operation without the proper training."

Shockwave moved towards the Legislator and silently regarded it for a second. He walked around and slammed the barrel end of his arm cannon and started pushing the Legislator into the tower.

"I have set up an emergency lab on the ground floor of the tower." Shockwave explained. "There, we can examine this creature and prevent it from going amok the populace."

It took Rarity a moment to catch the way Shockwave was speaking. It was almost...urgent. "Lord Shockwave, darling, what's the rush? You seem eager to strap Dreadwing to an operating table."

Shockwave stopped. "I am concerned of a greater threat here than an mere surgery gone wrong. You explained to my secretary on the commlink that we do not know the origins of this golden robot. It is a logical cause for alarm."

Shockwave resumed shoving and pushing the Legislator through the doors of the tower, into the lobby where some medical tools, monitoring equipment, and an operating slab had set up. Shockwave pushed Dreadwing into the slab and activated it.

Beams of light-blue energy appeared, wrapping around the Legislator's wrists and feet, binding to the to the table.

Rarity worriedly put a hoof to her chin, while Rainbow Dash kept gazing at the Legislator's face, wondering if her wingpony was going to make it.

Shockwave wasted no time. He quickly set to work, hooking up a helmet with blinking lights typical of mad science experiment subjects to the Legislator's heads. The lights blinked out in a sequence, and data began streaming onto a computer monitor.

Shockwave examined the computer's received transmissions, and appeared to not really understand what it was saying. "Illogical."

"What? What is it?"

"This creature has no Spark." Shockwave answered, raising his cannon-arm for a gesture. "Only an an advanced artificial intelligence. Logically speaking, that should mean Dreadwing's Spark should not have any difficulty in assuming control of the body."

"But..." Rarity supplied for Shockwave to continue.

"The artificial intelligence continues to reject the new matrix introduced by the Spark. Which … is not...possible." Shockwave blinked, his large, red optic gazing at the computer screen. An illogical conundrum the likes of this one had never grazed Shockwave's being before, and it infuriated him he could not deduce what the root source of the problem was.

"I will need to conduct further research." Shockwave said, dashing towards the table and sifting through the medical tools. Shockwave picked up a short black tool that ended in an open hole and tilted in his claw.

"Rainbow Dash..." Dreadwing groaned.

"I'm here, Dreadwing." Rainbow Dash leaped onto the bottom of the slab.

"I was going to redeem myself..." Dreadwing said weakly. "Through my death, I was to become a Seeker again, renouncing the Wonderbolts...and instead of dying like a warrior, you've condemned me to this miserable half-life."

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to say something, slamming her hooves on the slab, but nothing came out. Dreadwing turned his head away and rested his optics.

There was a furious, pounding knock on the door to the tower. Whoever was on the other side wanted in, and they were mad.

"Who could that be?" Rarity used her magic to push the deployment button, allowing the doors to unfold to reveal their mystery uninvited guest.

He was an Autobot. Average sized, turned into some kind of sports car. His shoulders were ridiculous long in the back, and his entire frame was angled and pointy, making Rainbow Dash think of a samurai. His head had a crest with a yellow paint app, his helm was white, and his face was silver. His paint was white, excepting for the silver on his joints, and covered in red splotches meant to resemble various Japanese characters, including katakana and kanji. Why an Autobot would choose to dress himself up in human characters he probably couldn't understand...Rarity had no idea.

"Where is it?" He demanded. "Where's the Legislator?"

Shockwave quit fiddling with his tools and turned to glare in the Autobot's direction. "Why do you want to know? What is your name?"

"Drift." The Autobot said rudely. "I'm sort of...in charge of this Legislation unit, and I heard about it being carried off."

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash stepped forward, irritated that Drift was trying to get in the way of Dreadwing's recovery. "I'm using it to fix up my buddy! You got a problem with that?"

"Yes, actually!" Drift shouted. "There's a reason I diced that unit up and left it for scrap! It's defective!"

"Wait..." Shockwave held his hand out. "So you know where this Legislator creature came from?"

Drift scowled. It was obvious to Rarity that question led into territory Drift wasn't willing to explore. "Yes...yes, It just so happens that I do."

"What threat does it pose to Cybertron and my Decepticons?"

"Absolutely none...unless it goes haywire." Drift glared at Rainbow Dash. "Which it did. Now, if you would kindly surrender that unit back to me, I would be more than happy to take off your hands and dispose of it properly."

"Legislate..." The Legislator growled, shaking under its restraints and attempt to wriggle free.

"Ah, shut up!" Dash barked at it. She turned back to Drift. "And you! You... I'm trying to fix my wingpony using your – thing!"

"My 'thing' is dangerous and unhinged!" Drift pointed a finger for emphasis. "It doesn't respond to orders! If it got loose, the results could be disastrous!"

"Legislate..." The Legislator growled, a little louder this time.

"Um...everypony?" Rarity said quietly, hoping to draw attention to the Legislator before something bad happened. "I really think we should-" Rainbow Dash and Drift's argument continued to escalate. "No, no, darlings, I really think we should-"

"LEGISLATE!"

The Legislator broke free of the energy shackles binding to the slab, raising its fists into the air in triumph of its escape.

Shockwave raised his cannon and fired, but even though his Hyperflux Cannon was incredibly powerful, and the shot landed a direct hit into the Legislator's waist area, it didn't do a thing to the haunting gold armor, except for a few clouds of smoke.

"Hold that thing!" Drift ordered, overestimating his authority.

"No!" Dash protested. "That-...my wingpony is inside that 'thing'!"

The Legislator had other ideas, uncaring for the fact it carried Dreadwing's Spark within itself. "LEGISLATE!"

Drift drew two short swords and charged at his malfunctioning servant, leaping into the air with impressive hang time, but the Legislator caught him by the leg and hurled it him against the wall.

The Legislator stomped towards the door, knocking Shockave to the ground along the way, and stopped just short of Rarity and Rainbow Dash. Rarity froze from fear, while Rainbow Dash didn't want to hurt her wingpony. It looked at them, then appeared to decide the two cowering mares weren't worth its time. It resumed its march and punched its massive fist through the door, making the entire wall around crumble down into dust. It marched outside, regarded its surroundings, and then jumped off and transformed into a simple 'spaceship' looking jet with four engines that somewhat resembled the oringial Ark in appearance.

Drift, recovered, ran outside with Rainbow Dash and Rarity following, just in time to see the Legislator's jet flames billow out behind it in the wind as it flew out of their reach.

"Slag!" Drift swore. He looked at Rainbow Dash accusingly.

"What?"

"This is all your fault."

"Well...yeah, but..."

"We need to find that thing before it hurts someone!" Drift transformed into a white car with a short roof and very long hood and front, with a spoiler on the rear and his Japanese paint details in full view. He popped his doors open for the ponies to climb inside. Once Rarity was in the driver's seat, Rainbow in the passenger's and they were all buckled up, Drift put his pedal to metal and burned rubber as he drove in the direction they had saw the Legislator fly to.

"Why'd you do it, Dash?" Drift questioned from his dashboard display.

"I...what!? What do you mean!?" Dash punched said dashboard.

"How do you know our names?" Rarity asked. "We didn't introduce ourselves to you..."

"Please." Drift dismissed the forming implication he might have some bad company supplying his information. "Elements of Harmony. You're famous! Anyways, why did you try to bring your wingpony back to life like that?"

"Well, I...I thought I could resurrect him..." Dash admitted.

"Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."

Dash turned her head away, looking out the window at the fading blurs of Cybertronian buildings as Drift passed them by, trying to think of anything else but what she had done. She sighed. It was hard for Rainbow Dash to confront the reality of what was happening.

Death, while not unheard of, was nowhere near as common on Equestria as it was on Earth and especially as it was on Cybertron.

"Got him!" Drift exclaimed as the golden spacecraft the Legislator's turned into appeared in the reflection of his windshield. Drift opened his car doors and ejected both pony passengers before transforming and drawing his swords.

The Legislator rocked back and forth, unsure where it was supposed to go. The ship ultimately decided to go downwards and swerved down to a lower level, where innocent human and pony tourists were attempting to enjoy Cybertron's natural landscape. The Legislator transformed and landed forcefully on the ground, causing a tremor that knocked all the puny organics off their feet.

"Scrap." Drift swore under his breath. Not waiting up for Rarity or Rainbow Dash, Drift jumped down to confront the Legislator.

"Don't hurt him!" Rainbow Dash shrieked. "Dreadwing's still in there!"

"He shouldn't be." Drift growled, charging at the Legislator with his swords raised. While appearing well cared for and sharp to the common pony's eye, the blades did little besides produce golden Sparks from the Legislator's frame.

Rainbow Dash picked Rarity up and flew downwards to the scene of the battle. Rarity prepared a spell in her horn and started blasting away at the Legislator, trying to subdue it without harming it too badly, as per Rainbow's request.

"Rrraah!" The Legislator screamed in rage, having enough of these petty organics fruitlessly efforts to harm itself. The Legislator grabbed Drift by the head and tossed the Autobot into a nearby wall, causing the wall to crumble away and collapse on top of Drift. Amazingly, Drift never let go of his swords even as he was thrown against a building and buried under rubble.

"Dreadwing!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Dreadwing, I know you're in there! Fight it! Fight if off and take control!"

"Eeerrr..." The Legislator turned its empty blue gaze on Rainbow Dash, and Rarity got the feeling Rainbow's attempts to appeal to Dreadwing's Spark wouldn't work.

The Legislator began to march towards them. Rarity gritted her teeth. Her spells didn't work, and her hooves weren't strong enough to give a good enough buck, and Rainbow Dash was without her rifle. Looking at Rainbow Dash, though, Rarity couldn't help but feel that even if Rainbow Dash did have her rifle, it wouldn't do much good, as she too much in denial to move.

Before the Legislator could raise its fists and pound them both into paste, they were rescued by a most peculiar savior; a piece of music being played from somewhere above in the several towers overlooking the streets.

The Legislator suddenly stopped in its tracks, frozen by the music and its eerie beauty.

In Rarity's opinion, it was a pretty piece. To Rainbow Dash, it wasn't much to throw a fuss over, as she was more into rock tracks and guitar solos than classical pieces and long-winded crescendos.

The more it played, though, the more they felt like listening to it. It really was a beautiful piece.

Drift's optics widened in horror, as he recognized the piece that was playing. He looked upwards and saw the vague silhouette of a Decepticon-built robot playing a violin in the suspended bridges of the district.

"The Empyrean Suite...Rarity! Rainbow Dash! Cover your ears!" Drift struggled, trying to tear free from the rubble. The rocks began to shift, and scraps of plasters began to tumble downwards, giving Drift some hope of success.

"Oh...my." Rarity muttered, eyes turning dull and started to wobble in place. She fell against Rainbow and wrapped a hoof around Rainbow's neck. "Rainbow Dash, I'm sorry!"

"I'm sorry, too!" Rainbow Dash screamed back, wrapping her hoof around Rarity.

"What for?"

"I don't know!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry you don't know!"

"I am too!"

The two mares cuddled their heads together and began to cry, while the Legislator stood there. Made into motionless from the Empyrean Suite and its strange, ill-defined power.

"Rrrah!" Drift shouted and was able to tear himself free of his plaster prison. He got to his feet and narrowed his optics at the spiky shadow on the bridges above.

Calculating the exact trajectory of where he needed to be to do what he needed to do, Drift put one of his swords away and flipped the other over in his hands so he was gripping it by the blade like a throwing knife. Taking precise, deliberate aim at the shadow, Drift hurled his sword upwards with all the force he could muster. The blade missed its mark, and the shadow moved deftly to avoid being grazed by it, but Drift's goal had been achieved; it stopped playing the Suite, and, recognizing that its presence had been spotted and its musical talents was unappreciated, the mystery newcomer ran away to cover. Rarity and Rainbow Dash slowly began to crawl of their trance.

"Uhh..." Rainbow and Rarity rubbed their heads, confused about why they couldn't remember the last few minutes, aside from some odd feelings of sorrow and remorse for things they were sure weren't their fault.

Rainbow Dash immediately noticed that the Legislator's optics had changed from the Legislator's own aimless blue to Dreadwing's focused carmine red. Dreadwing's optics were glowing with a new found clarity.

"Yes...I realize what I must do." Dreadwing said weirdly. He transformed and flew off.

"Dreadwing!" Rainbow Dash cried with alarm. She galloped forward and flew up herself, her rainbow trail burning behind like angsty chocolate candies. "Wait! We can still talk things out, can't we!?"

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity exclaimed, worried what Rainbow Dash would do with herself or Drift to hold her back from doing anything stupid. Rarity looked to Drift as the Autobot walked into her peripheral vision. She looked up to him, pleading he might have something to help them out now.

"It looks like Dreadwing is heading towards the medical facility." Drift observed. He put his hand to his head. "Drift to Commander. Requesting GroundBridge to nearby triage facility."

A GroundBridge opened up near them, only something was off about it. It wasn't green with energy swirls of pink in it. Instead, it was dark red with darker reds that were nearly black on it.

Rarity looked to Drift.

"What?" Drift questioned. "It's, uh, powered by Red Energon."

Rarity pursed her lips, almost certain Drift wasn't telling the whole story about his red Bridge, but she did not have the time or resources to grill him about it now.

"Dreadwing!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, still following the golden spacecraft closely behind. "Dreadwing, pull over and land! We can talk about this...can't we?" Rainbow Dash's eyes got a little watery, but she did not cry. Rainbow Dash was a tough pony who did not cry, no matter how horrible of a condition her wingpony was put in, trapped inside a body not his own, sharing it with one of the most single-minded AI's Rainbow Dash would ever meet. Rainbow Dash was focused on following her wingpony, she didn't even register they heading back to First Aid's workplace.

Dreadwing transformed and went charging inside. Rainbow Dash landed in front of the entrance and just stared at the door while Dreadwing went further inside.

"This is all my fault..." Rainbow Dash admitted, having a moment of realization brought on from the sight of the medical facility where this misadventure and descent into madness started. "I couldn't just let him die like he wanted! I couldn't let him redeem himself, because I was...what? Too selfish to not like letting one of my most unexpected friends die? Oh!" Rainbow Dash groaned, while Drift's GroundBridge materialized next to her, Rarity and Drift stepping out of it. "Hey, guys..." Rainbow Dash weakly waved at them.

"You can wallow in self-pity later!" Rarity snapped at her. "I don't know what Dreadwing intends to do inside there, but we can't let him any of the patients inside!"

"Right..." Rainbow was motivated to take action, but only barely. Rarity ran forward and nudged her head against Rainbow's back, pushing her inside while Drift dashed ahead of them to deal with his wayward Legislator.

In the hallway, First Aid was walking along, checking off his cyber-clipboard, not really in a hurry. All the patients currently in the building were either recovered or in a comatose state after a delicate surgical operation. He paused when he heard loud, clanking footsteps and looked up from his clipboard and saw the Legislator's highly motivated marching.

"You're...back." First Aid noticed. He turned around and ran down the hallway, hoping to avoid unintentionally earning the Legislator's wrath.

"Dreadwing grunted, irritated at this Autobot medic who wasn't really helping him with his plans. Groaning like an organic zombie with a thorn in its foot, Dreadwing slowed his march and limped down the hallway, the Legislator's zigzagging mouth opening vaguely, not truly with or without the intent to speak.

"Dreadwing!"

Dreadwing turned around at the sound of his name, but he only briefly glanced back at the pony who had been, for a brief period of time, his aerial captain.

"Stop where you are, defective unit." Drift growled darkly, advancing with his swords raised. Rarity was starting to get the idea that Dreadwing or no, Drift intended to cut the Legislator up into little tiny pieces small enough to be melted in a human-scaled incinerator.

Dreadwing backed away from Drift, then took off running down the hallway, swerving into a room.

Rarity blinked as she realized the room he was heading in...was the room his old body was in.

"Oh dear." Rarity murmured, starting to think of what Dreadwing intended to when he got there.

The trio ran after him, and found him there, standing over his own body while absently grasping at the medical table.

Rarity gasped, her fears confirmed. Rainbow Dash was probably going to break down when she realized it on her own.

Dreadwing continued grasping, and he turned around when he figured that the reason the tool he was looking for wasn't there. "Where is it?"

"This?"

Drift, Rarity and Rainbow Dash turned around and watched as First Aid came into the room, carrying the Spark Extractor in his arms.

"This..." First Aid reflected, looking down at the horrible machine. "This was given to us by The Institute. Called it a 'good will gift'. We put it to use to euthanize patients too damaged to be saved... you want it, don't you?" First Aid held the Extractor up for Dreadwing to see. Dreadwing's optics were glued to it, and he nodded. "Mh-hm. So you can use it on yourself?"

"And end this torturous half-life, yes." Dreadwing answered.

"Hmph." First Aid lowered the Extractor. "Well, I suppose I can understand that you're suffering...but I don't believe in mercy killing."

Dreadwing's shoulders sagged. "I...see. I..." Dreadwing raised his hand. "I commend you for sticking to your world views."

"Thank you."

Everyone sat in silence, contemplating what this meant, and how Dreadwing wold learn to cope with his new body.

Dreadwing took them all by surprise, lunging at First Aid and yanking the Extractor out of the medic's servos, shock factor keeping anypony from reacting and doing anything. Rainbow Dash was helpless to do anything but watch as Dreadwing took the Extractor and jammed into his chest, forcing the Legislator's panels to open and reveal his Spark, which the Extractor reached out for and grabbed without even needing to be told. The Extractor's claw began to pull the Spark out, but was jammed by the wires surrounding it. The claw continued, determined to fulfill its task, and continued pulling, slashing and cutting the wires. The Legislator's body fell down, the wires that were severed vital enough that the Legislator couldn't continue to support itself without them. The Extractor, falling out of the Legislator's hand, acted on its own and began to crush the suffering Spark by squeezing around it until it dissipated into the ether, to join the AllSpark with Dreadwing's departed twin, and all the departed Decepticon Sparks Dreadwing had fought with millions of years ago during the War for Cybertron.

Rarity turned to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash turned away and walked outside of the room. "I...I need to think. I'm going to fly around." Rainbow Dash did exactly as she said and flew up, her rainbow trailing leaving behind a flash was still beautiful, but not nearly as sparkling as it usually was.

At Outpost Omega One...

Shining strolled into the room, whistling a tune.

"You seem happy." Ratchet grumpily muttered.

"Yup!" Shining proudly answered, flailing around and pushed himself up against the guide rails. "Got Professor Sumdac to take the Dark Energon out of Twiley, and I'll be next!"

Shining's eyes widened when he heard glass shattering and hooves banging. An uneasy of air of accusations from the smoke of the Aubobots' combined exhaust and judgements from enraged mares began to form around the room in a fine, invisible misty veil.

"W-what?" Shining asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"I still can't remove the Dark Energon from Twilight Sparkle, even WITH CYBERTRONIAN technology available to me!" Ratchet shrieked, crushing the tool he was holding in his hand as he spoke. "What makes you think a bunch of humans can do any better with their own!?"

"I..." Shining stammered, not expecting such a violent response to what he thought was doing the right thing. "I didn't mean...I thought Twiley..." Shining fell silent when he saw the angry glares Pinkie, Applejack and Fluttershy were giving him.

"Of all the scrapbrained, smeg-headed, ponyfeathered and tarred ideas..." Ratchet muttered, giving Shining a dirty look. Optimus seemed strangely unconcerned.

"Okay, okay..." Shining admitted. "I'll go round up a few Guard buddies...go to Sumdac Systems, stop the operation, apologize to Twiley..."

"You'll need to do a lot more than apologize," Ratchet growled, "but I'll prepare a GroundBridge for you."

At Sumdac Systems, the GroundBridge opened up and Shining came bounding out, a small group of troops behind him, apologies already pouring out from Shining's muzzle. "Twiley, I'm so sorry for trying to have Sumdac do that- I just thought maybe I could remove it from myself and-"

"Uh, sir?" One Guard said, trying to interrupt Shining Armor.

"I was so excited that I could be maybe be normal again that I forgot about your feelings and-"

"SIR!"

"What?" Shining snapped, but taking the time to chew out his subordinate made him realize what was wrong.

Twilight Sparkle was standing in front of them, her Dark Energon in maximum effect, her usually hidden bony wings in full view, her back to them and her view on the Sumdac System's entrance.

Or rather, where the Sumdac System entrance used to be.

Where once stood proud steel building gleaming in the daylight as the future of science was propelled forward, instead there were burning piles of smoking ash as the rubble began to burn into ash. The rising pillars of metal were replaced, one by one with twisting towers of smoke. The soft, gentle crackle of the flames contradicted against the enormous burning inferno they were making. The once bright green grass was now a field of dried out, shriveled burnt husks of lawn. Shining couldn't see the passed out bodies of the humans reaching out to comfort their coworkers, lying on the grass without no movement whatsoever, but his imagination stepped in and provided them well enough.

Shining Armor blinked, realizing all the potential casualties and in denial his little baby sister could cause so much destruction on such an intense scale.

"Twiley?" Shining Armor spoke up quietly.

Twilight turned her head slowly toward them, her Dark Energon eyes glowing dimly, but glowing none the same with the utmost disregard for any life that she dubbed beneath her, and at the moment, it seemed that Shining Armor was one lifeform who was indeed beneath her.

"I want to thank you, Captain." Twilight said to her brother. She got up and began to trot towards him. He backed as she got closer. "For this reminder. Every time. Every...single...slagging...time I put my trust in a human, it backfires. I get betrayed, backstabbed, and just generally not treated very kindly."

Shining didn't even try to defend himself. He simply nodded and let Twilight talk.

Twilight raised her hoof, and a sickle of Dark Energon formed from it which she pointed quite emphatically at Shining Armor.

"How an emotionally insensitive pony like you got to be Captain of the Guard is something I will never understand. Hmph." Twilight huffed and threw her nose in the air, galloping towards the still-open GroundBridge. "I...tried to keep anything fatal from occurring."

Shining collapsed on his haunches, gazing into the endless flames.

"Sir?" One of the Guard's questioned, concerned for Shining's emotions and sanity.

Shining sighed and put a hoof on his head. "Just...just recover all the humans in there and make sure they're safe. Go...just go."

Twilight stepped through the GroundBridge, and from the way her wing was bouncing, everypony could tell she was upset about something.

"Twilight?" Applejack spoke softly. "What's wrong?...Aside from yer brother being an idjit, of course."

Twilight kept walking, ignoring her friend and not in the mood to talk.

Shining Armor trotted in from the Bridge, grimacing. "Twiley-"

Shining Armor ducked suddenly as spikes of Dark Energon flew towards him with the intent to cut.

"I don't want to hear a word from you." Twiley snarled.

"But Twiley!"

"What did I just say!?"

Another Bridge whirled open in the middle of the base while Shining kept trying to voice his protest.

"Hmm? Strange..." Ratchet looked at the base's internal monitors, and judging from the readings that it was an Autobot Bridge from Cybertron, Ratchet pulled up the lever for their own Bridge, closing it before they crossed streams and caused an accident.

An Autobot walked out of the Bridge. He was somewhat similar to Smokescreen in build, but his colors were much less flashy. A simply black and white color scheme with a most peculiar badge on his chest; a white Aubobot symbol inside a police star. He only had three fingers plus thumb, and two rockets were mounted over his shoulders. His head a red crest, and his face an orange visor, but no plate.

He looked down at Twilight. "Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight looked up at the sound of her name. "That's me. Who are you?"

"Officer Prowl, member of the Autobot Secret Police." Prowl answered in a matter-of-fact tone that told Twilight he was not going to be easy to socialize with.

Prowl raised a small, elongated pistol at her and pulled the trigger. Rather than a bullet or laser, a glob of orange goo shot out and smashed into Twilight's hooves, binding them together so she couldn't move. "Hey!" Twilight prepared a spell.

"I wouldn't do that." Prowl warned her. "The Investigator Special is perfectly harmless by itself, but highly conductive. If you'd like to electrocute yourself, fine. But more importantly, you, Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, are under arrest for reckless endangerment, industrial sabotage, arson, for the destruction of Sumdac Systems. You are set for trial by Chief Justice Tyrest on Cybertron."

Twilight could only blink and stare.

Prowl raised his free hand, which converted into an odd device. Two black ridge-covered prongs forming the shape of hoof, ending in little silver balls. Opposing arcs of red and blue electricity traveled between the balls, and Twilight was lifted up from the ground onto them. She quickly realized the prongs were suitably altered to be magnetic to the gel Prowl had splashed her with.

"Oh...well..." Shining muttered. "Maybe I did something wrong today..."

"Maybe!?" Twilight growled.

"But at least nothing I did was this bad!" Shining Armor boasted as Prowl turned to reenter his own GroundBridge.

Prowl stopped suddenly and turned back around. "About that..." Prowl fired his gel gun at Shining Armor, slathering him in the same gel. Prowl aimed the prong device and magnetically brought Shining up to it as well, where the Captain and Twilight had to very uncomfortably sharing their hanging space. "You, Captain Shining Armor, are under arrest for unauthorized experimentation and failure to represent rights. Your own sister. How could you." Prowl spoke like he was trying to be scolding, but his tone was so bland and flat it was hard to realize that was what he was doing.

Shining Armor sighed. He supposed he deserved this.

"Optimus!" Twilight protested, flailing and struggling on the Prowl's prongs for Optimus' attention. "Optimus, do something!"

Twilight watched as Optimus' crimson silhouette got smaller and smaller as Prowl walked further and further into the Bridge.

"Optimus!"

…

"OPTIMUS!"

Twilight sniffed. Optimus wasn't going to help her this time. It was on her own that she destroyed the facility. It was by her own initiative that Sumdac Systems was no more.

The GroundBridge swirled shut, whirring as it did.

Everypony and bot gathered stood in silence, in complete shock and awe over what just happened over the last twenty minutes from Shining going out to rescue Twilight, to Prowl arresting them and Optimus' total lack of reaction to Twilight's desperate pleas.

"Optimus..." Ratchet turned to his commander, a slight note of grief in the medic's tone. "I understand if you are upset by Twilight Sparkle's actions, but how could you stand there and do nothing!? Not even a word!?"

Optimus shook like he just came out of a trance. He reached his hands over the sides of his head and tugged, pulling out some ear buds that had been attached. Optimus pressed a button the computer, and the soundtrack he had been listening to stopped. The Prime turned to his distraught medic.

"My apologies. I was listening to music. What is the status?"

Ratchet's mouth contorted in ways it probably wasn't supposed to, words insufficient to fully describe his disbelief that the reason Optimus Prime had done nothing was because he was distracted, listening to music.

Ratchet groaned and put his hand over his head crest. "You've been spending far too much casual time with Princess Celestia..."

A Pony Criminal In Optimus Prime's Court

Optimus Prime had his hands on the controls, drumming them as he contemplated Ratchet's recount of recent events. It was obvious to all in the room that Optimus wasn't sure how to immediately handle the situation, what he wanted to say with Prowl, and Pinkie's air headed inquiries for Optimus to explain the "Autobot Secret Police" fell on deaf receptors.

"Optimus..." Ratchet said softly, putting a hand on Optimus' large pauldron to gently remind the Prime that he had people he could turn to if he was lost.

"What do we do!?" Pinkie cried, panic setting in. "Shining Armor asked the Sumdac peoples to hack into Twilight, but then Twilight blew up the lab, so now everything's all tonky-wonky! It's...It's..."

Seeing Pinkie Pie was unable to figure out what this situation was, Optimus decided to clarify for her. "A moral dilemma." Optimus turned his head away, the gears in his head turning. Literally and metaphorically. The intricate systems inside the Autobot leader's head squeaked within his cranial module, not that the ponies could hear the parts suffering under the mental toil as Optimus tried to exercise a passionless, detached judgment on Twilight's actions. She was his friend, but their contradicting attitudes towards humans provided Optimus Prime no shortage of spare headaches lying around, should he need a migraine to get out of jury duty that weekend.

"Should we...attempt to rescue Twilight?" Ratchet meekly asked.

"No." Optimus answered resolutely. "Though Twilight's actions may have been the result of provocation, we cannot simply overlook that the destruction of Sumdac Systems was her own doing."

Another GroundBridge hummed to life in the base, and everypony gathered turn to look at it as Prowl stepped back into the room.

"Optimus Prime, Sir." Prowl stood rigidly and saluted. "Dai Atlas and his council have been in discussions regarding Twilight Sparkle's and Shining Armor's impending trial."

Ratchet turned and closed his optics, unsure of he could face Twilight being tried and hang like a common criminal.

"And?" Optimus asked Prowl, maintaining a serious tone of voice that hid his own internal struggle and doubts.

"Given the variety of factors and species involved, they have come to the conclusion it would be best for Twilight Sparkle's trial to be held on Cybertron using a jury mixed between Cybertronians, humans, and Ponies." Prowl explained.

"Hmm." Optimus lowered his head towards the ground. That made sense. A pony had destroyed a human facility, so it was only logical that both the humans and ponies be brought during the deliberation of a trial, and as the Autobots were well-known to be supporters and protectors of the ponies...

In matter of fact, Optimus had a suspicion sneaking up on him over the last few days that some humans were dissatisfied with how often Optimus went to meet Princess Celestia over how often he went to meet with whatever human nitpicker had been chosen to rip into the Cybertronians' conduct on Earth. Optimus had tried to explain that several of his visits were the Princess were casual in nature, meant for her and him to engage in Equestria's take on mini-golf or similar leisurely activities, rather than discuss new cross-alien legislature. But the American representative wouldn't have any of it.

Prowl pulled out a short Cybertronian glyph and presented to Optimus with all the mirth and vigor of an animatronic in an abandoned amusement park. "As the leader of the Autobots and our current Prime, the council has decided to include you in the jury, Optimus Prime, Sir."

"Their opinion is noted." Optimus said, taking the glyph from Prowl. Prowl gave one last salute, before returning to his Bridge and leaving the base.

Pinkie, Fluttershy and Applejack gathered around as Optimus held up the glyph in his hands, observing and reading its contents. Optimus' optics shifted from one side to the another as he scanned the datatrack for all of its legal doubletalk and nonsensical citations saying, in layman's terms, "You've got jury duty! Yay! It stinks to be you!"

When finished with the disk, a panel on Optimus' arm shifted and popped open, which Optimus deposited the disk into it.

"Y'all...y'all 'ill decide Twilight is innocent, right?" Applejack asked, swinging her hat over her chest like she always did when suffering from heavy emotion.

"She blew up a facility." Ratchet sternly reminded Applejack. "Twilight Sparkle may be our close friend, but let us not forget that she also engaged in the destruction of her own free will."

Applejack pursed her lips. "But Shinin' Armor done tried to get those science guys to cut the Dark Energon outta Twilight!"

"Yes..." Ratchet hissed, irritated by Applejack's insistence on proving Twilight innocent.

"We will wait for the trial." Optimus cut them off coldly, seeking to avoid the difference between Ratchet's and Applejack's point-of-view from escalating into blows. He also wanted to be sure he didn't have Applejack's, Pinkie's or Fluttershy's desperate pleas echoing in his ears in the middle of the trial and affecting his decision of the verdict.

A mixture of beeps came from Ratchet's arm. "Hmm?" Ratchet raised his arms, a panel splitting in two and opening up to reveal the diagnostic screen which Ratchet used to monitor the life signs of Team Prime. "What's this?...it appears that I have a … text from our friends at the Littlest Pet Shop."

"Oh!" Fluttershy squealed. She heard about the incident a few months ago where the Cutie Mark Crusaders went to Earth and got themselves entangled up in some weird robot conspiracy involving the Littlest Pet Shop of Downtown City, and she was thrilled beyond words at the chance to see the talking animals that lived there. "What does it say!?"

"I'm not sure..." Ratchet admitted. "Herd 'bout Twi...blowing SS. Thoth...how do I read this... 'U' could use 'sum' chering...arrow sign. P-P-Pillz send Bridge." Ratchet shook his head, the the shorthand message making even less sense now that he had read it out loud.

"What does the Egyptian god Thoth have in common with this message?" Optimus questioned.

"It's shorthand!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing into the air and flailing her limbs around. "You know! L-three-three-T LEET speak!"

"I do not know!" Ratchet insisted, infuriated at the implication he would ever engage in such simplistic and ridiculous language as this...L-three-three-T speak.

"Blythe's asking to send a GroundBridge!" Pinkie translated the message for him.

"Hmm." Ratchet snorted and rolled his optics, but he turned around and pulled the GroundBridge lever anyways. He wondered what the full message meant when translated, but didn't bother to ask Pinkie to do that.

When the Bridge opened, everypony was greeted by an impressive and annoying display of streamers worthy of Pinkie's own antics, followed by kazoos, trumpets, and loud marching-band belly drums as Blythe and a parade of unusual earth animals marched in from the Bridge. Ratchet's features contorted with barely restrained rage as the self-invited parade came marching in.

"Hey, guys!" Blythe waved, stopping her drum for a second. The brunette sixteen year old girl with a head large enough to compare to Raf's awkward noggin was wearing a marching cap on her head. Around her were a slim gecko, a blue mongoose, and King Charles Cavalier Spaniel dog that Twilight's colors on it. "I heard that Twilight did...something..bad? My source wasn't too clear on specifics, but anyways, I figured you could use some cheering up!"

"What we need right now is not 'cheering up', Miss Baxter, but-" Ratchet ranted, but he stopped short when he noticed Applejack scowling at him. She wanted some cheerin' up to be had, slag it, and she wasn't going to let the cranky medic's lack of sociability get in the way of that. "Uh...proceed, Miss Baxter."

Pinkie, Applejack and Fluttershy eagerly galloped over to Blythe and her animal friends. It was a strange thing; the pets of Downtown City were multicolored and could talk, just like Equestrian Ponies, but Blythe, for some reason, was the only human known to understand them. The ponies, being animals themselves, understood them just fine. Pinkie Pie liked to postulate, supplying the supposition citing the reason was that the pets of Downtown had suffered a slathering of poisonous pollution was the reason for their similarity to the Ponies. Blythe preferred not to question it too much, or she'd start thinking up scenarios like Pinkie Pie's.

Ratchet sighed. He turned to Optimus, meaning to ask what Optimus intended to do during the trial, but when he saw the furtive look on Optimus' faceplate, his questioned was replaced by an entirely different one. "What's on your mind, Optimus?"

"It is these pets." Optimus answered, cocking a browplate at them. "I have a feeling we will be seeing more of them...I have feeling we will be needing more of them."

Ratchet rubbed the side of his head. He couldn't imagine any possible situation were the Littlest Pet Shop Pets would be needed to do anything for the Autobots that the Ponies couldn't provide by their own. "Are you...certain, Optimus? They lack the Equestrian's magic, and..." Ratchet glanced at the gecko as it tried to perform a dance move for Fluttershy, only to trip over over its tail and roll and tumble into the base of Ratchet's work desk. "Quite a few other things."

"Intuition." Optimus answered briskly, crossing his arms and taking an observational post of newfound interest in the Littlest Pets...

Meanwhile, on Equestria, Princess Celestia was just stepping out of a late night shower and would soon be going to bed. Puffs of relaxing steam leftover from the draining hot water wafted through the air and continued to relax Celestia's body even as she left the warm afterglow of the tub. She would've loved to hop back in and take another, even longer, hotter showing, but there needed to be some hot water left for Luna afterward, so she abstained. Instead, Celestia levitated a towel around herself and began drying herself. Being royalty, Celestia's towels weren't purchased by herself, but by servants after they had been shopping around for the best, softest, most soothing brand of towel in all of Equestria.

Which was fortunate, as she was going to need all the soothing she could get.

A white flash appeared in her bathroom, forcing Celestia to close her eyes at the sudden burst of photons. Grimacing as she raised a hoof to block the light, Celestia opened her eyes and saw that it was a Royal Guard brandishing a letter in his magic. He saluted. "Your Royal Highness!"

"Ahh..." Celestia grumbled as her eyes as the pain in her eyeballs started to subside, at least enough she could focus her attention on the Guard who so rudely interrupted her bath time activities. "What is it, Lieutenant?"

"A letter." The Guard answered, bringing the piece of paper closer to Celestia. "Trust me, Princess; I know how much you like your late night showers, and would never interrupt if it were not something of great importance to you."

"Is that so?" Celestia asked, taking the letter into her own magic and unfolded. She had a brief idea that if the letter turned out to not be as important as he claimed, to talk to him in threatening tones and make it seem like she was going to vaporize him, when all she was really going to do was send him out the door...with a well-aimed buck to his Cutie Mark.

Such mischief as the Princess liked to engage in was not to be, however, as the letter was every bit as important as the Guard claimed it to be.

"T-thank you for bringing me this, Lieutenant." Celestia stuttered at the Guard as her eyes painfully narrowed on the letter, hoping that maybe she had misread a part of it. After re-reading it, turning it upside down and sideways and reading it like that, Celestia's lips blubbered as it occurred to her that no, no this was not a prank or cruel joke like she had started hoping. This letter was very much real.

Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor were due for trial as early as tomorrow. Celestia was flabbergasted that the Cybertronian Court had enough free time on their servos to set up and arrange a trial this early. Didn't these Cybertronian understand things, like, a period of investigation before trial? Perhaps Cybertronian justice worked differently than Equestrian.

"Oh, Twilight..." Celestia whispered breathlessly, grabbing the letter with her hoof and crumpling it against her chest. The paper creased and crinkled as she held it until it perfectly hugged every curve of her little pony chest. "What am I going to do with you?"

Twilight Sparkle paced around the Autobot jail cell while Shining Armor laid on the ground, his muzzle drooping and popping out to the sides the way a dog's jowls did when they were at rest. On a dog, though, it was nothing special, just something that happened due to their physiology. On Shining, it made him look pathetic. Which was exactly how he felt right now, so it was a win-win.

Twilight continued pacing, the sounds of her hooves lifting up and clinking on the metal floor keeping Shining Armor from going to sleep. Twilight had forgotten all about being angry with her brother, worried over how badly Celestia was going to take the fact of her rampage. Was she going to be exiled? Was Celestia going to banish her to the moon, or...send her back to Magic Kindergarten!? She would've preferred to be in a, cold, lifeless metal jail cell than in Magic Kindergarten!

Wait a minute, she was in a cold, lifeless metal jail cell.

Twilight stopped, trying to make more coherent thoughts pierce through her panicked thinking so she could assess the situation more logically. She was on the cusp of starting a new train of thought when the small device around her horn activated and gave it her horn a smack.

Twilight snarled in frustration at the device. A small brown collar that fit onto her horn with a small pedal attached to it by a hinge. The Autobots who threw her in the cell explained it was simple device to keep her from using her magic to make an escape attempt. Not an unreasonable precaution, given her vast reserve of magic, but the simple machine worked by detecting movement, so any sudden jostles would give her a most uncalled for bop. Shining Armor had one on, too, but as he was loafing loftily as lazily as lagging ladybugs, it didn't bother him too much.

Twilight resumed pacing, nose pointing to the ground. She raised a hoof and exhaled sharply, clearing her mind so she could formulate a plan. She began conversing with herself. "Okay. There's no getting out of a guilty verdict. Shining Armor saw you at Sumdac Systems after you blew it up. So the best thing to do would be to enter a plea bargain while praying nopony – no human was hurt irreparably. Yeah!" Seeing that was the best her situation was going to get, Twilight gave an eerie gleaming smile into the darkness of the cell. "No problem! Just...plead guilty and try to get off with a reduced sentence!" Her eye subtly twitched in denial.

Ideally, in Twilight's schizophrenic, Compulsive Disorder Obsessive mind, she would get a reduced punishment and have to serve 20 years in Autobot Prison for destruction of property, which would surely be better than whatever Celestia might do. Celestia might revoke her student privileges, or take her from her friends and Ponyville for a refresher course in morality. Or worst or all, the Princess might give her a lecture! Anything but that!

Shining Armor signed and scuffed his hoof across the ground, lifting his head up so his muzzle stopped looking like a pale intimation of a resting boxer pup. "Twiley..."

The sound of Shining Armor's regretful voice snapped Twilight out of her delirium, for now, at least. Twilight blushed, having forgotten she was sharing this cage with somepony, let alone somepony she was so close to. Twilight cleared her throat and turned around. "Yes, B.B.B.F.F?"

"I'm sorry." bled out of Shining Armor's mouth. He got to his hooves shakily while still looking at the ground. "I shouldn't have told Professor Sumdac to experiment on you... I just...I just wanted to stop being a Terrorpony." Shining looked at her, and his cerulean eyes were abnormally wide, and if Twilight wasn't mistaken, at least partially wet. "I wanted to stop...being a freak. Is that a crime?"

Twilight chuckled, much to Shining's confusion. She trotted up to her brother and cupped his chin, bringing it upwards. "No. No it's not." Twilight then slapped Shining so hard across the cheek it made his head turn 60 degrees, away from her. "But signing me up for an experiment without my consent is!"

"Oh, yeah!?" Shining shouted at her, wanting to defend himself and rebuke her for hitting up, but having no real moral ground to stand on. "Well...this is all the Cybertronians' fault!"

"What!? Where did that come from!?"

"You heard me!" Shining snarled, his teeth showing as his lips vibrated. "Ever since the Decepticons came to Equestria, life has been nothing but miserable!" This wasn't he wanted- what he wanted was to get Twilight off his back- but it seemed as good a time as any in the future to air his grievances regarding their bot buddies. "First, I can't defend you when they start loading you full of Energon-"

"Shining, even if you were there, you couldn't have done anything!" Twilight tried to explain to him, but Shining kept ranting.

"And then you go Earth, and come back as undead freak of nature, a sin against all that Celestia represents! Then there was Starscream killing me, you resurrecting me. Oh! And let us not forget when you unleashed Thunderwing on the Crystal Empire with Trixie!"

"That was partly your fault..." Twilight muttered to save face. Shining blamed himself for that incident, but it wasn't entirely Twilight's fault, as the Dark Energon had taken her over at the time. More so than usual, that is.

"What have the Cybertronians given us since they got here, huh!?"

"The Space Bridge." Twilight answered meekly. Honestly, she was frightened by how worked up Shining was. It reminded her far too much of when he was similarly enraged at their wedding.

"Yeah? Recently, we got a shipment of Energon to power that Bridge. It started disappearing over night. One of my Guards admitted he was taking some for an experiment. That 'experiment'? It was selling it to ponies."

"That's a perfectly legitimate business-"

"In syringes." Shining clarified, letting Twilight fill in the blanks. Energon, when injected in sufficient dosage into a pony's bloodstream, had a narcotic effect on them, diluting their memory and putting them into a stoned like high where everything was funny to them. Twilight didn't even have to think to realize the impact seeing one of his trusted Guardsmen selling it off to ponies had on him. Not least because he began to outline it for her.

"This was a Guard. That I trusted. Who was protecting the Princess and was selling Energon to ponies on the street! Look me in the eye and tell me that's not the Autobots' fault."

Twilight did exactly as she was told, pressing her nuzzle against his and narrowing her eyes as locked their visions together. "It was not the Autobots' fault. If that Guard was crooked, then he was probably selling other things before the Autobots came along and just used the Energon as a new venue!"

Shining was horrified, too dumbstruck to form any words at Twilight's accusation that one his Guards was corrupt even before the Cybertronians appeared. "You. Take. That. Back."

"Make. Me. Mister. With. Your. Oddly. Punctuated. Speech!"

"YAAH!" Shining Armor charged at his younger sister, the younger sister he had been so close with during their childhood, and locked horns with her. Twilight snarled and pushed back, ready to power up her Dark Energon mutations and used the power from them to lift her brother up and hurl him into the wall with all the superhuman strength afforded to her by the Blood of Unicron they unwillingly shared. Before anything could come of it, however, the little devices on their horns responded to their movement and gave a solid smack to both their horns. They yelped, rubbing their sore horns, and separated from each other.

"Ow!" Shining Armor's lips warbled in the nonexistent wind as he growled at the inanimate device. Seeing that as an inanimate object, it wasn't going to respond, Shining had a realization. He put his hoof down and gave his sister his best apologetic stare. "This is stupid."

"You're stupid!" Twilight spat at him like a filly throwing a tantrum. "This CELL is stupid! These stupid devices on our horns are stupid! Prowl is stupid!" Twilight, continuing her new 'theme' of having a hissy fit, slammed her hoof into the ground several times. "Your face is stupid!" Having resorted to that uncreative, childish remark, Twilight realized she herself was being stupid and sighed, dropped to the ground, and flopped over onto her back. "You're right. We're siblings. We shouldn't be fighting like this. "

"Glad we agree!" Shining Armor perkily announced, trotting over to give Twilight a helping hoof up. "Come on, L.S.B.F.F."

Twilight chuckled at Shining's humorous attempt to take her nickname for him and make into his nickname for her.

"I just...I just want to know everything's going to be all right." Twilight admitted.

"It will." Shining assured her, even though all signs and evidence pointed to everything being anything but all right. "I'll make sure of it. Big Brother's honor."

"Hmph. You shouldn't put something so valuable on the line for a promise you can't keep."

Before they could keep talking and work their out differences in opinion like the mature adults they insisted on being treated as, they heard footsteps. Autobot footsteps. The warden was coming in to check on them. Twilight whimpered and shivered when she heard them. Each echo was a reminder that there was a reason she was in here, trapped in a cell with her horn made useless by a stupid pedal device.

The hexagonal doors to their holding cell shifted, clicked and hissed open.

"You two!" A red and blue Autobot with a faceplate and helmet that made Twilight think of a human astronaut's outfit. From his above-average body frame, muscular build, and ball shoulders, Twilight couldn't help but think he was an Autobot generic. "Sun's come up. Your trial is ready."

"Wha..." Twilight stammered. "It's morning all ready!?"

"We didn't sleep all night!?" Shining Armor exclaimed. He stole Twilight's catchphrase and mannerism for a second, putting his hooves over his head. "Oh, this is terrible! We can't defend ourselves in a trial operating on no sleep!"

"Wait...wait, I don't feel tired." Twilight realized. "The Dark Energon...of course, the Dark Energon! We still have plenty of energy! Um, you know, strictly speaking, we don't actually need to eat or sleep...we just...do it anyway..." Twilight scraped her hoof nervously, avoiding Shining Armor's eyes. "So we can feel normal..."

"Come on, you two." The Autobot guard barked at them gruffly, not noticing they were in the midst of discussing their biological peculiarities. "I don't have all day."

The Guard began escorting them out of the building. Of course, Twilight realized. Why would the courtroom be in the same building as the prisoners who were being courted? That would be silly. The Guard didn't put them in any stasis cuffs, as being four-legged animals who move one set of legs and then the back set of legs, handcuffing them would have rendered them totally immobile, which didn't work out so well when their oppressors decided it was time for them to move.

"Well, well, well!" A dusty green and yellow Autobot fembot chided, gathered in front of a crowd, mixed of Cybertronians and Ponies, and even the odd human here and there, scattered about the crowd. Rather like trying to pick a violet out of a field of dandelions. A really big field of dandelions. They were waiting outside the courtroom building, and the aforementioned fembot, by the name of Glyph, was an enthusiastic reporter eager to get first come, first serve of the trial of Twilight Sparkle. Accompanying her was Photo Finish, a fashion critic on Equestria with an odd accent, in order to provide perspective from the ponies' view of things.

"Glyph – that's me!" Glyph boasted to the cameramech. "Here with Photo Finish, here to cover the impending trial of Twilight Sparkle for the destruction of Sumdac Systems on Earth. As you know, Photo Finish, Twilight has engaged in several large-scale acts of terrorism on Earth before the Autobots' presence was fully revealed, but was never held accountable for any of them. All that is about to change!"

"Yes, yes." Photo Finish nodded her head in agreement, though Glyph wasn't sure if the pony was actually paying attention or just pretending so she could hear the sound of her own, accented voice. "Furthermore, this tryal is of interezt to all species involved in the alliance."

"Mh-hmm!" Glyph nodded. "Pony, human and Cybertronian! Humans because, well, it was their building that got blown up. Ponies because it was one of their most well-known and respected members who did the exploding, and Cybertronians because they had a relationship with the Ponies prior to their revelation to the human populace. This couldn't possibly have anything to do with the suspicions of the humans about the Ponies and Cybertronians working together on projects and leaving the humans out of it."

There was an awkward silence that felt odd, like melted butter, actually, as Glyph and Photo Finish that with the lack of a human news reporter to go with them, they were adding fuel to that fire by providing evidence of a bot and a pony, together without a human.

"Hey, uh, someone write down a note for me to go get a human partner, huh?" Glyph asked her recording crew. "Wait, scrap, is this live!?"

"Yes." The cameramech confirmed, dashing Glyph's hopes that perhaps they could edit that line out.

"Well..." Glyph attempted to salvage her pride and dignity for the camera, for the viewers, for the people! They deserved to see a calm, cool, collected news reporter like herself. "There you have it, folks! Live, off the cuff footage of the trial, no editing or pre-scripting done at all! Right here, right now. Live action- is that Optimus Prime!?"

Glyph turned her head and nearly made a sort of 'squee' noise in delight upon seeing it was, in fact, the crimson form of Optimus Prime striding into the crowd, attempting to squeeze his bulky frame through the narrowest corners of the massive audience while mumbling and muttering apologizes and excuses as he attempted in vain to maneuver through without bumping into anyone.

"Come on, come on!" Glyph beckoned her cameramech, and they were off speeding towards the Last Prime for an exclusive interview. If she got to interview Optimus Prime, her ratings would go through the roof! No news reporter on Cybertron would ever even come close to her level or recognition!

"Optimus? Optimus? Optimus Prime, Sir!"

Hearing his name called, Optimus turned around for whoever was vying for his attention. His optics blinked as he noticed it was the fembot waving her arms and whistling at him. "Hello, Glyph. May I be of service?"

"Yeah, yeah, you may!" Glyph enthusiastically told him, missing the somber timbre of Optimus' always low and stoic voice. "How do you feel about Twilight Sparkle getting a trial? She is one of your friends, after all..." Glyph added coyly, suggestively raising her browplate.

Optimus sighed, the exhaust on his back fidgeting. "I only wish I would have been able to converse with her prior to the trial, outside the courtroom's notice, so as to get her perspective on things. Now, if you will excuse me, I have be in the courtroom." Optimus excused himself and walked off.

"Optimus, wait!" Glyph insisted, determined to get a more thorough interview for her precious ratings. "Can't you answer a few more questions? Optimus?... Optimus?" Glyph's voice became increasingly less hopeful the more she spoke, as soon Optimus adapted and disappeared into the crowd. An impressive feat, given how clumsily and awkwardly he was moving when he arrived.

The Autobot guard stood silently behind the Sparkle family siblings to the courtroom. Sometimes he would step forward and smack away a reporter who decided they could get close for a question.

Twilight and Shining Armor had some trouble climbing up the short step of stairs leading to the courtroom's entrance. It was a tiny staircase, but it was fitted to Cybertronians, not Ponies. Twilight thought about teleporting, before remembering the stupid thing on her horn preventing her from spellcasting.

It took them awhile, but they were successful in clambering up the stairs and standing in front of the courtroom door, where the only step left would be to wait for the door to open and walk into their sentencing.

Looking at the door, Twilight was reminded of a cathedral. The door was triangular in shape, but curved and rounded on the sides. The way parts of formed a circle and popped forward marked it most definitely as a Cybertronian entryway. The circle shifted to the right, then dropped into the floor, tearing away at the door's bottom, while the top of it split in two and drew upwards.

"In." The Guard instructed the two ponies.

They followed the Guard's orders, ignoring their own nervous feelings and jittery hooves. Twilight found that walking into the dark corridor of the hallway, with no choice but to listen to her's and the Guard's footsteps echoing in the hall, it seemed like the aura of the room wasn't just rubbing it in that she had done something wrong. It was practically boasting about it.

The lights on the ceiling were large circles with no coloring to them, shining only a bright white that was somehow gloomy and despairing despite its neutral color. Twilight, in her feverish pitch of mind, imagined it might have been the Sparks of criminals long past warning present and future accused to abandoned hope.

Twilight wished the lights would suffer a short-circuit, just so she wouldn't have to see Shining Armor's face as they were marched into a court they had no hope of leaving without a guilty verdict.

They saw an open entrance with no door up ahead, and they figured it must be the courtroom proper. Twilight and Shining stepped through, but the Guard stayed behind to keep watch in case they got any ideas of escaping.

The courtroom seemed mostly the same as human or pony one, though larger and with a metallic glint in the waxed floor. Twilight could see her reflection sparkling in the floorboards, and even a neat-freak like her thought the janitor must have loved his job just a little much.

"Hmm..." Twilight looked around the room, and noticed that the audience was mostly filled with Cybertronians, all of whom were well-trained and respectable enough not to look at her as she walked down the aisle. As she walked, though, she noticed a dark-skinned human female with red hair done in pigtails waiting by the entrance. She was wearing a yellow suit of some kind.

Twilight stopped to greet her. "Hello. Who are you?"

The woman chuckled. "I'm Sari Sumdac."

Twilight blinked, trying to take in this information. "Wow! Professor Sumdac must be quite the catch, then, to get somepony as young as you!" Sari did not appear to understand Twilight's compliment. Twilight rubbed at the back of her neck shyly. "Uhh...sorry that I blew up your husband's factory."

Sari guffawed. "Hahaha! What!? No, no...I'm his daughter."

"Oh! My bad." Twilight grinned, trying to mask her swelling, though deserved feelings of guiltiness and shame. She had a terrible thought; if Sumdac had a daughter, how many other workers at the facility had children of their own? Children that needed tending. Children that needed their mommies and daddies to teach them the ways of the world...

Twilight felt like she could cry, but she held it in. She knew that didn't fly well with a court, and served no practical purpose.

Steeling herself to meet her fate with dignity, Twilight huffed and threw her nose in the air. Shining Armor didn't understand what she was doing.

The two siblings began their long trek towards the stand where the accused was to make their case and took their seats. The managers of the courtroom had been so kind as to wield booster seats to the bottoms of the robot sized chairs to give the two ponies an easier time getting in and out of it.

Adjusting her rear to sit as comfortably as she could, Twilight took notice of the lone Autobot standing in front of the judge's pedestal. Prowl, looking displeased. Twilight got a hunch he always looked like that. From his posture and position relative to the judge's seat, Twilight figured he was here to play prosecutor, which gave her a realization that really would have helped if she had it earlier.

"Oh my gosh! Shining, we don't have a lawyer!"

Shining took on a blank face that Twilight found laughable, but this was no time to be laughing. "You're right! They can't- they can't prosecute us without a lawyer, can they? Are Cybertronian laws different?"

"I don't know!" Twilight started gnawing at the tips of her hooves.

Both siblings fell quiet, hearing a jet engine whistle silently. Prowl looked upwards, and the auditorium followed his lead. Noticing how they all appeared to be looking at something, Twilight followed suit and saw a small ship flying in from the doorway. Twilight didn't like poking fun at things, but she found there was no other to describe it other than a golden boat with large red wings stuck to the sides. The boat-ship flew over the judge's pedestal and transformed, landing into it. The form appeared to be Autobot in nature, and was quite angular in design. His face was gray, blue optics, and his helmet had so many different ridges on the head and sides Twilight couldn't keep track of them all. His shoulders appeared to comprised of furnaces, and his waist was so thin it was like his chest was just one block attach to the top of a pole with his thighs being two blocks attached to the bottom.

Prowl cleared his throat. "Hm-hm! As Chief Justice Tyrest could not present to today, we shall the honorable Senator Dai Atlas serve in his place."

"Very good, Prowl." Dai Atlas spoke, and his voice was a very deep baritone. It made Twilight think of somepony who was a good bot, but had trouble socializing. "Before we begin the trial, have all deliberations been prepared?"

"Yes, Your Honor." Prowl answered, saluting with the excitement of a wood board.

"The destruction has been the subject of a proper investigation?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"All the witnesses have been sworn in?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"We have a jury?"

"The accused has had their say in choosing a public defender who will accurately represent their interests to the best intent?"

"Er..." Prowl stammered.

Dai Atlas sighed, and Twilight got the feeling this wasn't the first Prowl had let a tiny detail like, say, getting a lawyer for the accused, slip under his radar. "Again, Prowl?"

There was a very, very loud obnoxious chatter, which Twilight and Shining heard as "Wait!" but all the Autobots understood as animal noises.

Everyone in the room craned their necks towards the entrance, and they all saw an orange hedgehog wearing a tuxedo, standing in the entrance, standing on his hind legs and holding his front paws out dramatically. One of Princess Luna's bat-eyed Night Guard was standing with him.

"Russell?" Twilight whispered. What in Celestia's blazing saddle was a Littlest Pet Shop pet doing here in a court of Cybertronians!?

Russell began chattering and squeaking, gesturing with his front paws. Twilight and Shining understood him perfectly, but it was all meaningless noise that distracted the inhabitants of the courtroom to Prowl and Dai Atlas.

Russell eventually stopped squeaking and crossed his arms. Once he stopped talking, the Night Guard next to him cleared his throat.

"Ahem. He says he's here to represent the interest of his clients, Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor. I'm here to translate his speech as a neutral party with no stake in the outcome of this trial, to ensure the accused does not misinterpret his speech to serve their own ends."

"That's incredibly well-thought out." Shining Armor reflected.

Twilight felt differently, if the hoof now covering her forehead didn't make that clear enough. "Russell...why?"

Russell and the Night Guard walked up to the accused stand, and the Guard helped Russell onto the table so Dai Atlas could look at them without having to lean over the judge's table.

"Well, hardly an orthodox procedure for a lawyer, but the defendants are in no position to object, and I, for one, do not care so long as he has a license."

Prowl's head began to let out a wisp of smoke.

"Um..." Twilight grew concerned and cleared her throat. "Is the prosecutor in good health?"

Dai Atlas looked to Prowl and didn't seem all that bothered. "He's fine. Just doesn't like the unusual, is all." Twilight didn't know that this was an understatement.

Russell shirked and tugged at the collar of his suit. Thankfully, Dai Atlas didn't ask him to produce his license, so his lack of a proper one was overlooked.

"Now, are all members of the selected jury present, and equally representing the interests of all three species?" Dai Atlas questioned, pulling out a discus and reading it off. "Sari Sumdac ..."

"Here!"

"Acting Decepticon Lord Shockwave."

"Present."

"Agent Dutch..."

"Here."

"Cybertron Elite Guard Magnum..."

"Present and accounted for."

"Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadence..."

"Present."

Twilight's jaw dropped, and for the first time, she actually bothered to look at the juror's seating and saw that the all three Princesses were there, wearing stoic masks of detachment that hid whatever emotion they were feeling inside. Twilight supposed she should have felt good about that; that Celestia wouldn't let the obvious disappointment in her student show through, but instead, Twilight felt pained.

Why won't you let me see your feelings, Princess?

Dai Atlas continued reading off juror names, and after the next few went by, Twilight heard was quite possibly the only name that equaled Princess Celesta in the dread she felt when hearing it spoken as a member of a jury.

"Optimus Prime..."

There was no answer.

Dai Atlas looked around the room. "Optimus Prime?"

Everyone in the audience began murmuring and passing speculations from one audio receptor to another. It was extremely unlike Optimus Prime to be late for anything. Metal hands covered the gaps between faceplates and audio receptors. Shadows subtly shifted from the all the crowd's hushed whisperings cowing against the very nature of the courtroom, which was to seek out fact and expose truth, not meet up and swap gossip. Dai Atlas noticed the hustling of the surprised court audience. "Silence! Cease your rumor mongering! I am sure there is a perfectly valid excuse as to why our good Optimus is late!"

"Present and accounted for, Senator." Optimus announced, entering the room from the entrance. "My apologies for my being late. I was unsure if I would be able to set aside my personal feelings for the case..." Optimus' optics glinted in Twilight's directions, and Twilight hung her head, knowing he was referring to her and their strained friendship.

Twilight kept her eyes trained on him every step he took towards the jury booth. For a moment, Optimus spared her a glance in return, and Twilight was sure his optics would be full of rage, screaming with indigenous fury, "Why would you do that!?" … but instead, they were as stoic and detached as ever, perhaps with just a tiny little hint of – was that concern?

By Primus, Twilight swore in her head, I know you're my friend, Optimus, and that you're one of the most caring beings available on call, but I blew up an entire complex! I don't deserve your concern! … As much as it makes me feel better.

Optimus continued on and took his seat on the bench, his crimson form seemingly duller under the shadowed, dim lightning of the room.

"Now, shall the trial begin?" Dai Atlas questioned. In turn, Prowl gave a nod of the head. "Excellent! All parties in the matter of the State Vs Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor are accounted for!" Dai Atlas brought out a gavel and slammed it. "Prowl, make your case."

Prowl swept his hand through the air, trying to be fancy, but his inherent attitude that constrained him from sociability prevented him from doing anything too elaborate or flashy. "Thank you, Your Honor." Prowl then paced back and forth in front of the pedestal of the judge, going into detail of what the Sparkle family siblings had done, and why – in his oh-so-humble opinion- that they should be hit with the hammer of justice with such a fierce brutality that shan't walk for weeks.

"Twilight Sparkle has been on record, multiple times, as having a contempt and hatred for humanity, which by itself makes her dangerous." Prowl recounted. "In addition to that, she has previously attempted to destroy and or take over human settlements, and was never held accountable for any of the destruction she caused. It would be remiss if this court failed their opportunity to correct this oversight and find Twilight guilty of super massive destruction."

Prowl was using so many unnecessary, excessively sized wordage that even the studious scholar was having trouble keeping up with the majority of his pontificating. What she could make out, though, suggested to her he was bitter that she had been granted amnesty for her crimes on Earth during her first voyage there.

"As for Shining Armor, his crime is that he authorized the experiment on Twilight Sparkle that led to her rampaging to begin with." Prowl continued. "While I do not believe he set out with hostile intent, it should still be noted it was the direct result of his actions the destruction of Sumdac Systems occurred."

"Noted." Dai Atlas nodded his head to show he understood. Dai Atlas turned his gaze downwards at Russell. "Your defense, porcupine?"

Russell chattered angrily, shaking his paw at Dai Atlas.

The Night Guard cleared his throat. "He's a hedgehog, not a porcupine, and his name is Russell Ferguson. "

Russell began squawking, arguing a defense that secretly, he and Shining had worked while Prowl made his argument. As the Night Guard had to translate, Twilight found herself lulled quickly into the lure of being bored to sleep as her makeshift lawyer's defense was repeated by the translator.

"Shining Armor had authorized the experiment with the hopes it would enable him and his sister to remove their Dark Energon infusions. Twilight Sparkle, meanwhile, is unwilling to engage in any attempts to purge her Dark Energon infusions because she is afraid it won't work and therefore kill her. In this regard, it can be argued that, from Twilight's perspective, the Sumdac Systems' scientists were going to kill her in the name of science."

"And it is such a crime that Shining Armor wants to be normal again?" Russell questioned. "Is wrong to desire that he could live among his fellow equines as an equal, without the stench of undeath sneaking over every corridor? Is that so wrong!?" Russell shook his fists into the air.

Dai Atlas chuckled when the Night Guard finished translating Russell's heartfelt, warmth defense. "Cute, Mister Ferguson, and not entirely inaccurate, either. No..." Dai Atlas rubbed his chin in contemplation, and Prowl became alarmed, thinking that perhaps Russell's impromptu defense was enough to persuade Dai Atlas to turn the other cheek.

Dai Atlas slammed his gavel down. "However, this court operates on the letter and spirit of the law. Emotions, though they do matter significantly, are far from the sole cause of determining guilt of the condemned. Prowl. Your response?"

Prowl sneered. "Let us not forget the several instances where Twilight Sparkle used her connection with Princess Celestia to avoid several potential causes of disciplinary action."

"What!?" Twilight lost her temper and slammed her hooves. "Objection! I would never do anything like that!"

"Sustained." Dai Atlas said with a hint of irritability. "On what occasion was Twilight's relation ship the Princess used specifically to avoid a charge?"

"The Want It Need It Spell incident a year ago, not to mention Thunderwing's unleashing on the poor folk of the Crystal Empire." Prowl answered.

"The Want It Feed It- The need-want - the thing with the spell does not involve Cybertronians or humans, so it outside the purvey of this court. As for Thunderwing, I'm given to understand that Twilight was not entirely under her own control during that time...?" Dai Atlas put his hands together under his chin and leaned forward, curious what other mudslinging tactics Prowl was going to resort to.

Prowl grunted and narrowed his visor at Russell, communicating without words that the police-bot was not going to stand for Russell's attempts to have Dai Atlas look at this more from Twilight's point of view. "Sir, if I may be so bold, I'd like a recess."

To Twilight's surprise, rather than the audience, it was the jury who muttered. The jury that included her mentor, her foalsitter, and her Prime.

"Why is that, Prowl?"

"I believe I may be able to gather sufficient evidence from the crime scene to prove, without a doubt, that Twilight Sparkle is guilty as charged."

"And Shining Armor?" Dai Atlas questioned.

Prowl looked taken aback, and Twilight thought back to how she thought Prowl wanted to make her answer for the crimes she had been granted amnesty for during her first trip to Earth. Now, she was absolutely sure that was his motivation; justice could go take a slagging. "Erm, Yes, Your Honor. Him as well."

"Granted." Dai Atlas slammed the gavel down. "2 Megacycles so that the jury may deliberate preemptively, Prowl may reexamine the crime scene, and the defendants may discuss their strategy."

Dai Atlas slammed his gavel. "This court is now in recess! Parties may leave the courtroom, but don't go too far."

Twilight stepped up out of her chair and landed on the floor. She looked over her shoulder area to see the jury – the Princesses and Optimus among them- get up and walked to a door she hadn't seen when they came in to deliberate. Twilight didn't quite get the purpose, but she supposed there was something to be said of having two deliberations of the same trial at different times, for comparison before the final rendering of the verdict.

"What do you want to do, Twiley?" Shining asked, putting a hoof on her for comfort.

"I don't know." Twilight answered, shaking her head. "I just...don't know anymore. I want to go for a walk...you know, fresh air."

"Of course." Shining Armor nodded his head. "We'll be right here when you get back...not that we have a choice."

Twilight chuckled and trotted weakly towards the door. The Guard stationed at the door looked down at her, as if to say "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'd like to take a walk." Twilight informed him, not liking the filthy glare reflected in his optics.

"It's all right, Solider."

Twilight whipped around, seeing to her surprise and disbelief Princess Celestia.

"She won't go anywhere." Celestia assured the Guard.

"Mm." The Guard nodded and stepped to the side.

"Thank you, Prin-" Twilight attempted to thank her Princess, but when she turned back around, her Princess was gone as mysteriously and suddenly as she appeared. "Oh!" Twilight groaned and ran out the door, tears welling up in her eyes. "How could I be so stupid!?"

Twilight ran and ran, and ran, and then for good measure, she ran some more. She turned into a lavender bolt too quick for the crowd gathered outside the courtroom to see, catch, or in some cases, ask questions. The highly trained unicorn had no problems ducking and swerving around every corner she came across until she was somewhere far away from the courtroom and all the judging ponies within.

Finding herself in a Cybertronian alleyway, the kind of alley no respectable pony wanted to be caught in late at night, Twilight curled up into a ball amidst a pile of scrap metal and continued to cry, sniffing as she let her tears flow.

"The Princess must hate me now..." Twilight muttered, rubbing her puffy eyes. "She'll never forgive me for this. I'm going to be sent to-to Autobot Jail for the rest of my undead life! WHAAAAN!" Twilight let out a distressing wail which, to a passing or nearby mugger, would've been a honey-sweet, irresistible siren's song. She realized this and quickly covered her mouth before she attracted any unwanted company.

She sat there, still as a cat, waiting for any signs of signals that she drew in a bad crowd with her noise making. For a brief, hopeful moment it seemed like maybe she was lucky enough to have not, but that changed when she heard a Decepticon's footsteps coming nearby.

"Scrap." Twilight cursed under her breath. She wasn't sure what that bot was going to want, but she began charging up a spell just in case. A real big, nice, destructive one at that.

Twilight was incredulous it was not a Decepticon, but an Autobot that was approaching her. She maintained an intimidating pose and bared her teeth, whinnying to let him that she meant business.

"Whoa, whoa!" The Autobot held his hands up at her. "Cool off the throttle, will ya?"

He didn't seem that odd for an Autobot. His paint job was mostly blue and white, with a green visor and white faceplate. That was a bit weird, though. Twilight's understanding of it was that most Autobots had blue optics. His shoulderpads were large and went over his head, while his limbs were all long, yet blocky.

"There's no need to be so violent, as much as we all love violence. I mean, who doesn't, right?"

"Celestia." Twilight answered automatically. "Optimus. Ratchet. Magnum. Fluttershy. Cheerilee."

"Okay, okay, yeesh!" The blue Autobot waved his hands. "I didn't mean to be so literally! It was an expression!"

"All right..." Twilight turned her head away, motioning for him to speak, before remembering where she was. She aimed her horn at him again. "What do you want?"

"You!" The Autobot answered, pointing to her with his index finger like she was a gold doubloon inside a oyster shell. "Or rather, The Institute wants you."

The sky turned black behind the Autobot, and a crack of white thunder flashed behind him. Then the sky went right back to normal. Twilight stared confusedly.

"Yeah...that always happens, for some reason." The Autobot sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Every time I say the name."

"The Institute?" Twilight questioned. The same thing happened; the sky behind her turned black, and white thunder tore through the black before the sky turned back to normal. "Huh."

"Anyways, I know you, but you don't know me. Name's Toxin. I'm what's called a mnemosurgeon."

Twilight raised her eyebrow. "Mnemosurgeon?" Being such a book nerd, Twilight understood a few words of Latin here and there and recognized the affix and its meaning; 'memory'. "Wouldn't...wouldn't that mean you...perform surgery on memories?"

"Yes." Toxin answered, putting his hands together amicably. "But we're not here about me. We're here about you."

"M-m-me?" Twilight stammered, pointing a hoof at herself. She looked down to the ground. Perhaps it was her modesty. Maybe she was humble. Or perhaps she was feeling guilty over having blown up Sumdac Systems, but she couldn't help but think the same sentence she soon voiced to Toxin. "I'm nothing special..."

Toxin laughed. It was a merry laugh, full of mirth and warm, but somehow it still sent chills up Twilight's spinal cord. "What are you talking about? If you were nothing special, The Institute wouldn't be interested in having you come help with their research!"

Twilight looked up at him, wondering if maybe Toxin's eccentricities were because he lived far away from anywhere a sane, normal Cybertronian would consider hospitable, and as a result, he never learned what was and was not socially tolerated. "You do know I blew up the last research facility I worked in, don't you?"

Twilight had underestimated how fraggin' nuts Toxin was. Most ponies would cue this a red flag and then not want anything to do with her after hearing that, but Toxin just laughed again and even gave her a thumbs-up. "That's just the kind of attitude we're looking for!"

Twilight blanched. "You...look for ponies who blow up research facilities they work at?"

"Eh...not in those exact terms, but more or less." Toxin tapped his fingers together. "You see, Madame Sparkle, The Institute is a research facility active on Cybertron before the War. It shut down as the conflict became too great to ignore. But now that Shockwave has re-energized Cybertron with the Changeling Batteries, its starting back up again. We've observed your scientific pursuits, Twilight Sparkle, both before you went to Earth and after. We have come to the conclusion that you would be a perfect fit for our restart. Whadda ya say?"

"I would love to!" Twilight happily exclaimed. Working with humans was one thing, but this Institute...sounded fantastic to her ears, somehow. She wasn't sure what it was. Perhaps it was the fact they didn't care for her explosive tendencies, or maybe Toxin just seemed really friendly, despite his mannerisms. She frowned when she remembered she had a trial she needed get to back to soon. "Oh, but I can't...I'm being tried for the facility I blew up, and I'm pretty sure my verdict will be guilty."

"Whaaat?" Toxin screeched. "Oh, well, now that just won't do!" Toxin rubbed his chin. "I know!" He snapped his fingers, and Twilight could tell from the look on his face...plate that he had an idea. "How about you hire me as your lawyer?"

Twilight shook her head, not sure she heard that right. "Um, well, I already have a lawyer...a hedgehog."

Toxin attempted to scoff derisively, but his lack of lips prevented him. "Well...no offense to your hedgehog friend, but if you replaced him with me, you would have the whole resources of The Institute backing you. There's no way you could lose!"

Twilight furrowed her brow, wanting to accept Toxin's offer- he seemed so friendly. "Mm...I'm not sure the Princess would approve me taking this mech I found on the street in as my lawyer."

"What if..." Toxin hesitated. Twilight was sure there he was holding a card he had yet to play that he didn't want her to know, but might just persuade her to do as he asked. "I told you I knew exactly what was in your laboratory? Both of them, and we still want you?"

Twilight was baffled. She was the only one who knew about her second laboratory- the one where she kept the remnants of a variety of ill-fated experiments involving Cybertronian tech. Toxin knew what was in it, and still wanted her into this Institute.

"Tell you what." Toxin snapped his fingers. "How about I get you clear of this trial, and then you can decide whether or not you want to come work with us?"

"You can do that?" Twilight asked, rightfully skeptical. While hopeful that maybe, she could atone somehow, the more she had a minute to think about it, the more she realized there was very little chance Toxin could actually succeed at getting her off.

"Can and will!" Toxin bombastically pointed his fingers at her. A click of the teeth gesture would not have been remiss, had Toxin teeth.

"I still don't know..." Twilight murmured, scraping at the general direction of the ground.

"Twilight Sparkle...The Institute is very interested in having you there."

Twilight Sparkle raised her head at him, still with a confused look. She took a deep breath and thought over the situation carefully.

Twilight activated her comm.

"Shining Armor? Tell Russell he's fired. Nothing personal, I've just found someone better."

Thanks to Toxin transforming into his vehicular mode – a Cybertronian racing car- Twilight quickly returned to the courtroom before the recess was up, where Russell was much distraught over being replaced.

"You can't replace me!" Russell protested when Twilight arrived, prancing through the entrance to the courtroom with a renewed spring in her step. Toxin walked into the room behind while Russell continued chattering and squeaking, making arguments as to why he should be allowed to stay on as Twilight's defense attorney.

"Are all parties returned?" Dai Atlas questioned, taking another scan around the room. There were affirmative nods all around. Prowl remained deathly silent, glaring at Toxin with contempt. Dai Atlas raised up a discus. "I'm given to understand that the party of Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor have replaced by their lawyer with a new one?"

"Yes, Sir, Your Honor!" Toxin confirmed, sauntering to the side of Twilight's and Shining's chair. "Toxin of The Institute, here to represent the best interests of my clientele."

Twilight didn't notice, too absorbed in trying to think of what miracle Toxin would pull out of thin air, Optimus' furtive biting of his lips at the mention of The Institute.

Dai Atlas tilted his head. "The Institute, you say? This should be interesting! We last left off at an unsubstantiated claim by Prowl of Twilight Sparkle using her royal connections to go scot-free. Let us continue, shall we?" Dai Atlas leered at Prowl knowingly.

"Right, then." Toxin mumbled, walking to the middle of the room and beginning to grandstand. "Friends, Cybertronians, Ponies, lend my your ears!"

"Oh, please." Prowl muttered. "I've read better paraphrases off the back of-"

"Shut up, Prowl." Dai Atlas snapped. "Continue, Defense."

Toxin went in for the cheap shot. "As I was saying, before Prowl so rudely interrupted me... do we not all understand the mental taxes placed upon us by our siblings? By not wanting to fail our relatives and mentors?"

"Objection! Relevance!?"

"I'm going somewhere with this. Don't worry your pretty light-bar head." Toxin mocked. "Anyways, where was I? Oh yes! There is plenty of historical precedent as to how, when Shining Armor is involved, Twilight Sparkle's judgment is in doubt. His wedding, for instance, not mentioned the Dark Energon infusions that are the very root of this mess!"

Dai Atlas shook his head, and the jury whispered among itself.

Toxin raised a finger. "Twilight Sparkle is a very kind, caring, and generous pony." Twilight blushed profusely, but she got over it quickly be recalling the reason she was here. "And even the best of us sometimes have a bad day, and that is what I would to express to the court here; that Twilight Sparkle simply...had a bad day."

Dai Atlas tucked his lips in, as if expecting more from Toxin. Toxin got the message and hastily stammered to buy some time.

"Uh uh uh and, um...I'm sure she would do anything to make up for it!" Toxin added, turning to Twilight Sparkle. "Isn't that right, Twilight Sparkle?"

"Anything." Twilight squealed out. "I would go back in time and stop myself from doing it. I would go to a human school, study human biological, and perform surgeries on each and every employee of Sumdac Systems so they wouldn't live with any permanent damage. I would study law and get them all the full extent of their life insurance, if I knew it meant they could forgive me."

The audience murmured, while Celestia looked downwards. Dai Atlas pursed his lips.

"A heartwarming sentiment, Miss Sparkle, and perhaps the humans would accept a quid pro quo...but as I told your brother before our recess, this is a court of the letter of the law." Dai Atlas crossed his arms and drew himself up to an impressive height that quashed all thoughts of atonement and hope from Twilight's mind. "Does the defense have any last tricks up its sleeve before I deem it time for the jury to deliberate?"

"Yes, actually." Toxin answered. "You remember when you said this would get interesting? Here is where it gets interesting, Your Honor." Toxin walked up the Dai Atlas's chair and handed the acting judge a discus. Twilight noticed what appeared to be a black Autobot symbol on the disk.

Dai Atlas took the disc and scanned it over. Whatever was on it seemed to frighten him. His fingers started shaking, his teeth began to chatter, and he brought his hand up his mouth and nearly bit his finger off.

"Um...in light of the shocking evidence on this disc, I find I have no choice but to declare a mistrial." Dai Atlas announced. He banged his gavel. "This trial and its sentencing are hereby postponed indefinitely."

The jury suppressed surprised whispers. The audience started exchanging rumors again, although this time, they wised up and left the courtroom while Prowl was outraged.

"Senator! You can't really let Twilight Sparkle off that easily-!"

"Silence!" Dai Atlas ordered him. "That is my ruling, and it is final!" Dai Atlas jumped out of his seat and transformed into his flying boat mode, rocketing out of the courtroom with the haste of the March Hare.

Twilight should have elated; she should have been overjoyed. She should be leaping into the air and hugging her brother, exchanging relieves with Shining Armor about how they just barely got off the hook...and yet...she couldn't. Something was going on. Something scary was on that disc.

"Did we win?" Shining confusedly questioned thin air as the courtroom continued to thin out.

"I don't know..." Twilight admitted. "I honestly don't know."

Meanwhile, Toxin was rubbing his chin. "Mmm...time travel...now there's a thought."

"You won't get away with this!" Prowl shouted at Toxin, pointing his finger angrily. "I'll see to it Twilight Sparkle AND you are both found guilty!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Toxin ignored him and walked towards Twilight.

The jury began leaving, and Sari Sumdac stopped for a minute to look at Twilight before she headed out the door. Twilight looked back, and saw the sincerity in Sari's dim blue eyes.

"I meant every word." Twilight told her. "Whatever it takes to fix it, I'll do it, no matter what."

This seemed to be good enough for Sari, who chuckled and smiled lightly. "I'm glad to hear that, Twilight Sparkle...you really are just a walking catastrophe waiting to happen, aren't you?"

"Yeah...well..." Twilight rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

"Oh, and...my dad checked out of the hospital today." Sari informed them as she walked off. "He'll need some fresh air for awhile, but he and every one of his employees are going to be fine. Looks you're really off the hook this time."

Twilight sighed and wiped her forehead. "Whew! I can forgive myself for a little, teeny-tiny complete and utter annihilation of a building, but I'd never be able to live with myself if I hurt somepony."

"Twilight Sparkle..."

Twilight, Sari, and Shining Armor whipped their heads up to see Optimus addressing them.

"Could I talk-"

"Ah, ah ah!" Toxin had the gall to interrupt Optimus Prime. "That'll have to wait, Optimus." Toxin scooped Twilight into his palm. "Right now, there's a room in The Institute with this Little Pony's name on it!" Toxin transformed, a chute opening up as he did so that Twilight fell in that brought right into his vehicular mode's driver seat, and drove out the door.

Celestia walked up to Optimus Prime. "Is...something wrong, Optimus?"

Optimus didn't cut any corners in his answer.

"Yes."

Toxin was soon driving out on the streets, quickly passing the audience outside the courtroom of outraged executives demanding Twilight's head, curious, but unaffected Autobots wondering the outcome of the trial, and eager reporters seeking to ask questions well outside their right.

Inside the car, Twilight started fiddling with Toxin's buttons. "Could you lower the window? I want to feel the wind on my face."

"Of course." Toxin's right-side door window slid down, allowing the breeze to whip Twilight's mane as Toxin continued driving. There was nothing quite like the feeling of the wind on her face in a car going 80 Mph or more to reassure her she was a free mare. She knew where Toxin was taking her; the location of The Institute and its grand designs. Thoughts of guilt about she had gotten away with so much without even getting a slap on wrist were buried in the back of Twilight's mind beneath piles of other clutter. The unicorn was so excited at what new inventions The Institute might have she could hardly think of anything else.

"Oooh! Do you guys have a particle collider synchrotron?" Twilight asked.

"No...uh, yes...uh, maybe. I don't know." Toxin answered. "Ah! We're here."

"All ready?"

"Eh, you tend to get places when you ignore the speed limit like I do."

Following that remark, Twilight uncomfortably opened Toxin's door and stepped out to at last hold her gaze on The Institute's building, while Toxin converted to robot mode behind her.

It wasn't an impressive building. It was little more than a large, beige square with a glass door in front. Twilight was underwhelmed by is unassuming appearance. The only thing assuring this was The Institute were the large black letters mounted above the door spelling as such. Underneath the sign was a motto, also done in black letters, with a black Autobot insignia with white trim next to it.

The Institute

We Do What We Must, Because, We Can.

"Doesn't look like much..." Twilight muttered.

"Trust me. It's bigger on the inside. Come on." Toxin gestured for her to follow him as he entered the establishment, flicking the glass doors open with a wave of his hand without even touching them. Twilight did as instructed and followed him inside.

The inside was more along the lines of what Twilight was expecting. Tables huge to her, but normal to Cybertronians were everywhere, and on every one of them was a piece of technology, if not a collection of scrap metal and spare parts meant to be assembled into technology.

Twilight oohed at all the various piece of machinery, which was split between things she could recognize and things she couldn't, as well as a few things she were sure were the result of a scientist taking some parts and just smashing them together until they vaguely resembled something with a purpose.

There were two scientists out, working on one table with blowtorches drawn and fire safety mask worn. One of them looked like Toxin, but orange in place of white, and white in place of Toxin's blue, while the other mostly white one appeared to have wings on his long, detached arms. Twilight presumed he was an Aerialbot, a special type of Seeker that defected to the Autobots, even though she knew not all flying Autobots were Aerialbots, and the Aerialbots were far from being scientists.

Toxin cleared his throat and waved his hand for his colleagues' attention. "Ahem. Hey! Hey, everybody! Guys! … PHARMA! CHROMEDOME!"

The two of them stopped working on what they working on – to Twilight, it seemed to be a mechanical armadillo made of water canteens fused together, but...Cybertron...doesn't have armadillos. They adjusted their safety visors, revealing their faces; the orange one had an identical face to Toxin's, but with orange plating and a yellow visor. The other had a red helmet that curved at the top and white face- an actual face.

"Pharma," Toxin gestured to the winged Autobot, which made his identical copy Chromedome by elimination, "Chromedome, meet Twilight Sparkle." Toxin gestured to the horse at his feet.

"Oh! Is she the one the bosses have been raving about-?" Pharma questioned, but Chromedome silenced by placing a hand over his mouth.

"Eh-heh, she can't know about that." Chromedome hissed. "Apologies, Miss Sparkle, but you understand how these bureaucracies work, don't you?"

"I do." Twilight nodded her head. She kept watching Chromedome and Pharma with interest piqued.

Chromedome removed his hand from Pharma's mouth, and Pharma cleared his throat.

"Ahem...anyways, Toxin's been telling us about how you are on the fence about joining our lovely Institution!" Pharma declared, raising his hands up. He pointed to the corner of the room, where, a keyboard, a double bass and a musical triangle and bar sized to Autobot scale were at rest.

"So we decided to prepare a little musical number to help you convince you!" Pharma declared, clapping his hands together and rubbing them excitedly.

Pharma, Chromedome, and Toxin, after placing Twilight gently on a table's vacant corner for a better view, walked over and each took an instrument; Toxin, the triangle, Chromedome, the keyboard, and Pharma, the bass.

Chromedome began the composition, his fingers trawling along the keyboard, making a somber, Blues musical tone that made Twilight feel inexplicably sad. Her lips started to pout, and her shoulders sagged.

Chromedome noticed, stopped playing, and snapped his fingers.

"Got you, didn't we?"

Chromedome began playing a much more lively, faster score that made Twilight's hooves want to dance of their own accord. Pharma began strumming the base, and Toxin carefully timed when he clanged the triangle to give the best contrast against the other instruments. They started breaking out into song to go with their music.

Welcome, Twilight, dear, to the Institute!

We'll have such a jolly good time,

If you would just this here dotted line.

Welcome to The Institute! The Institute!

Pharma took over the singing.

If you ever get a cold,

You'll see why they call Mister Pharma Ceutical!

There's nothing I can fix

With my patented polyon stitches!

Something fantastic which

I couldn't have made without this establishment's riches!

And if during testing, you accidentally got shot

You can be sure I'll patch you back up

Before your wires start to rot!

Pharma stopped singing, then he and Chromedome clasped hands, swung each other around and began playing the others' instrument while Chromedome picked up the lyrics.

Don't mind if there's a corpse that starts talking;

Just keep it bolted or it's a dead mech walking.

We never use an unwillingly donated body

Though for some reason, not a lot of people donate, oddly.

Maybe it's got something do with the fact

You stroll out the trade market and just buy bodies in the afternoon

Oh well, but I digress

There are other ways to safely run your tests

Our practices are fair and safe;

With science, we are masters of our fate

There's no need to worry about morality;

We've all sighed the-

Toxin, Chromedome and Pharma sung the next line together.

NECESSARY foooooorm-aaaaaalities!

Toxin then took over;

If all this talk of bodies is giving you a scare;

Then we're sorry dear, we just mean you have free reign here!

Though we sometimes have our bad days where something pink turns brown,

Always we help each other out of the grooound...

Do you ever wish you could fall up

Instead of always falling down? (Down-down-downedy-down-now)

Well, at The Institute, The Institute, you can!

Are you a victim of gravity?

Well, working together, we can stop it, you and me!

Twilight frowned. "Well, I'm starting to be convinced, but...what if I don't meet your boss's requirements?"

The three Autobots laughed. They whipped out hats, tuxedos and canes from nowhere and sung to a different tune and dancing. It was like a barbershop quartet, but with three members instead of four, so...barbershop triplet?

Oh, Twilight, Dear, you have absolutely nothing to fear;

Truth is at one point or another, we've all been there.

Maybe you tore open a portal far from home;

Maybe you just gave our boss a scare;

But the fact of the matter is, when you're here, you're not alone.

We have each others' backs,

We're tight-knits as stones!

If all this talks of experiments gone awry,

Begin to give you a scare,

Well, that's not what we meant;

We just mean you have free reign here!

"What about reindeer?"

"What? No, nothing about...uh...scrap, I forgot the rest of the lyrics."

To recover from the mishap, the three bots began swapping instruments and rhythms, leading to such interesting variations as; Chromedome playing the keyboard with his feet, doing an Irish jig, Pharma playing the bass with using Toxin's triangle as a guitar pick, and Toxin playing his triangle by grabbing the back of Chromedome's head and banging it on the triangle. Chromedome didn't seem to mind; in fact, Twilight thought she heard him mutter "Why didn't I think of something like that?"

There's no need to be droll;

Just spice things up with a few charged electrodes!

We got a whole variety from turbo boosters, spare accelerators, cogs and gears, copper wires, Robo-rooters, axles and oil tears, turbofoxes breathing fire, AAANDD some wet wipes, just in case you make a mess while you're playing mad science with us alien robots from outer space!

We'll so much fun at The Institute,

At The Institute, The Institute,

Come and study with us!

Toxin dinged his triangle one last time. Twilight fell onto her rump, bouncing like a baby's cradle as her weight shifted on the table, but that didn't stop her from clapping! "Whoo! Yay! Brave! Encore!"

"I'd rather not." Toxin politely declined, sounding exhausted enough from his first song.

Twilight righted and composed herself. "Anyways...yes! Yes, I'll join The Institute's research!"

"Vunderbar!" Toxin exclaimed, throwing his comrades away from him as he brought his arms in elation. "Let's get started right away! Um- unless you had something you needed to do today?"

"Not that I can recall...I'm sure Optimus will tell my friends what happened..." Twilight looked sadly away, remembering the trial and how Toxin had saved her from a condemnation sentencing.

"Hey, cheer up!" Toxin encouraged. "Live in the now, Twilight, not in the past."

Twilight closed her eyes. "You're right, Toxin. You're right."

In short order, Twilight Sparkle was back on the ground, with her own little play set of arc wielders and scrapmetal to create whatever she could imagine on the little table that was sized to her species.

"Mmmm..." She picked up what she made so far – a steel sphere rusted brown- and examined it before tossing it aside, deeming it as useless as the scrap she had used to make it. "Gotta think bigger..."

She was so wrapped in her work, she hadn't thought about Sumdac Systems or Sair or Issac or Lucy, or noticed when Shining Armor came galloping into the building, looking for her, until he shouted her name.

"Twiley!"

"Shining?" Twilight turned just in time to see a blur of white fur crash into her and lock into a bonecrushing bearhug. "What...are..." Twiight strained her words, her windpipe being choked by her brother's strong muscles. "You doing here?"

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" Shining explained. "No one knows where you went since you disappeared Sumdac Systems is fine!"

"Disappeared? Shining, I understand if you want to pretend I'm innocent, being your little sister and all, but I burned that place to the ground!"

Shining drew back and gave her a confused glare. "Twiley, what are you talking about? The place is fine."

"But-but-" Twilight stuttered, before having a moment of brilliance. "Toxin! Did you use your freaky mnemnosurgery on my brother?"

"Twilight Sparkle," Toxin appeared in an instant at her call. "I swear to you, I did not tamper with your brother's memories. Cross my Spark and hope to fly...tic, stick a cupcake in my optic."

"Hmm." Twilight grunted, but she was sure Toxin was aware of the kind of havoc Pinkie Pie wreaked when a Pinkie Promise was disabused.

"The timestream, on the other hand..." Toxin mysteriously slipped out. "Why, I didn't take your suggestion of going back in time to prevent you from destroying the facility to begin with to Spark, and then carry out that out while using specially modulate gear to make so only you remembered what happened. No, I did not!" Toxin spoke in a mocking tone that made it clear that was exactly what he had done.

Twilight put a hoof to her chin. Toxin had gone out and undid her crime, without informing or asking for her permission to do so. She had to wonder what the legal area was for this sort of thing.

She wondered if she really realized what she was getting into, signing up for...

The Institute.

"Shining...I think I may have signed a deal with the draconequus, and the draconequus was clever enough to keep me from realizing it until my name was already on the dotted line."

"Huh?"

Transistor Of The Bride, Part 1

Sunli Nevla. That was the name of an atypical blue mongoose with the ability to speak, standing triumphant over the defeated remains of Lord Shockwave. His trusty steed, a sea green Little Pony by the name of Fizzy, and he were standing atop of pile of grey and lifeless rubble left over from the furious battle that just taken place. It was long, hard, and Sunli was low on energy- yet strangely, his perfect blue coat had nary a blemish.

Sunli's long, flowing silvery mane billowed in the wind, his sword held high as he prepared to deal the final blow to the heartless Decepticon buried under the rubble below.

"No...no, please!" The normally emotionless Shockwave begged as Sunli raised his sword to deliver the final blow. "Have mercy, O Sunli The Magnificent!"

"You have no mercy, Shockwave." Sunli snarled, "And now, you beg for it. I thought-"

BLEEP BLEEP!

Within the Autobot base, Sunli's tall tale was interrupted by a rather annoyed bleeping from Bumblebee. The Littlest Pet Shop Pet had seriously exaggerated the story of how he helped Bumblebee out earlier today.

"What's his problem?" Vinnie, Sunli's camp gecko companion, asked of Bumblebee's translator, Raf. But Raf couldn't understand him, so Raf needed his own translator – which was where Pinkie Pie came in.

They had been conversing for the last few minutes, discussing the excited day they had. Pinkie carried Zoe's inquiry over to Raf, who translated Bumblebee's thoughts without the muted Scout even needing to voice them.

"He says Sunli isn't telling the story right." Raf answered, which Pinkie translated into a whinny that Vinnie understood.

"And we should know!" Pinkie added. "We were there, for pete's sake!

"So what is the story?" Vinnie rather impatiently demanded, over the clicking and computerized beeping of Ratchet's work in the background.

Bumblebee bleeped out his response.

"He says he'll tell if Sunli promises not to interrupt again." Pinkie translated.

"Fine...but my story had a better ending!" The mongoose shook his paw at Bumblebee, earning a dismissive whir from the Scout.

Yeah, right. Bumblebee scoffed in his bleep speech. Pinkie and Raf knew they didn't need to translate that.

Bumblebee made a noise of crackling static. To Pinkie and Raf, it sounded like he was clearing his throat. To the Pets, it sounded like he was dying.

Ahem! Let's start from the beginning. I'm Bumblebee, and I want to tell you a story.

The story how, earlier, today, I totally ruined Twilight Sparkle's wedding.

[center]Hey little sister what have you done?

Hey little sister who's the only one?

It's a nice day for a white wedding.

It's a nice day to start again.

White Wedding - Billy Idol,

INFILTRATION

Story 4

(Tran)Sister(tor) Of The Bride, Part 1

(It all started during the mornin'...what am I, Scottish, now, or something? mornin'...I mean, morning. Princess Cadence and Twilight's friends had taken us – that's me and Team Prime- to go and explore the Crystal Empire and learn about it. Naturally, Optimus jumped at the chance. Smokescreen wasn't invited, as he was assigned to Equestria anyways...Ooh, I remember when we got there. It was the first time any of Team Prime had seen the Crystal Empire up close. On the edge of town, Optimus stopped and gazed up wistfully at the looming spires of the Crystal Castle...)

The Ponies and Team Prime noticed that Optimus was lagging behind them.

"What's wrong, Optimus?" Cadence asked.

"It is this place." Optimus answered. "It reminds me of Crystal City, a city we had on Cybertron before the War. I wonder if it has been restored..."

"Oh..." Ratchet moaned sadly and turned to face the same spire Optimus was looking at. "I guess it does kind of resemble the once great Crystal City of Cybertron..."

"Yeah, okay, nope, nope, nope!" Cadence insisted, and the members of Team Prime that were now longing for a return to a simpler time before the war found themselves being dragged across the ground by their feet against their will.

"This is going to be a happy occasion, Optimus." Cadence growled, horn aglow. "None of this mourning and longing! You are going to stay here, you are going to enjoy yourselves, and everypony will have a good time!"

(Ha ha. That really shut Optimus up good. Cadence gave us the royal tour of the entire Empire and all its districts. When we got close to the Crystal Castle, Arcee and Rainbow Dash had to leave to deal with a slight nuisance. But that's a whole nother story!

Where was I? Oh yes! After Rainbow Dash and Arcee departed, Cadence had the great idea that it would be good idea to have us all stop by the spa and get genuine Crystal Massages from genuine Crystal Masseuses By the AllSpark, they just have Crystal Everything, don't they? What's next? Wait, let me guess! Crystal...Shampoo! Crystal Oil! Wait, that might actually be interesting, actually.

But I'm getting sidetracked. She led us into the spa, where Twilight's brother joined us. He kept giving Optimus the evil optic. I'm starting to think he doesn't like us, for some reason.)

"Here it is!" Cadence exclaimed, gesturing towards the building that was actually large to hold a Cybertronian or two or four, in this case. "Go right on in!"

Optimus ducked his head and made his way inside, careful to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling of the door frame.

(I have to admit, I'm impressed by the Crystals' extravagance. This was a building they made 1,000 years ago, and it was big enough to let Team Prime and I in!)

Inside, Crystal Ponies were diligently at work, scrubbing the manes of clients with relaxing crystal shampoo. Bubbles of frothy pink formed on their heads as the masseuses' hooves went to work scrubbing every lock of hair and with it, every knot of tension the client may have had formed in their bodies.

Princess Cadence hadn't just brought the Team here on a whim; they were raised platforms of steel bars everywhere, each at a specific height to corresponded to the Autobot it was meant for. The Crystal Ponies had been prepared for this visit. Cadence directed each robot into their respective places and blew a whistle, giving the order for the masseuses to come forward start their work on each robot. Each team of ponies went up the platform's ladders and reached their hooves through the bars to start working out the kinks in each robot's shoulders. How machines got kinks in their shoulders, the Crystal Ponies didn't know. The due that was working on Optimus' right shoulder, however, managed to accidentally bust his shoulderplate open, exposing a piece of branch that was tangled in his wires.

"How did that get there?"

Optimus remained silent, unusually so.

"An excursion with the Princess gone awry, perhaps?" Ratchet grumpily suggested, before moving his arm to give his masseuse better access to the sensitive parts. "Oh, right there! Apply some pressure directly below the collaborator..." The Masseuse didn't understand what he was talking about and just proceeded as normal. Ratchet turned his attention back to Optimus. "You have been spending some time with her, as of late..."

Optimus looked away bashfully. "Please, Ratchet. Remember what Her Majesty Mi-"

"Optimus! You know I don't like my full name being used!"

Optimus nodded in Cadence's direction. "Remember what Her Majesty Cadence said. This is to be a happy occasion."

"All right..." Ratchet reluctantly admitted. "But we do need to have some talk about that some time. I'm worried some of Princess Celestia's..." Ratchet gazed downwards, unsure what to say. "Mischievousness will rub off on you."

Optimus' optics droned as he looked away again.

(I stood there nervously. No pony seemed to notice my own masseuse hadn't arrived while all the other bots were getting tickled and rubbed. I wasn't jealous, per se, just...felt like I had been singled out.)

"Ooh!" Cadence whined in sympathy, noticing how no one was attending to Bumblebee. The Princess looked around for the masseuse scheduled for him and came to the conclusion that she hadn't shown up to work today because she was sick or something. "Is nopony attending you, Bumblebee?" Cadence asked the small mech, her voice laced with the kind of concern a grandparent gives their grandchild when they see they've run out of milk to go with their cookies.

Bumblebee nodded shyly.

"Here." Cadence volunteered, flying from Optimus' platform to Bumblebee's. "Let me fix that..." Cadence stepped in place nervously, and looked at Twilight, still on the ground. "This will be new! I've never given a neck message to a robot before!"

"If anypony can do it, it's you!" Twilight assured her former foalsitter.

"Wish me luck..." Cadence muttered, before cricking her neck. Cadence cracked her wings against, beating them on each other to remove any stiffness that might interrupt Bumblebee's neck message. "All right..." Cadence reached her wings through the bars of the platform and applied her feathers to the side of Bumblebee's neck. "Is here good?"

Cadence didn't notice Bumblebee's optics dilate. Unbeknownst to her, she had touch a sensitive spot; the very spot where Megatron had held Bumblebee's throat while crushing his voicebox. Bumblebee's neck had healed since then, repaired over countless time by wielding meant to deal with more recent battle damage from more recent battles. Yet, he still felt it.

Bumblebee saw him. Bumblebee saw Megatron, holding his throat. Twisted shrapnel pointed upwards. The wreckage left over after Megatron had finished rampaging through the forward base. Fire and pillars of ash twisted and wove through the air, the glare of the heat painting Megatron's silver body as black as his Spark truly was. Megatron's sharktooth fangs visible as he grimaced from Bumblebee's refusal to divulge the information the Decepticon Lord sought.

Bumblebee readied his blasters, and perhaps the fact he could access them now when he couldn't have during that event should have tipped him off to the fact this wasn't actually happening, but merely a traumatic echo of what happened. It didn't matter in his mind, though; all that mattered was getting out and escaping.

Bumblebee raised his blasters and fired at Megatron's face. Even Bumblebee's most well-executed barrage of laser fire only seemed to phase through Megatron's body, prompting Megatron to laugh, mocking Bumblebee's inability to hurt him. Bumblebee shrieked and went for the simple approach, clawing at Megatron's face with his hands, trying to scratch his face. Megatron didn't laugh so much at that.

Meanwhile, to those who didn't accompany Bumblebee to La-La Land, The Crystal Ponies ran and ducked when Bumblebee started firing randomly through the spa for seemingly no reason. Ratchet raised his arms to block Bumblebee's shots from hitting a pony or two, and Twilight and Cadence could only watch in horror; Bumblebee was clearly on a mission, and there would be no easy stopping him.

Mercifully for everypony, Optimus specialized in doing things that weren't easy.

"BUMBLEBEE!" Optimus shouted and grabbed his Scout by the shoulders, applying enough pressure to snap Bumblebee out of his mirage, but not so much so the smaller mech's armor would crack.

(I felt so ashamed. Optimus was angry with me. I just had nearly shot organics, one of our biggest no-no's. I looked around and saw all the pits and smoke wisps rising into the air from where my shots had seared the walls. But- but it wasn't my fault! I didn't mean to! I saw Megatron's face! Optimus!)

Bumblebee looked up at the larger robot who had him held firmly, and his widened optics told Optimus all that Optimus needed to know.

"Bumblebee..." Optimus muttered silently, closing his optics. "Come here..." Optimus took his hands off Bumblebee's shoulders and bent down to hug him, patting the Urbana 500 on the back. "Come here, solider...he can't hurt you anymore... it's all right."

Bumblebee bleeped sorrowfully and wrapped his arms around his father figure's back.

Seeing the shots had stopped, everypony and bot began rising up from their covers, to see the sight of Optimus holding Bumblebee so tightly.

Cadence put her front hooves on the bars, and looked at Twilight on the ground. Twilight shrugged with as much uncertainty was Cadence was feeling.

Shining Armor raised from his cover. "I hope you're giving some good reprimanding, Optimus..." Shining muttered, and he was infuriated when he saw Optimus not just not reprimanding Bumblebee, but hugging him! Shining's muzzle rolled like a revving engine as he growled.

Optimus gave Bumblebee one last pat on the back before separating from him and putting his hands on Bumblebee's shoulders in a much more comforting manner. "All better, Scout?"

Bumblebee bleeped and nodded.

I'm sorry, Optimus...

"Princess Cadence." Optimus said seriously, turning towards the Crystal Matriarch. "I believe it would be best if any further festivities were postponed."

"Of-of course..." Cadence nodded, putting her hoof to her mouth sadly. She meant when she said this was going to a happy occasion, but she could see trying to force the events she had planned wouldn't be stubborn, it would be stupid, so she let Optimus decision pass. It saddened her that it would come to this.

"Nice going, Bumblebee!" Shining Armor scolded. "Cadence said this was going to be a happy day, and you singlehandedly ruined it! Very nice, Bumbler!"

But...but...oh!

Bumblebee ran out of the building, his car doors swinging up and down on their hinges, beeping sadly and rapidly in lieu of the ability to properly wail and voice his depression.

"Hmph." Shining felt rather pleased with himself that he had brought a big, bad Autobot to tears, but that dissipated when he turned around and saw Optimus snarling at him. The disapproving glare of the Last Prime, to Shining, felt like he had dunce cap slapped on him, sprayed with dog training water, and then had a metal pole shoved into his spine.

Optimus pointed his finger rigidly at Shining, and Shining prepared himself for a long-winded lecture about overstepping his boundaries, but instead, Optimus humphed and turned towards the door.

"Twilight Sparkle, if you would accompany me..." Optimus said.

Twilight looked to her brother, humphed in his direction, and pranced behind Optimus' leg out the door.

Shining watched her go, then noticed his wife looking at him as well.

"Shining...is something going on?"

Shining rubbed the back of his neck sorely. "Yeah..."

Elsewhere, in the rebuilt Kaon, while Optimus and Twilight struggled to comfort Bumblebee in the Crystal Empire, the imposing Decepticon enforcer Blackout lumbered through the halls, a half mind to visit Shockwave in his laboratory.

Shockwave had recently rendered all access to his lab null and void, announcing he had a secret project. The Decepticons knew, when Shockwave said something was a secret project, that meant he had a secret project. Any Decepticon foolish enough to barge their way in Shockwave's lab despite his warnings could very well find himself reallocated to a job managing scrap, regardless of their actual function.

Blackout's three-fingered claws fiddled with a tanker of oil. The mustachioed, grasshopper like Decepticon stared the tanker, giving off an unusual pink bubble from inside, and reconsidered whether or not he really wanted to go through with this.

Blackout closed his optics and sighed.

"Hey!"

Blackout opened his optics and turned around – something that wasn't easy for him and his large bulk in the hallway, barely enough to keep a Leaper inside. Blackout saw that Barricade, a mouthy little speed demon of a Con who turned into a police car, ironically.

"What ya up to, Blackout?" Barricade asked. It was rare for anyone to dare to even come close to Shockwave's laboratory after the announcement Shockwave was beginning work on some super-secret project.

"Nothing," Blackout fibbed, trying to hide the tanker in his claw behind his back.

"Oh come on!" Barricade protested, trying to hop over and look over Blackout's large back. "I know you got something! What are you doin', huh? So close to Shockwave's lab, to boot?"

"I'm..." Blackout hesitated. "Playing a prank on him."

Barricade whistled. "Whoa! Really? Playing a prank on Shockwave? That's...like, playing a prank on...well, actually, Shockwave's such an emotionless dweeb I can't really think of a good comparison- hey!" Barricade was so caught up in his rant, Blackout had time to enter the entry code into the door to Shockwave's lab, slip through the door, and by the time Barricade noticed, Blackout was already on the other side with the door closing.

"See ya!" Blackout waved at Barricade through the closing doors. Barricade fumed.

On the other side, Blackout saw Shockwave at work, pushing buttons on a terminal that was mounted on a very, very large tube full of yellowish green liquid of questionable nature.

Shockwave continued his work, then stopped abruptly, sensing the presence of an uninvited guest. His shoulders tensed, and he turned around. "You better have a good reason for intruding on my work, Blackout."

Blackout was always impressed with out how Shockwave's tone could express contempt while still maintaining an even tone of voice.

"Er, yes..." Blackout muttered, noticing that there appeared to be a shape within the tube. "I've made this experimental new fuel, Lord Shockwave."

Shockwave gave Blackout an interested optic, as though he might just forgive Blackout for intruding on his experiments. "Illogical...I mean, unusual. I did not take you for a scientist, Blackout."

"Well..." Blackout muttered. "It was actually something of an accident, really... I'll just leave it here, on your table, and you can try it when you need to refuel."

"Very good." Shockwave agreed. "Now leave me be!" The thing in Shockwave's tube, whatever it was, seemed to twitch. "I have much work to do!"

"Of course, My Liege." Blackout bowed and made haste to leave the room. Once outside, Blackout sighed, putting his claw on the wall in remorse. At least Barricade had left, so Blackout didn't have to deal with his mouth.

"Is this really what Megatron would have wanted?" Blackout asked himself, knowing he would not get an answer.

Blackout took his claw off the door and started walking down the hallway. "Is this the path he would have me walk down?"

Blackout left the tower, heading towards a landing pad attached just to the side of the tower. Blackout looked around, contemplating all he saw. Cybertron's artificial sun burning brightly in the sky. The glow of Changeling Batteries assuring the populace the world was alive and well.

Blackout converted into his vehicular mode and flew loops around Kaon, eventually passing enough towers that he transformed again and landed just in front of a huge statue of Megatron that had been erected in the late Lord's honor while he was still alive.

The area around was as desolate and empty as the grave. It still looked dead, despite the fact Cybertron was very much alive now. As no one was there, Blackout had the whole area all to himself. Blackout looked up at the amazingly accurate statute. The sculptor had gotten everything right, from Megatron's pauldrons, to his claws, to his fangs.

Blackout contemplated the statute for a moment, before dropping to his knees. Being so large, he made a particularly heavy and forceful thud as he bowed, begging for his dead master's forgiveness for any mistake he may have made in giving Shockwave the experimental fuel.

"Come what may, know that everything I do, I do for you, My Liege."

Everypony stopped whatever they were doing when Optimus Prime came into Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle at his side. Mothers stopped watering their plants, lumberjacks ceased cutting up wood. The sight of Optimus was still breathtaking to him, as despite his best efforts to relate to them on a personal level, they still found him to be as intimidating as the idea of Celestia walking into town unannounced. Optimus did not show his botheration that ponies were staring at him, merely carrying on his way as he walked Twilight to the library.

"Thank you for walking me home, Optimus." Twilight passed platitudes towards him as she put her hoof on the door to her treehouse home. "You're a real gentlecolt, hahaha..."

Optimus maintained a neutral expression. Twilight wasn't surprised he wouldn't laugh at his joke. Getting him to give anything but a neutral or grave expression was feat into itself.

"Twilight Sparkle..." Optimus said seriously, catching her attention just before she went inside the open door.

Optimus crouched down to speak with her on a more equal level. "I would like to discuss Shining Armor's treatment of Bumblebee earlier today."

Twilight looked away. "Well... I'm not sure what's happening exactly, but I think he's blaming you and all the Cybertronians for things that Starscream and Megatron did."

"Mm." Optimus grunted, then turned to leave, his metal footsteps tromping across the grass. Tromp, tromp tromp.

"One last thing...Twilight Sparkle...do not think Toxin's tampering with the timestream has escaped my notice."

Twilight blanched and quickly whipped her head around, only to see Optimus had vanished into thin. Twilight wondered how he did that. Autobots couldn't do teleportation magic, or...any magic at all, as far she knew, Matrix notwithstanding, and if were a GroundBridge, she would have heard the whirring of swirling warp energies.

Twilight continued into her home, rather shaken from the revelation Optimus somehow knew about what Toxin did for her. How? Was it just a premonition that came with being a Prime? Did the Matrix of Leadership grant divine protection from manipulation of time or something like that? Twilight sighed and resolved not to think of it, or what Optimus was going to do about it. This was getting too stressful for her.

She trotted inside her house, bucked her door closed behind her, and took her usual roost at a table, levitating a book out from the shelf and placed it on the table, splitting it open for herself to read and forget about everything going on today.

Just as she started to ease into her chair, brushing away thoughts of The Institute and ridiculous scenarios of punishment from Optimus, she heard a knock on the door.

Twilight groaned in frustration, almost ready to use her magic and vaporize whomever was on the other side of the door for interrupting her time just as she was finally starting to unwind. She pulled the door open with her magic and saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle waiting outside the door with innocent smiles on their face.

Twilight chided herself for thinking so silly, but their smiles seemed entirely too innocent. It didn't seem like they were trying to hide the fact they either wanted something or had just inadvertently unleashed an ancient evil deity (again). Rather, they seemed to just be happy about something that Twilight didn't know of.

"Hey, Twilight!" Apple Bloom greeted. "We heard y'all have been down lately..."

Scootaloo produced a tall glass cup from her wing, full of light colored juice that gleamed in the reflection of the sun pouring on it. "So we made you this lemonade!"

"Okay..." Twilight took the glass into her magic and stared at it for a little bit. After a moment of feeling like she was being watched, Twilight look up from the glass at the Crusader fillies, still eagerly gathered around her door and watching her with bated breath, waiting for her to sample the lemonade.

"Thank you, girls. I'll enjoy this while reading my books." Twilight took the lemonade into her house and magicked the door shut, before placing the lemonade on the table with expert precision, at a safe distance from her book where it wouldn't soak into the pages if it was unceremoniously knocked over.

Twilight heard the Crusaders groan from the other side of the door, disappointed they couldn't see Twilight's reaction to their heartfelt attempt to make some perking lemonade for her.

Twilight stared at the tall glass on her table, giving her best scrutinizing glare. There was another knock on the door that caught her attention, but before the unicorn could groan again, Applejack barged her way inside without any regard for whether or not she had been invited.

"Ah jus' saw Apple Bloom walk off from 'ere." Applejack relayed to Twilight. "She seemed mighty upset 'bout sumthin'. Any idea wut?"

"Yeah." Twilight gestured Applejack to come over to the table. "Take a look at this."

Applejack stepped forward and lowered her head so her head was even with the absolutely sparkling lemonade. "'Kay. Wut about it?"

"The Crusaders made this. Your sister made lemonade." Twilight explained.

Applejack frowned. "But that's not an apple drink..." Applejack sniffed cautiously at the edge of the glass. "Unless they put apples in the lemonade...?"

"I don't think they did. Look at it. Took a real close look at it..."

Applejack did as Twilight instructed, glaring at the lemonade with the burning hot intensity of an apple pony at heart being made to eat carrots in the winter or starve to death of frostbite and hunger.

"There's nothin' wrong wit' it." Applejack concluded.

"Exactly!" Twilight decried. "There's no- no funny colors, no tentacles popping out of the glass, no dark and ominous murmurings- it's just a flawless glass of lemonade – made by the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"

Applejack thought about this for a bit.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were the reigning local queens of making simple tasks and things somehow go impossibly wrong. Oh, sure, a particularly clumsy little filly could cause a chain reaction that could bring the entire school studio's set of its most recent play come crashing down, but the Cutie Mark Crusaders doing the same thing would somehow result in dragons running loose through the school and most of town as well.

"Yeah. Okay. Ah see yer point. Sumthin's not right 'ere. Wut do y'all think we should do?"

"I don't know..." Twilight shook her head, causing her mane to sway. "Just … go talk to them. See if something's getting them down, or- I don't know..."

"Ah will..." Applejack nodded and left the house, calling her sister's name for a hopefully brief talk. "Hey, Apple Bloom!"

Twilight used her magic to close the door, then took another glance the flawless lemonade. Lemonade. From the Cutie Mark Crusaders, that had absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Twilight shrugged. "Well, I suppose that since the only thing that's wrong with it is that there's nothing wrong with it..." Twilight levitated the glass to her muzzle and took a sip. Putting the glass back down, Twilight smacked her lips to judge the lemonade's taste.

"A bit on the sweet side." She concluded, before going back to her book.

Then she felt something like a spring going sproing in her head. She rubbed at her forehead, feeling for any unnatural bumps or unusual occurrences.

"Okay, well, that was weird...maybe there was something in the lemonade after all." Twilight massaged her temples for a little while, trying to think of what the worst-case scenario would be so she could take precautions against it. For once, she wasn't able to think of it, but that may have been because she was just distracted from the odd feelings.

"That's funny..." Twilight murmured to herself. "I have the strangest..."

Seemingly automatically and without thinking about it all, Twilight's hooves moved up and closed her book, before her horn lit up and carried the book back into its place on the shelf.

"Spike!" Twilight called. "Could you come here, please? I want to write the Princess about using the Space Bridge!"

"Coming!" Spike quickly appeared, waddling down the stairs with some papyrus and an ink-soaked quill, freshly plucked from a healthy bird of some sort. "Where do you want to go?"

"Kaon." Twilight answered. "Cybertron. Shockwave's lab."

Spike was confused and uncertain about this. "A-are you sure, Twilight?" Spike scooted his foot across the floor, trying to appear innocent so Twilight would maybe take pity on him and listen to his advice. Not that she ever did. He was determined to try, though. "I've heard awful stories about what happens when somepony gets into Shockwave's laboratory without his permission."

Twilight's posture immediately turned disapproving. "From whom, Spike? You better not be hanging out with Grimlock...he's a bad influence."

"No, no. Smokescreen."

"Oh...well, that's...no, actually, that's still a bad influence, but it's better than Grimlock, at least. Yes, Spike, I'm sure. I've got a pretty good feeling about this one, and I'd like talk to Shockwave."

Twilight was sure, but Spike still was not. Twilight kept him informed of all the meetings and social and political things she had to attend to, being the Princess' student. Granted, he didn't always retain it, but he thought he'd be able to mention if Twilight had offhandedly mentioned, "Oh, hey, I have a meeting with the DECEPTICON LORD next Tuesday."

Spike wanted to continue to argue against it, although he hadn't discounted the possibility she did mention it and he forgot. Unable to come up with anything that would be a sufficient deterrent, he scribbled on the quill and breathed fire on the letter, magically transporting through realms in ways similar yet completely incompatible to a GroundBridge.

In short order, a Space Bridge appeared just outside the library, which Twilight stepped into after stepping out her abode.

Spike sighed and shrugged, the Space Bridge's lights going away as quickly and smoothly as they had appeared. He never liked it when Twilight met with the Decepticons for peace talks. They had been responsible for the destruction of several buildings.

There was another knock on the door that Spike knew it would be left to him to answer. Something about perturbed Spike. It sounded like a metal knock, like on a Cybertronian, but it was much too quiet sounding to actually be an Autobot or Decepticon.

Nervous, Spike pulled the door open and saw the strangest Autobot he ever laid eyes on. Granted, he hadn't seen several well-known Autobots in person yet, but that didn't change the fact that this was one was strange.

He was only a head or two taller than a human. His colors were familiar to Spike, and it took him a moment to realize that was because they were the same blue with yellow zigzags as the Wonderbolts' costumes. His face had a brown visor and silver faceplate, along with a rounded forehead bump and two antennae on either side. They seemed rather emotionless, even for a Cybertronian. Spike wondered if perhaps the disjointed neck was evidence it was not his face, but a helmet.

Spike had heard of Mini-Cons, but from what he heard, they turned into weapons or something else that was connected to their larger partner, like a drone jet or tiny engine. This Autobot had two pillars on his back that seemed to be currently unemployed cannons and two gun emplacements on his forearms, and appeared to turn into a jet all his own, as evidenced from the cockpit in his chest.

"You're a small Autobot." Spike commented.

"Yeah." The Autobot answered. "I'm what's called a Micromaster. Means I'm tiny. Name's Tread Bolt. Is the master of the house home?"

"No..." Spike didn't know why, but he was getting a real bad vibe from this Tread Bolt guy. Maybe it was the aerial alt-mode – Spike didn't know jet modes were uncommon to Autobots, but not so rare as to be exclusive to Decepticons. Maybe it was the Autobot sigil rendered in gold.

"Great! In that case, you're going to take me to Twilight's secret laboratory."

Spike frowned. He didn't like Twilight's secret lab. It was a lab she kept in a warehouse away from Ponyville, connected to a GroundBridge in her home that specially locked the coordinates. Spike was aware of it because, like most everything, Twilight delegated the task of tidying up the messes she left in to him. He really didn't like what he saw in there; disembodied horns from Equestrian criminals, severed Vehicon claws from war victims... it wasn't pretty.

"No." Spike crossed his arms and sulked.

Treat Bolt glared. At least, that's what Spike assumed him to be doing. It was hard to tell with that helmet.

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear..." Treat Bolt pointed the gun emplacement on his forearm emphatically at Spike's face. "You're going to take me to Twilight's secret laboratory."

Spike gulped, not keen on the idea of an Autobot frying his face. Come to think of it, he didn't like the idea of his face being fried at all, though his obvious crush on Rarity may have allowed her to coax him into letting her do it for whatever reason.

Held at gunpoint, Spike went down to the terminal controlling Twilight's customized GroundBridge, which looked like a trash can when not in use activating it, causing it and the entire library foyer to, well, transform. The 'trash can's' lid unfolded into a Cybertronian control terminal. The floor of the foyer broke apart into panels, pulling away in slices into other parts of the floor as a metal, silver platform rose out of the hole and covered in place of the pink wood previously there. On the platform was a silver arch adorned in Cybertronian runes and glyphs, as well a few ridges for structure support.

Spike pushed a button on the terminal, activating the GroundBridge within the arch. Green electricty shot from one side of the arch to another, before swirling around and forming a green circle that never stopped spinning.

"Thanks, kid!" Tread Bolt 'thanked' Spike for his 'cooperation'. "Oh, and, uh, tell anypony about this, and..." Tread Bolt pressed the barrel of his emplacement against Spike's neck. "Ka-pow. You get what I'm saying?"

Spike nodded. He got what Tread Bolt was saying, most certainly. Kinda hard not to when the person you're talking to is pressing a cannon against your neck.

"Good!"

Tread Bolt converted into his vehicular mode- a jet with the pillars on Tread Bolt's back as a sort of booster of some kind, and jetted through the GroundBridge.

Spike was going to push the button and deactivate the flow of Energon, and by extension, the whole Bridge, thereby trapping Tread Bolt in the laboratory, as it was in a warehouse far away from Ponyville, and only Twilight knew its real location exactly, but Tread Bolt flew out of the bridge, a piece of bundled up paper stuck tightly into the side of his nosecone and flew out the door. Despite Tread Bolt's attempt at being mindful by doing a turn, his wings still smashed through the door of the library, cutting a thin line into the walls, knocking the wood out of them onto the floor in the form of debris...

Debris Spike would inevitably be called upon to clean up. Spike sighed.

In Kaon, the Space Bridge materialized just outside the entrance to Shockwave's laboratory, much to the surprise of the loitering Barricade, who panicked and backed against a wall before Twilight stepped out. Seeing it was just a pony, Barricade relaxed, then promptly panicked when he saw it was Twilight Sparkle, the Student of Celestia, Element of Magic, First non-Cybertronian Winner of the Cybertronian Annual Spelling Bee and all sorts of other intimidating titles.

"Hello, Barricade." Twilight greeted him in an odd tone of voice. Barricade couldn't quite his servo on what was so odd about it. "Could I see Shockwave?"

"Ooh, I don't know, O Powerful Student of A Living Solar Goddess." Barricade humbly answered, laying on the flattery so Twilight wasn't tempted to smite him for his usual trash-talking mouth. Twilight didn't get it, not realizing that by Solar Goddess, Barricade meant Celestia, as in her mind, she wasn't a goddess. An extremely long-lived entity with the power over her planet's very sun and magics beyond the ken of modern unicorns, yes, but not a goddess.

"Shockwave doesn't like being interrupted when he's working on a project."

"Please, Barricade." Twilight asked him in a very...a very flat tone. "I insist."

"Ooo-kay, but don't say I didn't warn you." Barricade reached his claw over and pushed in the access entry code into the door control. The door slid away with a cross between a click and a hiss.

"Thank you." Twilight said to him before walking into the room.

"Oh..." Barricade muttered. His own social circles being mostly comprised of Deceptcions, he wasn't used to being the receiving ends of polite manners. "You're welcome!"

The door closed behind Twilight, trapping her in the room with what Barricade assumed to be an about-to-become-very angry Shockwave.

Inside the room suggested differently, however, as Shockwave was enraptured with whatever was currently floating inside his tube. Twilight could only vaguely make it out, but it struck her somewhat as possibly being something that was alive.

Twilight brought her hoof in front of her mouth to catch and lingering bacteria and cleared her throat. "Ahem. Lord Shockwave?"

Shockwave made a jerk and nearly fell against the test tube, barely reaching his claw out in time to grab onto the tube and prop himself up for support. He turned around to Twilight, and was quite obviously frazzled her unscheduled visit, more so by the fact he hadn't expected any one to come trotting into his expansive lair of a laboratory. "Twilight Sparkle. You startled me. I do not like to be interrupted when I am working..." He glared his cyclopean optic at her so she would get the thinly-veiled hint and exit the room posthaste before he made her leave.

"I'm sorry." Twilight said calmly. "I just wanted to...hang out with you."

Shockwave glared. "Hang out? I do not understand the premise of the notion. Regardless, I have much to do." Shockwave pointed his cannon-arm at the test tube.

"Uh-huh." Twilight noticed the experimental fuel Blackout had brought earlier and focused her attention on it. "Well, hanging out is something friends do."

"I would not consider us friends." Shockwave retorted. He meant entirely in a factual sense, but his words seem to wound Twilight deeply. In face, she was almost on the verge of crying. A beep came from Shockwave's wrist panel before he could contemplate the strange organic secretion forming under Twilight's optics.

"Humph. It would appear I have been working too long without recharging." Shockwave observed, examining the message on his wrist panel. Dimly remembering Blackout's words, Shockwave walked over to the desk, ignoring the emotionally wrought pony now sitting on her haunches on the ground, and grabbed the tanker. A wire unfolded from the Decepticon's back which moved through the air with all the grace of Soundwave's famous tentacles, then poked a hole into the tanker and began to siphon what was in it into Shockwave's fuel tanks.

When his refueling process was finished, Shockwave felt the same sproing go through his head as Twilight had earlier. Shockwave put a claw to his face and began calculating where the sproing came from.

"Blackout will need to be informed we will not be using this fuel." Shockwave murmured to himself, holding up the tanker, which he logically concluded to be the source of his unusual phenomenon. He looked down and saw Twilight, who was crying softly.

"Twilight Sparkle, why are you upset?"

"Be-because you said we weren't friends!" Twilight wailed, collapsing onto the ground.

"Twilight Sparkle..." Shockwave said again, this time in a much kinder voice.

Twilight stopped crying for a moment and wiped her tears off before looking up at him.

"Would you forgive my earlier rudeness if I..." Shockwave gestured to the test tube. "Allowed you to help with my project?"

Twilight sniffed, wiped a tear from her eye, and smiled softly. "I would like that, Lord Shockwave."

"Please." Shockwave put a hand to his chest. "Just Shockwave should suffice. That is what...friends do, is it not?"

Twilight followed behind Shockwave with a spring in her step and stars in her eyes, eager to put her own scientific knowledge to good use helping Shockwave's project- whatever it was- reach fruition.

The next morning...

Lying in his personal room next to Cadence in the Crystal Castle, Shining Armor drearily got out of his bed. With a yawn of his mouth, a stretch of his front legs, and a crick of his neck, he hopped down from his bed, leaving his wife to enjoy a few more minutes of precious, precious sleep.

Making his way out of the bedroom, he crashed into the hallway into one his Guards with a yellow coat and blue mane, causing them to tumble down the hallway and nearly roll over a passing serf-maiden, who shrieked and made herself scarce.

"Whoa, solider!" Shining gently scolded his wayward cadet, once they had stopped tumbling, which landed them in a dog pile, Shining on top of the Guard in a suggestive position, though neither of them picked up on it. "Where's the fire?"

"Sorry, sir." The Guard apologized, quickly raising a letter clenched in his hoof. "We received this in the mail yesterday, and thought you should be the first to know of this."

"What's this?" Shining took the letter with his magic and unfurled, making sure to work out the creases so it was easier to read. It was an awfully elegant letter, being pink with gold trim that curled around the border of the paper.

"Dear Shining Armor..." Shining read aloud. "You have been invited to the wedding of... no, that- that can't be right."

"What is it, sir?" The Guard questioned.

Shining Armor flipped the paper around so the Guard could it.

"Dear Shining Armor..." The Guard repeated, reading out loud... "You have been invited to the wedding of...Lady Twilight Sparkle ... and...

Lord Shockwave?"

Transistor Of The Bride, Part 2

Shining crawled off the Guard he tumbled and righted himself on his hooves. Taking in a deep breath to calm himself, he thought about what to do.

"Send a letter to the Princess to Bridge me to Omega One." Shining instructed the Guard.

The Guard was hesitant. "Are you sure, sir? It's so early in the morning..."

"Just do it!" Shining snapped. "I know everypony will be at the base already anyways..."

The Guard saluted and ran off. Shining listened intently for the sounds of scribbling, the scratch of ink upon a quill that was in itself upon a scroll of papyrus...

Within minutes, a swirling Space Bridge portal was open in the middle of the hallway.

As legal papers and mane accessories began flying through the hallway, sucked in and blown away by the pull of the Space Bridge's defiance and stubborn refusal to submit to the laws of physics, Shining realized he may not have thought opening a Space Bridge in the middle of a hallway smaller than the Bridge portal was all the through.

Shining galloped straight through the Bridge, coming out on the military-grade floor. His horseshoes purchased plenty of unused friction for sale, and he began slip-sliding all over the control room. He scrambled and flailed to stop himself, but whoever the Autobots payed to wax their floor – assuming it wasn't something Twilight or Fluttershy had taken upon themselves to do so without Optimus' notification- had done a darn good job, and there was no way for Shining to stop himself, except for slamming into the huge lead-iron sheets Ratchet's incomplete Synthetic Energon formula was written on. Which the poor stallion promptly did.

"Captain!" Ratchet complained, attention drawn by the crash Shining made when he crashed into the sheet. "Don't break that! It is a highly complex formula for an Energon substitute which I still have not completed!"

Shining Armor groaned and attempted to lift himself up, but he was wracked with pain and couldn't tell his foreleg from his haunch. He fell back down on the sheet. Shining looked up at the huge, heavy plating of metals and materials designed to withstand impacts that would completely demolish most Canterlot chariots and wagons into piles of little teeny-tiny splinters.

Shining had to wonder how exactly, Ratchet expected him to be able to break plate metal by colliding into with his squishy organic body. He felt mildly nauseous after crashing into the metal so roughly.

"Where is everypony?" Shining asked, shaking the nausea from his head, or at least tried to. "I have news!"

"They should be arriving shortly." Ratchet answered, leaning down and picking Shining Armor up in his hands and lifting the white horse onto one of the many elevated organic platforms in the base. Shining stumbled on the platform, still dizzy from his experience with the polished floor.

As Ratchet said, everyone else began arriving shortly, but only after it had transitioned from morning to afternoon. So Shining shot over his mark a little, but at least that gave him time recover from his accident so his jaw quit trying to crack open sideways like the maw of some horrific mechanical dragon.

Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy came in from another Space Bridge, while Twilight was absent, and Rainbow Dash missing...

Shining knew why Twilight was gone, but he didn't know anything about what happened with Rainbow Dash to make her opt out of visiting the base today. Later still, they were joined by Raf.

Arcee and Bulkhead came into the room, the former of whom yawned and stretched, which got Shining Armor thinking. Did Cybertronians really need to stretch? Did they have their own morning rituals? Where did they sleep or whatever they did in place of sleep? In stasis pods or on their recharge slabs or what?

They were shortly thereafter joined by Magnum, who Shining had yet to meet. Shining observed his frame with interest. Magnum looked like someone had gone all Doctor Frankenstein on a canvass using Optimus Prime's and Ultra Magnus' parts as his artistic tool of choice. Shining also saw that Magnum's Autobot symbol had wings with three lines on them, and that his symbol was part of a glowing runic line common to Cybertronian bodies. Shining wasn't aware that Magnum's symbol was as glowing as his social manners were stale.

"Where is Optimus?" Magnum inquired of Ratchet.

"He should be here shortly." Ratchet answered, motioning for Magnum to take a seat.

"Hey!" Shining called for Magnum's attention. "I haven't seen you around before. What's with the funky badge?"

Magnum narrowed his optics at Shining and humphed. "So you are the one they call Shining Armor."

"That's me!" Shining gestured to his chest proudly.

"My assigned name is Magnum. I am the commander of the Cybertron Elite Guard."

"Guard, huh?" Shining mused, brushing his hoof across his chin as he contemplated he better relate to Magnum than he did to most of Optimus' crew. "I guess that means we have a lot we could talk about..."

Magnum scoffed with an incredible derisiveness that could only have come from a no-nonsense militant like himself. "Please. Captain, do not insult the Elite Guard badge..." Magnum gestured to himself proudly the same way Shining had done, only much less graciously. "By comparing it to your own lackluster attempt at defending your home."

Shining was blindsided by Magnum's open contempt of him, but before he could argue something back, there was a soft, but stern voice interrupting.

"Magnum."

All optics turned to Optimus Prime, driving into the room in his truck mode before transforming for them and affixing gazes with Magnum.

Magnum straightened up and saluted. "Sir."

"Though Shining Armor may sometimes overestimate his authority," Shining bit his lip when he heard Optimus say that, no doubt referring to the events of yesterday. "That was uncalled for."

"My apologies, Sir. I will not allow it to happen again." Magnum assured him, though he kept an optic trained on Shining the whole time.

"What brings you here?" Optimus inquired as he stepped into the room.

"I thought you would be pleased to know that preparations for invading Darkmount on Regulon IV are underway."

"Very good." Optimus concluded before turning to Shining Armor. "Good morning, Captain Shining Armor." Optimus greeted politely, overlooking Shining's rude mannerisms from yesterday when it wasn't relevant to scolding one of his own officers. "What brings you to Omega One?"

Shining raised his hoof to answer, but Optimus raised a hand for silence.

"My apologies, Captain. Where are Bumblebee and Smokescreen?"

There was a collective muttering around the room while everyone looked around for signs of their two speedster young ones.

"I believe Smokescreen mentioned something about getting a new paint job." Ratchet supplied when he felt the muttering had gone on long enough.

"A new paint job?" Raf asked. "What's wrong with Bumblebee's old one?"

"Nothing...as far as I'm aware." Ratchet shrugged. "Perhaps the answers will reveal themselves soon enough."

The answers did indeed, as no sooner had Ratchet said that an ear-splitting painful screech of wheels rip through the room, making everyone closes their optics and wince as they tried to shut out the noise.

A familiar Urban 500 and Indy LeMans drove into the room, their wheels playing a symphony of screeching metal and poorly treated brake pedals desiring transfer to a more slow-going Autobot. The Urbana 500's color, however, had inverted from what it was, turning from yellow with black stripes to black with yellow stripes. It was actually quite fetching, really. The LeMans had gone a more involved transformation, going from being a blotch of silver with a blue chunk on it and racing checkerboard patterns to a block of dark blue with yellow racing stripes with a screaming 38 that was unchanged between paint jobs.

The two cars transformed, revealing themselves to be Smokescreen and Bumblebee. Smokescreen's helmet had the same recolor as the rest of him, but Bumblebee's helmet remained mostly yellow bar a black faceplate.

"Yeah!" Smokescreen struck a pose and began flexing his biceps. "Well? Do we look good, or what?"

Before Ratchet could reply with a sarcastic snark of a remark, Rarity stepped forward and used her magic to drag Bumblebee and Smokescreen over to her by the soles of their boots.

"Hmmmm..." Rarity eyed the color schemes with all the inquisitive, discerning, judgmental eye of a top-notch fashion designer whose company was solely with the most snobbish of snobby snobs. "Hmm... hmm..."

Using her magic to manipulate their bodies, Rarity brought Bumblebee's and Smokescreen's heads to the floor where she could get a good look at them. She tapped a hoof to Bumblebee's faceplate all the while narrowing her eyes at him. Bumblebee's optics dilated their zoom and the bot made an innocent bleep of curiosity for what Rarity was doing.

"I approve, darlings!" Rarity said at last, patting Bumblebee's cheek before releasing her magic hold on his and Smokescreen's bodies.

"O...kay." Smokescreen concluded, not used to being subjected to a fashion-conscious unicorn's excessive critique.

He shook it off and proudly turned to Optimus. "So! What's on the agenda today, Boss Bot?"

Optimus turned to Ratchet to ask for any news reports from human web sites of intercepted Decepticon radio chatter telling of a plan to destroy the peace treaty, but Shining spoke over him.

"TWILIGHT'S GETTING MARRIED!"

The responses from the assorted crowd of ponies, a lone human, and Autobots were as fitted, mixed. Bumblebee bleeped happily, Smokescreen, Arcee, and Bulkhead all gaves thumbs-up motions, Ratchet clapped while Optimus and Magnum looked down as concerns began forming in their minds.

"Wut? Our little Twilight is tyin' the knot already?" Applejack adjusted her hat.

Rarity shed a tear. "They grow up so very fast!"

"Oh! I wonder if she'll want lots of cake and candy and cake and candy-"

"That's not all!" Shining Armor interrupted before Pinkie's tangent got sidetracked and lead them all down into the rabbit hole to pursue Pinkie's inane superstitions where they would forget the original problem. "She's getting married to...Shockwave!"

"WHAT!?"

"Yay?" Ratchet confusedly muttered, clapping again.

"As in, some Earth pony we've never met before who works in construction and has very powerful hooves, Shockwave." Rarity squealed, trying to come up with a plausible scenario that would make this seemingly terrible thing not all that bad after all. "And not one-eyed one-armed Decepticon Lord Shockwave, right?"

"Nope! It's one-eye one-armed Decepticon Lord Shockwave, all right!"

"Are you sure?" Rarity asked desperately, practically begging for Shining Armor to say otherwise.

"Well, I can't think of why an Earth pony who works in construction would go around telling ponies to address him as 'Lord' in their marriage invitation letters."

"She sent you a letter!?" Rarity shrieked.

"Yeah. Just arrived in the mail this morning."

"Well, I applaud Twilight Sparkle's brevity in pursuing such a daunting task as marrying Shockwave!" Ratchet said with enthusiasm, raising a hand to his Spark chamber.

The ponies and Raf glared at the Autobots, all of whom had uneasy broad grins they were obviously forced and exchanging shifty glares with each other, bar the two commanders.

"Marriage is a totally alien concept to you, it doesn't exist on Cybertron, and you have no idea what this means, do you?" Shining speculated, putting a hoof over his forehead.

The awkward glance Smokescreen gave to Bulkhead and Bumblebee confirmed Shining's hunch was right on the money.

"I believe I have an understanding of it." Magnum said. "Marriage is the ritual in which an adolescent male dances on a pile of sticks which have been set aflame, which the humans organizing the harmful event believe is proof he is worthy of being granted the status of 'manhood' should he complete the dance successfully without succumbing to injury."

Optimus raised an optic. "No. That is one but one of many wide and varied African rites. Marriage is when two consenting individuals enter a non-material, but binding legal contract obliging them to aid and serve each other in equal measure for what is intended to be the rest of their natural life cycle, but can be rendered null by a process I'm given to understand is known as 'divorce'."

"Sounds about right, actually!" Shining exclaimed at Optimus' surprising grasp on what must have been an utterly bizarre and completely alien rite to him with no obvious practical purpose. "Eeexcept for the 'equal measure' part..." Shining said with his voice descending in saddened pitches. "It's more like I bend over backwards for her, really..." Shining drifted off into bitter mumblings.

"Frankly," Magnum spoke up, "I'm surprised Shockwave would even know of this marriage ritual, let alone engage in it."

"All the more reason it is to be investigated." Optimus responded. "Autobots-"

"Wait!" Ratchet held up his hand as a loud beep came from the computer monitor. When Ratchet was receiving information, it was one of the few and rare times when someone could override Optimus' commands. "I've received a message!"

"From whom?" Magnum asked, browplate raised to the side.

Propping his hands on the sides of his precious computer, Ratchet scanned the message over, and with some disbelief, turned over to Magnum. "Twilight Sparkle. She wants the team and her friends to meet her on a bridge at Canterlot. She says she has a...surprise?"

"I think we all know what that really means." Shining Armor drawled. Every pony nodded.

"What?" Ratchet questioned. "What does it mean?"

Shining Armor applied his hoof to his face. "The wedding!? Shockwave? That?"

"Oooh..." Ratchet groaned in understanding. He turned to Fluttershy. "How did I miss that?"

"It's okay, Ratchet." Fluttershy assured him. "It...is an alien concept to you, isn't it?" her words of comfort were tempered with the fact she wasn't sure if those were the right words to comfort him.

"Prepare the Space Bridge." Optimus ordered.

Meanwhile In Canterlot, everypony passing by the suspended bridge over the water absolutely had to stop and stare the ridiculous sight ahead of them.

Lord Shockwave, holding up Twilight Sparkle in his claw, nuzzling the epicenter of his optic to her cute little nose, the two of them both giggling like little schoolfillies. It was a bit questionable, enough so that the various reactions from the Canterlot populace was understandable, even when one colt screamed about everything his mother taught him being a lie and jumping off the edge of into the river the bridge was suspended over, only to land on an inflated lily pad and bounce right back up onto dry land, where he came to his senses and excused himself.

The Space Bridge opened just a few steps away from the other side of the Bridge, and the most of Team Prime, ponies, Shining Armor, and Magnum, but not Ratchet included.

The group made their way towards the bridge where Shockwave and Twilight were waiting for them. Once they all managed to cram themselves on to the impressive structure, Shockwave and Twilight finally noticed them.

"Oh!" Twilight exclaimed, sounding a little embarrassed they caught her and Shockwave in the midst of their cuddling. "Hello, everypony!"

"Hello...Twilight Sparkle." Optimus hesitantly answered. "We received a message from you indicating you had something you wished to tell us?"

"Yes!" Twilight answered. "Lower me down, sweetie." She instructed Shockwave, who bent over and let her jump from his claw onto the bridge. She cleared her throat. "Ahem. I am quite happy and more than a little excited to announce-"

"You and Shockwave are getting married!" Shining Armor accused, pointing his hoof.

Twilight seemed horrified. "Wha- well, yes, but how did you know?"

"I got a letter this morning." Shining answered flatly.

Twilight blinked, trying to take this in. She had been so upset with Shining for not telling her in person he was getting married, and it wounded her heart to think she had done the same to him. She quickly worked out a conclusion that would both explain the letter while absolving her of all guilt. "Shockwave! Did you send my brother a letter spoiling the surprise?"

"My apologies, my dear." Shockwave bowed graciously. "It was my understanding that was the usual way of convening to others that a marriage was underway."

Twilight grunted frustratedly, but she took in a deep breath and let it slide. "So! You heard him. We're getting married!"

"Uh, uh...yeah." Shining stammered. "Married. You two. Great."

"Anything you'd like to ask?" Twilight asked her brother gleefully, totally ignoring the awkwardness of the situation, or perhaps honestly just ignorant of it.

Before Shining could say anything, Magnum launched himself forward in front of him.

"Lord Shockwave, Twilight of the House of Sparkle, I would be honored if you would put me in charge of security for your ceremony."

Shining Armor narrowed his eyes at Magnum, rightfully suspicious after Magnum's comment at the base.

"Hmm, I don't know..." Twilight muttered, hoof on her chin. "What do you think, Shockwave? Is Magnum a logical enough choice for head of security?"

"One moment, please." Shockwave said before freezing up and standing completely rigid. He was totally frozen, lost in his calculations. A daring prankster could have run up and threw an egg his optic right then, and he wouldn't have noticed until they were long gone.

"Yes." Shockwave answered, coming out of his trance. "Yes, he would."

"You're hired!" Twilight declared, pointing at Magnum proudly.

Magnum saluted. "I won't let you down, either of you."

Magnum walked off, presumably to begin preparations. Shockwave picked Twilight up in his claw, and they resumed nuzzling.

"Hmm..." Shining Armor turned around, and with a hoof signal, he, Twilight's friends, and Team Prime were huddling and whispering to themselves. Except Bumblebee. Bumblebee was observing the curious ritual Shockwave and Twilight were engaging in. He had never seen humans do something like that. Then again, he had never seen humans fall in love with a Decepticon.

Then something totally whacko and somewhat trippy happened. Pink rings of magic flashed across Twilight's eyes and Shockwave's optic in a disorienting loop, where the rings got bigger and wider, stretching out across their eyes, only to disappear, closely followed by the next ring behind him. Now, Bumblebee was no zoologist, but he was fairly certain that wasn't a normal thing for ponies to do when they were in love with another, even accounting for all the differences in their biology from Cybertronians.

Whoa, Bumblebee exclaimed to himself. Did anyone else just see that?

He turned around, and to his dismay, everyone else had their backs turned, so there was no way for them to have noticed the bizarre happening.

"See what, 'Bee?" Bulkhead asked, raising his head from the crowd.

Oh...okay. I guess it was nothing... Bumblebee quietly assured him, a quiet part of himself content to just let the weirdness slide and just let Shockwave and Twilight enjoy each others' company. But that small part of himself paled in comparison to every other part of himself, which were all screaming for him to sound the alarms, call in the has-mat team, and put both purple scientists under quarantine until such a time that other, more sane scientists could deduce the exact cause of the pink lights appearing and disappearing in their visual sensors.

"Bumblebee,"

Bumblebee turned around to see his leader approaching him. Optimus placed a comforting hand tenderly on Bumblebee's shoulder.

"If you have a concern, or something is troubling you..."

Optimus spared a knowing glance at Shockwave and Twilight.

"That is, to say...besides the obvious questions such a union would bring..." Optimus interjected, before turning his gaze back on Bumblebee. "Do not be afraid to speak your mind. I will listen."

Bumblebee nodded.

Okay. Thanks, Optimus. I'll make a note of that.

"Any time, my young Scout." Optimus said with a brief, blink-and-you'll-miss-it smile before rejoining the main group.

Shining Armor separated himself from the group and approached his sister. He cleared his throat. "Twiley...are you sure you should marry, y'know, a Decepticon?"

Twilight seemed utterly confused by Shining's question. "What do you mean? We were made for each other!"

"But Twiley!" Shining protested. There was a pause in his speech as he tried to come up with a good reason for not marrying Shockwave that wouldn't offend either his sister of the Decepticon Lord.

"Yes...?" Twilight raised an eyebrow at his silence.

"What would the children look like!?" Shining shouted, coming up with something at last.

Twilight looked towards Shockwave, who shrugged and shook his head.

"Uh..." Twilight tapped her hoof to her chin. "I'm not sure...uh...horrific mechanical robo-dragons?" Twilight made a bashful smile.

Shining scowled and shook his head disapprovingly, his mind still hard at work for an argument that would demonstrate to Twilight quite clearly that he did not approve of this while still keeping him safe from the wrath of an infuriated bride.

"Twiley, are you sure you love each other the way Cadence and I do? Like, really really love each other?"

Twilight stared blankly before cracking a wide smile. "Of course!"

Shining's teeth chattered as he struggled to maintain his deceptive smile. "Are you really sure?"

"Shining Armor, I am going to have to sing it for you?"

"Oh," Shining pretended to tug at the non-existent collar of his non-existent suit, "no, no, that's not really necessary at all..."

"Too late!"

Twilight climbed up Shockwave's leg, and from there, Shockwave picked her up in his claw, and the two began to sing, over and against everypony's wishes.

There are plenty of civil laws we'll have to circumvent

But that's okay, nothing will prevent

Our little

Looove experiment!

He may be a machine,

But he's a machine that was made for me!

Naysayers, cast aside all doubt!

We accept each other,

And isn't that what

HAAARMony is all about?

All that matters is that I love him

and she loves me!

Nothing will ruin our holy MAAAtrimony!

When the impromptu song, and terrible dance to go with it, had finished, Smokescreen was staring at the two in jaw-dropped horror.

"Aaagh..." Smokescreen groaned with his left optic twitching. He put his hands on his head. "Brain bleach! Somepony! Please!"

"And then what happened?" Vinnie asked Pinkie. Pinkie looked to Bumblebee. Bumblebee bleeped at Pinkie.

Bleep beep be-bep wheeeeeoop...

(Well, what happened next was that as everypony prepared for Twilight Sparkle's and Shockwave's big day, more weird stuff happened, and I was the only one who noticed.)

Later in the morning, when everypony had returned to their homes for lunch or similar things to be attended, Rarity was slowly stirring a pot of something for her and Sweetie Belle to eat when Twilight came dashing in to the Boutique. Her sudden and unannounced arrival caused Rarity to let up on her magic, causing the wooden spoon she was using to plop into the pot.

"Rarity!" Twilight raised her voice urgently, "Rarity! Rarity, can you help me?"

"That depends..." Rarity said dryly, fishing out the utensil from the pot and observing as the mush from the pot dripped off its handles. "How many wooden spoons must I filthy up before you can be helped?"

"Very funny, Rarity, but we have more important problems than the maltreatment of your cookware!"

Rarity raised an eyebrow at Twilight's phrasing, but didn't think too much of it. "What do you need?"

"A dress for my wedding!" Twilight exclaimed. "I need something that's absolutely perfect, and you're the pony for the job?"

"Oh...well..." Rarity blushed at receiving such an unabashed praise from one of her best friends. She composed herself and let her ego shine through. "You are absolutely right, darling! What do you want?"

"Well, I'm not sure." Twilight answered. "It needs to be perfect, whatever it is!"

"'Perfect'." Rarity said dryly. "Right-o, then. That's so very helpful and totally specific. Let me finish lunch for Sweetie Belle, and we'll start working..."

Twilight groaned frustratedly. "Uugh! Fine..." She plopped down onto her haunches.

After Rarity finished making the lunch, she served a bowl to Sweetie Belle, and then whisked Twilight away to her fitting room, where she set about, with the intent to kill and make a dress for her friend that knocked it right out of the park. As she was working, Spike, came over looking for Twilight, but Twilight told him to shush up and not let his crush on Rarity get in the way of her dress, to his dismay.

Unfortunately, all the latent dress designs she had that went unused for past clients failed to meet Twilight's ideal of perfection.

Twilight raised her hoof in front of the mirror, clad in a light teal dress with crisscrossing straps on the boots.

"Mmm..."

"Well?" Rarity asked eagerly, wagging her tail. "What do you think? You like?"

"Mmmmmmnnn no." Twilight drawled. "It's too plain."

Rarity was disappointed, but pressed onwards in the name of fashion and the holy bells of marriage. "Vey well...I suppose I can see that. Let's see what else I can do."

Rarity then dressed Twilight up in several different dresses, each more radically different than the last, more extravagant than the last, yet more alluring than the on before it. Twilight kept dismissing them all with two or three-word complaints that sounded a lot like the things Rarity said during the first time she and Twilight met.

"Too frouffy."

"Not frouffy enough."

"Too plain!"

"Too extravagant."

"Too many colors."

"Not enough colors."

"Too many frills."

"WAY too many frills."

"Oh- oh my Celestia, Rarity, how many slagging frills can you FIT on ONE DRESS!?"

"A lot." Rarity answered lecherously.

"I feel like I could suffocate myself with all the frills on this one!"

Rarity giggled, holding a hoof in front of her muzzle. "Why yes, darling. That was one of the goals for this one!"

"Hmm..." Twilight scrutinized her reflection. "Let's go back to the one we started out on... I have an idea that might fix it right up!"

Rarity got the dress they had started with and began making alterations according to Twilight's instructions; of which was to give it a very long train, some roses, (plastic, so they wouldn't wither and make the dress all smelly) a very, very, very long train, a headband, and was it mentioned that there was a very very very very long train?

"Yes!" Twilight cried for joy at the end result, looking at herself on the pedestal of Rarity's. "Yes, this is perfect!"

Spike had other thoughts about it, however. "Are you sure, Twilight? In the time it took you to walk that thing all the way across the aisle, I could finish a birdhouse or two..."

Twilight scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, Spike."

"I'm not the one marrying a Decepticon..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Perhaps you should try walking around." Rarity said demurely. "Just to get used to it."

Twilight nodded, and with her held arrogantly in the air, she trotted around the room. Spike whipped out some tools and wood, and began work on his alleged bird house. He was right; by the time Twilight had walked the train in a full circle around the room, he was holding up a beautifully-painted birdhouse. Several birdhouses, actually, stacked on top of each other and connected by wooded sticks.

Twilight was aghast that Spike finally managed to follow through with one of his many boasts.

"See?" Spike taunted.

Twilight grinded her teeth, then trotted towards Spike and put the tip of her horn to the stack of birdhouses. Spike didn't understand what she was doing until he heard a sizzling sound, and saw a thin wispy tendril of smoke rise up from Twilight's horn. Realizing she meant to set it aflame, he jerked it away, but the magic stuck and all his hard work went up in flames.

"AAAAH!" Panicking, Spike began running around the house.

"Spike!" Rarity hissed. "Don't run around my house swinging the birdhouses that are on fire!"

Twilight magically conjured a bucket of water with ice in it. Rarity bolted for it, taking into her hooves and splashing in Spike's generally direction, which put the lower half of the birdhouse tree-stack out and soaked him in freezing ice, but the upper half of the birdhouse continued to burn.

"Aaaagh!"

Twilight refilled the bucket, smiling as she awaited Spike being splashed with icy cold water again...and again... and again... however many times until either Rarity wizened up to Twilight's ploy, or the fire was put completely out.

Spike's life was not one to envy, that was for sure.

After dealing with that mess, Twilight, Rarity, and a very damp Spike stepped through the Bridge network into the Autobot base, where Optimus was scanning his optics very furtively over the computer and Smokescreen was chatting with Bumblebee about the wedding, but they smartened up and zipped it when Twilight stepped inside.

"Optimus?" Twilight piped up, ignoring Spike's reserved signs about his lot in life. "Optimus?"

"Yes, Twilight Sparkle?"

"I was wondering... I want my special day to be, well, special, so I was thinking...would you preside over the ceremony and marry Shockwave and I!?"

Rarity and Spike stepped backwards, observing the depth of Twilight's insanity from a comfortable distance. Smokescreen and Bumblebee missed how odd this was.

"I would love to," Optimus answered, somehow able to sound serious while still being dry, "but I am very busy monitoring war preparations for the outer rim Decepticons."

"Mmm... oh, sigh, oh swoon!" Twilight did a mock swoon.

"Very touching, Twilight Sparkle, but I mean what I say." Optimus answered, giving Twilight a sort of wise-guy glare. "I was told Her Majesty Celestia presided over your brother's wedding. Why do you not ask her?"

Twilight pursed her lips. Rarity wrapped a leg around Spike's sopping shoulders to comfort him, and suddenly, Spike found that he didn't mind being so soaked if meant Rarity was touching him.

Then Twilight's eyes did the thing with the pink lines they did earlier while looking at Shockwave, and once again, Bumblebee was the only to notice.

Tell me somepony saw that. Bumblebee said, pointing at Twilight.

"Saw what?" Smokescreen shrugged.

Aaaagh...

(You had to be an idiot to see what I did not once, but twice, and not realize something fishy was going on, and I'm not talking about Pinkie's most recent prank going wrong.)

Bumblebee narrowed his optics at Twilight. Twilight exclaimed in alarm. "Oh my gosh! I need to go make sure Pinkie has some cupcakes ready!" Twilight merrily pranced back through the Bridge, unaware of Bumblebee's slightly-miffed glare.

Optimus! I have an actuator to pick with Shockwave! Send me to Kaon!

Optimus turned from his computer gravely. "Bumblebee, do you intend to do anything that would threaten our truce?"

(I assured him I wouldn't do anything wrong, or anything that would provoke an assault from the 'Cons.)

No, no, I just want to ask a few questions about the wedding...

(He seemed strangely okay with this, and even encouraged me to go for it.)

"Do make sure you don't leave anything out of your questioning, Bumblebee." Optimus pulled the GroundBridge lever.

(Seeing the Bridge open, I dashed through, where the other side deposited me right in front of Shockwave's Tower, being guarded by two Vehicons at the doors. I walked up to them, and they pointed their cannons at me.)

"What business do you have here, Autobot?"

(Naturally, the war being over didn't mean hostilities were. Clearly, this situation was going to demand some social engineering 101, which I, as a Scout and espionage agent, am required to take.)

Come on, guys! (I said, walking up to them with my hands in full view.) I just want to ask some questions. You know, look around the fabulous Decepticon capital a little bit.)

(The Vehicons kept their gaze on me.)

A few questions for Shockwave. About the wedding with Twilight? Come on!

The two exchanged glances.

"Uh, yeah..." One of them turned around and started punching in the entry access code to the building. The door slide away with a quiet, soft hiss.

"Don't break anything, now." One of them warned me before they stepped to the sides to allow me entry.

(I guess they didn't like the wedding anymore than I did, but they didn't think they could question Shockwave themselves without being shot. Shockwave was lot more logical than Megatron was, but when you're the one-eyed 'Con who can directly after Megatron, it's understandable the generic mooks might question their chances of survival when confronting you. It's what the old boss did, after all! They probably figured I could question Shockwave about and be granted immunity by legal bureaucracy. After all, if Shockwave shot me, it'd hurt his image to the political crowds if he shot me a lot than if he shot some random Vehicon.)

(Poor Vehicons. Only existing as a piece of animation the animators can copy and paste over and over that the good guys can slaughter mercilessly without any moral comeuppance.)

I went inside the facility and started making my way up to the top. The insides of Shockwave's Tower would best be described as slate grey version of the Nemesis' halls. Except with less computers and terminals.

I kept walking, leisurely to avoid any undue attention from a more daring 'Con whose more willing to break the rules. Unfortunately, I walked into Vortex shortly after. Vortex was a Combaticon, a team known being extremely violent, brutal, and unusually organized for Decepticons. He came down the hallway from a left-side door and stopped dead at the sight of me...

Sigh. I had to say 'dead', didn't I?)

"Oh, um, wow." Vortex stuttered. "Hi, uh, Bumperlybee."

(I tried to correct him on my name.)

Bumblebee.

"Right. Sorry."

(We stood there quietly. I was waiting for him to make a move. Reach for his gun, lunge at me, something. He was more loyal to Shockwave than I realized, as he didn't try to slug me or anything.)

"You have to understand, this is really awkward for me, because I'm fairly sure I killed anywhere from one to three hundred of your Autobot buddies during the war."

(I bit back the reply that formed in my head; "That's okay, I'm sure I killed three of your buddies for every one of mine that you killed" for three reasons. One, Optimus expects better of an Autobot under his command, two, I didn't have the math to back that up, three, I'm not sure Combaticons had buddies.)

"Well, uh...nice seeing you?" Vortex waved and walked past Bumblebee. Bumblebee watched him go, before shaking his head to compose himself and walking down the hallway, where he made his way further up the tower. His goal was to reach the top where Shockwave's office lay, and ask him some questions that would make him seriously re-think marrying Shockwave. Except instead, midway through the hallway on one of the higher floors when...

(I suddenly felt something on my boot. I stopped and lifted my leg up to investigate it, and I saw a little pink spot on my shoe. Some sort of gunk from the Kaonian lower classes? No, no. The lower classes wouldn't be in the Tower of the current highest-ranking Decepticon authority.

I further examined the pink spot. As I brought closer to my face, I saw out the corner of my optic another identical pink spot on the floor. Both spots, the one now on my boot and the one still on the floor, were so small and tiny I never would have noticed it I hadn't stepped right on it, I mean smack-slagging-dab on it.

It was time for a little investigating, Bumblebee style.

I put my foot down, and leaned in down to examine the second spot. Hmm... I'm not getting anything from it, aside from a few strange emissions. It appears to contain some citric acid and some other materials I can't quite make out.

I adjust my optics and start selecting some options, scrolling through my UI to discuss what programs I want running. I make some adjustment to my usual scanner program, and let it run. My vision shifts into a black, white and grey monochrome version of what it was before. Everything in the room is some shade of grey...everything, that is, except the little pink splotch. Now that its the only color thing I the room, I can see much more clearly that there is more than just the two pink spots I have already discovered, leading all the way to a hole in the wall, probably by some Scraplet chewing its way through before Shockwave used the Changelings to bring the power back to Cybertron.

That still creeps me out, by the way. Beats the alternative by a long shot, but you can see those poor Changelings are suffering terribly to keep our home alive.

I didn't hear any footsteps behind me, too entranced with tracking the pink spots to their source, so it was wonder I was surprised when I heard a bashful sounding 'Con behind me.)

"Oh, uh. Hi, Bumper."

(I turned around and saw it was another Combaticon- in this case, Blast Off, the white speed demon.)

One, it's Bumblebee. Two, I am in the middle of some very sensitive important detective work right now, so if you don't mind...

"Oh, wow, okay, yeesh!" (I bemusedly observed Blast Off raise hands in the air.) "I'm sorry. I didn't realize 'important detective work' was going on!"

Would you be quiet? I'm trying to focus.

"Hey, you're in our house, not the other way around."

(I had to concede to Blast Off's point. I was, in fact, in Kaon, and we were not in neutral or Autobot territory. I bleeped my acknowledgment of his point before crouching and observing the hole in the wall a bit more closely. In it, I saw pieces of glass shards covered with the pink liquid.

As I stared harder and harder at it, as if expecting that it would come to life and tell me all its secrets in the form of a cute little ditty, I realized something. This was wrong. Shockwave was one of the tidiest and most secretive Decepticons around. If he had known about this hole, he would have a Constructicon fix it right away. And this glass? This glass wouldn't be here. It would be safely tucked away in his laboratory, under several microscopes and other, less friendly scientific tools.

Something was going on.

And with that in mind, I figured trying the wring the truth of the matter out from Shockwave himself would get me on the fast track to nowhere's ville.

I reached my hand into the hole and plucked the largest glass shard from the pile. I stood up and shut off my monochrome vision program, restoring my vision to full functionality. I put my hands over my mouthplate and hardened my gaze at it.

Blast Off noticed my confused expression.)

"Hey, is this about the wedding?" (I didn't answer him, as I didn't know anymore than he did. That was a good lead, though.

Blast Off grabbed my shoulders and turned me towards him. He appeared to become quite distressed.)

"Don't be afraid to tell me anything. This is my boss we're talking about, man! DON'T BE AFRAID TO GIVE ME THE BAD NEWS, MAN!"

(Taken aback by his sudden shaking of my shoulders, and his concern for his boss, I tried to pry his arms off me and took a moment to relax before I assured him I would let him know anything...once I knew more.

Right now, I needed a Bridge to Twilight's house. I put my finger on my head and activated my comm. Hopefully, Twilight would be in cooperative mode and the chances of answers from her would be better than from Shockwave's).

Base? It's Bumblebee, still at Shockwave's Tower in Kaon. Can I get a Space Bridge to Twilight's library, please?

"In Shockwave's Tower? At the heart of Decepticon shielding?" Ratchet snapped at Bumblebee through the comm. "Bumblebee, do you realize how difficult-"

"Just give him the slagging Bridge!" Blast Off shouted, overhearing Ratchet's appall. Bumblebee whistled appreciation for Blast Off's support.

"Fine, but don't be surprised if it doesn't work, or... you end up with an extra arm or something!"

The Bridge, Ratchet?

Ratchet sighed, but a Bridge appeared for Bumblebee in short order.

(I stepped through the Bridge, walking very slowly in cause there was a dimensional accident waiting to happen and tear me in half from the head down. Making it to the other side, I miraculously arrive completely fine and – as far as I can tell – not turned into some horrific fusion of Autobot and disrespected physics. I'm a little further away from Twilight's library than I would like, but that's fine.

As the Bridge closes behind me and I head for the library, I noticed the Cutie Mark Crusaders lying on the grass, doing their schoolwork. I raise up the glass shard and examine it.

I suppose it couldn't hurt to ask them if they know anything about it, would it?)

Bleep bleep!

The Cutie Mark Crusaders sighed at their boring, tedious homework, then dropped the papers to the ground when they felt the quaking of earth that accompanied an approaching Cybertronian.

"Oh, hey, Bumblebee!" Scootaloo waved happily at the yellow bot.

"Wut are y'all doin' here?" Apple Bloom inquired, sneakily shoving her homework off to the side.

Beep beep be-boop blee-ble-bleep! Bumblebee raised the glass shard up for them to see. They saw it, but made no note of it.

"It's...glass." Scootaloo concluded. "Yay?"

(It was at this point I remembered that they couldn't understand my bleeping the way Rafael and Pinkie Pie did. D'oh! I resisted the urge to introduce my face to my palm and instead pondered how to communicate with them what I was trying to ask.)

I bent down and presented the glass to them.

"You want us to take the glass?" Scootaloo guessed.

Bleep bleep bleep!

"I think he's trying to ask us a question about it..." Sweetie Belle suggested, which Bumblebee confirmed with a very happy 'deee-ooo!'

"Okay, um..." Sweetie Belle nervously took the glass into her hooves and began examinig it. "There's this pink stuff on it..."

"Pink stuff?" Scootaloo asked. "What kind of pink stuff?"

"There aren't any 'kinds' of pink stuff, ya ninny!" Apple Bloom shouted.

"Are too!"

"Are not- wait a mo'..." Apple Bloom reached over Sweetie Belle's neck and took the glass. "Ah have an idea...

Really? What? Bumblebee asked, but again, all they heard was be-beep beep.

"Ah think...sompony used a love potion!" A

"Oooh!" Scootaloo nodded her head. "Like the love poison we used on Big Macintosh and Cheerilee?"

"Eeeyup." Apple Bloom answered, doing an impression of her brother that caused her fellow Crusaders to giggle. "Ah don't know who or why, but somepony's used a love potion or love poison on somepony, and the glass with the potion in it broke somehow. Here ya go!" Apple Bloom offered Bumblebee the glass back, but Bumblebee was too enraptured with himself as the obvious conclusion hit his circuits like a speeding bullet.

(It was so obvious. So very obvious. The realization hit me like somepony had stamped "Realization!" in bold pink lettering on the Forge of Solus Prime, then lifted the Forge up, gave a few spins, then slammed it into the side of my cheek. My head tilted back, I was so dumbstruck. I mean, come on! A love potion is the reason Shockwave and Twilight are getting married! How would that not be obvious? Do people really think they would be getting married in their right minds!?)

"Uh, 'Bee?" Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow and twitched her hoof. "Yer glass?"

Rather then Bumblebee taking the glass like Apple Bloom was expecting, Bumblebee met her inquiry with a very loud, piercing screech of 'DEEEEEET!' and took off running in the other direction.

"So..." Sweetie Belle drawled, before her neck made an unnatural crick. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom's necks followed suit, and they were soon talking in hushed tones, like they didn't want anypony overhearing them. Which was odd, as stealth, secrets and subtlety were not the Crusaders' strong suit, to say the least.

"Bumblebee's figured out about the love potion..." Sweetie Belle started.

"And now he's probably going to try to stop it..." Scootaloo added.

"Well now..." Apple Bloom finished. "We can't have that, now can we?"

"No. No, we can't."

Having finished their conversation and silently slipping the obvious hidden message that they were going to ensure Bumblebee had an 'accident', their necks cricked back to their original positions, and they forgot what they were talking about.

"Say, does anypony else feel plumb tuckered out?" Apple Bloom asked, rubbing the back of her neck and stifling a yawn.

"Yeah..." Scootaloo added. "Does anypony else feel like we were just talking about something evil and ominous, and then promptly forgot it once we had a goal in mind?"

"Ah can't believe Ah'm saying this, but yes!"

(After finishing up with the Crusaders, my first priority was to inform somepony else that Twilight's and Shockwave's love wasn't true, and they were in fact under the influence.

I ran away from the direction of the library, meaning to call up The Doc-Bot for another Bridge to base, but just as I was about to put my finger on the comm, I saw a suspended wooden bridge in the distance that appeared to have an Autobot silhouette waiting on, amidst a crowd that including Shining Armor. I abandoned my plans for a Bridge and headed towards the, well, the- the bridge, unaware of the of the implosion that was happening as I made my way towards it.)

"I'm so happy!" Twilight decried to her friends, gathered on the bridge, along with Smokescreen, clad in her wedding dress that Rarity had made earlier. "The wedding's in only a few hours! I hope everypony is reeaaady!" Twilight tilted her head and said the last part in sing-song.

"Uh, about that..." Applejack said quietly.

"Yes?" Twilight tilted her head back, the very stars twinkling in her eyes with the idea of romance soon to come, here and hereafter forever more, between her and the Decepticon Lord.

"We've talking about the wedding..." Rarity gently supplied, trying to maintain as soft as voice as she could.

Twilight laughed and waved her hoof. "Of course you have! I mean, it is going to be the wedding of the century! Even better than my brother's, in fact!"

Shining made a frumpy face.

"In order to make make sure my wedding is absolutely perfect and nothing goes horribly wrong, I made sure my wedding is as far removed from his as possible! Starting, of course, with asking Luna to preside over the ceremony."

"What!?" Everypony exclaimed.

"Twilight, Luna's yer friend, but y'all have known Celestia a lot longer than ya have Luna!" Applejack complained.

"True, but everything has to be perfect." Twilight answered nonchalantly. "Which means Celestia can't be presiding."

Applejack sighed and closed her eyes. "Well, we were hopin' to be gentle about this, but ya forced our hooves, Twilight."

"W-what?" Twilight stammered, quivering her lip. "What are you talking about? Did you discover something? Is Shockwave cheating on me!?"

"I wish." Shining muttered bitterly.

"Twilight." Applejack stomped her hoof on the bridge, producing a loud clunk as the wood shook from the vibrations sent by her applebucking hooves. "Y'all can't marry Shockwave."

Twilight gasped. "Whaaat!? Why ever not?"

"Cause he's a Decepticon, he's creepy, and you marrying him is creepy too!" Pinkie explained.

"But-but..." Twilight stammered. "How could you ever...I thought my friends would support..."

Twilight's blubbering, stammering sentence fragments came to an abrupt halt, and Twilight narrowed her eyes at her friends. "Oh, I see. I see perfectly. I know what's going on here."

"What?"

"You're all jealous!" Twilight pointed her hoof at Applejack. "You're jealous I'm getting married before any of you, and you," Twilight pointed to Shining, "are jealous because my wedding is going to be so much better than yours!"

"What!?"

"Twiley, that doesn't make any sense!"

"Indeed!" Rarity chimed. "If we were truly jealous, we wouldn't trying to calmly talk you out of it, but instead we would mask our bitterness by pretending to happily congratulate you!"

"Well, I see right through your charade of calmness!" Twilight shouted, like she didn't hear a word Rarity had said. "I thought you were my friends! Well, you know what? You're all dis-invited to my wedding!"

Twilight turned her nose up and trotted off the bridge, the long train of her dress slithering along the ground.

Applejack brought her hat over chest, nearly reduced to tears. Was this was what Twilight felt when Shining Armor said she couldn't come to his wedding while he was still brainwashed? "D-do you really mean it, Twi?"

Twilight stopped. She looked over her shoulder and glared at Applejack.

Applejack's lips quivered, her sadness mounting to the point she couldn't control her facial expression. Her involuntary twitching seemed to break Twilight's resolve.

"No." Twilight answered repentantly. "It is my wedding, and I want all of my best friends to be there...but you are all off the V.I.P list!" Twilight turned her snout back up and continued to march down the ramp of the bridge.

"I...what just happened!?" Shining exclaimed.

"Weren't you paying attention, Shiny?" Pinkie asked. "We just got kicked off the V.I.P list for Twilight's wedding!"

"Ah don't like it, y'all...Twilight would never do that to us. Sumthin' sumwhere ain't right." Applejack said.

Bumblebee arrived to the bridge, just as Twilight was leaving.

(I stopped and lifted my leg up to let Twilight pass me. Or more specifically, let Twilight's train pass me. I swear, that thing is long enough to wrap me up and crush my chestplate in. I walked up the bridge and was relieved to see Pinkie Pie there. She was one of the few non-Cybertronians who could understand my bleeping, after all. I waved my arms for their attention and started beeping like a crazed mech.)

Hey, hey! Everypony! Listen to me carefully; Twilight and Shockwave have had a love potion cast on them!

"I still can't believe how much she dislikes my wedding..." Shining muttered.

"Eeyup." Applejack rested a hoof on Shining's neck.

"Well...it's only fair." Smokescreen said off the cuff, prompting everypony to stare.

"An' jus' wut is that supposed tah mean!?"

"You guys totally dissed, ditched, and were just rude to Twilight at Shining's wedding, according to what I'm told at least." Smokescreen idly checked out his nails. He actually had no nails, but he knew the gesture conveyed flippancy to organics. "Turnabout is fair play."

Uh, guys? Listening to me? Come on. This is kind of a big problem.

"Why you dirty snake!" Applejack growled at Smokescreen, adjusting her hat on her head. "Ah don't have tah stand for yer mouth, mister!"

"You can sit right there, on the bridge!"

Guys! Guys? Seriously? Love potion...

(Seeing that they weren't listening to me, I grabbed Pinkie by the tail and lifted her up. She threw her hooves out and made an exclamation of 'whee!' as she was taken up and away, before I cupped my hands around and pulled down on her tail. See, Pinkie is capable of all sorts of crazy things that were, quite frankly, impossible for any creature's biology to do that.

I was about to use that.

Aiming her like a rifle at the nearest wall, I began to pull down and crank her tail several times. Each time, a little piece of confetti would launch from her mouth, where it stuck to the wall. Just as I planned! After a minute or two, I was able to paint an image of a potion beaker on the wall, the confetti arranged just so to make the image I was going for. I pointed at my impromptu artistic work and bleeped again.

No pony noticed. Smokescreen and Applejack were escalating their argument. No one cared. No one wanted to listen to me.

Just listen to me...

I cursed my lack of a voice box, seeing as the source of the problem. If I could just speak normally, I might be able to get them to pay attention! ARGH!

My frustration began to mounting. My Energon began to boil and my circuits began fizzle with the desire to lash out and break something. Anything would do, so long as it was one piece when I started and two when I finished. Not thinking rationally, I lifted up Pinkie and threw her to the ground. Being practically made of elastic, she didn't mind it, so she more or less bounced on the ground. I turned around and screamed at the group that was ignoring me.)

SLAG IT!

DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!

WHY WON'T YOU ANY OF YOU LISTEN TO ME!?

"Whoa." Smokescreen gawked and pointed at me while looking to our pony friends. "Doe he always do that?"

Yes, Smokescreen, I always scream and swear at the ponies who aren't slagging listening to me!

"I listened to you, Bumblebee!"

(Pinkie. That was Pinkie's voice. Oh, Pinkie Pie. Bless her Spark. I leaned down and adjusted the zoom on my optics to let her know I wanted to elaborate.)

"Oh, and I totally forgive you for throwing me like that." Pinkie added mischievously. "You were angry, and you were upset, and-"

Pinkie! (I snap at her.) Enough rambling! You said you were listening! So you know about the love potion?

"Eeeyup!"

(Vunderbar. I don't really know what that means, but I hear ponies and other Autobots say when something good happens, so I would think it means something good, right?

Let's put that on the back burner for now. We have more pressing concerns than my usage of words that I don't know what they mean.)

Pinkie, talk to me; we need to do something about the love potion, and the wedding is in a few hours. What do we do?

"Oh, um, well..." Pinkie put her hoof on her chin. She gasped and raised her hoof dramatically in the air. "I know! We go and get Raffie's help!"

Good idea!

… Did I really just say that to Pinkie Pie? Oh, well, whatever. What matters now is getting all the help we can get, and Raf shares Pinkie's ability to understand me. Or rather, Pinkie shares Raf's ability. Either way, we could use him right now.

I put my comm on and asked for Ratchet to send Raf through the Bridge network.)

Ratchet? I need Rafael over here, right away.

"What for?"

I need him for a mission.

"What!?"

Don't have a panic attack on me now. You know I wouldn't be asking for Raf's help if there was any chance he could get hurt, do you?

"Well..."

Ratchet, please? I have some... mischief I need done, and I could really use his help.

(Finally, after a while, my whimpering broke down Ratchet's natural defenses, and Bridge opened up that Raf merrily stepped out of, carrying his backpack with his laptop.)

"Hey guys!" Raf flexed his hand. "I heard you need my help with something?"

"That's right!" Pinkie answered. "We need to stop Twilight's and Shockwave's wedding!"

"Pinkie, we all knew we needed to stop it the moment we heard about it." Raf replied dryly.

"Well, yeah, but now we REALLY need to stop it because we Bumblebee's found out that they under the influence of a love potion!"

"What? Love potions don't exist..." Raf was incredulous. It was understandable, at first, as the seeming existence of unicorn aliens did not automatically translate into the existence of love potions being a real thing. But after a moment to let the ridiculousness ebb away, Raf remembered all the other things that existed on Equestria that were myths on Earth, like dragons and the whatnot. Raf composed himself.

"What do you need me to do?"

Let's walk and talk.

Bumblebee, Pinkie and Raf began walking away from the bridge to discuss what their battle strategy was to be. Of course, a strategy made from the youngest Autobot, a 12-and-a-quarter year old hacker, and Pinkie Pie, did not have reasonable chances of success.

"Hi, Pinkie!" A passing pretty pony with a blue coat waved, accompanied by mint-green mare and a white mare with a pink coat.

"Hi, girls!" Pinkie waved back. "Sorry about replacing you at Cadence's wedding!

Hold the phone here. What? Bumblebee inquired.

"Oh, those girls are the fillies me and my friends replaced as the bridesmaids at Cadence's wedding after they got brainwashed into being prison guards! Basically!"

"Well, this is fine and dandy," Raf said, "but shouldn't we be focusing on stopping the wedding today?"

Hold on... Bumblebee raised his hand. I have an idea... Raf, think you could talk those girls into being bridesmaids again?

"What!?"

I have a plan in mind! Bumblebee pointed to the mares. We send them to hold up Twilight, while you and Pinkie distract Shockwave, and I remain in an easily accessible position between the two points in case things get hairy, so you and them can both call me and I can get there quickly!

"That's a good plan..." Raf admitted, stroking his chin.

"Great!" Pinkie slapped Raf on the back, sending him stumbling towards the ex-maids. "Go get them on our side!"

"What am I supposed to do?" Raf whined.

Pinkie waved her hooves at him. "Use your boyish charm!"

Raf shuddered, having the urge to facepalm so badly it was almost painful. Choking his way through without losing his control. He gritted his teeth and turned towards the mares in a grimace. After a moment of awkward stares from the herd of mares, Raf managed to force his grimace into a broad grin that was kind of unhinged.

"Um, can we help you, little boy?" The blue mare asked kindly, but nervously. Thankfully, Raf saw the oppurtunity that had just been offered to him and took it.

"Yes! Yes, you can." Raf nodded his head. "You see, my friend Twilight Sparkle is getting married today."

"Oh, we heard!"

"Such a lucky gal. So few ponies can find true love these days..."

"And with an alien! Why, that's like falling in love with a foreigner, which is quite prone to happening! In fact, estimates show 4786.5 percent of ponies are more likely to fall in love with a foreigner than with somepony from their own country!"

Raf raised an eyebrow, and had to seriously struggle to come up with an appropriate response that wouldn't cause the mares to be offended and slap him the way ladies were prone to were to doing when offended.

"Okay! Um, anyways, my friends and I have a good reason to be suspicious that something is going on, and we need to delay the wedding as much as possible."

"Oh, I don't know, little guy... Cadence was so upset about her wedding getting disrupted."

"Please?" Raf put his hands together.

"Boyish charm!" Pinkie reminded him.

Raf pouted, realized there wasn't any way to avoid it, and made his eyes as big as possible, blubbering his lips at the mares. "Please!?"

The mares fell for it, head over hooves. "Oooh...poor little guy."

"Come on, girls!" The white one at the end declared proudly. "We're going to go stall a wedding!"

The three mares took off galloping towards the general direction of Canterlot, already devising plans to stall a waiting bride for as long as possible.

"Well, that's one thing done!" Pinkie declared. "What do we do next, Bumblebee?"

Bumblebee pointed his fingers over to the direction of where the ex-maids had run off towards. I'm going to set up my sentry position; you two come up with something to distract Shockwave.

"Like what?" Raf shrieked.

"I have an idea..." Pinkie answered, tapping her hoof to her chin.

Raf appreciated Pinkie's company. She was like a nanny to him, always coddling him by countering Rainbow Dash's rude and insensitive sarcasm while rubbing his shoulders, muttering assurances and occasionally giving him a piece of chocolate. (It was usually experimental chocolate the Cakes' were planning on using if tested well, so that wasn't always fun...)

But even with all that, even though Pinkie always only ever showed him her hidden mothering side, hearing her say "I have an idea!" slaggin' terrified him.

Transistor Of The Bride, Part 3

Meanwhile, Vortex, Blast Off, and the rest of the Combaticons were at the other end of Ponyville, being prepared by specially hired tailors for the wedding that had been subjected extensively to Magnum's privacy-invading inspection to make sure they were up to the task of, designing a tuxedo for a Decepticon. And Shockwave's chest window was an absolute nightmare to contour a tuxedo shirt around, darling! They used some disused construction towers to

Magnum crossed his arms and observed with an professional, icy detachment that matched all of the suit makers' enthusiasm, Magnum making a detached neutral expression for every melodramatic wailing outburst over a loose thread in the cloth that was easily fixed... once the fashion-conscious colts quit having a fit over every tiny setback.

"Is it ready?" Shockwave questioned impatiently, keeping his optic shut in case so he wouldn't see if something catastrophic happened. "Is my tuxedo ready? May I face my bride with dignity now?"

"One moment... and..." The hired colt drew out his response, using his unicorn magic to pull his sewing needle through the fabric. "Done! Yes, you may face your bride at last!"

"Excellent!" Shockwave declared, bursting from the construction site and taking off. "I cannot shake this dreadful feeling that something awful will happen if I cannot lay my optic to rest on her own..."

"Uugh..." Vortex groaned and raised his arms out to the sides and looked at himself. Dressed to impress, with a black tuxedo with a large amount roses tangled to look like one just one large rose pinned to his chest. "I don't like being in a tuxedo."

"Cram it, Vortex." Onslaught, the Combaticon commander ordered. "This is what Shockwave wants, and like it or not, he's made it quite clear the wedding will be perfect no matter your complaints."

"I don't like it! I don't like it at ALL!"

"I said cram it!"

Vortex proceeded to cram himself. The Combaticons were an unruly mob, and but they listened when Onslaught barked orders.

Shockwave went on his way, meaning to march his way to where the ceremony was being held, but he stopped when he heard voices coming from a nearby bush.

"Pinkie, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course it's a good idea! You have a better idea?"

"Oh, gee, I don't know... maybe jumping off a cliff without any protective gear. Or walking into the Littlest Pet Shop with a sign saying 'Eat Me!' at feeding time. Or perhaps stabbing tasers into our eye sockets. Any idea would be better than this idea!"

"Just dance, all right?"

Pinkie and Raf surprised Shockwave by suddenly jumping out of the bush, Raf in a top hat and tuxedo of his own, Pinkie in a sequined leotard like so many stage magicians' 'lovely' nudge-wink assistants. Both of them had walking canes in their respective appendages, both of them wearing hats from a barbershop quartet.

"Hi-ya, Shockwave!" Pinkie greeted cheerily. "In celebration of your wedding, Raf and me decided to do a little dance for you, if you've got time!"

"I'm flattered, Miss Pie, but I really need to see Twilight Sparkle soon or..." Shockwave's voice cut off. He put his claw on his head like he was suffering a headache, and the pink rings that tipped Bumblebee off earlier spun around in the reflection of his optic. "I'm not sure what..."

"Too bad! Start dancing, Raffie!" Pinkie was determined Shockwave would be distracted until Bumblebee could think of a better plan, and she began tap-dancing, Raf bashfully joining in at a belated pace. In what was sure to be the most embarrassing moment of Raf's life, Pinkie started adding lyrics from an old Earth song.

Hello, ma baby! Hello, ma honey! Hello ma rag time gal! Send me a kiss by wire. Baby, ma heart's on fire!

"No!" Onslaught and the other Combaticons began marching into view, Onslaught decrying Pinkie's dance as he led his team into position. "No, no, no!"

Pinkie and Raf stopped dancing, Raf with a breath of relief. Each of them worried about what steps Onslaught intended to take to curtail their leaned down and lowered his hand towards Pinkie.

"Gimme."

"Eh?"

"Gimme the hat."

Pinkie lifted her hat off her head and gave to Onslaught's fingers. Onslaught, without a trace of irony, hint of skepticism, and an aura of deathly seriousness, placed the tiny pony-sized hat on his head. After adjusting it to make sure it fit, Onslaught lunged his hand out to the side and pried a street lamp from the lamp acting as his cane, Onslaught began dancing himself. "This is how you do the hello-ma-baby dance!"

"Uhh..." Raf was confused by Onslaught's seeming knowledge in human culture, but Pinkie saw it for the blessing it was.

"Come on, come on. Go. Just go." Pinkie began ushering Raf away from Shockwave. If they could just get away without the Combaticons or Shockwave getting suspicious, they could reconnect with Bumblebee and plan their next move before the dance lost its bilge appeal.

Shockwave blinked at Onslaught's dance and raised his claw to point, hoping Vortex would explain. Vortex shook his head and shrugged. Brawl, after a moment's hesitance, leaped sideways and joined in, crossing and uncrossing his arms while Onslaught tapped dance.

Bumblebee was standing watch over a bridge with an intersection, where the ex-maids group had whisked Twilight into a parlor and began making (very unwelcome) suggestions to improve her dress and her appearance.

"Maybe you should put another flower in your mane..."

"Some lip gloss would be ideal!" The blue mare suggesting said lip gloss began to liberally apply it to Twilight's mouth, deliberately putting on too much. "Oop! That's too much. We'll need to wash it off!"

The white mare pulled out a cotton pad and began patting it along Twilight's mouth to remove the excess lip gloss.

"Not that I don't – phhb- appreciate this, girls, but is this -plef- really necessary ? Phhlbt!"

"Of course it's necessary! Why would- why would you even- ahhaha!" The green mare laughed airily. "Why would you even ask that?"

"We were bridesmaids, once." The blue mare reminded her.

Excellent, Bumblebee noted to himself, rolling his hands together. Twilight's stuck in the parlor, Pinkie and Raf should be distracting Shockwave by now... everything is good.

Bumblebee turned away from the parlor and leisurely walked to an empty space between a pink house and a blue house. He cupped his chin and began to ponder what the next step was. Twilight and Shockwave were being held up, so that gave him some time, but some time was only some, and there wasn't an idea coming to him that would solve the crisis.

That was about when something ran up behind him and walloped him on the back of his head. He remained conscious, but unsteady, and eventually he was able to turn around and identity his attacker.

Barricade. Bumblebee snarled.

"Bumblebee!" Barricade exclaimed. "So good to see you again, my old pal!"

(I understood how Barricade got the drop of me. He, like me, was a spy. A scout. And I'm at all ashamed to admit, a better saboteur than me. I'm prettier, though, and less of a cheater. We had a rivalry going since before the war started. We were couriers in rivaling businesses and sometimes we came into blows, him trying to steal my package, me trying to take it back and get him busted for stealing mine in the first place. Him not cooperating when an independent contractor hired us both as multiple couriers for one big job.

Our rivalry continued into the war, where we would often encounter each other on espionage and counterespionage missions. Each time we fought, it would end with both of us alive, somehow, limping away with our wounds and either graceful victory or shameful defeat for our side, and our rivalry would only be more intense the next time we met.

More than once after the war broke out, Barricade would lead me and some of my pals into dangerous, obstacle-laden courses that he would escape without a scratch, whereas the unfortunate Autobots around would crash and burn.

I was able to navigate them as well as he did, and I kept every squad I was assigned to from being torn to scrap by the smoke and mirrors in that death trap.

Naturally, being the separating line between life and death inside that sadistic torture room of his disguised as a race track didn't earn my approval with him.)

What do you want, Barricade?

"I've been doing some sneaking, as you do." Barricade answered, walking towards Bumblebee with a finger raised. "I've made some observations about you and that pink pony, and the walking pile of leaves."

Barricade, if you even think about hurting Pinkie or Raf, I will end you.

"Whoa!" Barricade pretended to raise his hands in surrender. "Big words for a little bot... especially a bot without a functioning voice box."

Grrr...

"Seems like you're trying to muck up Shockwave's wedding... but I don't really care. Don't worry about your pets," Barricade spat. "I'm not interested in hurting them. That? That would just make you bleed emotionally. I want to bleed you physically. We have some unfinished business, after all."

The war is over, Barricade.

"Oh..." Barricade grabbed a nearby street lamp and swung himself around it. "This isn't about the war, Bumblebee. It's not about Autobot versus Decepticon. Or Decepticon versus pony. No, no. This is about me..." Barricade banged his fist against his chest, before pointing his clawed finger at Bumblebee. "And you."

Barricade twisted the innocent street lamp upwards, causing the light bulb in it to point upwards and be utterly useless to managing road traffic at night. Not content with brutally twisting upwards, Barricade made a fist and punched the light bulb, shattering it into thousands of little shards that dropped to the ground.

Barricade cricked his head. "Ready to play, mosquito?"

I don't have time for you, Barricade.

"THEN MAKE TIME!"

Barricade lunged at Bumblebee with claws raised up to slash. Bumblebee nimbly dodged Barricade's initial assault, but Barricade was able to reach around and sucker-punch Bumblebee in the side of his jaw (-equivalent area.) Bumblebee backed away, putting space between him and Barricade so he had a moment to regain his bearings. Barricade reached around for another sucker-punch, but Bumblebee blocked it with his arms and responded with a more direct application of fist to Barricade's face, knocking the police cruiser backwards. Bumblebee pressed his advantage and lunged towards Barricade, putting his unique boxing approach on fighting to very good use, as he got hit after hit in on Barricade's silver cheeks.

Barricade stumbled backwards, recovering enough stamina to raise his arms up and grab the gauntlets of Bumblebee's armor. Bumblebee attempted to jerk his wrists away, and was able to slide through and turn Barricade's control of his limbs into a less biased grapples.

"Where's that murderous intent from before when I threatened your pets, huh?" Barricade irritatedly informed Bumblebee as the pistons in their arms began pumping with extra force, traveling through hydraulic systems and amplifying their natural pushing power to slightly higher levels. Far from superhuman, but enough to make a slight difference in pushing power. "Come on! Prove you're better than me already!"

I don't need to kill you to prove I'm better.

That's what makes Autobots better than Decepticons; unlike Decepticons, Autobots can prove their superiority without a murderous drive. Oh, no, no, wait, that's not what makes Autobots better than Decepticons; it just makes me better than you.

(I knew he wasn't going to take that well. He screamed, his mouth showing all his golden fangs. He separated his arms from me and tried to kick my in the waist, but I tucked in my gut and was able to avoid, turning it against him. I grabbed his shoulders, did a reverse fireman's lift, and threw him face-first into the dirt. I jumped on top of it, digging my knee spikes into his back, and raised my fist to strike him in the head, but I stopped.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't beat him with his face was down. So I lifted up slightly, picked him up, and rolled over.

Oh yeah. Much better. I can see his face now. Now, I had no trouble beating the ever-living daylights out of the turbo-revving punk. Bang, bang, bang! Sparks flew every time my fist collided into his face. I cannot put into the words that satisfaction that comes with beating your long-time rival mercilessly.

Then he did something I wasn't expecting; he bucked his hips and jammed his knees into my back, making me jerk forward on him. I didn't realize what he was doing until he slashed his claws at my face, then at my chest. Deducing that was his intent all along, I got up and backed away from him. He raised his legs up, then launched himself upwards onto his feet, whereupon he promptly gave me another sucker punch.

I stumbled from the blow and partly collapsed, resting my hands on my knees. Observing the increased rate of my ventilation, I decided it was time for drastic measures. I converted my hand into into an two-sided brass chromed axe, a configuration I don't use often. Turning around, I swung it at his head and gave him a nice cut across the forehead. Not enough to give him a concussion, but it would get him to understand that I would get serious about putting him under if he pushed me hard enough.)

"Oh, an axe!" Barricade taunted him. "I'm so scared now! HA! Give me a break. As if you could actually use that thing. That's the problem with you Autobots, you're never willing to kill even when it would in your best interests to."

I think you and I have a funny definition of 'best interests'.

(My next one-liner was cut short by the sound of a distressed mare screaming.)

"AAH!"

(I looked around, and Barricade was curious enough about what I was looking at that he didn't take the chance to sucker-punch me again.

Twilight Sparkle had wrested free of the ex-maids' unwarranted makeover, and was now currently spread eagle on the door to the parlor, restrained by the bridesmaids and trying to wriggle free.)

"Enough!" Twilight growled at them. "I don't care what you think, this was unnecessary, and now I'm going to be late for my own wedding!"

"But Twiliiiight!" The white mare whined, holding onto Twilight's hind leg. "Don't you want to look perfect on your special day?"

"Yes! But you know what? It doesn't matter whether you think I look perfect, it only matters my beloved Shockwave thinks I look perfect!"

"D-did she really just say 'my beloved Shockwave'?"

"D'AAH!" Twilight was able to wrest her limbs from the bridesmaids' grasp, and began trotting down the street towards where the ceremony was.

(Scrap, I swore. I knew she needed to be stopped before she got to Shockwave somehow, and that meant that one way or another, it was time mine and Barricade's fight to come to an end.

Raising both my arms, I converted both into their rarely-used axe configuration, turned them sideways, and then slammed the flats of the blades into each side of Barricade's head, rather like cymbals. The resulting clang was immensely gratifying, and Barricade groaned before he fell and hit the floor.

My opponent down for the count, I narrowed my optics at the direction Twilight was running. Putting my spy training to good use, I jumped from the ground onto one of the rooftops, startling a passing colt on the ground. I jumped from one roof to the next, before jumping off and back on to the ground, where I converted to my vehicular mode and drove after my quarry. I honked my horn at her. She shot me a glare over her shoulder.)

Twilight! Stop! I need to talk to you!

"I don't know what you're saying, Bumblebee, but it doesn't matter!" Twilight shouted.

(I don't think she realizes how much it hurt me to hear that...I knew she wasn't in right mind, but I do like to think what I have to say does matter.)

The pinks rings of the love potion's magic swirled furiously in her eyes, and she slowed down, disoriented from the magic acting out. She recovered and resumed galloping even faster. "I need to go see Shockwave!"

(I tried to think of my options. She had a head start on me, but she ran on legs. I ran on wheels. I could catch up to her easy enough with a little boost from my gas pedal, but then what? Would I run over her? So, I decided to convert to autonomous mode and grab her in my hand. As I pursued her on foot, lunging towards her and reaching out to grab her, we eventually came to a running river that the town had been built around.

I tackled towards her and fell, getting a face full of dirt for my troubles. Lifting myself up, I saw she was getting away. I righted my footing and prepared to jog after her, but she turned around and blasted me with her magic. I wasn't being electrocuted so she didn't cast a lightning bolt at me, and my cooling systems were fine, she hadn't tried to melt or freeze me. Then my UI went on the fritz, turning into a fuzzy blur of glitched pixels vaguely resembling Ponyville's dirt roads.

I screamed in surprise and in frustration, covering my optics. That love potion had really got to her. I was thankful the real Twilight was still in there somewhere, as she probably would have done worse than just disable my vision if she wasn't. Now, though, I couldn't follow her, and she'd be long gone by the time her spell wore off.

But then something I really wasn't prepared for happened.

Someone shot me. Now, having fought Decepticons for most of my life, someone shooting me is not exactly a rare occurrence, but I wasn't prepared for it. It came without warning, without branches cracking under the Decepticon's footsteps, without the hum of energy that came from our lasers. And I couldn't see. It wasn't a small shot, either. This was a big gun. I'm talking the kind of things engineers make with the express intent of making so a poor sap on the other side would suddenly find themselves in pieces.

Whoever was shooting at me wasn't content with the gaping hole I could feel in the side of my chest, and fired their weapon again, splitting my armor apart even further. I clutched at my wounds and stumbled backwards, a wave of nausea coming over me as my chest bled out oil.

Determined to make sure I was dead, whoever was shooting at me fired at my chest again, exposing my Spark casing. Sadly for them, the blast threw me flying off my feet into the nearby river, where my damaged circuits fizzled, and the malfunctioning electric spark electrocuted the water around me, causing me to be electrocuted and making my systems experience a shut-down. Thankfully, as they shut down, the circuit releasing the discharge quit carrying the current, so the electricity faded away... as did my vision, going complete black as I sunk to the river bottom...)

At the other end, Shockwave finally grew tired of the Combaticons' random dancing.

"Enough." Shockwave raised his hand to give his orders. "Not this dance hasn't been...interesting, Onslaught, but I must see my bride!" Shockwave transformed, converting into a type of Cybertronian vehicle called an H-tank, with an elevated turret and treads that were splayed out to the sides. He began rolling.

"Scrap!" Pinkie swore. "Raf, call Bumblebee!... Raf?"

Pinkie turned around and gasped.

Somepony the size of a foal in a cloak had knocked Raf unconscious, and was dragging him away by the scruff of his collar.

"Hey!" Pinkie shouted, galloping after the kidnapper. "Stop, you!"

The abductor stopped and turned towards Pinkie. She whipped out a device that looked an old recorder from the 50s, and clicked it. A white flash came from the device that blinded Pinkie.

"Hey! No fair! Cheater!" Pinkie stumbled and tried in vain to swipe her hooves at the kidnapper, but missed and fell flat on her face. "Oof!" Pinkie got up and clicked her earpiece. "Bumblebee! Raf's been kidnapped!"

Bumblebe didn't answer...

"Bumblebee? Bumblebee! Scrap!"

Raf groaned as he came to. He blinked and tried to get up, but he was met with resistance from his arms. Becoming distressed, he became more alert and opened his eyes wider, and gasped in horror when he looked down and saw his arms and legs had been tied to a wooden chair.

"What happened?" Raf groaned to himself before recalling. "Oh, that's right... someone knocked me out after the Combaticons started dancing. Huh?"

Raf looked around. His kidnapper had taken him to a wooden shed, the kind where people would keep their tools and toolboxes when they weren't in use. There was a tool rack to go along with his observation, covered with power tools and hammers and wrenches.

Raf took another scan around the room, and he couldn't comprehend quite what he saw.

Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom was his kidnapper. Apple Bloom was sitting at a table just away from Raf. A buzzsaw rested on the table, and judging from the cord leading from it to the wall socket, Raf surmised Apple Bloom was waiting for it to charge.

"Ah!" Apple Bloom exclaimed upon noticing Raf's awakening. "Yer up. Good."

"A-Apple Bloom?" Raf stuttered. "What's going on? Why am I tied up to a chair?"

Apple Bloom responded with hostility. "Wut? It's not obvious?"

"N-no! It's not!"

"Come on, Raf..." Apple Bloom laid back against her own chair, her hind legs hanging off. "Yer a smart boy... don't tell me y'all can't figure it out..."

Raf stared with his mouth agape in his horror, barely able to comprehend what was going on, until he had an idea. "Wait... you're not Apple Bloom, are you? You're a Changeling!"

Apple Bloom chuckled. "Sorry, son, try again."

Raf raised an eyebrow. Her being a Changeling was the obvious and most acceptable explanation for what was going on, so Raf was able to quickly work on than he needed come up with something not obvious and obscure. Raf thought back, and remembered something he had heard Ratchet talk about, only briefly, and with much fear in his voice. Raf could tell it was something Ratchet didn't want to think about at all, but he caught the name before Ratchet noticed him and told him to go away.

"You're a Decepticon, and you're controlling Apple Bloom through a Cerebro-shell."

Apple Bloom made a disappointed frown. "Aww...Ah was hopin' tah mess wit' yer head jus' a little bit longer. But since y'all have figured it out, controlling Apple Bloom? Yes. Cerebro-shell? Yes. Decepticon? Well..." Apple Bloom – or rather, whoever was controlling Apple Bloom – chuckled darkly.

"Not necessarily."

"What do you want?" Raf demanded. If he was captured, he could at least do his part for the Autobots and find out what their enemy was after.

"Ah have plans, Rafael." Apple Bloom answered, rubbing the buzzsaw like a pet dog. "Very big plans. Very big plans that start with small, trivial details. Small trivial details, like, say, a weddin' between two certain mad scientists?"

"That was you? You gave Shockwave and Twilight the love potion!?"

Apple Bloom laughed. "Ahahah! Well, it was more like Ah made the Cutie Mark Crusaders give Shockwave and Twilight the love potion. It's truly ironic, really. They all learned their lesson when they tried to love poison Big Macintosh and Cheerliee, but when the wedding is over, and everypony realizes it was them, everypony's trust will be so shattered they'll never believe the C.M.C again!"

"While you get off, clean as a whistle." Raf concluded.

"Exactly right!" Apple Bloom answered.

"There's something I still don't understand, though..." Raf added.

"Shewt."

"How did you control the Crusaders, and why Twilight? Why Shockwave?"

"Oh, well..." Apple Bloom put her hoof to her chin and chuckled. "Remember when they visited the Littlest Pet Shop a few months back? It was 'bout then Ah had my minions implant the shells into them. And as for our lovely couple? Well, imagine it, Rafael..."

Apple Bloom scooted from her chair and draped her leg around Raf's neck, making a gesture to the horizon.

"Two of some of the most high-ranking members of their species, incredibly important to keeping the worlds around them safe and stable... rendered useless 'cause they want to snog each other more than anything!" Apple Bloom laughed and slapped her knee. "It'll be great! The alliance will destabilize! Government meetings between Ponies and Cybetronians will fall apart!"

"All right," Raf muttered, thinking about it. "Good plan, use the love potion, incapacitate the leaders... but why not Celestia and Optimus if you were going to do that?"

"Well, don't y'all worry yer pretty little head 'bout that." Apple Bloom 'assured' him, patting him on the shoulder. "Ah got them covered. 'Sides, the Decepticons around Shockwave are easier to bribe and coerce than the Autobots around Orion."

Raf noticed her usage of the name Optimus had before he was named a Prime. Orion Pax, Optimus pre-war civilian persona. But Orion Pax was not Optimus Prime, and vise versa.

"Optimus." Raf sneered. "His name is Optimus Prime."

Apple Bloom snarled and smacked Raf upside the head. Raf groaned.

"Oh, Ah'm sorry, Rafael. Y'all didn't deserve that. Jus' a little button of mine, ya understand..."

"Yeah." Raf quipped dryly. "I can tell you're really sorry."

"Well, Ah didn't meant to hurt ya... that time." Apple Bloom answered.

"Say, if you're controlling Apple Bloom through an electronic interface, how are you controlling her facial expressions and making it match yours?"

"Ah...that's a good question." Apple Bloom tapped her chin. "Ah mean, Ah don't have a 'change expression' button..."

On the side of the buzzsaw, a green light turned on.

"Oh!" Apple Bloom squealed, dashed over to the buzzsaw and picked it up in her hooves. Raf grimaced as he realized the green light meant the buzzsaw was ready to be used.

"You, uh, you wouldn't hurt a child with glasses, would you?" Raf half-joked, hoping against hope he might be able to talk Apple Bloom into not killing him horribly.

"Y'all should be happy Ah'm goin' to kill ya, Rafael." Apple Bloom answered coolly as she pulled a cord on the buzzsaw, and it roared to life, the silver blade spinning so fast as to be a blur. "It means Ah don't see y'all as a child, but as an individual."

Apple Bloom began advancing towards Raf with the buzzsaw raised, and Raf knew whoever was controlling her was not going to have any issues with turning him into a meat smoothie.

"An individual who is nevertheless, standin' in mah way!" Apple Bloom, wearing an enraged expression fitting the craziest of Decepticons raised the buzzsaw up and prepared to swing, which would instantly separate Raf's head from the rest of his body. "So sorry y'all have tah die painfully, and very far away from anypony that cares about you!"

Raf could only stare at his reflection in the silver blade that was to be his death and resign himself to his fate. He was a brave lad. He was a good boy. He wouldn't scream for this sociopath who didn't mind using children to kill other children. No, he would not give him the satisfaction of letting him know Raf was in pain.

"Come on, Rafael, why don't y'all scream? Ah won't tell..."

The door to the shed flung open, slamming it against the wall and causing a thud that made Apple Bloom instinctively freeze up.

Standing in the doorway like a grizzled old-time detective, was Pinkie Pie, holding a handgun in her hoof (somehow).

"He doesn't have to."

Raf couldn't believe it. He was saved. Yeah, Pinkie still needed to get Apple Bloom restrained and untie him, but now there was leverage. Before, he was utterly helpless, but now help was just an arm's reach away, and Pinkie could probably take Apple Bloom in a fight. Raf felt like Celestia had been watching over him today.

"Drop the buzzsaw, Apple Bloom." Pinkie ordered, stepping into the building with the handgun trained squarely on Apple Bloom. "It's over. Finished!"

"No, it's not." Apple Bloom responded, raising the buzzsaw back up and pointing it at Pinkie menacingly.

Pinkie kept advancing.

Apple Bloom backed away. "Think 'bout this, Miss Pie. Y'all know how upset Applejack would be y'all shot her little sister, don't ya?"

"I do!" Pinkie answered happily with a smile. Raf and Apple Bloom exchanged confused glares over her upbeat attitude.

Pinkie pulled the trigger. Raf screwed his eyes, but he didn't hear a gun go off. He did not the whizzing bang of a bullet, followed by the sound of a corpse emptied of its head content falling to the ground. Opening his eyes, he saw Pinkie had fired a gag gun. Rather than a bullet, what came out of the barrel was a short metal stick, with a white flag on it saying "BANG!" in red lettering drooping to the ground.

Apple Bloom laughed disbelievingly. "That's it? That's yer weapon? A stick comin' out of a gun? Of all the scrapped-brained, smeg-headed, ponyfeathered-and-tarred ideas, that's got to be-"

The stick suddenly launched towards her, extending itself further and stopping just short of her head. Then it shot out a bolt and electrocuted her like a taser. Her body froze up, and she dropped the buzzsaw to the ground. After the taser died down, Apple Bloom sighed and fainted.

Pinkie ran up to Raf's seat and began untying the knots binding him. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Raf rubbed his wrists sorely. "I think so."

"And as for you, young filly!" Pinkie snarled at Apple Bloom, either not understanding or ignoring that the Crusader was unconscious after being zotted.

Raf held out his hand to Pinkie's chest. "Pinkie, wait! It's not her fault. Someone planted a Cerebro-shell on her."

"A what shell?"

"It's a... some kind of Cybertronian horror story, but it's also actually true! We'll ask Ratchet about it later. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo have one too, and we need to get Apple Bloom's off her."

"Well, how do we do that?"

Raf paused to think. "Hmm... when those Transmetal Predacons captured me and Fluttershy, they tried to control her with a shell program that they put on the back of her neck... Pinkie, that's it!" Raf had a eureka moment and snapped his fingers. He rushed over to Apple Bloom. "On the back of her neck!" Pinkie joined him and they brushed Apple Bloom's mane away, revealing the Cerebro-shell.

The Cerebro-shell had a strange appearance. It seemed like an upside down black Autobot symbol, but rather than the Autobot's stoic, neutral face, it had a better resemblance to a visor and faceplate. It seemed more removed from its emotion rather simply in control of them. It blinked, constantly broadcasting its signals despite that its host was unconscious.

"Okay..." Raf grabbed the blinking device and pried it off, leaving tiny holes the size of insect bites in the back of Apple Bloom's neck. Raf was off-put when he looked at the shell and saw the tiny teeth on the underside of the shell, no doubt meant so it could latch on to its target.

A voice came from the shell. "You're too clever by half, Rafael, but this is as far as you get."

The Cerebro-shell transformed, leaping out of Raf's hand as it turned into an insectoid form made up of seemingly nothing more than silver blades. Rather than lets it technology fall into the hands of its enemies and use it to track the man giving it orders, the Cerebro-shell promptly self-destructed, exploding into a fireball and sending its parts flying everywhere. A scorch was left on the floor where it stood that hissed mockingly, as if rubbing it in their faces.

"Call Bumblebee." Raf instructed. "He needs to know about this."

"I tried earlier, but he wouldn't respond!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Oh, that's not good..." Raf reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone and opened it. He started dialing Bumblebee's number. "Maybe if he sees it's me, he'll answer..."

(Slowly, darkness fell away from my optics. I was met from on high by a large yellow light that hurt my optics, forcing me to squint. Hearing the shriek of metal that was being worked on, I looked down, to see Fluttershy wearing a safety helmet and applying a blowtorch to my already smoked and seared chest, attempting to fuse the remnants of my armor back together into as many solid pieces as they could before the need to introduce replacement parts appeared. I tried to think of how I could have survived that, and I came up with three reasons.

My would-be killer's aim was thrown off by either Celestia's sun, or a sudden change in wind after he fired ruined his shot. Or I was just plain lucky.

Honestly, given the wallop that weapon had, I had to lean towards the last one.)

Fluttershy noticed her patient was awake. She turned the blowtorch off and lifted the mask up. "How do you get yourselves into this situations, Bumblebee?"

Bumblebee scoffed and bleeped at her. Bleep beep eeep.

"What?"

"He said you're starting to sound like Ratchet." Sweetie Belle answered as Ratchet brought her into the room.

Fluttershy gasped, visibly offended. "I am not starting to sound like Ratchet!"

(Having just come back from the dead, I wasn't alert enough to realize Sweetie Belle shouldn't have been able to translate me.)

Ratchet cleared his throat and tried to ignore the conversation. "Yes, well... Sweetie Belle was concerned about Bumblebee, so she Bridged in and asked to see him."

"Okay... Sweetie Belle, what are you doing?"

Sweetie Belle had picked a stray tool off the ground. "Um, picking up your things?"

"Uh-huh." Fluttershy nodded. She swooped down and took the device from Sweetie's hooves. "Do you know what this does?"

"Uh, no?"

"Then don't touch it!" Fluttershy and Ratchet snarled in unison. Realizing they just spoke in sync, thereby justifying Bumblebee's accusation, they both coughed and politely left the room.

(I rolled my optics towards Sweetie Belle and waved my fingers at her. I wasn't even going to bother bleeping.)

"Hi, Bumblebee." Sweetie Belle said sweetly, trotting towards his operating slab.

(Then my head started ringing. My UI said it was Raf, so I answered it.)

"Bumblebee? Are you all right? Pinkie called earlier and she says you didn't answer!"

(Well, yeah, I was kinda busy cheating death. You know, the little things like that always take up so much time.)

"Well, we found who slipped Shockwave and Twilight the love potion. Someone's managed to put Cerebro-shells on Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, and they know we're trying to stop the wedding!"

(What!? I had a little trouble swallowing that. Cerebro-shells were a horror story made by elder bots to scare the new cadets.

Wait a minute... it took a me a minute to realize, I was wounded, recovering from a murder attempt, laid virtually defenseless on a medical slab...

AND SWEETIE BELLE WAS IN THE ROOM WITH ME.

I adjusted my optics towards her, playing the waiting game. Now I realized she was under someone's control and was probably here to kill me while I was already down, but had she realized I realized? Did she know that I knew?

Taking a chance, I patted the side of the slab, gesturing for her to climb up and snuggle next to me.)

"Uh...okay."

(I felt so relieved when she bought it. She went around the bottom of the slab, and began climbing up to the spot I had invited her into. She sat down and made herself comfy, tucking in her hooves. That was when I pounced, slamming my hand down on her.)

"What-hey! Bumblebee, what is this about!?"

You think you're clever, don't you, mystery man?

(With my entire hand enough to pin her whole body down, I began feeling around for any unusual or abnormal protrusions that could have been a shell. I eventually located the thing on the back of her neck, and plucked it.)

"Ow!" Sweetie Belle reached her hoof to the sore spot where the shell had just been removed from. "Ooh... I'm tired...and hungry."

(Hearing that, I couldn't help but frown to the best of my ability, given that I didn't have a mouth. Whoever was controlling them must have been working them to the bone, not letting them sleep or eat. I'll be whoever they are, they even made the Crusaders get up in the middle of the night to do their dirty work for them from a safe distance.

Before I could do anything with, the Cerebro-shell exploded in my hand. It singed my fingers a little bit, but nothing too major... except, instead of a shell that Ratchet could reverse-engineer, I was stuck with a pile of junk parts.

Ignoring Fluttershy's words about avoiding strenuous activity, I pushed myself up and limped off the medi-slab. Raf called me again on his cell.)

"Bumblebee, the wedding is about to start soon! What do we do?"

(It took a me a moment to think and figure out the answer to his question. What do we do, indeed...I know.)

We crash.

The wedding ceremony was in a quickly built replica of Canterlot in a corner in the far side of south Ponyville. Thanks to the quick work of the Constructicons, who were in fact quoted as saying the replica looked nice for what was essentially a patch job. The idea to build a replica of Canterlot in Ponyville stemmed from Twilight's overly emotional state, saying she wanted to be wed in her hometown, but she also wanted to pay her respect to her new home. The replica was a compromise.

Said replica was all dressed out for the wedding ceremony. A red carpet with golden trimmed greeted guests, and lead to two large stepladders. Luna and Twilight would climb up the stepladders so they could see the groom eye-to-optic. Tables were set up everywhere where ponies could eat and mingle, while they were large, vacant spaces for the Cybertronians to stand.

Shining Armor and Big Macintosh soon trotted in, the former looking suitably depressed they had been booted off the V.I.P list, but Shining Armor re-energized after they entered. Mostly because he noticed Magnum and remembered the Elite Guard commander's comment subtle dig at him earlier today.

"Magnum." Shining said bitterly, breaking away from Twilight's friends and trotting up to Magnum's boot.

"Captain." Magnum responded curtly. Magnum put his hands on his hips and glared. "Now, listen here," Magnum pointed his finger. "This wedding will go perfectly. There will be no Changelings. No undeserved public shaming of your sister. Nothing. Understand?"

"Oh, yeah?" Shining responded defiantly. "Well, where are all your Guards, huh? So much for security, I mean, I can't see one for miles!"

As Shining flailed his hooves at Magnum, pulsations of purple energy appeared in the air behind him and traveled to the ground. As if they been brought from a different reality, an Autobot appeared behind Shining. The Autobot, seeing its stealth device had timed out, looked to his wrist and slammed down on a button. The purple lines traveled up from his boots to his head, and he was rendered invisible again.

Magnum did not explain the cloaking device to Shining Armor, nor did he respond to Shining's outcries of woe. Shining sighed and trotted over to a stall that Big Macintosh quickly set up, serving cider and apple juice. Shining rested his knee on the counter across from Big Macintosh.

"You got something I could get myself hammered with?" Shining asked.

"Sunshine, Ah got the whole armory and forge in here." Big Macintosh assured him, sitting out a full mug.

Shining started chugging cider like there was no tomorrow. After he started on the fast track to drunkenville, all the guests began appearing. The Combaticons, all the other ponies and generic Autobots that had been brought along as plus ones, as well as Princess Luna herself, who took her place on her stepladder, casting an imperious, impassive eye on all below her as though nothing they cared about mattered. Shockwave then joined them as well and took his place adjacent to the stepladders, awaiting his lovely bride.

"Where is the piano?" Shockwave complained, noticing the piano in the music section was missing. "There is supposed to be a piano!"

"Please, wait, Lord Shockwave." Magnum politely answered, trying to clam Shockwave down. "It will arrive momentarily."

"Here I am!" A Cybertronian came in through the entrance, huffing and out of breath. "Sorry I'm late!" He ran over to the music section and transformed into a stationary piano. Applejack wondered how obsessed with music a planet's populace had to be for it to be worth scanning a piano as his alternative mode.

"I do so hope my bride arrives soon." Shockwave wished quietly. "I cannot bear to think what it would be like if I cannot lay my optics upon her beautiful form..."

"Mmm-hmm." Luna nodded unsympathetically, sounding very apathetic to the special day she was supposed to be presiding over. The pink rings swirled in Shockwave's optic, but Luna either didn't notice or noticed, knew what it mean, and didn't care.

Bumblebee nervously placed his hands on the edge of the wall, Pinkie and Raf hiding in his shadow. They didn't notice Scootaloo was amongst the guests in the crowd, but Scootaloo – or rather, her controller- noticed them.

"What's our game plan, Bee?" Pinkie inquired, raising an eyebrow at the stepladders.

"We could wait until Luna asks for objections..." Raf suggested shyly.

I don't know how this wedding thing really works, so that will have to do. Let's do that. Explain it to me, please.

"Well, on Earth, when people get married, the person presiding over the marry asks if there's a reason for the people getting married to not be wed. All we have to do is wait for that and speak up."

Yeah... be ready for any surprises. I don't think somepony under the effects of a love potion will take kindly to someone objecting at the wedding.

Twilight Sparkle then appeared, much to Shockwave's relief, and Shining's disgust.

"Ah can't believe it." Big Macintosh blinked as the music section, piano robot included, began playing Wagner's Here Comes The Bride composition. "She's actually goin' through wit' this."

"Come on!" Shining complained. "Is NO ONE STILL not going to say anything about this!?"

"Well, you have to consider." One of the plus ones answered. "Your sister is an immensely powerful unicorn who can kill you with a laser. Shockwave is an immensely powerful Decepticon who will kill you with a laser."

"Yeah..." A Vehicon muttered. "I heard an awful rumor that Shockwave's Hyperflux Canon runs on power drawn from black holes."

The Autobot trooper shuddered.

"Hey, I heard a rumor that Megatron never fired his Fusion Cannon at full power." A second Vehicon threw out.

"What?" The Autotrooper was understandably incredulous. "I had a friend whose armor was three tanks' worth thick have a hole blown into in him by that thing, and you're telling me it was never fired at full power?"

"Yeah. For two reasons. One, it took a long time to charge, which isn't so great for an arm weapon as it is for a canon on your satellite of doom. Two, it would create a black hole."

"Now that's ridiculous." The first Vehicon said... as a talking unicorn marched down the wedding aisle to marry a killer robot from outer space.

Twilight climbed up her stepladder and stared longingly into Shockwave's optic.

Luna cleared her throat, though she still seemed disinterested in what was going on around here. "Ahem. We are gathered here today, to witness the, ah, unique wedding of Lord Shockwave and Student Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle, do you wish, with all your heart, to marry Shockwave?"

"I do." Twilight answered.

"And do you promise to love him, in sickness and in health? That you shall always be together, through any kind of weather?"

"I do."

Luna turned to Shockwave. "And do you, Shockwave-"

"HEEEY!" A loud boisterous voice boomed.

"Oh no." Magnum whispered, recognizing the voice.

Oh slag.

"What is it, Bumblebee?"

Did you hear that? That, was the Dinobots.

Everypony's attention was immediately turned to the entrance, where an armored beast was lumbering in, followed by another winged armored beast. The first one was quadrupedal, not unlike a pony, but its legs were short and stocky, it back was covered in ridges leading down its spine to its tail, and its head was mounted by an enormous golden beak. A triceratops. It had two large horns extending from its forehead, and one smaller one from its snout. Riding atop the beast was Grimlock. Behind them, an avian with long beak and protrusion on its head parallel to the beak was flying, its large, technology wings showing all the circuity in them with each flap. A pterodactyl.

Grimlock got up, and jumped down from the triceratops. He walked down the carpet causally and snapped his fingers.

"I heard there was a party goin' on here?" Grimlock questioned causally, as the triceratops behind him converted into its robot mode, which was every bit as bulky and broad-shouldered as Grimlock himself, only he had a squarer, chubby head with no visor of faceplate. The triceratops folded and formed his robot mode chest.

"What's wrong, Magnum?" Shining smugly asked, satisfied Magnum couldn't deal with the situation.

"Grimlock and his Dinobots – those are Slug and Swoop – used to members of the Lightning Strike Coalation before Shockwave got his servos on them during the war."

Shining snorted in his next gulp of cider. "Okay, I'mma let you finish, Magnum, but 'Lightning Strike Coalition' is, like, one of the worst names of all time. "

"Perhaps. They've-"

"OF ALL TIME!"

Magnum glanced at Shining oddly, but ignored it and pressed on. "They've had grudges on Shockwave ever since. There is no doubt in my mind that Grimlock's is here to crash the wedding to spite Shockwave."

"Can't your guards take care of it?" Shining Armor taunted, milking the moment for all it was worth.

"No." Magnum answered. "There is a reason the Decepticons converted Grimlock's name into the 'Godless Ripping Incinerating Mauling Lacerating Optic-Crushing Killer'."

"Oh." Shining grimaced. That nickname did not fill him with sunshine and roses, to say the least. There were so many nasty was of hurting a dude in there, Shining Armor shuddered as he considered those were only the ways Grimlock was known for doing. If he had another way or two of doing that no had lived long enough to share...

Shining had only laid eyes on Grimlock for a few seconds, and already he was terrified. Suddenly he understood why Magnum was reluctant to send his troops to Grimlock; it would be like ordering them to jump into an incinerator. An incinerator with big pointy teeth and an unstable alternate mode.

The Dinobots quickly began making a mess of things, but by their standards, it was actually quite tame. Slug converted back to his triceratops form and began munching on the snacks table voraciously, scooping up piles of food into his beak and chomping it down. Swoop flew up and took a perch on a nearby terrace. Grimlock put his hands on some Vehicons shoulders' and began making several bad jokes, consisting of several bad puns and distasteful punchlines, not realizing the Vehicons were muttering their last wishes under their breath.

Okay... okay. Bumblebee calmed himself. The Dinobots are being rude and obnoxious, but nothing too serious, so our plan can still go off without a hitch.

"Grr..." Twilight snarled at the Dinbots, infuriated that were trying to ruin her special day with their lack of manners.

"Just ignore them, dear." Shockwave said soothingly, just like any good husband would. "Please, Princess Luna, continue."

Luna nodded and started over. "Ahem. We are gathered here today..."

She was interrupted by a loud SQAAWK. Being a royal Princess that demanded the ability to stay calm no matter the situation, Luna handily ignored it.

"To witness the unique union..."

SQAAWK!

"Of Lord Shockwave and-"

SQAAWK!

"Do you mind, good sir!?" The cellist in the group of a musicians – a grey mare with a purple necktie and purple eyes- shouted at Swoop. "Do you mind? We are trying to have a wedding here!"

"Oh!" Swoop scoffed indignantly and crossed his arms. "Oh! So you think just because I'm a robotic dinosaur, and there's annoying squawking sounds being heard, you assume I'm the one making them!?"

"Speciest!" Slug accused between mouthfuls.

"All right, all right, geesh!" The cellist turned away ashamedly. "I'm sorry... forget I said anything..."

Swoop laughed. "You're right, though, it's totally me."

Luna had carried on the vows the whole time during that exchange, and was now on the part that Bumblebee had been waiting for.

"If there any here who have a reason why this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now, of forever hold thy peace. We mean it. Really. Forever, so speak up right slagging now or SUFFER with it through the end of thou's days."

Bumblebee raised his hand and bleeped.

Luna was surprised, while Shockwave and Twilight were shocked Bumblebee, of the more sociable and polite Autobots, would dare try to get in the way.

"Thou hath an objection, Bumblebee?"

Bumblebee nodded.

"What is it?"

Bumblebee backed away and jerked his shoulders. Keeping silent, he charged towards Shockwave. Pinkie and Raf, seeing this as their cue, followed after Bumblebee with determination and bravado, knowing exactly the kind of danger they were heading into, tackling Shockwave on his wedding day, and going for it anyway on behalf of their friends.

Scootaloo, under the mystery controller's control, charged forward from the crowd and tackled Raf, pinning him to the ground. Pinkie noticed and turned around, then tackled Scootaloo and knocked her out with a well-placed buck to her head, then galloped down the aisle.

"Oh no you don't! I will see to it this wedding continues on track!" Magnum shouted, but was waylaid by Grimlock grabbing him from behind. "Grimlock! I demand you release me this instant!"

"No." Grimlock answered starkly. "I know Bumblebee." Grimlock gazed up wistfully from Magnum at Bumblebee's mad charge that to any other onlooker, was the gambit of an insane mech." "He wouldn't do something like this if he didn't have a good reason."

Bumblebee tackled Shockwave and pushed over of the terraces, to the crowd's shock and Shining's admiration.

"What the!?" Twilight exclaimed in appall. "Bumblebee, what's gotten into-"

Before Twilight could absorb the situation and then use her love-potion-influenced magic to tear Bumblebee a new ventilation shaft, Pinkie came up behind Twilight and put her hooves over Twilight's eyes, while Raf tried to help by tackling Twilight's hind leg and holing on to.

"What the!? Let me go! My groom needs my help!" Even in her mind altered state, Twilight wasn't so foolish as to fire her magic while blind. At least, not while civilians were present and could be caught in the crossfire.

Luna rolled her eyes and rested her chin on her hoof. "Once, just once, we would like for either us or our sister to preside over a wedding and not have something go horribly wrong. Is that too much to ask, really? It is, isn't it..." Luna sighed.

(Shockwave and I smashed through the replica wall, dust crumbling around us and getting all over our shoulders. The plaster and styrene forming the wall fell all around us, like mud being sucked into the inescapable pull of a tornado's suction and strewn about carelessly inside some poor victim's house.

After a minute of bloodcurdling intensity, we collapsed, and my vision totally blackened. In an odd inversion of the norm, Shockwave recovered and slammed his fist into my gut, sending me flying ON to my feet. I stumbled backwards, and I watched as Shockwave rose from the rubble like an undead revenant. He stared at me. I could see the pink rings flashing in his optic, but that did nothing to reduce the terrible gaze he fixated upon me.)

"I do not know your reasoning for violating our truce, but you will pay dearly for interrupting our special day." Shockwave snarled, stalking towards Bumblebee. Bumblebee raised his arms to block an upcoming blow, but Shockwave belted him and made him stumble again.

(OW! I will tell you this. Fighting Shockwave was by no means anything like fighting Barricade. Barricade was speedy and went in for the low blows. He dived low, he sidestepped, he sucker-punched. Shockwave just came at you with fists flying, and in a moment, instead of his fist flying, it was your knocked-over chassis which soared through the air.

Seeking escape, I went around and used my spy skills to climb up a portion of the replica wall that hadn't been destroyed. Shockwave wasn't having any of it. He raised his ginormous cannon-arm and smashed it through the wall, causing to crumble away underneath my fingers. Before he had the chance to shoot me, I leapt off and landed gracefully away from him. I took a moment to congratulate myself on not dying just yet, and turned around to see Shockwave's next move.

He converted into his tank mode and aimed the barrel of his Hyperflux Cannon at me.

I had been over this with Pinkie Pie; she found a book in Twilight's library and explain what the effects of a love potion were. Similar to the love poison that simply keeping the victims' from looking into each others' eyes for an hour would undo the spell.

Ducking to avoid Shockwave's devastating laser blast, which I'm sure would have torn my chest into two, forgive me for doubting I was going to be able to last an hour.)

Shockwave revved up his treads and propelled himself forward, whereupon he rammed Bumblebee, catching the Scout on the barrel of his cannon. Shockwave transformed, causing Bumblebee to hang precariously from said cannon. Shockwave flex his arm, flinging Bumblebee off.

Meanawhile at Omega One...

Optimus pushed a button on the keyboard, and several walls of green text that on the screen suddenly disappeared. Optimus felt temporary relief his job for the day had been done, but he had train himself not to relax and always remember that when one job was finished, another was waiting in the wings, looming over and waiting to pop out at the most possible inconvenient time.

It was then Optimus turned around to his crew, and noticed something off. Ratchet was doing his thing. Arcee was idling her engine in a corner, while Bulkhead traced his finger along the table, probably imaging a great battle with the Wreckers, and Smokescreen was checking out his nails. The ponies were loafing about, too depressed by Twilight's attitude to attend the wedding.

"Where is Bumblebee?" Optimus inquired.

Everyone perked up at the sound of Optimus' voice asking a question, and they turned to each other for answers. Sadly, none of them had one. Smokescreen, Bulkhead and Arcee all shrugged.

"Mm." Optimus waved his fingers across the keyboard and type in a command. A beeping like an answering machine came from the computer. "Omega One contacting Bumblebee. Repeat, Omega One contacting Bumblebee. Do you read?"

Read you loud and clear, Boss Bot. Bumblebee answered. I'm kind of in the middle of something.

"What is your status?"

You remember earlier when I was concerned about Shockwave and Twilight getting married? Well, guess what. I had a good reason to be concerned. They were under the influence of a love potion! I'm engaging Shockwave right now to break the spell before it causes disaster.

"By yourself?" Optimus asked incredulously.

Yeah... I tried to tell Smokescreen and the ponies, but they ignored me. Too interested in their own conversation.

"I see." Optimus turned around towards Smokescreen and the ponies. "Smokescreen, Ponies... is true you ignored Bumblebee earlier?"

"What?" Smokescreen asked. "Oh. Yeah. We kinda got sidetracked and didn't really realize he was there, and by the time we had, he was so ticked he stormed off."

Optimus contained the sudden burst of frustration that tore through his polyon-fibers like a whirlpool. "You...ignored him. After I very specifically told with no ambiguity in my words whatsoever, that if he raised a concern, he would be listened to." Optimus surmised.

Fluttershy scraped a hoof. "Are you mad at us?"

"No," Optimus answered as he tracked Bumblebee's signal and pulled the GroundBridge lever. "Just disappointed."

Bumblebee huffed and puff, remaining defiant that Shockwave would be cured of his magical ailment, even if it meant Shockwave had to smash Bumblebee's head in a few times over.

Bleep... bleep...beep!

"How quaint." Shockwave snarled.

Bumblebee readied his arm blasters, setting to them to their lowest energy output, and began to pummel Shockwave's chest with laser fire, but it did nothing to the cyclops.

Shockwave raised his arm cannon and began to charging power within it. Bumblebee stared the barrel glowing red with a blast that would inevitably be his demise. Bumblebee knew he had needed to get out of range, and with haste, but he collapsed, tired and beaten from Shockwave's unrelenting assault.

"How sad." Shockwave said without a hint of emotion in his voice.

Then a Bridge opened right behind Bumblebee, distracting both of them. Optimus Prime stepped out, looking very professional and ready to do some business.

"Optimus Prime." Shockwave noted. "Your Scout has been violating the terms of our agreement, and I would make an educated guess you are here to do the same?"

"On the contrary, Shockwave, I am here to enact the terms." Optimus retorted. "The terms clearly state if one leader should be found ill, then the other shall, to their best ability, ensure their recovery."

"Oh?" Shockwave growled, the pink rings still flashing in his optic.

Optimus charged at Shockwave, who wasn't prepared for it, as he didn't Optimus would actually attack him. Optimus raised his fist and slammed hard into Shockwave's weak point – his single optic. Shockwave was thrown backwards into a pile of rubble.

Optimus turned to Bumblebee, then approached him and offered him a hand. "You have performed bravely, my young Scout."

Beep beep. Bumblebee took the hand, and Optimus helped his scout up.

Bumblebee looked to Shockwave's resting place and pointed, shortly before groaning. Optimus patted him on the back and gestured them to check on Shockwave.

The two Autobots walked towards Shockwave, who weakly lifted his arm up and pushed the shrapnel covering his optic off. He seemed quite surprised to see them.

"Optimus Prime. Bumblebee." Shockwave noted each of them. "What am I doing in a pile of rubble with you two looming over me?"

"Bumblebee was attempting to stop your wedding to Twilight Sparkle."

"Wedding?" Shockwave questioned as he sat upright. "I recall no such happening."

Hearing the goal of all his hard work had finally been accomplished and that the spell had been broken, Bumblebee raised his fists in the air and let out a triumphant deet. He began the Robot Dance while Optimus helped Shockwave up.

Up above at the site of the would-be ceremony, Twilight signed and slumping away, falling into Pinkie's and Raf's grips, turning them from restricting holding of her limbs to support for her to keep standing.

"Ooh..." Twilight groaned and rubbed her forehead. "Pinkie? Raf?" Twilight asked when she saw the two holding her. "What's going on? Why are you holding me?" Twilight looked down at herself and became distressed. "And why do I look I'm in a wedding dress!?" Twilight picked up the train and start pulling it towards, and was disbelieving that it was so long. "And not a very good one, at that!"

"You were about to get married to Shockwave!" Pinkie explained.

"What!?"

"You had a love potion on you!"

"Oh... all right... that makes more sense. I, uh,: Twilight took a look at the crowd that amassed for the sheer sake of seeing her and Shockwave wedded. "I guess we should tell all these ponies the wedding's off?" Twilight cleared her throat and prepared to raise her volume.

"Attention, everypony! Apparently there's been some sort of mix-up."

Optimus, Shockwave and Bumblebee came in through the hole Bumblebee had made when he tackled Shockwave.

"Regrettably, we've had a...sudden change of Spark." Shockwave explained. "There will be no wedding today."

Twilight was expecting the crowd to let out a shared groan of disappointment. They had come all this way to a wedding, only for it to not happen. What she got was cheers and whoops and wallops that something as strange as a pony marrying a Decepticon wasn't going to actually happen. An Autotrooper even hugged a Vehicon.

"I'm so sorry you came out all this way for nothing." Twilight apologized.

"Nonsense!" Pinkie objected. "Just because the wedding's over doesn't mean we can't keep THE PARTY GOING!"

"YEAH!" Grimlock agreed, pointing a finger approvingly in Pinkie's direction. "Listen to her! She makes sense!" The irony of that statement was lost on Grimlock, as he was not very familiar with Pinkie.

(And that, Sunli and Vinnie, is the story of how I ruined Twilight's wedding... with a little help from my friends.)

Pinkie and Raf, smiled bashfully. Pinkie let out an approving deet-deeeooo.

"Hey, uh, it's great you managed to save Twilight and all, but uh..." Vinne stammered and raised a finger. "Think we can hear Sunli's story now? I want to hear how it ends."

Pinkie, Raf, and Bumblebee all grunted in unified frustration. "Fine!"

Erstwhile in Canterlot...

Princess Celestia was trotting down her gardens, stopping to quite literally smell the roses. She bent her crane-like neck down and took in a deep, relaxing whiff of the roses' scent.

"Ah!" Celestia exclaimed to herself, putting a hoof on the rose sweetly. "Nothing like the smell of roses and other flowers to unwind after a stressful day!"

"We couldn't agree more, Your Majesty."

Celestia froze, before turning around and seeing an odd assortment of creatures. They were about six humans and seven Crystal Ponies gathered together. Not at all strange in of itself, but the humans were wearing black cloaks with lowered hoods. A Crystal Pony with a hooded cloak was not at all strange to Celestia, but to see a human in such attire made her question it.

"Hello." Celestia greeted them, pushing through her awkwardness. "Is there something I can do you for you?"

"Uh, yes, actually." One of the Crystal Ponies' said. "We're here to see Countdown?"

"Countdown?" Celestia questioned before she recalled who they were talking about. "Oh yes! The bizarre little Micromaster who came in recently and asked for a room? Right this way." Celestia gestured her hoof and led out of the garden, through the halls, and into the guest suites.

Recently, Countdown had appeared and petitioned Celestia for a room in the guest suite of the Canterlot castle. He was a bit eccentric, in Celestia's opinion, being an armored red Autobot with a large shoulder cannon, yet no bigger than a tall human, bar the extra mass his armor gave him. Celestia guided the group to his room.

"So, I take it you are friends of Countdown's?"

"You might say that." One of the humans answered.

"Wait right here, please. I'll get him. Mister Countdown?" Celestia knocked on the door to Countdown's room. Being a Princess, she could barge in and drag him out if she wanted with no ill repercussion, but being a polite pony, she would respect his privacy. She was concerned when Countdown didn't answer. She put her ear to the door and listened intently.

"So...Bumblebee lives." She heard Countdown say, which was an odd thing to say.

Of course Bumblebee lives. Why wouldn't Bumblebee be alive? She thought to herself.

"I apologize." A bottomless-deep voice answered. "I miscalculated my aim. That he lives is more to my own mistakes than his own skills."

Celestia knew that voice... she had only heard in passing, once or twice on the way to a political meeting with Shockwave, but she knew it.

"Oh, how tragic. Bumblebee's now the only Autobot who can honestly they survived being attacked by the magnificent Blackout and lived, and he doesn't know it! Do better next time, will you, Blackout? Our master will be most displeased his plan failed."

Hearing the words "Blackout", "Attacked", "Lived", "Our master", and "Plan", Celestia's alarm bells went off. Countdown was serving an unseen authority, and somehow had roped Blackout into doing the same. She raised her front hoof and was about to kick the door down when Countdown opened with a gleaming smile on his face.

"Hello, Princess. You wanted to see me?"

Celestia couldn't believe this Micromaster had the gall to smile after hearing him discuss attempted murder with a Decepticon. "How dare you speak to me like that after what I just heard?"

Countdown feigned ignorance and frowned. "Why, whatever do you mean, Princess?"

"I am fond of many games, Countdown, but playing dumb is not one of them." Celestia snarled in a warning tone that translated into "Tell me what I want to hear or I will drop you right now." Celestia looked over Countdown's shoulder and saw computer terminals active in his room. Normally, that would be fine, as what a guest brought into their suite was their business, not hers, and as long they took with them when they left, everything was okay. However, what she heard made her suspicious, and she looked closer, seeing that the terminals appeared to have schematics of Scootaloo's, Apple Bloom's, and Sweetie Belle's bodies, with electronic commands attached to each limb and appendage.

"Now what is this contraption you have in your room?" Celestia demanded.

Countdown sighed. "Princess, make this easier on both of us..."

An electric charge shot from Countdown's canon, hitting Celestia square in the chest and using the conductivity of her mantle to transfer all that electricity into her body.

"And stay down."

"Cheater..." Even though her body was wracked with pain, her every joint feeling like a needle laced with static electricity was being stabbed into it, Celestia still managed to growl. "Never...would've...got me...in a...fair fight."

Countdown turned off his canon, and Celestia collapsed onto the pristine floor of the hallway that she owned.

"I know." Countdown hissed. "That's why we didn't do a fair fight, duh!"

And while all that was happening in Canterlot, Shockwave, back in his right mind and any confusion about the wedding cleared up, locked himself in his lab and resumed the work he was doing.

Shockwave sat a table in his lab, a device like a mini-cassette sized for Cybetronians in his claw. The cassette's shape was not very specific to any one species, but its glowing lines gave away its nature as Cybetronian Audio Log.

"Shockwave's Log Number 756..." Shockwave recounted "I have suffered setbacks to my work today in the form of a love potion administered to me."

Shockwave pushed his chair away from the table and stood up, walking across the room where the chamber containing his mystery thing lay.

"Circumstantial evidence leads me to believe Blackout is responsible, but I do not have enough to prove any accusations I might make." Shockwave recounted to his electronic proxy of a journal. "However, in a way, I should thank him, as it were not for the love potion, Twilight Sparkle would not have aided me in my work..."

Shockwave placed his claw on the tube and stared intently into it.

"I know the Decepticons grow discontent with my illusion of a truce...but I assure you, my illusion is just that. An illusion, and the illusion will end soon, as I have another petro-rabbit to pull from my hat."

Shockwave turned from his Audio Log to the chamber, staring into the abyss of its regeneration fluid, restoring mesh and armor plating to an ancient creature long since deceased.

Of course, when one stares into the abyss, sooner or later, the abyss will stare back.

A pair of yellow bestial optics opened and stared back at Shockwave. A pair of optics full of power and rage. A pair of optics with no concept of beauty or compassion, with no understanding of kindness or loyalty.

"Though she did not do so while not in her right mind, Twilight Sparkle's assistance was invaluable...in furthering Project: Predacon."

Predacons Rising, Part 1

In Ponyville's library, specifically, in the basement, an experiment was taking place.

Twilight Sparkle had done some reflecting, and upon observation, made a startling conclusion. Everypony had ways of dealing with Decepticon goons who didn't follow Shockwave's truce order. Unicorns had magic they could use to smelt their armor or throw something big and heavy. Pegasi could control weather to devastating effect against the robots. Earth Ponies had their prodigal strength that could dent holes in the lighter-armored ones. That was even before getting into the various mutations Twilight and Fluttershy had gone through.

But what about Spike? His claws were barely sharp enough to carve paper, his scales were thick, but not nearly so thick as to resist a Vehicon's laser fire, and his fire breath would not melt their armor. Just give them an irritating singe sensation.

Which is why Twilight had hooked up to her various science machines and doohickeys, monitoring his brainwaves with a helmet.

"Twilight, I don't understand." Spike complained, looking for an excuse to get out of Twilight's mad studies. "How is this going to help me fight Decepticons on my own?"

"By monitoring your brainwave patterns, Spike," Twilight answered, and Spike could tell he had just triggered a burst into Twilight's "Exposition Mode". "I can build a helmet to keep you in control of yourself while I use my magic to turn you into your adult form that you turned into when you became a greedy monster on your birthday!"

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Who what now?"

Twilight sighed. "I'm going to use my magic to mature you into an adult, and then I'm going to give you a control... helmet..." Twilight spoke slowly and waved her hooves in the air to make sure Spike understood what she was saying. "To keep you in your right mind without giving into your dragon greed!"

One year ago, during Spike's birthday, Spike had magically been turned into a full-on adult dragon by basically going through dragon puberty and giving into the natural greed present in Equestria dragons. After some mishaps, everypony was able to turn him back to his normal, non-greedy baby dragon self, but Twilight had become interested in harnessing his adult form as his method of defense against Decepticons.

"Oooh!" Spike groaned. He put his finger to his lip as he was seized by a fantasy of being in his matured form, using his improved fire breath to take out a horde of Decepticons, rescuing Rarity from their clutches, perhaps forgetting Rarity had earned an honorary spot in the Wreckers for a reason. "That would be pretty cool!"

"A few adjustments here, a little programming there...and done!" Twilight proudly held up a metallic, black ring with a tiny pole attached to it that had green and red lights blinking. It was much too large to be of any use to anypony, but it would the adult form of Spike's head just fine.

"All right... we'll need to go outside." Twilight said, taking the electronic instruments off Spike. "Wouldn't want to you tear a hole in the library." Twilight and Spike chuckled, and then they climbed out of the basement and exited the front door of the library, where Celestia's sun was shining brilliantly, warming the hearts and bringing smiles on all who resided underneath it.

"There we go." Twilight placed the helmet on Spike's head, and pulled out a small white gem like the one Fluttershy had.

"Oh!" Spike wiggled his claws and greedily snapped up the gem, meaning to eat it the way dragons did. Before Twilight could object, he popped the gem in his mouth, adopted the expression of somepony who just ate something sour, and spat the gem back out.

"Spike..." Twilight scolded softly, catching the saliva gem in her magic. "This is a transformation gem. It's enchanted to switch ponies between forms. Fluttershy and I both have one for turning into our Terrorpony/Insectipony forms when there I can't use my magic for either of us. It should enable you to switch between adult and child forms without a problem...if it works."

Twilight prepared to stick the gem back in Spike's claw, before remembering it was covered in dragon drool. She blasted it with a magical cleaning spell, then put it in his claw. Twilight backed away and lowered her head, then blasted Spike himself with her magic. A beam of purple light escaped her horn and hit Spike directly in the chest.

Spike began growing in his size, his round, cute face extending into an intimidating snout of a full-grown dragon. His limbs began stretching out, and his haunches became fuller, in the sense he got haunches, as he had them, as before he had thighs. His tiny claws expanded and sharpened into brutal slabs with pointy things attached it. The light on the control helmet began blinking furiously as it tried to monitor Spike's brainwaves. When he was done, Spike was tall enough to look an average-sized Cybertronian in the optic sensor.

"Well?" Twilight called, raising her voice so he could hear her. "Are you turning into a mindless monster yet!?

Spike raised his now-massive claw and rubbed his head. "I think," he answered with his voice several baritones lower, almost to the point of being as deep as Grimlock's, "if I was going to turn into a mindless, rampaging monster, I would have by now."

Twilight put a hoof to her chin. "I suppose you're right."

Spike clutched at his throat suddenly.

"Spike? Are you all right!?"

"Uh, yeah... I think so, I just..." Spike gagged and then seemed to hack a fireball the way a cat did a hairball, which then turned into a floating letter marked with a royal Canterlot seal. The letter floated down to Twilight, who held it steady in her magic so she could scrutinize it.

"That's funny..." Twilight noted, observing the royal seal. Usually, the royal seal was a gold circle with a 'C' emblazoned on it, tied around the scroll be a red band, but this one had a silver circle and a blue band.

Twilight undid the knot, and unfurled the letter and began reading it. "Dearest Twilight Sparkle... come to Canterlot, immediately! Please do not involve any more parties than necessary. Signed... Princess Luna!?" Twilight put the letter on the ground and looked at Spike.

"Uh...why are you looking at me like that?" Spike asked, anxiously bringing his claws together.

"I think it's time you returned me a small favor." Twilight said mischievously, making Spike uneasy. Twilight blasted him with magic again, and a blinding blue light began to swirl around Spike, forming cocoon that encased his ribcage before a burst of even more blinding light flashed through the air.

"Aaagh, I...huh?" Spike raised his arms and looked over his back, seeing to his displeasure that he now had transparent wings like a butterfly's. They were beautifully decorated with green and purple swirls, as well as very sparkly. The same magical wings Twilight conjured for Rarity during the Best Young Fliers' Competition. They were pretty and functional, but much too girly frou-frou for Spike's tastes. "Aw, man!"

"Oh, shut up. My magic's improved, so they won't be as fragile. Of course, you're going to fly into the sun, are you? Now, about that favor..." Twilight reminded him. She galloped around the side of him and climbed up his tail to his back, her hooves ascending up his now much more scaly back. Twilight placed her hooves firmly at the base of her wings. Spike had a habit of climbing onto Twilight's back during long treks, variable as to whether he was out of energy, or was just being lazy. So, now that Spike had grown to the size of a house, it would be much more efficient for Twilight to ride him instead.

Once Twilight nestled herself in firmly enough she wouldn't be easily knocked loose, she patted Spike's neck. "Mush!"

Spike groaned at being reduced to a sled dog, but flapped his wings and flew towards the Canterlot mountain.

With ease, Spike landed on a royal platform nominally intended to house several partying nobles, but frequently used as areas of roost by Autobot and Decepticon ambassadors. Spike's presence did not go unnoticed with his increase in size, and Luna rushed out to meet him and Twilight.

"Twilight Sparkle!" Luna exclaimed. "It is good that thoust hath arrived! We have two very major issues to discuss!"

"What is it?" Twilight asked, running down from Spike's back.

"First, we have a most unusual situation... there is a dragon on the pavilion of the other whom proclaims to have forsaken her lesser-educated kind and wishes to sign into Canterlot's royal services."

"A dragon?" Twilight raised her eyebrow.

In a rare inversion of the normal situation, the easy-going Spike corrected the erudite Twilight. "Dragoness."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's meet her!" Twilight rushed ahead, only for Luna to hold out a hoof and blocked her from entering the building proper.

"We have another issue, Twilight Sparkle." Luna calmly explained. Luna looked around as if suspicious of there being spies around. Once satisfied that no one was around, Luna leaned in and whispered.

"Our sister hath disappeared."

"WHAT!?" Twilight shouted, pushing herself away from Luna. "PRINCESS CELESTIA IS MISS-" Luna shoved a hoof into Twilight's mouth.

"Twilight Sparkle!" Luna snapped. "There is a reason that our letter carried the instructions not to involve more parties than necessary! Dost thou realize the state Canterlot would be if everypony knew that our sister hath disappeared? Panic and riot in the streets! Especially when human-pony relations art the way they art! Thoust must keep this a secret, understand?"

Twilight nodded, though with Luna's hoof in her mouth she couldn't really articulate any words effectively.

"Until our sister can be found, all operations will be run through us- discreetly." Luna added sharply. "We must keep her disappearance a secret from the public and proceed as though nothing hath happened. Understood?" Twilight nodded again.

Luna removed her hoof from Twilight's mouth and turned away imperiously. A Royal Guard came trotting out to the pavilion and was startled by Spike's monstrous appearance, but remained focused on his task.

"Princess Luna!" The Guard saluted. "I thought I heard shouting! Is everything all right?"

"Fie, solider!" Luna shouted over her shoulder. She applied her hoof to her face in embarrassment at her speech quirk giving the wrong messages. "We mean, everything is fine, solider. Dismissed."

The Guard nodded, and left.

"Now, about that dragoness..." Luna emphasized, tilting a knowing glance towards Spike. Luna led Twilight into the building, while it took Spike a moment to realize the best course of action for him would be to fly over the building to the other pavilion.

"Her name is Whimsey Weatherbee." Luna explained to Twilight. "She appears to have a limited ability to use weather magic centralized in her wings. She also appears much more refined than her dragon brethren, being quite the polite speaker... here we are."

They arrived to the other pavilion, where a dragon the size of Spike's adult form was waiting. She was rather plump in the belly, with a green underbelly and orange scales that seemed to have a dash of pink injected into them. Her eyes were small and round, and she had her head scales curled backwards life a tuft of hair after treatment from Rarity's makeover sessions.

"Hello." The dragoness said to Twilight. "I'm Whimsy Weatherbee. You must be Twilight Sparkle?" Whimsy bowed, prompting Twilight to do the same.

"Yes, I am. What brings you to Canterlot, Whimsy?"

Whimsy rapped her claw proudly against her chest. "I grow tired of the brutality of my fellow dragons. I saw there had to be more to life than their bullying ways, and that is why I am here; to offer myself, in whatever I can, to the aid of Equestrian in any way I can."

Twilight blinked awkwardly. Princess Luna wasn't kidding when she said Whimsy was a polite speaker.

A shadow fell over them, and Whimsy looked up see Spike descending gently down to the pavilion.

"Oh!" Whimsy exclaimed, a blush forming on her face. "H-hello... w-who are you?"

"I'm Spike!" Spike declared proudly, pointing a thumb proudly at himself. "Who are you?"

"Um, W-Whimsy W-weatherbee..." Whimsy stuttered.

Luna noticed Whimsy's change in demeanor. Earlier, when they had spoke, Whimsy had been clear and concise, using carefully selected words and always retracting anything that might have offended the Royal Guards. Now she was stuttering, and, stammering, and muttering. "Whimsy? Art thoust feeling well?"

"Um, yeah, yeah..." Whimsy cleared her throat and shiftily looked away from Spike. "Just something in my throat, that's all. You were saying, Your Majesty?"

"Wait here, and we shall bring thou thy paperwork to be granted a home in Canterlot, then we shalt work on getting thy a job." Luna said before turning and trotting back into the castle.

Luna stopped and turned around with a hoof raised for attention. "Oh, and Twilight Sparkle! There is a meeting on Cybertron later involving Optimus Prime, Lord Shockwave, and some humans we haven't met on top of General Bryce."

Twilight grimaced. General Bryce was the main reasons she kept on hating humans, even against all the good she could see them do with no strings attached. Always, she would help Jack with a problem, or watch June working furiously at the Jasper Hospital, wondered why she kept hating them, and then she would think about Bryce and Chief Charlie Burns of the Griffin Rock Police, both of whom had tried to kill her in retaliation during a time when a terrorist organization and a Decepticon had tricked into waging war on the Autobots. Admittedly, Burns had a good reason, as in the course of said trickery, Twilight had kidnapped his youngest son, but Bryce was just a fanatical, pony-hating human supremacist, and Burns' murder attempt was done while Twilight was trying to apologize for the kidnapping, so she had an excuse. As choppy as any of Rainbow Dash's excuse for slacking off, but an excuse.

Twilight signed. "Who are the new guys?"

"Business partners by the names of Dylan Gould and Porter C. Powell, as well as Gould's employees."

"Oh!" Twilight squealed sarcastically, following after Luna to help in royal duties. "Only two letters away from 'Ghoul!' He must be an absolute delight."

Luna laughed. "Huzzah! We doth thyne's sarcasm...most amusing, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight jerked her neck back, not sure how to respond to that. How does one responded to that, being told by royalty that her brand of sarcasm was amusing? With another dry remark?

Twilight decided to keep things simple and just accept the compliment. "Um...thanks, Princess."

"This way." Luna quietly ordered, returning to business mode. "We art to investigate clues to Celestia's disappearance."

Twilight followed Luna, and Luna led her down the castle's stairs to the hallways where the castle had its guest suites. They talked as they went down the hallway.

"Our written records show that a very tiny Autobot by the name of 'Countdown' t'was staying in one of the guests suites."

"Tiny Autobot? Not a Mini-Con?"

"No. He had a proper vehicle mode, just...smaller. Ah!" Luna stopped and gestured at the door on the right. "This was Countdown's room." Luna pushed the door open, and Twilight peered in to look. She was befuddled by the contents of the room.

They were three computers with blue screens hooked up in the room, situated next to each other. On each screen were cyan electronic-line drawings of Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo, with text in Cybertronian Cybertronix font with input commands on each limb of the ponies.

Twilight began surmising what little they had. "All right. We have a tiny Autobot who unaccounted for, Celestia missing, and apparently some computers." Twilight approached the computer and pushed a hoof on the interactive controls. "With what appears to be tech specs of the Cutie Mark Crusaders..." Twilight pressed the button, only to be met with a bleep she knew to be the Cybertronian form of an error message. "Hmm..."

"What?" Luna asked. "What dost thou see?"

"Well, it looks like these are intended to somehow control the Crusaders." Twilight explained. "It seems like the connection's been severed, so they don't work anymore. But if they did, I could push this button, and that button and make Sweetie Belle dance like a chicken." Twilight put a hoof to her chin and. "Hmm..."

Luna shook her head at the lack of evidence. There wasn't much to conclude on, beyond that Countdown was up to no good, and had something to do with Celestia's absence, but they had no way of figuring out where Countdown himself was or what his motive might be.

Luna cast a glance outside the room to spare herself from the pitiful atmosphere, then her eyes doubled in size and she lost control of herself. "Scrap! Twilight Sparkle, the conference meeting will be held soon! We must make haste!"

Very soon, a recently-formed three-nab team of all three major species, each one a representative for the media output of their respective planet. The human was only brought in later, but now the trio of reporters were all together, they had no trouble working together. Photo Finish, Glyph and their new addition, Hector Ramirez, a tanned-skinned human with a ridiculous haircut and nice suit.

Waiting for the conference to start, the three had set up shop just outside Shockwave's ever-looming, ever ominous tower. Photo Finish was standing on a mobile platform, designed by Cybertronians specifically for organic use so they could converse eye-to-optic, holding up the camera in her hooves and recording Glyph and Hector as they spoke.

"Hellooo, worlds!" Glyph bombastically said to the camera. "Glyph here, with my new partners, Photo Finish – you can't see her on the camera – and Hector, here bringing you a live, that's right, LIVE report of today's intergalactic-"

"Interplanetary." Hector corrected Glyph. "There's only three planets involved, not galaxies."

"Whatever. Anyways, we're bringing you a live conference between the Equestrian Royalty, the tensely-united Autobot and Decepticon leaders, and the American government, along with a few high-ranking business folks! It's a pretty exciting day, as many of you will know, while the Autobots have met with the Ponies for political talks, and the humans, but never both contemporaneously."

"Yes, indeed!" Hector added. "The exact reason for this is unknown. Optimus Prime would have us believe the reason that as many of his visits to Equestria are often casual, but is that the whole story? Perhaps Optimus Prime and the good Princesses are secretly conspiring against the U.S?"

"What!?" Glyph exclaimed. Photo Finish looked up from the camera and shrugged. "Mister Ramirez, where did you get that ridiculous idea?"

"Thank about it!" Hector explained. He turned to the camera. "Viewers of Earth, we want to know! What's your reason for Optimus and the Princess meeting so often?"

"Mister Ramirez..." A deep voice hissed. Hector and Glyph were both startled to see Shockwave himself had graced them with his presence.

Shockwave walked towards them, looking down literally and figuratively on Hector. "I would appreciate if you would deliberately slant the truth in an effort to turn the public over to your side." Shockwave turned his head to Photo Finish. "Miss Photo Finish, please disable the recording while I attempt to...educate Ramirez." Photo Finished swung her hoof across the off switch of her camera. Shockwave raised his arm-cannon menacingly.

"Whoa, hey now!" Glyph saw Shockwave's cannon raising and began to fear for her human friend's life. "There's no need for violence, now, is there, Lord Shockwave?"

"Of course not." Shockwave answered, and Glyph got the feeling she had offended him. "The cannon is merely a symbolic gesture. Now, Glyph, my terms for allowing you and your crew to view the conference state that they will keep their personal opinions of their reporting." Shockwave leered at Hector. "Do I perhaps need to retract my permission?"

Glyph made an incoherent squeak. "Nnnhhh...uh, well..."

"Shockwave," Hector asked, "I've heard about your logical abilities. Can you honestly say I'm wrong?"

"Yes." Shockwave growled. "Your hypothesis is biased, has no basis in actual fact, and frankly, in human terms, is just plain stupid."

"But-" Hector raised his arms to object before stopping and huffing.

Shockwave squinted at him.

"I will be having Barricade keep watch on you."

Just as Shockwave began walking away, Two Space Bridges opened in front of them. From one stepped out trio of identical dark-green Autobot soldiers with faceless heads and large cannons equipped, aimed at the nearest target.

"Stand down!" A baritone voice shouted urgently. "Stand down!"

The triplet of soldiers sighed, but obeyed the order and lowered their weapons. Optimus Prime stepped out of the Bridge, giving them disapproving looks. "If this truce is to last, we must learn to trust each other."

"Yeah." One soldier gruffly responded. "Trust a 'Con. That'll be the day."

Optimus furrowed his browplates, continuing towards Shockwave. Soon, Luna, Twilight, and Twilight's friends with an accompaniment of Luna's specialized Night Guards exited out the second Bridge.

The first two Bridges closed, then a third one opened by itself and an arrangement of humans stepped out, a few of which Optimus recognized from the U.S Government, though some obviously weren't.

Two men separated from the crowd, almost complete opposites of each other. One of them was tall, good-looking and pulled off a five-o-clock shadow, the other was short and stocky with a bit of pudge to him, as well as garish pink glasses that made Rarity scowl and a blond mullet.

"Who be it thou?" Luna snapped at them.

The one with the mullet put a hand over his chest. "Porter C. Powell and my businesses frienemy, Dylan Gould."

"You're too kind, Powell." The tall one flushed. "But yes, I'm Dylan Gould." Powell walked away and went to talk with Hector, while Gould approached Luna.

"Luna, where is your sister?" Dylan raised his hand over his like trying to keep the sun out of his eyes, even though Cybertron's sun-like object was not shining very brightly today. Luna got the impression he was mocking her and her sister.

"She was not able to attend." Luna narrowed her eyes. "Why dost thou ask, Gould?"

"Well, imagine that." Gould quipped dryly. "We finally have a pony-robot-human meeting, and Celestia isn't unable to attend?"

"What art thoust implying?" Luna snarled, instinctively taking a battle stance. She would not stand for Gould insulting her sister for any reason.

Twilight, due to her acquired distaste for humans, was more easily able to identify them when they're were being deliberately malicious to make it easier for her to justify herself. But right now, her observations would be a saving grace, as she put a hoof on Luna's neck. "Princess Luna, he's goading you. He wants you to get angry and hurt him because it'll make us look bad."

Luna glared at Twilight, but couldn't think of a counterargument. She turned back to Gould. "How doth thou manage to get thy way into this meeting with such a pompous attitude?"

"Simple, Luna." Gould answered with an unbearably smug grin that Twilight and Applejack both would have loved to punch right off his face. "I have money, and to us humans, money is everything."

"That's Princess Luna to you!" Twilight snapped.

"Hmm." Luna turned around, and she noticed Powell speaking with Hector a suspicious distance away from anypony else. "What are they talking about, that they cannot share with the rest of the class?" Luna raised her neck, which for reasons known only to himself, distressed Gould.

"Oh, come now, Princess!" Gould reached over, grabbing Luna's neck, much to Twilight's irritation. "I...highly...doubt..." Gould attempted to pry Luna's head away from Powell, to no avail, as Luna's neck had more muscle to it than his entire body. "Powell would be...doing anything questionable!"

"What makes thou so sureth?"

"Powell and I have been friends, er, frienemies for a long time! I know him! He wouldn't do anything wrong, like, say, bribe a journalist to sow discontent among the races!"

"That's awfully specific, Mister Gould." Twilight growled, for once, her suspicion of the Terrans justified.

"Err..." Gould froze like a deer caught in headlights. "I..." Before Gould could say anything one way or the other, Shockwave's footsteps caught their attention.

"Everyone, with the exception of Princess Celestia, has been accounted for." Shockwave informed them. During the course of their conversation, the rest of Team Prime, as well as Magnum, Shining Armor, and Cadence had arrived."Where is Her Majesty, if I may be so bold?"

"She was not able to attend." Luna answered stoically, but she threw Gould a sharp glare before adding, "Through no fault of her own."

"Very well." Shockwave gestured to his Tower. "Let us go inside."

The assembled groups, divided by species, began migrating towards the entrance of Shockwave's seat of power. The crowd began to blur and blend together, between the Cybertronians' paint jobs, ponies' varied coats, and Powell's ridiculous mullet, they formed a wonderful collection of colors as they moved to the obsidian castle of Shockwave's Tower to began discussing all manner of unpleasant, and in some cases, trivial and unnecessary politics.

The foyer of Shockwave's Tower was empty and spacious, something Rarity found worthy of note, as last time she was in here, there had been a miniature science lab set up for the emergency involving Rainbow Dash's ill-fated attempts at Spark extraction. Did Shockwave have the resources to constantly revamp the floor to serve a new purpose for whatever occasion cropped up?

Inside the building, Shockwave's main troop, consisting of Blackout, Barricade, and the Combaticon crack team were waiting. No one was quite sure if they were there to partake in the talks or to guard Shockwave. Every one split into different groups to talk about different topics.

Blackout seemed quite startled when Bumblebee approached him.

Deet beep.

"Uh, hello, Bumblebee." Blackout said shyly, drawing his arm like Bumblebee was going to strike him.

Beep bleep beep beeee?

"Yes, I am surprised to see you." Blackout admitted. He turned his head away and muttered. "It normally takes longer for someone to get back up after I shoot them..."

Beep beep?

"Nothing!" Blackout shouted, drawing away fearfully. "Nothing at all!"

"You all right, Blackout?" Onslaught asked. "You're normally this...jumpy." Blackout only gave Onslaught silence.

"Princess Luna, would you come with me?" Optimus said quietly, scooping Luna into the curve of his boot and dragging her away to a corner of the room where they could talk without being overheard, to Gould's suspicion.

"What are they doing?" Gould raised his neck to spy on them, but Twilight Sparkle intercepted him.

"Hello again, Mister Ghoul! What are you up to?"

"Well..." Dylan drawled, giving Twilight an 'I'm on to you' look. "Isn't it funny how your Princess and Optimus are over there talking to each other?"

"I'm sure they're just talking about something that doesn't concern you."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Maybe Optimus wants to know what Luna had for breakfast?"

"Your Majesty Luna," Optimus crouched down, addressing Luna with a charitable amount of respect, as he always did to everyone, regardless of they were his enemies or friends. "You have said Celestia was unable to attend. Why?"

Luna looked over to Gould to make he and his partner-in-crime weren't listening. "We do not know, but we suspect she has been ponynapped."

Optimus' optics widened. Even for all his Patience and ability to adapt to difficult situations, he still found the idea that Celestia could be abducted a bit surprising. He would think whoever was behind had to employ a large army with a few tanks.

"Who all knows?"

"Twilight Sparkle and her friends, and now thou as well, Optimus."

Optimus got to his feet, turning towards the rest of the assembled dignitaries, but Luna flew up to his face and stopped him.

"Optimus Prime, we wouldst appreciate it if thou would restrict this knowledge until it is necessary."

"Your Majesty Luna, if you are concerned that the humans would see Equestria as weak for losing its leader..."

Luna cut him off with a derisive chuckle. "Appearing weak? Thoust make us laugh, Optimus. No. That is hardly a concern. We simply do not wish for Equestria's civilians to panic, as that could cause chaos in the kingdom and keep us from tracking down the parties responsible."

"Mm." Optimus shifted his gaze on the floor. "Why do I suspect chaos is their intended goal?"

"Hmm..." Luna mimicked Optimus' action. "Not an unreasonable guess, Optimus Prime."

"I must talk with Shockwave. Excuse me."

"Of course." Luna watched Optimus go, watching with detachment as he struck up conversation with the Decepticon Lord. Luna took a cursory glance around the building, and it suddenly occurred to her that if somepony wanted to disrupt political relations, now would be a perfect time to do it. "Hmm..."

"So, Twilight Sparkle!" Powell shouted. Twilight was quickly finding his voice obnoxiously attention-grabbing. "What kind of science have you been up to since leaving Sumdac Systems?"

"Uh..." Twilight raised her hoof nervously. "Huh?"

"I was just wondering if maybe you be interested in working for my company instead."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "No thanks. I don't work for slime bags."

Powell pursed his lips at that.

"Twilight..." Applejack said, nervously but sweetly. "Not while we're a big, fancy conference, now, ya hear?"

Twilight gave Applejack a bemused look, then humphed. "Fine."

Before Powell could provoke Twilight further, or Optimus and Shockwave could actually get anywhere progressive, there was a very loud rumble, like an earthquake was starting, but it stopped as it quickly as it started, followed up by the sound of something bursting into a monstrous flame. But the building was fine, the Ponies didn't smell any sulfur.

"That's weird..." Twilight noted.

Then the main entrance tore wide open, two aerial Vehicons with black and silver paint jobs instead of the normal purple paint job came running side by side, seemingly quite frazzled.

"Lord Shockwave!"

"We don't want to anyone to panic, and we don't want to worry about a potential attack, but we're under attack! By a combiner!"

Powell raised his hand.

"A little help for the Cybertronian language impaired?"

"Uh..." The Vehicon stammered. "Combiner. Five Cybertronians merged into one. Typically characterized by having the strength of about twenty times that many bots."

"How do we really know we're under attack?" Gould sneered. "Did you see the alleged assailant? Who's to say this isn't just a distraction so you can leave us humans here?"

"Oh!" Twilight laughed like an evil witch out in the woods, cackling from her chicken-legged hut. "That would be the human thing to do, wouldn't it? Just stay in here and keep talking while pretending nothing's wrong on the outside world?"

"Twilight!" Rarity chided. "Really? Right now?"

Optimus pointed his finger, taking charge of the situation. "Autobots, we must protect the humans!" Optimus ordered, drawing up his faceplate.

"Don't forget 'bout us!" Applejack protested, rounding up her friends and galloping to get her squad and Optimus' team in closer proximity.

Powell scoffed indignantly. "Excuse me!? Why we should we wait here while the rest of you go out and deal with the problem?"

"Do you have Cybertronian technology available to defend yourselves with?" Magnum grilled Powell."

"Uh, no."

"Do you have Pony Magic- don't give me that look, Powell, that's the term the Equestrians use – that allows you to bend the laws of reality?"

"No."

"Do you have any form of weapon on you?"

"No?"

"Then stay back," Magnum snarled, converting his arm into a blaster incidental to Optimus', "and let us do our jobs."

"Decepticons!" Shockwave screamed. "We are under attack! Our authority has been challenged! Will we let this insult stand?"

"NO!" The Decepticons shouted, raising their fists in the air.

"Shockwave!" Optimus grabbed Shockwave by the shoulder and pulled him over. "If this truce is to work, we must work together, under the same rhetoric."

Shockwave stared blankly, even though Optimus was sure Shockwave understood what he meant by that. Optimus raised his arm to Shockwave, offering his hand.

Shockwave gazed down at the hand as if it was the strangest thing in the solar system. Shakily, the Decepticon raised his lavender claw, as if reaching out to accept Optimus, but hesitated at the last minute. Shockwave took his claw back and rubbed his hands (such as they were) nervously. Shockwave then looked at his Deceticons, at Optimus' Autobots, and Twilight's friends, all of whom seemed quite expectant of him.

Realizing he needed to save face and accept the gesture, as a symbolic act of good will and faith, Shockwave nodded and grabbed Optimus' hand, shaking it to show their alliance was pure. The two leaders turned to their troops and raised their weapons.

"Auto-!"

"Decep-!"

Both Shockwave and Optimus cut short like they were making grave mistakes, then silently regarded each other before nodding in acknowledgment of their mistake and how to correct it.

"Cybertronians," Optimus stressed, "ROLL OUT!"

All around the room, Autobot and Decepticon alike began shifting form, mechanical parts splitting into broken forms, like bricks suspend on pins, rearranging themselves from humanoid shapes into various vehicles, significant in numbers of which were human- model trucks and Cybertronian military vehicles. When they were finished shifting forms, they rolled out the door, braking to let the ponies of their choice climb, except for the Combaticon Brawl, who forcefully rammed Applejack, catching her between the twin-barreled cannons his Cybertronic hover-tank mode. Ironic, as the first time Brawl and Applejack met mostly consisted of Brawl trying to roll over and/or blow Applejack up.

In seconds, a troupe of vehicles were rolling out the doors of Shockwave's Tower, ponies hanging off them from various areas of roost. Shockwave's own vehicular mode towered over the pack with its elevated turret and raised treads. No one talked much. No one tried to get the two Vehicons to give a better explanation of what was going, as the constant whirling of Blackout's and Vortex's helicopter blades fed into each other, producing a constant drone that pushed out all other noises.

The moving convoy of vehicles would made for quite an impressive sight. Smoke poured out exhausts systems from the menacing block of rolling metal, ready and willing to fight for their lives, their rights, and the lives of the others. It would be terrifying, enough to leer dissenters into silence, if not for the brightly-colored ponies riding on their sides, pink and blue tails billowing in the wind.

The convoy of unexpected allied troops made their way across the plains of copper-coated Kaonian ground, their wheels echoing wordlessly against the helicopter blades of their flying troops.

The two Vehicons who had raised the alarm jetted around the cornerstone of a building, not minding their grounded compatriots.

"Look!" A sound much familiar to the Autobots of the Vehicons transforming, whooshing through the air and landing on high ground with a thud. "This way! He's destroying everything!"

"How are you sure it's a he, huh?"

"His chest is much too square...y to be a fembot."

"'Squarey?' That's the best you can come up with?"

The convoy was eventually able to access the position of their wayward guides, accelerating their treads, working their resistance of friction to the bone to propel themselves around the building to an open space where they screeched to halt and at last, lay optics on the being who was so bold to attack them.

It wasn't hard to see him at all, as combiners, known as gestalts to the more scientifically minded, were titanic beings even amongst the towering Cybertronians, combiners were huge. The distinguishing traits of the combiner process was the unnatural fusion of bodies, twisting and contorting together in ways even the automated joints of robots were not meant to bend. The behemoth stood amongst a collection of towers, growling at them and all the blinking signs on them.

He certainly looked the part, as his paint was a mismatched application of red, yellow, green, black and purple, not at all like the clean-cut paint of the Combaticons combined form, Bruticus. He had a skeletal face and a hanging jaw. The various vehicular modes of his components could not be ascertained, as they were many parts attached to him that looked like they'd been slapped on as an afterthought, diluting what could be recognized as what. A beaked face appeared molded into his chest, which in itself had stubby black claws like a dinosaur's, reaching to grasp at prey. His hands were demonic, huge purple claws that could grasp three large Cybertronians.

The convoy transformed, Ponies jumping off the sides of their partners to the ground, to face their foe. Everyone prepared their weapons, and those that had retractable battle mask, drew them.

Optimus Prime stepped forward, placing himself at the head of the pack. He called out to the beast, remaining as polite as he could while raising his voice to cover the distance. "Can you hear me, gestalt?"

The gestalt did, as it turned towards Optimus, its optics burning with a loathing for all they saw. He spoke in a warbling, disjointed voice, like his components were struggling to speak at the same time, a problem the Combaticons didn't have as Bruticus, as they were like-minded to enough agree on what to say.

"MONSTRUCTOR HEARS YOU, PRIME."

"Is Monstructor your name!?"

"YES."

"Monstructor, what is your purpose here?"

Monstructor blinked at Optimus, its head tilling like it didn't understand what Optimus was asking of him. Before one the more trigger happy Cybertronians could get sick of waiting and fire their ammunition, Monstructor spoke again.

"TO...SOW DISCORD."

"To what end!?" Optimus demanded.

Monstructor paused again, but this time, everyone was ready to wait, as it obvious that he had trouble thinking, let alone speaking.

Then he did something Twilight Sparkle and her friends hadn't seen before; they had seen Cybertronians with arms that turned into blasters, blasters that mounted on the arm, and cannons that lifted over their shoulders, but never before had they seen panels swing upwards and reveal chest cannons like Monstructor's armor did now. The guns were tiny, at least compared to Monstructor's frame, barely a handgun size to him, but that didn't diminish the yellow sparks they fired at the crowd.

The Cybertronians and Ponies scattered, ducking for cover behind buildings and ruins yet to be rebuilt. Monstructor's blast tore into the ground, fraying the battlefield with an impressive explosion that would've damaged them easily,

Everyone gathered and began firing on Monstructor, unicorn magic, Autobot blasters, and Decepticons cannons firing into him, a shared light show of purple, blue and red laser fire. Some of the most powerful members of their groups were in this platoon, Optimus Prime's Ion Blaster, Twilight Sparkle's trained sorcery, Princesses Luna's night magic, Cadence's love magic, Shining Armor's defensive lasers, and the ever-heavily armed Gatling-equipped Blackout, not to mention Shockwave's devastating Hyperflux Cannon. Such an arrangement of weaponry would tear down most defensive installations with ease, the ponies' magic lifting rock and plaster straight up, allowing the Cybertronians to move in for the kill and completely level the hypothetical base.

Monstructor was bombarded with all of that firepower, all that magic and weapons with totally different effects and forms from each other from one Cybertronian to the next... and didn't get a scratch on him. When the firing had to stop for the autonomous robots to recharge and reload their armaments, Monstructor retaliated with another shot from his chest-cannons, tearing up the ground even more,, making it difficult for them to move.

When the platoon resumed firing, after a full second barrage, and still Monstructor showed no signs of wear nor tear without so much as a scratch or ding to show for their efforts, everyone began to realize their weapons weren't having any effect.

"We're not hurting him!" Shining Armor wailed with despair.

"Thank you, Captain Shining Armor," Vortex seethed, "for the blindingly obvious!" Vortex looked up and yelped, seeing Monstructor's attack on them continue, and ducked back behind the cover, before rising up and firing at him again for all the good it did.

"Slag, we're really not hurting him at all..." Vortex muttered. He looked around. "Is there a Teletran-1 terminal nearby!?"

"A what!?" Cadence shouted.

"It's a type of computer with built-in resources." Twilight explained, having spent enough time in the Autobot base to overhear enough details about the technology. "It can reformat and install new weapons into an Autobot's – or Decepticon's – arm to adapt to new scenarios."

"Yeah. Oh!" Vortex pointed back aways, where there was indeed a Teletran terminal. It was a Cybertronian sized thing that looked like an arcade game, with a steel grate as a standing place. It was covered in gold-ish color, with a bright blue computer screen, and what appeared to be a Cybertronian version of that leather cuff thing human doctors use to take blood pressure sticking out like a sore thumb. "There! Prime!"

Optimus became puzzled by Vortex's referral to him.

Vortex made clear his feelings. "I don't really like Shockwave's whole truce deal, but the guy did technically bring our dead planet back to life, so I guess I kinda owe him a little bit. So, I have a plan, and since we're supposed to be working together, I have to include you in it."

Shining Armor and Magnum leered at Vortex.

"Vortex," Shining Armor growled, "if you think Optimus is going to take battle plans from a violent, hay-spouting Combaticon like you, then-"

"What is your plan, Vortex?" Optimus quickly cut Shining off before he said something really offensive. "And will it work?"

"You want the optimistic truth, or the real truth?"

Optimus tapped a finger to his chin, mulling over what Vortex meant by that.

"You're taking too long to answer, so I'll just tell you both. Optimistic truth is, yes, yes it totally will, with pony sparkles and glitter and rainbows! Real truth? I have no slagging idea."

Magnum, Shining Armor, and Shockwave looked to Optimus, wondering how Optimus would react to that. Optimus was a cool and logical thinker. He wouldn't go rushing in with a blind plan that had no guarantee of working.

"I've had to make do with worse, Vortex. Proceed."

Magnum's and Shining's jaw dropped, while Twilight and Luna admired Optimus' knack for dealing with crummy odds in an effective and straightforward manner.

"Sweet. The crazy Combaticon-" Vortex glanced sideways at Shining Armor,"-got bright and shiny Optimus to go with his plan. All right, Prime. Go to the terminal, I'll cover you."

"A Path Blaster would be of good use..." Optimus muttered.

"What? No, no! Get an A-4 Pulsar Cannon."

Optimus raised a browplate, but followed Vortex's orders, dashing to the terminal and sticking his arm into into the cuff thing, which expanded and unfurled around his arm, clenching into it as utilized Cybertronian biology to maximum potency, rebuilding Optimus' natural blaster and replaced it with Vortex's recommendation of a Pulsar Cannon, a type of Cybertronian weapon that functioned like a grenade launcher, of sorts. Vortex lived up to his promise, as when Monstructor attempted to fire on the now-exposed Optimus, Vortex raised his blaster and fired, distracting Monstructor's aim.

"Blast Off!" Vortex pointed at his fellow airborne Combaticon. "With me!"

"What?" Blast Off inquired. "What are we doin'?"

Vortex sauntered his way from their cover, and after a moment to hesitate, Blast Off followed him.

"We're going to fly up there onto that thing's back, lay down some signal beacons at strategic locations, and then have Optimus lay some grenades on the targets, and hopefully blast him to Canterlot."

Knowing they were giving him glares for the thought of Monstructor running his rage loose on Canterlot, Vortex glanced at Shining Armor and Luna over his shoulder. "Figuratively speaking, of course."

On that note, Vortex and Blast Off raised their arms and clapped them together as a pre-flight exercise, then transformed into their vehicle modes, speeding towards Monstructor with the intent to kill. Vortex's copter blades folded back, and a jet engine formed allowed Vortex to fly more at jet-rivaling speeds.

They flew through the air, buzzing about Monstructor's head like giant metal gnats. Monstructor regarded them contemptuously as much, and attempted to swat them aside, but they demonstrated expert aerial maneuvers and flew over his shoulders, where they resumed automotive forms and landed on Monstructor's back, grappling their smooth, but skilled Cybertronian to keep themselves steady. Not wasting a second, Vortex and Blast Off pulled out spherical devices like Cybertronian gyros, with all the glowing lines that implied, and placed them on Monstructor's abdominal plate and backside.

"WHO IS SO ARROGANT AS TO LAY HANDS ON MONSTRUCTOR!?"

"I am!" Vortex shouted, defiantly and possibly a little suicidal. "I'm Vortex, and I am arrogance made manifest!"

Blast Off looked to his partner oddly. "Uh...you know that's not a good thing to be a manifestation of, right?"

"Just lay down the slaggin' beacons!" Vortex jumped off Monstructor's back and transformed, rocketing up Monstructor's back before transforming again and throwing a gyro onto Monstructor's shoulder from the air, transforming again before gravity brought his robot body plummeting down. Blast Off followed suit, leaving another beacon device onto Monstructor's other shoulder. Both Combaticons then flew back down to cover, landing forcefully and hightailing it on foot before Monstructor could get a lock on them.

"Prime!" Vortex shouted. "You got that Pulsar uploaded to you yet!?"

Optimus appeared from the cover, his hand replaced by a cylindrical machine that appeared like a cup that had been destroyed of all but its top and bottom.

"Good! The beacons are on Monsty over there! Fire at your leisure, Your Primeship!"

Optimus nodded, and combat-rolled out from the cover. His movements seemed to draw Monstructor's attention, and Monstructor glared at Optimus Prime as the mighty Autobot stomped forward on the edge of the destroyed ground and began firing the Pulsar Cannon boldly without the slightest hint or fear of trace of hesitance.

Shining Armor respected him for that.

The grenade shells flew over Monstructor's shoulders, and like flies to rotting cheese, the grenades launched themselves, attaching directly to the signal beacons, beeping away as they ticked away to their coming explosion.

Everypony raised their limbs to shield their eyes as the grenades went off like fireworks, masking Monstructor's hulking form in a formless miasma of sulfur and burning cinders. Shining Armor preemptively raised his hoof in the air and cheered, before he got a sense of deja vu and suddenly though about Tarn...

The smoke slowly peeled away, revealing Monstructor's form as unharmed, looking exactly as he did before, not a single scratch on him.

"This guy's unstoppable!" Shining groaned, much to everyone's annoyance at his depressed attitude. Why'd he have to be so down, maaan?

"Eeergh..." While Monstructor did not appear hurt, he did seem to be reconsidering his attack on them. He began scanning the area. He saw a Changeling Grid Battery, the green magic of the Changeling critters sending fizzles lighting up the skyline with a cloud.

With surprising speed for the clunky combination process, Monstructor dashed towards the Battery, appearing to the allied platoon like a blur of mismatched paint that disoriented the fighters below. Monstructor swept his claw over the grid, crushing it in his claw before tossing it off the building. The grid plummeted towards the ground, and before anyone realized what had happened, the tubes feeding the Changeling magic into the building around stopped. The natural lights of the robotic landscape turned off in the area around the building, and the Changelings were loose from their bonds, flying through the air with their bug wings flitting and their blue eyes glaring, hungry for revenge against their oppressors. They had been drained of their magic, of their energy, by all rights they should have dropped to the ground like dead bugs the instant their bounds had been snapped, but their release, combined with the idea of taking vengeance on their captors, provided them with a surge of adrenaline that kept them aloft.

"Monstructor's destroyed the Changeling Battery!" Shockwave exclaimed when he overcame the shock of Monstructor's blurry dash. "QUICKLY! CAPTURE THEM BEFORE THEY CAN GET AWAY!"

The Changelings rubbed their hooves, cackling with wicked glee as they salivated for the thought of getting revenge on their captors. They fired green blasts of magic from their horns at the platoon above them, causing them to flinch and scatter.

The Changelings quickly found, to their displeasure, that the ponies' hatred and the Cybertronians' apathy for them ran further than they though, as within seconds, they were bombarded with a laser rain of magic and blasts. Optimus made sure to sort through the ranks and separated those amongst whose weapons used bullets from those they did not, and then make sure the energy-based weapons were set to low charge times. The Changelings weren't much use to the ponies alive, but they were even less useful to the Cybertronians dead, so it wouldn't be good if a bullet or strong lasers cut a hole through the Changelings' midsections.

The lasers cut through the ranks of the insect ponies, electrocuting them and sent them careening to ground. It wasn't like long at all before they were down to their last man.

Optimus had the Changeling dead to rights, but he hesitated to pull the trigger and send the Changeling back to its post as a living fuel, able to see all it around it, and unable to do anything. A statue. A statue drained of a blood over the course of a day, every day...

"Optimus!" Shockwave shouted. "Why do you hesitate?"

Optimus blinked, taking in the moral consequences of his actions.

"I'm sorry." He whispered in the Changeling's direction, even though the Changeling couldn't hear. Optimus covered his face, turned away, and fired. The shot hit the Changeling right into the chest, and like its brethren, fell to the ground.

The Decepticons and some of the more violent Autobots began hopping off the plateau and picking up the unconscious Changelings like antsy vultures picking the meat off carrion dried out in the sun.

Shockwave gave Optimus a look.

"Calculations indicate your moment of hesitance is caused by your sentimentality, Optimus."

"Yes." Optimus answered wearily.

"That makes you...weak, Optimus." Shockwave said, somehow being respectfully while still being disapproving.

Optimus turned wearily towards him. "I am well aware of that, Shockwave."

In the ensuing chaos of trying to keep the Changelings all in one area before they could disperse through Kaon, Monstructor had disappeared. Seems he wasn't quite as unintelligent as his speech suggested. The Changelings were all routed, then brought to a barbaric Decepticon holding cell when Shockwave explained it would take him some time to assess the total damage to the grid for repairs. It might be so badly damaged just building a new one would be proficient. The US Representatives were told the conference would have to be rescheduled and possibly relocated; they could not risk them being there while Monstructor was still on the loose. Naturally, that didn't sit well with any one of them, and it took a furious shouting match between Luna and the government head – an old, decrepit, grey haired man by the name of Forrest Forscythe – to convince them to pack up and leave before they got hurt. Once everyone was inside the building, Shockwave slipped out the door and arranged for Glyph and her friends to transmit a broadcast across the network of Cybertron.

Glyph and her crew quickly set up their equipment, just outside and around the floor of Shockwave's Tower. After Hector's attempt to stir up a tempest in a teapot cost her the right to record the conference, Glyph was made absolutely giddy when Shockwave approached her and explained what he wanted done.

With Photo Finish's camera trained up at him, Hector surrounding the area with sound equipment, they were all set for Shockwave's broadcast. Shockwave made an odd request that Photo Finish focus the camera on him from the chest window up; when Glyph asked, Shockwave simply answered that the angle made him look powerful, and Glyph had no trouble accepting that. After all, she had several interviews before with stars who wanted to be sure she caught their good sides. Ir was all about impression, baby.

"I can't believe this!" Glyph squeaked with excitement as preparations neared completion. "I'm finally gonna get a broadcast from Shockwave!" Glyph narrowed her gaze at Hector. "No thanks to you, of course."

"Hmm." Hector raised his hand. "Well, Powell-"

"What about Powell?"

"Uh-nothing! Who said anything about Powell?"

"You did. Just now."

"Theef, toof, vun! ACTION!" Photo Finish dictated, waving her hoof through the air. A single flick, and her her camera was on, aimed way up high at Shockwave's broad chest and scope-like optic.

"My dear Cybertronians..." Shockwave began. The camera began replaying a live transmission of the footage to any Cybertronian screen within range.

"As many of you know, there was to be a conference today at my tower." Shockwave recounted, tone never rising or falling. "However, there was an attack by an unknown entity whom called itself 'Monstructor'. Despite the very best efforts of Optimus Prime's Autobots and my Decepticons, we were unable to hurt the beast, and it escaped before we could understand its motives." Shockwave began playing Monstructor's appearance, talking of the dreadful beast to instill a sense of fear into the citizens of Kaon, and of other Cybertronian cities. The citizenry did need to know what threats to its safety were out there, didn't it? About the kind of things not even Optimus couldn't defend them from?

"It was a terrifying visage, a sight to behold. As his name implies, he is a monster. He is unstoppable. And he is loose, my good Cybertronians. Loose amongst our cities. Loose in our towns! Loose near our acolytes and our trainees!" Shockwave stopped a moment to let that sink in.

"But fear not, my good citizens!" Shockwave raised a finger to the camera. "I have a plan- a plan several years in the making, that will ensure your safety, not just from Monstructor, but from any who might wish to disturb the fragile stability of our homes and streets. This plan's name...is Project: Predacon."

"Predacons are anicent creatures from Cybertron's distant, distant past." Shockwave elaborated. "Long ago, I stumbled upon the CNA of one these creatures, and using it as a reference, was able to locate more of it. Through my scientific knowledge, I was able to bred these creatures – to rebirth them, should we need a the fierce rage of beasts to protect ourselves. It would seem that time has come. However, the Predacons, though tamed by me, are unruly and difficult. I need to be sure this is the right way. I must be sure unleashing them to make way for revolution to evolution is the right path. I need, in a word,"

Shockwave pointed his finger directly at the camera.

"YOUR VOTE, Cybertronians! Would the Predacons make for a more effective police force than the current Autobot/Decepticon alliance? Do your own research, draw your own conclusion, and then cast your ballot! This is Lord Shockwave, signing off!"

Shockwave saluted the camera, and by proxy, the hundreds of screen it was transmitting to and the crowds of Neutral Cybertronians, making them feel like what they had to say mattered; the Decepticon Lord, the brutal warlord, was saluting them and asking for their vote! Clearly, they mattered. The voice of the citizenry mattered to Shockwave.

"Very nice for your first time!" Photo Finish clapped her hooves. She pinched at the air. "Vut mite I suggzst redoin' a few shots with a pink hat and and an ermine coat?"

Shockwave glared, unamused. "No."

Miles and miles away in Iacon, the live transmission played, lagging behind by a few seconds because the Autobot marshals observing were replaying it, over and over to study it, sifting through for any concealed message Shockwave may have hidden in his broadcast.

This was the Autobot Elite Guard's Headquarters. It was a large roughly egg-shaped steel dome, with a large, circular wall surrounding it. Exactly how a wall worked in a society were enormous laser cannons were an everyday thing was unclear to Twilight Sparkle.

Inside, the Headquarters was as complex as the Autobots who built, with rooms accessible by shifting elevators, rising platforms and walls that shifted places with other walls inside themselves. Everything inside was marked a plain, formed blueish gray paint with a yellow and black stripes on the very top of the walls, denoting the area as high, high security. The shifting floorboards almost gave the impression that the building itself was forcing its visitors to go through the Elite Guard's bureaucracy, which they were infamous for.

Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Luna were laying their stomachs on the keyboard of the main control – much larger than the main control in Omega One, with an absolutely ginormous computer screen that was blue instead of green, at least when not showing a replay of Shockwave's purple mug rousing the citizens to vote yay or nay for Predacon enforcers.

Spike, still in his adult form, stepped through the entrance to the room with Whimsy at his side. Spike didn't understand why Whimsy continued to evade his gaze and dodge any of his friendly questions that pony convention dictated him to ask.

"He certainly knows how to keep a farce going." Ultra Magnus observed, having joined the group in transit, as it were from Shockwave's base to theirs.

"Well, I think it's sweet Shockwave wants to give his Predacons to the public to keep them safe." Fluttershy mumbled sweetly.

"HA!" A loud, boisterous voice jeered. "Yer a naive one, ain'tcha?"

Everyone turned around to see Grimlock storming his way into the room. While Spike's slightly tense shoulders suggested he stomached through the arduous Elite Guard bureaucracy to get into the control room for what he wanted, Grimlock's shoulders were up high and pulled taut, a sure sign he bypassed bureaucracy by using his bulk and muscle to simply pelt aside the bureaucrats, the same he shoved Spike and Whimsy out of his way, knocking them down. Magnum crossed his arms and grimaced. Grimlock ignored it.

"It's what's called a gradual change." Grimlock informed Fluttershy, raising a finger as he stomped towards the gathered politicians. "Did ya hear anything 'bout how the Autobots controlled those Predacon things?" Grimlock pointed at the screen. "If Shockwave's slag speech gets through to the smeghead populace, they'll vote to let the Predacons loose, and then Shockwave will take over from there."

Twilight started picturing Grimlock's logic in this, and she would have eventually figured it out herself with enough time, but Fluttershy asked him ahead of time, depriving her of that victory.

"W-what do you mean?"

"I mean..." Grimlock said, finger still raised. "The current 'police force', is made of Autobots and Decepticons just barely working together. If Shockwave gets those Predacons hooked in, that takes OUR authority out of the equation. At first, it's just a curfew and 'oh, please be respectful to the mindless beasts', but then one thing leads to another, and bada-bing, bada-boom, we're living on an entirely Decepticon-dominanted Cybertron." Grimlock crossed his arms and glowered, taking up a proud posture.

Magnum continued to grimace, while Ultra Magnus tilted his head and Optimus kept his eyes to the screen.

"Well!?" Twilight exclaimed, shaking a hoof. "He's obviously right! Magnum, please don't let this be like my brother's wedding or Bumblebee when he tried to stop my wedding to Shockwave."

Grimlock glared more and more furiously, before getting fed up and turning to stomp out the room.

Magnum picked up Twilight Sparkle by the scruff of her neck, and lifted her ear to his lips.

"We know he's right, Miss Sparkle." Magnum whispered. "He's just so much of a...rude person that we really don't want to admit it."

Grimlock stopped short of the door. "I heard that!"

"Slag." Magnum dropped Twilight back on the keyboard, causing her to grunt.

Optimus turned around, and rather than the hulking mass of invulnerable grey wall that was Grimlock, he noticed the purple and orange dragons he hadn't seen before.

"Hello." Optimus said to them. The victims of Grimlock's brutishness staggered to their feet, er, talons, and approached Optimus Prime. "Can I help you?"

Both dragons saluted. "Spike..."

"And Whimsy Weatherbee, reporting for recruitment into Autobot services, Your Primeship!" Whimsy finished.

Optimus' head cocked backwards. He put his hands on his hips and gave a Spike an through rundown of his features. "I was not privy that Equestrian Dragons matured so quickly."

"Indeed." Magnum added. "Twilight Sparkle's A.P.D file gave me the impression her immediate family included a infantile dragon."

"No, no, no!" Spike waved his claws out. "I'm still a baby- Twilight just used her magic to make me big and strong!" Spike flexed his biceps, earning a headshake and a facepalm from Grimlock.

Optimus blinked, unamused. He maintained his stoicism. "What division would you like to be in, Spike?"

Spike tucked in his lips. Optimus could see he wasn't prepared for that question.

"Uh, I figured I'd go in the Autobot Pony Division?" Spike muttered.

"Well, that's for Ponies." Magnus dryly quipped. "You are not a pony, Scales."

"It's Spike."

"I know. It's a nickname."

Magnum drummed his fingers against his perpetually crossed arms. "Well, you're large..." Magnum began pacing around Spike, sizing him up, which made Spike uncomfortable. "Fire-breathing, armored with heavy scales." Magnum grabbed Spike's arm and banged a fist to test the scales' durability. Spike reacted to the pain, but he endured the impact enough for Magnum's standards. Magnum cupped Spike's jaw and began to scan him like a doll. Spike whimpered, and Fluttershly nearly broke her silence to protest that Magnum was unnerving Spike, but Twilight stopped her.

"You're both scaly monstrous creatures, whom, if the Earth myths are to be held factual, are capable of causing untold destruction with the force of a natural disaster." Magnum remarked.

"Where in the great, grand Autobot army would they fit?" Magnus questioned. "I can tell from the looks of 'em they aren't Wrecker material."

"They lack the proper training to be Elite Guard." Magnum interjected. "Optimus?"

"While I give everyone a chance, I believe Spike would be best suited aiding his skills elsewhere than my team." Optimus said, which to Spike, seemed like Optimus' polite way of saying

'I don't want him!' Optimus was thinking more in terms of where Spike would be at his most effective.

"I don't think Griffin Rock would appreciate their Rescue Bot team having a dragon perform their rescues. He needs to go a team who will be good with having a monster on their side." Magnus commented. "Rough, and tumble where those dragon scales will be of good use..."

"Who don't mind their teammates breathing fire from their mouths..." Magnum added.

"And can whip him into shape." Magnus added. "You know, dispel any illusion he might have about heroism."

Spike and Whimsy shared confusion. "Um... I thought the Autobots were heroes?"

Magnus and Magnum, despite their polar opposite attitudes, agreed on this and laughed.

"In theory..." Magnus explained. "But did you know, on some planets, hero is another word for casualty?"

"What do you think of when you hear hero, sonny?" Magnum snarled. "Standing up in ruins of the evil dragon's – no offense, just trying to paint a picture- lair, the beautiful princess held in your arm as the sunset shines down on you, and you walk away to get hitched?"

"Well...yeah." Spike parroted.

Magnum and Magnum both snorted. "That, sonny, is why we want your field commander to give you a three-thousand dollar reality check."

"Let's recap. We got scales, fire, monsters, huge and a brutal wake-up slap to reality..."

Magnus', Magnum's and Optimus' browplates shot upwards with a ping like a pinball table being absolutely whipped. They both turned their attention to the mech who had nearly left the room.

"GRIMLOCK!"

"What?" Grimlock demanded, stepping half-way back through the door.

Magnus placed himself in the middle of Spike and Whimsy, resting his arms on their shouders before he pushed towards the Dinobot commander. "These are Spike and Whimsy Weatherbee, your new recruits."

"What!?" Grimlock repeated, visor contorting in disbelief. "You can't be serious-"

"Please, Grimlock. These two need someone brutal commanding them, and that pretty much delegates it to you." Magnus turned and walked off, dismissing the dragons that were not his problem.

"Urrgh..." Grimlock groaned, slumping against the doorframe. He re-entered the room and took a glance on Spike and Whimsy both.

"Fine." Grimlock said, though he didn't sound at all happy about it. "Come on." Grimlock made a come-hither finger gesture and walked out the door again. "We don't have all day to get you into shape."

Whimsy looked at Spike, hoping he'd have a bit more detail explanation of what was going on. He didn't, so he shrugged. They followed Grimlock out of the room, and Grimlock began laying out for them what their training regime would while operating inside his unit, the Dinobots.

"So, you want to be part of the Lightning Strike Coalition." Grimlock sneered at them as they walked into the impossibly complex halls of the HQ.

"That's a terrible name." Whimsy whispered to Spike.

"Really? I think its kinda a cool..." Spike admitted, thoughtfully rubbing his chin.

They exited the room to come to a block of concrete that split in opposite directions of blank stairs. Grimlock turned and led them down the right side, where the Autobots below, working in what amounted to an in-built crater, suddenly stopped what they were doing at Grimlock's descent.

"What, do I look like Princess Celestia just walked into the room without any clothes on!?" Grimlock shouted at them, raising his gorilla fist into the air over his head.

"Ponies don't wear clothes..." Spike mumbled.

Grimlock slammed his fist down into wall, creating a spiderweb of cracks. "GET BACK TO WORK!"

The Autobots scurried to resume their jobs, some of them typing in on their computers harder and faster than before, others running to ferry paperwork between rooms.

Grimlock scoffed, as he was prone to doing, and led the two dragons towards the exit of the base.

"Damn idjits." Grimlock cussed, making Spike uncomfortable. Twilight had always taught him not to swear. Whimsy also disapproved of Grimlock's foul language. "Think jus' 'cause I turn into a reptile that can stop workin' to gawk when I walk into the room..."

Spike and Whimsy looked at each other. Whimsy tapped her fingers together.

She could see through Grimlock's mask. The lack of a proper face did nothing to keep her from seeing the pain in his eyes. Whimsy had made herself who she was, a dragon so unlike the bullies of her kind, because she had the knowledge, the intuition to see there was more to life, and part of that was learning to read people.

"Grimlock?" Whimsy spoke barely above a whisper.

"Speak up, Wimpy." Grimlock retorted.

Whimsy didn't bother to correct him, as he was likely to just respond with another insult. "I can't help but notice you seem bitter about everypony in the headquarters staring at you?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Would you like to talk about it?" Whimsy offered politely.

Grimlock stopped, causing a chain reaction where Spike and Whimsy attempted to stop without bumping into them, but momentum, even momentum as simple as walking, doesn't just go away, so they slammed into his boulder of a backside. They pushed themselves off like flies getting up after being swatted and coughed.

Grimlock turned around to face them. He bent down and lean forward on Whimsy, and his bulk began to induce a feeling of claustrophobia.

"Whimsy Weatherbee, you do not ask me if I would like to 'talk' about my problems, is that understood?"

"Um..."

"There are only two correct answers, Whimsy. One is 'yes sir, sir!', the other is 'no, sir!' Pick one."

Whimsy glanced at the ground, as if the cold silver of Iacon's tarnished streets would make her decision. She lifted up to Grimlock. "Yes sir, sir."

"Good." Grimlock appeared satisfied and resumed marching.

Iacon was a gleaming city. The Autobot capital and answer to the Decepticons' Kaon. It shone and sparkled into the night, and the reluctantly accepted Changeling Batteries there were hardly much of a blemish between all the sterling silver of the massive buildings.

So Spike and Whimsy were quite confused when Grimlock led them to what appeared to be a run-down alleyway that hadn't a person so much as pick litter off the street in forty years.

Both dragons stopped, backing away from the neighborhood. It didn't take more than a second look to see this was the kind of place where muggers and robbers coalesced.

"Come on." Grimlock instructed, mildly irked that would be so unsure. "This is where the Coalition is stationed. No one here is goin' to hurt you. Those dirty 'Cons know better than to mess with my turf."

"You're stationed here!?" Whimsy shrieked, as they nervously followed Grimlock into the alley. "Can't you ask Optimus Prime for a transfer to cleaner neighborhood?"

"Could." Grimlock answered simply as he lifted a huge piece of copper shrapnel and tossed it aside without difficulty. "Don't wanna. Everyone leaves us alone here."

"Why would you want to be alone?"

"Simple enough. No one likes us, so we don't like them right back." Grimlock's voice lowered a fair bit, as though what he was talking about made him sad. Whimsy couldn't help but notice how his normally loud voice had reduced a few volumes. "No Autobot wants to go into this scrapheap of a place, so they leave us alone here. No thug one goes to this place because they know we're in it."

"The we being...?"

Grimlock raised a finger for them to wait, then knocked on a nearby abandoned garage three times. "HEY, GUYS! THE STUFFIES AT HIGH COMMAND HAVE SADDLED US WITH SOME FRESH MEAT!"

"Meat?" Whimsy squeaked fearfully. "Does that mean you're going to eat us!?"

"No." A deep voice like Grimlock's, but lower answered. "It just means you're new here."

Whimsy looked around for who said that, but couldn't find anypony. Then the wall Grimlock had knocked on move, pulling back into the building. Whimsy heard people grunting, and the wall was tossed to the side, revealing a group of four huge Autobots standing behind it, each with a color scheme matching Grimlock's of grey, red, and gold, though arranged differently between members. There was an athletic one with a red head crest, a pair of mechanical bird wings on his sides. a stocky one built like a Cybertronian football player, with a gold hood and two red black spikes from his back. One who was covered in spear-shaped plates on his legs, with two stalagmite-like pillars poking from his back that were covered in those same plates. The last one was a wrestler on steroids in comparison to the football player, without any disturbing characteristics beyond being large.

"These are the Lightning Strike Coalition." Grimlock introduced them. "Swoop..." The one with wings transformed into a pterodactyl. "Slug..." The football player crouched down and converted into a triceratops. "Sludge..." the wrestler did the same as Slug, except turning into an apatosaurus, a long-neck reptilian creature with...well, aside from being big, didn't have much to set it apart besides said long neck. "And finally, Snarl." The spiky one transformed into a stegosaurus, tiny compared to the rest, but more than made up for it as the spikes and stalagmites arranged into a long row of spines that Spike winced as he imagined an unfortunate Decepticon falling on top of Snarl and getting all those plates right up uncomfortable places. A spiky hairbrush of death.

"Hello." Whimsy bowed graciously. "I'm Whimsy, and this is Spike."

Slug scoffed. "Good manners ain't gonna get you anywhere with the Dinobots, missy."

Grimlock made an uncomfortable noise. "Lightning Strike Coalition."

"Grimlock, please. That name is terrible. Why are you so inconsistent on it?"

Grimlock turned away, unusually quiet.

"Hmm..." Slug reverted to his automaton mode, and walked towards the dragons. He put his hand out "Put 'er there, pardners."

Spike raised his claw to accept, but Slug proceeded, well, slug him hard across the snout, knocking him to the ground.

"Eeyup." Slug noted. "We got a ways to go with these two, Grimlock."

"Ow!" Spike rubbed his sore cheek. "What was that for?"

"Lesson number one." Slug answered. "An attack can come at any time. Always be on your guard." Slug offered his hand to Spike to help him up, and Spike tentatively approached to accept it, but he stopped halfway.

"Oh, no!" Spike swatted Slug's hand away, wagging his finger. "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me!"

Slug let out a deep, hearty laugh. "You catch on quick, kid! But seriously, though, let me help you up." Slug grabbed Spike's shoulders and lifted him back onto his feet. "Why don't you come inside?" Slug gestured to the hole in the wall the Dinobots came out from.

Accepting their invitation, Spike and Whimsy were guided inside to what they thought would be the Dinobots' base, but it was more like an Autobot version of a run-down apartment. They were enough chairs for the Dinbots and a guest, cobbled together from leftover or unused sheet metal, and an Autobot command terminal with chipped, flaking paint, and cracked screen. There was a table with a placement of oil tankers on it. Spike knew Twilight would have a fit she found out about him living in a place as rundown as it was, but the Dinobots made themselves right at home, and invited the dragons to do the same.

Grimlock began pushing buttons on the terminal. Against his wishes, an image of Shockwave materialized.

"He's makin' another broadcast..." Grimlock noted ruefully.

"Attention, citizens of Cybertron!" Shockwave's image declared, happily clapping his claw together with his cannon. "The votes are in! The results have been tallied, and...by a landslide, the majority vote has gone to unleashing the Predacons!"

If he'd been drinking something, Grimlock would have done a spit-take.

"Remember;" Shockwave pointed at the camera. "You voted for this, my dear citizens! Please prepare to receive your new police force at an appropriate area. They will keep you safe. They will not lose control. They are your hope, in this dark time of a terrible being like Monstructor being loose."

Grimlock had enough, and began working his fingers on the terminal until an annoying screech blared out that made Spike winced. "Autobot HQ, this is Grimlock, requesting GroundBridge into Kaon. The vote's in for letting the Predacons loose."

"We heard." Magnum answered from the other line. "Your Bridge is being prepared."

"Come on, youse!" Grimlock shouted at everyone, taking his finger off the comm button and picking up a hanging sword off the wall. "We gotta put a stop to this!"

"Wha-" Spike stammered, before Slug grabbed by the shoulder and dragged him outside, where a GroundBridge was waiting, beckoning them with its eerie green glow.

Sword dragging from his hand like a monstrous tail, Grimlock charged into the Bridge, the Dinbots tailing him and the dragons struggling to keep up with the Dinobots' pace.

The Dinbots and their plus two steamrolled from one of the Bridge to the other, wanting to be sure there was as little ground between them and their objective as possible.

Grimlock grunted as he jumped out the other side and landed amidst a pile of Kaonian scrap, the force of his landing causing discarded steel braces to fly around like a tornado had hit. The other Dinobots soon followed, as did the dragons, and Grimlock looked up at the top of Shockwave's Tower.

"What?" Slug questioned. "What do you see, Grimlock?"

Grimlock only pointed upwards the Tower. Everyone else craned their necks to see what was so fascinating.

"Um... was that docking bay there already?" Whimsy wondered.

Indeed, there was a docking bay mounted atop the tower that hadn't been there previously. A huge, steel ramp leading off the edge, with two pillars rising from the side to directs cargo to it. The pillars had holes in their sides, and were strung to the ground by massive cables. Like Shockwave had lifted a portion of the Golden Gate Bridge of San Franchiso and given it the Decepticon makeover.

On the bay, at this very moment while all the Dinobots were watching, Shockwave pressed a big blue button on a black, pointy terminal.

"Despite some setbacks..." Shockwave murmured to himself. "Project: Predacon is proceeding as planned." Shockwave walked from the terminal. His armor shifting anxiously, Shockwave took a few steps, than raised his claw in the air, screaming of the success of his creations to the heavens.

"PREDACONS! NOW IS THE TIME! YOUR TIME! TAKE FLIGHT!"

Spike's was soon abandoned by his wits as he heard a terrifying tromp of a metal foot stomping across the docking bay. It must have been hollow to give off an echo loud enough for them to hear from the ground, but that did nothing to dimish the terribleness of it. It was like the Predacon, whatever it was, had metal trees for limbs.

A bass of thunk-thunk-thunk repeated itself as the Predacon made its across the bay, scaring Spike and Whimsy with every door-rattling step of its claw.

When it finally reached the end of the bay, Spike and Whimsy could see it, and the reason for their fear now made so much more sense.

It was a dragon. Shockwave had tamed a dragon. Spike didn't think Cybertron had dragons, but there it was, gazing out into the moonlit night sky, hiding amongst the shadows of the stars that Shockwave's Tower allowed it to reach. Lit only by the moon, its shadow was akin to a werewolf's in an old Earth movie.

It also had no resemblance to any dragon Spike had ever seen, not even this one time where he briefly lived with an entire pack of them. He supposed it made sense the Cybertronian dragon would look nothing like an Equestrian one.

It was huge. Massive. Far too big for a normal-sized Cybertron to stand on par with. Its limbs were thin like bones, as if it had anorexia, and its wings, though covered in the dark, were detailed with all manner of Cybertronian runes and lettering. An empty gap was in the wings that seemed to serve no purpose other than to highlight how monstrous it was. Its tail was very long, almost like a whip, and ended in a leaf shape that was bristling with thorns. Its head was rounded, but pointed forwards, like a T. Rex. Two horns sprouted from the back of its noggin, that twisted and spiraled like a Viking's helm.

The Predacon roared, rearing its front up like an untamed wild horse, and then flew off the bay into the night, where it whipped and swerved and twirled. It came far too close to the Dinobots' position for Spike's comfort before it flew off in another direction entirely, but Spike was able to see it dash under a street lamp and get a better view of its colors; it was blue, white, and covered in ridges, giving the impression that it was made of ice.

"So, that was a Predacon..." Grimlock murmured, watching as the Predacon's massive wings flapped and carried it away into the night.

"How are we supposed to fight something like that?" Slug questioned.

A rumbling noise soon followed its departure. The Dinobots looked around and got their trigger fingers ready, looking for the threat.

"What's that noise!?"

"Uh...Grimlock?" Spike nervously pointed up at the bay. "Look!"

"I'm looking, but I'm not- oh, scrap." Grimlock hissed.

On the landing bay, another Predacon had appeared, and could not have been more different from the first one if it tried, as if was another beast entirely, somewhat of a cross between a moose, a dear, and a dragon. Then another one marched forward, also completely different in appearance, like a robotic gryphon with the arms of a bear, followed by more and more, all of utterly and vastly different shapes and proportions. An entire Predacon army, made of variation upon variation of the form.

Each one of the vastly different beasts reared up and roared like the one before them, and like the first of their member to depart, they spread massive, technologically-looking wings like beasts and began flying through the sky, filling it with a whirlpool of mechanical dragons.

One by one, they divided. One by one, they separated and flew different directions, all arriving to designated cities of Cybertron, where the hoodwinked populace would be waiting to welcome their new dragon police, meant to protect them from Monstructor appearing and attacking like a ghost. From there, Shockwave would use the mighty beasts' power and intimidating presence to 'convince' the citizens they protected to surrender more and more power to him, until he had total control of the planet.

"Grimlock?" Spike whimpered fearfully. "What do we do?"

Grimlock remained unusually silent. He stared at the ground, his grip on his sword slackening. One Predacon caught Grimlock's notice, as it appeared to be lagging behind its brothers, taking its time simply so it could lays it yellow optics on Grimlock.

If the first Predacon had been big, then this one was colossal. It was black and orange, with electric wire running through its wing like exposed veins. Silver braces seemed to cover every once of its hefty frame. Its head had an exposed maw of teeth even when it closed, and its neck and tail ran long through its body, like a serpent.

Grimlock gave it his best 'back off' stare, but that had no effect on it.

The enormous Predacon narrowed its gaze on Grimlock, then shrieked – a high-pitched mechanical sound that gave Spike goosebumps with goosebumps on them. When the Predacon opened its mouth, the bottom of half of its jaw split sideways, freaking Spike out even more. If he didn't know better, Grimlock would have thought the shriek was an assurance from the Predacon that Grimlock would be seeing it again.

When it was finished, the Predacon turned around and flew off, the same as its brethren, off to guard a city against a potential attack from the unstable gestalt that had everyone in such a huff.

When the sky was finally emptied of all its dragons, and the quiet of the night returned, Spike and Whimsy were left wondering what to do.

"W-what do we do now?" Spike asked.

Grimlock resumed staring at the ground.

Slug and Swoop stepped around to comfort Grimlock on either side. They had been friends with Grimlock for far too long to not see when he was upset about something, and something about the Predacons had disrupted him severely.

"Grimlock?"

"Yeah?" Grimlock responded in his usual rude tone, but with an emptiness to it.

"You all right?"

"What are you, my motherboard?"

"The Predacons...they've got you thinking about Shockwave's lab, don't they?"

"No!" Grimlock snapped, swinging his arm blindly at Swoop. Swoop crossed his arms and glared sharply until Grimlock gave in. "Yeah, all right, yeah, they do..."

"Shockwave's lab?" Spike questioned. "What about Shockwave's lab?"

"Forgit about it, kid." Slug instructed him. "Ain't nothing that concerns you. So, Grimlock, what do you want to about the Predacons?"

Grimlock turned his left to right, reassuring himself of the presence of his team while thinking about bad memories.

"First, we've got a couple of things." Grimlock answered, his normal bravado seeping into his voice. "We've always a reputation for ignoring Prime's orders. Well, now we need Prime to step up on the podium and publicly endorse the Predacons."

"What!?" The Dinobots exclaimed. "Isn't that the opposite of what we want to do!?"

"Listen, if we start trying to take those things out now, Shockwave will use it as leverage on Optimus. This isn't about Dinobots versus Predacons – well, okay, yeah it is, but there's more to it than that – this is about politics. Imagine rogue Autobots – who are not us- attacking the Predacons in the middle of the night. Shockwave would use it against Optimus and hit him where it hurts, consolidating support and power for himself. But WE are already know for disobeying and defying Optimus' orders, and everyone knows we don't like Shockwave." Grimlock explained. "So with Optimus' public opining being for them, rather than against them, it'll give him a diplomatic immunity when we start taking out the Predacons before they take over. Once that's done, we start taking the Predacons, one by one. Is everyone clear!?"

"Yes, sir!" Rang out from the Dinbots around Grimlock. Whimsy, prone to filibusters herself, followed it all perfectly, and saluted. Spike, however, was lost, so he saluted and merely mumbled.

"Good!" Grimlock snapped, swerving around dramatically to where the large black Predacon had flown off to. He began marching in the same direction on foot.

"Then we got a secret war to start."