Transformers: Equusby LordLycaonChaptersDiscovery, Part 1Discovery, Part 2Discovery, Part 3Discovery, Part 1The castle of Canterlot was as welcoming as it was imposing to Twilight. Having lived half her life there as Celestia’s personal protégé, she had grown used to the strange aura that the great palace seemed to give off. It was an aura that was both comforting and nerve-racking at the same time. Definitely an odd combination that took a lot of getting used to. A few days had passed since they had given up the Elements of Harmony to save the Tree of Harmony from the relentless Plunder Vines. Things had calmed down somewhat since then. The Everfree Forest was gradually becoming more tame, though it was still a dangerous place, where wild beasts roamed, just waiting for an unwary passerby to stumble into the cursed woodland. Even Discord was (somewhat) under control, thanks to his close friendship with Fluttershy, and the fact that he was actually beginning to enjoy helping ponies and other races all across the wide world of Equus. Now, the six friends had once again been summoned by the Solar Princess. As Twilight and her friends walked through the halls of the castle, the young alicorn couldn’t help but wonder why, exactly, Celestia might’ve summoned them here. The letter that the sun princess had sent was pretty vague, only saying that something had been found, and that she and her friends might be interested in seeing it. There was nothing in the message that fully explained what needed investigating, or if there was any sort of actual danger. ‘I guess we’ll find out soon enough,’ she thought as they finally stepped through the doorway to the throne room, where both Celestia and Luna were conversing about something. “You need to be more careful, sister,” Luna said in a warning tone. “This… thing that we have uncovered… We do not know what it may contain. It could be dangerous.” “Trust me, Luna,” Celestia replied in a calm, sure voice. “I’ve taken precautions. Guards have been ordered to keep an eye on it and to make sure no civilians see it. If word got out about this, it could cause a panic. And I’ve sent for- ah!” Celestia beamed when she saw the Mane 6 enter the room. “Great timing, my little ponies.” Out of pure habit, Twilight bowed respectfully to the Princess of the Sun, her friends following suit, and said, “Why did you send for us, Princess? You didn’t elaborate much in your letter.” Celestia nodded. “I couldn’t risk anypony else learning about this,” she explained. “As you know, ever since the Changeling Incident, I have had guards, miners, and explorers-for-hire working to fully map out the Canterlot Caves so that they can’t be used against us again, should a future threat make itself known.” Some of the six friends looked to each other, either with curious or nervous expressions. “So,” Applejack spoke up. “You’re sayin’ that you found somethin’ down there?” “That is correct,” Luna answered. “Some kind of… machine. We know not where it comes from, or even what it is for, but it is clearly not of Equestrian origin.” “So it’s foreign?” Rarity asked. Celestia shook her head. “It would be much easier to simply show you rather than to explain with words. Come.” -o- It was unbelievable. Astounding. The metallic hulk lying covered in dirt was absolutely massive, far larger than anything that any of them had ever seen before. It was made of some kind of metal that was unlike anything ever discovered. Whenever somepony’s pickaxe hit it, the blade shattered on contact. The machine was coated in centuries worth of dust and grime, but its yellow and red colors were still fairly easy to make out. Upon one area of the machine was even a bright red symbol of some sort. A shield, perhaps, in the shape of strange, somber-looking face. Twilight could only stare in awe at it. She had no idea what it was, but her scientific curiosity would inevitably force her to try and find out. She approached the enormous machine. What was it? Where had it come from? How long had it been here? What was its purpose? So many questions ran rampant through her mind, with no answers in sight. This was discovery at its best. “As I said earlier,” Princess Celestia said, pulling Twilight’s attention away from the metal thing, “we don’t know what it is. All we do know is that it has been here for a very long time. It may even predate all of ponykind by a great margin.” “We have several guards and scholars looking around this… thing,” Luna continued. “From what we have learned so far, it has a vaguely similar design to Equestrian airships. It may serve the same function.” “An airship?” Rainbow inquired skeptically. “This thing’s huge! How could it possibly fly?” The royal sisters looked to each other, both clearly thinking on that query. “We’re not certain,” Celestia answered after several seconds. “It might serve a completely different purpose. A bunker, maybe. But for now, nothing is certain. All we have at the moment are theories.” “And shaky ones at that,” Luna stated. “We are currently waiting for our scouting parties to return. They may be able to—” “Excuse me,” a new voice spoke up. A guard had just arrived. “Forgive my interruption, Your Highness, but one of the teams has returned.” “What news?” Celestia inquired. “They seem to have found a way into the machine,” the guard stated, pointing over towards what appeared to be the front of the thing. “A way inside?” Rarity parroted. The guard only nodded in response. Celestia hummed in thought. “Prepare a detachment of guards. My sister and I will enter this… thing, along with Princess Twilight and her friends.” The guard saluted and hurried off to prepare a team. Fluttershy gulped loudly. “W-w-we’re going inside it?” The Princess of the Sun nodded. “I have a feeling that this new discovery may someday prove to be extremely beneficial. I would like to be able to share whatever we find in there with the rest of the world. But only if it’s safe. We have no idea what we’ll find in there.” Twilight beamed at that. This machine could hold so many secrets, and just as many answers! This could prove to be the find of the millennium! “This is incredible!” she said cheerfully. “Just think of all the things we could find in there! It may the remains of some sort of advanced precursor race, or—” “Or it could be aliens!” Pinkie Pie suddenly threw in, her eyes wide. “What if there are big, slimy, ugly monsters in there just waiting to eat our brains and turn us into their zombified servants!?” “I think you’d be pretty much safe from that, Pinkie,” Rainbow scoffed with a joking grin. “Aliens,” Twilight said snidely, making no effort to hide her rolling eyes. “Yeah, right. There’s no such thing as aliens, Pinkie.” “How do you know for sure?” Pinkie replied, eyeing the purple alicorn suspiciously. “That sounds an awful lot like something an alien would say! You might be an alien in disguise!” The young princess stared at the other mare, then sighed. “Pinkie, I’m not an alien. There is no such thing as aliens. And there never have been or will be.” With that said, the ponies all followed the guard, who led them to the towering entrance into the machine, where several other guards joined them, spears ready. The inside of the metal hulk was predictably dark, and felt as though not a single living creature had walked through its massive corridors in centuries or more. The group of ponies could practically feel just how ancient this bunker was. Whoever or whatever built this place, they certainly weren’t normal ponies, either, if they were ponies at all. The entrance was unnecessarily huge, and the hallways were even bigger. Along the hallway’s walls were massive doors that were apparently sealed shut somehow, and refused to open, even when Celestia, Luna, and Twilight attempted to force them open with a collective. They soon shared a theory that the doors were likely too old to be opened, or were somehow immune to magic. They also tossed around the idea that there might’ve been a sealing spell of some sort upon the doors, but nopony had sensed any form of magic in the bunker. Seeing as how they couldn’t open any other path, they just kept trotting down the hall. An eerie silence persisted amongst them as they walked through the corridor, eventually coming across a large chamber that housed massive chairs that were the size of small houses standing in front of black screens that had countless buttons, levers, and switches just beneath them. To the far end of the chamber was an assortment of enormous metal capsules of some sort, ten in total, though five of them were closed. The ponies spread out some to examine the chamber, the guards setting up a perimeter in case anything dangerous showed up. As the ponies looked around, Twilight felt herself curiously drawn to the mysterious pods at the far side. She eyed each of the closed ones closely, trying to figure out what could possibly be inside. It wasn’t long until Princess Celestia approached and joined the young alicorn. Twilight turned to Celestia, a questioning look on her face, but then faced the pods again. “What do you think is in these things?” she asked as she took a step closer to one of them, careful not to touch it. “I’m not certain,” the Solar Princess admitted, “but it would be best if we had more information before attempting to find out. It could be dangerous.” The younger princess nodded, but couldn’t help but feel as though there was something – for lack of a better word – big in those pods. Not just literally, but figuratively. Whatever secrets this bunker held could potentially change the world, for better or for worse. “Hey, everypony!” called Pinkie’s voice from atop one of the massive keyboards (what else could they have been?). “I think I found something! It’s a big, shiny, red button!” “Try not to touch it,” Rainbow Dash called from her place high up near the ceiling. “The last thing we need is this place collapsing on us because somepony activated a trap or something.” Just as she said that, however, the entire chamber suddenly lit up. Lights along the upper edges of the walls flared brightly as the large screens blazed to life, showing images of symbols and strange, primate-shaped creatures. “Pinkie!” The pink mare blushed with an awkward smile and stepped away from the button that she had pressed while Rainbow had been talking. “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.” One of the guards hurried over to Celestia and Twilight, who were now accompanied by Luna. “Your Highnesses, this place is starting to give the other guards the creeps, and I’d be lying if I said this bunker or whatever it is isn’t freaking me out as well. These unnatural lights aren’t making it any easier on morale.” Celestia gave an understanding nod. “This place appears to be active now, somehow,” she said. “Pinkie Pie must have activated some sort power source.” “Should we attempt to seek it out, sister?” Luna asked, genuinely curious. The elder princess thought on that for a few moments. “Perhaps. I suggest that we—” A loud hissing noise suddenly pierced the air. All eyes fell upon the source; the closed pods. Those pods were gradually opening, with some sort of mist pouring out as they did. They looked as though they were splitting in half, the opening widening with each passing second. All the ponies quickly gathered together in a close circle, the guards holding their weapons at the ready. Celestia and Luna both had their horns charged and ready to launch an attack if necessary. “Wh-wh-wh-what’s happening?” Fluttershy squeaked from her hiding place behind Rainbow Dash. Celestia narrowed her eyes as the pods finally stopped their motions, now fully open, but she couldn’t make out what was inside each of them from the angle she was at. “Keep your guard up, everypony,” she advised. Then, seconds passed, dragging on like hours as they waited for something to happen. It was far too quiet. Something had to come out of those pods eventually, and when it did, the ponies would have to be ready for anything. Suddenly, a mechanical whirring could be heard, and a massive, metallic, primate-like hand reached out from one of the pods, gripping its door and pulling out the owner of the hand. A towering, bipedal giant made of metal now stood just a few yards ahead of them. Its armor had red and white coloring that probably would’ve made it stand out, even among its own kind. After the red and white one, more giants came out of the pods, each of them vastly different in appearance and size. One was just a head shorter than the first one, and had a yellow color scheme with black stripes here and there. The smallest of them was a navy blue shade, and was strangely thin compared to the others. Another was heavyset in shape and had dark green coloring, and a lower jaw that looked like a massive shovel in the shape of a cleft chin. The last giant to step out of a pod was even taller than the green one. Its torso and arms were a bright red, and its lower legs and head were dark blue. It, as well as all the other giants, had glowing, sky blue eyes, and was bipedal. None of them seemed to have noticed the ponies just yet. Twilight stared at the giants in mixed apprehension and fascination. Were these golems of some kind? She had read that inanimate objects could be given life via magic to create new creatures for various reasons. That, however, still left the question of why. Why were they so big? What was their purpose? Who built them in the first place? And if this bunker is truly older than Canterlot, then how long have they been down here, locked inside those pods? “I feel like scrap,” a female voice suddenly said, coming from the small blue giant as it leaned back a little, as if stretching. “How long were we in stasis?” Before any of the other giants could reply, Fluttershy let out a tiny squeal of fear, which caught the giants’ attention. All five of them immediately faced the ponies, to which the guards held their weapons aimed at the metallic monoliths. “S-stand back!” one of the guards ordered. “Don’t come any closer!” The giants stared at them for a few moments before the red and white spoke: “And now we have an infestation of organics. Wonderful.” “Infestation?” Rarity said indignantly. “Are you implying that we’re like common rodents? Now, see here—” “Uh, Rarity?” Applejack said, tapping the white unicorn’s shoulder. “I don’t think we should go provokin’ ‘em. Ah mean… their smallest is as tall as your boutique.” After that statement was made, Celestia walked forward, past the guards who tried and failed to stop her. She stopped when she was just a few feet away from the largest of the giants, the one with the red torso. She looked up at it with a gaze that was more curious than anything else. “Sister,” Luna said in a warning tone, silently praying that these behemoths were friendly in some way or another. “Who and what are you?” she asked simply. The other four giants eyed her with clear suspicion, but the red and blue one only knelt down in front of the Solar Princess, most likely only to get a closer look at her. It looked briefly over to the guards, then back down to Celestia. “Your soldiers’ alarm is understandable,” it said in a powerful yet calm voice, “but you can rest assured that we mean your people no harm.” Celestia gave the giant an analytical look, trying to find any sort of sign that it was being dishonest. Its tone was serene, despite its baritone deepness, and it had what she could only assume was a sincere expression. She made her decision pretty quickly. “Guards, lower your weapons,” she ordered. “What?” one of the guards responded, surprised by her instruction. “But, Your Highness, with all due respect, we have no idea what these things—” He stopped when Celestia gave him a glare. “Er… y-yes, Your Highness.” He and the other soldiers lowered their weapons, but still stood ready. With that handled, Celestia faced the giant in front of her again. “Now, would you please answer my initial question?” “Certainly,” it replied. It was then that the ponies of Equestria first learned of the Autobots and their leader Optimus Prime. -o- How long had it been since they had departed? How many years had he been in search of his nemesis? Time was impossible to recognize after so great a duration amongst the stars. The vastness of the infinite void was astounding. Was his search in vain? Were his goals finally beyond his grasp? “My liege,” one of his many followers said, pulling him from his musings. “What is it?” he inquired impatiently. His follower stepped back slightly, likely out of fear for his own life. “Well… my lord… we’ve found them.” His eyes widened very slightly. It was almost imperceptible. “Where?” “We picked up a weak, centuries-old distress beacon on a relatively small planet in a nearby solar system.” “What do we know of this planet?” His follower shook his head. “Next to nothing, sire. It’s not on any maps. We’re currently in an uncharted portion of this galaxy. However, scans indicate that it’s inhabited by apparently sentient organic life forms.” He silently considered that for a few moments. Sentient organics would likely prove troublesome in one way or another, regardless of the inherently primitive nature of such creatures. But still, any minor troubles were well worth finding their ancient enemies. “Take us there,” he ordered. “Land somewhere we will not be seen by natives.” His follower nodded and headed off to spread out the order. Left by himself once again, he looked out the viewport of his personal quarters... and grinned. Finally, after countless years of hunting, he had found his prey. Discovery, Part 2Ours was once a proud and peaceful world. A place where we lived in harmony with one another. Cybertron was a beautiful world once… Fire erupted all around him, bolts of every color flying past his head, barely missing him and instead striking his comrades. He fought back against the urge to flee and returned fire against his aggressors, taking down at least two of them before having to take cover again. This was a losing battle, and he and the others knew it the moment they heard the plan, but it was their only hope if they wanted this accursed war to end someday. His thoughts were interrupted by a light tink by his feet. Looking down, he saw what it was. “Scrap!” he cursed as he leaped away from the grenade just before it blew, sending fragments scraping across his chassis. He screamed in pain as small chunks of metal blasted into his left leg. He found cover again behind a few old crates, fortunately, but his leg was rendered virtually useless. He checked his weapon’s charge level. It was low. Very low. He leaned back against his cover, listening as he heard the enemy draw closer, firing almost blindly into what was left of his squad. Low charge, a worthless leg, and near-hopeless odds? Nothing was looking good at the moment. “This ‘Ark’ thing better be worth it,” he thought aloud as he fired a few shots over his cover, hoping by the Allspark that he hit at least one of the ‘Cons beyond. “Seekers inbound!” one of his fellow soldiers cried just before being butchered like livestock by enemy fire. He turned his attention to the sky. Sure enough, there were Decepticon Seekers up there, all heading towards his squad to get to the Ark. One, however, stood out from the rest, being larger, and with bigger guns. He instantly recognized the flier with dread realization. “Primus, help us all,” he muttered as he reached to his comm-link. “Optimus! We’ve got a big problem here, and I doubt he’s here to make nice!” “I read you, Ironhide,” the voice of his leader replied over the link. “Hold your position. My team and I will be there to assist soon.” Ironhide could only groan as he heard some of the Seekers land. “Make it fast, Prime! I don’t know how much longer we’re gonna last out here! We don’t—” He was interrupted as a nearby explosion nearly deafened him. He could only hear a hideous ringing as somebody walked closer to him, their shadow draping over him with dark authority. He turned his head up to see who it was. He mentally cursed his own misfortune as the much-feared leader of the Decepticons himself readied his melee weapon, a large, viciously curved blade. -o- The Ark was our last hope. With Cybertron rendered inhospitable, even to us, we were left with no choice but to flee our homeworld. “Optimus, we’ve lost contact with Ironhide’s squad!” a fellow Autobot exclaimed. “Sir, we have to go, now!” Optimus looked out over what little remained of what was once a proud and beautiful world, scanning the devastated landscape with a deep sense of shame and remorse. For eons, Cybertron had been a world of peace, prosperity, freedom... and now all of that had been uprooted completely. Reluctantly, he turned away from his homeworld and faced the small yellow Autobot who had spoken to him. “Send word through all channels, Bumblebee,” he ordered. “All Autobots are to immediately retreat to the Ark. We launch within the hour.” The bot nodded and spread the word to as many others as he could, while Optimus made his way to one of his last lieutenants. The bot in question was busy coordinating last-minute adjustments to the Ark’s immense engines, barking orders at other Autobots who hurriedly obeyed. He turned to face his leader, to whom his nodded in acknowledgment. “The ‘Cons are getting close, aren’t they?” he said more than asked. Optimus nodded grimly. “I fear we may not get as many Autobots off-world as we originally planned, Ratchet. The enemy is drawing too close.” The medic sighed, almost sounding defeated. That had been a fear they had both shared since this project began. They had both doubted that they could’ve saved every possible Autobot on the planet. With the Decepticons just behind them, banging on their door, those fears only seemed that much more real. Countless good soldiers had fallen at this point, whether in battle or by the underhanded tactics that the Decepticons had employed – viral warfare, suicide bombers, sleeper agents. The list was almost endless. “Optimus,” Bumblebee spoke up. “The message is sent. Now… what? We just wait for them?” “Go board the Ark, Bumblebee,” Prime stated, dodging the question. “Ratchet and I will handle things from here. Tell the rest of our team to meet you at the ship’s bridge. We will join you momentarily.” The young bot nodded and hesitantly obliged, making his way onboard the enormous vessel. Once Bumblebee was out of earshot, Ratchet said, “I’m not going to lie, Optimus; I don’t like our odds. Chances are, the Decepticons will get to us long before the Ark breaches the atmosphere.” “We will simply have to have faith, old friend.” Optimus turned away from the old medic and looked off to the direction in which the Decepticons were storming in from. He would never say it out loud, but he hated this plan. He would rather be out there, fighting by the sides of his brethren, ensuring that everyone else had a shot at making it off Cybertron. He truly and utterly despised the idea of running away, but he had been left with only one other option: risk the complete extinction of the Autobots. And he wasn’t about to let that happen anytime soon. The two of them stood there, waiting for more of their people to arrive. They had at least twenty squads guarding all possible routes to the Ark, all commanded by soldiers that had been handpicked by Optimus himself. They were among the best of the best that the Autobots had to offer. Only nine squads returned. Some of them had only a third of their original number; those were the lucky ones. As the minutes ticked away, Optimus could gradually feel his hopes trickling away with the time. He had prayed to Primus and any other deity that might have been looking down at him that his people would be safe. Indeed, some of them were. But not enough. Too many had died. Or worse. Soon, the allotted time ran out, and Optimus and Ratchet went to join their comrades aboard the Ark. -o- “We managed to break the atmosphere and headed for the nearest space bridge,” Optimus said as he gradually grew closer to the end of his people’s story. They had since moved from the caves and out into the gardens, where Celestia had ordered her guards to form a perimeter so that no civilians would see the Autobots and possibly incite a panic, and had set up an illusory barrier as a precaution. The Autobots didn’t argue. In fact, Optimus had agreed that it was likely for the best that their presence be kept a secret until further notice. “The bridge would have allowed us to escape to anywhere else in the known galaxy,” the leader of the Autobots continued. “However, the Decepticons had foreseen our use of it, and sabotaged it. Once we entered the bridge, it detonated, flinging us far off of our original course. The residual energies of the space bridge had warped many of our comrades and supplies off of the Ark, and to places yet unknown to us. With supplies drastically limited, we were left with no choice but to enter stasis to conserve our remaining resources.” “Until we woke you,” Luna said, feeling genuine sympathy for the towering aliens. “It must have been hard for you all to leave your world. I cannot imagine what that is like.” “It wasn’t easy,” the blue Autobot, apparently a female named Arcee, said, seeming somewhat distant. “We lost a lot of good bots along the way. Most of them were our friends.” Optimus nodded with a grim expression, then faced Celestia again. “We apologize for causing your people any concern. If necessary, we will remain in hiding until we are able to leave this planet.” “I see,” the Solar Princess said. She turned to the other ponies briefly, thinking on what to do next. Here, she had five giant, sentient, alien robots when nopony, not even Celestia herself, believed that aliens truly existed except in works of fiction. She returned her focus on Optimus Prime, who was patiently waiting for her response. She then looked to the other four aliens. The red and white one, Ratchet, claimed to be their field medic. She wasn’t sure if repairing damage to a robot could be considered a practice of medicine, but she assumed that “field medic” sounded much more appealing than “repair bot.” He seemed to be older than the others, bearing several scratches on his metal plating, and missing small bits of his armor. He was clearly a war veteran, if the look in his eyes (?) was any indication. He had seen things that most creatures should never see. Arcee was the smallest of them, and apparently the only female of the group. She had the look of a career soldier, but certainly lacked the experience that Ratchet must’ve had. Something about her reminded her of Luna; she seemed to have some kind of chip on her shoulder that clearly still bugged her to no end. Hopefully, she would be able to put whatever it was in the past before she did something she’ll inevitably regret. Then there was the yellow and black one. He called himself Bumblebee. An odd name for a robot, but she wasn’t about to argue. Their own names would likely sound strange to the Autobots. He was taller than Arcee, but he had a much more optimistic air about him. He was, without a doubt, the youngest of them, the least experienced, and the most naïve. That actually comforted her a little. A little optimism despite the situation was always welcome. Lastly, there was Bulkhead. He bore a dark green color scheme and was taller than the rest, shorter only than Optimus himself. This Autobot lived up to his name as well, being larger than the others, not only in height, but in width as well. She didn’t know whether she could call it muscle or not, but whatever it was, Bulkhead had it in spades. She also got the sense that he was a lot smarter than his name and appearance let on. Celestia thought on what she should do for a few moments more. She considered every option until one in particular came to mind. She smiled and looked up at Optimus as she finalized the idea in her mind. “Optimus Prime, we welcome you and your fellow Autobots to stay here in Equestria for as long as you need. However, I doubt that we’ll be able to keep the five of you a secret forever.” Optimus looked around at the castle garden, likely analyzing the area, and eventually nodded. “I agree. This place does not seem advanced enough to have machines that we could impersonate. Although I believe it would be for the best to reveal our presence slowly.” “Agreed,” Luna replied with a nod. “We do not want the citizens of Equestria to panic.” “And how can we not cause a panic?” Arcee inquired in a slightly snide manner. “Perhaps you could all reveal yourselves one at a time,” Twilight suggested. “You’ll show up at varying intervals. We could then claim that we’re working on helping the first Autobot to restore the others. It’d be easier for civilian ponies to accept it that way. I hope.” Celestia nodded. “That could work. We’ll just need to decide which Autobot to reveal first.” “Optimus is our leader,” Ratchet pointed out. “He should be the one to make contact with your civilians.” “No. He’s much too imposing a presence. No offense, Optimus.” Optimus nodded. “I understand. Besides, I have an idea for who should make first contact.” He turned and motioned to Bumblebee. “Our scout here shall be our first ambassador to your people.” The yellow bot stared at his leader and looked to his friends, then pointed to himself. “What, me? You want me to be the first one to meet their people?” “Well, he’s at least far less intimidating than the others,” Rarity whispered to the others, which Pinkie Pie giggled at. Optimus placed a hand on Bumblebee’s shoulder. “You are the best option. As Celestia said, I am too imposing, as is Bulkhead. Ratchet and Arcee’s personalities are too distant to set up good relations with the native creatures of this planet. You, however, are not just a warrior, but a peacemaker as well. We will need to be on friendly terms with the peoples of this world for as long as we remain.” Bumblebee was silent for a while after that. He seemed to be contemplating the responsibility that Optimus had just placed upon him. Celestia could see the conflict in his expression. She could understand what he must’ve been thinking. He was definitely young, and was already being saddled with such an immense responsibility as introducing his race to another, vastly different civilization. Not an easy task; she knew this from personal experience. Eventually, Bumblebee nodded. “I’ll do it.” “And, of course, we’ll aid him where we can,” Celestia assured the other Autobots. “We will inform him of anything he’ll need to know.” “Your assistance is very much appreciated,” Optimus said with a calm gratitude. “It’s our pleasure,” the Solar Princess replied. She faced Bumblebee. “Princess Twilight here will answer any questions you may have.” “Wait, what?” said Twilight with a disbelieving shake of her head. “I mean, not that I wouldn’t want to, but—” “Twilight, you’re currently the most qualified. Luna and I have too many duties to attend to in order to properly advise our new friends.” She leaned in fairly closely. “Besides, I thought you would jump at the opportunity to learn about a culture that has never been documented by any pony scholars?” Twilight’s mouth hung open for a few moments, her brain processing the information she had just received. She beamed. “Well, what are waiting for?” the young alicorn said as she flew up excitedly to Bumblebee, a broad grin on her face. “I have to get some things to write notes, set up some flashcards to test each other on what we’ve learned, get books on history and culture!” She released a barely contained squeal of joy. “Guard! Somepony get me all those things I just mentioned! This is going to be so great!” One of the guards nodded and headed off. While Twilight had her nerd-out, Bumblebee gave Celestia a confused look that made her giggle. Something told her that life in Equestria, on all of Equus, was about to get a bit more interesting. -o- About an hour after their meeting, Ratchet was overjoyed that he could get back to the Ark and start on fixing the damaged systems without the distraction of the tiny organic creatures that were now infesting this once proud vessel. Sparks flew as he welded several broken components back into place, then recalibrated them so that they would get back into working order. Unfortunately, since the Ark was buried underground, almost two miles beneath any form of civilization, they wouldn’t be able to just take off. The engines were practically beyond repair, anyway. Worse yet, the on-board space bridge was completely fried. He could possibly get it back into working order, but its range would be significantly limited until he could get his hands on some working equipment, which he doubted he could find on this primitive world. They didn’t even have automobiles of any kind here, let alone parts for a working space bridge! Still, this “ground bridge,” as he decided on calling it, would be better than nothing. At the very least, they would be able to get anywhere on this planet with relative ease. All they would need is a steady supply of Energon. But where in the name of Primus would they get Energon on a planet inhabited by organics? As he worked, he didn’t notice a little shadow creeping up on him, climbing upon numerous cables with ease until it was just a few feet away from him. Suddenly, a cannon blast roared throughout the room, and a ball of confetti slammed right into his face, actually throwing him off balance and putting him on his guard, his wrist-mounted blades active and ready. He dropped his war face when he saw one of the organics, the pink one, specifically, beaming at him from behind a primitive cannon that was smoking at the barrel. “Surprise!” she squealed in a grating, high-pitched voice. Ratchet stared at her and shook his head. “Who in the name of Primus and all things holy gave you a cannon? And how did you even get it up on that ledge in the first place?” “It’s my Party Cannon!” she exclaimed happily. “I use it to help set up parties and make ponies happy! Or giant alien robots in this case.” Ratchet stared at the little pink pony for several moments before shaking his head and groaning, pinching at the point between his optics. "Look... what was your name?" "I'm Pinkie Pie!" she said with an enthusiastic grin. "But all my friends just call me Pinkie!" The old medic sighed. "All right, look. I'm working on something very important, and I need peace and quiet to get it done. Do I make myself clear?" "Okie-dokie-lokie!" the young mare replied with a nod as Ratchet got back to work. "By the way, I just thought I'd let you know that there's a weird blippy thing on the monitor thingumajig." "What?" He looked to the monitors, which, sure enough, showed that they were picking up a particularly large energy signature. His optics widened. “By the Allspark... that can't be right.” He ran a few numbers on the console. The source of energy was unmistakable. He quickly opened a comm channel. "Optimus, it's Ratchet. I've found something you need to see." -o- "My liege," a nameless drone said from behind his master. "We've picked up a potent energy signature near the planet's north pole. It appears to be a massive Energon deposit." "Energon?" the overlord questioned. What was Energon doing on a planet inhabited by organics? It didn't seem to make much sense at first. Perhaps this was one of many worlds used as stockpiles during the war? He activated a nearby console. "Change course. Take us to the source of the Energon signature." "At once, Master," came the reply of one of his top lieutenants. The overlord nodded and dismissed the drone who had informed him of this development. Already, this world was beginning to show promise. Discovery, Part 3Bumblebee had been through a great many things in his relatively short life. He had seen his homeworld devastated by weapons of mass destruction, witnessed fellow Autobots torn apart by merciless Decepticon troopers, by Primus, he once even had to collapse several buildings on top of a 'Con the size of one of the buildings he had seen in this city that these ponies called Canterlot. None of that could have ever prepared him for Twilight Sparkle. "Is 'Autobots' short for something? What's Cybertron like? Is it in this galaxy or another one entirely? What sort of government did you have before your war against the Decepticons? How do you choose your leaders? What manner of religions do you have, if any? Is it polytheistic, monotheistic, or do you not have religion on your world?" Twilight's questions came at a lightyear per second, one after the other. It got to the point where he was actually silently praying to Primus that she would stop. He answered to the best of his ability, of course, but a little part of him died when she just came up with new questions. Until she four magical words that made him mentally scream with immature glee. "All right, last question," she said as she wrote down several notes. I remember Optimus Prime mentioned something about 'impersonating machines.' Would you mind elaborating on that?" "Sure. But it'd be a lot easier just to show you." When Twilight gave him a curious look, Bumblebee stood from his sitting position. Suddenly, his body began shifting, parts moving around and sliding into various new points on his form. In that one second of transformation, he also made a peculiar sound that piqued the young alicorn's curiosity further. By the time it was over, Bumblebee resembled a large, metallic carriage of some kind, with a color scheme that matched Bumblebee's. He could've easily passed for a new model of horse-drawn carriage. A luxury model, maybe. He could probably fit herself and the other princesses inside comfortably, if a bit snug. "It's a trait that most Cybertronian creatures share," Bumblebee said in his alternate form, his voice sounding as though it was coming through a radio. "We usually have one alternate form, most often a vehicle of some kind. This form I'm in is a courier car, modified for stealth reconnaissance and scouting." "Courier car?" Twilight parroted. "So you were a messenger before the war?" At the question, Bumblebee transformed back into his original bipedal form, a sorrowful look in his eyes. "Not exactly," he said sullenly. "I... I never saw Cybertron before the war. I was born in the later years, just about eighteen years before we began construction on the Ark." Twilight raised a hoof to her mouth, shocked to near speechlessness. She couldn't imagine what it must be like for him, to have been born to a world at war. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say; unsure of what she could say. "It's okay," he assured her. "Besides, I—" There was a sudden beep, and Bumblebee raised his hand to where an organic being's right ear would be, touching the side of his head with two fingers. "Autobots," announced the voice of Optimus Prime, "report back to the Ark at once. Teletraan-1 has detected something of extreme interest. Bumblebee, bring the princesses and their associates. I believe they will want to see this as well." Bumblebee nodded and removed his hand from his head. "You heard him," the young scout stated simply. "Let's go get your friends." "Wait a minute. That was Optimus's voice." Bumblebee could already see where this was going. "Radio communications built into our audio receptors. It lets us communicate over large distances." He then motioned for her to follow. "Come on. It's best not to keep a Prime waiting." -o- Ratchet didn't like the idea of sharing this information with non-Autobots. It didn't sit right with him. How could they be sure that these 'ponies' could be trusted? Sure, they seemed open enough, but he didn't like it one bit. One look to Optimus, however, made him stifle his concerns. "What is this all about?" asked Princess Luna. She seemed to be rather on the fence regarding the Autobots. Once again, Ratchet faced Optimus, who merely nodded. Sighing, Ratchet brought up the readings again. "Teletraan-1, the Ark's onboard computer system, has discovered an enormous energy signature near your world's north pole. We believe the source to be a massive deposit of Energon." "Energon?" Celestia inquired. Optimus nodded. "It is the fuel and lifeblood of all Cybertronian life," explained the Autobot leader. "Upon learning of this discovery, I had Ratchet run a planetary scan of your world. This planet you call Equus appears to be rich in Energon." "Hold on a minute," Rainbow Dash demanded, flying up to Optimus's face with a skeptical look in her eyes. "If that Ener-whatever is some kinda alien fuel or something, then why is it here and not on Cyberdon or whatever?" "Cybertron," Ratchet corrected indignantly. "And if you must know, it's likely that this world is one of many that were used during the war to hide stockpiles of Energon from enemy forces. Both Autobots and Decepticons alike utilized the tactic to keep the other side from getting their hands on their stock.” That seemed to be enough for the cyan mare for now, as she descended closer to the ground, hovering by her friends. Twilight stepped forward and said, “Perhaps we can help somehow. We’re natives, and thus, have greater knowledge of the planet than you do. Besides, if we know what Energon looks like, we could help you find more.” The Autobots looked to each other silently. Arcee shook her head. She didn’t want the ponies getting too close to the matter, it seemed. Ratchet wholeheartedly agreed. Bulkhead only shrugged, unsure, while Bumblebee merely looked to Optimus, who considered the young alicorn’s proposal. It made sense, he assumed. The ponies would know the lay of the land far better. And besides, this world seemed relatively out of the way, most likely the reason why Energon had been stored here in the first place. He soon nodded. “We will submit to your judgment on the matter of this world’s geography.” He turned to a slightly annoyed Ratchet. “Do you have the coordinates?” “Of course,” the medic answered quickly. “Thankfully, however, you won’t have to walk.” He motioned for everyone to follow, and led the way through the Ark and into a chamber that had some kind of arch at the end of it. There were several consoles nearby, with a large lever just waiting to be pulled. “You didn’t,” Arcee said with astonishment as she realized what Ratchet had planned. “Oh, I did.” “Oh, did what, did what?” Pinkie Pie asked as she bounced on her hooves excitedly. Ratchet ignored the pink mare and made for the consoles, where he tapped a few buttons and headed for the lever. “Coordinates locked in,” he said dramatically. He pulled the lever, and something happened that made all the ponies’ jaws drop. The arch lit up, lights spiraling around its outside for a brief moment it began to hum loudly. Within the arch came a bright, green light, white in the center, with the occasional flicker of blue sparking out. “Say hello to the ground bridge,” Ratchet declared with a hint of pride in his voice. “The Ark’s original onboard space bridge was heavily damaged during our escape from Cybertron, but I was able to repair it. However, it can only reach locations on this planet. Any further than the opposite side of the world would put serious strain on the bridge.” He felt a hand on his shoulder, and faced Optimus Prime, who nodded his approval. “Your work never ceases to amaze, old friend.” Prime then turned to the other Autobots and the ponies. “Get ready to move out. This is strictly reconnaissance. As for our new allies, I recommend caution. Raw Energon can sometimes be extremely volatile. Also, bridging can be an odd feeling your first time going. Most organic races experience slight nausea and tend to feel as though their skeletal structures are vibrating. I am uncertain if you will feel the same symptoms, but it is very likely.” “Thanks for the heads-up,” Applejack stated, “but I reckon we’ll be fine. We’ve all been through way worse than feelin’ a might sick.” Optimus nodded and turned to enter the ground bridge, followed by the other Autobots, excluding Ratchet. Once their bodies touched it, they vanished like mist. Twilight eagerly made a mental note to ask Ratchet about Cybertronian technology the first chance she got. Just as she was about to head for the bridge portal, she stopped and turned to Celestia and Luna. “Are you coming?” she asked. “I’m afraid not,” the Solar Princess replied. “Luna and I must both remain in Canterlot. As exciting as all of this is, we still have duties that need to be seen to.” She smiled warmly, giggling slightly. “I do hope that you make some exciting discoveries on this little expedition with our new friends.” Twilight nodded with a grateful and excited smile, then made for the bridge portal with her friends following suit. The instant she came through it, however, she regretted it. Sudden cold stung her whole body, the rapid change in positioning throwing her completely off balance, making her feel as though she were about to puke out her entire digestive tract, stomach and all. Her friends didn’t seem to fare much better. Even Pinkie Pie looked more than little woozy, and she spent half her time spinning like a top. Rarity made a belching sound that sounded like the kind that foreshadowed vomit. Worst of all, Optimus had been right about the skeletal vibrations. She felt like her skeleton was breakdancing inside her head, trying to get free of her skin. It was anything but pleasant. The Autobots patiently waited for the ponies recover their senses and adjust to the climate, which took a few minutes. After another few moments, the group scanned the area. They were surrounded by white, the land blanketed in icy snow. The ponies identified the location as the Frozen North, a land of snow and blizzards with only one safe haven from the cold. “Over there!” Bumblebee exclaimed suddenly, pointing to massive mound of crystals that appeared free of snow. “There’s the Energon!” Twilight beamed at first, thrilled to be able to see an alien energy source. Then, her eyes widened, as did those of her friends. Directly ahead of them was none other than- “The Crystal Empire,” Fluttershy muttered in bafflement. “The what?” Bulkhead asked in confusion. “That’s the Crystal Empire!” Twilight exclaimed in shock, awe, slight fear, and an astounding level of nervousness. “This can’t be right. Ratchet must’ve sent us to the wrong location!” Optimus Prime stared at Twilight, surprise evident in his expression, then looked the Empire. He activated his comm-link. “Ratchet, are you sure you sent us to the right coordinates?” “Of course I did,” the medic replied. “You sure, Doc?” Bulkhead asked. “‘Cause Twilight says we’re looking at a city, not an Energon deposit.” “What? But I…” Ratchet trailed off, going silent for several moments before speaking again. “Great Primus… Optimus, I just ran a scan of the area. There are a multitude of life forms within that… city, and all of them but three match up with Energon signatures, and are blending with the Energon around them. That city is the Energon deposit, and its citizens are practically living Energon themselves.” “Wait, how is that possible?” Rarity asked. “The crystal ponies aren’t living batteries!” Both Twilight and Optimus shared a look. In almost an instant, they came to the same conclusion. “They evolved around the Energon,” Twilight spoke, her tone a combination of excitement at such a monumental discovery and fear of what the Autobots might do with this new information. “They what?” Pinkie asked with her head tilted in confusion. “It stands to reason that these ‘crystal ponies,’ as you call them,” Optimus began to elaborate, “developed over the generations to become similar to the energy given off by Energon, becoming similar to the very crystals that make up their home.” “Okay,” Arcee said slowly. “So, now what? We can’t just go in there and ask them to give us some of their buildings.” Twilight stepped forward. “Maybe my friends and I can help you here. I’m friends with Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire, and her husband is my brother. I’m sure I can talk them into negotiating something with—” “Hold a minute,” came Ratchet’s voice. “Optimus, I’m picking up another energy signature. Airborne, heading for the position of the Energon city, and… by the Allspark.” “Ratchet, what is it?” Prime asked, though sounded just as much like a demand. “Optimus… it’s the Nemesis.” The Autobots’ eyes widened. “Ah, scrap,” Arcee cursed. “N-Nemesis?” Fluttershy stammered. “The Decepticon fleet’s flagship,” Bulkhead explained. “Captained by none other than the leader of the ‘Cons himself.” “Megatron,” Optimus said, his voice lace with ill omen. Twilight’s eyes went wide. Bumblebee had told her enough about the Decepticons to know for a fact that they were bad news. The fact that even Optimus seemed reluctant was a testament to that. “If the Decepticons are here, then we have to get to the Crystal Empire and warn Cadance and Shining Armor!” “Agreed.” The last Prime turned to his comrades. “Bumblebee, Arcee, Bulkhead, form a perimeter around the city and keep an eye out for the Decepticons. If any of you find anything, alert the others at once. Remember to stay out of sight of civilians. I will go into the city with Twilight and the others warn its leaders of this imminent threat.” The Autobots saluted, then transformed, Bumblebee into the form he had taken as a demonstration to Twilight, Arcee into a smaller machine with only two wheels, probably something meant for infiltration, while Bulkhead became a large, imposing machine as big as a small house and looked as though it could plow through anything and everything in its path. The ponies, save for Twilight stared with gaping jaws. “What—” Applejack began. “I’ll explain it later,” Twilight assured her friends. “For now, our priority is to warn Cadance and Shining about the Decepticons.” She turned to Optimus. “Let’s go.” Optimus nodded. “Autobots, roll out!” With that, he transformed as well, becoming a machine as big as Bulkhead’s alternate form, but with a slimmer rear the same color as his legs, the main body of the machine matching his torso’s color. The other Autobots immediately darted for the city, splitting up to form a perimeter while staying just outside the view of the native ponies. -o- It was another beautiful day in the Crystal Empire. The sun shone brightly in the sky, which didn't have a single cloud obstructing its view. It was a wonderful, peaceful, quiet day. And it was painfully slow. Cadance groaned, boredom enveloping her. Nothing exciting had really happened recently. The only thing she had to do was - she shuddered - paperwork. Celestia had warned her about the bane of every leader's existence when she first became a princess, but she hadn't taken her adopted aunt seriously regarding the matter. She just thought the Solar Princess had been exaggerating. She was not. Cadance gave a sigh of relief whenever she finished a stack of torture, only to grumble expletives under her breath when presented with even more. She swore that if something interesting didn’t happen within the next five minutes, she was going to go stir crazy and make her own fun. The doors to her throne room opened, and one of her guards, the Equestrian representative Flash Sentry, walked in. He looked unsettled for some reason. “Uh… Your Highness?” “Yes?” “Princess Twilight Sparkle is here with her friends and, er… another guest.” “Twilight?” Cadance perked up with a grin. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let her in!” Flash swallowed. “Uh… see, there’s a problem with that, Princess. Her guest is… well… he’s… rather large. He won’t fit through the doors.” ‘Won’t fit?’ That was odd. The doors to the palace were designed so that even the tallest minotaurs could walk through them easily. “What do you mean he won’t fit?” “It’s… easier just to show you, Your Highness.” -o- Flash was indeed correct. It was far simpler for Cadance to see it than for it to be explained in words. Still, it was extremely difficult for the Crystal Princess to process, even seeing it in person. Shining Armor was there, too, and he shared in his wife’s awestruck confusion and slack-jawed speechlessness. “Optimus,” Twilight said to the towering machine standing to her right, “this is my brother Shining Armor, and his wife, and my oldest friend, Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire. Cadance, Shining, this-” she motioned to the one she called Optimus “-is Optimus Prime, the leader of a race of machine people called the Autobots.” “It is an honor to meet you both,” said Optimus Prime, who gave a respectful nod to the both of them. “Though I wish the circumstances could have been better.” Cadance shook her head, trying to rid herself of her shock. “Wh-what do you mean ‘circumstances?’” “We have recently discovered that your city is composed not of simple crystals, as you believe,” Prime answered in a deep, solemn tone, “but of Energon.” “Energon is like their fuel,” Twilight explained. Optimus nodded. “And I fear that our enemies, the Decepticons, have found both us Autobots and your city. They will likely destroy or enslave your people, and claim this city as the first of likely many Energon mines that they will form on this planet.” “And to make things worse,” said Rainbow Dash, who zoomed up to the royal couple, “they think that the big boss of those Deca-whatever guys is coming with the rest of them.” “Question,” said Shining. “How do we know you’re telling the truth? How do we know you’re not a threat, too?” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Shining, if Optimus and the other Autobots were a threat, then the Crystal Heart’s barrier wouldn’t have let them through.” “Crystal Heart?” Optimus asked with a raised eyebrow. Cadance motioned to said relic, which floated in the center of the palace courtyard. “It’s an ancient and powerful artifact that keeps the Empire safe those who would seek to do harm to us. It’s not perfect, I’ll admit, but it’s done its job well enough so far. It should protect us from your enemies, too.” Prime considered that in silence for a few moments before firmly shaking his head. “There is no barrier in this universe powerful enough to keep Megatron and his Decepticons from his goals forever. They will find a way through eventually.” “Then we’ll fight them if they do,” Shining replied adamantly. “Ya mean fight an army o’ guys like him?” Applejack inquired skeptically, waving a hoof at Optimus. Shining eyed the metal titan for several moments. He then shook his head. “A fair point, but regardless, we can’t just sit back and let these Decepticons have their way with our city.” “They will not,” Optimus said in complete agreement. “As long as Energon flows through my veins, the Decepticons will not claim even a single building or life from your city. On this, you have my word.” A beeping sound emanated from Optimus’s head, and he raised two fingers to where an ear would be. “Optimus,” said the voice of Arcee, “I have good news and bad news. I have a visual of the Nemesis.” She didn’t say anything else. “Understood, Arcee. Transmit your coordinates to the others and hold your position. We’ll be there shortly.” He lowered his hand from his head. “I must go. My team and I will hold the Decepticons as long as possible. I suggest you evacuate as many of your people from the city as you can.” “Hold on a minute!” Shining hollered. “Who were you just talking to? What team?” “I’ll explain later,” Twilight answered before Optimus had a chance to. “Listen, all you need to know is that Optimus and his team are the good guys, and they’re going to do their best to keep the Crystal Empire safe from harm.” "But—" "Shiny, please." Twilight's expression was a pleading one, quietly begging her brother to give them a chance. He resisted with all his might, he truly did. "Fine," he groaned in defeat. He faced Optimus Prime. "I'd better not regret this." "You will not," he assured them all before transforming, much to the shock of all but Twilight and her friends. Cadance, after a much-needed shaking of her head, faced Twilight, an unsure look in her eyes. “So, what now?” The younger princess hung her head and gave weak shrug. She truly had no idea what to do next. She was smart, but she was no soldier. She knew plenty of combat spells, sure, but they were strictly for self-defense, not all-out combat with sentient metal behemoths. Only one idea came to mind for her. “We wait.”
Discovery, Part 1The castle of Canterlot was as welcoming as it was imposing to Twilight. Having lived half her life there as Celestia’s personal protégé, she had grown used to the strange aura that the great palace seemed to give off. It was an aura that was both comforting and nerve-racking at the same time. Definitely an odd combination that took a lot of getting used to. A few days had passed since they had given up the Elements of Harmony to save the Tree of Harmony from the relentless Plunder Vines. Things had calmed down somewhat since then. The Everfree Forest was gradually becoming more tame, though it was still a dangerous place, where wild beasts roamed, just waiting for an unwary passerby to stumble into the cursed woodland. Even Discord was (somewhat) under control, thanks to his close friendship with Fluttershy, and the fact that he was actually beginning to enjoy helping ponies and other races all across the wide world of Equus. Now, the six friends had once again been summoned by the Solar Princess. As Twilight and her friends walked through the halls of the castle, the young alicorn couldn’t help but wonder why, exactly, Celestia might’ve summoned them here. The letter that the sun princess had sent was pretty vague, only saying that something had been found, and that she and her friends might be interested in seeing it. There was nothing in the message that fully explained what needed investigating, or if there was any sort of actual danger. ‘I guess we’ll find out soon enough,’ she thought as they finally stepped through the doorway to the throne room, where both Celestia and Luna were conversing about something. “You need to be more careful, sister,” Luna said in a warning tone. “This… thing that we have uncovered… We do not know what it may contain. It could be dangerous.” “Trust me, Luna,” Celestia replied in a calm, sure voice. “I’ve taken precautions. Guards have been ordered to keep an eye on it and to make sure no civilians see it. If word got out about this, it could cause a panic. And I’ve sent for- ah!” Celestia beamed when she saw the Mane 6 enter the room. “Great timing, my little ponies.” Out of pure habit, Twilight bowed respectfully to the Princess of the Sun, her friends following suit, and said, “Why did you send for us, Princess? You didn’t elaborate much in your letter.” Celestia nodded. “I couldn’t risk anypony else learning about this,” she explained. “As you know, ever since the Changeling Incident, I have had guards, miners, and explorers-for-hire working to fully map out the Canterlot Caves so that they can’t be used against us again, should a future threat make itself known.” Some of the six friends looked to each other, either with curious or nervous expressions. “So,” Applejack spoke up. “You’re sayin’ that you found somethin’ down there?” “That is correct,” Luna answered. “Some kind of… machine. We know not where it comes from, or even what it is for, but it is clearly not of Equestrian origin.” “So it’s foreign?” Rarity asked. Celestia shook her head. “It would be much easier to simply show you rather than to explain with words. Come.” -o- It was unbelievable. Astounding. The metallic hulk lying covered in dirt was absolutely massive, far larger than anything that any of them had ever seen before. It was made of some kind of metal that was unlike anything ever discovered. Whenever somepony’s pickaxe hit it, the blade shattered on contact. The machine was coated in centuries worth of dust and grime, but its yellow and red colors were still fairly easy to make out. Upon one area of the machine was even a bright red symbol of some sort. A shield, perhaps, in the shape of strange, somber-looking face. Twilight could only stare in awe at it. She had no idea what it was, but her scientific curiosity would inevitably force her to try and find out. She approached the enormous machine. What was it? Where had it come from? How long had it been here? What was its purpose? So many questions ran rampant through her mind, with no answers in sight. This was discovery at its best. “As I said earlier,” Princess Celestia said, pulling Twilight’s attention away from the metal thing, “we don’t know what it is. All we do know is that it has been here for a very long time. It may even predate all of ponykind by a great margin.” “We have several guards and scholars looking around this… thing,” Luna continued. “From what we have learned so far, it has a vaguely similar design to Equestrian airships. It may serve the same function.” “An airship?” Rainbow inquired skeptically. “This thing’s huge! How could it possibly fly?” The royal sisters looked to each other, both clearly thinking on that query. “We’re not certain,” Celestia answered after several seconds. “It might serve a completely different purpose. A bunker, maybe. But for now, nothing is certain. All we have at the moment are theories.” “And shaky ones at that,” Luna stated. “We are currently waiting for our scouting parties to return. They may be able to—” “Excuse me,” a new voice spoke up. A guard had just arrived. “Forgive my interruption, Your Highness, but one of the teams has returned.” “What news?” Celestia inquired. “They seem to have found a way into the machine,” the guard stated, pointing over towards what appeared to be the front of the thing. “A way inside?” Rarity parroted. The guard only nodded in response. Celestia hummed in thought. “Prepare a detachment of guards. My sister and I will enter this… thing, along with Princess Twilight and her friends.” The guard saluted and hurried off to prepare a team. Fluttershy gulped loudly. “W-w-we’re going inside it?” The Princess of the Sun nodded. “I have a feeling that this new discovery may someday prove to be extremely beneficial. I would like to be able to share whatever we find in there with the rest of the world. But only if it’s safe. We have no idea what we’ll find in there.” Twilight beamed at that. This machine could hold so many secrets, and just as many answers! This could prove to be the find of the millennium! “This is incredible!” she said cheerfully. “Just think of all the things we could find in there! It may the remains of some sort of advanced precursor race, or—” “Or it could be aliens!” Pinkie Pie suddenly threw in, her eyes wide. “What if there are big, slimy, ugly monsters in there just waiting to eat our brains and turn us into their zombified servants!?” “I think you’d be pretty much safe from that, Pinkie,” Rainbow scoffed with a joking grin. “Aliens,” Twilight said snidely, making no effort to hide her rolling eyes. “Yeah, right. There’s no such thing as aliens, Pinkie.” “How do you know for sure?” Pinkie replied, eyeing the purple alicorn suspiciously. “That sounds an awful lot like something an alien would say! You might be an alien in disguise!” The young princess stared at the other mare, then sighed. “Pinkie, I’m not an alien. There is no such thing as aliens. And there never have been or will be.” With that said, the ponies all followed the guard, who led them to the towering entrance into the machine, where several other guards joined them, spears ready. The inside of the metal hulk was predictably dark, and felt as though not a single living creature had walked through its massive corridors in centuries or more. The group of ponies could practically feel just how ancient this bunker was. Whoever or whatever built this place, they certainly weren’t normal ponies, either, if they were ponies at all. The entrance was unnecessarily huge, and the hallways were even bigger. Along the hallway’s walls were massive doors that were apparently sealed shut somehow, and refused to open, even when Celestia, Luna, and Twilight attempted to force them open with a collective. They soon shared a theory that the doors were likely too old to be opened, or were somehow immune to magic. They also tossed around the idea that there might’ve been a sealing spell of some sort upon the doors, but nopony had sensed any form of magic in the bunker. Seeing as how they couldn’t open any other path, they just kept trotting down the hall. An eerie silence persisted amongst them as they walked through the corridor, eventually coming across a large chamber that housed massive chairs that were the size of small houses standing in front of black screens that had countless buttons, levers, and switches just beneath them. To the far end of the chamber was an assortment of enormous metal capsules of some sort, ten in total, though five of them were closed. The ponies spread out some to examine the chamber, the guards setting up a perimeter in case anything dangerous showed up. As the ponies looked around, Twilight felt herself curiously drawn to the mysterious pods at the far side. She eyed each of the closed ones closely, trying to figure out what could possibly be inside. It wasn’t long until Princess Celestia approached and joined the young alicorn. Twilight turned to Celestia, a questioning look on her face, but then faced the pods again. “What do you think is in these things?” she asked as she took a step closer to one of them, careful not to touch it. “I’m not certain,” the Solar Princess admitted, “but it would be best if we had more information before attempting to find out. It could be dangerous.” The younger princess nodded, but couldn’t help but feel as though there was something – for lack of a better word – big in those pods. Not just literally, but figuratively. Whatever secrets this bunker held could potentially change the world, for better or for worse. “Hey, everypony!” called Pinkie’s voice from atop one of the massive keyboards (what else could they have been?). “I think I found something! It’s a big, shiny, red button!” “Try not to touch it,” Rainbow Dash called from her place high up near the ceiling. “The last thing we need is this place collapsing on us because somepony activated a trap or something.” Just as she said that, however, the entire chamber suddenly lit up. Lights along the upper edges of the walls flared brightly as the large screens blazed to life, showing images of symbols and strange, primate-shaped creatures. “Pinkie!” The pink mare blushed with an awkward smile and stepped away from the button that she had pressed while Rainbow had been talking. “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.” One of the guards hurried over to Celestia and Twilight, who were now accompanied by Luna. “Your Highnesses, this place is starting to give the other guards the creeps, and I’d be lying if I said this bunker or whatever it is isn’t freaking me out as well. These unnatural lights aren’t making it any easier on morale.” Celestia gave an understanding nod. “This place appears to be active now, somehow,” she said. “Pinkie Pie must have activated some sort power source.” “Should we attempt to seek it out, sister?” Luna asked, genuinely curious. The elder princess thought on that for a few moments. “Perhaps. I suggest that we—” A loud hissing noise suddenly pierced the air. All eyes fell upon the source; the closed pods. Those pods were gradually opening, with some sort of mist pouring out as they did. They looked as though they were splitting in half, the opening widening with each passing second. All the ponies quickly gathered together in a close circle, the guards holding their weapons at the ready. Celestia and Luna both had their horns charged and ready to launch an attack if necessary. “Wh-wh-wh-what’s happening?” Fluttershy squeaked from her hiding place behind Rainbow Dash. Celestia narrowed her eyes as the pods finally stopped their motions, now fully open, but she couldn’t make out what was inside each of them from the angle she was at. “Keep your guard up, everypony,” she advised. Then, seconds passed, dragging on like hours as they waited for something to happen. It was far too quiet. Something had to come out of those pods eventually, and when it did, the ponies would have to be ready for anything. Suddenly, a mechanical whirring could be heard, and a massive, metallic, primate-like hand reached out from one of the pods, gripping its door and pulling out the owner of the hand. A towering, bipedal giant made of metal now stood just a few yards ahead of them. Its armor had red and white coloring that probably would’ve made it stand out, even among its own kind. After the red and white one, more giants came out of the pods, each of them vastly different in appearance and size. One was just a head shorter than the first one, and had a yellow color scheme with black stripes here and there. The smallest of them was a navy blue shade, and was strangely thin compared to the others. Another was heavyset in shape and had dark green coloring, and a lower jaw that looked like a massive shovel in the shape of a cleft chin. The last giant to step out of a pod was even taller than the green one. Its torso and arms were a bright red, and its lower legs and head were dark blue. It, as well as all the other giants, had glowing, sky blue eyes, and was bipedal. None of them seemed to have noticed the ponies just yet. Twilight stared at the giants in mixed apprehension and fascination. Were these golems of some kind? She had read that inanimate objects could be given life via magic to create new creatures for various reasons. That, however, still left the question of why. Why were they so big? What was their purpose? Who built them in the first place? And if this bunker is truly older than Canterlot, then how long have they been down here, locked inside those pods? “I feel like scrap,” a female voice suddenly said, coming from the small blue giant as it leaned back a little, as if stretching. “How long were we in stasis?” Before any of the other giants could reply, Fluttershy let out a tiny squeal of fear, which caught the giants’ attention. All five of them immediately faced the ponies, to which the guards held their weapons aimed at the metallic monoliths. “S-stand back!” one of the guards ordered. “Don’t come any closer!” The giants stared at them for a few moments before the red and white spoke: “And now we have an infestation of organics. Wonderful.” “Infestation?” Rarity said indignantly. “Are you implying that we’re like common rodents? Now, see here—” “Uh, Rarity?” Applejack said, tapping the white unicorn’s shoulder. “I don’t think we should go provokin’ ‘em. Ah mean… their smallest is as tall as your boutique.” After that statement was made, Celestia walked forward, past the guards who tried and failed to stop her. She stopped when she was just a few feet away from the largest of the giants, the one with the red torso. She looked up at it with a gaze that was more curious than anything else. “Sister,” Luna said in a warning tone, silently praying that these behemoths were friendly in some way or another. “Who and what are you?” she asked simply. The other four giants eyed her with clear suspicion, but the red and blue one only knelt down in front of the Solar Princess, most likely only to get a closer look at her. It looked briefly over to the guards, then back down to Celestia. “Your soldiers’ alarm is understandable,” it said in a powerful yet calm voice, “but you can rest assured that we mean your people no harm.” Celestia gave the giant an analytical look, trying to find any sort of sign that it was being dishonest. Its tone was serene, despite its baritone deepness, and it had what she could only assume was a sincere expression. She made her decision pretty quickly. “Guards, lower your weapons,” she ordered. “What?” one of the guards responded, surprised by her instruction. “But, Your Highness, with all due respect, we have no idea what these things—” He stopped when Celestia gave him a glare. “Er… y-yes, Your Highness.” He and the other soldiers lowered their weapons, but still stood ready. With that handled, Celestia faced the giant in front of her again. “Now, would you please answer my initial question?” “Certainly,” it replied. It was then that the ponies of Equestria first learned of the Autobots and their leader Optimus Prime. -o- How long had it been since they had departed? How many years had he been in search of his nemesis? Time was impossible to recognize after so great a duration amongst the stars. The vastness of the infinite void was astounding. Was his search in vain? Were his goals finally beyond his grasp? “My liege,” one of his many followers said, pulling him from his musings. “What is it?” he inquired impatiently. His follower stepped back slightly, likely out of fear for his own life. “Well… my lord… we’ve found them.” His eyes widened very slightly. It was almost imperceptible. “Where?” “We picked up a weak, centuries-old distress beacon on a relatively small planet in a nearby solar system.” “What do we know of this planet?” His follower shook his head. “Next to nothing, sire. It’s not on any maps. We’re currently in an uncharted portion of this galaxy. However, scans indicate that it’s inhabited by apparently sentient organic life forms.” He silently considered that for a few moments. Sentient organics would likely prove troublesome in one way or another, regardless of the inherently primitive nature of such creatures. But still, any minor troubles were well worth finding their ancient enemies. “Take us there,” he ordered. “Land somewhere we will not be seen by natives.” His follower nodded and headed off to spread out the order. Left by himself once again, he looked out the viewport of his personal quarters... and grinned. Finally, after countless years of hunting, he had found his prey.
Discovery, Part 2Ours was once a proud and peaceful world. A place where we lived in harmony with one another. Cybertron was a beautiful world once… Fire erupted all around him, bolts of every color flying past his head, barely missing him and instead striking his comrades. He fought back against the urge to flee and returned fire against his aggressors, taking down at least two of them before having to take cover again. This was a losing battle, and he and the others knew it the moment they heard the plan, but it was their only hope if they wanted this accursed war to end someday. His thoughts were interrupted by a light tink by his feet. Looking down, he saw what it was. “Scrap!” he cursed as he leaped away from the grenade just before it blew, sending fragments scraping across his chassis. He screamed in pain as small chunks of metal blasted into his left leg. He found cover again behind a few old crates, fortunately, but his leg was rendered virtually useless. He checked his weapon’s charge level. It was low. Very low. He leaned back against his cover, listening as he heard the enemy draw closer, firing almost blindly into what was left of his squad. Low charge, a worthless leg, and near-hopeless odds? Nothing was looking good at the moment. “This ‘Ark’ thing better be worth it,” he thought aloud as he fired a few shots over his cover, hoping by the Allspark that he hit at least one of the ‘Cons beyond. “Seekers inbound!” one of his fellow soldiers cried just before being butchered like livestock by enemy fire. He turned his attention to the sky. Sure enough, there were Decepticon Seekers up there, all heading towards his squad to get to the Ark. One, however, stood out from the rest, being larger, and with bigger guns. He instantly recognized the flier with dread realization. “Primus, help us all,” he muttered as he reached to his comm-link. “Optimus! We’ve got a big problem here, and I doubt he’s here to make nice!” “I read you, Ironhide,” the voice of his leader replied over the link. “Hold your position. My team and I will be there to assist soon.” Ironhide could only groan as he heard some of the Seekers land. “Make it fast, Prime! I don’t know how much longer we’re gonna last out here! We don’t—” He was interrupted as a nearby explosion nearly deafened him. He could only hear a hideous ringing as somebody walked closer to him, their shadow draping over him with dark authority. He turned his head up to see who it was. He mentally cursed his own misfortune as the much-feared leader of the Decepticons himself readied his melee weapon, a large, viciously curved blade. -o- The Ark was our last hope. With Cybertron rendered inhospitable, even to us, we were left with no choice but to flee our homeworld. “Optimus, we’ve lost contact with Ironhide’s squad!” a fellow Autobot exclaimed. “Sir, we have to go, now!” Optimus looked out over what little remained of what was once a proud and beautiful world, scanning the devastated landscape with a deep sense of shame and remorse. For eons, Cybertron had been a world of peace, prosperity, freedom... and now all of that had been uprooted completely. Reluctantly, he turned away from his homeworld and faced the small yellow Autobot who had spoken to him. “Send word through all channels, Bumblebee,” he ordered. “All Autobots are to immediately retreat to the Ark. We launch within the hour.” The bot nodded and spread the word to as many others as he could, while Optimus made his way to one of his last lieutenants. The bot in question was busy coordinating last-minute adjustments to the Ark’s immense engines, barking orders at other Autobots who hurriedly obeyed. He turned to face his leader, to whom his nodded in acknowledgment. “The ‘Cons are getting close, aren’t they?” he said more than asked. Optimus nodded grimly. “I fear we may not get as many Autobots off-world as we originally planned, Ratchet. The enemy is drawing too close.” The medic sighed, almost sounding defeated. That had been a fear they had both shared since this project began. They had both doubted that they could’ve saved every possible Autobot on the planet. With the Decepticons just behind them, banging on their door, those fears only seemed that much more real. Countless good soldiers had fallen at this point, whether in battle or by the underhanded tactics that the Decepticons had employed – viral warfare, suicide bombers, sleeper agents. The list was almost endless. “Optimus,” Bumblebee spoke up. “The message is sent. Now… what? We just wait for them?” “Go board the Ark, Bumblebee,” Prime stated, dodging the question. “Ratchet and I will handle things from here. Tell the rest of our team to meet you at the ship’s bridge. We will join you momentarily.” The young bot nodded and hesitantly obliged, making his way onboard the enormous vessel. Once Bumblebee was out of earshot, Ratchet said, “I’m not going to lie, Optimus; I don’t like our odds. Chances are, the Decepticons will get to us long before the Ark breaches the atmosphere.” “We will simply have to have faith, old friend.” Optimus turned away from the old medic and looked off to the direction in which the Decepticons were storming in from. He would never say it out loud, but he hated this plan. He would rather be out there, fighting by the sides of his brethren, ensuring that everyone else had a shot at making it off Cybertron. He truly and utterly despised the idea of running away, but he had been left with only one other option: risk the complete extinction of the Autobots. And he wasn’t about to let that happen anytime soon. The two of them stood there, waiting for more of their people to arrive. They had at least twenty squads guarding all possible routes to the Ark, all commanded by soldiers that had been handpicked by Optimus himself. They were among the best of the best that the Autobots had to offer. Only nine squads returned. Some of them had only a third of their original number; those were the lucky ones. As the minutes ticked away, Optimus could gradually feel his hopes trickling away with the time. He had prayed to Primus and any other deity that might have been looking down at him that his people would be safe. Indeed, some of them were. But not enough. Too many had died. Or worse. Soon, the allotted time ran out, and Optimus and Ratchet went to join their comrades aboard the Ark. -o- “We managed to break the atmosphere and headed for the nearest space bridge,” Optimus said as he gradually grew closer to the end of his people’s story. They had since moved from the caves and out into the gardens, where Celestia had ordered her guards to form a perimeter so that no civilians would see the Autobots and possibly incite a panic, and had set up an illusory barrier as a precaution. The Autobots didn’t argue. In fact, Optimus had agreed that it was likely for the best that their presence be kept a secret until further notice. “The bridge would have allowed us to escape to anywhere else in the known galaxy,” the leader of the Autobots continued. “However, the Decepticons had foreseen our use of it, and sabotaged it. Once we entered the bridge, it detonated, flinging us far off of our original course. The residual energies of the space bridge had warped many of our comrades and supplies off of the Ark, and to places yet unknown to us. With supplies drastically limited, we were left with no choice but to enter stasis to conserve our remaining resources.” “Until we woke you,” Luna said, feeling genuine sympathy for the towering aliens. “It must have been hard for you all to leave your world. I cannot imagine what that is like.” “It wasn’t easy,” the blue Autobot, apparently a female named Arcee, said, seeming somewhat distant. “We lost a lot of good bots along the way. Most of them were our friends.” Optimus nodded with a grim expression, then faced Celestia again. “We apologize for causing your people any concern. If necessary, we will remain in hiding until we are able to leave this planet.” “I see,” the Solar Princess said. She turned to the other ponies briefly, thinking on what to do next. Here, she had five giant, sentient, alien robots when nopony, not even Celestia herself, believed that aliens truly existed except in works of fiction. She returned her focus on Optimus Prime, who was patiently waiting for her response. She then looked to the other four aliens. The red and white one, Ratchet, claimed to be their field medic. She wasn’t sure if repairing damage to a robot could be considered a practice of medicine, but she assumed that “field medic” sounded much more appealing than “repair bot.” He seemed to be older than the others, bearing several scratches on his metal plating, and missing small bits of his armor. He was clearly a war veteran, if the look in his eyes (?) was any indication. He had seen things that most creatures should never see. Arcee was the smallest of them, and apparently the only female of the group. She had the look of a career soldier, but certainly lacked the experience that Ratchet must’ve had. Something about her reminded her of Luna; she seemed to have some kind of chip on her shoulder that clearly still bugged her to no end. Hopefully, she would be able to put whatever it was in the past before she did something she’ll inevitably regret. Then there was the yellow and black one. He called himself Bumblebee. An odd name for a robot, but she wasn’t about to argue. Their own names would likely sound strange to the Autobots. He was taller than Arcee, but he had a much more optimistic air about him. He was, without a doubt, the youngest of them, the least experienced, and the most naïve. That actually comforted her a little. A little optimism despite the situation was always welcome. Lastly, there was Bulkhead. He bore a dark green color scheme and was taller than the rest, shorter only than Optimus himself. This Autobot lived up to his name as well, being larger than the others, not only in height, but in width as well. She didn’t know whether she could call it muscle or not, but whatever it was, Bulkhead had it in spades. She also got the sense that he was a lot smarter than his name and appearance let on. Celestia thought on what she should do for a few moments more. She considered every option until one in particular came to mind. She smiled and looked up at Optimus as she finalized the idea in her mind. “Optimus Prime, we welcome you and your fellow Autobots to stay here in Equestria for as long as you need. However, I doubt that we’ll be able to keep the five of you a secret forever.” Optimus looked around at the castle garden, likely analyzing the area, and eventually nodded. “I agree. This place does not seem advanced enough to have machines that we could impersonate. Although I believe it would be for the best to reveal our presence slowly.” “Agreed,” Luna replied with a nod. “We do not want the citizens of Equestria to panic.” “And how can we not cause a panic?” Arcee inquired in a slightly snide manner. “Perhaps you could all reveal yourselves one at a time,” Twilight suggested. “You’ll show up at varying intervals. We could then claim that we’re working on helping the first Autobot to restore the others. It’d be easier for civilian ponies to accept it that way. I hope.” Celestia nodded. “That could work. We’ll just need to decide which Autobot to reveal first.” “Optimus is our leader,” Ratchet pointed out. “He should be the one to make contact with your civilians.” “No. He’s much too imposing a presence. No offense, Optimus.” Optimus nodded. “I understand. Besides, I have an idea for who should make first contact.” He turned and motioned to Bumblebee. “Our scout here shall be our first ambassador to your people.” The yellow bot stared at his leader and looked to his friends, then pointed to himself. “What, me? You want me to be the first one to meet their people?” “Well, he’s at least far less intimidating than the others,” Rarity whispered to the others, which Pinkie Pie giggled at. Optimus placed a hand on Bumblebee’s shoulder. “You are the best option. As Celestia said, I am too imposing, as is Bulkhead. Ratchet and Arcee’s personalities are too distant to set up good relations with the native creatures of this planet. You, however, are not just a warrior, but a peacemaker as well. We will need to be on friendly terms with the peoples of this world for as long as we remain.” Bumblebee was silent for a while after that. He seemed to be contemplating the responsibility that Optimus had just placed upon him. Celestia could see the conflict in his expression. She could understand what he must’ve been thinking. He was definitely young, and was already being saddled with such an immense responsibility as introducing his race to another, vastly different civilization. Not an easy task; she knew this from personal experience. Eventually, Bumblebee nodded. “I’ll do it.” “And, of course, we’ll aid him where we can,” Celestia assured the other Autobots. “We will inform him of anything he’ll need to know.” “Your assistance is very much appreciated,” Optimus said with a calm gratitude. “It’s our pleasure,” the Solar Princess replied. She faced Bumblebee. “Princess Twilight here will answer any questions you may have.” “Wait, what?” said Twilight with a disbelieving shake of her head. “I mean, not that I wouldn’t want to, but—” “Twilight, you’re currently the most qualified. Luna and I have too many duties to attend to in order to properly advise our new friends.” She leaned in fairly closely. “Besides, I thought you would jump at the opportunity to learn about a culture that has never been documented by any pony scholars?” Twilight’s mouth hung open for a few moments, her brain processing the information she had just received. She beamed. “Well, what are waiting for?” the young alicorn said as she flew up excitedly to Bumblebee, a broad grin on her face. “I have to get some things to write notes, set up some flashcards to test each other on what we’ve learned, get books on history and culture!” She released a barely contained squeal of joy. “Guard! Somepony get me all those things I just mentioned! This is going to be so great!” One of the guards nodded and headed off. While Twilight had her nerd-out, Bumblebee gave Celestia a confused look that made her giggle. Something told her that life in Equestria, on all of Equus, was about to get a bit more interesting. -o- About an hour after their meeting, Ratchet was overjoyed that he could get back to the Ark and start on fixing the damaged systems without the distraction of the tiny organic creatures that were now infesting this once proud vessel. Sparks flew as he welded several broken components back into place, then recalibrated them so that they would get back into working order. Unfortunately, since the Ark was buried underground, almost two miles beneath any form of civilization, they wouldn’t be able to just take off. The engines were practically beyond repair, anyway. Worse yet, the on-board space bridge was completely fried. He could possibly get it back into working order, but its range would be significantly limited until he could get his hands on some working equipment, which he doubted he could find on this primitive world. They didn’t even have automobiles of any kind here, let alone parts for a working space bridge! Still, this “ground bridge,” as he decided on calling it, would be better than nothing. At the very least, they would be able to get anywhere on this planet with relative ease. All they would need is a steady supply of Energon. But where in the name of Primus would they get Energon on a planet inhabited by organics? As he worked, he didn’t notice a little shadow creeping up on him, climbing upon numerous cables with ease until it was just a few feet away from him. Suddenly, a cannon blast roared throughout the room, and a ball of confetti slammed right into his face, actually throwing him off balance and putting him on his guard, his wrist-mounted blades active and ready. He dropped his war face when he saw one of the organics, the pink one, specifically, beaming at him from behind a primitive cannon that was smoking at the barrel. “Surprise!” she squealed in a grating, high-pitched voice. Ratchet stared at her and shook his head. “Who in the name of Primus and all things holy gave you a cannon? And how did you even get it up on that ledge in the first place?” “It’s my Party Cannon!” she exclaimed happily. “I use it to help set up parties and make ponies happy! Or giant alien robots in this case.” Ratchet stared at the little pink pony for several moments before shaking his head and groaning, pinching at the point between his optics. "Look... what was your name?" "I'm Pinkie Pie!" she said with an enthusiastic grin. "But all my friends just call me Pinkie!" The old medic sighed. "All right, look. I'm working on something very important, and I need peace and quiet to get it done. Do I make myself clear?" "Okie-dokie-lokie!" the young mare replied with a nod as Ratchet got back to work. "By the way, I just thought I'd let you know that there's a weird blippy thing on the monitor thingumajig." "What?" He looked to the monitors, which, sure enough, showed that they were picking up a particularly large energy signature. His optics widened. “By the Allspark... that can't be right.” He ran a few numbers on the console. The source of energy was unmistakable. He quickly opened a comm channel. "Optimus, it's Ratchet. I've found something you need to see." -o- "My liege," a nameless drone said from behind his master. "We've picked up a potent energy signature near the planet's north pole. It appears to be a massive Energon deposit." "Energon?" the overlord questioned. What was Energon doing on a planet inhabited by organics? It didn't seem to make much sense at first. Perhaps this was one of many worlds used as stockpiles during the war? He activated a nearby console. "Change course. Take us to the source of the Energon signature." "At once, Master," came the reply of one of his top lieutenants. The overlord nodded and dismissed the drone who had informed him of this development. Already, this world was beginning to show promise.
Discovery, Part 3Bumblebee had been through a great many things in his relatively short life. He had seen his homeworld devastated by weapons of mass destruction, witnessed fellow Autobots torn apart by merciless Decepticon troopers, by Primus, he once even had to collapse several buildings on top of a 'Con the size of one of the buildings he had seen in this city that these ponies called Canterlot. None of that could have ever prepared him for Twilight Sparkle. "Is 'Autobots' short for something? What's Cybertron like? Is it in this galaxy or another one entirely? What sort of government did you have before your war against the Decepticons? How do you choose your leaders? What manner of religions do you have, if any? Is it polytheistic, monotheistic, or do you not have religion on your world?" Twilight's questions came at a lightyear per second, one after the other. It got to the point where he was actually silently praying to Primus that she would stop. He answered to the best of his ability, of course, but a little part of him died when she just came up with new questions. Until she four magical words that made him mentally scream with immature glee. "All right, last question," she said as she wrote down several notes. I remember Optimus Prime mentioned something about 'impersonating machines.' Would you mind elaborating on that?" "Sure. But it'd be a lot easier just to show you." When Twilight gave him a curious look, Bumblebee stood from his sitting position. Suddenly, his body began shifting, parts moving around and sliding into various new points on his form. In that one second of transformation, he also made a peculiar sound that piqued the young alicorn's curiosity further. By the time it was over, Bumblebee resembled a large, metallic carriage of some kind, with a color scheme that matched Bumblebee's. He could've easily passed for a new model of horse-drawn carriage. A luxury model, maybe. He could probably fit herself and the other princesses inside comfortably, if a bit snug. "It's a trait that most Cybertronian creatures share," Bumblebee said in his alternate form, his voice sounding as though it was coming through a radio. "We usually have one alternate form, most often a vehicle of some kind. This form I'm in is a courier car, modified for stealth reconnaissance and scouting." "Courier car?" Twilight parroted. "So you were a messenger before the war?" At the question, Bumblebee transformed back into his original bipedal form, a sorrowful look in his eyes. "Not exactly," he said sullenly. "I... I never saw Cybertron before the war. I was born in the later years, just about eighteen years before we began construction on the Ark." Twilight raised a hoof to her mouth, shocked to near speechlessness. She couldn't imagine what it must be like for him, to have been born to a world at war. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say; unsure of what she could say. "It's okay," he assured her. "Besides, I—" There was a sudden beep, and Bumblebee raised his hand to where an organic being's right ear would be, touching the side of his head with two fingers. "Autobots," announced the voice of Optimus Prime, "report back to the Ark at once. Teletraan-1 has detected something of extreme interest. Bumblebee, bring the princesses and their associates. I believe they will want to see this as well." Bumblebee nodded and removed his hand from his head. "You heard him," the young scout stated simply. "Let's go get your friends." "Wait a minute. That was Optimus's voice." Bumblebee could already see where this was going. "Radio communications built into our audio receptors. It lets us communicate over large distances." He then motioned for her to follow. "Come on. It's best not to keep a Prime waiting." -o- Ratchet didn't like the idea of sharing this information with non-Autobots. It didn't sit right with him. How could they be sure that these 'ponies' could be trusted? Sure, they seemed open enough, but he didn't like it one bit. One look to Optimus, however, made him stifle his concerns. "What is this all about?" asked Princess Luna. She seemed to be rather on the fence regarding the Autobots. Once again, Ratchet faced Optimus, who merely nodded. Sighing, Ratchet brought up the readings again. "Teletraan-1, the Ark's onboard computer system, has discovered an enormous energy signature near your world's north pole. We believe the source to be a massive deposit of Energon." "Energon?" Celestia inquired. Optimus nodded. "It is the fuel and lifeblood of all Cybertronian life," explained the Autobot leader. "Upon learning of this discovery, I had Ratchet run a planetary scan of your world. This planet you call Equus appears to be rich in Energon." "Hold on a minute," Rainbow Dash demanded, flying up to Optimus's face with a skeptical look in her eyes. "If that Ener-whatever is some kinda alien fuel or something, then why is it here and not on Cyberdon or whatever?" "Cybertron," Ratchet corrected indignantly. "And if you must know, it's likely that this world is one of many that were used during the war to hide stockpiles of Energon from enemy forces. Both Autobots and Decepticons alike utilized the tactic to keep the other side from getting their hands on their stock.” That seemed to be enough for the cyan mare for now, as she descended closer to the ground, hovering by her friends. Twilight stepped forward and said, “Perhaps we can help somehow. We’re natives, and thus, have greater knowledge of the planet than you do. Besides, if we know what Energon looks like, we could help you find more.” The Autobots looked to each other silently. Arcee shook her head. She didn’t want the ponies getting too close to the matter, it seemed. Ratchet wholeheartedly agreed. Bulkhead only shrugged, unsure, while Bumblebee merely looked to Optimus, who considered the young alicorn’s proposal. It made sense, he assumed. The ponies would know the lay of the land far better. And besides, this world seemed relatively out of the way, most likely the reason why Energon had been stored here in the first place. He soon nodded. “We will submit to your judgment on the matter of this world’s geography.” He turned to a slightly annoyed Ratchet. “Do you have the coordinates?” “Of course,” the medic answered quickly. “Thankfully, however, you won’t have to walk.” He motioned for everyone to follow, and led the way through the Ark and into a chamber that had some kind of arch at the end of it. There were several consoles nearby, with a large lever just waiting to be pulled. “You didn’t,” Arcee said with astonishment as she realized what Ratchet had planned. “Oh, I did.” “Oh, did what, did what?” Pinkie Pie asked as she bounced on her hooves excitedly. Ratchet ignored the pink mare and made for the consoles, where he tapped a few buttons and headed for the lever. “Coordinates locked in,” he said dramatically. He pulled the lever, and something happened that made all the ponies’ jaws drop. The arch lit up, lights spiraling around its outside for a brief moment it began to hum loudly. Within the arch came a bright, green light, white in the center, with the occasional flicker of blue sparking out. “Say hello to the ground bridge,” Ratchet declared with a hint of pride in his voice. “The Ark’s original onboard space bridge was heavily damaged during our escape from Cybertron, but I was able to repair it. However, it can only reach locations on this planet. Any further than the opposite side of the world would put serious strain on the bridge.” He felt a hand on his shoulder, and faced Optimus Prime, who nodded his approval. “Your work never ceases to amaze, old friend.” Prime then turned to the other Autobots and the ponies. “Get ready to move out. This is strictly reconnaissance. As for our new allies, I recommend caution. Raw Energon can sometimes be extremely volatile. Also, bridging can be an odd feeling your first time going. Most organic races experience slight nausea and tend to feel as though their skeletal structures are vibrating. I am uncertain if you will feel the same symptoms, but it is very likely.” “Thanks for the heads-up,” Applejack stated, “but I reckon we’ll be fine. We’ve all been through way worse than feelin’ a might sick.” Optimus nodded and turned to enter the ground bridge, followed by the other Autobots, excluding Ratchet. Once their bodies touched it, they vanished like mist. Twilight eagerly made a mental note to ask Ratchet about Cybertronian technology the first chance she got. Just as she was about to head for the bridge portal, she stopped and turned to Celestia and Luna. “Are you coming?” she asked. “I’m afraid not,” the Solar Princess replied. “Luna and I must both remain in Canterlot. As exciting as all of this is, we still have duties that need to be seen to.” She smiled warmly, giggling slightly. “I do hope that you make some exciting discoveries on this little expedition with our new friends.” Twilight nodded with a grateful and excited smile, then made for the bridge portal with her friends following suit. The instant she came through it, however, she regretted it. Sudden cold stung her whole body, the rapid change in positioning throwing her completely off balance, making her feel as though she were about to puke out her entire digestive tract, stomach and all. Her friends didn’t seem to fare much better. Even Pinkie Pie looked more than little woozy, and she spent half her time spinning like a top. Rarity made a belching sound that sounded like the kind that foreshadowed vomit. Worst of all, Optimus had been right about the skeletal vibrations. She felt like her skeleton was breakdancing inside her head, trying to get free of her skin. It was anything but pleasant. The Autobots patiently waited for the ponies recover their senses and adjust to the climate, which took a few minutes. After another few moments, the group scanned the area. They were surrounded by white, the land blanketed in icy snow. The ponies identified the location as the Frozen North, a land of snow and blizzards with only one safe haven from the cold. “Over there!” Bumblebee exclaimed suddenly, pointing to massive mound of crystals that appeared free of snow. “There’s the Energon!” Twilight beamed at first, thrilled to be able to see an alien energy source. Then, her eyes widened, as did those of her friends. Directly ahead of them was none other than- “The Crystal Empire,” Fluttershy muttered in bafflement. “The what?” Bulkhead asked in confusion. “That’s the Crystal Empire!” Twilight exclaimed in shock, awe, slight fear, and an astounding level of nervousness. “This can’t be right. Ratchet must’ve sent us to the wrong location!” Optimus Prime stared at Twilight, surprise evident in his expression, then looked the Empire. He activated his comm-link. “Ratchet, are you sure you sent us to the right coordinates?” “Of course I did,” the medic replied. “You sure, Doc?” Bulkhead asked. “‘Cause Twilight says we’re looking at a city, not an Energon deposit.” “What? But I…” Ratchet trailed off, going silent for several moments before speaking again. “Great Primus… Optimus, I just ran a scan of the area. There are a multitude of life forms within that… city, and all of them but three match up with Energon signatures, and are blending with the Energon around them. That city is the Energon deposit, and its citizens are practically living Energon themselves.” “Wait, how is that possible?” Rarity asked. “The crystal ponies aren’t living batteries!” Both Twilight and Optimus shared a look. In almost an instant, they came to the same conclusion. “They evolved around the Energon,” Twilight spoke, her tone a combination of excitement at such a monumental discovery and fear of what the Autobots might do with this new information. “They what?” Pinkie asked with her head tilted in confusion. “It stands to reason that these ‘crystal ponies,’ as you call them,” Optimus began to elaborate, “developed over the generations to become similar to the energy given off by Energon, becoming similar to the very crystals that make up their home.” “Okay,” Arcee said slowly. “So, now what? We can’t just go in there and ask them to give us some of their buildings.” Twilight stepped forward. “Maybe my friends and I can help you here. I’m friends with Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire, and her husband is my brother. I’m sure I can talk them into negotiating something with—” “Hold a minute,” came Ratchet’s voice. “Optimus, I’m picking up another energy signature. Airborne, heading for the position of the Energon city, and… by the Allspark.” “Ratchet, what is it?” Prime asked, though sounded just as much like a demand. “Optimus… it’s the Nemesis.” The Autobots’ eyes widened. “Ah, scrap,” Arcee cursed. “N-Nemesis?” Fluttershy stammered. “The Decepticon fleet’s flagship,” Bulkhead explained. “Captained by none other than the leader of the ‘Cons himself.” “Megatron,” Optimus said, his voice lace with ill omen. Twilight’s eyes went wide. Bumblebee had told her enough about the Decepticons to know for a fact that they were bad news. The fact that even Optimus seemed reluctant was a testament to that. “If the Decepticons are here, then we have to get to the Crystal Empire and warn Cadance and Shining Armor!” “Agreed.” The last Prime turned to his comrades. “Bumblebee, Arcee, Bulkhead, form a perimeter around the city and keep an eye out for the Decepticons. If any of you find anything, alert the others at once. Remember to stay out of sight of civilians. I will go into the city with Twilight and the others warn its leaders of this imminent threat.” The Autobots saluted, then transformed, Bumblebee into the form he had taken as a demonstration to Twilight, Arcee into a smaller machine with only two wheels, probably something meant for infiltration, while Bulkhead became a large, imposing machine as big as a small house and looked as though it could plow through anything and everything in its path. The ponies, save for Twilight stared with gaping jaws. “What—” Applejack began. “I’ll explain it later,” Twilight assured her friends. “For now, our priority is to warn Cadance and Shining about the Decepticons.” She turned to Optimus. “Let’s go.” Optimus nodded. “Autobots, roll out!” With that, he transformed as well, becoming a machine as big as Bulkhead’s alternate form, but with a slimmer rear the same color as his legs, the main body of the machine matching his torso’s color. The other Autobots immediately darted for the city, splitting up to form a perimeter while staying just outside the view of the native ponies. -o- It was another beautiful day in the Crystal Empire. The sun shone brightly in the sky, which didn't have a single cloud obstructing its view. It was a wonderful, peaceful, quiet day. And it was painfully slow. Cadance groaned, boredom enveloping her. Nothing exciting had really happened recently. The only thing she had to do was - she shuddered - paperwork. Celestia had warned her about the bane of every leader's existence when she first became a princess, but she hadn't taken her adopted aunt seriously regarding the matter. She just thought the Solar Princess had been exaggerating. She was not. Cadance gave a sigh of relief whenever she finished a stack of torture, only to grumble expletives under her breath when presented with even more. She swore that if something interesting didn’t happen within the next five minutes, she was going to go stir crazy and make her own fun. The doors to her throne room opened, and one of her guards, the Equestrian representative Flash Sentry, walked in. He looked unsettled for some reason. “Uh… Your Highness?” “Yes?” “Princess Twilight Sparkle is here with her friends and, er… another guest.” “Twilight?” Cadance perked up with a grin. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let her in!” Flash swallowed. “Uh… see, there’s a problem with that, Princess. Her guest is… well… he’s… rather large. He won’t fit through the doors.” ‘Won’t fit?’ That was odd. The doors to the palace were designed so that even the tallest minotaurs could walk through them easily. “What do you mean he won’t fit?” “It’s… easier just to show you, Your Highness.” -o- Flash was indeed correct. It was far simpler for Cadance to see it than for it to be explained in words. Still, it was extremely difficult for the Crystal Princess to process, even seeing it in person. Shining Armor was there, too, and he shared in his wife’s awestruck confusion and slack-jawed speechlessness. “Optimus,” Twilight said to the towering machine standing to her right, “this is my brother Shining Armor, and his wife, and my oldest friend, Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire. Cadance, Shining, this-” she motioned to the one she called Optimus “-is Optimus Prime, the leader of a race of machine people called the Autobots.” “It is an honor to meet you both,” said Optimus Prime, who gave a respectful nod to the both of them. “Though I wish the circumstances could have been better.” Cadance shook her head, trying to rid herself of her shock. “Wh-what do you mean ‘circumstances?’” “We have recently discovered that your city is composed not of simple crystals, as you believe,” Prime answered in a deep, solemn tone, “but of Energon.” “Energon is like their fuel,” Twilight explained. Optimus nodded. “And I fear that our enemies, the Decepticons, have found both us Autobots and your city. They will likely destroy or enslave your people, and claim this city as the first of likely many Energon mines that they will form on this planet.” “And to make things worse,” said Rainbow Dash, who zoomed up to the royal couple, “they think that the big boss of those Deca-whatever guys is coming with the rest of them.” “Question,” said Shining. “How do we know you’re telling the truth? How do we know you’re not a threat, too?” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Shining, if Optimus and the other Autobots were a threat, then the Crystal Heart’s barrier wouldn’t have let them through.” “Crystal Heart?” Optimus asked with a raised eyebrow. Cadance motioned to said relic, which floated in the center of the palace courtyard. “It’s an ancient and powerful artifact that keeps the Empire safe those who would seek to do harm to us. It’s not perfect, I’ll admit, but it’s done its job well enough so far. It should protect us from your enemies, too.” Prime considered that in silence for a few moments before firmly shaking his head. “There is no barrier in this universe powerful enough to keep Megatron and his Decepticons from his goals forever. They will find a way through eventually.” “Then we’ll fight them if they do,” Shining replied adamantly. “Ya mean fight an army o’ guys like him?” Applejack inquired skeptically, waving a hoof at Optimus. Shining eyed the metal titan for several moments. He then shook his head. “A fair point, but regardless, we can’t just sit back and let these Decepticons have their way with our city.” “They will not,” Optimus said in complete agreement. “As long as Energon flows through my veins, the Decepticons will not claim even a single building or life from your city. On this, you have my word.” A beeping sound emanated from Optimus’s head, and he raised two fingers to where an ear would be. “Optimus,” said the voice of Arcee, “I have good news and bad news. I have a visual of the Nemesis.” She didn’t say anything else. “Understood, Arcee. Transmit your coordinates to the others and hold your position. We’ll be there shortly.” He lowered his hand from his head. “I must go. My team and I will hold the Decepticons as long as possible. I suggest you evacuate as many of your people from the city as you can.” “Hold on a minute!” Shining hollered. “Who were you just talking to? What team?” “I’ll explain later,” Twilight answered before Optimus had a chance to. “Listen, all you need to know is that Optimus and his team are the good guys, and they’re going to do their best to keep the Crystal Empire safe from harm.” "But—" "Shiny, please." Twilight's expression was a pleading one, quietly begging her brother to give them a chance. He resisted with all his might, he truly did. "Fine," he groaned in defeat. He faced Optimus Prime. "I'd better not regret this." "You will not," he assured them all before transforming, much to the shock of all but Twilight and her friends. Cadance, after a much-needed shaking of her head, faced Twilight, an unsure look in her eyes. “So, what now?” The younger princess hung her head and gave weak shrug. She truly had no idea what to do next. She was smart, but she was no soldier. She knew plenty of combat spells, sure, but they were strictly for self-defense, not all-out combat with sentient metal behemoths. Only one idea came to mind for her. “We wait.”
