Chapter 13: First You Crack the Shell

Celestia had passed out on top of Grimlocks back as the massive metal monster marched through the desert, only to be stopped by a buzzing sound. Turning his mighty head he laid his optics on a strange hoard of bugs drawing near, thinking nothing of them he continued his march to the forest, remembering his encounter with the dragon he gave the bugs a second look to see that they were not organic.

"Did you really think that we would be killed so easily, easily, easily?" Kickback said from the hoard as the Insecticons got closer.

"Me Grimlock turn you into scrap, how'd you live bug bot?" the Dinobot said turning and unleashing a torrent of flames towards the Cybertronian insects.

"You killed dummies, dummy, dummy, dummy!" Kickback added as the hoard dodged the fires, though they burned through many in proximity, and smashed into the Dinobot commander making him drop the princess as he fought them off.

"Me Grimlock no dummy, me Grimlock King!" Grimlock roared before transforming and cutting through his foes with his sword and blasting them with his double barrel cannon.

"Ak, Insecticons retreat, retreat, retreat!" Sharpshot yelled as the hoard dug into the ground and vanished.

"Grimlock, what happened?" Celestia said as she got up to peer at the mighty transformers silhouette as the sun began to set behind them.

"Nothing that you should worry about pony." Grimlock said before walking towards the line of trees that marked the edge of the forest with Celestia following close behind.

Prowl stopped abruptly when he heard the skirmish ahead but before he could react Slaughter was blindsided by a giant metal bug with horns on its head.

"Ung, what the?" Slaughter managed to say before he was thrown through a tree.

"Megatron sends his reguards pony, but the princess is ours!" Hardshell said as he landed facing Prowl.

"If you want to live Ms. Dash then I suggest you get out of here now!" Prowl said as he ejected her and transformed and fired a missile that was instantly intercepted by one from Hardshell.

"Oh great, now what?" Rainbow Dash said sleepily since she had dozed off during her ride, "Whoa what the hay is that, well, aside from ugly?" she added as she jumped away just as Prowl stepped where she had been.

"An Insecticon, the Decepticons must be on to us!" Prowl replied as he returned fire, each shot burning through whatever it hit as though it were coated with acid.

"Well then this bug is gonna have to deal with being a bug, cause ya know what I do ta bugs? I smash em!" Slaughter said as he flew out of the ditch he had created from his fall and smashed in the aliens head.

"Nice effort equine, but you should know, where this is one of us, there is all of us!" Hardshell replied as a whole swarm of Insecticons tunneled out of the ground.

"Good more for the Slaughter!" Sergeant yelled as he began ripping the Cybertronians apart with only his hooves.

"Remind me not to tick him off." Prowl said to Rainbow Dash as he knelt down and blasted a con who was about to flatten the berserk pony.

"Um, yeah, I'll remember to do that." Rainbow Dash said in awe of the situation, that was until she was dragged underground with one of them.

"Ms. Dash!" Prowl managed to say before the hole behind he closed and the Insecticons vanished from sight.

"Nope, just me Grimlock and her Celestia." the Dinobot leader said as he emerged from the treeline, toppling quiet a few trees that were in his way.

"Prowl I need you to help Rainbow Dash, you know these Decepticons well." Celestia said concerned for her pupils friend.

"As you wish ma'am, Slaughter go with Grimlock and escort the princess home. I have to exterminate some pests." Prowl said before switching to explosive rounds and blasting a hole into the underground tunnels that the Insecticons left behind.

"Eyup, happy bug squishing to ya." Slaughter replied cheerfully as he took flight.

With that Prowl jumped down feet first into Insecticon territory.

Optimus Prime had rallied a literal army of Autobots to follow him with Metroplex to this new planet to aid their comerads and the planets citizens. Walking on the bridge he looked on towards his staff, Jazz and Cliffjumper were setting the course while a monitor showed Hoist installing the trans-warp engine. Bluestreak and Smokescreen were checking in with the Autobots down below while Bumblebee finished the final pre-flight check.

"Silverbolt here Prime, everyone down here is ready to go!" The Aerialbot Commander reported.

"Good, blast off in five, four, three, two, one!" Prime counted down as he sat down in his chair.

'Ignition!" Bumblebee stated as Metroplex began to lift off the ground and into space.

Luna had decided to go to Ponyville to calm her nerves and speak to Twilight in person on her turf, unfortunately when she got there she was only able to do the ladder of her two needs. She moved like lightning through the columns of metal legs that were moving about as Jetfire and many others were trying to repair their wounded brothers.

"Princess Luna!" Twilight called as she waved her hoof towards the lunar princess.

"Princess Twilight, it is to see you in these..." Luna stopped talking as she dodged a falling chunk of metal from one of the more badly damaged Autobots.

"My apologies Princess Luna I don't seem to be holding together all that well, perhaps Jetfire could help me as soon as I finish helping him." Preceptor said as he turned around to resume his medical efforts.

"Troubling times, Twilight when did all this happen?" Luna asked raising a hoof towards the many damaged Autobots around them.

"The Decepticons launched an attack on them at their ship and killed many of our allies, Jetfire assumed command and had them fall back to Ponyville for repairs. Unfortunately many of them are badly damaged." Twilight said as the two alicorns made their way over to the other ponies who were not underfoot.

"I understand, thank you." Luna said as she watched Jetfire yank a one hundred and five millimeter shell out of a red Autobots chest.

"Shockwave!" Megatron snarled as he stepped inside of the scientist new laboratory.

"Yes mighty Megatron?" the loyal Decepticon inquired as he cut open a Griffon.

"I have a specimen I want restored to partial functionality." the warrior replied as Frenzy and Rumble dragged Ultra Magnus into the room, "I only have one modification for you to make, and I'm sure that Optimus Prime will find it rather, explosive." Megatron added as he smirked.

"As you command my lord." Shockwave replied before wiping up the remains of the Griffon he had just finished disecting and tossing it into the corner.

Onslaught and the other Combaticons projected a visual of what they could see for Starscream on one of his monitors, on the screen they could see a few Decepticons still celebrating while the others went about their business and got ready for their next battle. All the while Starscream was only half paying attention, he had discovered something else about this new base of his, something that filled him with joy. His new base was not only already equipped with a space bridge, but was a dormant transformer, now obviously an Autobot that could be easily changed by the scientist. Suddenly the lights shut off and flickered back on as Starscream had just finished reprogramming the former Autobot with his new Decepticon name, Skorpinok.

Author's Note

Dun Dun Dun!!! Thus Optimus is on his way, Rainbow Dash is in peril, Magnus is the bomb, and Tarantulas is nowhere to be seen.

See what happens next on the next installment of The Transformers: Friendship is Universal!

Okay so, opinions? comments? or complaints? put em right in the comments, thanks.