Beast Wars: Friendship is Magic

Twilight Sparkle shifted her eyes back to the clock for what was assumed to be the umpteenth time in the past five minutes.  It had happened so often, Applejack was tempted to remove the clock altogether, should she have been permitted.  Twilight rapidly paced back and forth in the Canterlot Castle’s grand halls, small beads of sweat beginning to seep from her forehead.  Princess Cadance and her brother were supposed to meet them about half an hour ago and there hadn’t been any news on their departure or their arrival, as of now.  She couldn’t help but feel like she was sinking into a quicksand pool of anxiety.

“They should have arrived by now!  Cadance and Shining are almost always punctual when it’s a matter of importance!  Could something have happened to them?!  What’s keeping them?!” Twilight found herself rambling out loud, biting her bottom lip.

“Twilight, maybe they’re--” Spike began, but Twilight’s words only grew more frantic.

“Oh, what if something terrible did happen?!”

“T-Twilight--” Fluttershy attempted, but, like Spike, was only met with the panic attack of the librarian.

“What if it has something to do with those alien robots?!”

“We’re standin’ over here, ya know!” Paragon called out from the side, arms crossed over his chest.

“We need to set up a search party, immediately!  We’ll search all of Equestria if we have to!  No stone will be left--!”

“TWILIGHT!”

“What?!”

Applejack raised her hoof, pointing at a train, which was slowing to a stop at the station.  A pair of crystal Royal Guard ponies exited the locomotive, flanking the sides of the door.

“Oh… they’ve arrived.” Twilight meekly announced as her face flushed red.  She was quick to rush out to the train, followed by the rest of her friends, the Maximals, Zecora, and the Princesses, where she was greeted by two crystal guard ponies, whose faces were stern and alert.  Twilight didn’t like how they appeared to be on edge for something.

What could be troubling them?

Before she could dwell on this newborn feeling of unease, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor disembarked from the train car, their expressions considerably more relaxed than their escorts.  Twilight’s worries washed away almost instantly at the sight of them unharmed as she wrapped her brother and sister-in-law in her hooves.

“Shining!  Cadance!  It’s so good to see you both again!”

“It’s awesome to see you, too, Twily.  I just wish it were under better circumstances.” Shining smiled as he ran a hoof through his younger sibling’s mane.  Twilight and Cadance then initiated their special greeting/handshake, which brought confusion to the observing Maximals.

“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake!  Clap your hooves and do a little shake!”

“What the heck was that?” The entire process was lost on Paragon’s processor, leaving him semi-speechless.

“Well, it was a little… odd, but I guess that’s how they do it…?” Blitz scratched his hoof behind his mane.

“Zip it, you two,” Rainbow hissed through gritted teeth.  “Do you really wanna make a bad first impression?  Because I don’t think you do!”

“Sorry for taking so long,” Cadance said.  “We were sort of sidetracked.”

“Sidetracked?” Twilight blinked, eyebrow arched.

“It sort of pertains to the message you’ve sent us.” Cadance replied, looking towards Celestia and Luna.  The car shifted as the shape of a buffalo stepped from the train, his very presence putting the guards into full alert.  The buffalo didn’t seem to respond to them, looking over the mass collective of ponies before him.

“Greetings.”

Paragon’s eyes shot open, ears straightening up.  Blitz’s attention had completely latched onto the buffalo.

“Big guy…?  Is that you?!” Paragon approached the buffalo, Blitz hovering beside him.

“You were expecting someone else?” the buffalo gave a small, knowing grin.

“Oh, man, am I glad to see you intact!” the diamond dog merrily declared, smile on his lips, as well.

“What luck we’ve had in meeting you here!” Blitz Streak laughed.

“I am pleased to see that you’re both okay.  I go by the name of Stronghold, now.”

“Paragon.”

“Blitz Streak.”

The buffalo gave a small, barely audible chuckle. “Fine names, you two.”

Applejack turned on Cadance. “You found another one of these Maximal fellas?”

“On the contrary, I found them.” Stronghold corrected.  He then respectfully bowed to the solar and lunar matriarchs.  “Allow me to formally introduce myself.  I am Stronghold, executive officer of the Axalon.  I have been wanting to request an audience with you.  Understandably, you may have some questions, and you are entitled to some answers.”

“It is nice to make your acquaintance, Stronghold.” Celestia nodded.

“Believe us when we say that there is much to discuss.” Luna said.

“And I will answer your inquiries to the best of my ability.  I must give you my thanks for looking after my friends in the duration of my absence.  I am aware that Paragon can be difficult to put up with at times, from personal experience.”

“That would be an understatement.” Luna frowned.

“‘Ey!” Paragon’s eyes narrowed.

“Though your gratitude is appreciated, Stronghold, it was not us who sheltered your friends.” Celestia turned to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, giving them a knowing smile.

The executive officer tracked Celestia’s gaze to the weather mare and the party pony, nodding in gratitude.  “You both have my thanks.”

“It was nothing.” Rainbow smirked.

“You’re welcome!” Pinkie beamed.

Stronghold continued with the subject at hand, and spoke to the Princesses once more.  “There is one more member of our crew still absent; our leader, to be precise.”

“And who would this be?” Luna tilted her head.

“His name is Optimus Primal.”

Paragon rubbed his chin. "So, when they said that we'd be under heavy surveillance…"

"They really meant heavy." Blitz Streak finished.

Ever since the group had arrived with their otherworldly guests, all of Canterlot’s Royal Guard had been on high alert, the majority of the garrison surrounding every which way as the Maximals were placed in the Royal Hall while the Princesses, Twilight, Shining Armor, and Zecora debated in the private quarters. The windows were blocked by pegasi guards, the doors were under the stewardship of earth pony guards, and for extra measure, multiple unicorn guards formed a circle around the Maximals, horns ready for action if the aliens made any hostile movements.

Fortunately for them, they were granted special company as they underwent this precaution. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie never left the Maximals' sides, wanting to ensure that they were treated fairly, or as fairly as an extraterrestrial robot can be.  Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy shared the room, but kept their distance. They were, understandably, just as on edge as the guards.

Applejack kept a vigil eye, primarily looking out for her friends. Though they claimed that these aliens were friendly, she couldn't be too careful.  Just like Luna’s mindset, there was no such thing as “too careful” in this situation.

Rarity, despite her teasing of Rainbow Dash's companionship with Blitz Streak, had been on alert ever since they reached their destination. She did have some internal queries that she hoped to indulge in once this entire affair was sorted out.  She wanted to know what these Cybertronians' sense of fashion was, what materials they utilized, and the possibility that said materials could be integrated into her new lineup.

Fluttershy stayed hidden behind her friends, her timid nature getting the better of her. Whenever one of the Maximals looked in her general direction, she'd shrink behind the other two ponies, wanting to remain out of sight.

Spike was keeping things level-headed, for the most part, but abstained from engaging in any real conversation with their otherworldly visitors.

"You sure you gave them all the details, big guy?" Blitz asked the executive officer.

"I told them as much as I could and answered their questions to the extent of my knowledge" Stronghold replied, "We'll just have to hope it’ll be enough to garner their trust.”

"I don't know," Blitz shrugged. “They've been in there for an awfully long time, though."

Paragon moved on to Rainbow. "And you wonder why I'm not a fan of politicians?"

"Trick question! No one likes politicians!" Pinkie interjected, earning her another collective stare, to which she just grinned, once again.

"Okay, look guys, I know I'm the last pony in all of Equestria that should be telling anyone to be patient, but considering the info just given to them, just be happy they haven't thrown you into the dungeons or something," Rainbow said.

"Rainbow is right. We just need to be patient," Stronghold concurred.

"Don't worry, you guys! I'm absolutely, positively, without a doubt sure, they'll trust you!" Pinkie bounced in place.

"I don't trust them," Luna stated bluntly.

Inside the meeting room, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Twilight, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and Zecora had been in hot debate over this alien crisis and no agreements, thus far, had been reached, and from the way things were going, there was no end in sight.

"Princess Luna, if I may, what if they're telling the truth and do know how to keep this threat at bay?" Zecora asked.

"Then we have these Maximals help us deal with this new threat that they have brought to Equestria.  But until we see concrete evidence that they're speaking the truth, and their intentions are just, they are to remain under surveillance.” Luna answered.

"What evidence, aside from combating these Predacons, would they have to show?" Cadance interjected. "They've been fairly compliant so far; they've relinquished their weapons, and haven't attempted to harm anyone. The short one, Paragon, I believe, may be a bit rough, but he's been nonetheless cooperative."

"Plus, Zecora said that the Maximals act nothing like that ‘Cyberbee’ creature," Twilight added.

"Luna is just being cautious everyone. She wants to avoid another incident like the changeling invasion at Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding from happening." Celestia said.

Luna’s head lowered in self-contemplation.

And it won't happen. This time Equestria won't be taken by surprise. I'll make sure of that.

Even now the events of that day troubled the Moon Princess greatly, especially because she wasn't there to help stop it. Luna had gone to an important meeting with delegates to discuss other matters of importance that day. So it was quite shocking to hear just what had happened in her absence. It was then that Luna took it upon herself to make sure nothing like that were to happen again.

Twilight tried to see things from both perspectives. On one hoof, these Maximals really could be friendly, and were put under intrusive watch. On the other hoof, these are relatively unknown life forms that they just met, with the exception of Pinkie and Rainbow, who’ve known them for at least a few days. Despite the goodwill of her friends, Luna would always conjure up the point that they could be planning something long term, which was becoming difficult to refute, given how limited their knowledge of their true intentions were.  In addition to that, their ability to assume the form of the local wildlife, ponies included, provided a legitimate cause for concern as the changelings had done something similar, prior to this. It tore Twilight in two directions, an inner conflict of her logic and emotions.

The doors to the conference room were pushed open, allowing a Royal Guard pegasus, Thunder Strike, to enter.  He bowed, giving his report.  “Your majesties, forgive the intrusion, but our search parties have discovered one of the pods in the marshes, as you’ve instructed.  Unlike the previous findings, this one hasn’t opened yet; whatever’s inside is still dormant.”

Everypony’s attention was now fully gained.  In Luna’s eyes, this could either be a blessing or a curse.  With what little they knew, she had already assumed that it was the latter.

Shining was the first to officially speak up.  “We’ll be there as soon as possible.  In the meantime, establish a perimeter around the pod and keep your distance.”

“It has already been done, sir.” Thunder Strike said.  “We await further instructions on how we should proceed.”

“What do we do now?  We’ve finally found another pod, but we don’t know what to do with it.” Twilight grew concerned.

“What about the Maximals?” Cadance proposed.  “They could take a look at this pod and identify the occupant.”

“The pods all look exactly the same and there’s no way to look inside without opening it,” Shining pointed out.  “How would they know if it were one of their own or one of those Predacons they spoke of?”

"They do look the same to us, this fact is true.  That said, I would think they, of all creatures, would know which belongs to their crew." Zecora said.

“I am willing to at least give them a chance to identify if the occupant is friend or foe.  If it’s hostile, the Maximals could be of great assistance.” Shining said.

“Then we’ll have the Maximals look at the craft before we bring it in for further inspection.” Celestia concluded.

"And then what?” Luna asked.

This garnered looks of confusion from the rest of the group.

“What do you mean ‘And then what’?  If it’s this Optimus they’ve spoken so fondly of, we can let him out.  If it’s not, we keep them in.  It seems simple enough.” Cadance said.

“Is that truly wise?” Luna pressed on.

"Princess, the Maximals haven't shown any sort of violent behavior--" Twilight started, but Luna cut her off.

“At least not now.  If this is their leader, we cannot make the automatic assumption that he's on our side.  For all we know, these Maximals may have some hidden agenda.  We also cannot assume he's as friendly as his crew, for perhaps while his subordinates are kind, he may not be.  We mustn’t be so quick about this.  We need to plan for every possible occurrence, the risks are just too great.”

Twilight’s brow furrowed.  "And how are we going to know if he isn't hostile by bottling him up? From his perspective, he’s stranded, lost, confused, and, from what you’re suggesting, being held in a small, contained space against his will by an unknown race, which he may assume to be hostile.  Do you know what that could do to somepony, psychologically?"

“So, you want this shapeshifting, alien machine to pop out and just hope it doesn't possess any ill intent, based on blind faith alone?" Luna countered, her voice flat and unamused.

"And you're saying we should hold their leader against his will? I don't think the rest of the Maximals are just going to accept that." Twilight shook her head.  "He could know something important, especially if it helps against these Predacons. If you're willing to acknowledge that the Predacons are the ones we should worry about, based on the Maximals’ word alone, what are the Maximals to you, then?"

“An inconclusive species.” Luna stated, matter of factly.

“Twilight, Luna,” Celestia’s voice tore the two from their verbal conflict.  “You have both made your points, and both have legitimate concerns.  So, I suggest a compromise.  We will have the Maximals examine the pod, and if it is, indeed, their leader, we will awaken him.  If he is as good as his subordinates claim him to be, then we will give him an opportunity to explain himself.  The marshes are a fair distance away from any populated areas, so, if he turns out to be an enemy, we can deal with the matter there without risk of endangerment to innocent lives.”

Twilight nodded, at least finding some solace in this process.  Luna was more disgruntled, but otherwise kept to herself and nodded as well.  Cadance, Shining, and Zecora were all in full support.  Satisfied with a course of action now in place, Celestia addressed Thunder Strike.

“Return to the marshes and inform the rest of the Guards of our arrival, and to remain at their stations.  Ensure the perimeter is secured, to prevent outside interference.”

“Yes, your highness!” Thunder Strike bowed his head and flew from the premises.

“Let’s not delay, then.” Cadance declared, standing up.  “Let’s round up the Maximals and the rest of Twilight’s friends, and settle this matter.”

The conference was adjourned.

Upon arrival, the Princesses were greeted by Onyx, accompanied by two of the stationed Guards.

“Where is the craft located?” Celestia asked.

“It’s beyond the treeline, Princess,” said Onyx.  “Follow us.”

Passing the sparse treeline, the pod Onyx spoke of came into view of the party.  The very sight of such a vessel injected almost everyone, save the Maximals, with a sense of awe and surprise.

“Hoo-wee! When you guys said these pods were big, y’all weren't kidding!  This thing is bigger than a cow standing on its hind legs on a wooden crate!" Applejack said, never taking her gaze off of the spacecraft.

“Um… yeah… I bet it is.” Paragon said, at a loss for an appropriate response.

“Is it big bot’s or one of the Preds’?” Blitz was put on edge, not wanting to be caught off guard.

Stronghold’s optical sensors zoomed in on the pod, carefully examining it.  His cautions were put at ease when he discovered the insignia all Maximals wielded.

“It’s his.  It has our insignia.” Stronghold confirmed.

Twilight's intellectual curiosity got the better of her common sense, as she was unaware that her body had moved towards the pod, her eyes looking over the alien material that the craft was forged in.  How it survived a fall from the planet’s stratosphere puzzled the young librarian, causing her to string multiple theories in her head.  Her inner thoughts didn’t last when they were dissolved by a computer voice which shook her to the very bone.

“Organic lifeform detected within perimeter.  Scanning…”

Twilight gasped as she backpedaled from the pod, a massive rod slowly emerging, which only quickened her heart rate.  She didn’t mean to disturb it!  To add to her surprise, a spear zoomed over her head, burying itself into the flank of the craft, earning collective yelps and gasps from everypony in the vicinity.

“Who threw that?!” Shining yelled.

“Sorry, I panicked!” Onyx locked his eyes to the floor.

“Onyx!” Thunder Strike irritably growled.

The rod erupted with multiple yellow, transparent films that coated the entire marsh, passing over the multitude of ponies.  While most were tempted to gain distance from the pod, the Maximals remained stationary, as they had seen this process play out multiple times in the past.

“Scanning… complete.  Opening pod.” the voice concluded as the rod was pulled back into the darkness of the craft’s inner structure.

The lid popped upward a few inches, allowing wisps of smoke to flow from the breach, twisting and curling like snakes.  Within the crack of the pod, a pair of yellow eyes opened, being the only illuminated objects in the otherwise dark interior.  The door was pushed open, allowing the figure inside to erect to full height, its form equine in appearance.  As its eyes fell upon the ponies, the Maximals could only smile.

Their leader had returned

Well, that’s just Prime.