1 Prologue
My engine hummed as I raced through the thick trees, my wheels bouncing over the dirt path I had been following for several miles. The locals called it the Everfree Forest, although compared to some of the places I had been back on Earth, this was downright tame. I still had trouble wrapping my helm around the idea that these little ponies had such a perfect life here on Equis, and they didn’t even know it. There weren’t any wars, no one really got hurt when conflicts did break out, and if all else failed, it seemed that the energy they called magic could be used to solve anything that came there way. The sweetness of it all made my dentas ache from stress, and I had to remind myself that we were here for a reason. The ponies might not know it, but the Decepticons would not hesitate to take their pacifist ideals and rip them apart at the seams if it meant they could get what they wanted.
And that was part of the problem. Megatron and the rest of his upper command had transported themselves to this world using the space bridge, and yet we had no idea why. Optimus thought it was because Earth was proving too difficult a world to take over, so they moved on to somewhere they would face no resistance. From what Ratchet had been able to gather concerning the locals, they were woefully underprepared if the ‘Cons chose to reveal themselves. Other than their magic, the ponies had technology that made Earth look like Cybertron. While they had electronic devices and the means to produce more complex machines, it seemed that they were content to stay in the steam era, using their own abilities in favor of advancing their technology to do the work for them.
My comms crackled as Ratchet’s voice reached my audio receptors, Arcee, we are picking up Decepticon signals in your area. They are moving along a path parallel to your own roughly two clicks north of your position. Proceed along your current vector for another mile and take a right. You should be within visual range not too far beyond that.
“Copy that,” I replied, my engine revving as my front wheel skipped over the ground, “I’ll see what the ‘Cons are up to and report back once I have eyes on the target.”
The line went dead as I picked up speed, a thick cloud of dust marking my passing as I raced through the trees. Right where Ratchet said it would be, the path forked, proving me with the directional change I needed to get behind the ‘Con patrol. I had no idea why they would be all the way out here, but I intended to find out.
I activated my overdrive as I spied the ‘Cons, three Eradicons and four Vehicons in bot form, their weapons activated and their optics alert as they watch the forest on all sides. I drove up a dirt ramp as the two nearest me spotted my approaching form, their blaster fire echoing through the trees as I jumped off the end of the incline. Part way through my arc I transformed, activating my forearm blades as I came down on their helms.
The two under me went down fast, although the others seemed to have a bit more sparks in their neural nets than their comrades. They concentrated their fire on me, forcing me to dodge and roll in order to avoid getting blasted. However, they forgot to keep a lookout, leaving their rear open for Smokescreen to come in and take them by surprise. He blasted the poor fraggers like they were scraplets in a barrel, their bodies dropping like flies as I stood up from my last roll.
“Nice of you to show up,” I said as he deactivated his weapons, “where were you when I told you to cover my tailpipe?”
“I was out checking a signal I picked up on my scanners.” He replied, his expression blatantly clueless as he rattled on about some crazy creature he had discovered here in the Everfree.
I let him go on for a bit until my patience ran out, “Look, I know you want to go and explore this world, but the mission always comes first. I thought that you had learned that from the last time you got your spark pulled from the Pit, but apparently you still need to get your act together.”
He opened his mouth to reply, but a sound on the edge of my hearing made me stop him with a raised servo. He stopped mid-word, his optics wide as he listened. Then, I heard it again, the snapping of a twig and the sounds of approaching voices.
We shared a quick look and transformed, Smokescreen driving off in a flash with me coming up behind him. However, my tires slipped on an exposed root, and I rolled to a halt in the middle of the trail. I cursed under my breath as Smokescreen slammed on his brakes, but I sent him on his way as the ground bridge opened in front of him. He hesitated for just a moment before racing into the vortex, leaving me alone as the sounds of approaching life grew louder. I wondered for a moment if I should transform, but it was quickly discarded as I spotted a group of local life forms walking around the bend in the trail.
“Arcee to base,” I whispered over the comm, “I’m stuck and some ponies are making their way toward me. What should I do?”
Optimus’ voice replied over the channel, his voice firm, Maintain vehicular cover unless absolutely necessary. We are not yet certain how the local life forms would react if we revealed ourselves. The Decepticons have yet to make a move concerning the pony inhabitants, so we require discretion when interactions are unavoidable.
And see what you can learn from them. Ratchet added, They might speak freely around you if they think you are lifeless hunk of metal. For starters, see if you can discern any possible reason why the Decepticons would bother with a sideways planet such as this, and why they haven’t simply proclaimed themselves as the rulers of this world.
I checked my mirror, noting that the group of ponies was made up of six individuals, “Copy that. I’ll contact you again when I have the chance. Until then, maintain radio silence so you don’t give me away.”
The line went dead once more as the ponies spotted my chassis lying on the ground, their eyes widening as one as they raced up to me. It turned out that there were seven members of the group, the final one being a small purple creature resting on the lavender pony’s back. They were a mixed back, a combination of two pegasi, two regular ponies, and two unicorns, all bright colors and sharing about half a brain between them, as far as I was concerned. Here they were, standing over a completely unknown machine, and yet the first thing they did was poke my side with their hooves.
I resisted the urge to groan as the purple pony turned to her companions, “You think this thing might be related to the disappearances that have been happening lately?”
The orange one lowered her head and stared at my body like a firm glare would make me reveal my secrets, “Ah don’t know Twilight, but it sure as heck wasn’t made by ponies.”
“Well the only thing I’m curious about is how fast it can go.” The blue pegasus said from her airborne position, her eyes locked onto my wheels, “Those wheels look like they could handle some serious speed.”
“Um, maybe we should tell the Princess about this,” the light yellow pegasus said in a soft tone, “it could be dangerous.”
Finally, somebot with some common sense. The others shared a look before the purple pony turned to her passenger, “Spike, take a note. We’re sending a letter to Princess Celestia about this thing. Maybe she can figure out what it is.”
The small creature wrote down her words as she verbalized her thoughts and opinions, the scroll being rolled up and then burned to ash as the little lizard breathed a flash of green flames over the paper. It wisped away through the air, making a beeline for the castle that was secured to the side of the distant mountains, leaving the ponies to poke and prod as me like I was a cheap toy.
Primus give me strength not to blast these ponies. I stifled a sigh as I settled in for the long haul, knowing that things were only going to get more complicated from here.
