The Equestrian Prime

The Equestrian Prime

Chapter 6: Transform and Roll Out!

Artemis was preparing to move out with Cianán and Shining Armor, both of whom had yet to join him outside the Castle of Friendship. It was currently 10 pm. The reason Artemis chose the late night time for the assault was for the element of surprise. While he was checking over his gear, he heard a metallic clattering noise behind him. When he looked behind him, he noticed unfamiliar pieces of armor that he had never seen before, but looked strangely familiar. A note was attached to the helmet of the armor. When he picked it up, he saw it was written in Cybertronian, which his systems decoded into English.

'The Dark Energon has been purified from this armor, courtesy of Primus. Give it to the brother of your femme friend for when you bring those two traitors to justice. It shall serve him well.

-Megatron'

Artemis smiled, as it warmed his Spark that Megatron was being kind enough to help him out. His auditory circuits caught the sound of both Cianán and Shining Armor coming out of the doors of the Castle of Friendship. Cianán was in his Tank Kamen Rider armor, while Shining Armor was in his normal Royal Guard armor.

"Glad you two could make it." Artemis said with a small smirk. Then he looked at Shining Armor and pointed at the pieces of armor that Megatron gave him, saying, "A friend of my mentor gave me these to give to you for when we move out. It's more advanced than the armor you are familiar with, but it should keep you better protected against whatever those fuckers happen to use as weapons. Plus you get your own advanced blaster attached via your right arm, with a wrist blade to match. And even if you don't know what to do, the armor will guide you."

Cianán tilted his head as he noticed the message in Cybertronian. "Huh… so Megatron sent that, eh? No doubt we'll run across other Displaced at some point," he commented wryly, unaware the lens of the right side of his helmet was flickering a pale blue. He blinked, realizing he could read Cybertronian.

"I doubt it, considering they all mostly have one thing in common…" Artemis said, dropping off at the end, hoping Cianán would get who he was referring to as far as the Displaced.

"The Merchant… though technically we were Displaced by someone other than his creepy ass," Cianán commented. "Though…. I don't think I ended up here because of Primus," he deadpanned.

Shining Armor cocked an eyebrow before his ears twitched twice at a distant howl.

Cianán's eyes narrowed fractionally, his head tilting. "That's not a Timberwolf. I've heard them… that… was an Orphnoch… which means we may well run into something from Faiz," he said cautiously, his head tilting. "That reminds me…" he said slowly before a small hatch on his left outer thigh opened before it spat something black, silver, and red upward before he snagged it with his right hand.

"If we're running into stuff from the Faiz world, then we'll need all the firepower we can get." Artemis said, looking at Shining Armor. "Take off your Guard Armor and put on what my mentor's friend left you. You're going to need the added protection if we're dealing with crap from Faiz."

"I guess," Shining Armor sighed cautiously before he noticed embers of silvery white fog forming a curtain. His eyebrows rose as he saw two humans step through, one with dark reddish black hair rubbing his temples.

"Fuck me… Tsukasa had to deal with this awareness all the time? Ugh… what a pain in the ass," he commented dryly with a grimace, the Ziku Driver around his waist obvious.

"He did not tell me of this, my Lord," the other human clad in tan with grayish white pants and a white scarf around his neck and shoulders, spoke. "Though leaving Geiz to protect our timeline was wise," he commented wryly.

"And who would you two be?" Artemis asked, quirking an eyebrow upward.

"My Lord is the King of…" the white scarfed individual spoke before the other cut him off.

"Woz, they don't need to know everything. Suffice it to say that Tsukasa Kadoya passed his dimensional gifts to me and I felt a pull here, where timelines feel… tangled. As to whom we are," the other human spoke before his hand ignited in mingled silver and gold flames before a watch rested in his hand. He twisted one side, embers of golden flame flickering momentarily before he separated the watches, sliding the golden watch on the left side, the silver and white one on the right side before he depressed the button on top, unlocking it even as Woz's hand lightly pushed the Beyondriver's activation arm into position before his hand swatted the Ziku Driver, activating it as their bodies were engulfed in gold tipped silvery flames as Woz's was engulfed in silver tipped green light.

Shining Armor blinked before the faceplate of his new armor clicked into place.

Cianán cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Huh, looks like the armor got more of an upgrade than when Megatron was taken over by Unicron." Artemis said whistling, impressed at Shining's new battle armor. "Even comes with the sword from the Bayverse movies of Transformers: The Last Knight for Megatron. Though the Fusion Cannon still looks the same. More or less."

"That doesn't explain who they are," Cianán deadpanned as arcs of golden white electricity flickered over his armor.

"He mentioned Tsukasa Kadoya, so that can only mean he's Zi-O, Tsukasa's successor." Artemis said before he sensed the shock from Zi-O. "I only know because an old friend when I was still human was a clairaudient. He was connected to Tsukasa, though I'm surprised Tsukasa didn't mention that to you. You do know what clairaudience is, right?"

Zi-O tilted his head. "It's a psionic gift for hearing beyond the norm. Not unlike my precognitive talents… though in truth… I'm not human, but I am the last of my kind," he said softly.

"You're not alone in that. As I, too, am the last of my race." Artemis muttered. That did not go unnoticed by Zi-O. Artemis clarified, saying, "I was once human, but am now an Autonomous Robotic Organism from the Planet Cybertron. Also known as an Autobot. Though, as I said, I'm now the last of the Cybertronian race, just like you are the last of yours."

Zi-O cocked his head. "I'm an Atlantean Arcadian Lykos Aristi," he deadpanned. "I was suffused with the power of three Primal Primordials," he deadpanned dryly.

Woz shot him a look before Zi-O rolled his shoulders. "You didn't tell me that, my Lord," he deadpanned.

Zi-O shrugged. "Didn't think it was important," he deadpanned.

"Well, either way," Artemis started to say, "we can use all the help we can get for going after two traitors to Equestria and bringing them to justice. Would you two be willing to lend a hand? We could use a couple of powerhouses like yourselves."

Zi-O shrugged. "Why not? It's what Kamen Riders do… protect the innocent, beat the stupid out of idiots, and if what I'm smelling is right, get the girl, apparently," he commented nonchalantly, before teasing them.

"That's none of your business!" Both Artemis and Cianán blurted out in unison, both of them blushing bright scarlet, despite their current forms.

Zi-O rolled his shoulders. "Hey, I'm not judging nor am I going to ask who, though I can guess. Besides, I can't point fingers… especially when I got flaming twins after that bastard Darkonda showed up, hunting a green dragon," he deadpanned.

"Damn, if Tommy ended up here, we could use his help too." Artemis said, rubbing his chin in thought. "But we've wasted enough time. Make a space, everyone. We're going after Blue Balls and Flash now."

Artemis' eyes flashed bright blue as a swirling bluish green vortex opened up in front of the group. Artemis nodded his head at the vortex.

"This Ground Bridge will take us to a safe distance just beyond the base." Artemis said before he pulled out his Ion Blaster Mark VII. "Just be warned that it can be a little jarring for first-timers through a Ground Bridge. Let's roll out!" Artemis walked through the Ground Bridge and disappeared through it.

Zi-O shrugged as he pushed off, Woz close behind as Shining Armor stalked through before Cianán followed, the Ground Bridge sealing behind them. Had they looked back, they might have noticed a golden glow behind one of the trees from a visor.

As they stepped out of the Ground Bridge, they blinked in the sunlight refracting off a massive ice wall to their right. Zi-O cocked his head, his internal gyroscope noting that the Sun was moving east to west, which made the ice wall to their south. His gaze scanned around, noting a castle built into the side of the mountain roughly four kilometers away. "Looks like we have a bit of a run," he commented nonchalantly.

"Unless we're gonna speed things up a bit," Cianán deadpanned dryly.

"Shining." Artemis said. Shining Armor looked at Artemis. "We should have Resizers in our armor. For you, just say 'Resizer: Automize! Shining Armor: Transform'. Then just say 'Transform' after that to go into vehicle mode. Like this. Resizer: Automize! Artemis Prime: Transform!"

Artemis' Battle Form Armor began to shift and change as he grew in height, the transformation taking roughly twenty seconds. After the transformation was complete, he then stood 30 feet tall.

"Now for part two of the demonstration. Transform!" Artemis yelled the last word as a second transformation took place as he broke up into what sounded like shifting pieces of metal. After that was done, he was now in a completely different form.

"Not bad huh?" Artemis asked the others through his holomatter avatar, which looked just like his old human form. "Hop in." He said to the two newcomers of the group. "This will be quicker to get to the base. Stealth mode is active, so only those I tag as blue for friendly can see or hear me." His gaze went to Shining Armor. "Remember what I said to do. Now it's your turn."

Zi-O cocked an eyebrow before he hummed. "I got the next best thing," he commented wryly as he lightly tossed a Ridewatch up and down.

He depressed the button before lobbing it where it unfolded in an arcing surge of chronal rainbow flame. "Who says we don't have rides of our own?" he commented nonchalantly.

Woz smirked as he flicked out a green tinted Ridewatch which unfolded in a surge of bluish emerald chronal flame.

"Resizer: Automize! Shining Armor: Transform!" Shining Armor said cautiously.

Shining's armored form began to shift and change as he grew in height, the transformation taking roughly twenty seconds. After the transformation was complete, he then stood 30 feet tall.

He grunted the last word as a second transformation took place as he broke up into what sounded like shifting pieces of metal. After that was done, he was now in a completely different form.

"Okay, this is definitely disorienting," Shining commented wryly.

"Believe it or not, Shining," Artemis started to say, "by taking on the armor, even though you'll still be normal as far as your magic, or bedroom activities, or that you can still eat, you're now one of the last of an all-but-dead race of living alien robots like me. You'll still be able to transform back to your normal form for your daily life. So use that new armor with honor."

Artemis looked to the others through his holomatter avatar, then looked ahead as he said, "Let's roll out!"

—

Several Riotroopers noticed some disrupted dust. What they saw through the advanced scanner goggles, however, was wildlife they'd prefer to avoid.

"Ah, crapbaskets, we don't need those things showing up again." One Riotrooper said. "They were enough of a pain in the ass to clear out before." The same Riotrooper groaned.

Displacer beasts were ambush predators capable of projecting their form in one location yet striking from another angle. What made them more annoying was that they ran in packs and their tendrils were known to be toxic.

They were quite resistant to their projectile weapons, unfortunately, and very difficult for even their Kaizo-Majin allies to kill without practice.

—

Cianán cocked his head. "I'm picking up Riotroopers. I count eight on the exterior," he relayed.

Artemis looked from behind the boulder he was hiding behind and scanned the entire structure. The info being relayed in his HUD was disturbing, but he was glad he found that one of them was the target.

"I count seven in the upper section of the structure, eight in the middle, and eight in the ground level of the structure." Artemis relayed to the others. "I count 36 total. Our target is in the penthouse suite-like room in the top-most level of the structure. But there should be 37 here. One of the targets is missing. It looks like the only one here of the two is Prince No Balls."

"Which implies that they could have somehow known we were coming… though how, when we didn't share the knowledge with anypony?" Shining deadpanned.

"I think I know…" Artemis said grimly. "The badge you threw over to me, Shining Armor, right before our match. It must have acted like a beacon that they were being tracked, at the time that my systems projected the recording from it."

"Possible, though it's just as likely someone we likely wouldn't have taken a second glance at may well be a spy, willing or unwilling, I can't guess," Cianán commented cautiously.

"Slag, slag, slag, slag, slag, slag, slag!" Artemis said, cursing in Cybertronian words multiple times.

"What?" Shining deadpanned, his head tilting. "You think you missed something obvious?" he stated.

"What Cianán just said, it reminded me of something my old friend once showed me." Artemis said, looking at the structure darkly. "There's a Kamen Rider that wants to be a hero, but he's forced to do evil shit by Dai Shocker. Maybe he ended up here as well and didn't want to do anything, but was forced to spy on us when we were coming up with the battle plans. Ring any bells Woz, Zi-O?"

"I can think of several. Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper, as well as Necrom, and Amazon Sigma, though Psyga was probably the most unpredictable of the bunch that wasn't a true Dark Rider," Zi-O commented.

"Slag!" Artemis said, saying the Cybertronian curse word again. "It's Psyga! I remember now. My friend mentioned his name once, but not the others you mentioned. It has to have been him."

"Why not the others?" Cianán commented.

"That's because Amazon Sigma was a reanimated corpse of an Amazon," Zi-O sighed. "The others were closer to the light than darkness. More often than not, falling to the Darkness is a choice," he deadpanned.

"Same could be said about Megatron, who chose the darkness for eons of civil war against the Autobots." Artemis said, looking grim. "In his lust for power, he doomed Cybertron. Then he used Dark Energon in a bid to create an army of undead Cybertronians. But he saw the error of his ways, and disbanded his Decepticon legions, saying 'The Decepticons are no more. And that is final'."

"Hmmm. Now that I think about it… the feel of the Omega Sanction… and whatever energy gave me my enhanced legs… they felt like polar opposites, which I'm guessing is the same with Energon and Dark Energon," Cianán commented thoughtfully.

"That's about sums it up about Energon and Dark Energon, old friend." Artemis said to Cianán. Artemis looked at the Riotroopers on the outside, saying to Cianán and the other two Kamen Riders, "Shining Armor and I will take the upper section, where we'll apprehend Prince No Balls. Woz and Zi-O can take the ground level. Think you can handle the middle level, old friend?"

"Aye, though I wouldn't put it past these fucks to rig the place to self-destruct," Cianán commented wryly.

"Then once Shining and I apprehend No Balls, let's meet up in the middle level… here." Artemis highlights a section on the hologram map he was projecting from his eyes. "We'll take an emergency Ground Bridge back to the Castle of Friendship if that is the case. Agreed, everyone?"

Zi-O shrugged. "I suppose," he commented.

Woz chuckled before he let his body stiffen.

Cianán let his eyes narrow, unaware both his Cybertronian eye and flesh eye shone pale blue before he slowed, unknowingly employing a Kryptonian talent: penetrative sight. "Shit… we're gonna need a hell of a lot more firepower. The outer base we're seeing… there's a deeper base in the mountain… and it ain't no small one. Looks like fucking Ace Chemicals in there," he said warily. His eyes narrowed, then widened.

"And I'm counting hostages…" he said warily.

"How many are we talking about?" Artemis said, uneasiness in his Spark at the mention of hostages.

"Hmmm… I'm counting… fuck me sideways with a lit road flare… at least forty that I can see. We could use Kori and…" he started before he heard a chuckle behind him, unknowingly spinning out trying to see who it was. Unknown to him, she was sitting right behind him.

"Kori had a feeling you'd need help, though I wouldn't have thought you'd come up with an Armored Core suit," a teasing voice commented.

"Kara," Cianán deadpanned with amusement. To him, she was like an annoying sister.

He blinked as he noticed a surge of light reflect off the mountainside before he turned, spotting a vortex in the air before something shot out at high speed.

"What in Primus's Spark? I know that craft… it's not possible…" Artemis said, dumbfounded.

Almost as if in reply to Artemis, the craft began to shift and change.

"It seems that the rumors of the child of the Primes was true." The unknown Cybertronian said, looking down at Artemis, though with a look of friendly glee. "I did not think one other survived besides myself."

"Megatron? How is it possible?" Artemis said, confused beyond belief. "I thought you were dead during your self-exile?"

"You can thank my carelessness with Dark Energon for that, but after Optimus freed me from Unicron's control." Megatron said grimly. After which he smiled and looked back to Artemis, saying, "But I returned to Cybertron to visit Optimus, only to find out the planet was dead once again, most likely due to some cataclysmic events in my absence. But Optimus sent me before he went offline to help you. He told me to help you out, if and when you needed it."

"Well, considering they have hostages, we can use the help, Megatron." Artemis said with a smile before his battle mask slid into place. "I may not be my mentor specifically, but I know he'd want us to fight side-by-side like you two once did. What do you say? Partners?" Artemis held out his right hand to seal the deal with a common friend of his mentor.

Megatron tilted his head. "I suppose," he commented before he took Artemis' hand.

"Welcome to the E-Team, Megatron." Artemis said, shaking Megatron's hand. "Now, let's take out this operation of Blue Balls' and rescue those hostages."

"Looks like the illusion is no longer necessary. Woz," Zi-O commented wryly. To those watching the exterior guards, they'd notice they immediately tensed.

"That's our cue. Attack!" Artemis said, pulling out his Ion Blaster Mark VII. "Megatron, help the others while me and Shining Armor take the upper section and apprehend Prince No Balls. Can you do that?"

Cianán saw Megatron nod as he let his legs shift so he went from tank treads rolling to boots slapping the soil as he shifted, pulling out a very familiar button before he flipped the cover, seeing Kara watching with interest from the corner of his eye. He depressed the button as it buzzed sharply as he tugged free the TankTank connector before he hooked it on as his armored form dissolved into misty fog. "HAZARD ON!" it barked as he pulled out two bottles, shaking them a couple of times before hooking them into the Driver.

"Jikken o hajime mashou ka?" he quipped innocently, unknowingly quoting Kiryu Sento even as the Driver barked out "SUPER BEST MATCH! HAWKGATLING!" before he turned the crank handle.

Dark fog billowed out, forming his armor.

He exhaled as he rolled his shoulder as electricity danced over his body as he pulled something free.

"Let's get 'em, Kara. And you and I both know you aren't the only one here, but that, we will talk about later," he commented as his wings extended before he took to the air at high speed.

Cianán ignored how Kara pouted as he took to the air, pulling out the Takataihō before he spun the rotor three times before opening fire, having already targeted the Riotroopers with the Gatling FullBottle's auto-targeting system.

Sparks and rock dust erupted from the energy shots impacting as, at the moment, his intent was to keep the exterior guards from firing on his comrades.

"Alright, Shining Armor, let's go. Time to climb." Artemis said with a scowl as he ran full speed to the side of the mountain just to the side of the structure and threw himself in a massive leap. After he latched onto the mountainside, he began to climb.

"Here goes nothing…" Shining Armor muttered as he did the same as Artemis, and began to climb towards the upper level of the structure via the mountainside.

Cianán tilted his head as he dove, concentrating before he flexed the wings supplied by the Hawk FullBottle before spinning arcs of golden electricity sped at the guards before echoing booms and heavy plumes of dust erupted as he saw a trio of fireballs detonating skyward, meaning three of the exterior guards were terminated permanently. He saw Kara accelerate before he heard a very distinct crunching sound before he heard crashing from within.

His eyes narrowed as he focused, his irises glowing as he let his wings fold in as he dove before kicking one guard hard enough to bury him halfway through the thick brick wall before he let his boots hit the ground as he opened fire, staggering two of the exterior guards before he pushed off, ignoring the sparks and smoke from the damaged armor, slamming into one with a brutal Spear before he twisted, sparks erupting as the other Riotrooper opened fire before he spun the rotor four times before he opened fire.

The Riotrooper groaned as he staggered backwards before he blew apart. "Six exterior guards down. One guard is doing an impersonation of a gargoyle in the wall," he relayed to the others.

"The other two are scattered and splattered," he heard Megatron growl.

He heard numerous crashes and bangs before he saw a fireball erupt out of a wall. He saw Kara tumble out of the hole, wincing as she hovered. "You're about to get fucked, Karen," she growled before she shot back inside.

—

While the others were taking care of things down below, Artemis and Shining Armor, both in their Battle Form Armor, were climbing the mountainside, nearing their target. When they got to the upper section, they stopped and looked. Artemis used his thermal version to scout the penthouse suite of the upper level. He saw Prince Blueblood in the penthouse suite, while the guards were around the outer perimeter of the upper level, freaked out due to their compound being attacked. Artemis then turned to Shining Armor.

"Ready to rain Tartarus on that traitor of a prince and his accomplices?" Artemis asked, smiling at his marefriend's brother-turned-fellow Cybertronian, his battle mask sliding into place.

Shining smirked slightly, unaware his Cybertronian armor mimicked him before he engaged the Fusion Cannon. "Oh, Blue Dickless!" he commented as he opened fire. However, he noticed a vague ripple in the air before, abruptly, Blueblood was out of range and almost out of the room. "Strange," he had time to mutter before he staggered as his armor blared alarms of sustained damage as he saw a bright emerald electricity surge as he noticed someone in green and black with his back to him.

Cianán's head tilted as he jumped down, switching the Gatling FullBottle for the Kaizoku FullBottle for close combat. He heard a detonation overhead as he paused.

—

Artemis looked at Shining Armor, a concerned look on his face. "Shining! Are you injured?"

"The armor's a bit damaged, but I'm not. Though who the hell is that? It ain't your buddy, obviously," he replied.

"No, he is not." Artemis said, dispatching his Ion Blaster and pulling out a sword that caught Megatron's optics in the distance.

—

Below, Kara was fighting off a hideous were tiger Kaizo-Majin. "Ugh… damn, what did you eat last?" she groaned at its foul breath.

"Oh, that? One of the more… unruly hostages. Well… one of his arms, anyway," the Majin chuckled. "Wonder how you'll taste," he snickered.

—

"He WHAT!?" Artemis all but roared when he heard the Kaizo-Majin say that to Kara. Artemis scowled as he looked to Shining Armor. Shining Armor looked back at Artemis, having heard the same words.

"Go… I can handle this." Shining Armor said. "You said the armor will guide me, right? Let me test that out."

"Just be careful, Shining." Artemis said, a concerned look on his face. "Twilight and Cadence will not forgive me if something happened to you."

"You really do care about my sister, don't you?" Shining Armor asked with a raised brow.

"More than you can imagine and know." Artemis said in a slight whisper, a tear streaming down his cheek as he looked down.

Shining Armor was shocked at the amount of loyalty that the Prime Child was showing for his sister. Shining Armor couldn't help but smile.

"Then you better go help those hostages, before they're all killed." Shining said, his Fusion Cannon priming to fire as he pointed it at the Dark Kamen Rider, with Artemis nodding before he turned to prepare to jump down. "And Artemis?"

Artemis stopped and turned his head to look at Shining Armor.

"Take care of yourself… Brother."

Artemis' breath hitched, not believing what he had just heard from Shining Armor: He was given Shining's approval of dating Twilight, in the BEST possible way… that Shining Armor acknowledged Artemis as a brother.

Artemis smiled under his battle mask, nodding and saying, "You too… Brother. May Primus watch over both of us."

And with that, Artemis gripped the Star Saber and took the leap down.

—

Cianán's eyes narrowed as bright golden white with crimson edges electricity surged over his armor, unaware his armor changed as a result.

Kara, however, saw the change in his armor. Her eyes widened slightly as she got chills, though she couldn't explain why.

Cianán's eyes narrowed, the lenses in his helm glowing a dull silvery blue before he moved as her eyes widened, time seemingly slowing as he shot at the the Majin as she shoved it back before he clotheslined it viciously before he twisted as it arced backwards in slow motion and kicked it hard in the upper abdomen, sending it flying through the air. He noticed Artemis dropping down through the skylight gap towards the Majin.

"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU MURDERER!" Artemis yelled as he held the Star Saber in a position to stab the Majin for a killing blow.

Before he could react, the Majin felt a massive stabbing pierce through its heart, the sudden action causing it to spew up blood. Artemis slowly and painfully pulled the Star Saber from the wound he inflicted on the Majin, wanting to make it an agonizingly slow and painful death, knowing the wound was fatal. After he pulled the Star Saber completely free, he spun around and severed its head in one swift motion.

"Burn in the deepest Pits of Tartarus for what you have done." Artemis said with a growl, his battle mask retracting before he spit what looked like the Energon version of saliva on the dead body of the were-tiger Majin.

Cianán noticed the other Majin going at Artemis' back before his eyes narrowed as he pushed off, darting past Artemis and grabbing the other were-tiger Majin by the ankle in mid leap and speeding out of the gaping hole Kara had made. What was rather noticeable, however, was the spiderweb cracks and the splash of blood where it had slammed its head into the floor before a drag trail of said blood showed where it had gone: out of the hole. If they looked, they would see a slightly red glowing trail of dust with a trail of blood and dust trailing it over the rocky soil before it reversed, speeding back at the castle before a wet crunching splat sounded as the Majin was hurled at roughly 95% the speed of sound at the exterior wall… exploding on impact.

Artemis just looked at Cianán with a shocked look on his face, looking back and forth between Cianán and where the other were-tiger Majin had become a bloody pizza stain on the wall. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Cianán, smiling.

"Remind me to buy you a cold one when this is over." Artemis said to Cianán over his comlink. "I owe ya one for that."

"If there's one thing that disgusts me, it's cannibalism. That's a hard 'no' for me, eh?" was Cianán's reply as he noticed numerous items that held an odd vibration to them. It was slightly different for each, admittedly. Most prominent amongst them, however, was a sci-fi belt buckle with a yellowish gemstone half orb in its center with a winged 'V' that had a diamond shaped gemstone floating within it. The other, however, was a silvery gray pocket watch with a runic seal upon it. He cocked his head in confusion, his eyes narrowing. He hummed, still unaware of his armor's change.

"Ain't that the truth, brother." Artemis said, shaking his head. "Makes me want to vomit at the thought of what they've done to the hostages already. We better find them, and fast." Artemis looked at what Cianán was looking at. "Looks like they were stockpiling priceless artifacts and the like." Artemis looked to Cianán. "What do you make of these, brother?"

Cianán shrugged. He cocked his head. "You recall the multiverse theory? I think this is evidence that it's true," he deadpanned dryly before he blinked at a rumbling boom. "Looks like Meggsy is getting his aggression out, and this Dai-Shocker trash is more than useful as targets," he commented before a loud crash followed. He cocked his head as he heard multiple rapid chiming sounds. "Is that just me… or are you picking up on what sounds like a Vegas slot machine too?" he commented wryly.

"I hear it too brother." Artemis said, turning his towards the sound. "It sounds like it's coming from…" Artemis' eyes widened in shock as his thermal vision picked up a very recognizable human form in the deeper part of the base. "Uh… remember when you said it looks like Ace Chemicals in here?"

"Hai," he commented wryly in affirmative. His eyes narrowed. "You ain't talking about a certain chucklehead ass, are ya?" he growled.

"Yup. He's here." Artemis growled out. "I can see him with my thermal optics. There's no mistaking that form. And he's with the hostages."

Cianán growled low in the back of his throat before he felt the floor tremble slightly. "Think they cleared this place out?" he deadpanned dryly.

"I hope so. Let me check with Shining." Artemis said before he tapped the side of his armored head. "Shining, what's your status? Did you apprehend Prince No Balls?"

"Whoever that guy was in green and black seems to be able to freeze time for short periods of time. He got away deeper inside," Shining grumbled.

"Cronus. He's a Dark Rider. I've had to access his abilities in the past," Zi-O cut in. "He's capable of freezing time for all but himself and creating Game Fields that alter reality, making 'Buggle' Riders like himself, Snipe, Ex-Aid, and Genm much more dangerous," he revealed.

Cianán tilted his head. "I'm guessing if you're of a particular strength level, his time disruption field doesn't affect the target?" he commented.

Zi-O chuckled. "I know a way to really fuck with him… and potentially get someone closer to not only this rogue Prince, but whomever is leading this Dai-Shocker base, hmmm? See… I don't just have the Ridewatches for the 'good' Riders and 'dark' Riders… but also the ones for the Another Riders… essentially monstrous mockeries of the 'good' Riders," he revealed.

"Well, let's get those hostages and apprehend a certain chuckleheaded asshat, but I'm doing it for Harley. I saw her on the video the day we interrogated the mercs. I'm glad she finally realized he was just using her and broke free of him to turn over a new leaf." Artemis said before he tapped the side of his head with a smirk on his face. "Megatron, how are you doing there? Are the Riotroopers giving you a good challenge?"

"There would be more of a challenge from that irritating pest Rodimus," Megatron deadpanned dryly before a loud, resounding clang resounded through the castle.

"You're saying that asshole that Kal put down wasn't him?" Kara said with widened eyes.

"Okay, I must be missing some context here." Artemis said, looking determined. "Let's just focus on taking down the chuckleface asshat so Harley can have some peace of mind while also freeing the rest of the hostages. Let's focus, everyone." Artemis tapped the side of his head again, saying, "Shining, if you got No Balls, use your armor to open a Ground Bridge back to Twilight's castle and put him in the dungeons. Rough him up, but just enough to make him dirty and filthy the way he doesn't like. We'll follow once we finish here, over."

"What you're missing is that an incident we barely stopped was Joker trying to turn Metropolis into a nuclear wasteland. I stuck near Kal and barely stopped Joker from dosing him with a blast of Crane's Fear Toxin… Lois had to have emergency surgery to get the timer out and, unknown to all but Kal, I backhanded Joker hard enough to snap his neck in a half dozen places. Of course, we found out later that Joker wasn't Joker, but a body double. Bastard turned out to be the half brother of one Victor Zsaz," Cianán deadpanned.

"Damn, never knew you to be brutal, brother." Artemis smirked. "But my optics scanned him in the base. It's the genuine article this time. So you can redo that backhanded slap and break his neck if you want. I always hated him."

Cianán let a faint smirk cross his face. "Oh, he ain't gonna be that lucky. Only way he would have known his little scheme failed was if he was watching. I intend to pull a page out of Hunter's book," he commented before he pushed off, electricity surging over his body. His eyes drifted half-lidded before he focused, unknown to him, as his body phased though the stone before he coughed a bit at the foul stench of chemical air before he focused, electricity flickering down his arm and condensing into his arm before he hurled a Speed Force Lightning blast that blew a chunk the size of an Abrams Tank outward.

"I thought we learned our lesson last time brother?" Artemis said, walking next to Cianán, Star Saber put away and Ion Blaster brought out and held at the ready.

Cianán tilted his head. "I aimed there for a reason. That's where the old volcanic shaft rises meaning a natural ventilation shaft for whatever shit is hanging in the air. And if I'm right, I'd wager that faint green tint is residual Smilex… Joker's trademark chemical known to suffocate the user and caused the victims to die laughing with a permanent 'Joker' grin," he drawled. His eyes narrowed fractionally as his gaze drifted around before a pair of loud resonant clangs echoed behind them before he half turned as he saw the heavy door go spinning before he blinked as it spun end-over-end before it smashed close to a dozen Riotroopers and a Majin that looked disturbingly like a giant praying mantis.

"You take the laughing asshat, brother." Artemis said, holding his Ion Blaster with one hand, pulling the Star Saber out with the other. "I'll handle these 'clowns' and the giant insect. But if he gives you any problems, send me a message. I'm not about to leave you behind again. Just let me know if the hostages are safe and I'll open a Ground Bridge for them to Twilight's castle. But give that grinning asshat the Pollock route… for Harley." After Artemis said that, his eyes flashed Decepticon-red at what The Joker had done to Harley before she left him and turned over a new leaf.

"Speaking of, as far as Bruce and Harley know, the laughter has already stopped… all we're doing is making sure it's nice and quiet," Cianán quipped innocently with a smirk.

"I don't care." Artemis said before his eyes were completely Decepticon-red with a deep scowl. "I hated how he treated Harley, and for what he did to Jason Todd. He deserves the worst possible way to die. For the peace of mind of all three of them, brother… kill him." After that Artemis turned towards the Riotroopers and Majin while yelling, "Alright, ya shites, which one of ya loads of bollocks has the stones to take on the Child of the Primes? I'm ready to do some 'holy' paintin', ya shiteheads!" What Artemis didn't notice was Cianán's snickering at something only Artemis had confided in him as a sign of kinship: he was descended from Irish and Scottish nobility, and in intense situations, that old blood tended to show in his lexicon.

Cianán tilted his head before he noticed movement deeper inside and jogged slowly towards it before his eyebrows rose in shock. "Ah, fuck. You would show up, big guy," he sighed as Kara was getting pretty well pummeled.

He focused before darting up to Solomon Grundy before he slapped the Avatar of the Council of Rot in the back of the head to get his attention.

He saw Grundy turn before he gained something unexpected: a look of recognition. His eyebrow twitched upward before he heard cackling behind him before he pushed off into a twisting roundhouse that tagged Joker full in the face. He landed before he snapped off a crescent kick that knocked away the Bowie knife.

"Hmmm… you aren't the Bat, nor are you trained by him, so who are you?" Joker cackled.

"The Reaper of your soul, you garbage. By the time I'm done with you, the only kiss you will get is that of a wood chipper," was all the reply he got.

—

With Artemis…

Artemis was still fighting with the three were-tiger and one mantis Majins after he took out the Riotroopers Pollock route-style. But these four Majins were somehow the same 30-foot height as he was, and they were giving him problems. His Battle Form Armor was already damaged, and he was slightly leaking Energon. He at least learned from the best, and knew when to call for backup. And he had somebot in mind. He tapped the side of his head to activate his comlink.

"Megatron, I could use some help with these four Majins." Artemis said before he took another nasty hit to his lower chassis. "I badly need an assist."

A booming shot sounded as one of the Majin beasts lost his head before a chuckle sounded from the mountainside. "How'd you like that one, partner?" John Wayne drawled.

"Okay, I never thought I'd be able to say this, as it's been in the tank for years." Artemis said with a smile under his battle mask. "But what the shit-biscuit?! Bee?! How the hell are you still alive? Unless you're not the Bee of my Optimus, if using your radio to quote John Wayne was any indication. How did you get here anyway? I doubt your Cybertron has the same transwarp technology that brought me here." Then Artemis had a shit-eating grin on his face as he said, "I will say this though since you are here. I loved what you did to Agent Simmons the first time you met that crazy shithead when you literally 'took a piss on him' when he kidnapped Sam and Mikaela."

Bumblebee shrugged. "Don't… know. Glow… claimed… Autobot… Prime… in… need," he managed haltingly.

A whump sounded as another of the Majin exploded from a blast that blew it apart from the chest up, splattering its remains everywhere. Moments later, a discus of pale sapphire energy slammed into the chest of another before detonating in a blue fireball, sending it tumbling, but heavily damaged.

Megatron tilted his head, slightly confused, as the Kamen Rider he saw was not Zi-O.

"It's a rather curious fact that when I tap into the other Riders' powers… my Driver changes to match theirs for some reason. The only fortunate thing is that I don't find myself mimicking their personalities," Zi-O, in the form of Fourze Cosmic States, said wryly.

Bumblebee scowled, before he said through his radio, "Reminds me… of… Alice. That… *bleep*ing Pretender."

"Easy, Bee. I'm sure that's not exactly what he means. He can just copy their powers without taking on their personalities." Artemis said placatingly.

"And I can use their abilities, though I will admit the first time I used this form… it had a very nasty backlash. Though I will admit that having multiple Ridewatches fused within my body… let's just say that each one uses a different energy frequency, much like a radio can tap into different radio signals. Still can't use Kiva or Dark Kiva easily as those are, in fact, genetic in power nature. The Lockseeds are easier to access… though I try not to access the Helheim Forest too much… as that tends to linger like a leech clinging to the skin… or a vampire fruit bat to a certain farmer's apples," he sighed.

"You know more about what happened to them… the other Elements, don't you?" Artemis said with a slight scowl at what Zi-O said at the end of his sentence.

"Not really. But the way the… eh?" Zi-O shrugged before he paused as a purple burning phantom was floating and dancing about. "Ryūtaros," he sighed, shaking his head.

"Wouldn't surprise me if this world gains a Den-O, as he's one of the few Riders other than myself who guide the timeline as it should flow," he mused as his body ignited in bluish white chronal flames before winking out, his armor dissipating before he was revealed in his human form. His head tilted as he half turned, his eyes narrowed as his muscles bulged, seeing a far too familiar visage.

"Baron von Sabrewulf," Zi-O commented flatly, noticing the Dai Shocker medal at his belt. His eyes drifted half lidded as he bared his teeth as his canines and incisors sharpened as his clothes tore as his body shifted as he let his Katagaria Lykos side out… the form that the 'classic werewolf' was actually based upon.

Bumblebee whistled in surprise as the darker furred werewolf charged at Zi-O, who twisted, catching and tossing Sabrewulf with a hip toss before he darted forward, tackling the darker furred werewolf with a Spear before they both tumbled off the top floor of the castle.

"Remind me not to get on Zi-O's bad side…" Artemis said as he looked where the two of them were fighting after hitting the ground level.

Megatron tilted his head as he heard a deep crunch before a howl of pain, followed by a wet crack and a snarl followed before numerous crashes. He looked over the side to see Zi-O bodily slamming Sabrewulf into columns and walls before he lifted him and whip-slamming him into a low planter that broke beneath him. "What is the expression the humans use? 'Opening a can of whoop ass', I believe?" he drawled.

"That sounds about right, Megatron." Artemis said in his comlink, sounding like he was smiling. "A famous wrestler-turned-actor used to say that. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin."

"Get your ass up, mutt. You're going to rest in peace," Zi-O snarled before he kicked the dark furred werewolf in the gut before flipping him up and slamming him down with an echoing boom.

"Zi-O, ever seen WWE wrestling? Because I have something I've been dying to do for a long time if you can hold him still for me." Artemis said over his comlink. "You'll know when to get out of the way."

Zi-O cocked an eyebrow before he hauled the dazed werewolf to his feet. "Too bad we don't have any tables or ladders," he deadpanned dryly.

"Oh, I don't need a table or ladder for this. I'm in the perfect position above you." Artemis said with what sounded like a malicious chuckle. "And besides, you said it yourself, 'rest in peace', right? Just hold him steady until you see me dropping down. You'll see."

Zi-O hummed. "Feeling froggy?" he commented.

"Maybe~?" Artemis said all too innocently with a distinctive Scottish accent. "Just let me know when you're in position."

Zi-O rolled his shoulders. "Let's put this rabid dog down," he commented before he held the werewolf in a tight full nelson. "Go whenever," he growled.

"Here comes the Crazy Astro Train!" Artemis yelled as he ran to the edge of the part he was at above Zi-O and jumped, maneuvering his body into doing a piledriver. "LEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOY JEEEEEEEEEEEENKIIIIIIIIIIINS!"

Zi-O tripped Sabrewulf, slamming his face into the ground with a crack before he teleported beneath Sabrewulf, the rising knee audibly cracking bones as it propelled him upward straight into Artemis' catching range. He quickly got out of range.

"FLYING ROBOT PILEDRIVER!" Artemis yelled right as his right elbow made contact with Sabrewulf's spine with a resounding wet crunching splat as the force of Artemis' weight caused Sabrewulf to split apart in his center mass. Artemis quickly got up and pulled out his Ion Blaster. Taking a couple of shots to Sabrewulf's head and chest before standing directly over his head, Artemis held his Ion Blaster at the ready while crouching over Sabrewulf's head twice. Artemis smiled as he retracted his battle mask.

"Tea bag, ya flea-bitten little shitehead." Artemis said before he spit on Sabrewulf's dead carcass. "I would say he just became a 'holy meat-lover's pizza', but that would be too good for him."

"I'd wager Dai Shocker promised him a chance to return to human form… deceptive bastards… using one's scars and desires against them, uncaring if they actually do get it," Zi-O sighed softly as his body shifted back to human.

"Who knows… let's just finish this and make sure they have a massive wrench in their plans for the time being." Artemis said with a sigh as well. He then tapped the side of his head again, saying, "Shining, how ya doing? Did you get No Balls?"

"He's definitely 'no balls' now. Little shit tried to attack me, so I Caged him hard enough his balls popped," Shining deadpanned.

"Alright, sending you a Ground Bridge." Artemis said, his eyes shining bright blue. "Take him to the dungeons at your sister's castle, disengage the armor, and get some rest in the CR Chamber. Like I said, by taking on the armor, you're one of the last of a dying race. You did get banged up a bit by Cronus."

"Got a gift for Harley. Think she'll like it?" Cianán quipped before he held up the Joker's head by the hair, spine still attached. "Found two more holding cells with a good forty or fifty more each plus the first one… damn… kinda surprised me that Grundy not only recognized me, but helped," he commented wryly.

Artemis whistled in appreciation at Cianán's handiwork. "I will say I like that you went Hanzo on him. And yes, I think Harley, Bruce, especially Jason Todd will appreciate that he's gone. For good. As for Grundy, he's not too bad in my books. He's kinda like Harvey, but a little bit more towards the good side, even if he's fighting for the wrong one."

"I know Kal was very thankful after I stopped him from getting blasted by that Fear Toxin… because it doesn't take a genius to tell what it would have influenced him to see. That, and it saved more than just Lois," Cianán deadpanned.

"Wait, what?" Kara commented, sounding breathless. She had quite a few scrapes and bruises, showing how nasty those Majin could be.

"Kal didn't tell you that Lois was pregnant?" Cianán quipped innocently.

"Means you're getting a little cousin to spoil, Supergirl." Artemis said while chuckling.

Kara's eyes widened before her legs gave out from beneath her as she collapsed in a dead faint. It was a combination of not only physical exhaustion, but emotional shock.

Cianán cocked an eyebrow, shaking his head. "Far too tempting to pull a Wade on Logan right now," he muttered under his breath.

"That and it's not like either of us in our natures to pull that on a woman, aye? Especially a Kryptonian woman like her." Artemis said as he activated his Resizer to normal height and walked over to Kara and picked her up gently. "Did you get the hostages out, brother?"

"Told them to head for the exit where we'd have a way to get them home," Cianán commented before he blinked as a pair of arms wrapped around his chest before he blinked at a rather surprising sight.

"Well then, let's get those hostages back to Ponyville and send them home." Artemis said, his eyes glowing bright blue again as he remotely opened the Ground Bridge. Then he projected his voice where his radar was indicating the hostages were and said, "Attention hostages, this is Artemis Prime. I mean no harm. Me and some friends have come to take you all home. If you all will look to the bluish green portal that just opened near you, walk through it and it will take all of you to Ponyville at Princess Twilight's castle. We will give you medical attention and help all of you once we get back. Be warned that it can be a little jarring for first-timers through a Ground Bridge."

Cianán cocked an eyebrow at the mare clinging to him. She pouted slightly before backing away.

"I'm pretty certain herds are a thing here, Cianán." Artemis said with a sly smile. "Don't be too quick to 'blow her' off as a potential mate. I know I won't because I always fancied a certain girl I'm carrying right now besides Twilight." Artemis muttered the last sentence he just said.

"I don't know her… but I do get the distinct feeling I've seen her before," Cianán deadpanned, unaware she was a certain Crusader's grandmother.

"I don't think you wanna know that you have a GILF after you, brother." Artemis laughed as he said that. "I'm just surprised she's still alive despite what Twilight told us what had happened to her and AJ when the farmhouse blew up." Artemis then hummed thoughtfully as he said, "Now that I think about it, she looks like she's 20 years old again when she was elderly from what I knew about her. Dai Shocker must've done something to her to regress her age." Artemis looked to the younger looking Granny Smith and asked, "What exactly did they do to you, Granny Smith? I'll admit, you look great, but there's nothing, magic, technology or otherwise, that would be able to make you 20 years old again."

"Actually, sonny… Ah'm not twenty… but closer to 510, hun. Clean livin' has kept me looking young as mah granddaughters… that blast that night shattered that relic that made me look elderly. Knocked me through a couple o' good trees, too, as it blew me off that porch," Granny sighed.

"Huh… interesting." Artemis said, looking down in thought. "What kind of relic was it? If you remember that is. And were you cursed with it until it shattered or was it purposefully that you took it? Also Granny, Applebloom is okay, just in case you were wondering. When everything happened, Twilight took in Applebloom and the rest of the Crusaders to keep them safe. So be sure to thank her when we get back to Ponyville."

"The former, sonny. Turns out there are more'n a few items that hold some nasty surprises, the Alicorn Amulet amongst 'em. Though Ah'd advise gatherin' those 'Tokens' as those Dai-Shocker shits call 'em," she replied.

"Those two we saw brother," Artemis turned to Cianán and said. "The pocket watch with a runic seal and the sci-fi belt buckle with a yellowish gemstone half orb in its center with a winged V on it. I recognize them. They were from Displaced stories, one that was written by my old friend, and the other, the pocket watch, was written by another author. I know who they are because my old friend, being clairaudient, was connected to them as well, like Tsukasa Kadoya."

Artemis ashamedly, for unknown reasons, couldn't stop stealing glances at the young-looking Granny Smith, who noticed this and kept teasing him with fluttering eyes, along with an occasional display of her impressive cleavage. Despite being over half of a millennium old, she didn't look a day over 20. Artemis could feel all his Energon start flowing southwards in a very hard boner.

Slag it! Artemis cursed himself. Despite being a Cybertronian lifeform now, my mind is still human. Slag it all. But I will admit she is pleasing on the eyes. I just hope that herds are a thing here as well in this Equestria. He chuckled lightly as he continued, I'll get you for that, Optimus.

Artemis looked away as he focused, saying telepathically, Twilight, wake up, babe. Mission accomplished. Also Granny Smith is still alive. She was merely thrown from the porch in the explosion of the farmhouse that took AJ from you. Also I want to talk to you about something when we get back soon… in private. With Granny Smith and hopefully another friend. You'll see why when I get back, babe.

—

Twilight blinked at the message as her eyes fluttered open as she yawned before she jumped slightly.

"And tell Kori to contact Harley, I have something she's gonna really like," she heard Cianán comment.

"And Bruce and Jason Todd too. Tell Kori to tell them both it's the genuine article this time." Artemis added his two bits in.

—

Sunset yawned as she rolled over before her eyes snapped open as she unintentionally rolled out of the bed, hitting the thankfully carpeted floor in a tangle of blankets and sheets. She shivered unconsciously as she took a slow breath. "For a Pegasus… damn… he had a lot of stamina," she mumbled sleepily as she got to her feet, shuffling towards the bathroom, not realizing another Alicorn was likely thinking about the same thing.

—

Cianán exhaled softly. He blinked as he noticed a thorny whip, apparently another Token, before he paused, getting a strong feeling of familiarity.

"What is it brother?" Artemis said, seeing Cianán looking at the whip while he was still carrying Kara. Though Artemis was blushing the entire time as he also had Granny Smith, who looked 20 despite being 510 years old, hanging on his shoulders now.

"I don't know. I'm just getting a sense of familiarity from that particular one… not sure why," Cianán commented before he got a flash in his mind's eye of a pair of sisters… both luscious redheads. He didn't realize he stumbled backwards until he fell back into Kara's hands.

"Damn, that was a quick recovery." Artemis said, surprised before he muttered while blushing. "I hope she didn't hear me compliment her like that even though I meant it when I was carrying her."

Cianán blinked several times before his eyes widened fractionally. He took a deep breath. "Looks like we aren't the only ones who ended up here. There are others, and I don't mean Kara… or Kori," he commented. "Magur Muitaps Anemic," he invoked, a dimensional pocket opening before his hand snapped up, the watch, buckle, and coiled whip floating into the pocket before it closed.

"You mean other Displaced?" Artemis said, cocking an eyebrow upward.

"More like mutual friends from that Earth I ended up on… namely two users of the Green. One, you likely recall by reputation if not by name: Pamela Isley… a.k.a 'Poison Ivy'," Cianán quipped.

"Oh, I know about her." Artemis said with a smile. "My old friend, the clairaudient, made a character on DCUO that, in his mind, was her sister. But it turns out she was Pamela's sister, when he ended up connecting with said character for real. You might know her. Katrina Isley. Hell you might know mine that we connected to who apparently looked like a cross between me when I was still human and Jason Statham. Predator2020, or Predator for short."

Cianán's eyes widened fractionally. "Katrina," he muttered gruffly. "I do recall her and a couple of others going down beneath Gotham Geographic Museum… but soon after there was a huge blast… though I don't know what caused it."

"Did you know Predator as well?" Artemis asked, wondering about the only hero whose face he had the honor of seeing under the helmet he wore all the time except for in his quarters.

"Probably," Cianán commented. "Dunno how many people got tagged by Brainiac's Exobytes," he sighed.

"I did. It was kinda funny seeing him carry Doctor Psycho by one leg before he tossed him into the console that shorted out that damn red sun cage," Kara giggled before she looked down in sadness.

"You're withholding something, Kara." Artemis said, looking at Kara, as he could feel that something wasn't right about the whole story, the way her eyes looked down in sadness when she thought no one was noticing her slight tears. His systems were telling him as such. "You cared about Predator more than a comrade and friend, didn't you? After something happened between you and Brainiac V? Then what happened to him?" When she didn't respond and hugged herself, crying even more, Artemis felt his Spark sink at this and walked over to one of the only other girls besides Twilight he had had a crush on and hugged her gingerly. Kara stiffened at the action for a minute, but then let her emotions flow out in her tears as she returned the gesture and cried into Artemis' chest plate. "It's okay. Take your time." Artemis whispered, rubbing her back gently. When she calmed down after a few minutes but still cried, Artemis asked while maintaining the hug, "What happened to him?"

"Darkseid happened… as we managed to force Brainiac back from the planet… that so-called 'God of Evil' attacked. Quite a few heroes who had done well against Brainiac… they weren't ready to fight him… hell, for that matter, neither was I… didn't stop us, though. No doubt it pissed off Brainiac something nasty when I purged his ass from Brother Eye," Cianán commented grimly.

"What did Predator say, Kara?" Artemis asked, having already known the answer, ignoring his old friend while he glared at Cianán, a silent message that said 'can't you see she's hurting and stop being so blunt for once in your life?'. Cianán shivered in slight fear as he briefly saw Artemis' eyes flash a bright violet that he recognized from Megatron as Dark Energon and decided to keep his trap shut this time.

"‘Find Aaron, he will take care of you,’" Kara said softly.

Cianán blinked as Artemis' eyes widened fractionally.

"I understand." Artemis said as he stayed there with Kara in the embrace. They stayed there for a good 15 minutes while Kara calmed down. Before Artemis knew it, Kara was lightly snoring, having passed out from the emotional turmoil of the last 15 minutes. Artemis smiled despite shedding a tear and picked her up gently but held her close.

As he walked with Kara in his arms and Granny Smith next to him, he stopped by Cianán and looked at him as Megatron, Bumblebee, Woz, and Zi-O walked up to the four of them.

"Let's go home." Artemis said with a tired sigh as his eyes glowed bright blue as he opened the Ground Bridge back to Twilight's castle. Everyone else preceeded him while he looked back at the ruined base before seeing a ghostly form of one man he had hoped to meet, but not ever get the chance to because of Darkseid.

"I'll make her happy, old friend." Artemis said with a saddened smile. "You have my word. May you be One with the AllSpark, Predator."

After the ghost of Predator smiled and returned the smile, Artemis walked through the Ground Bridge with Kara in tow, the Ground Bridge sealing behind him.