Crossover- and Over and Over...

Location: Universal Stream Malgus 1110.30 Iota

An unmanned orbital drone ship that resembled brown space shuttle roared through the skies over 21st century Detroit. Close behind it was what appeared to be a bulky, three-story robot wielding an axe, suspended in the air by a massive jetpack.

Optimus Prime narrowed his optics at the vehicle he was chasing. While it appeared to be a harmless ship, he knew what it truly was- Blastoff, one of the few Deceptions that still plagued the organic planet Optimus had come to know and love over the past three years. Even worse, Blastoff was a Combaticon. Based on what Ratchet had told him, that particular Decepticon subgroup took out more Autobots during the Great War than any other.

Shoulder cannons rotating into place, the red and blue Prime took careful aim. His fists clenched tighter; an odd feeling, knowing that the fists weren’t really his. Rather, they were a part of a set of upgrade armor known simply as the “Powermaster.”

Optimus shook the thoughts from his processor. He HAD to stay focused. It was the only way that-

A surge of energy blasted through Prime’s frame, causing him to cry out in surprise. Some kind of crackling blue vortex had opened up in front of him, and he’d flown right into it.

Desperately, Optimus gunned the Powermaster’s jets. However, the attempt at escape was ultimately futile as the heroic Autobot vanished into the closing portal.

Up ahead, the space shuttle stopped in midair before morphing into a brown, gray and purple mech. His goateed face turned towards the vortex right as it was closing, meaning the Decepticon only saw a brief flash of light before Optimus Prime disappeared.

“…I guess that’s one way to skin a Prime,” he mumbled as he morphed back into his alternate mode. “If only I had any idea what I DID…”

**********

Optimus found himself tumbling through some kind of tunnel made out dark blue clouds. Bolts of lightning appeared for brief moments before dissipating. He cried out in pain as one of them struck him in the back.

Gasping in shock behind his mouthplate, the Prime continued through the strange vortex until he was overcome by an intense light that made a supernova look like a dying candle.

The feeling of being in free-fall made him suddenly aware that gravity had resumed its hold on him; a feeling he only just now realized had been absent in the tunnel. Still dazed from the lightning, the Cybertronian flailed helplessly as he fell. Finally, he hit the ground with a deafening BOOM.

For a few precious minutes he just lied there, trying to regain his sense of reality, direction, consciousness, and just about everything else. After what seemed like hours his foggy vision cleared.

Groaning, the mammoth mech sat upright. Examining his surroundings he saw he had landed in some kind of dark, dank forest. Ominous looking trees sprouted up all around him, almost completely obscuring the sun. The darkness it created seemed to stretch on for eternity in all directions.

With a soft click, Optimus’ vehicle mode cab light switched on. He rotated his torso to allow the light to flow over the expansive landscape, but all he could see was more trees.

“Where the Pit am I?” he wondered aloud and he stood up. The pain from his unwilling experiment with lightning had dulled by now, allowing him to move freely. Drawn up to his full height, his head peaked above the canopy. Above he saw fluffy clouds that seemed to be hovering mere meters above the forest. Glancing around, he spotted a place where the trees ended and green hills began.

Encouraged, Optimus attempted to activate his jetpack. The sound of sputtering rockets met his audio receptors.

“Slag it!” the mech cursed, realizing that the armor had taken damage when he had been struck. With a grunt of annoyance Optimus Prime then attempted to morph into his vehicle mode.

Unfortunately, try as he might, the Powermaster armor would not unlatch itself from his torso. He was about to curse again when he realized that it was probably some kind of miracle that he had any control over the Powermaster’s arms and footpads. There was no telling how difficult escape would be if he lost control over his own limbs.

Sighing with defeat, he settled for walking. However, the action was much easier said than done. With his head above the trees he was unable to see where the tree trunks were located, allowing his legs to bump into them as much as they pleased.

“Okay, now THIS is getting ridiculous!” the Prime shouted as he crouched down. Slowly but surely, he made his way toward the clearing.

Several minutes and more than a few broken tree branches later, Optimus was free of the cursed forest. Breathing a quick sigh of relief, he continued to examine his surroundings.

Hills blanketed with lush green grass rolled over the landscape, stretching to the horizon. A clear river leading into the forest was visible, as was a crude dirt path.

Optimus’ gaze followed the path until he noticed a small, wooden structure sitting on a hill. He figured it was a house, but it was unlike one he had ever seen in Detroit. Then again, Sari had told the Autobots early on that Earth had a lot more than the massive brick structures seen in the city.

Still, the Autobot figured that even a human living in such a secluded spot would have at least heard of him and his team. Seeing no alternative, he began trudging towards the establishment.

As he neared the house he began to notice an oddly large amount of animal life. The number of tiny critters increased significantly as he drew closer to the building, prompting the Autobot to watch his step.

Carefully stepping over a variety of flower patches and birdhouses, Optimus made his way to the front of the house. Leaning down, he gently tapped his finger on the door.

**********

“There you go, little ones,” Fluttershy said as she poured the contents of a bag of birdseed into a birdfeeder. Within seconds it was flocked with feathery flying friends.

“Now, now; no need to shove. There’s plenty for every- OH!” she squeaked as a brief tremor shook the ground, followed shortly by another, then another, and another…

Fluttershy gulped as the explanation for the tremors occurred to her: footsteps. Really BIG footsteps.

Squawking in fear, the birds abandoned the feeder and retreated into their homes. Several ground-based critters followed suit.

The pink-maned pony gulped as the footsteps drew nearer- then stopped.

For a moment there was nothing but dead silence.

BANG BANG BANG!

Fluttershy literally jumped a foot as something pounded against her front door.

“Oh, dear! What should I do?” she panicked, wondering what kind of behemoth was outside.

Breathing deeply, Fluttershy attempted to calm herself. It was probably just her bear friend, Harry, in a grumpy mood, stomping around.

Then again, since when did bears knock?

Knees trembling, Fluttershy forced herself to the door. She opened it slowly and stepped outside.

“H-hello?” she stammered. There was nobody in sight; the path to her home was empty as far as she could-

“Um… hello?”

Fluttershy’s face paled as she slowly looked up, realizing she was standing between the legs of a three-story metal monster.

“Did you just… talk?” the behemoth asked.

It took the pink-haired pony a moment to find her voice. “Yes…?” she squeaked.

“That’s odd,” the monster murmured to itself. “Sari told us the only organic creatures on Earth who could talk were humans.”

“H-humans?” Fluttershy repeated.

“Yes, humans,” the thing replied. “Are there… any around here?”

Fluttershy shook her head, the only thing she found she was able to move.

“Then perhaps I’m not even on Earth anymore. What is this place called?”

“P-Ponyville, Equestria…” she gulped.

The metal being seemed to cock an eyebrow. “Ponyville-Equestria? Can’t say I recall reading that on any maps…” It knelt down to get a better look at the pony, just now noticing how scared she was. “My name is Optimus Prime. I am an Autobot, a protector of all forms of life. There’s no need to be afraid of me.”

The yellow pegasus gulped again. “M-my name is F-Fluttershy…”

“Nice to meet you, Fluttershy,” Optimus Prime replied. “Would you happen to know where the nearest Space Bridge is located?”

Fluttershy gave Optimus a quizzical look. “I’m afraid not. I’ve never even heard of a bridge in space.”

“No, a Space bridge is-” Optimus paused, deciding an explanation could wait. “Nevermind. But I need to get off this planet somehow and get back to Detroit.”

The pegasus pony was about to ask what a ‘Detroit’ was when she had an idea. “I don’t know how that works, but I DO have a friend who may be able to help you.”

Optimus’ optics lit up. “You do?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Twilight Sparkle. She’s the smartest pony I know. If there’s anyone who might have any idea how to help you, it’s her.”

“Excellent!” the Prime replied. “And where might we find this ‘Twilight Sparkle’?”

“The Ponyville library.” She pointed down the dirt path that led away from her house. “You can’t miss it- it’s inside a big tree.”

“INSIDE a tree? I thought organics only used trees as materials for buildings, not the buildings themselves.” Shrugging, he knelt down, placing his palm on the ground in front of Fluttershy.

At first, Fluttershy shrunk back from the massive metal hand. The thought then occurred to her that the sight of Optimus would likely scare anypony who laid eyes on the metal behemoth. However, if she were to go with him, other ponies might be more accepting of his company.
Hesitantly, the yellow mare climbed onto his hand.

Gently, Optimus lifted his servo to his shoulder. Fluttershy hopped off and took a place next to his head.

The pony emitted a tiny squeak as the robot lurched forward. His heavy footsteps clanked against the ground in an even pattern that matched the slow swaying of his shoulders. Fluttershy was amazed at the distance travelled by each footstep. In one movement of the robot’s legs he could travel a distance that it would take Fluttershy a few minutes to walk herself. In fact, they were already almost at the top of the single hill between her house and Ponyville- a length that it would take her at least ten minutes to walk.

Still, despite her valiant attempts to calm her fears, she still felt her knees shaking. Optimus’ shoulders were easily three stories off the ground- a bit too high for a pony with a case of Acrophobia.

But even she couldn’t deny the feeling of freedom that came with having the wind flow through her mane.

**********

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Moaning sleepily, Rainbow Dash uprooted two sections of the cloud she was napping on and shoved them in her ears, hoping to block out… whatever the heck that noise was.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

Now groaning in annoyance, the blue pegasus shoved the puffy cloud parts harder against her head.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

Bolting upright, Rainbow cried out in frustration. What was that noise, and why did it dare interrupt her nap?

Angrily, she thrust her head into the cloud deep enough that it popped out the bottom. She then began furiously searching for the offending noise maker.

“What the…?” Her jaw dropped as she caught sight of a massive blue and red robot. “Not another one of these things.”

Her keen magenta eyes then locked on to a familiar pink and yellow blob on the beast’s shoulder.

Pulling her head back through the cloud, Rainbow gasped. “Oh my gosh, that thing’s holding Fluttershy captive!”

Not wasting another moment, the cyan flier shot into the air in a streak of multi-colored energy. Gracefully, she arced through the air until she was headed straight for the robot’s back.

**********

“YAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!”

Optimus and Fluttershy glanced at eachother in confusion as they heard the sudden cry. The Prime was about to ask Fluttershy if she knew what the source of the disturbance was when the timid pegasus vanished in a rainbow-colored blur.

“Fluttershy!” the mech cried in surprise as he scanned the ground for any signs of the pegasus pony.

“Hold it right there, Buster!”

Optimus’ gaze shot up and was met with a fiery stare from a blue pony with a Rainbow mane.

The Autobot’s optics narrowed. “What did you do with Fluttershy?!”

“I ain’t tellin’ you, yah big old bucket a’ bolts!” the blue pegasus snapped.

Optimus faltered for moment before clenching his powerful fists. "I’ll only ask once more: What did you do to Fluttershy?!"

"You're not going to be seeing her again!" the blue pegasus shouted before charging at his face.

Not given time to even consider the implications of the pony's words Optimus raised his arms. However, Rainbow shot past him, possibly in an attempt to distract him.

"Stop!" the robot cried. "I don't want to fight you!"

Naturally not believing a word he said, the rainbow-maned pony adjusted her course so she was circling around the robot's legs. In seconds a makeshift tornado formed around the robot.

That should take care of him, Rainbow Dash thought as she exited the whirlwind and examined her handiwork.

To her surprise, the monster merely stepped out of the swirling vortex, albeit with some difficulty.

"I'm giving you one last chance to stop this!" Optimus shouted.

"Not a chance, rust-brain!" the brash pony replied.

With a click, the Prime's shoulder cannons rotated into place. Fire-retardant foam shot forward, aimed at the pegasus.

Expertly, she avoided the globs.

“HA! You’re going to have to do better than-”

SPLAT!

“That’s it, playtime’s over!” Wiping the foam from her face, Rainbow began to descend at an alarming rate. Forehooves pointed in front of her, she aimed for the robot’s torso. Squinting against the wind, Rainbow noticed a transparent cone-shape forming around her. She smiled. Here comes Sonic Rainboom number-

CRASH!

Rainbow suddenly felt herself collide with the machine’s stomach, sending it flying several hundred feet backwards as it cried out in surprise.

On second thought, Rainbooms are over-done nowadays, she thought as she arced into the air, rapidly losing speed as a result of the collision. She landed next to a bush, where a cowering Fluttershy was hiding.

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy!” Rainbow announced. “That dumb ol’ robot won’t give you any more.”

Noticing that Fluttershy was staring at something, Rainbow followed her gaze.

The cyan pegasus face-hoofed as she realized she had just knocked the monster strait into Ponyville.

**********

Twilight tried to move, but found her legs were frozen in place, forcing her to watch helplessly as a mass of blue and red metal descended on her.

A blur of pink filled the purple pony's vision as she felt something collide with her, knocking her several yards away from the falling object. She heard it smash against the ground, shaking her and everything else within a hundred-foot radius.

Rolling onto her back, she found herself staring up at Pinkie.

"Gosh, Twilight, why didn't you put up a shield or something?" the pink pony asked.

Groaning in pain, the unicorn got to her hooves. "I'm just a little... tired."

"Well, you need to get yourself UN-tired," Pinkie said as she pulled a candy bar out of nowhere and offered it to her friend. "I won't always be there to save you, y'know!"

Smiling, Twilight took the candy bar in her telekinetic grip. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

"I take it as though you two are alright?" Both mares looked up to see a green pegasus hovering above them.

"Oh, hi, Legatron!" Pinkie beamed. "What brings you here?"

The pegasus stole a glance at the metal mass that almost smashed them. "I'll give you three guesses." He did a double take as he realized what the mammoth steel object was. "Optimus?"

With a moan, the gigantic mech sat up. "What? Who?"

Legatron quickly converted into his robot form. "Optimus, it's me!"

The Prime's optics widened. "Legatron! What are you doing here?"

"A better question is, what are YOU doing here?" The miniscule mech replied.

"Hold it right there!" A shrill voice cut off Optimus' response.

"Oh, no..." the Autobot moaned.

A familiar rainbow-maned pegasus came into view. "Oh, no! You are NOT ponynapping my OTHER friends, too!"

"Ponynapping?!" Twilight and Pinkie exclaimed in perfect unison.

"'Pony'napping?" Legatron repeated with a glance at Twilight, seeming to be more surprised by the word itself rather than its meaning.

"No!" Optimus interjected. "I'm not-"

"Listen punk," Rainbow interrupted, "I don't know how things work in where YOU come from..."

"But I wasn't-"

"But around HERE, you can't just go around-"

"STOP!"

All eyes and optics turned to the source of the voice.

"This is no way to solve a problem!" Fluttershy exclaimed as she shot accusatory glances to first Rainbow, then Optimus. "You two are going to work out your differences in a peaceful and civilized manner, with no yelling, no shooting, and no fighting! Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?!"

The Autobot and the pegasus gulped and nodded slowly, not daring to defy the yellow pegasus.

**********

"So, you were just carrying Fluttershy?" Dash asked.

Optimus nodded. "She was leading me to Ponyville-Equestria."

The pegasus drooped with guilt. "Aw, man. I thought you were holding her hostage."

"Perfectly understandable," the Prime replied. "I get the feeling you pony-types haven't seen many Cybertronians before."

"Technically they have," Legatron spoke up from his place at Optimus' back, trying to repair the Powermaster armor. "But almost all of the full-sized bots they've seen have tried to kill them."

"Still, I have a hard time believing that no Autobots have ever shown up on a planet as populated and potentially powerful as this," Optimus wondered aloud.

Legatron paused. "Uh, Optimus? This planet isn't exactly... 'accessible' from Cybertron."

The larger robot craned his neck to get a view of the smaller mech. "What do you mean by that?"

"Prime, you're in another UNIVERSE."

Optimus fell silent for a full minute before speaking. "Well, that certainly explains things."

"How did you get here, anyway?" Twilight spoke up.

"I was chasing the Decepticon Blastoff in an aerial battle when I flew straight into some kind of blue energy field," Optimus explained.

"Oh, what kind of energy?" Pinkie Pie inquired. "Like magical energy? Or super-hyped-up-on-too-much-candy kind of energy? Or lightning? Did you get hit by lightning?"

For a moment Optimus could only stare at the hyperactive party pony before his processor caught up to her rapid speech. "No, it was more like that vortex thing in the sky." He answered, pointing to one of the sky portals. "Although I DID get hit by lightning after flying into the portal. That's why I can't fly or transform."

Legatron closed a panel on the Powermaster armor, his work completed. "Well, I'll need more resources before I can get you flying again, but transforming shouldn't be a problem anymore."

Optimus stood up and flexed his arms. He hadn't noticed how stiff they were before the repair. "Thanks. I owe you one."

Legatron waved his hand dismissively. "Don't mention it." He rubbed his chin in thought. "But now there's the problem of getting you back to Detroit..."

"Can't he just go back the through the portal he came here in?" Twilight questioned.

"Yes, throw him BACK into a highly unstable and potentially dangerous vortex of unknown origin," Legatron snapped sarcastically. "Can't see how THAT could possibly go wrong,"

"Sheesh, you don't have to be such a meanie-pants about it," Pinkie piped up.

"Pinkie Pie, I'm a robot," the green mech started, "I don't wear pants, and neither do you."

The puffy-maned pony glanced back at her bare flanks. "Ooooh, good point..."

"So, no one has any ideas on how to get me home?" Optimus asked.

"'Fraid not, Prime." Legatron turned on his commlink, only to hear the unwanted buzz of static. "I got no communications with my team."

"And I'm afraid that I know very little about universe travel," Twilight said. "Though, I get the feeling that our first step towards getting you home will be to terminate those sky-portal thingies."

"Well, how do we do that?" Rainbow inquired.

"Could we use those Elemental Harmony things?" Legatron asked. "They seem like a sufficient dues-ex-machinas to solve this."

"Maybe," Twilight replied, deep in thought. "Though I think I should first inform Princess Celestia of the presence of our new friend."

Optimus glanced at the purple unicorn. "Who?"

"She's like the ponies' Magnus," Legatron explained, recalling the title of the Autobot Supreme Leader.

"I'll send her another letter immediately," Twilight stated before trotting off towards the library.

For awhile, the rest of the assortment of Equestrians and Cybertronians sat in silence.

Finally, Rainbow Dash spoke up. "Y'know, if we're gonna use the Elements, we need Rarity and Applejack."

"On it!" Pinkie exclaimed. In a blur of pink she disappeared, only to reappear seconds later with two other ponies in tow.

"Pinkie!" an orange earth pony with a Stetson exclaimed. "What the hay d' ya'll think you’re doing?"

"Yes, what are we doing here?" a whitish unicorn with an elegant purple mane questioned. "Do you realize how many orders I have to complete before tomorrow?"

Both ponies stopped dead in their tracks when they caught sight of the towering form of Optimus.

"Uhm... hi?" the Autobot offered.

"Pinkie, kindly explain to our friends who the newcomer is so that I don't have to," Legatron requested, lazily reclining in the grass.

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" the party pony chanted as she turned to her friends. "Well, it all started this morning when I was just walking minding my own business when suddenly I spotted Twilight and Legatron and I was about to say 'Hi!' when suddenly my tail started twitching and out of nowhere..."

Pinkie continued babbling even when Twilight returned with Spike, the latter's eyes growing wide at the sight of Optimus.

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said he was huge!" the dragon stated.

"Focus, Spike," Twilight said as she approached Legatron. "We have a problem."

Legatron nodded. "Yeah, I don't think Rarity and AJ are getting a word of what Pinks is saying..."

The unicorn glanced at her two friends, both of whom looked befuddled beyond belief. "While that is kind of an issue, I was referring to the Princess' response... Or lack thereof."

The green mech, still lying on the ground, cocked an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"Apparently Canterlot has been sealed off for unstated reasons, and all Dragon Fire messages in and out of the city have been halted," Twilight explained. “We only got a response form her first letter telling us to head for Canterlot immediately."

Rolling his optics, Legatron stood up. "Figures. What's the fastest way to Canterlot? Besides flight."

"Train travel," Twilight replied.

Legatron clapped his hands, emitting a metallic clank. "Alrighty, then; sounds like we have a train to catch!"

"...but cocoanut trees didn't grow in that area, so I knew I'd have to import them , but the import fees were SOOOO MUCH, and I didn't have enough-"

"PINKIE PIE!" Twilight exclaimed.

"What?" Pinkie said, stopping her extensive and now very off-topic story for the first time.

"We're going to Canterlot," Twilight stated frankly.

"Oh boy, Canterlot!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "We can have a 'Going to Canterlot' party!"

"There's no time for that, I'm afraid," Optimus stated. To the ponies' surprise, his arms, backpack and feet then fell off and merged to form a large box on wheels. Optimus' core then changed into a smaller wheeled box and combined with the larger one to make a huge boxy vehicle.

Noticing the equines' stares, Legatron simply stated "Fire truck."

The Prime’s driver door opened. "I only have enough room in my cab for two of you, so the rest will have to ride on the roof."

"No problem, Prime!" Legatron said as he hopped into the driver's seat. "C'mon, Twilight!"

"Why does SHE get to ride in the front?" Rainbow complained.

"Because she's the only one of you who's been up since two in the morning." Legatron smirked. "Besides, she's my favorite pony."

**********

In the kitchen of sugarcube corner, Mrs. Cake carefully spread a glob a blue frosting over a cupcake.

The entire kitchen suddenly started rumbling, causing a multitude of pots and pans to clatter and clank. She glanced nervously at her husband, Mr. Cake, who seemed to be just as surprised as she was.

Both bakers gasped as a massive metal vehicle rolled up to the building and screeched to a halt.

A familiar blur of pink hopped off the strange vehicle and darted inside.

"Mrs. Cake, I'm going to Canterlot with some alien robot friends to save the universe!" Pinkie Pie announced as she shot upstairs to find her saddlebags.

The two bakers stared at eachother in confusion as the party pony dashed out the door and hopped back onto the vehicle, prompting it to rumble away.

"I think it'll be better if we don't ask," Cup Cake stated.

"Good idea," Carrot Cake agreed as they went back to work as though nothing had happened.

**********

The trip to the train station was uneventful, except for the masses of ponies staring in awe at Optimus' vehicle mode. Legatron found this amusing, seeing how they lived in a world full of more than its fair share of weird happenings.

Finally, Optimus braked in front of the train station, at which point Twilight brought up a very good point:

"How are we going to carry Optimus on the train?"

Legatron waved his hand dismissively. "That's easy. We just-" He stopped in the middle of his sentence and thought for a few seconds. "Actually, I have no idea. Maybe a flatbed car?"

"I can remain in 'Ponyville-Equestria' while you travel to Canterlot," Optimus offered.

"We might have to take that course of action," Twilight replied, "But first things first- we need to figure out when the next train leaves."

"Good idea," Legatron said as he assumed his pony form. "This should be easy enough."

**********

"This may be more difficult than we thought."

The others in the group nodded in agreement with Legatron as they stared at the sign reading 'All trains cancelled until further notice.'

"I guess whatever they closed Canterlot off for is more serious than we thought," Twilight stated.

"How are we gonna get to Canterlot now?" Rainbow questioned from her signature location hovering above the others.

"Wait, I got it!" Legatron exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of it before?"

"What?!" The group of ponies and single dragon asked in perfect unison.

"We don't need a vehicle to take up the mountain- we already have one!" He beamed, pointing to the parked form of Optimus' truck mode. "I mean, firetrucks aren't really intended for long road trips, but it's better than nothing."

The ponies nodded in agreement as they started making their way back to-

"This is an outrage! I swear, this will NOT go unresolved!"

The group stopped dead in their tracks at the sound of the rough male voice that came from around the corner of the train station.

"I swear, I am LITERALLY going to destroy this entire building and everything in it!"

Silently, Legatron converted to his robot form and morphed his arms into blasters.

"Heck, I’m gonna destroy this WHOLE DANG CITY! Do you hear me?! Do NOT walk away, I'm not done with you!"

Legatron swung around the corner, blasters aimed at the offender.

The robot's face fell as he caught sight of the offender. "Oh, you have GOT to be joking..."