ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY
IN THE DREAM, RARITY DIDN'T RUN FAST ENOUGH.
It was the same dream she'd suffered every night for the past year, ever since the Transformers' visit to Equestria. Try as she might, she couldn't get the images-not to mention the agonizing pain-out of her mind, no matter what she or her friends did to make her forget.
She couldn't forget. She couldn't forget the pain of the electric prod on her belly, couldn't forget the feeling of the cold fingers on her flesh, couldn't forget the demonic red eyes and the shark-like face of the Decepticon leader Megatron. There was the pain, the agony, the fear.
Rarity tossed and turned in her bed, trying her hardest to keep the images from coming back to her, but she knew that she was fighting a losing battle.
"You really don't know what this is, do you?" Megatron asked. "Energon, a powerful element, the fuel and lifeblood of all Cybertronians, Autobot and Decepticon alike. I know you found these small crystals somewhere, so tell me!"
"I will not," Rarity hissed. "You would only use the gems for your own evil purposes."
Megatron took the electric prod from the other Decepticon in the room. "You won't talk? Very well." He pressed the tip of the prod against Rarity's belly, sending a wave of pain throughout her entire body. Once, twice, several times he zapped her, until she was just barely conscious, barely clinging to life.
"I'll give you one more opportunity to tell me where the Energon is, my little pony, and then, I assure you, the pain will stop." He pressed the tips of his cold, metallic fingers against Rarity's neck. "Once Death's cold embrace takes you."
"You...you're pure evil," Rarity spat. "Even if I knew the exact place I found those jewels, I still would never tell you. You evil, vile, revolting beast!"
"Defiant to the end, aren't you? Well, if you won't talk, then you're of no use to me." He pulled his arm back, straightening his fingers, and thrust his hand towards her.
She was free now, free from the energy bonds, free from Megatron, and running as fast as her four legs could carry her through the halls of the Decepticon warship.
And that was when she saw her friends.
Dead. All of them, dead-Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, even the Cutie Mark Crusaders-Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle. Her friends, her little sister, lying dead on the floor in pools of their own blood. And then there were the Autobots, also dead, with their body parts scattered around and pools of shiny blue Energon dotting the floor.
A shadow came over her, the shadow of a monster nearly eight times her size. She felt a sharp burning sensation as Megatron's blast tore through her body, blasting her in half, killing her, no-
No-
"NO!"
Rarity sat up and looked around. She was still in her bedroom, still in her home. She could feel her entire body shaking with fear and felt a cold sweat matting her fur and mane to her skin.
The door swung open as Sweetie Belle galloped into the room and over to Rarity. She put her hooves on Rarity's front foreleg, felt Rarity shaking violently.
"Rarity, are you alright?" she asked. Rarity didn't answer, she just looked at her little sister, her sapphire-blue eyes filled with dread and fear. "You had the dream again, didn't you?"
Rarity simply nodded her head in reply. "The images...They won't leave. They'll never leave."
"It's been a year, Rarity."
"I know, Sweetie Belle, but I still can't get those horrible memories out of my mind."
Sweetie Belle climbed onto the mattress with Rarity and nuzzled against her older sister. She'd started doing this a short while after the Transformers went back to their own world; it was her own way of calming Rarity down. Sure, they'd butted heads once in a while, but Rarity had always been there for Sweetie Belle.
Now it was Sweetie Belle's turn to return the favor.
############################################
Most of Canterlot had been completely resotred in the one year since the battle, but there were sections of the city that were still under construction. The battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons had left about seventy percent of Canterlot in ruins and had cost the lives of close to a hundred citizens, and though it was now a thing of the past, Princess Twilight Sparkle remembered it as though it had happened just a few days ago. The scent of the burning concrete and pony flesh, the sight of several buildings laying in ruins-including the place where Twilight had learned to harness and control her magical abilities, Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns-and the ground soaked with red blood and blue Energon, once grand buildings and statues reduced to rubble...Just thinking about it brought a tear to Twilight's eye, especially with the one year anniversary of the Autobots' victory over the Decepticons coming up.
The Autobots and the Decepticons; the Transformers, as Twilight and her friends had taken to calling them. Otherworldly beings with the ability to change their shape, in this case, into vehicles they had never seen in Equestria until that time. The only reason Equestria got caught up in the war was because the heroic Autobots-led by the brave and noble Optimus Prime-followed the evil Decepticons-led by the frightening and sadistic Megatron-to this world through a portal they called a Ground Bridge. The ensuing battle left Rarity half dead, most of Canterlot in ruins, and filled Twilight and her friends with a sort of terror they'd never felt until then.
As Twilight stood at the window of the castle suite Princess Celestia had offered her, she felt the sting of tears in her eyes. They weren't tears of sorrow, she knew that much; rather, they were the tears of someone who was longing to meet someone again, someone they missed. It wasn't the Decepticons she missed, of course-it was the Autobots.
Optimus Prime, the brave, noble, respectable leader of the Autobots, who transformed into what the humans called a "tractor trailer truck", who valiantly led the Autobots in battle against Megatron and the Decepticon armies; Arcee, the cold yet protective female member of the team, the only female Autobot, who transformed into a two-wheeled vehicle called a "motorcycle"; Bulkhead, one of the strongest of the Autobots who was always looking out for everyone's well-being, who transformed into what was known to the humans as a "sports' utility vehicle", or SUV for short; Bumblebee, the Autobots' silent scout, who transformed into a sports' car; and Ratchet, the Autobots' medic, who transformed into an ambulance. They were all so kind, so strong-they gave Twilight and her friends so much courage, and Optimus Prime in turn was impressed by the spirits of Twilight and the others, so much so that Optimus even named Twilight an unofficial honorary Prime.
It was well into the night now; Twilight could see the moon and the stars glistening in the sky as Princess Luna took over for her older sister, Princess Celestia. While night was the time everypony slept, Twilight always found the night to be quite beautiful, especially when she looked up at the sky, at the hundreds of star constellations.
"You okay, Twilight?"
Spike's voice caught Twilight's attention, snapping her out of her daydreaming. She looked over her shoulder at the young dragon, who was busy packing up a suitcase. They'd been in Canterlot for a week, for the one thousand and first Summer Sun Celebration, the first one since Princess Luna returned to her duties after a thousand years' imprisonment in the moon, thanks to her transformation into a wicked mare of darkness-Nightmare Moon. They were set to leave tomorrow at noon.
Tomorrow, the one year anniversary of the battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons in Equestria.
"I'm fine, Spike," Twilight said. "Just thinking."
"Let me guess. The Transformers."
"You can read me like a book, Spike. Yes, I was thinking about the Transformers. Well, the Autobots, anyway. I wonder how they're doing, back in their world?"
"I'm sure they're fine, Twilight," Spike said. He snapped the suitcase shut. "Though to tell you the truth, I've been thinking about them off and on myself." He clenched his clawed hands into tight fists. "Though that Megatron-if I ever get my claws on him for what he did to Rarity-"
"Don't even think about it, Spike," Twilight said. She walked over to Spike and nuzzled the side of her face against him. "It was bad enough that we almost lost Rarity thanks to Megatron. I don't want to lose my Number One Assistant, too."
"You really do care, don't you?"
"Why wouldn't I?" She yawned, stretching her front legs and her wings. "We'd better get to sleep, Spike. We have to get up early tomorrow to catch the noon train back to Ponyville."
Spike nodded his head before going over to his little basket-bed, as Twilight made her way over to the queen-sized bed in the corner.
##################################################
"Rarity. Rarity!"
Rarity hadn't even realized that she'd fallen asleep. She'd arrived at the Ponyville Train Station less than an hour ago, along with all her other friends, and they'd even brought the Cutie Mark Crusaders along-it was the middle of summer, school was out, and all three fillies figured that meeting Twilight and Spike at the train station was better than getting covered in tree sap and pine needles and angering the same seven squirrels again.
And Pinkie Pie was shaking Rarity's shoulders, waking her up-Rarity had fallen asleep standing up.
"Wow, you must be really sleepy," Pinkie Pie said. "Want me to go get some water and splash it in your face?"
"No, Pinkie Pie, that's quite all right," Rarity replied. "I just haven't been sleeping well lately, that's all."
"And I bet we can all figure out why," Rainbow Dash said. "I mean, today marks one year exactly since-"
"Rainbow Dash, if you bring up that subjet, I will not hesitate to buck you in the face," Rarity growled.
"Geez, Rarity, I was just gonna say one year since we met the Autobots."
"Oh. I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me."
Rainbow Dash waved a hoof at her. "Yeah, forgive and forget."
"Maybe what ya need is something to help you take your mind off of it," Applejack suggested. "The Sisterhood Social's coming up in a week, maybe you and Sweetie Belle can compete. For real, this time."
"Maybe," Rarity said. She let out a heavy sigh. "I've been having these nightmares off and on."
"I don't like nightmares," Fluttershy said.
"I'm not overly fond of this one, myself," Rarity said. "The nightmares change all the time, but they always end the same way. We all, well...I'm not sure I should say."
"Say it," Scootaloo said. "Say it, say it, say it!"
"Are you sure you want to hear it, Scootaloo?" Rarity asked. Scootaloo nodded her head. "My nightmares always end the same way-everypony dies."
"Sorry I asked," Scootaloo whispered.
The sound of a train horn filled the air. Everypony turned their attention to the tracks, forgetting about what Rarity had said almost instantly. A few seconds later, the steam locomotive came into view, rolling down the tracks, coming to a stop as the front of the engine neared the platform. The brakes squealed and started smoking as the train stopped. With one last hiss, the train came to rest. The doors to each train car opened; the ponies on the train cars stepped out and onto the platform.
Pinkie Pie scanned every pony, looking for Twilight and Spike. "No. No. No, not you. No, not you either. Are you Twilight? No, you're just some random pony. Oh, hi Doctor Whooves."
"Um, Pinkie Pie? Spike and I are over here."
Within the blink of an eye, Pinkie Pie had turned around and tackled Twilight to the ground, pinning her to the wooden platform of the train station with her front hooves.
"You're gone for a whole week and you don't even write?"
"Pinkie Pie, you just saw us three days ago, remember?" Spike asked.
"Oh." She climbed off of Twilight, letting the lavender alicorn climb to her hooves. "Silly me," she said with a huge grin.
"How was your stay in Canterlot?" Rarity asked.
"You mean before or after the Everfree Forest started to take over?" Twilight dryly asked.
"After. Duh," Rainbow Dash said.
"It was alright," Twilight replied. "But I was beginning to miss Ponyville."
"Yeah, that's great," Spike said. "I'm hungry."
Pinkie Pie started happily bouncing up and down. "Sugar Cube Corner, here we come!"
#############################################
Twilight couldn't help but look around as the ten of them made their way through Ponyville. It didn't seem like the town was getting ready to celebrate victory over the Decepticons; then again, the town just got done celebrating the Summer Sun Celebration, as well as clean up from the damage done by the expanding Everfree Forest. A few days before the celebration, several thorny roots began spreading from the Everfree Forest and through Ponyville and Canterlot. Celestia and Luna were taken prisoner in the forest, causing the sky to be graced by the sun and the moon at the same time. Thinking that Discord was somehow responsible, Twilight summoned the draconequus, but he revealed that he was innocent, and after the zebra Zecora gave Twilight a potion that let her glimpse into the past-where she saw Luna turn into Nightmare Moon, the two princesses trap Discord in stone to end his reign of terror and chaos, and the princesses find the Elements of Harmony at what was called the Tree of Harmony-Twilight and her friends set out to find the tree and return the Elements, as that seemed to be the only way to save Equestria. The quest nearly cost Twilight her life several times, but after several challenges, they reluctantly gave the Elements back to the Tree, freeing Celestia and Luna and stopping the spread of the forest.
Needless to say, afterwards, the Summer Sun Celebration went off without a hitch, the first Summer Sun Celebration with Luna and Celestia together in a thousand years, the first Summer Sun Celebration with three princesses.
The Summer Sun Celebration was just a few days ago, and while Twilight was glad to be back in Ponyville, she really wanted to get back to the library and get some rest after the hustle and bustle of Canterlot.
I never thought I'd be thinking negative about the city that I used to call home.
"Um, Twilight?"
Sweetie Belle's high pitched voice got Twilight's attention. She looked back at the young unicorn filly, who looked like there was something she desperately wanted to say, but didn't want everypony to hear.
"What is it, Sweetie Belle?"
"Can I talk to you for a moment? Alone, please?"
"Um, okay." She looked back at the other ponies. "You guys keep going, Sweetie Belle and I will meet you at Sugar Cube Corner later. I'm sure this just some Crusading business." She waited until everyone else had gotten out of earshot, before turning back to Sweetie Belle. "This is about your Crusading, right? Sweetie Belle, you and the other Crusaders are nine years old-I'm sure your Cutie Marks will come before your tenth birthdays."
"It's not about my Cutie Mark, Twilight," Sweetie Belle said. "It's...It's about Rarity."
Twilight lowered her ears in sadness. "She's still having nightmares, isn't she?" Sweetie Belle simply nodded her head. "What do you want me to do about that? Because there isn't a whole lot outside of provide some moral support."
"Can't you use your magic to make her dreams stop?" Sweetie Belle asked. "She wakes up almost every night screaming. It's starting to scare me."
Twilight pulled the unicorn filly in for a light hug. "I'm sorry, honey, but even my magic can't help Rarity. She suggested the same thing when it happened."
"So she's just supposed to deal with it?"
"I'm afraid so, Sweetie Belle. It's like Optimus Prime said-Rarity's external wounds may have healed, but it will take longer for her mind to heal, if her mind heals at all."
"But she's always screaming at night. She hardly gets any sleep, and for the first few weeks, we had to almost force her to eat, remember?"
Twilight couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, this is ironic. Here you are, Rarity's younger sister, and you're acting like the eldest of the two." That actually brought a smile to Sweetie Belle's face. "Let's just keep this conversation between us, okay, Sweetie? If anypony asks, it was Crusader business." She winked.
Sweetie Belle winked back at her. "Got it."
##########################################
Twilight was glad to be back in the library. She was almost afraid Princess Celestia would make her move back to Canterlot, but fortunately, Celestia let her choose. Twilight didn't even have to think about it-she was staying in Ponyville. Of course, now that she was a princess, she had to contend with just about everypony-from the youngest foal to the oldest stallion, and even the mayor-bowing to her and calling her regal titles like "Your Highness". She was still a little self-conscious about the whole deal, but over time, she was beginning to get used to it, though she insisted that her friends treat her as though nothing had changed. It just didn't seem right.
She turned to the ticking clock on the nearby dresser. It was half past ten at night, and the bright moon and glistening stars-courtesy of Princess Luna-were covering the land in a soft glow.
Her thoughts turned to Rarity. Poor Rarity; even after a year, she still hadn't completely gotten over her traumatic experience with the Decepticons. It was unfortunate that she was still having nightmares, though Twilight wished that she would get over the trauma. Twilight knew what she was going through, as she too had found herself on the verge of death once, the first time humans arrived in Equestria. Like Rarity, Twilight had been exposed to the sharp pain of electricity, but her pain only lasted for less than a minute, whereas Rarity had been tortured for almost two hours straight. So it didn't really come as any surprise that Rarity was still suffering what Optimus and the other Autobots called "post-traumatic stress disorder"-she had been suffereing nightmares and flashbacks for months.
She looked over her shoulder at Spike, who had fallen asleep nearly an hour and a half ago. He was snoring lightly. Twilight used her unicorn magic to pull his blanket up to his chin, before turning back to the window, her thoughts once again turning back to the Autobots.
I wonder how they're doing? I wonder if they've beaten the Decepticons yet? I hope they're all staying safe-Optimus, Arcee, Bulkhead, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Jack, Raf, Miko, Mrs. Darby, Agent Fowler. If they haven't won the war yet, I hope they will soon.
I have walked all alone
On these streets I call home;
Streets of hope, streets of fear
Through the sidewalk cracks, time disappears.
I was lost on my knees
On the eve of defeat
As I choked back the tears,
There's a silent scream no one could hear
So far away from everything, you know it's true
Something inside that makes you do what you got to do
Ring the bells, ring them loud
Let them ring here and now
Just reach out and ring the Bells Of Freedom
When your world's crashing down like you've lost every round
Stand your ground
And ring the Bells Of Freedom
Up the steps of the church
Through the fields in the dirt
In the dark I have seen
That the sun still shines for the one who believes
So far away, so full of doubt, you needed proof
Just close your eyes and hear the sound inside of you
Ring the bells, ring them loud
Let them ring here and now
Just reach out and ring the Bells Of Freedom
When your world comes crashing down like you've lost every round
Stand your ground
And ring the Bells Of Freedom
Ring the bells, ring them loud
Let'em ring here and now
Just reach out and ring the Bells Of Freedom, yea
When your world's crashing down like you've lost every round
Stand your ground
And ring the Bells Of Freedom
Ring the bells, ring them loud
Let them ring here and now
Just reach out and ring the Bells Of Freedom
There wasn't a whole lot Twilight could do about this, not while she was stuck in this world. Though she knew of a way she could possibly find out, though it meant having to leave Equestria, if only for a little while.
But that could wait until tomorrow. Right now, all she wanted was to sleep in her own bed.