Transformers and My Little Pony: Equestria Girls

The Princess Summit

The castle of the Crystal Empire sparkled brilliantly in the midday sun. Ponies and Cybertronians pranced around the Kingdom, running their daily errands in the market or playing outside in the gorgeous weather. In fact, everypony and everybot was so busy that they didn't notice that seven visitors and their friends from afar had just arrived through the front gate. It was six ponies, one small dragon and a bunch of robots to be exact. The recently crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle trotted along with her friends and her loyal companion Bumblebee, pulling her suitcase behind her and taking in the dazzling scene. She and her robot friend loved visiting her brother and his loyal companion Wasp's kingdom - this must have been their fourth or fifth visit so far! But for once, it wasn't because somepony or their robot companion needed saving! This time, Twilight and Bumblebee were here for another reason, and of course, their best friends had insisted on being there to support them. OK, and maybe to sample a few Crystal berry tarts or check out the Equestria Games stadium if there was time. Either way, it was comforting to have their best ponies and robots there with them. "Whoo-ee! Your very first Princess Summit. You and Bumblebee must be over the moon, Twilight!" exclaimed Applejack, turning to her royal friend with Grimlock plodding beside her. Twilight Sparkle and Bumblebee had taken up the lead, as royal ponies and their robot companions  were known to do. Twilight furrowed her brow in concern and looked back at her crew. Bumblebee noticed and looked at her. "What's wrong, Twilight? I thought you'd be happy." He said. "Well, I am excited, Bee. But to be honest..." Twilight stalled, then admitted, "I'm a little nervous, too." Twilight hadn't been a princess for very long, after all. Even after everything she and Bumblebee had learned from Princess Cadance and her robot companion Ultra Magnus and the Crystal Heart Spell, she still felt that there was much more to discover every day. Twilight just hoped she or Bumblebee would have something to contribute to the Princess Summit. Pinkie Pie trotted up to join them with her robot companion Fixit, a wide smile on her face and an extra bounce in her prance. "You're just nervicited!" Her curly fuchsia mane bounced wildly as she spoke. "It's like you want to jump up and down and yell, 'Yay me!'" She and Fixit took a soaring leap into the air and high-fived each other. A ray of sunlight glinted against their pearly white smiles. All of a sudden, they became serious and their faces fell. "But you also want to curl up in a teeny-tiny ball and hide at the same time!" Pinkie and Fixit fell to the ground and curled themselves up, rocking back and forth. Rarity, Rainbow and their robot companions Drift and Sideswipe exchanged a sceptical look at the dramatic display before Pinkie Pie and Fixit popped back up and patted Twilight reassuringly. "Don't worry, Twilight. We've all been there," Fixit said knowingly. Fluttershy and her robot companion Jetstorm, who had floated into the air to stretch her pale yellow wings, landed gracefully on the ground. "We're there almost every day," Fluttershy agreed in her soft voice. "She's right, you know." Jetstorm said loud and clear. His voice wasn't as quiet as Fluttershy's. Up front, Twilight Sparkle took in her surroundings with just the slightest trace of hesitation. Even though she and Bumblebee had visited the Empire several times before, the first glimpse of the Crystal Castle always stirred something inside her. It was just so big and beautiful. And intimidating. She took a deep breath and kept walking. Bumblebee, Grimlock and Applejack, who were walking, plodding and trotting beside her, noticed Twilight's frown. They were just about to toss a few more comforting words in the princess's way when Rarity gasped in shock, stopping all six ponies and bots in their tracks. "What is it this time?!" Drift asked annoyed. "Sorry, darlings, but I just noticed that Twilight's not wearing her crown!" Rarity was always amazed that Twilight still felt self-conscious about wearing it. "Don't worry, Rarity," Bumblebee assured her. "It's safe here in Twilight's bag." "But she's attending a Princess Summit! I'm telling you. If I had a gorgeous crown like that I'd never take it off!" Rarity exclaimed. "Why, I'd sleep in the thing." As soon as Twilight and Bumblebee entered the hallway of the Crystal Castle, their nerves began to melt away like ice cream on a warm summer day. The Empire was starting to feel more like a home away from home to them. Twilight and Bumblebee attempted to hold their heads high in order to give off an air of confidence to anypony or bot who might be watching, but the sound of royal trumpets suddenly blared through the castle. Twilight and Bumblebee were startled by the loud racket and stumbled. Unfortunately, being a princess didn't automatically make a pony graceful. "Ooof!" Twilight grunted as she and Bumblebee braced themselves on the chest of a handsome Crystal Royal Guard with a bright blue mane and a robot with a beautiful pair of butterfly wings. They leaned forward to help them regain their balance with two small smiles on their faces. Then they remembered their duty and immediately snapped back to attention in time to announce their arrival. "Her Highness and her robot friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle and Lieutenant Bumblebee!" They projected their voices into the echoey  crystal corridor. Twilight and Bumblebee blushed a little more than usual, though they didn't know why. It's not like she even knew this particular royal guard pony. Nearby, Pinkie and Fixit smiled wide with delight at all the pomp and circumstance. It just so happened that they loved pomp and also circumstance. But together - they were super-duper fun! Suddenly, Princess Cadance, Ultra Magnus, Princess Luna, Megatron, Princess Celestia and Optimus Prime delicately trotted up to meet the six ponies and their robot friends and Spike. The ponies and Cybertronians of the Crystal Royal Guard straightened themselves up to appear even taller than before. Cadance and Ultra Magnus smiled warmly. Their pink-and-purple mane and blue-and-red paintjob cascaded into soft waves around their faces, and Cadance wore her own shimmering golden tiara so confidently, it seemed like it was a part of her. Maybe someday Twilight would, too. "Twilight! Bumblebee! It's been so long since I've seen you!" Cadance nuzzled her young sister in law. Princess Celestia and Optimus stepped forward to join them, looking just as elegant and regal as the young princesses. Celestia's pastel mane and tail flowed behind her. "We have so much to discuss. But it can wait until tomorrow. You all look tired from your journey." A quick glance at the pack of weary travellers was enough to confirm that she was right. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and their robot friends, even Slipstream, all had dark circles forming under their eyes. Rarity's mane was looking a bit frizzy and Drift was tilting a little. And Pinkie Pie and Fixit were twitching a bit. But that could have been from excitement - it was hard to tell with them. The ponies and bots nodded in agreement and happily accepted Celestia's invitation to make their way to the guest quarters of the castle. As they hoofed pedded and hoofed their way down the hallway, their eyelids drooped with the heavy weight of sleep. Rarity and Drift were the only two who remained alert - but that was just because they couldn't help but stare at every jewel and crystal encrusted in the archways and window frames. It was the type of décor she'd always envisioned herself living with. It was really too bad that the friends were all too sleepy to notice that somepony and bot were nearby. Somepony and bot who were hiding in the shadows and watching their every move. Somepony and bot who wanted to remain hidden. Being the pony and bot that they were, Twilight and Bumblebee couldn't go to sleep until all their belongings were unpacked and stowed away safely in the appropriate places. There had to be a certain order of things, whether she was at home in Ponyville or not. Routines helped her to feel like the same old Twilight she'd always been. Twilight's purple unicorn horn glowed as she used her magic to put each item from her suitcase folded in a drawer, hung in the wardrobe, or placed on the bookshelf. (She'd only pack a couple of books.) Spike and Bumblebee watched with mild interest, their attention being tested by the abundance of jewels everywhere. Spike's gem-hoarding dragon instincts were starting take over. Twilight lifted the princess crown from her bag and tried to position it on her head while Bumblebee place a glowing Matrix of Leadership like necklace around his neck. The delicate golden tiara supported a shimmering magenta gemstone - an Element of Harmony, a very powerful stoned infused with magic, while the necklace held a glowing blue orb. But instead of looking pretty like Cadance's, the shining tiara dipped awkwardly down on one side, squashing Twilight's fringe. One look at her reflection confirmed Twilight's anxieties. She was no princess, and here she was at the Princess Summit! A summit of princesses! "What's wrong, Twilight Sparkle?" asked Bumblebee, snapping Spike out of his daydream about a peanut butter and jewelly sandwich. The crown slipped a little further down Twilight's face. It was no use. It floated up off her head as she used her horn to magically put it down gently on a table, Bumblebee placed his Matrix necklace beside it. "I'm just... worried, I guess. Princess Cadance was given the Crystal Empire to rule over with Ultra Magnus. What if now that I'm a Princess, Celestia and Optimus expect us to lead a kingdom of our own?" Twilight stared at the crown and necklace, sitting lonely together on a small, ornate table by her bed. Spike and Bee marvelled at the idea of their Twilight running a kingdom. Maybe she'd make them into some royal advisors or better yet - jewel guards. "That. Would. Be. Awesome." Twilight frowned. "No. It wouldn't!" She began to pace around. "Just because I have this crown and these new wings and you have your necklace, Bumblebee, it doesn't mean I'll be a good leader." "Sure, you will," Bumblebee said, using his last ounce of energy to cheer up his best friend. A wave of exhaustion washed over him. He went to a corner of the room and transformed into vehicle mode. "Now come on. You should get some sleep. Big day tomorrow!" And with that, Spike crawled into the tiny bed that was set next to Twilight's and made himself snug in his blanket while Bumblebee powered down. A short moment later, he was fast asleep, sucking on his claw. It wasn't so easy for the new princess, however. She was absolutely desperate to find a comfortable position in which to rest her new wings. For the next ten minuets, she squirmed and stretched. She rolled and reached. She wriggled and wormed. Twilight had never realized how much work the feathery things could be! As she twisted around her bed, Twilight made a mental note to discuss optimal wing-sleeping positions with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in the morning. Finally, she found a good spot. That's better, she thought, closing her eyes at last. Sproing! Suddenly, her left wing popped out of the covers. Twilight sighed heavily. Apparently, there were a lot of things about her new life that were going to take some getting used to - summits, wings and crowns were only the start. But, hey, at least she didn't have to sleep in her crown and Bumblebee didn't have to sleep in his necklace.