Author's Notes:

I've spent as much time on both of these as I could. I hope they were worth the wait! Things should start getting interesting soon!

Enjoy! And stay tuned for when Part Five begins...

Sunset gulped. Now she was doomed. The Decepticons now had their friends held as hostages, and she was standing right near the edge of a lava pocket. What was she going to do now?

A pair of gray legs with purple knee pads stomped towards her. Now it was Galvatron and Sunset face to face.

A long period of silence was sitting between the two of them as they glared at one another. Who was going to make the first move? Galvatron? Sunset? Someone else? At last, Galvatron broke the silence.

"Sunset Shimmer. So we finally meet... again."

"What do you want Galvatron?" Sunset asked.

"I'll get straight to the point Sunset. You value the lives of your friends and family, don't you?"

Sunset nodded.

"Well, what if I make you a deal? You hand yourself and the Matrix of Leadership over, and I give your friends back." Galvatron gestured to Arcee and Cliffjumper who struggled to get free in Strika's grip.

"Don't listen to them! Forget us, just save yourself!" Arcee yelled.

Galvatron's eyes looked back, but he turned his attention back to Sunset. She was looking back at the two of them, and down to the Matrix in her hands, and back to her friends who were in danger. What was the right move?

"Struggling I see? Why not raise the stakes? I'll let them go, along with the rest of your friends."

"Wait... what do you mean, the rest?"

Soundwave was next to speak, as he displayed a camera screen on board Scorponok. Several images of prison cells were shown, but what surprised Sunset more were the people in the cells. She managed to see an entire cell where Ironhide, Bumblebee, Jazz, Sideswipe, and Knockout were all strapped to tables, looking like they were trying to get free. Another image showed a cell where Rarity was all on her own, looking terrified beyond belief. The last photos shown to her was a seperate cell where Sour Sweet was struggling to break free from it while still wearing her Targetmaster armor, and in a cell across from her, Smallfoot was strapped to a chair, both arms and legs, and a clamp was over her mouth.

"No..."

"Miss them? They can all be back safe and sound... including Optimus Prime, if you hand yourself over."

Sunset thought long and hard. She couldn't let the Autobots be hauled off with them. They would never be okay in their hands. But on another hand... he had two humans as hostages. Sacrificing two humans was unacceptable. With no other choice she looked back up with an angry look and huffed.

"Fine. I'll go with you."

The Decepticons all exchanged nods of agreement with one another, hearing her reply.

"Not a bad trade." The Combaticon Swindle muttered. "Though I'd just keep the Matrix..."

"I'd pick the latter." Barricade replied.

"Sunset, no!" Twilight pleaded.

"You can't do this!" Strongarm begged.

Sunset looked at them with a sad look. "I can't let any of them die..."

"But you can't trust them! They never keep their promises, no matter what they say!" Twilight cried. "Please Sunset!"

Galvatron was about to walk away, and Sunset Shimmer made two steps forward, but after a moment of thinking, she looked down at the Matrix. She could see her reflection in the blue orb that was in the middle of the relic. It made a sparkle in her eyes as she looked down into it, and within the blue light, she could see a shape of a figure. A shape that only she could recognize, a shape with a blue helmet, blue eyes, and a gray faceplate that stared back at her.

"The Matrix will protect you Sunset Shimmer. As you have protected it..."

The image faded away and Sunset stared at it once again. She looked back up at her friends who looked scared out of their minds, and then she looked back at Galvatron with a sneer on her face.

"Wait."

Galvatron stopped moving, and he waited for what Sunset was going to say. He didn't turn around, and she didn't see the evil grin he had on his face.

"How will I know you won't alter the deal? How am I going to know you will actually keep your word and let my friends go? You never keep your word." Sunset scoffed.

Galvatron smirked and his orange arm cannon cocked.

"You're right Sunset Shimmer... I don't!"

Galvatron quickly spun around and fired one single blast from his cannon straight at Sunset Shimmer. Everyone tried to rush to save her, but they couldn't. They were all held down by the Decepticons and none of them were able to go and try and save her. But unfortunately even if they could try to, it was too late.

The blast shot Sunset right in the chest in a big explosion, the impact throwing her right up into the air, losing grip of the Matrix of Leadership. She hit her back against the top of the cavern, and she fell straight back down, right about to fall into the streams of hot boiling lava with the Matrix not too far behind her.

"NO!!!" Twilight screamed, struggling to get free with all of her might. She couldn't just stand and watch the horrors of her friend being slaughtered before her eyes.

She fell straight down into the steaming pit, losing consciousness around her. The impact knocked her so hard that everything was starting to fade to black. Heat was starting to overwhelm her and she didn't have the strength to move another muscle, and so her eyes closed as everything went dead silent around her.

In the back of the crowd, Steamer watched in horror. He couldn't believe this. Galvatron just murdered... a human. He flat out murdered an organic life form. And she didn't do anything to deserve it! In fact, why were they trying to hurt these humans? What did they ever do to them? What did they do to him? A sickness filled his stomach just hearing the dead silence. Without saying a word, he quickly ran out of the cave without any of them noticing, and he soared up into the sky, heading straight back for Scorponok.

The Decepticons listened for a sound. A splash, a gush of boiling metal, a sizzle of melting wiring or mechanics, anything. But there was no sound. Nothing. Not even a scream of agony and pain that pleasured the ears of every Decepticon.

Galvatron turned his head to face Cyclonus who stood near and gave one nod. Cyclonus nodded in return and he pulled up a singular reader device and looked on the screen. No life signs outside of Twilight Sparkle's. She was off the reader.

"There is no life signs for Sunset Shimmer sir." Cyclonus replied.

"But just in case... I'll leave this as a gift." Tremors smiled as she rolled a small detonator into the steaming pit. After a few seconds, the detonator went off and exploded, splashing lava against the ceiling and on the rocky terrain in front of the Decepticons which steamed.

The Shadowcons all let out grins and a few laughs. Galvatron himself however was still sneering, even as he looked down into the lava pit, looking to see if she was either floating or if there was some piece of her that was around.

Nothing. Not a thing that stood out.

Galvatron gave an evil grin to his success. Sunset Shimmer was killed. Dead. No more. She was gone and so was the Matrix in her hands... for good.

"Excellent." Galvatron looked back to his warriors. "Decepticons. Let these foolish Autobots go. They have nothing else to offer... except for those two," Galvatron pointed to Arcee and Cliffjumper. "Depart for Cybertron!"

The Decepticons let the terrified warriors go, and they all ran out of the volcano cavern. All of them were roaring in victory, and they all took off into the skies as they raced back to their ship to return home. The Autobots however didn't leave quite yet. They didn't even pick up on the Decepticons now fleeing. Their final actions had enclosed them into a trance into the lava filled cavity. Sunset was just... gone. She was killed. Gone. Kaput. Deceased. Departed.

Sunset Shimmer was now dead... and there was nothing they could do.

Twilight Sparkle sniffed some more, and she couldn't hold it back anymore. Collapsing to her knees, Strongarm pulled her close into a big hug, and let her cry on her shoulder. Strongarm couldn't help it either, but a small gold tear of lubricant leaked down her own face as well.

Tracks stayed in silence, but he couldn't help but tear up a bit as well, all the while Ultra Magnus, finally recovered from his torture stood inside and was in complete shock. He failed. He had one task to do, and he couldn't even accomplish it.

Ultra Magnus solemnly sighed and raised his finger to the com. "Lemon Zest. Bring Omega Supreme down the entrance of the caverns to pick us up. We're returning back to the Ark. Tell them..."

"Tell them what? What happened?"

Ultra Magnus looked back to watch as Strongarm held Twilight in her arms, carrying her with her as she cried her eyes out.

"Tell them that Sunset Shimmer... has been lost."

To Be Concluded...