Month: May 2021

Megatron led everyone into an area with a massive chasm spanned by a narrow bridge. Everyone could walk across it two by two. “So, what’s Misfire’s deal?” asked Optimus. “Why is he here?”

“Most likely the same reason as Krok,” answered Megatron. “To be sacrificed to Unicron.”

“Who IS Krok, anyway? I only read snippets of him in history.”

“He’s a Decepticon Strategist,” explained Windblade, “also, he’s the basis for my comic’s main nemesis, Destroygar. They just ramped up his Triple-M tendencies.”

“Triple-M? He’s a Monoformer?” asked Optimus.

“Yep. He and I always traded barbs as well as blasts.”

“Er, does he have an air of quiet desperation around him?” asked Victorion.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because I think I see him with two others!”

“Halt, prisoners of the Decepticon Empire!” called Krok’s voice as he, Crankcase, and Flywheels approached them, weapons leveled at the group.

“Oh boy, here we go!” groaned Megatron.

“Krok!” called Windblade. “I should like to declare that, under the terms of the 29^th treaty, I and all of my associates are to be declared combatants on a greater quest and, as such, exempt from Martial Jurisdiction.”

“Marshal Juriz Dikshun?” asked Crankcase. “Who is Marshal Juriz Dikshun?!”

“Our ‘Marshal’ is Governor Straxus, Lord of Poly…!” continued Flywheels.

“Enough!” ordered Krok. “You’re a Camien, correct? What do Camiens know of the 29^th treaty? Camiens never attended treaty signings, they believed it against their religious sensibilities to ‘give anything to evil’!”

“Well, if you would let me explain…” replied Windblade.

“She’s saying we’re dealing with more important matters, Small one!” interrupted Victorion.

“Okay, thank you!” hissed Windblade.

“And if Windblade says we’re exempt from your jurisdiction, we’re exempt from your jurisdiction!”

“I said, THANK YOU, VICTORION!”

“Windblade?!” gasped Krok. “Flywheels! Facial analysis!” Flywheels pulled out a device and scanned Windblade’s face. He found a match.

“It IS Windblade! She’s just wearing the usual Camien make-up!”

“Then these must have been my orders, Flywheels!”

“No doubt about it in my mind, Sir!”

“My orders: to seek out, capture, and execute my sworn enemy, the Camien City-speaker designated…Windblade!”

“Me and my big mouth,” gulped Victorion.

“You Combiners really are all mouth and no ears, aren’t you?” muttered Megatron.

“Flywheels! Crankcase! Prepare arms!” ordered Krok.

“Hold on!” called Stormfront. “You can’t just shoot us!”

“I want to see good, clean shots to the head and the Spark!” Krok outlined to his mechs. “Think you can manage that?”

“Easily, Sir!” replied Crankcase.

“If anyone has bright ideas…” gulped Optimus.

“Allow me,” called Windblade. “Better make that ‘Sparks’, Krok. The behemoth behind us is a Combiner and thus has the Sparks of all six of her components.”

“…She has a point, Sir,” said Flywheels.

“Indeed. So, how do you want to do this with her? One shot in each part, then six in the head?”

“That will do!” replied Krok. “Prepare arms!” The three Cons raised their weapons again.

“Some soldier you are!” laughed Megatron. “Your weapons packs only last so long!”

“And I would think that your ability to recharge your weapons is compromised,” supplied Optimus. Windblade grinned at her boys catching on to her plan.

“Your ship WAS downed by Scarship, yes?” asked Megatron.

“…They’re right,” muttered Flywheels. “Standing orders dictate that, on a field mission, conservation of weapons energy remains a priority.”

“So, I’ll take the shot alone!” declared Krok as he leveled his weapon. “Three! Two!”

“Is that advisable, Sir?”

“What now, Flywheels?!”

“Protocol dictates that the minimum number of Decepticons required to form an execution party…is three.”

“Of course. You’re not savages,” snarked Megatron.

“Ah, but, in this instance, Flywheels,” countered Krok, “Windblade is a viable target because…because…she is attempting to evade capture!”

“No, she’s not!” spluttered Ratchet. “She’s not even trying to make a run for it, for some reason!”

“Again, her compatriots have a point,” agreed Flywheels.

“Well…run then, Windblade! Run!” growled Krok, his annoyance getting larger by the minute.

“No, I think I’d much sooner surrender, if it’s all the same to you.” Krok groaned in frustration and turned to his team to discuss what to do next.

“Windblade, what in Primus’ name do you think you’re doing?!” yelped Ratchet.

“Krok has two sets of weaknesses,” explained Windblade. “One is the usual bodily weak spots.”

“Yes?”

“The other is his love for military protocol. I’m guessing that the rules covering surrendered prisoners are more involved than those covering fugitive combatants.”

“Ah, fighting without fighting!” realized Yoketron. “You HAVE mastered it!”

“I’ve no reason to believe we’ll be executed, so let’s see if we can tie them in knots first.” Just then, a communicator crackled to life.

“…Who’s was that?” asked Optimus.

“Pick it up, Flywheels,” ordered Krok.

“This is Flywheels,” called Flywheels over the communicator. “Come in.”

“Misfire, reporting,” replied the caller. “Spinister, Fulcrum, and I have captured a small platoon of Autobots and organics.”

“Oh, not more,” groaned Krok.

“Autobot/Organic platoon confirmed,” said Flywheels. “Are they attempting anything?”

“No, Sir, they’re not attempting anything,” answered Misfire. “Their Nebulan friend held them all back.”

“Nebulan?! What’s a Nebulan doing with Autobots?!”

“Unknown. She keeps repeating her name and that she’s a Witch of the Green Order. There were more Autobots, but a yellow runt took off in one direction and the others went down a tunnel. I believe one of them is a United Combiner.”

“United Combiner confirmed. We have them.”

“I have sent Fulcrum after the yellow runt and Spinister after your prisoners.”

“…Spinister isn’t here. Our prisoners must have evaded him.”

“Flywheels, tell Misfire to bring his prisoners here,” ordered Krok. “We shall interrogate them all together.”

“And the yellow one?” asked Optimus.

“Another of your platoon? He’s attempting to evade capture. Tell Misfire that, as soon as he is sighted, he is to be shot immediately!”

“Understood, Sir,” replied Flywheels.

---

On the surface, Bruticus’ declaration left everyone stunned. “I’m…sorry…WHAT?!” shouted Galvatron.

“You and your friends have enslaved us to your desires!” explained Bruticus. “My components and I are sick of it and want to show you all who’s REALLY the top of the heap here! Right down to you putting up with a little experimentation…of me speaking in the third person.”

“No soldier of mine is gonna be THAT arrogant!” roared Galvatron as he charged at Bruticus. Bruticus grabbed Galvatron in mid-air.

“Bruticus is NOT your soldier!” He then tossed Galvatron to the ground.

“It’s still one against a lot, you monster!” shouted Galvatron as he recovered, and everyone rallied to him.

“Monster? Bruticus is not a monster! Bruticus is…um…”

“A genuine demon?” asked Rouge.

“A true freak?” quizzed Shadow.

“…Bruticus is the DEVIL!”

“…I know of worse,” remarked Shockwave. Bruticus laughed.

“None as inventive as Bruticus!” Bruticus then clenched his right fist as Blast-off’s thrusters activated. He then swung his fist into the ground and created a massive crater, knocking everyone’s blocks off in the process. He then laughed like a madman. Bruticus was certain of his victory and felt he could toy with his prey.

Megatron led the team deeper into the caverns, the runes pulsing in purple light. “Sweet Chaos, this is creepy!” muttered Tails.

“You ain’t kidding,” agreed Grimlock. “My beast mode’s screaming at me to run and hide.”

“You too, huh?” asked Slag.

“You COULD ask for a Ground Bridge back to the surface,” chuckled Megatron. He then drew in a breath and knelt down, clutching his head.

“Megatron?!” asked Optimus.

“Unicron grows ever stronger!” answered Megatron. He got up and picked up the pace.

“How do we know Unicron’s not using him to lead us all into a trap?!” hissed Arcee.

“We don’t,” replied Optimus. The group continued on. They couldn’t afford any more delays. As they trudged on, Sludge stumbled. Swoop caught him.

“I’m fine,” assured Sludge. “Just woozy.”

“It’s the Dark Energon around here,” reported Swoop to everyone. “It’s starting to affect him. Put your arm around mine.”

“But I’m fine!”

“No arguments! Just do it!” Sludge grumbled as he complied.

“Health and safety gone mad!”

“You really looking for another black mark on your record?” asked Grimlock.

“N-no, Sir.”

“Then shut up and go along with what Swoop says! He’s our medic here!”

“You, Swoop?” asked Ratchet.

“I was a Rank 7 Medic before I became a Dyno-bot,” explained Swoop.

“What rank are you now?”

“Rank 5.”

“Nice!”

“Can we please get on with it?!” snarled Megatron as the team approached two tunnels.

“Which way?” asked Optimus. Megatron shot the roof of the right-hand tunnel.

“This way,” he finally answered. As the team went down the only open tunnel, Bumblebee stopped. He then moved to the closed one. Megatron noticed this. “Hey! Bug! I said this way!”

“I heard you, Mr. Corpse!” retorted Bumblebee. “I thought I heard something here.”

“There’s nothing there, Bumblebee,” remarked Knuckles.

“Behind the rocks, I mean. Like metal against stone.”

“Do we really have time to…?” Megatron’s question was interrupted by the rocks being blown away by an explosion. Everyone was showered in rocks and the remains of the explosives used to clear them away. “What in…?!” coughed Megatron.

“I *cough* TOLD you there was something there!” snarled Bumblebee.

“Forward!” called a voice from the once-blocked tunnel. “Forward! Up and at ‘em!”

“Is that Misfire?!” called Thundercracker.

“What’s he doing here?!” yelped Windblade.

“Oh, look! The Metarex and Metal Sonic didn’t search for survivors! Marvelous!” snarled Megatron.

“There’s two more with him!” reported Grimlock. Misfire was with Spinister and Fulcrum.

“Well, Fulcrum? Can you see anything?” asked Misfire.

“I see something! Autobots!” replied Fulcrum.

“Happy trees fart from the moon!” cheered Spinister.

“Forward and hold them!” ordered Misfire. “Hold them tight!” Bumblebee was the nearest bot to the tunnel.

“BUMBLEBEE!” shouted Optimus. “BUMBLEBEE, GET OUT OF HERE!” Bumblebee transformed and took off.

“We have to go, Optimus!” called Megatron.

“But the others!” The Dyno-bots, Thundercracker, and all the organics were furthest from the chosen tunnel.

“They’re not helpless, Optimus! We have to go!”

“Optimus, you’re needed more than us!” urged Grimlock. “We’ll cover you!”

“Guys!” wailed Optimus.

“We’re only thinking about your safety, Prime!” argued Thundercracker. Optimus looked torn, then dashed down the tunnel with Megatron and the others.

“There, Fulcrum, Spinister! Running!” shouted Misfire.

“I see the runt!” replied Fulcrum as he fired in Bumblebee’s direction.

“The ants’ march will fall into frosting!” cheered Spinister as he shot at Optimus and Megatron’s group.

“Too late! You missed!” remarked Thundercracker.

“The Autobots were fast, that’s all,” replied Fulcrum.

“Well, after him, Fulcrum! After the midget!” ordered Misfire.

“Yes, Sir, Misfire, Sir!” Fulcrum then charged off after Bumblebee.

“You won’t catch him!” taunted Grimlock. “He’s the fastest scout we’ve got!”

“You chase after the others! Go!” Misfire told Spinister. Spinister charged off after Optimus and Megatron’s team. “Well, now, what have we here?” chuckled Misfire. “Thundercracker with Autobots? And…EW! ORGANICS?!”

---

The Combaticons were still combined and swinging and roaring once Galvatron, Rodimus, Silver, Knock-out, Shockwave, and Team Dark arrived. They all met with Eggman as he cowered behind a rock. “Okay, first: WHAT!” shouted Shadow. “Second: THE HELL?!”

“You encountered the Enigma of Combination?” asked Shockwave. Eggman pointed a terrified finger to the artefact. Shockwave picked up the Enigma and examined it. “Fascinating. This could help me fix up my mistakes with the Constructicons’ combined form of…”

“Okay, I’m all for the advancement of science and all,” interrupted Galvatron, “but we’ve got an out-of-control Combiner here! Shockwave, please tell me your research into Combiner tech yielded a weakness!”

“As a matter of fact, yes. Combiners may be tough, but they’re weakest at their Combiner Ports.”

“Combiner ports?” asked Rodimus.

“Certain Combiners have plugs in them that allow them to unite with the main robot acting as the torso. Attack the ports, the whole Combiner falls apart.”

“I know where they are!” called Eggman as he activated a hologram of the Combiner. He pointed out the shoulders and knees.”

“Excellent,” declared Rodimus. “Guys, we’ve got our targets! Aim for the joints!” Everyone fired, but the Combiner was moving faster than expected. It swung its arms wildly, scattering everyone.

“Okay, new plan!” called Silver. “We need…!”

“A distraction!” called Galvatron as he transformed and flew around the Combiner.

“I was gonna say more soldiers!” shouted Silver.

“I’m gonna go with that option,” said Shadow as he brought out a communicator.

“No chance of that!” called Eggman. “There’s a jamming field around the island!”

“What?! Why?!”

“Because I needed a private place to relax, of course!”

“So, where’s the field generator?!”

“…Under the island.”

“REALLY?!”

“I never thought I’d have a giant rampaging on it!”

“UGLY!” called Galvatron to the Combiner. “LOOK UP HERE! IT’S GALVATRON!”

“…Tron?!” asked the Combiner. “Tron…MMMmmh! …Gaahh! …Mga! …Mega…Megatron! …Megatron!!! …MEGATROOOOON!!!”

“And now he’s doing a Broly impression!” groaned Galvatron. The Combiner then targeted Galvatron, swinging its fists and throwing trees at him.

“HATE! KILL! COMMAND! DESTROY! RAAAGH!”

“Interesting,” mused Shockwave. “The Combiner is capable of uniting its collective thoughts on one being. A fascinating subject for study.”

“It’s killing us, and you want to write an essay?!” protested Rodimus.

“Er, guys!” called Silver. “The Enigma’s doing something!” Its central sphere was glowing white, specifically.

“WHAT THING DOING?!” demanded the Combiner. The Enigma then fired a stream of light at the Combiner, bathing it in light and making it scream. The light then died down and the Combiner now had a double-headed axe in its hand while it stood still. It looked around, then at the axe.

“Should…should we be concerned?” asked Rouge.

“Boys?” asked Eggman.

“…I am all five of the Combaticons,” replied the Combiner, “yet my own being.” IT then folded the axe’s handle upwards and attached it to its chest. “There we go, you just rest right there, my Bruticus Maximus.”

“Maximus?” asked Shockwave. “You mean the Enigma gave you a Maximus?”

“And allowed me to sort through my individual minds, thus making me more mentally-stable. You know, I think I need a name here. Since most Combiners are named after their Maximus, I think I’ll call myself…Bruticus! Doctor…”

“Yes, my son?” asked Eggman.

“I think this is a perfect opportunity to show off what I can do…especially to those who enslaved us!” Eggman grinned.

“Make me proud, my boy!”

Optimus and Megatron gathered their forces, sans Eggman and the Combaticons, and explained what was going on. “Everyone, we’ve got him.”

“Unicron?” asked Thundercracker.

“The same,” answered Megatron.

“Then what are we waiting for?!” called Bumblebee. “Let’s go and…!”

“We’re not bringing everyone, it won’t be practical,” interrupted Optimus.

“But, Sir!” protested Prowl. “There’s strength in numbers!”

“We need people to defend the surface in case the Terrorcons try something,” said Optimus. “Our magic users and those that are trained in matters like this, to an extent, will be accompanying Megatron and I while everyone else will be on the surface.”

“We’ve selected the Rust Renegades, Soundwave and his cassettes, Thundercracker, Stormfront, Yoketron, Bumblebee, Arcee, the Dyno-bots, Ratchet, Team Sonic, Team Rose, Chip, Sira, Trema, and Natalie to accompany us,” continued Megatron. “Everyone else will remain on the surface.”

“Why isn’t Cliffjumper coming with me?!” protested Bumblebee.

“Because I’m an Eradicon right now!” answered Cliffjumper. “The farther I am from Unicron, the less of a danger I’ll be.”

“Our decision stands, Bumblebee,” declared Optimus.

“I’m going with you!” insisted Windblade.

“Mom, no!” argued Optimus.

“Mom, YES!” growled Windblade.

“Mom, you haven’t even…!”

“It’s either I go with you knowingly or I sneak behind your group!”

“…You know, she would,” remarked Megatron. Optimus sighed.

“Fine, you can come with us.”

“Prime, what about the ship in Mobius’ orbit? The one that hailed the Decepticons?” asked Jazz.

“Megatron confirmed that the ship is carrying the Six Specials Unicron needs for a new body,” answered Optimus. “Regretfully, we need to let the Metarex and Metal Sonic destroy them. By the way, is Metal Sonic’s ship really the Enterprise?”

“Eggman had Star Trek on the brain,” explained Megatron. “In any event, in the unlikely event of survivors, they must be killed. We cannot let Unicron get his talons on them.”

“We strike in an hour,” finished Optimus. “If someone would inform Eggman and the Combaticons of the plan, that would be awesome.”

---

Up in Mobius’ atmosphere, the W.A.P. was still under heavy fire from Scarship and the Revenge. Krok and his crew were on the bridge, trying to get their ship away from the combat zone. “Another hit!” wailed Fulcrum as he manned Tactical. The ship rocked again. “And another!”

“WE’RE DOOMED!” cried Crankcase.

“No, Crankcase!” assured Krok. “Our shields can easily absorb this kind of fire! And once their weapons batteries are exhausted, then…THEN, we will turn and blast them to PLASMA!” Everything then went dark and the noise…stopped.

“…It’s all gone quiet…” mumbled Fulcrum.

“Like I said, their weapons batteries are exhausted,” replied Krok. “Now, I shall instruct the computer to give us an attack pattern to strike back without mercy!” He tried keying in a command on the armrest of his chair. “…Strange.”

“The computer’s non-responsive,” reported Flywheels. Krok tried to switch on voice-control.

“Computer! Lay out a merciless attack pattern at once! …Why isn’t it obeying me?”

“That will be because it’s dead, most likely!” grunted Crankcase.

“Silence. Computer! Computer, respond at once!”

“The computer’s dead! The doors are dead! The alarms are dead! Face it, the whole ship is dead!”

“I said silence! If the ship were dead, it would be plummeting helplessly through Mobius’ atmosphere!”

“The platypus has…!”

“I! SAID! SILENCE!” The bridge was quiet for a few seconds.

“…Permission to speak?” asked Misfire.

“SI…Permission granted.”

“Spinister was saying that plummeting helplessly through the atmosphere of Mobius is what we’re doing right now, Sir.”

“I regret to inform you,” gulped Flywheels as he looked out a window, “judging by the fact that I’m seeing the ground below us getting bigger, Spinister is correct.”

“We are Decepticon soldiers, Flywheels!” snapped Krok. “We do NOT plummet helplessly!”

“That may be, but we also don’t do well in a crash! I recommend the use of Tele-bracers!” He pulled out six silver bracelets.

“Tele-bracers. Good.” He turned to everyone. “Abandon ship! I order you all to abandon ship!” The crew slipped the Tele-bracers on and vanished in blue light.

---

The time finally came. The away team was standing at the Ground Bridge, ready to go against Unicron. The Ground Bridge opened, and everyone went through one last weapons check. They all looked at Megatron. “…Yes?” asked the Decepticon Lord.

“After you,” replied Bumblebee. Megatron smirked.

“As you wish.” He then led everyone through the Bridge, and it closed behind them.

“Well, the best we can do,” sighed Rodimus, “is wish them luck.”

“Guys,” called Teletraan, “Eggman’s contacting us on an open frequency.”

“Ah, how nice of him to remember the threat here!” snarled Galvatron. “Put him through.” Eggman’s panicked face came on screen.

“Oh, thank goodness!” he sighed in relief. “We’ve got a crisis here!”

“What, did you run out of burger meat?” snarked Galvatron.

“Oh, ha ha!” snapped Eggman. “Just look!” He pointed the camera to the Combaticons’ combined form. Rodimus and Galvatron stared in shock.

“…When did they become a Combiner?!” yelped Rodimus.

“An hour ago!” answered Eggman. “I’ve been trying to get them to calm down, but they’re not listening! …It’s not listening! Whatever!”

“Okay, what happened?!” asked Galvatron.

“It all started when Brawl found this thing,” Eggman showed off the device.

“The Enigma of Combination!” breathed Rodimus.

“So it IS a Cybertronian Relic! Perfect! Well, it’s turned my boys into a mindless monster!”

“Give us your coordinates,” said Hot Rod. “We’ll be there straightaway.” Eggman sent the coordinates and ended the call. Rodimus then rolled his optics. “The one team we have that’s experienced in Combiner matters, and they’re marching towards Unicron at the center of the planet!”

---

The Ground Bridge deposited everyone into a subterranean cave system. Everyone noticed that the walls, floor, and ceiling were covered in purple runes. “By the Code of Primus!” shuddered Optimus.

“Getting cold feet, brother?” taunted Megatron.

“…No time for that. Rust Renegades, the tunnels look big enough and I think we may need a size advantage.”

“Agreed,” replied Pyra Magna. “Torchbearers! Unite into Victorion!” Pyra Magna partially transformed into vehicle mode as her ladder boom folded to the back. Her head was replaced by another one as Stormclash and Skyburst transformed into their helicopter modes and formed hands at their fronts while the whole front and middle became forearms. Jumpstream and Dust Up transformed but folded their hoods and front wheels to the roof while feet swung out from their undercarriages. The limbs then extended the same plugs that the Combaticons’ new form had and connected to Pyra Magna. Rust Dust then transformed and her rear split in half and swung out. She then connected to the giant’s chest and the Rust Renegades’ weapons combined into a large sword. The giant then grabbed the handle and swung it before sheathing it on her back while her visor flashed.

“Victorion: online!” she announced in an alto voice.

“So, this is the mentally-stable Combiner of legend,” chuckled Megatron. “Cute.”

“Hold your tongue, heathen!” snarled Victorion. “My components are only holding me back because we have a greater threat!”

“Speaking of which,” muttered Sonic, “how long before Unicron knows we’re here?”

“Make no mistake, Sonic,” replied Megatron, “he knew the instant we stepped out of the Ground Bridge.”

---

Three of the W.A.P’s crew appeared in a different part of the cave system. The crew members were Krok, Flywheels, and Crankcase. “…Well, that took longer than expected,” muttered Krok.

“I have a theory on that,” replied Flywheels, “but I’d bet on me transforming after I say it as it sounds outlandish.”

“…You ain’t transforming now, so go ahead.”

“The Tele-bracers weren’t connected to the ship’s computer, so it couldn’t calculate a proper teleport path for our atoms. They kept us in a state of molecular free-fall until it was determined that the ship was intact enough to give coordinates for just a brief cycle.” Flywheels then split into his two vehicle modes.

“Outlandish? You mean stupid!” grunted Crankcase. “First off, molecular free-fall?! What kind of sci-fi gibberish are you reading?! Second, the Tele-bracers were atoms too, so they weren’t in a state of accepting anything in terms of signals! Third, the enemy ships destroyed the computer BEFORE we crashed! It couldn’t even SEND coordinates, even for a nano-second! Now, we’re not just stuck ON a dismal rock, we’re stuck IN a dismal rock!”

“Secure the area, Crankcase,” ordered Krok, wanting a break from Crankcase’s attitude. As Crankcase stomped off, weapon in hand, Flywheels recombined into his robot mode. “Now, did you get anything from the others?”

“Nothing, Sir,” replied Flywheels.

“Well then, try to raise them! Get to it, Flywheels!” Flywheels hesitated as he remembered something.

“Er, orders, Sir? Your orders? Shouldn’t they be your first priority?”

“…My orders? Oh, yes! My orders! Pass me the canister, Flywheels.”

“Bu…but I don’t have it!” Krok noticed that Flywheels wasn’t transforming.

“You fool, Flywheels! You left it behind on the ship!”

“You had it last, Sir!”

“You are my second-in-command! It is YOUR duty to carry out my orders, is it not?!”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Well, then why didn’t you carry them out?!”

“But, I…!”

“SILENCE! You’re a disgrace to the Empire!”

“Yes, Sir. Shall I attempt to raise the others now, Sir?”

“You do that, Flywheels!” Krok turned away as Flywheels activated his comms.

“This is Flywheels hailing Misfire! …Misfire, report!”

Megatron returned to the moon base and stormed towards Shockwave’s lab. She was examining what Galvatron had stolen from Tails and was utterly perplexed. She heard the door chime. “Yes?” she asked.

“It’s Megatron,” answered her boss. The door opened as Shockwave got up from her lab station.

“Lord Megatron, we’ve explored what you’ve asked us, and it seems there’s a little…hiccup, for lack of a better…”

“Hiccup?”

“Yes, Sir. The power it uses…” Shockwave sighed as she couldn’t believe the words were leaving her mouth. “My Lord, the technology doesn’t actually exist, so it’s…”

“Wait, hold up, the technology?” Megatron then held Shockwave close to his shoulder and pointed to the device. “Shockwave, HERE is the technology. I asked you to simply integrate it into our weapons systems.”

“Yes, sir, that’s what Eggman and I are trying to do, but honestly, even with our current understanding of the technology…it’s impossible.” Megatron then grabbed Shockwave by the shoulders and slammed her into a wall, causing her visor to go up and her optical probe to extend.

“A TWIN-TAILED FOX CHILD MUTANT WAS ABLE TO BUILD THIS IN A GREEK ALLEY! FILLED WITH GARBAGE!” Shockwave then shoved Megatron off of her and brushed her shoulder as Megatron regained his footing.

“I’m sorry, Lord Megatron. I’m not Miles Prower.” Her visor came back down, and she shoved Megatron out of the lab. The instant the door closed, Megatron just stared at it, his optics flickering in disbelief. He then roared in anger and stormed off. As he stormed, he received a call from Soundwave.

“Lord Megatron, ship inbound. Hull is Vanguard-class, but occupants are registering Decepticon transponder codes.” Megatron then remembered the reports about what Straxus did.

“…Tell all allied ships to shoot on sight.”

---

Meanwhile, out in space, a subspace distortion indicated a ship leaving warp space. The ship was a purple Vanguard-class ship. While the ship class, as a whole was usually associated with the Autobots, this particular ship was in the service of the Decepticons. The name of such a ship…was the Weak Anthropic Principle. Yes, it’s a weird name for a ship. It was on auto-pilot as Krok, the commander of the vessel, entered the conference room. Flywheels was there as well as the rest of the crew. One was a mech with a severe gash in his head, one wore a pilot’s helmet, complete with goggles, one was distracted by his fingers, and one looked a little crazy. “Commander Krok, sir!” greeted Flywheels. “Platoon awaits your instructions.”

“Good, Flywheels,” replied Krok. He then addressed the whole room. “Now, pay attention, troops! According to our auto-pilot computer, we have exited warp space and will be shortly entering orbit around our objective: the planet, Mobius!”

“Mobius?” asked the crazed-looking bot.

“Mobius, you said?” asked the bot with the head wound.

“Yes, Mobius, Mister…er…”

“Crankcase, Sir,” explained Flywheels.

“Mr. Crankcase. …Why, does the name ‘Mobius’ mean anything to you?”

“Nope, just sounds like a dismal rock,” answered Crankcase.

“That IS a dismal sounding name,” remarked Flywheels. “And given that it was called Earth once upon a time…”

“We’re going to EARTH?!” growled Crankcase. “I can’t believe it! It IS a dismal rock! We’re going to the site of our loss in the Great War?!”

“Orders from our new Lord himself,” replied Krok. “Mobius also marks our furthest reach towards the Cybertronian/Quintesson Neutral Zone.”

“Excuse me, Sir!” called the bot with the pilot helmet. “Do you mean we’re going near the Neutral Zone now?!”

“As a matter of fact, we are, Mister…”

“Fulcrum, Sir” replied Flywheels. “A member of K-Squad recommended to us. Very keen.”

“Good. Er, yes, Fulcrum, we’re near the Neutral Zone right now.

“Permission to speak, Sir?” asked the crazed bot.

“Permission granted, Mister…”

“Misfire, Sir.”

“Misfire?! The Hero of the 9^th Platoon?!”

“The same, Sir.”

“I’m honored to have you here! I’ve always wanted to ask, why the name?”

“Long story. …Actually, no, it’s a very short story involving a machine gun, a misunderstanding, and several dozen dead Decepticons.”

“…Ah. …Did you have a question earlier?”

“My question, sir, is that if we’re going near the Neutral Zone. Why are we landing on Earth, I mean, Mobius, when we could be crossing the Neutral Zone now that the Quintesson Collective’s so weak?”

“A good question, Misfire,” Krok then pulled out the canister, “and one I can’t answer until we make planetfall. Sealed orders, you understand.”

“What if we meet Quintesson scum on the way? Could we blast them to plasma?!”

“…Well, in the unlikely event any Quintesson ships are found on this side of the Neutral Zone, we are obligated to blast them to plasma. Now, any further questions? …You, with your hand up.”

“Light is pointing us in the thruster clusters!!” answered the bot that was once distracted by his fingers.

“…No, didn’t understand that, Mister…”

“Spinister, Sir,” answered Flywheels.

“Spinister. What’s the matter, Spinister? Took some head damage?”

“Pound the truth!”

“…What’s that?”

“My mouth wants armadillos!”

“He means ‘Yes, Sir’,” explained Flywheels. “He DID suffer some head damage. His vocabulator was irreparably totaled in a crash some vorns ago.”

“One moment, bots!” called Misfire. “I know how he speaks. Say it again, Spinister.”

“Into fluffy cats, the eyes peel…”

“Well, what’s he saying?” asked Krok.

“He says ‘Have you noticed…’”

“…the shavings of pickles…”

“‘…the Attacking Ship Alert…’”

“…into the forests of lava!”

“‘…is flashing!’ WHAT?!” That last word was repeated by everyone.

“Sir!” called Flywheels. “Two ships are approaching us at attack speed!”

“We’re under attack?!” The ship was then rocked by laser fire. “Flywheels! Status!” Flywheels checked the external view.

“It’s Scarship and a ship of unknown design! They appear to have come from the other side of Mobius!”

“Dismal rock!” grunted Crankcase. The ship then rocked under laser fire again.

“WE’RE UNDER ATTACK! BY PRIMUS! UNDER ATTACK!” wailed Fulcrum.

“You’re K-squad! Scared isn’t in your vocabulary!” replied Misfire before he joined in the panic. “WE’RE UNDER ATTACK! ACTION STATIONS! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!”

---

Over on Eggman’s private island, Brawl had brought the object to his brothers and creator. “It’s definitely Cybertronian,” muttered Eggman, “but it’s ancient. I don’t know what it is.”

“Brawl, I thought you said only the lower left triangle was glowing,” muttered Swindle.

“It WAS the only triangle glowing,” answered Brawl. “I don’t know why everything else is glowing in our colors.” The lower right triangle was now glowing yellow, the one above was glowing purple, the upper left was glowing blue-gray, and the middle was glowing navy blue.

“Should we…touch it?” asked Vortex.

“It’s probably giving off some form of radiation!” argued Blast-off.

“If that were true, Brawl should have been affected by it,” retorted Onslaught. “Maybe it’s supposed to be some kind of power boosting thing.”

“…You know, fighting this Unicron WOULD be a reason to test it,” mused Eggman. “All right, boys, go ahead and touch it, but only a finger!”

“Got it! Combaticons, touch the areas that correspond with your colors!” Brawl touch the green triangle, Swindle touched the yellow one, Blast-off touched the purple one, Vortex touched the blue-gray one, and Onslaught touched the sphere. The whole device then glowed in a white light that kept the Combaticons from moving their fingers. They screamed as the light enveloped them!

“BOYS!” wailed Eggman. The Combaticons screamed in terror as the light expanded, enveloping the whole island! After a good minute, the light died. The device was now a single, uniform, non-glowing color of silver. Eggman peeked out from behind his barricade to see the condition of his boys. His eyes met with something…he never thought possible. Onslaught looked to be halfway between robot and vehicle mode with both halves to the side. The front cab halves were on top of Brawl and Swindle in vehicle mode and connected by some sort of plug while standing on platforms that looked like feet. Brawl was on the left and Swindle was on the right. Meanwhile, Vortex and Blast-off had converted into vehicle mode and had elongated their fronts while sprouting hands and connecting to what should be Onslaught’s rear via the same plugs with Vortex on the left and Blast-off on the right. In between the two was a white head with antennae and two optics. The Combaticons had formed a giant behemoth of a bot! “…Boys?” asked Eggman tentatively. “…My sons?” The giant roared. It then uprooted several trees in Vortex’s fist and threw them before proceeding to rampage across the island.

A pink Hedgehog girl in a ballerina’s outfit pirouetted by herself in her magic teacher’s dance studio. She spun and spun and spun until she let her raised foot fall rather clumsily. She stumbled a bit as she tried to clear her dizziness. Once she could think and see clearly, she moved to a bench and panted before cracking open a bottle of water. She polished off half before she talked to herself. “Okay, Amy, let’s remember how many pirouettes are in that routine. Don’t go above the limit.” The hedgehog, Amy Rose, then finished off her water and took a deep breath. “All right, take a 10-minute break then it’s back to practice.” As Any rested, a blue-haired woman wearing a maid dress appeared in the mirror on her right. It wasn’t a reflection as the woman was nowhere in the room.

“Ms. Rose,” began the maid, Natalie Mayworth, “Megatron is at the drive and is demanding to speak with you, asking for you by name.”

“What?! Megatron?!” asked Amy. “Well, could you tell him I’m a little busy?”

“Adding your dance moves to your magic-casting movements?” asked a raspy male voice. Amy yelped and fell off the bench, her bum hitting the floor hard. As she massaged her rear, Natalie came out of the mirror and drew a feather duster out like a sword before leveling it at the intruder, a male Hedgehog with red eyes, a suit, and a large cannon on his right arm.

“Megatron?!” asked Amy as she remained on the floor. “What are you doing here?!”

“Seeking a sparring partner,” explained the Decepticon Lord. “You’re strong enough, so fight me.”

“No! What?! Why?! NO!”

“It’s been over 6 months since Optimus and I were tricked into…”

“Convinced to.”

“TRICKED INTO allying with each other and I haven’t had a decent chance to test my might! So, swap out the silk tutu for your usual dress, whip out your hammer, and fight me like your life depends on it!”

“…Tulle,” said Natalie.

“…What?”

“Amy’s tutu. It’s made of tulle.”

“…Isn’t tulle made of silk?”

“A specific, stiff kind of silk,” answered Amy. “Getting back to the original topic, I’m not fighting you.”

“Like the Pit you’re not! You have enough power in your bangs alone to scorch Mobius three times over and you’re letting it go to waste!”

“Megatron, Natalie’s wife, the owner of this mansion, is in the room above us and she JUST settled down for a nap!”

“If you’re REALLY looking for a fight,” supplied Natalie as she caught on to Amy’s plan, “keep it up and SHE’LL give you one!” Megatron glanced upwards and considered his next move. He was looking for a sparring partner, not an angry witch.

“…This isn’t over, Ms. Rose,” he warned as his holo-form vanished.

“Ostendeo,” chanted Natalie as she pointed her duster at a mirror. It then showed a gunmetal gray tank leaving Mayworth Manor.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” muttered Amy.

---

A few days later, Amy and her teacher, Sira Mayworth, had just left the mall. “I’m telling you; I look horrible in pants!” urged Sira.

“You also said you never tried them,” replied Amy. “So, just try them out and see if…” Amy stopped as something flashed through her head.

“I sense it too!” Sira and Amy stepped back as an energy blast scorched the pavement in front of them. They looked up to see…

“Megatron?!” yelped Amy. It was his holo-form again and his cannon was smoking.

“Shall we?” asked Megatron.

“I’m running errands!” snarled Amy.

“You’re running your mouth, you mean. How about you run your hands?”

“My hands are busy holding shopping bags!”

“And you’re busy making up excuses! FIGHT ME!”

“Mr. Megatron, we left something behind in the mall,” interrupted Sira, annoyed at the Decepticon. “It’s a little pink bag with Amy’s name and it’s most likely in the food court.”

“I thought something felt off,” mused Amy. “If you run to the food court and get it, IN YOUR HOLO-FORM and without causing a panic, I’ll fight you.”

“Very well!” Megatron dashed into the mall as Amy and Sira looked around. They then joined hands and started chanting.

“Locus. Locus. Locus.”

“WAIT! WHICH FOOD COURT?! THERE’S LIKE TWENTY…!” Megatron got his answer as they vanished. “…Clever girls!”

---

A week later, Amy was at a telescope looking out of a large cave. Her eye was at an eyepiece for someone her size. “Wow!” she breathed. “Nebulan telescopes are so cool! Thanks for letting me use it, Trema!”

“Tis a pleasure,” returned a giant, green woman as she looked through a larger eyepiece. “You should be honored, my witch-sister. Comet Tanakotha was once believed to only pass by Nebulos. To see the Light of the Gods itself is a rather…wait, what’s that light coming from below?” A stream of purple light flew past the comet. “Wha…!? Was someone trying to shoot our…?!”

“Take a glance downward,” sighed Amy. “I found the culprit.” Trema moved the telescope down to see Megatron’s holo-form climbing out of his vehicle mode’s cockpit. He then held up a sign saying, “FIGHT ME!”

“…Should I…?” asked Trema.

“I got this. Resonus.” Amy cupped her hands in a circle and shouted through it. “NO!” came the loud reply. Trema looked through the telescope and giggled at seeing Megatron’s angry expression.

---

Another week had passed, and Amy had a dream fulfilled. The Hedgehog she idolized, the famous Blue Blur himself, Sonic the Hedgehog…had asked her out on a date! They were in a small outdoor café, having started on dessert, a couple’s sundae. Amy felt like she was on Cloud Nine. “Oh, Sonic!” she sighed. “You can’t possibly imagine how long I’ve waited for this moment.”

“I will admit, I was a little nervous about this,” replied Sonic. “I didn’t know if we should go all out at first.”

“No, starting small like this is per…” Amy’s assurance was interrupted by everyone on street running and screaming in terror.

“RUN! IT’S MEGATRON!” wailed a female Cat. Amy face-palmed in annoyance.

“Don’t worry, Amy!” assured Sonic. “I’ll knock ol’ Bucket Head into next week!”

“Let me handle this,” replied Amy. She stomped out into the street to see Megatron approach her in vehicle mode.

“A nice, clean arena, wouldn’t you say?” asked Megatron.

“WHAT! IS! YOUR! DAMAGE!” shouted Amy. Megatron transformed, then knelt down so he could better talk to her.

“I HAVEN’T TAKEN ANY DAMAGE! THAT’S THE ISSUE HERE!”

“Given that you’re proving what insanity is, I beg to differ! There’s GOT to be someone else you can fight!”

“I TRIED!”

---

Megatron’s first attempt was his younger brother, Optimus. They were in the Autobots’ new dojo and Optimus was performing a kata. “No,” said Optimus.

“Oh, come on! Why not? We did it before Unicron came into the picture!”

“Because I don’t want to.”

“What, you have something better to do?”

“Nope.” Optimus continued his kata.

“…FRACK YOU! FIGHT ME!” Optimus groaned at Megatron’s childishness. He then got an idea. He punched a pot off the little altar, and it fell, breaking into many pieces. “Wha…? Why did you…?”

“MEGATRON! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” wailed Optimus.

“WHO JUST BROKE MY BELOVED STORMFRONT’S SECOND RULE OF TIDINESS?!” shouted Optimus’ sensei, Yoketron. Megatron did NOT want to attempt to explain himself to a Cyber-ninja.

“I will remember this when we beat Unicron!” he promised.

“Please do,” invited Optimus as Megatron dashed out of the dojo and Optimus got some glue.

---

Megatron’s next try was at G.U.N. A white-furred bat, Rouge, chuckled as she saw Megatron’s holo-form. “Well, Megatron, honey,” she purred, “I’m honored you thought of me. You know, if you impress me, maybe you and I could…”

“Not you, you wannabe peacock!” replied Megatron. “The edgie hedgie working on the bike!” Said ‘edgie hedgie’ was Shadow. He paused his labors and gave Megatron his full attention.

“Hello, Megatron,” he greeted. “How’s the Empire?”

“Fine. How’s your chest?”

“Just fine, thank you.”

“Shadow, we never actually fought, have we?”

“Not personally, no.”

“Then I say you owe me some combat.”

“I owe a lot of people a lot of things. Most of them money, one an organ, one a whale.”

“Yeah, Topaz’ still asking about that,” interjected Rouge.

“But I owe a monster like you NOTHING! You beat your troops for even the tiniest failures, take credit for THEIR victories, and when you’re not doing that, you’re picking fights with everyone because of your screaming ego! You remind me a lot of Black Doom, but at least he had the courtesy to stay dead. So, take your massive inferiority complex the hell out of here and maybe I’ll fight you when you stop acting as childish as Optimus!” Megatron stammered at the insult.

“Oh, and about that wannabe peacock thing,” the end of Rouge’s sentence was punctuated by a swift kick…down below. …Yes, Megatron’s holo-form could feel that. He stumbled out of G.U.N. as quick as he could.

---

Amy managed to keep her laughter to herself about the results of Megatron’s second attempt. “After that, I tried Eggman,” he continued, “but he and the Combaticons are on an ‘intensive training retreat’, probably at some poolside cabana. So all that’s left was…you.”

“Well, what about the Chaot…?”

“Soundwave knows where you live!”

“WHOA! Okay! Geez! …Geez, I’m…I-I’m sorry.” Megatron grinned. He had… “But I’m still not fighting you.” Never mind, he didn’t have her.

“OH, COME O…SERIOUSLY?!”

“I don’t like fighting, Megatron! I only did it because I was in a do-or-die situation of YOUR creation. Frankly, at this point, I’d be fighting you out of PITY!” That comment…cut into his Spark real deep. “Is that really what the Lord of the Decepticons wants? A pity fight?” Megatron said nothing. He just transformed and left via a bridge portal. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

---

Megatron was right about the cabana. It was at Egg Beach, Eggman’s private beach. He and his creations, the Combaticons, were relaxing…to a point. “Come on, my sons,” called Eggman as he looked over his shades. “This is not fidgeting time.”

“Doctor,” called Onslaught, “I can’t relax. What if, while we’re lying on the beach, someone else out there is training and getting stronger than us? How do we know?”

“The truth, Onslaught,” replied Eggman in an uncharacteristically fatherly tone, “is that we can’t know. But, I think you’ll find that everyone, even the strongest warriors, need their shuteye. Besides, it’s an effective method of bodily detox. In us fleshy-types, our blood flow decreases and is replaced with cerebrospinal fluids that flush out any waste around the brain, allowing the neurons to continually fire fast. There’s a similar effect to Transformers while you recharge. Sleep actually helps you think more critically, so there’s nothing wrong with taking it easy, despite Megatron’s insistence.” Onslaught was still a little uneasy but decided to try and snooze. Brawl just couldn’t relax.

“This ain’t me!” he groaned. “I’m taking a walk.”

“Okay, be safe,” called Eggman. Brawl went into the jungle and looked around. Somehow, looking at nature just wasn’t calming him down. He had quite a bit on his mind.

“Stupid Megatron! Stupid Unicron! Stupid Autobots! Why can’t people just bow to their kings like good little sheep?!” He was so focused on ranting that he didn’t see where he was going. He tripped and fell flat on his face. “ERGH! STUPID NATURE!” He pointed his gun at the object, thinking it was an offending root, only it was way too shiny to be one. Brawl’s optics flickered as he examined it closely. It was definitely made of metal. He pulled it out to see that it was a sphere with four triangles surrounding it. “…This can’t be Cybertronian, can it?” muttered Brawl. He then noticed that one of the triangles was glowing in his armor’s color. “…Right, that settles it! My whole family needs to know about this!” He took off, carrying the object with him.