Categories
Transformers: Mobian Chronicles Transformers: Mobian Chronicles (Arc 17: Living Stories)

TMC 17-12

Optimus had heard of the situation between Scattershot and Afterburner. He summoned both bots to his office. Both bots stood there, not looking forward to this dressing down. “…Well?” asked Optimus icily. “Any reason why I shouldn’t have you removed from the Autobots?”

“You’re well within your rights to do so, Sir,” answered Scattershot.

“I’m not talking about my rights! Answer my question!”

“We don’t have an answer!”

“Prime, we had our weapons set to stun…” offered Afterburner.

“You shouldn’t have even thought to pull your weapons out at all!”

“Sir, what we did WAS rash, yes…” replied Scattershot.

“Rash?! It was utterly stupid! And before you two even THINK on pulling out the newborn card on me, let me remind you two that you were born with adult minds! I have given you and your team a lot of leeway when it comes to training, but in case you’ve forgotten, we’re at war and we need functional teams with good communication abilities and all teammates with their heads set on a common goal! There is a limit to how far I will allow brotherly rivalry and you two just reached it! Until you all learn how to function as a team, you are not going to be deployed! Is that clear?!”

“You’re benching us?!” shouted Afterburner.

“Until you all learn how to function as a team, and that includes YOU as well, Scattershot, then yes, you’re benched! Dismissed!” Afterburner snarled, then turned away and left the office. Scattershot stayed behind. “…Didn’t you hear me?!”

“Yes, Sir.” Scattershot didn’t move, his face now a stony gaze leveled at Optimus.

“…All right, you clearly have something on you mind, say it! But know this, if you suggest that I only let you be deployed, then forget it! This isn’t something you can run away from so easily.” Scattershot steeled himself as he explained himself.

“I confirmed what Afterburner heard from Lightspeed and his reaction? It just proved that what I did was right in making sure they don’t need to know ALL the details! Now, I told him about my suspicions of us not being ready to use the Enigma, knowing full well he couldn’t handle the truth, and you know what? He proved me right.”

“Scattershot…”

“I don’t know what else to do! Strafe’s a big bag of nerves, Nosecone’s glued to his computer, Afterburner thinks with his thrusters, and Lightspeed’s always distracted by something new! I can’t get them all to work together, to think with one mind! How the hell do you get the Autobots on exactly the same page?!”

“I don’t, not anymore.” Scattershot arched an eyebrow. “I think I know the issue here. It’s what bricked my connection to the Matrix.”

“…I thought that was Nemesis Prime that did that.”

“This was way before all that, before the Decepticons even arrived here. During my first year here, I learned that Mobius has a mage-population of its own. I was starting to feel high and mighty after learning that. I was arrogant in thinking that my solutions were the best ones and the Primes severed themselves from me. I went on a journey as Orion Pax, it’s what led me to meet Sira and Natalie. Sira gave me a swift kick in the skidplate, told me I was turning evil, and got me to get my act together. I didn’t fill the Autobots on all the details and it led me to losing my magic. Scattershot, no one should demand that people think the same as you. That’s what the Decepticons believe. We all have our own goals. With me, once the war is over, I’m going to spend some time finding my successor and training them so they would be better than me at keeping the peace. For Prowl, he’s going to retire from the Army and resume his position of Praxian Chief of Police. For Ratchet, he’s retiring and going to live his remaining life in a little cottage. Goldbug, well, he saw his goal of getting Cliffjumper back to normal, so he’s clearly got a new goal in mind. I’m headstrong at times, but my bots get me to slow down and look at alternate avenues. Yes, sometimes we proceed with my original idea, but other times, their ideas are better than mine.”

“Then what’s the point of being a leader if your ideas aren’t the only ones?!”

“The point of being a leader is to guide many people to the rare one goal they have on their minds. The different points of view are what make a team strong. A good leader understands this. More importantly, a good brother accepts this. Right now, I need you to be a brother, not a mere leader, which is why no one on your team, not even you, is permitted to be deployed. You need to know what your brothers want from you as much as what you want from them. Dismissed.” Scattershot still had a look of doubt on his face, but it was softer than earlier. He turned on his heels and left. Optimus sat back at his desk and ran his hands over his face. He sat in silence for a few minutes until the door chime interrupted his thoughts. “Yes?” he called.

“It’s Chromia,” answered the person on the other side.

“Come in.” Chromia entered the office.

“You look like a commander who had to give his soldiers a dressing-down.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“I adopted the same look when I led a team of bots and had to discipline them once or twice.”

“I hate that I had to do it. I felt…I don’t know, wrong somehow.”

“It’s not a pleasant feeling. Although, your need to discipline them was justified. Mine, on the other hand, they were just idiots.” Chromia then smiled and giggled. “And I mean they were IDIOTS! The whole incident started when…” She then went into a coughing fit! Optimus got up from his desk and knelt by her. Chromia held a hand up as her coughing stopped. “I’m okay,” she gasped.

“You didn’t SOUND okay!” replied Optimus. “If we were organics, I’d say you were about to cough up a lung!”

“I assure you, it’s just a slight cough.”

“It didn’t SOUND slight!”

“Optimus, I promise you, I’m…!” Another coughing fit then cut her sentence off. She recovered in the same amount of time as the last.

“That wasn’t slight either. You’re not dying, are you?”

“No, no, I’m not gonna die.”

“You better see Ratchet about this. If it interferes with your combat capabilities, I might lose a valuable soldier.”

“I will. As soon as I get the chance, I will.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that.” Chromia nodded to Optimus, then left, leaving Optimus concerned for her.

Categories
Transformers: Mobian Chronicles Transformers: Mobian Chronicles (Arc 17: Living Stories)

TMC 17-11

The new Autobots had settled into the base. They were undergoing training and learning about the war between the Autobots and Decepticons, what the current situation is, who the allies are, etc., etc. Scattershot, however, wasn’t forthcoming on all the details. He didn’t tell them about the Enigma of Combination, for starters, making them wonder why their training with the Rust Renegades was necessary. Pyra Magna spoke to Scattershot about this. “Young One,” she warned, “there is discord in your team. What have you told them?”

“Only what’s necessary for the immediate future,” answered Scattershot.

“That’s bitten a lot of bots in the aft.”

“Pyra Magna, I assure you, it’s all according to plan.”

“And when they start getting louder with their questions?”

“Then I tell them that the enemy has a team that can combine into a bigger bot. We then train for Bruticus’ tactics, then the Enigma of Combination comes into play.”

“I would be careful. Leaders who aren’t open about all the details are doomed to failure.”

“Trust me, it’s all part of the master plan.”

“…Very well, I will leave this to your judgement.” What neither of them knew was that Lightspeed was listening. He was just out of sight enough and was filled with his usual wonder.

“Five bots turning into one! Awesome!” He dashed off to find his brothers.


They were at the firing range when Lightspeed told them what he overheard. “I mean, us being one robot?!” he asked. “That’s awesome! I don’t know why he’d keep something so cool from us!” As Lightspeed talked, Afterburner got angrier.

“So Scattershot, the guy who calls himself our older brother, decided to keep things a secret from us?!” he snarled. “And he ignored his superiors when they said it was a bad idea?!”

“Empirical evidence supports that theory,” mused Nosecone.

“Does…does he not really…LOVE us?!” asked Strafe. “W-Why would he keep secrets?! DOES HE HATE US?!” Lightspeed’s face then went wide-eyed as he realized what was going on with his brothers.

“Er, now, wait a minute!” he gulped.

“Who does he think he is?!” snarled Afterburner as he went to a console in the room. “Teletraan, where’s Scattershot?!”

“He’s outside, by the port nacelle,” answered Teletraan.

“Thanks!” Afterburner then stormed out of the room.

“Wait a minute!” begged Lightspeed. “You could tell him that I told you that Pyra Magna told me…!”

“Oh no! Not making it THAT easy for him!” snarled Afterburner as he shrugged Lightspeed off. As Afterburner stormed through the halls, he saw Tails. “Hey! Pops!” Tails looked up.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“The Enigma of Combination! How much did you tell Scattershot?!”

“He was one of the guys who studied it after the Bruticus incident, why?”

“And who’s Bruticus?!”

“The combined Combaticon team. Why are you asking me? Scattershot told you about it all, I’m sure. I mean, I told him to or else I would. He said he would tell you guys.”

“Yeah?! Well, your eldest didn’t listen!” Afterburner then stormed off at a faster rate. Tails was stunned for a second.

“…He DIDN’T tell…Teletraan, where’s Afterburner going?”

“If his question was any indication,” replied Teletraan, “he’s going outside to the port nacelle to tear Scattershot a new one.”

“I better get there to stop them from killing each other! They never tell you about these parenting pratfalls!”


Scattershot had finished maintenance on the nacelle. While the ship wasn’t gonna fly anytime soon, the power distribution nodes went through there, so it was necessary to keep them working. Once he closed the panel, he saw Afterburner’s feet. He looked up to see his younger brother with a scowl and folded arms. “…Can I help you?” asked Scattershot.

“Pop quiz,” grunted Afterburner, “what are the Three Autobot Pillars?”

“…Come on, you were there every time Prime lectured us on that.”

“Indulge me.”

“…Fine. The Three Autobot Pillars are Justice, Duty, and Honor.”

“Justice, Duty, and Honor, huh? All right. So, keeping secrets from those you’ve called your brothers, what does that break?” Scattershot then looked a little panicked.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“Trying to lie, now?”

“No, I really have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“So why did Lightspeed have to overhear your conversation with Pyra Magna about the Enigma?!”

“Wait, WHAT?!”

“Lightspeed heard you talking to Pyra Magna about your decision to not tell us that we were training to become a Combiner Team! Teletraan filled me in on Victorion and Bruticus on my way here and Pops told me that you were supposed to tell us, or he would!” By that point, Scattershot got angry.

“Okay, I don’t know if this concept is new to you, but it’s called Compartmentalization of Information! I would tell you when we were ready to…”

“Oh yeah, and what if that sets us back by a decade in our training, huh?! What if our current conversation came out worse?! Teletraan told me about Bruticus’ power and what Victorion can do! They’re evenly matched! If there’s even a chance to tip the balance of power in our favor…!”

“We’re not ready to combine just yet, whether you like it or not!”

“It ain’t about what I like, it’s about what our side needs!”

“Needs change on a day-to-day basis!” Afterburner rolled his optics in frustration.

“Don’t give me that fortune cookie crap! You should consult with your brothers before you decide to do something like that!”

“I consulted bots higher up the chain of command!”

“And they told you that secret keeping was a bad idea! And what about us, huh?! We don’t get a vote?!”

“There’s only ONE vote that matters on this team! MINE!”

“Of all the…I OUGHTA SHOOT YOU FOR THAT!” Afterburner whipped out his gun and pointed it at Scattershot.

“TRY IT, ROAD RAGE! SEE WHAT HAPPENS!” Scattershot leveled his own gun at him.

“SCATTERSHOT AND AFTERBURNER PROWER!” shouted Tails’ voice. The two bots looked down to see Tails with his arms folded across his chest. “I’m appalled at you two! Brawling like mere children and then leveling your guns at the other when one of you isn’t getting their way, I am flat out disgusted at you!”

“He started…!” protested the two bots.

“I couldn’t care less about who started it! Both of you are equally guilty and I’m ending this NOW! Inside, both of you! No shooting and no shouting!” The two bots stared at their dad before holstering their guns and leveling their glares at one another.

“This ain’t over!” snarled Afterburner.

“For once, we agree!” replied Scattershot. The two then went back inside with Tails following behind. Unbeknownst to them, King Arthur saw the whole altercation.

“…Lord,” he prayed, “please let them settle their differences quickly. This side need not suffer discord. Let such discord infect only our enemies.”

Categories
Weaver's Journey

Weaver’s Journey 2

“Man, what a YEAR!” I griped as I recalled 2020. COVID-19, civil unrest, the election, it was quite a year. So much so, it made me forget what I held dear. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to hold on for so long. A mechanical spider bumped against my foot as I thought. I looked down at the spider and arched an eyebrow. “Something on your mind, Anansi?”

“Just making sure you were okay,” replied the spider, the African Story Keeper, Anansi. He then shifted into a more flesh-and-blood form of an elder man in traditional Ghana dress with six arms. “This year has been rough on everyone, even me.”

“How so?” I asked. “You can’t possibly be affected by COVID-19.”

“Even gods and their kin can get sick.”

“So, you couldn’t go overseas to see your wife and kids.”

“Nope, and it tore me apart.”

“That just seems un…” My sentence was stopped by music. “…The heck?”

“It’s coming from your closet,” muttered Anansi. We entered the closet and shuffled through my clothes and came out of another door instead of running into the back wall. It opened to a room with a large bookcase. We went closer to it.

“…Music’s louder here,” I reported. We then got the same idea and felt around for some sort of trigger.

“…Dammit, my eyesight’s going bad!” grumbled Anansi. “Hey, pass me that candle, would you?” He pointed to a candle flickering on the wall. I grabbed it…and the bookcase wall rotated, taking Anansi with it! It soon became a bare wall. “…Put! The candle! Back!” I did so and the wall made a complete circle. “…All right! I have it figured out now! Take the candle out and…”

“I see where this is going! I’ve watched Young Frankenstein enough times!” I argued. “You’re gonna have a cracked exoskeleton if you do that!”

“Trust me!” I rolled my eyes at his insistence. I took the candle out and Anansi blocked the bookcase with his body. I then set the candle down on a table and shoved against the other side of the bookcase, making it rotate and freeing Anansi. I then dusted my hands and smirked before I realized what just happened.

“…Put! The candle! Back!” I called. The bookcase then rotated before Anansi webbed it and halted its progress. We then looked through the opening to see a passageway. “Well, well, well, what have we here?” I mused.

“The music’s coming from down there,” remarked Anansi. “Come on!” We went down the passageway and came to an open door to a music room. A band was playing something similar to Dare from the 80’s Transformers movie.

Sitting in a basement and always writing,

And he’s got no real friends,

You wonder how he keeps going! (going)

Think of all the things that really matter,

And the chances he’s missed!

His visible paunch is growing! (growing)

Can’t even fly if he tried, sitting on his behind!

Heaven only knows what’s on his mind!

Dare, dares to believe he’s got a life!

He buries his head in the sand!

Dare, dares to think he’s got any strife!

He never even stands,

He doesn’t even want to dare!

He keeps on typing at his keyboard,

In his dwelling underground.

Seems like it’s been forever! (ever), oh!

Apply the right kind of needed pressure,

Then he lose his last round!

Looks like it’s now or never! (never)

He never wants to ever come out into the light,

He always thinks his silly words are right!

Dare, dares to believe he’s got a life!

He buries his head in the sand!

Dare, dares to think he’s got any strife!

He never even stands,

He doesn’t even want to dare!

Dare, dares to believe he’s got a life!

He buries his head in the sand!

Dare, dares to think he’s got any strife!

He barely has any form of command, oh!

Dare, dares to keep all his rambles alive!

Dares to be lazy as he can be!

Dare, there is a place where he survives,

He thinks it gives him victory!

Dare, dare!

As the song played, I noticed the band members were people I knew! The lead singer was my evil double from a universe where I conquered Earth, the guitarist was Megumi Hishikawa in her blue dress, the drummer was the holo-form of Megatron from my Transformers/Sonic the Hedgehog crossover, and the keyboardist was my dad, Green Dalek! “…Is he for real?!” asked Anansi as we watched.

“I’m gonna get an explanation from all of them,” I muttered. The song ended and Evil Me saw me. “You’re actually serious about this?” I asked as I pointed in the general direction of the band.

“Behold, my weaker self! My Future Villain Band!” cheered Evil Me.

“Oh, for the love of…!” I groaned. “It’s been about almost two years since our first meeting and you’re just as derivative as I thought!”

“Derivative?! What do you mean derivative?!”

“‘Future Villain Band’? One, you’re a villain from my past! Two, Megumi and Dad aren’t villains! Three, the only reason I get the reference at all is because I watched Linkara review a comic adaptation of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band! Couldn’t you have called it the ‘Author Parody Band’ or something?!”

“Ooh, there’s an idea!” mused Megatron.

“Megatron, what are YOU doing here?!” I demanded.

“I’m a villain in my story!”

“Yeah, but you haven’t even faced me! And…you play drums?”

“I DO have other interests outside of barking orders, berating the Decepticons for their failures, and beating on Eggman twice a week.”

“Megumi,” called Anansi, “what ARE you doing here anyways?!”

“I got bored after winning my 3V2R,” explained Megumi. “I figured this parody song would be okay since I’m not gonna have my contract with the Author renewed for a while.”

“I…guess it’s okay,” I muttered. I then turned to Green Dalek. “Dad, what’s the idea?!”

“To be fair, you DO have a tendency to be lazy,” replied Green Dalek. “In any case, it doesn’t matter. Your Evil Twin needed to do some introspection anyway.”

“Now JUST a minute!” protested Evil Me.

“And how are you even here at all, Evil Me?!” I called. “You were banished back to your universe when Vegeta took you back!”

“He didn’t destroy the technology I used to make my first trip!” answered Evil Me.

“So, you couldn’t let go of the beatdown Anansi and I gave you?”

“No, of course not! I won’t let myself feel defeat again!”

“And THIS is your big revenge scheme?! You form a band and play a parody song about how I’m so lazy?!

“I also kidnapped Anansi’s family.” Evil Me pointed to a group of people lashed to chairs. They were like Anansi’s human form in that they were in traditional Ghana dress and had six arms. The group consisted of one plump elderly woman and seven young men.

“Hello, Anansi,” greeted the woman.

“Aso, you and our boys are spider deities like me!” protested Anansi. “How did you get roped up?!”

“We DO have other interests outside of putting up with your antics, Dad,” remarked Toto Abuo, the Stone Thrower.

“This day refuses to make sense,” I grumbled.

“Your sanity is hanging by a thread, loser!” taunted Evil Me. “All it takes is one little push!”

“Can’t argue that,” I conceded.

“Think about it! All that time writing, all that time sitting in your basement, hoping your words will change someone’s mind on a certain topic and the world just ignores you! Face it, your quest to change someone’s mind will NEVER be over! This is why DeviantArt Eclipse was your downfall! You’ll be forever building up your fanbase and what will happen when your sites take a turn like Eclipse?! You will have to start all over again! You are a loser and a failure who will never be as popular as Peter Cullen!”

“That’s enough!” snarled Green Dalek as he stood up. “You can’t call him a failure, you pale imitation!”

“…Pale imitation?!” hissed Evil Me.

“You’re right,” I mused. “There’s a risk that people will just scoff at my writing and I’m probably not going to be as popular as Peter Cullen…but, a failure? A loser?” I then laughed. “You couldn’t be more wrong.”

“He’s right,” affirmed Anansi. “Now, my former ‘Master’, what say we get on with it?” He turned into his more mechanical self, then formed a belt strap and fastened himself to my waist. I then pulled out the gimmick I needed, the Base Elementrigger. “What’s the word?!” called Anansi as I put the thing near my mouth.

“HENSHIN!” I announced. The Elementrigger then split into two and I inserted them under Anansi’s legs. Anansi then leapt away from the belt and wove a cocoon around me while I made a spider impression with my hands. I then swung my arms outwards and broke the cocoon while Anansi returned to my belt. My suit had already formed by then and I became Kamen Rider Weaver once again. Green Dalek then pulled out a belt that he won in a 3V2R. He fastened it and it spoke.

“FANDOM SHIELDRIVER!” He made a pained expression as it was kind of loud. After his ears recovered, he pulled out the gimmick (a shield-shaped device with the Autobot and Decepticon logos on each side) and pressed a button on top.

“TRANSFORM!” it announced. He then set it into the belt and struck a pose.

“Henshin!” he called. He pressed a button on the right side of the buckle and the device opened up, revealing a mural of the Transformers fighting, with Optimus and Megatron at the forefront.

“THE TRANSFORMERS!” called the belt. A bit of the first G1 opening then played. “Autobots wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons!” His armor then flew out of the device and formed onto him, evoking Optimus Prime and gaining a shield-shaped shoulder pad on his left shoulder. His weapon appeared, a giant shield with a blaster near the wrist. The shield was shaped like the Autobot symbol. Megatron rolled his eyes.

“Kamen Rider Prime?” he asked. Green Dalek simply turned to my evil twin and pointed at him.

“All the world’s a stage,” he proclaimed, “but I’M editing this script! Kamen Rider Daiku!” His name literally translates to ‘carpenter’, but it DOES work as ‘editor’. I followed suit.

“Kamen Rider Weaver, I shall be the author of your defeat!”

“Hey, wait for me!” called Megumi. “I haven’t had a good Henshin sequence in a long time!” She inserted her i.d. tag into her Vortex Driver “Henshin!” She spun the wheel, and a giant version of the wheel then surrounded her feet and opened parts of itself to attach her armor while the belt strap changed her clothes into the undersuit. The armor then completed itself and she struck her pose. “Kamen Rider Royal! Evil shall ultimately bow to me!” Megatron then shrugged and extended his concealed blade from beneath his fusion cannon.

“I am Megatron! Peace through tyranny!”

“…We’ll work on that,” I muttered.

“No, we won’t.” Megatron was then slugged in the chest. My double had long shifted into his tarantula-monster form.

“If we’re all done talking,” he hissed, “why don’t we proceed with the fight?” I swung a punch, but he caught in and managed to burn my hand! I pulled back and held my hand in pain. Daiku then slammed his fist onto our enemy’s back, only to get the same result as me. Evil me then started shooting fireballs. We all took cover and fired our ranged weapons.

“Well, I guess it’s that time!” Daiku then pulled out a new device and pressed the button on top.

“ELEMENTAL MASTER!” it called. He then replaced the device in his belt with the new one and opened it.

“AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER/LEGEND OF KORRA!” called the Fandom ShielDriver. His armor then took on the appearance of Aang. Like the Avatar, he used a variety of elements to aid him in the fight. Megatron continued firing that BFG of his and Megumi pulled out an i.d. tag, swapped hers out with it, and spun the wheel.

“Uncle Iroh Steel!” it called. She then gained armor based off of Iroh and attacked. I felt left out.

“Excuse me!” called the youngest of Anansi’s boys, Intikuma. “I got something that might help you!” He handed me four sets of Elementriggers.

“Thank you!” I bid. I then took out my base Elementriggers and pressed a button on my new orange set.

“What’s the word?!” asked Anansi.

“Burn!” I replied. I then put them in.

“Burning Justice! Weaver: Fire Form!” announced Anansi. My armor then gained a fiery appearance. I struck my double and, this time, he was the only one feeling pain. “Wait, that doesn’t make sense,” muttered Anansi. “You’re using fire like him and yet, YOU’RE causing him damage.”

“I guess like repels like,” I theorized.

“That only works on…you know what, I won’t question it.”

“Use the blaster!” called Intikuma. I took his suggestion and turned the dial on Anansi’s rear to the desired weapon.

“MMOBORO BLASTER!” The gun appeared in my hand, and I fired. My evil twin doubled over in pain.

“NOT AGAIN! GAGH! IT’S WORSE THAN LAST TIME!” Daiku then swapped out his current armor for his usual one and Royal began her power-up sequence.

“DAI SUPER CHARGE!” she called. The old armor turned gold and white, then bulked up before exploding off of her to reveal new armor with tiger stripes. Now, she was Kamen Rider Vortex. She spun the wheel again.

“Final Attack!” announced her belt. Daiku then closed and opened the mural.

“FINISHING EDIT!” called his belt. I then pressed the triggers on the Elementriggers.

“FINAL STRIKE!” cheered Anansi. “BURNING SPIDER STRIKE!” We all performed a Rider Kick and struck true. Megatron then gave a parting shot, causing our enemy to explode. He fell to his human state and went unconscious.

“Well, that was fun,” sighed Vortex as she took off her belt and became Megumi Hishikawa once again.

“Intense, you mean,” replied Daiku as he became Green Dalek again. Anansi leapt off my waist and checked on his family. Once everyone was okay, Megumi called a ride home for us.

“Thank you, everyone!” I called as I left with Anansi. We returned to my usual dwelling, and I began writing again.

Categories
Transformers: Mobian Chronicles Transformers: Mobian Chronicles (Arc 17: Living Stories)

TMC 17-10

Optimus arrived at the storage barn with the Allspark in his hand. The vehicles stood before him as Tails, Cosmo, and Scattershot’s holo-form looked on. Optimus then held the cube out and the runes glowed. Cosmo placed a reassuring hand on Tails’ shoulder as he looked slightly guilty. Energy streams then came out of the Allspark and flowed into the vehicles. The process took a minute before the streams died. The instant they did, the runes on the cube stopped glowing, then the Allspark crumbled in Optimus’ hands. “…That’s it,” sighed the Autobot leader.

“Optimus, I’m…” Optimus raised a hand to stop Tails’ apology.

“It’s what the Allspark wanted,” he answered. “No one blames you.” Just then figures shimmered into view, right next to the vehicles. They were Mobians of various species. A bull stood next to the motorcycle, a rather giant motorcycle at that, a mole was next to the drill tank, a pheasant was underneath the jet, and a hare was next to the car. The four were all male and the Pheasant and Hare looked around in wonder. The Pheasant’s wonder was a more terrified version of it while the Hare’s was more starry-eyed.

“I…I’m alive?!” gulped the Pheasant.

“So am I!” gasped the Hare.

“…Why do I feel like I’m the vehicle?!” yelped the Pheasant. “Why does it feel like I’m this thing yet the vehicle?!”

“It’s a hard-light generation coming from the vehicle, duh!” grunted the Bull.

“WHO ARE YOU?!” squawked the Pheasant.

“Good GOD, you’re a nervous wreck!” shouted the Bull.

“By my calculations,” mused the Mole, “it looks like there is some form of energy inside the vehicles that serves as a form of power, thus projecting what we’re able to manipulate. However, it seems as though there’s an ability within me that I have yet to tap and…”

“It’s called Transformation,” answered Scattershot as he came forward.

“Okay, this whole thing is doing NOTHING to cool me down!” snarled the Bull. “Who are you?!”

“I’m Scattershot Prower, and you four are my brothers.”

“…We don’t even look alike!” argued the Bull.

“Our holo-forms, no. Our creator, on the other hand, that’s a totally different story.”

“Creator?” asked the Mole.

“That’s him, up there.” Scattershot pointed to Tails. Tails then flew down and landed in front of the new bots.

“I’m Miles Prower, but I’m usually called Tails.”

“…I wonder why?” muttered the Bull.

“M…Maybe it’s the tails?” asked the Pheasant.

“IT’S CALLED SARCASM, YOU IDIOT!”

“Okay, I see we’ve got someone with a bit of a temper here,” muttered Tails. “Look, why don’t you tell me your names?”

“What names?!” asked the Bull. “All I can think about is one word in my head being repeated over and over!”

“It’s probably your name,” replied Scattershot. “That’s how I got mine.”

“…So, what, my name’s supposed to be Afterburner? I mean, don’t get me wrong, that’s a good, tough-sounding name, but…hang on, it’s stopped.”

“What’s stopped?” asked the Hare.

“The word. It’s stopped repeating itself in my head! …Huh, I guess my name IS Afterburner.”

“D…Does that mean my name is…Strafe?” asked the Pheasant. He then noticed an absence of something. “…It does! I’m Strafe!”

“Then that means my name’s Lightspeed!” cheered the Hare.

“Given all empirical evidence,” mused the Mole, “I deduce that my name is Nosecone.”

“‘Nosecone’?!” laughed Afterburner. “What a dorky name!”

“I suppose YOUR name is cooler?” asked Nosecone.

“Hey, Afterburner is the COOLEST name!”

“Okay!” called Scattershot, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Now that we’ve got names, it’s time to talk about another ability.”

“You mentioned transformation earlier,” recalled Nosecone.

“Transformation?!” gulped Strafe. “Wh…what’s that mean?”

“It means we can change, obviously!” grunted Afterburner. “…but how?”

“Allow me to demonstrate,” offered Scattershot. He then moved towards his alt-mode. “You see this jet?” he asked.

“What about it? Is that you?” asked Afterburner.

“Exactly. Now, I’m going to say a phrase, and then the fox you see before you will disappear while the jet will stand up.”

“Stand up?!”

“Watch. SCATTERSHOT, TRANSFORM!” The holo-form vanished and Scattershot went to robot mode. His new brothers stepped back in surprise.

“THAT’S WHAT WE REALLY ARE?!” yelped Lightspeed in admiration.

“Bingo!” answered Scattershot.

“Hold on, you’re telling us,” Afterburner summed up, “that all I would need to do is say ‘AFTERBURNER, TRANSFORM!’, then…” Afterburner’s holo-form vanished, then the motorcycle started changing. The rear of the giant motorcycle split apart and rotated 180º and feet flipped down as arms sprouted from the sides while the canopy tucked itself to the back and revealed a head with a blue visor over the optics. “HOLY CRAP!” yelped Afterburner as the now orange, red, and black robot looked himself over.

“There we go! New armor, new abilities, new opportunities!” cheered Scattershot.

“Oh, I’ve gotta try this!” breathed Lightspeed. “LIGHTSPEED, TRANSFORM!” Once the Hare vanished, the front of the car tucked itself to the back as the sides split away to reveal hands. The rear then split and extended on legs while popping out feet. The head had a visor over the optics like Afterburner. Lightspeed marveled at his new form.

“NOSECONE, TRANSFORM!” The Mole disappeared and the front of the drill tank split in half and folded while the drill folded to the top. The assembly then rotated 180º and the sides of the rear unfolded into arms with hands. The head had unobscured blue optics. “Very interesting,” mused Nosecone as he examined his feet.

“S-STRAFE, T-T-TRANSFORM!” The Pheasant faded and the rear of the jet split. The thrusters folded up as the rear parts extended on legs while the sides of the jet split away to become arms. The fuselage of the jet then tucked itself onto the back while the wings folded into the robot. Like Nosecone, Strafe’s head had a pair of blue optics. He acted a lot calmer now. “…Huh, I guess being in vehicle mode made me feel claustrophobic,” he muttered. Afterburner then turned to Tails.

“And you made us?” he asked.

“Well, I made your vehicle modes, yes,” replied the fox, “but I don’t know how to make robots with your level of brain activity. That’s thanks to something called the Allspark.”

“What’s that?”

“It was a life-giving cube from my planet,” explained Optimus as he stepped forward.

“Everyone, I want you to meet Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots!” introduced Scattershot. He then turned to Cosmo. “And this is Ambassador Cosmo of the planet Greengate.”

“Pleased to meet you,” greeted Cosmo.

“Fascinating!” breathed Nosecone. “A chlorophyl-based life-form!”

“A talking flower?” asked Afterburner. Tails flinched at that. Afterburner then turned to Optimus. “So, what’s this Allspark cube look like?”

“Well, here’s its remains,” replied the Prime. He showed them the pile of Allspark fragments. “You four are the last Allspark-born Transformers. One of our enemies, Dr. Eggman, abused it and ruined it forever.”

“So why bring us into the world?” asked Nosecone.

“Because we need help and Scattershot’s been asking for more siblings,” answered Tails.

“So, we’re his brothers and your kids?” asked Lightspeed.

“That’s…the basic idea.”

“…You know, I can get behind that, Pops,” mused Afterburner.

“Welcome to the world, boys!” cheered Tails. “Now, we need to bring you up to speed.”


Over on the Moon Base, a resurrection ritual was prepared. It was much like Merlin’s but somewhat different. There was a female hedgehog inside a tube of green liquid that rested in a magic circle. She had yellow fur and hair and wore a breathing mask over her mouth. Morgane and Eggman then entered the room. “So, that is the body prepared for her?” asked Morgane.

“Based off of Shadow’s schematics but altered a bit to give the appearance you see now,” answered Eggman. “So, can you do it?”

“Tricky, but I can, and I will!” Morgane then raised her arms and began the spell. The strain was visible, but she refused to back down. To Eggman, it looked like she was having a tough time of coaxing the magic to do what she wanted. The circle glowed brighter, as did the tube. After a minute, the tube exploded, knocking the two backwards. Once he recovered, Eggman crawled towards Morgane to check on her.

“Are you…?!” he asked.

“I’m fine,” grunted Morgane. “However, there WAS a complication to the ritual.”

“Complication?”

“I couldn’t restore all of her memories. She knows her first name, how to speak, and that she was resurrected, but she can’t remember her family name or who she was once friends with.”

“…Not exactly an issue. Are you sure…?”

“My strength returns, I assure you.” Morgane didn’t wave Eggman away, though, as she picked herself up. The two wicked people then strode towards the hedgehog woman as she picked herself up.

“Can you hear me?” asked Eggman. The hedgehog then looked at Eggman with blue eyes.

“Wh…who are you?” she asked.

“I’m Dr. Eggman,” replied the scientist. “The woman here is Morgane Le Fay.”

“I…I was…dead…I think?”

“You were,” answered Morgane, “but my magic brought you back. It wasn’t your time when you died. Though, given the length it’s been since your death, it was a challenging process.”

“Th…thank you, Morgane.”

“No thanks are needed. I brought you back because you have a magnificent destiny ahead of you.”

“A…a magnificent destiny?”

“That’s right, my dear,” answered Eggman. “You will lead our world to a glorious future.”

“…Then let’s do it!” Eggman helped the hedgehog woman up.

“Now, do you remember anything?”

“…Only my first name.”

“And that is…?”

“Maria.”

Categories
Transformers: Mobian Chronicles Transformers: Mobian Chronicles (Arc 17: Living Stories)

TMC 17-9

The cargo hold of the base was set up for Merlin’s ritual. Gaia, Sonic, and Arthur accompanied him. “More elaborate than I wanted, but it WILL make the job easier,” mused Merlin. “I must thank Sira for this.” He went into the magic circle drawn in the center and raised his hands. The circle then started glowing and Merlin started feeling the strain. Gaia then placed her hands outside the circle and helped Merlin’s load. Restoring people from death was quite taxing.

“Gaia, I can understand,” Sonic muttered to Arthur. “You, well, the knights need to see you, but why me?!”

“Mayhaps so my knights may divine differences twixt their king and his descendant,” guessed Arthur.

“…I mean, I guess,” muttered Sonic. As they talked, six figures of Mobian height managed to appear in the circle around Merlin. The strain was still visible on his face. The figures then gained more definition.

“Almost!” grunted Merlin in an urging manner to himself.

“A little more!” Gaia cheered on. The figures were then solidified, and Merlin and Gaia collapsed. Sonic and Arthur then went to them and checked them over.

“We will be fine,” answered Merlin. “Arthur, I could not bring all your knights.”

“Then, by heaven, let us see whom thou couldst!” declared Arthur. As Sonic looked, his eyes goggled.

“Um, Merlin, are you SURE you brought back Arthur’s knights?”

“I did.”

“Then why do they look familiar to me?” The people looked a lot like Shadow, Rouge, Silver, Knuckles, a purple female cat, and a green male hawk.

“Their original bodies had long decomposed, so I used forms based on those you knew.”

“Five of them, I can definitely call friendly faces, but the bird and I aren’t exactly friendly with each other.”

“Arthur, place your hand on the bat woman, then everyone should know themselves and each other,” instructed Merlin. Arthur then did as he was told, then a flood of memories hit him as well as her. The shapes of their original selves then entered the other’s mind.

“…Arthur, my king!” breathed the Rouge double.

“Guinevere, my queen!” cheered Arthur.

“Guinevere! Arthur!” gasped the Shadow clone. His old shape then flashed into their minds.

“Lancelot!” greeted Arthur.

“Father?!” asked the Silver duplicate.

“Galahad! My son!” cheered Lancelot.

“My lord, Arthur!” called Knuckles’ twin.

“Sir Gawain, welcome!”

“It does my heart well to see thee, my lord!” called the hawk.

“My heart as well, Sir Lamorak!”

“Lamorak?” asked the purple cat. Lamorak then arched an eye ridge.

“…Percival?!” he yelped.

“Erm, Merlin…” gulped Arthur.

“That was beyond even my control, sadly,” answered Merlin.

“What are you guys worried about?” asked Sonic. “I met a woman called Percival before, when I was running around the King Arthur stories.”

“A woman?” asked Percival. It was then that she looked down. “WHAT?!”

“Dame Percival, ease thy…”

“SIR Percival, my Lord.” Percival then noted her tone. “…I…I beg thy pardon.”

“Thy tone be understandable, Sir Percival. Thou art in a strange land and body, as are we all.”

“I thought something looked off,” muttered Gawain. “What has happened?”

“Morgane hath resumed her quest for the Sword of Parallels,” explained Arthur. “We have comrades from beyond the stars who wish for our help.”

“That witch lives?!” asked Lamorak. “Then, by the Lord, let us defeat her!”

“Merlin would know little of the Lord,” muttered Guinevere. “He IS the spawn of a devil.”

“Now, Guinevere, his advice protected Camelot long afore I became King,” remarked Arthur. “Besides, he has fought AGAINST evil for longer than any of us. If he were to desire to commit to his father’s bidding, then none would stand against him.”

“Very well,” sighed Guinevere.

“Speaking of allies, what’s Optimus up to?” asked Sonic.


Optimus was alone in his office with the Allspark. He…was unsure of things for a bit. “…I’m about to talk to a magic life-giving cube,” he muttered to himself. “I’m about to talk to a magic life-giving cube and convince it to give up what remains of its power. Primus, I must be losing my mind!” He sighed again, then held his hand over the Allspark. The runes on the cube started glowing. “…Hello, Allspark.” The Allspark said nothing. “You…might remember me. Optimus Prime? The one who activated you, then left you open for Eggman to abuse you?” Still nothing. “…Right. Look, I’ll make this brief, I know you’re damaged. The greatest wizard of Mobius, however, is insistent that I use you to make four more soldiers. I don’t know, but I don’t feel comfortable about this. I mean, let’s look at the Quintessons and how they manipulated the Prime of that time to force you to make soldiers. I feel like doing that brings me down to…” The runes glowed brighter, and a display was projected onto the ceiling from the Allspark. It showed various scenes of if Optimus didn’t use it versus if he did. As each scene played, a green line went along the bottom and branched off into a red one at various points. When the scenes became ones where he did use the Allspark, the red line were very few in number. “…You’re gonna lose all your power if I do that!” protested Optimus. “All right, one flash for yes, two for no. Are you sure you want to go out in this fashion?” The Allspark flashed once. Optimus’ shoulders sagged. “…That’s that, then. Thank you for this and…I’m sorry.” The Allspark projected a smiley face on the ceiling before the runes faded. Optimus sighed as he made his decision. He called up Tails in the Science Lab. “Tails, what kind of vehicles did you make?”

“Let’s see here,” replied Tails as he looked at a list, “I’ve got me another jet, a car, a motorcycle, and a drill tank.”

“I just had a chat with the Allspark. It wants to sacrifice itself to bring them to life.”

“…It’s sure about this?”

“It’s positive.”

“Then bring it to Storage Barn 4 at G.U.N. HQ. Everything will be ready by the time you get there.” The call ended and Optimus headed out.

Categories
Transformers: Mobian Chronicles Transformers: Mobian Chronicles (Arc 17: Living Stories)

TMC 17-8

On the moon base, Eggman oversaw Onslaught and Brawl bringing a statue to him. It was a statue of a woman in large skirts, a fanciful-looking bra, and her hands raised in an attempt to shield herself from something. However, her face was not one of fear, but of defiant wrath. “Morgane Le Fay,” chuckled Eggman. “I am honored to meet you, my lady! You know, I’ve heard that you were imprisoned somehow, I just didn’t know how. …I found the Erazor Djinn’s lamp. I know of your deal with him. Tell me, wouldn’t you like some assurance that it will go smoothly for you? I worked with him for a brief time, and he managed to beat down my newest team of Decepticons. You, on the other hand, with your hand on his lamp, I think we can all use the Sword of Parallels for our mutual ends. …What say you?” He then pulled a cloth off a table and revealed the Chaos Emeralds. They glowed and the stonework of the statue cracked. The cracking stopped, then Eggman pushed the table towards the statue. It cracked some more. “Aha, proximity is key here.” He pushed the table right at the statue’s base and the left eye of the statue fell away to reveal a human’s eye behind it. The statue continued cracking until the woman inside flexed her arm and broke the stone off of her to reveal that she was a pale woman with long raven tresses with a hairclip of three purple roses at the back of her head. Her outfit was a deep purple and her jewelry consisted of pearls, emerald rings, and a ruby-encrusted tiara. She then leapt off her prison’s base and landed on the floor with the grace of a cat.

“The Erazor Djinn, you say?” asked the woman, the dark and powerful Morgane Le Fay. “Speak on, sir.”

“I’ve been afflicted with an enemy that has gained strength from allies of other worlds,” explained Eggman. “These allies are similar in appearance to the two of my boys behind you.” He pointed to Onslaught and Brawl. Morgane goggled in surprise.

“Cybertronians? I thought their war left our world.”

“Strictly speaking, those two and their remaining three brothers aren’t from Cybertron, but from Mobius. You once called it…”

“Earth, yes, I am aware of the progress made and what the Xorda did to most life on it. So, you two are Mobian-born Transformers. Tell me, which faction are you?”

“We’re on his side,” explained Onslaught. “He’s currently got the Decepticons under our thumb since their Lord’s gone.”

“A splendid opportunity.”

“With how he’s treated me in the past, it was the only safe option available. I prefer to think of myself as a careful man when necessary. Come, let me show you around.” He, Onslaught, and Brawl then led Morgane to the Command Center. As they entered it, Thundercracker whirled around and snarled.

“Go away!” he snapped. “And take those demons with you! I will NOT have those shock-happy lunatics near me!”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Because I will. Because they seem to be the only ones able to ensure that the Decepticons do as directed by your master!” Brawl then slid a panel back on his forearm and pressed a button. Electricity then ripped through Thundercracker. The treatment stopped after three seconds. Thundercracker used a console to steady himself.

“The Decepticons,” he panted, “will move as their superior directs them!” This earned another treatment, this time making him collapse to his knees.

“And their superior is to move the Decepticons as directed!” snarled Eggman. “This is no longer your era, Thundercracker. Your recalcitrance will…cost you, especially since I already had the Thrashracons punished after their disastrous attempt to keep the Erazor Djinn compliant!”

“Did you give him ANY sort of assurance that he would get a share of any winnings?” Morgane asked. Thundercracker then looked at her.

“Ah, yes, how rude of me,” chuckled Eggman. “Thundercracker, this is our newest ally, Morgane Le Fay.”

“Oh no, not another storybook yutz!” grunted the Seeker.

“We need to make up for the magic deficit, which tends to work best when a person with any sort of magical abilities is kept happy!” snarled Eggman.

“I am taking care of any and all threats to your power, as YOU directed!”

“I told you to be judicious, you failed to be so!”

“The Decepticons have had enough of magic!”

“Well, that’s not your decision to make! Get out of my sight!” Thundercracker picked himself up and moved to the door to leave, but not before giving Morgane a barb.

“After what I’ve witnessed, people like you are a dime a dozen!” He then left.

“…Dime a dozen?” asked Morgane. “I feel like I should be insulted.”

“It means that there are a lot of people like you,” explained Eggman.

“…There ARE no people like me!”

“Well, we shall punish him for that insult later. In the meantime, I need to know more about the Erazor Djinn. What’s his role?”

“He’s the Genie of the Lamp in the story of Aladdin.”

“Wait, WHAT?!”

“That was my reaction too when I first met him in my youth. He was imprisoned in that thing after his attempts to control the stories of the Arabian Nights led to chaos, so he was sentenced to grant the three wishes of 1,000 people.”

“And were you one of those people?”

“…Something doesn’t feel right,” Morgane muttered to herself.

“Ms. Le Fay?”

“It’s as if there are…TWO Arthurs.”

“Well, I see no reason in not investigating.” Eggman then pulled out a crystal ball. “I found this in an old castle, and it was confirmed that magic surrounded it.”

“A scrying orb!” cheered Morgane. “I’ve always wanted one since I was a little girl!” She placed the crystal ball on a pedestal and waved her hands over it. “Not exactly necessary, neither is my upcoming chant, but I always DID have a love for the theatrical.” She then adopted a high-and-mighty voice. “Spirits of earth! Spirits of the stars! Spirits of darkness! Thy master calls thee! Come! Reveal to me the secrets long hidden! COME!” The ball then showed scenes to her. One scene was of two blue hedgehogs pulling a sword out of an anvil and stone. “…That blade looks familiar. …Come to think of it, what they’re doing looks familiar.” The scene then changed to one of the hedgehogs swinging the sword through a tree and chopping it down, releasing a man, a man Morgane recognized. “MERLIN?!” she yelped.

“Hold on, Merlin’s involved?!” asked Eggman.

“If Merlin’s free…” Morgane then set her head. “Let me see the two hedgehogs’ first meeting!” The scene changed to one of the hedgehogs stepping out of a stone coffin. “There’s an inscription on the coffin! Let me see it!” The scene stopped and zoomed in on the inscription. Morgane read it aloud. “‘Hic jacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus’. WHAT?! DAMN THAT IDIOT BASTARD CHILD, MORDRED! HE HAD ONE JOB AND FAILED IT MISERABLY!”

“So that hedgehog IS King Arthur?” asked Eggman.

“And if the other hedgehog can so easily pull that sword from the stone like Arthur, then he is CLEARLY a descendant of his!”

“Sonic? A descendant of King Arthur? …So that’s a thing, huh?”

“You know the other hedgehog?”

“Unfortunately. He’s my greatest enemy. It looks like they’ve joined forces.”

“Then we must do the same!”

“I thought you would understand. Let’s discuss rewards!” Eggman and Morgane then left the command center.

Categories
Transformers: Mobian Chronicles Transformers: Mobian Chronicles (Arc 17: Living Stories)

TMC 17-7

“KING ARTHUR?!” yelped Cliffjumper once all the Autobots and their allies gathered at the Autobot base.

“GENIE?!” squeaked Blackarachnia.

“STRIKA’S TEAM?!” shouted Ratchet.

“MERLIN?!” squawked Goldbug.

“IF WE’RE ALL DONE SPEAKING IN SHORT SENTENCES!” thundered Merlin. “Good LORD! You Cybertronians are terrible at surprises!”

“Merlin’s right,” interjected Optimus. “There’s obviously a threat that requires the help of King Arthur and a Genie. Speaking of which, where IS she?”

“Right here,” answered Cliffjumper as he held up his hand. “Hey, Shahra, come out and meet everyone.” Shahra then left her ring.

“What is thy wi…?” she became very aware of everyone seeing her and hid behind Cliffjumper’s head.

“It’s all right, Ma’am,” assured Optimus. “We won’t hurt you; I promise.”

“I never thought I’d see you again, Shahra!” chuckled Sonic.

“Sonic! It IS you!” Shahra flew towards Sonic and gave him a hug. Amy kept her jealousy inside, not wanting to cause a scene. Shahra then looked at Amy. “And you must be Amy Rose.”

“…You know about me?!” asked Amy as her jealousy vanished.

“Sonic talked about you quite frequently when he was my master.” Shahra then bowed to Amy. “If you happen to possess my ring, I would be honored to grant you any wish that is within my power.”

“I hope we become more than master and servant,” replied Amy.

“It’s good to finally meet you outside the pages of the Arabian Nights, Shahra of the Ring,” greeted Merlin.

“Likewise, Merlin. When I felt the Erazor Djinn’s lamp escape the stories, I felt I had to pursue him. But, there was no one around that could wield my ring. Strika said that the Erazor Djinn gave the ring to her, but it looked like he never told her of its power.”

‘Her loss,” chuckled Cliffjumper.

“What doth prompt these three worlds represented at this table to come together?” asked Arthur.

“Simple,” answered Merlin, “Morgane Le Fay is coming back and she’s ready to enact her plan to use the Sword of Parallels.”

“That sword?! I thought you had it destroyed when my cousin first sought it!” protested Sira.

“Your cousin?” asked Optimus. Sira sighed.

“My old family name was Le Fay.”

“You’re Morgane’s cousin?!”

“Aye, she is,” confirmed Arthur. “I beg thy pardon for this, Sira, but thou art the only member of that family with any shred of sanity.”

“No need to ask for my pardon, you’re right.”

“So, why do you call yourself Sira Mayworth?” asked Optimus.

“Because Natalie and I had our wedding in May, making our happiness worth more.”

“Ah.”

“If we can get back to the topic at hand, what IS the Sword of Parallels?” asked Cliffjumper.

“A blade forged to open the gateways to the various stories of the world,” explained Shahra. “In the wrong hands, it has warped whole civilizations as they turned reality upside down. We MUST make sure it’s destroyed, or its seven activators are kept out of reach, at the very least!”

“The Chaos Emeralds?” asked Amy.

“No, the World Rings.”

“Aren’t they bound to the Arabian Nights?” quizzed Sonic.

“They don’t need to be within the pages to keep the Arabian Nights in check,” answered Merlin. “However, if the World Rings are placed into the Sword’s handle, every story, from Goldilocks to the Odyssey, is in peril.”

“Cute story,” grunted Grimlock, “but that’s all it is, a story!”

“Grimlock!” hissed Optimus.

“I’m a wizard of the Green Order and I can tell you right now, there is NO way that any of this is true! I can’t possibly believe that guy is a wizard, much less Merlin!”

“We saw him freed from the tree!”

“Probably a light show within a fake tree!”

“Grimlock, we have a Goddess on our side, and we all fought Unicron in some fashion! Can you REALLY not believe that this guy is Merlin?!”

“You require proof, Mr. Grimlock?” asked Merlin.

“In the worst way possible!” challenged Grimlock.

“That’s exactly how you shall receive it!” Merlin flung some sparkles at the Dyno-bot leader. The sparkles then multiplied and surrounded Grimlock. All of a sudden, he and the sparkles vanished!

“…Merlin, he’s gonna assume you cast locus on him,” muttered Sira.

“I didn’t. He’s still here. In that chair, as a matter of fact. I had to do something that only us magic folk can do.”

“What, turn invisible?” asked Optimus. “My cousin, Mirage, does that and so does the Decepticon, Ravage. I mean, it’s only when it’s dark, but…” Optimus’ train of thought was then derailed by a noise. It was a noise he heard before, but within the confines of the base, it was so out of place.

“…A goat?” asked Arthur. “Dost thou keep livestock, Autobots?” Jazz leaned into what appeared to be the empty chair, then he fell to the floor in a heap. It was only when he started laughing and gasping at the same time, sounding like a noisy seal, that his condition was confirmed.

“Jazz, wha…” Cliffjumper then clapped a hand to his mouth to try and stifle his laughter. He then picked up what occupied the chair and placed it onto the conference table. It was a shaggy gray goat, and it was glaring at Merlin with as much anger as it could muster. By then, Optimus, Sonic, Amy, Sira, Shahra, and Arthur joined in the laughter.

“Oh my! Poor Grimlock!” giggled Amy. Grimlock then leveled his new horned head at Merlin and prepared to charge as he gave an angry bleat. Cliffjumper then put his hand in front of Grimlock to stop him.

“Sh…Shahrahaha!” Cliffjumper managed to get out, “I ehehe I wish hm hmm I wish for you to hoh hoo return Grimlock ha ha to normahahahal!”

“Just as soon hee hee as I stohohop lahahahaughing!” Shahra regained enough composure to then throw more sparkles at Grimlock and he grew back into his normal robot mode, just on his hands and knees. He glared at everyone, daring them to make a joke, as he crawled back to his chair and sat back down. The laughter then died down as Grimlock sank into his chair and folded his arms.

“Okay, with those demonstrations out of the way,” Optimus cleared his throat to regain the rest of his composure, “we still need to know where the World Rings are in the world.”

“Thankfully, they’re still in Shamar and our enemy isn’t pursuing them,” replied Merlin.

“Then, by Heaven, let us retrieve them!” proclaimed King Arthur.

“With Eggman’s forces so large in number, we can’t afford to do so. He’s churning Eggacons out faster than any of us can believe.”

“Merlin’s right, we need more soldiers,” agreed Optimus.

“But Cybertron still hasn’t given any indication,” reminded Prowl, “about receiving our messages that Unicron’s been beaten, and Mobius is safe again.”

“Don’t you have a trinket to make more soldiers?” asked Merlin.

“Yeah! The Allspark!” cheered Sonic. “Tails has made some more vehicles! I’m sure Scattershot would love some brothers!”

“Bad idea.” Optimus quickly shut the notion down. “When Eggman locked the Allspark in an active state, he damaged it permanently. If we use it now, we’d only be able to make four more.”

“…Enough for a Combiner Team,” mused Prowl. “Remember? Silver swiped the Enigma of Combination from Eggman after the Bruticus debacle.”

“I’m not so easy about using the Allspark for a quick fix!” urged Optimus. “If we use it, it’s gonna go offline permanently!”

“And if the Allspark WANTS to be used?” asked Jazz. “I mean, it IS sentient in some fashion.”

“…I’ll consider it,” sighed Optimus.

“In the meantime, there IS a way to get more organic allies,” offered Merlin. “Ones YOU should be familiar with, Arthur.”

“…My knights?!” asked Arthur.

“And your queen.”

“Let’s get that out of the way, first,” declared Optimus. “Meanwhile, I’ll have a little chat with the Allspark about Merlin’s suggestion. We need all the help we can get.”

“My friends, tis time for a most sacred quest!” cheered Arthur as he raised Excalibur to the air. “Tis time to fight and defeat our enemies that dare defile the worlds of reality and the stories!” Everyone cheered at that.

Categories
Transformers: Mobian Chronicles Transformers: Mobian Chronicles (Arc 17: Living Stories)

TMC 17-6

“Strika, this is LUNACY!” Goldbug protested as the Thrashracons stared him and his team down. “The Decepticons devastated Cybertron!”

“The Decepticons ARE Cybertron!” argued Strika. “To fight for one is to fight for the other! And to defy us…is to court death!” The Thrashracons opened fire and scattered everyone. The barrage lasted a good minute until Obsidian saw the soldiers running back to the oil reserve.

“Jetstorm! Missile Spread! Pattern Delta! Target: Wing Bravo!”

“Got it!” Jetstorm fired four missiles over the soldiers’ heads, and they hit the oil reserve, causing a massive explosion. The Autobots looked back, and their optics widened.

“Nice work, Jetstorm,” praised Strika. “The Autobots failed to protect the reserve.”

“Bu…but that…” stammered Goldbug.

“Open your eyes!” shouted Strika as she swung her arm to the side. As she did, something shiny fell out of her arm and landed in the sand. As she explained herself, Cliffjumper inched towards it. “We got readings on the planet’s Energon density! Did you really think we were THAT desperate for fuel?! No, that was just to draw you out! We had planned for someone high up in the Autobot command to come investigate our theft, but the Magnus himself…oh that just put the icing on the metaphorical oil cake! This is no mere raid; this is your execution!”

“…Naaman’s gonna kill us for this,” gulped Goldbug.

“We’ll spare him the effort.” Strika extended one of her shovels and raised it above her head, only to see Cliffjumper examining the object that flew out of her arm. It was a ring of gold, human-sized. “…Pretty trinket, is it not?” she scoffed. Then, the ring grew to fit a Transformer’s hand! Strika goggled. “What in…?!” She then grabbed Goldbug and held the shovel to his neck. “That ring is mine! Hand it over or the Magnus dies!”

“Don’t listen to her!” called Goldbug. “It’s obviously important! Put it on!”

“Don’t you fragging dare!”

“…Sorry, but Goldbug’s the boss here, not you!” Cliffjumper then slipped the ring on.

“The pact has been sealed!” called a young woman’s voice. A lavender mist then surrounded the ring before flying away from it and forming into a young woman flying in the air. The woman had a pink ponytail curving upwards, had gray eyes, tan skin, pointed ears, a light amethyst sleeveless shirt, white shalwar pants, a pink belt, pink sandals, and jewelry on her wrists, arms, ears, neck, forehead, and a gold ring tied into her hair by a low bun. “Greetings, Master Cliffjumper!” called the woman. “I am Shahra, Genie of the Ring! Master, what is thy wish?” Cliffjumper was stunned.

“Genie!” called Strika. “I am your real master! Your ring was given to me by the Erazor Djinn! I order you to kill the Autobots and their organic pets!”

“Even if you WERE my master,” replied Shahra, “I could not grant that wish. Bound Genies do NOT kill! Besides, you don’t wear the ring, Cliffjumper does!”

“Shahra, was it?” asked Cliffjumper. “Here’s MY wish! I wish for me, my fellow Autobots, and our allies to be back in the Shamaran Capital, right in front of the President’s Mansion!”

“Your wish is my command!” called Shahra. A variety of various-sized carpets then scooped the Autobots and their friends up and carried them away. The Thrashracons were stunned at what happened, standing still, and trying to process what just happened. Strika’s face then contorted into one of fury as she finally understood the purpose of the ring.

“ERAZOR!” she bellowed.


The team arrived in front of the President’s Mansion and explained what happened to Naaman himself. Needless to say, he wasn’t happy. “So, let me summarize what just happened, and correct me if I’m wrong about this! Cliffjumper, you promised that the Decepticons wouldn’t take one more quart of oil! After that, you were all duped into abandoning the reserve and the Decepticons torched the reserve, destroying Mobius’ last bit of oil! Is that correct?!”

“Y…Yes, Mr. President,” gulped Cliffjumper.

“Gotta say, I’m not happy! Now, if you were as open about your Energon refining techniques as you are with the other governments, I wouldn’t be so livid!”

“Sir, with all due respect, we have sent multiple invites for you to come to us so you can pick up all files related to Energon refinery,” replied Goldbug. “Since before the Unicron Games. Mr. Jabbar said he would give them to you when you weren’t so busy.”

“…I didn’t get a single invite on my desk,” remarked Naaman. He then pulled out his phone and called someone. “Mr. Jabbar, would you come and clear something up for me? …Thank you.” He then hung up. Mr. Jabbar, a male Mobian Sand Cat, arrived a minute later.

“What can I clear up for you, Sir?” he asked.

“The Autobots claimed that they have sent invitations to you about me retrieving Energon mining and refining for our purposes,” explained the Shamaran President.

“I have the logs to prove it,” continued Cliffjumper. Mr. Jabbar then looked very nervous.

“…Those invitations,” he said carefully, “would have introduced a potential…disruptive element.”

“…What disruptive element?” demanded Naaman.

“Well, the people who work in the oil business…would lose their source of income. We…need it as a…primary reserve in case…Chaos Fusion Drive power…fails.”

“…You hid the invites on the orders of mere businessmen when you are meant to follow MINE?!”

“Our economy can’t support any backup sources of power that aren’t oil! I was protecting Shamar’s interests!”

“Yeah?!” By this point, Naaman was beyond anger, he was FURIOUS! “Well, you are officially relieved of protecting Shamar’s interests and the interests of those damn oil tycoons! You have exactly three minutes to clear your desk! You’re FIRED!”

“But, the election!” wailed Mr. Jabbar.

“You two, get him to his former office and make sure he’s cleared EVERYTHING out!” Naaman ordered two soldiers.

“Sir, you’re making a mistake!” protested Mr. Jabbar as he was dragged away.

“As for you,” Naaman turned to the Autobots, “I would like an invite given to me personally from one of you Autobots by tomorrow morning! We need that oil reserve replaced NOW!”

“I can replace it!” offered Shahra.

“Ah, yes, the Genie. …You really used prayer mats of various sizes?”

“It was all I could summon as a starting point.”

“Shahra, would you be able to restore the reserve to before the Thrashracons stole all the oil they did?” asked Cliffjumper.

“It’s well within the power of a Ring-Genie like me.”

“Then I wish for you to restore the reserve with all of its oil returned to the state it was before the Thrashracons stole what they did and converted it into Energon Cubes!”

“Your wish is granted!” Shahra then raised her hands and golden sparkles flew in the direction of the reserve. Naaman then got a call.

“Yes? …What?! All the damage?! …The oil too?! …Believe it or not, it WAS a Genie. …I know it sounds crazy, but I swear it’s the truth! …Right, this SHOULD remain under wraps. …Oh, yeah, there ARE magical people here. …Right, we can convince them to take credit until the Genie is ready to be public. …Right. …Perfect. In the meantime, have your people prepare for the construction of an Energon Reserve. …Inter-office politics prevented that. …I knew I could count on you! Bye-bye!” He hung up. “Well, Autobots and Shahra, I’m a grateful man. You have done Shamar a great service.” He then departed and took his guards with him.

“Well, with all that,” muttered Arcee, “we need to…” Goldbug’s arm then fell limp. “…WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR ARM DURING THAT FIGHT?!” She then pounced on Goldbug and started beating him with her tools.

“HELP!” wailed Goldbug.

“GOLDBUG MAGNUS, YOU CARELESS LITTLE JERK!”

“Er, should we…?” asked Shahra.

“Nah, this is normal flirting for them,” replied Cliffjumper. He then called the base. “Teletraan, we need a Ground Bridge back. We’ve got some news that you guys NEED to hear.”

“Coming up,” replied Teletraan. “Oh, and be prepared for new allies.”

“I was about to warn the same thing.” Cliffjumper then turned to the squabblers as the Ground Bridge opened. “Hey! Guys! Ground Bridge! Arcee stopped beating on Goldbug for a minute as they both saw the Ground Bridge.

“…This isn’t over!” Arcee warned Goldbug. She then stormed into the Ground Bridge with a huff.

“…You know, you SHOULD be a little more careful with your arm,” advised Cliffjumper. “That being said, she SHOULD be a little more understanding. She WAS in that same battle.”

“Let’s just go,” grunted Goldbug. He, Cliffjumper, and their new Genie ally then entered the Ground Bridge and it closed behind them.

Categories
Transformers: Mobian Chronicles Transformers: Mobian Chronicles (Arc 17: Living Stories)

TMC 17-5

The ship landed and the passengers then departed it. They approached Team Dark, Sira, and Natalie. Arthur’s eyes widened.as he saw Sira. “Sira?!” he called. Sira turned and arched an eyebrow.

“Do I know you?” she asked.

“You know my name, though my shape would probably make me appear as a liar. Tell me, dost thou remember the time when we once played by the lake?”

“I…don’t know of any Hedgehog man I played with, only Natalie as we romanced each other.”

“Thou once told me that thy heart bent not towards any man, but a woman. I remember promising thou that I would ensure that thy marriage to a woman be kept secret and asked Merlin if he could make thy partner appear as a man to those outside those who knew. He said he could not, so thou and thy partner spoke to a nature woman, and she made both of ye…maidens of magic, if I remember correctly.”

“That was at Lake Logres! So you DID return, Your Majesty!”

“Hold on!” called Optimus. “Sira, I hate to ask this, but how old are you?!”

“I was born in the time of Camelot, as was Natalie.”

“The time of Camelot! You two were under King Arthur’s rule?!”

“Indeed.” Sira then spoke to Arthur. “Your Majesty, it’s wonderful to see you! Let’s have a look at that wound!” Arthur then showed off a scar in his chest. “It’s healed quite nicely! So, if you’re here, then that sword over there MUST be Excalibur!” She pointed to the sword in the anvil on the stone as it was being pulled by Shadow. He tried to get it out, but to no avail. Omega then tried, but the results were the same.

“HOLD!” called Arthur. Everyone turned to him Sira whispered the news to Natalie, and the maid goggled at him. “I am King Arthur, the owner of that sword! Let me try!”

“…What?” asked Rouge.

“You’re deranged,” muttered Shadow.

“Curb thy wagging tongue, Boy!” snarled Arthur.

“Aw, is little Shadow unable to pick a sword out of a stone?” laughed Sonic’s voice. He sped by them and was tossing the sword carelessly. Arthur was amazed.

“…Be ye of my blood?!” he asked.

“…I don’t think so,” said Sonic. He put the sword back into the anvil and let Arthur try. Arthur gripped the sword’s handle, steeled himself, then pulled. It came out as easily as when he was a boy. He grinned as he felt whole once more.

“If both of us can pull this sword out as easily as the other, then tis proof we are of the same blood,” declared the Once and Future King.

“But I’m a Hedgehog!” protested Sonic. “From what I can remember about you, you were a human! How’s THAT possible?!”

“Well there ARE Mobian animals that had human origins in their bloodline,” recalled Natalie. “Maybe you’re one of them.”

“I guess,” muttered Sonic.

“It would make sense,” said a new voice. Everyone yelped as the sword bounced itself on its tip with the hilt pointing towards the sky. A face then appeared on it. “So, the knave has pulled me out of the stone once more.”

“…C…Caliburn?” asked Sonic.

“In the world of the Knights of the Round Table, you pulled out a version of me connected to the real me,” explained the sword. “Here, I am Excalibur.”

“Thou…thou spake not in mine era!” mumbled Arthur.

“I wasn’t charged with enough of Gaia’s energy to do so, Your Majesty,” explained Excalibur. “Now, I believe there is a prisoner to release.”

“Aye, there is.” Arthur then approached the glowing tree. It was shimmering in all the colors of the rainbow. “Merlin, ye who hath been imprisoned for long of time, thy student stands before you and urges ye! Come forth! Break the locks of thy prison and return! Return! RETURN!” The only response was the wind. It started out as a light breeze, then it picked up. Natalie’s eyes widened.

“It’s alive!” she breathed. “An Air Elemental!”

“An Elemental?” asked Arthur. “I wish not to speak with Elementals, but to their maker! Elemental, where is thy master, Merlin?” The wind then blew furiously.

“GO BACK TO THY GRAVE, PRETENDER! RULE THE DEAD!” roared the wind. Fire then covered the sky.

“ENGLAND NEEDS YE NOT, USURPER!” it crackled. “GO AWAY!”

“NO!” shouted Arthur as he grabbed Excalibur. “I am Arthur Pendragon, King of England, and I WILL BE HEARD!” He brought the blade through the glowing tree in a horizontal slash.

“OUCH!” shouted Excalibur. The tree fell and it stopped glowing, revealing normal bark. The light show had abandoned its bark and formed into the shape of a human. It then died down to reveal a man in robes, with a long beard, and a piercing gaze from under his cowl.

“You have been heard, Arthur Pendragon, and answered by Merlin!” rumbled the old man.

“I never thought I would see you again, Merlin!” chuckled Sira.

“Ah, the Lady Sira!” greeted Merlin. “Tell me, is it legal for you to marry the woman you love yet?”

“It’s been legal for some time now,” answered Natalie. “It became so in the 2010’s.”

“Excellent, then there is no need for me to hide my support anymore. I, myself, have no use for it as I don’t need it to be happy, but it does my heart good that Gaia’s Magic Maidens are free to love each other as their heart demands.”

“I be happy for them as well,” snarled Arthur, “but explain why thine Elementals dared mock me! Thou mayst be my mentor, but I am still thy king!”

“Calm yourself, Arthur. The Elementals knew what they were doing,” assured Merlin. “Specifically, they were baiting you so you would free me. Now, with you awake, that means Morgane is as well, or is in the process of doing so.”

“You think she will try to thwart our purpose?”

“Most likely.”

“Then, by heaven, let us…!”

“WOULD SOMEBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!” Shadow finally shouted. Everyone turned to him. “…Sorry, it’s just been a rough few weeks! …Months?! I’ve honestly forgotten how long it’s been since the Unicron Games! All I know is that I got a call about a glowing tree! Then a sword popped up from the ground and I tried to pull it out! All of a sudden, I’m surrounded by two versions of the Faker who pulled it out successfully, freed some shmuck from a tree, went on to reveal that Camelot was real and that Excalibur talks, to which I’m heartbroken to report I didn’t even find all that strange, when what I need are answers as to what’s going on here!!”

“And once Cliffjumper’s team finds Shahra’s ring and escapes the Thrashracons, answers will be given,” replied Merlin.

“Hang on a minute, Shahra?!” asked Sonic. “A genie girl?!”

“You met her?”

“I traveled through the Arabian Nights with her to stop the Erazor Djinn.”

“Wait, that was a real thing?!” asked Shadow.

“Yeah.” Shadow then stopped for a minute to process what he just heard.

“Okay, willing to accept that.”

“In the meantime, we must return to the Autobot base,” mused Merlin. “Optimus, how skilled are you in Locus?”

“How did you…never mind. I can cast it without chanting it.”

“Would you mind getting us there? I still need to get adjusted to this body right now.”

“Sure. Everyone, gather around.” The instant they did, Optimus concentrated on the spell.

“…Wait, what was that about the…?” Blackarachnia’s question faded as they did. Soon, the remains of Merlin’s prison were all that remained.

Categories
Transformers: Mobian Chronicles Transformers: Mobian Chronicles (Arc 17: Living Stories)

TMC 17-4

Cliffjumper reported what was going on to Goldbug. He and Arcee then arrived, and they took up positions around an oil reserve late at night. “No one touches this unless they’ve got clearance!” declared Goldbug.

“You know, I was gonna do some maintenance on your arm and leg,” muttered Arcee.

“This took priority,” answered Goldbug.

“More priority than making sure that you’re up-to-date body-wise?” muttered Cliffjumper.

“This is war, we can’t be distracted.”

“Not even by Enreil?” The soldiers then looked at Cliffjumper. “It’s like milk for Transformers. Same health benefits too. This guy, on the other servo,” his thumb pointed to Goldbug, “left the bottle full this morning, from what Ratchet told me.”

“…You didn’t drink your Enreil?” hissed Arcee. Goldbug looked away, embarrassed. “…Goldbug!”

“Why should I? I hate it. You drink it, I won’t. It’s like drinking vomit.”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! ENREIL’S GOOD FOR YOU! DRINK IT NEXT TIME!”

“FORGET IT! I HATE WHAT I HATE! IT’S NOT LIKE I’LL DIE BECAUSE I DON’T DRINK THAT SCRAP!”

“PRIMUS! AND THIS IS THE REASON YOU’RE ALWAYS GONNA BE THE SIZE OF A BEAN!”

“A BEAN?!”

“Yeah! A bean! Right, Cliffjumper?!”

“Will you just do what she says and drink the stupid thing?!” argued Cliffjumper.

“Not a chance in the Pit!” replied Goldbug. “I already told you I hate it!”

“YOU’RE GONNA BE SMALL AND STUNTED FOREVER IF YOU KEEP USING THAT STUPID EXCUSE!”

“SHUT UP! I DON’T HAVE TO DRINK IT IF I DON’T WANNA!”

“YOU SOUND LIKE A SPOILED LITTLE BRAT, GOLDBUG MAGNUS!” shouted Arcee.

“These are the…” the soldier stopped as he saw something. “Er, guys!”

“That’s our que!” declared Goldbug, abruptly ending the argument. Cliffjumper and Arcee then leapt onto the jet that was flying towards them.

“Time for some jet judo!” laughed Arcee. There was a Male Mobian Pharaoh Eagle-owl in the cockpit. He tried to fling the two bots off of the jet.

“Afterburn! AFTERBURN!” he shrieked. A tank then rolled up to Goldbug.

“Pulverize! PULVERIZE!” roared the rhino pilot. The tank fired, but Goldbug then knocked the blast back with the Magnus Hammer.

“Nice try, Decepticreep!” he taunted.

“PULVERIZE!” roared the rhino again. A motorcycle then tripped Goldbug up. The rider was a male Mobian lion.

“OVERDRIVE!” cheered the lion. The three then fled the scene.

“AFTER THEM!” shouted Goldbug.

“CLIFFJUMPER, TRANSFORM!”

“ARCEE, TRANSFORM!” Arcee’s transformation consisted of her arms folding behind her back, her backpack covering her head, and her legs collapsing into themselves to make a sleek sports car with a pink honeybee holo-form in pink overalls, a blue shirt, and white gloves and boots.

“GOLDBUG MAGNUS, TRANSFORM!” Goldbug’s feet rotated, and his legs sunk into his torso as his shoulder pads folded up and his arms folded across his chest. The shoulder pads came together to complete the transformation into an armored van with two cockpits. His holo-form, still a honeybee, but in gold, sat in the left cockpit. The three Autobots and a few soldiers pursued the three. The chase went into the nearby desert. The chase was interrupted as the desert’s sands were flung into the air by weapon-fire. A twin-rotored helicopter with a Male Mobian Osprey pilot was firing on them.

“OBLITERATE! OBLITERATE!” chanted the Osprey as he fired, scattering everyone, and forcing Goldbug and his fellows into robot mode.

“Something’s not right,” muttered Goldbug. “At least one of them should have doubled…” A rumbling came from beneath their feet. “SPREAD OUT!” shouted Goldbug. Everyone ran as a tank-treaded mining vehicle with six drills circling in two groups of three above two shovels on the front burst from the ground.

“TERMINATE!” shouted the pilot, a female Mobian Russian Desman with a thick Russian accent. The now five vehicles then fired again at the heroes.

“You’re right!” muttered a soldier to Goldbug. “One of them should have returned to the reserve! Something doesn’t make sense! One-word idiots shouldn’t be this clever!”

“…Unless they were playing us!” realized Goldbug. Arcee and Cliffjumper then realized what was going on.

“The oil reserve wasn’t the real target, WE were!” yelped Arcee. The five then grinned as the Osprey spoke.

“Although he wields the Magnus Hammer,” he chuckled, “Goldbug never truly learned the first rule of warfare: NEVER underestimate your opponents!”

“Terminate, obliterate,” scoffed the Desman, “can you boys believe they fell for that?” She then laughed quietly before speaking directly to the Osprey. “Dear, would you like to invite them or shall I?”

“If you don’t mind, Sweetspark, I’ll do it. It’s been a long time since I did it.”

“True, I DID take up a lot of chances. Very well, enjoy yourself.”

“Invitation to what?!” demanded Goldbug.

“Goldbug Magnus,” called the Osprey, “you and your compatriots are hereby invited to surrender to the Lords of Cybertron!”

“Whoever you are, you woke up in the wrong time! The AUTOBOTS control Cybertron, not the Decepticons!”

“On the contrary, we were configured to ensure that the Decepticons remained in power or would return to it, and such has ALWAYS been our mission.”

“…Always? Who are you?”

“We are as we have always been…the Thrashracons!” Terror then gripped the Autobots’ Sparks.

“Require proof?” chuckled the Desman. “Let us oblige. Thrashracons, transform and show them TRUE terror!”

“Oh, I’ve been waiting a long time for this!” laughed the Pharaoh Eagle-owl flying the jet. “JETSTORM, TRANSFORM!” The sides of the nosecone split away from the cockpit as it folded to the underside of the jet as the sides of the rear split away from the rest of the jet and sprouted hands under the main guns while the thrusters folded down and to the jet’s underside to reveal the head when feet folded out from the front. The bot then landed and grinned.

“OVERDRIVE, TRANSFORM!” As the motorcycle’s rider vanished, the exhaust pipes split away from the rear wheel as the front twisted to reveal the head and the piping became arms terminating in three-digited claws, revealing a robot that uses a wheel for locomotion instead of legs.

“TANKOR, TRANSFORM!” The sides of the tank’s front split away, and the rear tread assemblies unfolded into arms and pushed the bulk of the tank upwards while the barrel rested on the right shoulder and the unfolded part folded around the legs to make the front of the tank into feet. The cockpit of the tank then folded down to reveal a head with a Cylon-like visor.

“OBSIDIAN, TRANSFORM!” The helicopter’s underside split away and folded to the back, sprouting feet as the tailfin folded up between the wings. The guns then folded down from the wings and sprouted hands while the cockpit split in half and opened down the middle to reveal the head.

“STRIKA, TRANSFORM!” The shovel assembly under the drills sprang forward and revealed hands, making the drill assemblies shoulders with the drills pointing outwards as the rear unfolded and split into two legs with feet. The cab then folded to the back and revealed the head of a femme that wore lipstick like Arcee. All of the Thrashracons grinned evilly as they observed the terror on the Autobots’ faces. “Now, I will admit,” mused Strika, “that argument you staged DID throw Jetstorm off a little. No one’s been able to do that with any of us at all. I mean, he recovered quickly and turned the battle to his advantage, but your strategy was still innovative enough for one of us to falter by a fraction. You’ve actually impressed me, so you will have the honor of me speaking directly to you.”

“Oh man!” gulped Arcee. “We’ve been tangling with the greatest group of tacticians in Decepticon history!”