Month: August 2021

“I told you lot to stay at the base!” Optimus snapped at Scattershot.

“Given Victorion’s chances, I can’t stand idly by!” argued Scattershot. He turned to his brothers. “Guys, you ready?!”

“Let’s do it!” called Afterburner. Scattershot brought out the Enigma of Combination, the five parts glowed in their respective colors, and they all put their fingers to it. Scattershot touched the middle, Afterburner touched the upper right, Strafe touched the upper left, Nosecone touched the lower left, and Lightspeed touched the lower right. A glow enveloped them, and they all changed. Scattershot transformed into vehicle mode, then his fuselage folded upwards. Afterburner transformed, then his front allowed a right hand to flip out before it attached to Scattershot’s lower left as the thumb faced down. Strafe transformed, then his rear ejected a left hand and he attached to Scattershot’s lower right, the thumb facing down. Nosecone transformed, a foot swung out, then he attached himself to the upper left of Scattershot as the toes pointed down. Lightspeed did the same and attached to the upper right. A head then sprouted, adorned with a blue visor over its optics and faced opposite of Scattershot’s topside, then the new gestalt landed on his feet, facing Bruticus. It stood there, still as a statue.

“…Computing actions,” it rumbled. “…Computing actions. …Computing actions.”

“This is EXACTLY why they weren’t ready to be deployed yet!” groaned Optimus.

“What’s done is done!” replied Victorion. “We must focus on Bruticus!”

“TEAR THEM APART!” Eggman shouted to Bruticus. Bruticus only kept Morgane and Eggman out of his targeting systems. Everyone else was fair game. He grabbed Optimus and squeezed, causing Optimus’ systems to overload.

“Bruticus’ left leg is right!” growled Bruticus. “Megatron’s greatest mistake was ever allowing you to live, Prime!” The new Autobot Gestalt then swatted Bruticus’ hand, forcing him to release Optimus.

“Combat.exe…engaged!” snarled the new Combiner. He then walloped Bruticus straight in the chest. Bruticus was winded.

“H… How?!” demanded the combined Combaticon form. “How did you-?!”

“Probability that Optimus would survive Bruticus’ attack with no intervention of any kind: 27.98%. Probability WITH intervention: 89.21%. Probability of Bruticus’ victory: unknown. Intention to let him: none!” Just then, the Enigma glowed and shot chest armor onto the new Combiner. His optics flashed and he grinned. “Probability of success now that I have a Maximus to help filter the thoughts of my individual components: 98.3%!”

“Wha…HOW?! Bruticus didn’t…!”

“Your individual components didn’t focus on a single thought so quickly. Mine, on the other servo, already went through a hiccup that helped them realize their single goal! Bruticus, you face your better! You face…COMPUTRON!” The newly named Computron then decked Bruticus in the face and followed it up by driving his left knee, armed with a drill, into Bruticus’ chest!

“Damage Critical.” warned the Bruticus Maximus. “Time over.”

“WHAT?!” yelped Bruticus. He then fell into his individual components.

“…Huh,” mused Computron. “I guess that’s another weakness us Combiners have.”

“Thanks for the heads-up!” laughed Megatron as he transformed and fired at Computron’s joints from behind the gestalt. Computron collapsed to his knees as Megatron flew by his head, transformed to robot mode, and slammed the Combaticons into the ground.

“M-Megatron!” begged Onslaught. “The Autobots! Optimus!” He pointed behind Megatron. “Right there! Waiting for you!”

“My greatest mistake?!” growled Megatron. “I HAVE made a few…” he paused as he allowed screams of pain to echo throughout the dunes, their sources originating in the Erazor Djinn, Morgane Le Fay, and Dr. Eggman, “…but there is ONE I do NOT intend to make again!” He then fired streams of purple lighting at the Combaticons, sending them into agony for a good two seconds before ending it and examining the smoking bodies of the Combaticons. He then activated the radio and set it to only Decepticons. “Security check! What’s safe?!”

“Right now, only Robotropolis,” replied Laserbeak. “The moon base had a third organic ally, but she left the place and opened us up to Autobot Spies. We’re still closing it, but we can’t exactly go there now.”

“Open a Ground Bridge to Robotropolis!” ordered Megatron. “Gather up those that tried to make slaves of you and have them prepped for punishment. Leave Eggman to me! This has him written all over it and I intend to voice my complaints to him…personally!” The Ground Bridge opened for them, leaving the Autobots and their allies to pant in the sands. “Decepticons, retreat!” The Decepticons gathered their wounded, bar the Erazor Djinn, and fled through the portal. Megatron covered the retreat. “Oh, Optimus, we have yet to finish this little quarrel! Though Eggman was crass in declaring our intentions, recall what I said as we were made award of Unicron. With him gone, our alliance served its purpose!” He entered the Ground Bridge and it closed behind them.

“…Autobots, mission accomplished,” panted Optimus. “Gather up the wounded…and the dead.” He turned to Arthur’s lifeless body and picked him up. “…Teletraan, we need a Bridge back.”

“Got it, sir,” answered Teletraan.

---

Everyone returned to the base. King Arthur’s Knights and Guinevere gathered around his body and knelt. Guinevere sobbed over him as Excalibur unsheathed itself and bounced on its tip. “Rest in peace, my friend,” it sighed. Everyone let Guinevere and the knights cry. Once they left the body, Cliffjumper turned to Shahra.

“What the Erazor Djinn said about bound genies…”

“I’m sorry, Master, but it applies to all genies,” sighed Shahra.

“So, he can’t come back. Thanks anyways.”

“Arthur sacrificed his life to save your world, Shahra,” muttered Optimus.

“A world I can’t go back to, and neither can the Erazor Djinn.” Shahra was about to retreat into her ring.

“Shahra, would you grant me one last wish?” asked Cliffjumper.

“…What is thy wish, Master?” Cliffjumper took a deep breath and then spoke his wish.

“Shahra, Genie of the Ring, I wish for you to be the master of your own fate and the sole master of your vessel!”

“What?!” yelped the young Genie. The ring then vanished from Cliffjumper’s finger and fixed itself onto Shahra’s. The genie was in disbelief. “Bu…but, why…? I mean…!”

“I’ve heard it from Optimus numerous times,” answered Cliffjumper. “Freedom is the right of all sentient beings. A RIGHT, not a privilege. I never felt easy at having a slave at my fingertips, so I did what anyone would do, I freed that slave from its bondage, whatever it was. Shahra, you’re your own master now and-” Shahra then grew to Cliffjumper’s size and hugged him. Optimus could see her eyes closed as she cried happy tears.

“…Thank you,” she mumbled. “Thank you!” Cliffjumper reciprocated the hug.

“You’re welcome, you magnificent woman.” Optimus smiled, then activated base-comms.

“Autobots, we’ve won a victory against the Decepticons, set back Morgane’s plans, and kept the stories safe, but we lost a friend. King Arthur gave his life to save everyone. He helped a genie woman from another region learn about freedom and taught us all that seeking eternity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. We grieve for Arthur but will continue fighting in his name. ‘Til all are one.” After that, he turned to Computron as he disassembled into his individual selves. Scattershot was about to explain his actions, but Optimus held a hand up to cut him off. “You lot disobeyed a direct order,” he growled. “I told you that you were too emotionally unstable for active duty, and you threw yourselves into the fray without my consent. …But, in doing so, you gave Victorion the time she needed to recover, you minimized casualties to their absolute lowest, and you gave us an edge over how many stable Combiners we have on the Autobot side. With all that in mind, I can’t punish you but so hard. You will be denied field missions for a week. After that, you will be fully recognized as Autobots with the rank of Lieutenant. Does your team have a name yet?” Scattershot looked at his team for ideas.

“I was thinking…we’d call ourselves…the Technobots,” mumbled Strafe.

“…You know, I like that!” cheered Lightspeed.

“Same here! We’re born from Tails’ tech, weren’t we?” asked Afterburner.

“And it gives our allies the idea,” mused Nosecone, “that we are rightly good with technology.”

“…I WAS considering something else,’ remarked Scattershot, “but ‘Technobots’ sounds better. Sir, we’re calling ourselves the Technobots.”

“Splendid,” replied Optimus. “And, Scattershot, am I right in assuming you’re the team leader?”

“We’ve already had the discussion, and yes, you’re correct to assume so.”

“Perfect. We’ll have you undergo the Rite of the Autobrand after Arthur is buried.” Nosecone then snapped his fingers as if he remembered something.

“Optimus, before all that, you need to see Ratchet and talk to him and Chromia as soon as you can.”

“I better talk to them now,” mused Optimus, “get it out of the way. Excuse me.” He headed off to the repair bay.

The fight raged on; the World Rings being forgotten. The two Combiners slugged it out as the Autobots fought the Decepticons. Megatron kept flying overhead and firing potshots at Victorion. “That’s it! OPTIMUS PRIME, SUPER MODE!” Optimus’ trailer appeared and he assumed his Super Robot Mode before flying into the air and slamming a fist down on Megatron’s front. Megatron went down, then regained his flight pattern and fired on Optimus.

“You know, I tested Robot to Vehicle Transformation!” laughed the Decepticon Lord. “Let’s reverse it, shall we! MEGATRON, TRANSFORM!” The middle thrusters and canopy folded to the underside while the side thruster assemblies slid outwards as the sides of the jet split away and sprouted hands. The front of the jet then split away and twisted so the wider ends allowed feet to fold out so the tips could become knee armor. The head then sprouted from the chest, revealing that he still had the bucket design, but in a darker shade of gray. He flew as deftly as in vehicle mode and was laughing all the while. “An excellent change in alt mode, wouldn’t you say?!” he cackled. Optimus deemed a response unnecessary and just fired. “Not interested in talking, eh? Fine, I’m flexible!” Guns then popped out of each of his forearms, and he fired rapidly, one after another.

---

Sonic, his friends, and Eggman continued fighting in their usual manner. Eggman sent out robots and Sonic kept spin-dashing into them. “Can’t you come up with anything creative?” laughed Sonic.

“Laugh all you want, rodent!” snarled Eggman. “At least I still survive!”

“What about living?” asked Shadow.

“Despite what you hear, surviving and living ARE the same thing!” Eggman continued doing his thing.

---

Arthur, his knights, Guinevere, Merlin, Sira, and Natalie fought Morgane, countering any spell she flung at them. “You idiots don’t know what you’re doing!” she snarled. “With the World Rings and the Sword of Parallels, I could restore Camelot and make it eternal!”

“What about the world around it?!” challenged Arthur.

“Arthur’s right,” remarked Merlin. “If Camelot becomes eternal, it becomes unchanging and a blight on a prospering world.”

“A blight?!” snarled Morgane. “Camelot would be the cure to the cancer that is death!”

“Everything has a point in which it ends!” pleaded Guinevere.

“Even Natalie and I,” agreed Sira, “will fade with time! Once Mobius dies, we die!”

“Don’t you fear the end, though?! Don’t you want to see it again?!”

“Are you kidding?! I enjoy the modern conveniences! I enjoy living in times when plague is only read about in history books! I enjoy drinking water without worrying about worms in it! I enjoy reading about things in an instant instead of needing to hear it all from a monk reading a book that’s had numerous translations! That was only possible because our ways of life changed as the old ones died off! Morgane, there’s nothing wrong with things dying! It is, quite literally, natural!”

“Then you are a fool!” Morgane then cast a giant circle in the air and a massive, Transformer-sized blade then appeared. “I won’t be shackled by the natural world! Eggman had the will to attempt to cast it off! He and I shall rule an eternal empire! England shall be our capital! I shall make our kingdom…eternal!” She then fired off magic blasts and lifted the World Rings up to the Sword’s handle. She cast a shield around herself and her allies and started singing as the sword glowed.

“And did those feet in ancient time

Walk upon Englands mountains green:

And was the holy Lamb of God,

On Englands pleasant pastures seen!

And did the Countenance Divine,

Shine forth upon our clouded hills?

And was Jerusalem builded here,

Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:

Bring me my Arrows of desire:

Bring me my Spear, O Clouds unfold:

Bring me my Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,

Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:

Till we have built Jerusalem,

In Englands green and pleasant land!” As the song finished, she inserted the World Rings into the Sword. “Sword of Parallels, In the name all that I command, I command thee, thou blade! Open thy hidden ways! Restore Camelot to its former eternal glory!” The Sword glowed brighter…then the World Rings vanished. “Wh-what?! What’s going on?!” Arthur then started laughing.

“A very good slight of hand, Merlin,” he praised the wizard. “I almost believed it myself!”

“What slight of hand?! What did you do?!”

“I simply created false World Rings,” answered Merlin. “That cumbersome thing can’t get the full charge without the real ones, can it?”

“…You gave it enough charge to only open a gateway to another world!” realized Morgane. “It couldn’t even summon one BRICK from Camelot!”

“Nay, it could not,” agreed Arthur. “If thou art wondering where the true World Rings are, well…” he then showed off his hands. On his right, the yellow, cyan, and white Rings rested on his pointer, middle, and ring fingers. On the left were the blue, purple, red, and green rings, each on the pointer, middle, ring, and pinky fingers.

“You…you can’t be serious!” muttered Morgane. “Didn’t you hear that there was a price?!”

“Aye, I did, and I be willing to pay it!”

“My Lord, NO!” called Lancelot.

“Merlin, take my knights and Queen out of here!”

“…As my King wishes,” sighed Merlin. He then gathered himself, the Knights, and Guinevere in a golden light. The light then obscured everyone as it got brighter.

“ARTHUR!” wailed Guinevere. They then vanished.

“Fare thee well, My Queen and Friend. I pray that the two of you are happy.”

“You cannot stop my plans so easily! I am eternal!”

“And I…am Arthur Pendragon, son of Uther Pendragon, King of the old country of Briton and Lord of the once proud Holy Roman Empire! Long afore, I took Excalibur from a stone and now I give my life to save the stories of the Arabian Nights! My life inspired stories to be written about me, may this short rebirth produce the same results so man and beast may learn both from my follies and my triumphs!” Arthur snapped his fingers and the power of the World Rings coursed through his body as they vanished from his fingers. As the World Rings vanished, the Erazor Djinn saw what was going on as he batted away Thundercracker’s sword.

“NO!” he shouted in disbelief. “I WILL NOT BE TRAPPED HERE!” He charged towards Arthur, hoping to snatch at least ONE World Ring, but it was too late. Arthur crumpled to the sand; his fingers now bare of any rings. “…No!” whimpered the Erazor Djinn.

“Yes!” proclaimed Shahra. “We’re now stuck here! The Arabian Nights have created two new Genies of the Ring and Lamp!”

“Wait, hold up, you’re the original Genie of the Ring that helped Aladdin out of that cave?!” asked Cliffjumper. Shahra didn’t get a chance to answer his question as the Erazor Djinn slashed across her back.

“DIE! JUST DIE!” he roared. Cliffjumper then fired on the psycho Djinn and scooped Shahra up.

“Shahra, if it’s within your power, I wish for you to be healed of that wound and never be physically harmed again!” Shahra panted as she looked at Cliffjumper.

“The first part, I can grant,” she gasped, “the second, however, I’m sorry. I cannot grant it.” A gold cloud surrounded her, and her wound healed.

“Drivel!” grunted the Erazor Djinn. “It’s all drivel! All stories were meant to be carved up and reshaped by me alone!” A Ground Bridge then opened, releasing Scattershot and his team.

“Scattershot and team, reporting for duty!” he announced.

Everyone got the coordinates from Shahra and arrived at the site where the World Rings rested. Arthur and his knights and Queen were stunned at the size of them. “By the Lord!” breathed Arthur.

“Pretty big, huh?” chuckled Sonic. Arthur then grabbed them all. “…Huh, I guess you can pick them up like I could.”

“What power do they possess?” asked Arthur. Shahra then came out of the ring and began her explanation.

“They are the very hearts of the Arabian Nights, their very souls. Each one contains the aspect of each emotion the Nights evoke; blue for prayers or hope, purple for sadness, red for rage or anger, green for hatred, yellow for joy or happiness, cyan for pleasure or joy, and white for wishes or desire.”

“They can grant power to anyone…but at a price,” muttered Sonic.

“…That price being…life?” guessed Arthur. “Merlin hath warned me about the World Rings.”

“And Shahra told us about the price already,” confirmed Optimus. He then flinched. “Arthur, YOU’RE the target now that you have the World Rings.”

“Indeed, he is!” laughed a well-known voice. The Decepticons and Eggman’s forces then popped out of the sand!

“…In mine era,” muttered Arthur, “a person with a large waist meant they were rich, but a waist of YOUR size? I must call thee greedy and gluttonous!”

“How droll, my dear half-brother!” snarled Morgane. “I see you’ve returned.”

“And thy cousin, Sira, stands with us, along with her wife!”

“So, Sira and Natalie finally tied the knot, did they? And both are on your side? I must admit, I’m disappointed. I would have made sure your type of love was legal in an instant.”

“Are you kidding?!” snarled Sira as she and Natalie made themselves known. “The only kind of non-straight love you would have allowed was woman on woman. Men would have been treated as second-class citizens as we women once were!”

“Still are, last I checked!”

“Not even close!”

“Morgane Le Fay, end this now or face the consequences!” warned Optimus.

“I won’t be deterred!” snarled Morgane Le Fay as she brought out the lamp and rubbed it. “Erazor Djinn, my final wish! I wish for you to kill Arthur and grant me control of the Seven World Rings!”

“Reneging on the deal, are we?” remarked the Erazor Djinn as he came out. “In any event, I cannot do that in a bound state.”

“…What?!”

“You can’t be serious!” snarled Eggman.

“Come on, now, what did you expect? Mistress Morgane, have you learned nothing about bound genies? We cannot kill anyone, not even a master that abuses us. We cannot warp a person’s emotions for our master’s end. We cannot raise the dead, even if they died before their time. Now, recently, I made a bargain with someone else.” He looked to the sky. Everyone cast their gaze upwards to see a shape flying around.

“…Is…is that the…Decepticon logo?” asked Grimlock.

“A Symbol Ship?” quizzed Optimus.

“Too small, I think,” remarked Grimlock. “Besides, Symbol Ships don’t have wings near the points.” Thundercracker grinned, then he swiped the lamp and rubbed it.

“Erazor Djinn, I have but one wish before I decide!” he announced. “I wish to know if that bot flying overhead has the armor of Unicron’s old body!”

“Wish granted. He does, but it’s tailored to his own ends.”

“Then my second and final wish is this: I wish for you to become master of your own fate and master of your own vessel!”

“NO!” shouted Eggman. Too late. The lamp attached itself to the Erazor Djinn’s belt.

“Dad! They locked out the shock programs!” called Onslaught. “We can’t discipline them!”

“Now, we’re masters of our fate, and we have an ally with us!” cheered Knock-out.

“…About that,” chuckled the Erazor Djinn. He then summoned what looked like a giant straight-edge razor and unfolded the blade from its sheath, revealing that it was a scimitar as tall as himself.

“What?!” hissed Thundercracker.

“Did you really think I would honor any agreement with any soldier of a side that called themselves Deceptive Constructs? You thought me a mere Autobot?”

“That was NOT the bargain!” snarled Thundercracker as he drew his own sword. “You would fulfill Shockwave’s wishes to help us find our Lord, we would free you, and you would join us!”

“Ah, see, not a very good bargain, that one, considering the Decepticon faction’s predilection for enslaving organic races. How about this; my world, and everyone in it as my subjects?”

“About THAT!” rasped a voice…a voice everyone knew. Optimus’ optics went wide as he looked up to see a hedgehog leap out of the flying Decepticon Symbol and land. The hedgehog was dark gray, had a dark red-purple, sleeveless coat, a neon purple-pink, sleeveless shirt, blue-purple pants, dark colored shoes, and fingerless gloves of the same color as the coat with studs on the knuckles. He had a tattoo above his red eyes of angry eyebrows, and he bore a wicked grin. The Erazor Djinn then saw what the Hedgehog meant.

“Why you dog-born lump of scrap!” snarled the Djinn. “Your soldier promised me a deal!”

“And I gave him orders to renege on the deal before you even touched the World Rings!” replied the Hedgehog. He then turned to Optimus. “How fares the war, brother?”

“Megatron!” breathed Optimus in fear.

“M-Megatron!” gulped Eggman. “You’re…you’re all right! Oh, thank heavens! It’s a miracle we could find you at all!”

“Oh, it WILL be a miracle, all right, Doctor,” snarled Megatron, “if you survive what I have planned for you!”

“Wait a minute, why am I afraid?! Combaticons! Take care of these idiots!”

“Combaticons,” called Onslaught, “form Bruticus!” Onslaught turned into the torso as his brothers formed the limbs and they attached as Bruticus’ head popped up.

“Bruticus awakens!” he announced. “Now, Bruticus shall destroy all his enemies!”

“SCATTER!” called Optimus. Everyone ran and fired on Bruticus.

“Torchbearers! Unite into Victorion!” The Rust Renegades formed Victorion, and she grappled Bruticus.

“Bruticus is unimpressed thus far!”

---

Scattershot’s team got the news about the fight. “Great, we’re benched and they’re risking their lives!” snarled Afterburner.

“They’ll come back,” remarked Ratchet as he entered the room.

“…With too many casualties,” muttered Scattershot as he took the Enigma. Everyone saw this.

“Hey, whoa!” called Strafe. “Optimus said-!”

“I’m aware of what Optimus said,” replied Scattershot, “but, given the circumstances, it’s a stupid-ass decision, so we need to ignore it and throw a wrench into Bruticus’ works as best we can.”

“Oh no, you don’t!” snarled Ratchet. “You’re staying right here and that’s final!”

“Like hell we are!” argued Afterburner. “I ain’t gonna let no wimp Decepticons make me angry all the time!”

“It’s time to put my nerves to better use!” declared Strafe.

“I have deduced,” remarked Nosecone, “that to stay here would leave the Autobots to a grisly fate!”

“And I want to see how powerful the Decepticons are, so I can better plan for them!” called Lightspeed.

“And I ain’t going to let my brothers be benched when we have something to help us,” finished Scattershot. “Teletraan, Ground Bridge to Optimus’ coordinates!”

“No, I’m not going to-!”

“Either you do it or Nosecone does it for you.” Teletraan balked at this threat. He then sighed and opened the Ground Bridge. “All right, brothers! Let’s get it on!” Scattershot’s team cheered, transformed, and entered the Ground Bridge.

“Better prepare more berths,” Teletraan muttered to Ratchet.

“Yeah, sure, it seems to be all I’m good for these days! No one listens to Ratchet, oh no! No, we’re the younger guys, WE know what’s best for old Rust Buckets like you!” The old medic continued grumbling as he stomped back to the Repair Bay.

The Autobots and their allies searched the dunes tirelessly. Right now, a team consisting of Sonic, Arthur, Cliffjumper, Shahra, and Goldbug trudged through the sands. Goldbug decided to call up Teletraan. “Hey, Teletraan,” he asked, “how big is Shamar?”

“9,000,000 square kilometers, Sir,” replied Teletraan.

“…Fine. …Hey, how’s Scattershot’s team behaving?”

“They’re doing all right. Just bored out of their skulls. How about you?”

“Still looking. We’ll keep you posted. Goldbug out.” He ended the call and they continued searching. “Primus, if we had a way to find the World Rings at once, we could make it so easy!” Cliffjumper then heard someone groan.

“Shahra?” he asked. Shahra came out of her ring with an expression on her face that indicated she just thought of something so simple and was kicking herself because she didn’t think about it earlier.

“What manner of pain be thou in?” asked Arthur.

“An aneurysm of sheer stupidity!” explained the genie. “The last time Sonic searched for the World Rings; I could have been used to sense where they were instead of just aimlessly wandering the pages of the Arabian Nights! It’s a wish within my power!”

“…I didn’t even think to ask about that!” groaned Sonic. “Shahra, I think we both missed an obvious opportunity! …Although, I always liked the journey instead of the destination, so, it wasn’t all THAT bad.”

“Sonic, the Erazor Djinn shot your heart with a fire arrow that would have ended your life if it ever went out,” reminded Shahra. “I would have thought speed was key back then.”

“Eh, I would have found a way around it.”

“Well, we’re pressed for time, and I want those World Rings OUT of Decepticon hands,” declared Cliffjumper. “Shahra, I wish for you to be able to sense where the Seven World Rings are!”

“As it is proclaimed, so shall it be!” called Shahra. She summoned a gold cloud, let it surround her, then it vanished. “And it works! Okay, so, the first World Ring is…just a minute…what? That doesn’t…I’m sensing all seven in one place!”

“What?” asked Cliffjumper.

“There’s gotta be a mistake,” muttered Sonic.

“I’m checking it over again and again, but it’s still the same reading.”

“Something doesn’t make sense here,” muttered Goldbug. “Either we’ve been looking in all the wrong places or…” a thought then struck their minds.

“Or this be a trap by the enemy,” Arthur voiced. Goldbug then called all teams.

“Everyone, be advised!” he called. “Shahra found all seven World Rings in one place! There’s a real good chance this is a trap by the enemy!”

“This is Optimus. Thanks for the heads up, Goldbug. We’ll converge and simply maintain distance from the Rings. All teams, we do NOT engage until the enemy moves in!”

---

Back at the base, Swoop and Ratchet looked over Chromia’s diagnostic reports. They didn’t feel any calmer at the reports. “Those hairline cracks are disturbing,” muttered Swoop. “Maybe we can weld them over?”

“It’s not going to work,” replied Ratchet. “We weld them over; we’ll have to replace her springs.”

“That’s practically an overhaul right there, a little-” a new diagnostic report then came in. Whatever it indicated made both medics gasp. “…Stage 5?! Around the Spark Chamber?!”

“We can’t do anything without Optimus knowing about it. Swoop, keep Chromia in stasis until Optimus gets back. She and Optimus need to know at the same time.” Swoop nodded as he altered the stasis inducers.

---

Scattershot and his team continued waiting at the base. Scattershot held the Enigma in his hands and just sat there, staring at it. “…What can I do?” he asked himself. “If they know all the details, they’ll worry unnecessarily about them!”

“Will we?” asked a voice. Scattershot looked over his shoulder to see Afterburner standing there.

“…Yeah, I’m sure you will!”

“Dude, did you ever consider this; perhaps us knowing all the details would help us support one another in our goals?”

“And where’d that theory come from? Nosecone?”

“Not so much a theory as it is a fact that Goldbug and Cliffjumper demonstrate every day. You know why Goldbug and Cliffjumper don’t look like they worry so much about one another? I asked Cliffjumper a while ago. It’s because they always communicate the plan to each other; the plan, any changes, all of it. The team moves a lot more fluidly and has a greater chance of success.” Scattershot’s optics then shot open as if he had an epiphany.

“That’s what Optimus was trying to tell me, and I still didn’t fully grasp it! I’m an idiot!”

“Well, I was an idiot too.” Afterburner lowered his head. “Pulling a gun out on you was out of line.”

“…Afterburner, you mind getting our brothers and meeting me in the command center? I need to apologize to you all.”

“…Sure.”

---

Scattershot and his team gathered at the conference table. They all sat down and Scattershot began. “Guys, it’s come to my attention that this team isn’t functioning all that well…and that’s because I’ve been hiding the details from you guys and thus exacerbating all the flaws withing the team. Afterburner, since you and I were the most confrontational when this all went down, I want to apologize for dismissing your anger as mere rage. Your anger is born of a desire to protect your team, is that right?” Afterburner was stunned.

“…Y-Yeah, I mean, you DID say we’re brothers, right? We all have to look out for each other.”

“And I dismissed it out of hand. That was wrong of me, and I’m sorry. Nosecone, you’re always looking for the most optimal solution to problems, am I right?”

“As a matter of fact, I am,” answered Nosecone.

“I arrogantly thought that was laziness. I’m sorry for even thinking that. Lightspeed, you always have questions on your mind that you feel need answering, yes? Something beyond the confines of gravity?”

“Of course. What’s life without some form of question on someone’s mind? I’ve always wanted to explore and soar through the stars, learning what I can!”

“When this war is over, I’ll see to it that you have that dream fulfilled. Strafe, you’re nervous that there’s something being hidden from you, right?”

“Of course! And your behavior exacerbated that problem!”

“Well, I won’t commit to that behavior anymore. Like Afterburner, I want to protect my brothers, but, from what Afterburner observed from Goldbug and Cliffjumper, I’m doing a crappy job by not communicating all the details. I clearly need help in that regard.”

“Hey, if you need it, I’m sure we can all help,” offered Afterburner. His brothers nodded.

“…You guys are really the best brothers ever,” chuckled Scattershot as tears welled up in his optics.

The Decepticons and Eggacons were patrolling the deserts with the Eggacons and Combaticons being more gleeful. “Oh, this is just PERFECT!” cheered an Eggacon.

“Ain’t it, though?” agreed Onslaught.

“Yeah, peachy,” muttered Ravage.

“Come on, where’s your sense of adventure?” asked Onslaught. “Look at us all! Searching the Middle Eastern sands for priceless artefacts! Hey, maybe I should get myself a whip and hat! Harrison Ford, eat your heart out!” His foot then touched something. He knelt and saw that it was a blue ring, roughly the size of a standard gold ring, and was decorated in the usual Arabic art style of leaving no blank space. The Eggacon ran a scanner over it and grinned when he got the readings.

“Sky Eggacon 79462 to all forces! World Ring located! Repeat, World Ring located!” It tried to pick it up…only for its hand to pass through. “What the?!” Onslaught tried to pick it up but met with the same results.

“Okay, what?” He took over the call. “All forces, this is Onslaught. The World Ring…okay, I’m gonna say it as I see it, our hands are passing through it.”

---

“Same with you, huh?” asked Brawl as his own hand passed through a red version of Onslaught’s ring.

---

“Same here,” remarked Thundercracker once he and Shockwave found the Purple World Ring after giving Megatron the sitrep.

---

“You guys too?!” asked a tank based Eggacon as he stood by the Cyan World Ring.

---

“What’s going on here?!” demanded Laserbeak as he considered shooting the White World Ring.

---

“It sounds like Morgane missed some detail!” muttered Frenzy as he furiously tried to pick up the Green World Ring.

---

“Don’t blame me!” argued Morgane as she and Eggman stood by the Yellow World Ring.

“Who told you about the Rings?” asked Eggman, a guess forming in his mind. Morgane then growled.

“Erazor!” She pulled out a shining oil lamp and rubbed it. “Erazor Djinn, I have my first wish for you!” Purple smoke then spilled forth from the lamp’s spout and the Erazor Djinn stood before her.

“Command, Mistress Le Fay, and I will obey,” he intoned.

“Spare me the pious servant act! We’ve found the World Rings, but our hands are passing through them! I wish for you to explain why we can’t pick them up and if you knew anything about it!”

“That is a compound wish, Morgane. That usually means it’s two wishes. But, given our common goals, I will only count it as one. I DID know that none except a legendary hero would touch them. The World Rings are tied into the hero’s…genetic signature, I believe is the modern phrase. The hero once entered the world of the Arabian Nights, a blue rat you would know, Doctor.”

“SONIC?!” yelped Eggman.

“And his own genetics are copied over into a foe you would know, Mistress Le Fay.”

“Arthur!” growled Morgane. Her face then softened. “We can still salvage this! Let THEM do the work for us!” she realized. She rubbed the lamp again. “Erazor, my second wish! I wish for you to make this easy for our enemies to find while we lie in wait!”

“That will mean no obstacles, Mistress.”

“That is fine. We shall be obstacle enough.”

“Then your wish is granted. You have one more left…as per our arrangement.”

“You will be released when our goals are realized, not a second sooner!” The Erazor Djinn bowed as he returned to the lamp. “In the meantime, I will conceal us all until the Seven World Rings are gathered.” Morgane then started weaving a spell, opening well-stocked underground bunkers to help everyone wait out the Autobots’ search.

---

The hedgehog woman, Maria, was looking over something on the moon base. She was alone, so she had the run of the place. She decided to do some research. She went to the search engine, Egg Look Up, and typed “Eggman” into the search bar. She found various news results of Eggman’s schemes. What caught her eye, however, was an article about Eggman’s attempt to control the Space Colony ARK. There was a word that gave her pause. “…Robotnik?” she muttered. She changed what was in the search bar to “Robotnik” and got more results. She found a picture of an old man that looked like Eggman, but without his girth. The man was identified as Professor Gerald Robotnik. Maria then felt a flash of pain enter her head for two seconds. During that, more memories were unlocked. “…Grandfather?” she asked. She then pieced something together. “But…but I’m a…hedgehog…am I?” Maria then noticed something related to Professor Robotnik’s article, a file called Project: Shadow. More pain entered her head, and she remembered a dark figure that always stood by her. Maria then typed “Project: Shadow” into the search bar, only to see a message asking for a password. Maria started thinking and came up with “Glory”. It was an incorrect password, and it reduced her amount of tries by one. She had two left. She tried “Eggman Empire”, but it wasn’t right. She thought long and hard…until she thought about what she once said to the dark figure.

“I beg you! Give them a chance to be happy!” her past self pleaded to the dark figure as it vanished in some sort of tube. Present Maria then typed in “Maria’s Wish”.

“Access granted,” replied the computer. She then got a look at the file folders related to the project. There was a folder titled “Final Result”. She opened it and found the files and images relating to the results of Project: Shadow. One of the files mentioned that the project could be replicated. The scientists did so but added human DNA to the mix instead of only hedgehog DNA and the genetic material of a race called the Black Arms. Her mind then flashed onto a monstrous looking creature with no legs, talking to Professor Gerald outside an experimentation tube. She then saw an image of the resulting creature of hedgehog and Black Arms DNA, a black and red hedgehog with shoes, gloves, and rings on his ankles and wrists. The dark figure of her memories was then replaced with the hedgehog. She then remembered more. She had Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome once, a terminal illness that rendered a person immuno-compromised and made the body cannibalize itself from the brain down. Professor Gerald promised her that Project: Shadow would help her visit Mobius and help her be cured. She then remembered a conversation with a younger, trimmer Eggman, though she called him Julian.

“Julian, you can’t do this!” she begged. “All people deserve a chance to be happy!”

“Maria, you and Grandfather are idealistic fools!” snarled the younger Eggman. It was then that she truly felt…anger.

“I thought you would carry on the Robotnik legacy of making people happy, but I see I was wrong. She turned from the man and saw her face…her old HUMAN face! Maria screamed in pain as her life was pieced back together, right up to the point where a bullet went through her. She then saw the hedgehog in an escape pod, pounding on the glass and screaming her name. The memories then stopped, and Maria woke up in the real world.

“…Julian!” she snarled. She spotted the Chaos Emeralds, then put them into a sack, bar the green one. “Now, let’s see if I can do this.” She raised the Emerald into the air. “Chaos Control!” She then vanished.

“Alert! Alert!” called the computer. “Base empty! Security compromised!”

King Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot dueled with their respective counterparts. Judging from her movements, Guinevere wasn’t used to combat at all as she tired herself in dodging Rouge’s attacks. Rouge then delivered a roundhouse into her abdomen, winding her and making her collapse. “GUINEVERE!” called Arthur and Lancelot.

“You’re wide open!” growled Shadow as he and Sonic spin-dashed into them, knocking them to the floor. The three Camelot Denizens panted as their Mobian counterparts helped them up.

“Come on, Arthur!” laughed Sonic. “I know you were sleeping, but…”

“You suggested that Guinevere, a woman, should enter into combat!” argued Arthur. “Tell me, what good would having a woman die on the battlefield serve?!”

“If you’re suggesting that women should let the men die while we just sit at home and worry,” snarled Rouge, “you’re out of your goddamned mind!”

“Rouge is right,” agreed Shadow. “It’s their world too, and they have a right to defend it.”

“And if both should die, who will care for their child?!” asked Guinevere.

“Not everyone’s so fixed on making babies,” retorted Sonic. “Besides, there’s enough people that are to keep the species going, whatever that species is.”

“Thou maketh life sound clinical,” muttered Lancelot.

“Look, take it from a guy who lost his only friend 50 years ago,” remarked Shadow, “there’s more to life than just living according to a code.”

“…50 years ago?” asked Arthur.

“…Her name was Maria Robotnik, Eggman’s cousin.”

“But how do you not age?”

“I’m an artificial life-form.”

“Artificial in…”

“That’s the end of that!”

“Arthur,” suggested Rouge, “I hate to say this, but there ARE times when you need to put love aside. It could get you killed on the battlefield.” Everyone looked to Rouge.

“Why don’t we take a break?” asked Sonic.

“Twould be wise to ease our minds,” agreed Lancelot.

“Then we shall rest until our bodies are prepared again,” declared Arthur.

“Perfect! See you later!” Sonic then took off for a run. Shadow and Rouge then left to meet with Omega. Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere then looked at each other. Arthur then shut his eyes before speaking.

“Lancelot, My Queen, tell me true,” he sighed, “is thy love for each other still strong?” The two flinched, then looked at each other, one trying to silently ask the other for help on wording.

“…Yes,” Lancelot finally sighed.

“My King, I…” began Guinevere.

“Am I?”

“…My Lord?”

“Am I really a king if the kingdom I knew hath fallen long afore our reawakening?”

“The inscription on thy coffin,” reminded Lancelot, “says that thou art the once and future king.”

“The meaning behind that was that Camelot would be eternal, yet it is gone.”

“…Yea, tis true, but the ideals of the time are spoken about in legend.”

“Exactly, they are merely stories now.”

“Arthur, I ask this of thee,” interjected Guinevere, “what be the purpose of stories? To merely offer a window into the past or to give hope to the future?”

“Is there a point to this conversation?” called Merlin’s voice. He entered the room.

“Merlin, are we not throwbacks to an age that no longer exists?” asked Arthur.

“Mere throwbacks, or assistance to the future?” riddled Merlin.

“…Merlin, my patience for thy riddles hath worn thin as I aged.”

“Tis what I tried to tell him, Merlin,” said Guinevere.

“Arthur, it seems, to mine eyes,” remarked Lancelot, “that thou thinks thyself useless to the modern world.”

“Lancelot, answer me this: how can we survive?! We belong not in this time! Those who dwell on us are doomed to commit the same sins we have!”

“But they don’t,” answered Merlin. “Arthur, they do learn about your sins as well as your virtues. That’s why it was important to have you return in this age. For what are stories if not a means to teach lessons?”

“Like the tales in the Good Book,” offered Guinevere. Arthur then arched an eye ridge.

“…Aye, tis true,” he muttered as his heart became lighter. “Tis very true! Lancelot, Guinevere, Merlin, thou art all wise!”

“Wiser, in my case,” chuckled Merlin as he vanished in smoke. Arthur then turned to Guinevere.

“My Lady Fair, though our kingdom be gone, thy feelings still remain. Because of this, twould follow that thou hast more freedom to settle thy heart’s desires. My Friend and My Queen, thou mayst romance as thou wish.” Guinevere and Lancelot goggled at their king.

“Arthur, art thou…?!” spluttered Lancelot.

“Aye, I am.”

---

“DAMMIT!” shouted Morgane as she looked through the scrying orb. “The triangle is being settled!”

“Should we move?” asked Onslaught.

“Tell your father that the time to search Shamar is NOW!”

“Sure thing, Ma.” Morgane then goggled at Onslaught.

“…Ma?”

“Er, I meant Ma’am!” Onslaught then scuttled off, leaving Morgane confused.

---

Over in Shamar, Cliffjumper searched the sands. “That signature was around here somewhere,” he muttered. He then looked at the ring on his finger. “…Wouldn’t it be selfish to ask?”

“Wouldn’t it be selfish NOT to?” asked Shahra’s voice, startling the bot and making him yelp. “I’m sorry, Master!”

“No, no, it’s all right,” assured Cliffjumper. “…Hey, Shahra, what do YOU want?”

“Pardon?”

“Is it possible for you to grant your own wishes?”

“I’m afraid not, not while I’m bound to the ring.”

“If it were possible, what would you wish for?” There was a silence that followed Cliffjumper’s question.

“…No, it’s silly.”

“Come on, you can tell me.” Shahra sighed before answering.

“…Freedom.”

“I figured the ring was a prison. Tell me, can a master wish a genie free?”

“Yes, but I’m forbidden from telling you. If I tried, I would burst into flames.”

“Scrap!” Cliffjumper then hit something and ended up bumper-first in a dune. He transformed and looked at the object. It was a grey thing protruding from the sand. “Oh, embarrass me, will you?! Shahra, I wish for you to help me dig it up!”

“As you wish!” Shahra summoned a pair of shovels, one for each person, and they began digging. The object turned out to be an arm, a Cybertronian one.

“I wonder who’s buried here?” he muttered. They started digging around the object and cleared away the sands to reveal a mech’s head…a mech’s head Cliffjumper recognized, despite the scars on the face. He gasped and dropped his shovel as he stumbled backwards. Shahra then read Cliffjumper’s mind and gasped as she got the message. “We never found him after the…!” The head’s optics then flickered online, revealing a terrifying red color. He spat out sand, then looked up and gave a wicked grin.

“I suppose helping those less fortunate is completely out of the question,” chuckled the mech. Cliffjumper and Shahra didn’t speak, they were too terrified to do so. “If that is the case, you might as well use your shovels to finish me. I guarantee you’ll never have a better opportunity than right…now!” Cliffjumper looked around as he decided his actions. “…Well? What are you waiting for?! Think of the glory! Seize the day! Optimus would.” Cliffjumper then decided.

“No, he wouldn’t. Not like this! Shahra, we’re getting out of here!” He transformed and Shahra returned to her ring as he sped off.

“I’ll be sure to tell him the details of our conversation…the day I rip out his SPARK!” laughed the mech. Cliffjumper had long disappeared over the dunes, leaving the mech alone. He then started clearing away the sand around his torso, reveal the Badge of the Decepticon Lord! “All…hail…Megatron!” chuckled the mech.