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

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.

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.

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.”

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.”

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.

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.

“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.