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

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

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

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

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

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

“Bu…but that…” stammered Goldbug.

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

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

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

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

“Don’t you fragging dare!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“ERAZOR!” she bellowed.

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…What disruptive element?” demanded Naaman.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I can replace it!” offered Shahra.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“HELP!” wailed Goldbug.

“GOLDBUG MAGNUS, YOU CARELESS LITTLE JERK!”

“Er, should we…?” asked Shahra.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Do I know you?” she asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…What?” asked Rouge.

“You’re deranged,” muttered Shadow.

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

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

“…Be ye of my blood?!” he asked.

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

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

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

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

“I guess,” muttered Sonic.

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

“…C…Caliburn?” asked Sonic.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Most likely.”

“Then, by heaven, let us…!”

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

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

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

“You met her?”

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

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

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

“Okay, willing to accept that.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“This took priority,” answered Goldbug.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“A BEAN?!”

“Yeah! A bean! Right, Cliffjumper?!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Nice try, Decepticreep!” he taunted.

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

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

“AFTER THEM!” shouted Goldbug.

“CLIFFJUMPER, TRANSFORM!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Invitation to what?!” demanded Goldbug.

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

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

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

“…Always? Who are you?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Optimus and his group made it to the cave exit and found more Eggacons surrounding a short-range ship, commanded by Swindle. “Primus, the Combaticons are here too!” grunted Optimus.

“How do we get past them?” asked Blackarachnia.

“I got it!” whispered Sonic. He then dashed around the enemy. “YOU’RE TOO SLOW!”

“SONIC!” yelped one of the Eggacons.

“Priority One: Hedgehog!” shouted Swindle. “Skin him, boys! He’ll make a nice pelt!” The Eggacons and Combaticon then followed Sonic while Optimus and Blackarachnia led King Arthur into the ship. The cockpit was big enough for two Transformer pilots and Mobian passengers.

“Better hurry through the pre-flight checks,” muttered Blackarachnia.

“We don’t have time! Sonic can’t keep this up forever!” argued Optimus. “We need to take off the instant he gets inside!”

“Well, I don’t wanna explode in mid-air, so…!”

“Forgive mine interruption, but do I take thy words correctly?” interjected Arthur “Doth this structure fly like a bird?”

“Yep. One of the fastest ways to get around Mobius, aside from the Ground Bridge.”

“Here comes Sonic!” called Optimus. “Off we go!” The ship then took to the air as Sonic jumped aboard and Swindle and his mech fired.

“THAT’S MY SHIP! I JUST GOT THE INSURANCE PAID OFF!” shouted Swindle. The ship left the area and the people inside relaxed slightly.

“Sweet Primus,” sighed Optimus as he flew the ship.

“…So, where are we going?” asked Blackarachnia. Optimus’ optics widened. “YOU DON’T KNOW?!”

“I HAD OTHER PRIORITIES! LIKE OUR IMMEDIATE SURVIVAL!”

“Aye, they be husband and wife,” muttered Arthur to Sonic. Sonic only nodded, then he saw something on the console.

“HEY! GUYS!” he called to the two bots.

“WHAT, SONIC?!” they demanded.

“Console!” Sonic pointed to a green light. Optimus then opened the communications channel.

“This is Shadow of G.U.N,” said a well-known voice. “Incoming aircraft, explain why you were fired on.”

“It’s because we stole it from the Eggacons, buddy,” answered Optimus. “It’s Optimus flying this thing and I’ve got Blackarachnia, Sonic, and another Hedgehog with me.” He transmitted his i.d code to Shadow. After a few seconds, Shadow became slightly more friendly.

“Good thing you’re on that ship, Optimus. There’s a sword in northern Spagonia.” Everyone blinked in their usual fashion.

“I’m…sure there are swords all across Spagonia, heck, all across Mobius,” snarked Blackarachnia.

“Any of them pop out of an anvil on a stone that rose from the ground near a glowing tree?” Everyone’s eyes widened.

“Is there an inscription on the anvil?!” asked Optimus.

“There IS, yeah,” answered Shadow. “‘Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is rightwise king born.’”

“Sit tight, Shadow. We’re on our way. Optimus out.” Optimus ended the call and looked to Arthur. “Your Majesty…”

“There be no need to stand on ceremony,” assured Arthur. “Thou mayest call me Arthur or King Arthur.”

“King Arthur, if that sword is the same one you used, I thought you had Sir Bedivere give it to the Lady of the Lake. That was HER hand that grabbed it, right?”

“It was, and she was among those women who bore me to Avalon. …It WAS she who took the sword and kept it in the lake, so how be it on land again?”

“Another question, why is it next to a glowing tree?” asked Blackarachnia. “…Come to think of it, why IS there a glowing tree? …Unless…!” Optimus and Blackarachnia came to the same conclusion.

“MERLIN’S PRISON!” they exclaimed together.

“I don’t get it,” remarked Sonic.

“In many versions of Arthur’s legends,” explained Optimus, “the Lady of the Lake, Nimue, had fallen madly in love with him, but he didn’t reciprocate. So, she wove a spell on him that imprisoned him inside a tree. If that tree is glowing, it must be charged with raw magical energy.”

“Magical energy that Merlin must be manipulating from inside!” continued Blackarachnia.

“Thus bringing Excalibur out of the lake and onto dry land!” realized Arthur. “My friends, we MUST free Merlin!”

“You’re right about that!” agreed Optimus. “Time to pour on the speed!”

“Wait, this vehicle flies faaaaaAAAHH!” The ship then rocketed towards Shadow’s position.

---

Back in Station Square, Tails was taking Cosmo out on a date. Cosmo always wanted to see the people and culture and now, she was at a size to do so. They were sitting at a café and enjoying a nice lunch. “You know,” sighed the Seedrian, “in all my years, I’ve never experienced life like this. To see everyone so happy, so full of energy, it’s staggering!”

“Well, seeing a primordial evil defeated after it ruled over a planet,” mused Tails, “WILL make a person optimistic.”

“You’re right about that. And on such a sunny day, THIS is life!” Cosmo’s jewel then flashed. “…What in…?” she muttered. “Can’t this wait?!”

“What is it?”

“A transmission from Greengate. It might have something to do with the Metarex’s absence from this planet after Unicron.” She took the jewel off and opened it to reveal a holographic projector. It displayed a scene of many Seedrians in an amphitheater with the Metarex Five in the center. They then took their helmets and part of their torsos off, revealing the internal Seedrians inside. Dark Oak then spoke. What he said threw Cosmo off entirely.

“I am Lucas, formerly of Greengate,” he announced. “With me are my fellow founders of a radical group that resisted change, thus alienating ourselves from our families. What we have witnessed has proved we were in the wrong. We were on Mobius when the Transformers’ Dark God, Unicron, rose from the core of the planet and made his intentions plain to destroy this universe. He spouted the same rhetoric as we did, that change is destructive and all living things that change must die. I thought what I was saying was good, but this was repeated by a primordial evil who lived to be evil, nothing more. The five you see here are the Metarex Five, the founders of the flawed Metarex race. We started it and we’re about to finish it. We hereby renounce Metarexism and its offshoots and denounce all those who continue to fight in its name. Our proof is the return of the Planet Eggs we have stolen. There is nothing intrinsically wrong about changing, nothing that lifts unchanging people above others. If anything, our refusal to change has brought us down. We were wrong to assert ourselves. And, to all those who follow us, I personally say this: do not expect guidance, or wisdom, or answers. We have none. We never did. To those Metarex still out there, we give one final order: stand down. Remove your suits, report for genetic repairs so you can regenerate into new bodies as you once did, discard your weapons, tear off your badges, and stand down. The Metarex are over. Our war against change is over. Free yourselves from the shackles of a flawed philosophy and move on.” The Metarex Five then held their hands out and were shackled and led away. The transmission then ended. Cosmo was stunned.

“Never, in all my years…” she muttered.

“In the short time I knew him,” agreed Tails, “I never would have thought this would happen from Dark Oak.”

“Lucas. …His name is Lucas. It looks like he’s trying to cast off Dark Oak.”

“…Do you think Megatron could do the same?”

“We’d need to find him first before we get that answer. …Oh well, enough of that! We’ve got some more exploration to do!”

“I know of a great park to rest in after this!” The two then continued their meal.

Panting, groaning, and wounded, the Autobots and their allies were in their base, trying to grasp what happened. “What IS this?!” protested Prowl. “The Decepticons are striking at points of now strategic value and doing nothing but waiting for us before SHOOTING at us! There was nothing of value there! Pit, even that recent skirmish in Chun-nan is nothing more than an Energon drain, since we found that the amulet they were after was nothing more than something to sell to tourists! Primus, I’m spinning my wheels here!”

“Well, stressing over it,” replied Goldbug Magnus, “isn’t going to help. All we can do right now is to stop the Decepticons where we can.”

“With how much we’ve been gobbling up Energon,” retorted Prowl, “I don’t know if we CAN sustain it! Ratchet’s running low as it is and he shouldn’t have to patch us every single day!”

“I hate to sound callous, but it IS part of the job. In any event, there’s not much else we can do. …Hey, on a slightly related note, where’s Optimus?”

“…I thought you knew. I was gonna ask you.”

“If he’s gone charging off alone again…Teletraan, where’s Optimus?!”

“He and Blackarachnia are currently in the old English countryside,” reported Teletraan. “He mentioned that they’re fighting a blast from the past, but the call cut out before he could explain who it was. He’s still alive, from what I can detect.”

“Send a Sky Spy to his position,” ordered Goldbug. “We need to know how many we’re facing, or even WHO we’re facing.”

“There’s also the matter of Cliffjumper not here.”

“Oh, that? He’s investigating an incident in Shamar. Oil’s being drained from their reserves.”

“They don’t suspect us, do they?”

“No, they don’t. They think it’s a Decepticon, but they want us to confirm it. So, I sent Cliffjumper to help them out in any way they can. If he gets overwhelmed, he’s comes back, and we send backup.”

“Very well.”

---

Shamar, once known as the Middle East, still as enchanting as its legends say. Cliffjumper always wanted to check it out and this mission was the perfect opportunity. A Male Mobian White Oryx and a few G.U.N soldiers approached him as he parked at the President’s Mansion. “I never thought I’d see a Transformer face-to-face!” chuckled the Oryx. “I’m Naaman Abdallah, President of Shamar.”

“I’m Cliffjumper,” returned the bot. “It’s a pleasure to help in any way I can.”

“Let’s talk inside,” invited Naaman. He led Cliffjumper’s holo-form through the Mansion into the War Room. Naaman’s staff was waiting for them. “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Autobot representative, Cliffjumper,” he introduced before sitting in his seat. Cliffjumper sat between a female Sand Cat and a male human. “Now, as I’ve mentioned last night,” continued Naaman, “I invited our Autobot friend to confirm our thoughts on this being a Decepticon raid on our oil reserves. Mr. Cliffjumper, many of us are still confused by your faction symbols, even going so far as to mistake Thundercracker for an Autobot at one point when Unicron ruled Mobius.”

“Let me show you my faction’s symbol first,” began Cliffjumper. He rolled up his sleeve and showed off the Autobot symbol tattooed on his shoulder. “This is what bots on my side show off and we’ve got blue optic lenses. The Decepticons wear this symbol,” the tattoo became the Decepticon logo for the duration of the rest of his explanation,” and their optics are redder than my paint-job.” The symbol returned to the Autobot one.

“Well, that confirms it,” declared the human male. “The Decepticons are raiding our oil reserves. Fuel, possibly?”

“I mean, oil CAN be converted into Energon cubes, but it’s a very bitter taste for us. We only convert other fuels into Energon as a last resort and this planet is saturated in natural Energon crystal, so much so, it’s too much of a good thing for us.”

“So they shouldn’t even be so desperate,” surmised Naaman.

“That’s not stopping them from taking it,” grumbled the female sand cat as she looked on her tablet. “I just got a call that the Decepticons stole 630,000 gallons of oil an hour ago.”

“That’s 15,000 barrels!” exclaimed the human.

“Were they seen converting it into Energon cubes?” asked Cliffjumper.

“That’s the glowing pink beverage you lot consume, right?” asked the sand cat.

“Yep.”

“Then, yeah, they were seen doing just that. Just to put this in perspective, one thousand barrels of oil makes one tiny cube!”

“So, this team of Decepticons just stole fifteen cubes in the past hour,” summarized President Naaman.

“Rest assured,” promised Cliffjumper, “I won’t let them take one more quart of oil in ANY second in time.”

“We appreciate that. We’re using Chaos Fusion Drive power like the rest of the world, but it would be nice to have a back-up power source.”

---

Over in the desert, the Decepticons that stole the oil were meeting with a person and their aid. The leader of the Decepticon team was a heavily-built femme with the alt-mode kibble of a mining drill, the second was a mech with a twin-rotor helicopter alt-mode, the third was a jet with the nosecone as his feet, the fourth was a mech that had motorcycle kibble, and the last was a tank with the barrel above his right shoulder. “With all due respect, sir,” began the jet-mech, “it was the Shamaran Military that brought Autobot attention, and yet, you summon us!”

“I would lower my voice, if I were you!” warned the person’s aid. The jet-mech continued.

“First, you gave us a useless ring!”

“That ring holds more power than you realize!”

“Then you tell us to scavenge for our own fuel!”

“You have the equipment!”

“And then you tell us to search for more useless rings!”

“The Seven World Rings are meant for our use! Stop speaking for your boss as she was the one who organized this meeting with nothing to show for it!”

“She is in the middle of deciding whether or not it’s worth the effort for her to speak to you directly, Erazor!”

“YOU ARE THE ONES NOT WORTH THE EFFORT FOR MY MASTER TO ADDRESS DIRECTLY!” The jet-mech then squashed the aid. As he wiped his heel, the motorcycle-mech took his turn.

“We only ask that you take this matter seriously,” he explained. The person then flicked their hand and the mechs were flung into the wall. The femme looked directly at the person as they lowered their cloak to reveal a muscular man with light purple skin, a cardinal red beard and ponytail curving upwards, pointed ears, and black eyes with red rings. He wore a brown cape, gold armbands, brown and white baggy pants held up by a brown and gold belt, and brown, curly toed boots.

“The only matter I do not take seriously, madam,” he snarled, “is you! The politics of the Transformers BORE me! You side with a human with a demeanor equivalent to that of a pouty child and, apparently, you do not understand what the Seven World Rings can do or why you were tasked by that man to go after them. Tell this Eggman that I shall honor our agreement if you bring me the Rings. But return to me empty-handed again, and I shall bathe the deserts in your innermost Energon! So decrees the Erazor Djinn!” He then faded in mist. The mechs picked themselves up.

“…I hate him!” grunted the tank-mech.

It has been a year since the defeat of Unicron and his Terrorcons. After he was banished, Gaia had taken over as the guardian of light and dark for Mobius. Though, it didn’t mean peace was coming. Eggman was biding his time…until now. A pair of Autobots were now fighting his forces in Spagonia. “WHY DID EGGMAN DREDGE THESE UP AGAIN?!” shouted Optimus as he and his wife fired on the enemy.

“I think a better question is WHY AREN’T THEY DYING AS FAST?!” retorted Blackarachnia. “You know, it’s times like this I wish I still had the Apex Armor!”

“It’s still in the Vaults, Legs! You know this!” Just then, a trio of jets arrived. They were bulky, but still able to fly. They then transformed into robotic copies of Eggman. These were the Eggacons, drones forged to look and act like Eggman.

“Oh, it’s been too long since we had this kind of fun!” laughed one of the Eggacons.

“And looky who we have here!” laughed another. “I believe Blackarachnia took down a few of us when she was alone!”

“My congratulations to the Bride!” giggled the last.

“I’ve already gone the whole nine yards here,” remarked Blackarachnia. “I’m Optimus’ wife now!”

“This way!” called Optimus as more Eggacons arrived. These had tank alt-modes. Optimus and Blackarachnia then ducked into a cave large enough for their robot modes to stand up straight and sealed the entrance by blasting the roof. They took a minute to catch their breath.

“…You know, in hindsight,” panted Blackarachnia, “we should have them in and ducked outside before sealing the cave.”

“It was a heat-of-the-moment decision,” replied Optimus.

“HEY!” called a voice. “OVER HERE!”

“That’s Sonic!” realized Blackarachnia. Sonic then met up with the two Autobots.

“Guys, what’s going on?!” asked Sonic. “I was doing some exploring here and then I heard blaster fire!”

“That’s thanks to the Eggacons Eggman sent here,” explained Optimus.

“Eggacons?! The Eggman Transformers?!”

“The same.”

“Sonic, how far back does this cave go?” asked Blackarachnia.

“Pretty far back. It ends in some sort of tomb.”

“Let’s hole up there, then we fight our way out,” declared Optimus. “Lead the way.” Sonic led the two bots through the cave and to the tomb. It was a rather spacious one and had a single stone coffin in the center.

“You know, if circumstances were different, we’d have a team of archaeologists here,” mused Blackarachnia. She knelt by the coffin and examined it. It had writing along the side in latin. “…‘Hic jacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus’. He he, It almost sounds like…wait a cycle. Rex is king…futurus is future…and Arthurus is…holy scrap! BOYS! GET OVER HERE!”

“Can it wait?! We’re making a barrier here!” replied Optimus.

“Come on! Now!” Optimus and Sonic then paused their labors and joined Blackarachnia as she pointed out the inscription.

“…Okay, and?” asked Sonic.

“Come on, don’t you know your latin?!” protested Blackarachnia. “Hic jacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus!”

“Okay, so some of it sounds like an Arthur fellow that was a…no fragging way!” realized Optimus.

“Translated, it reads ‘Here lies Arthur. The once and future king.’! Boys, this is King Arthur’s tomb!”

“But…but he’s just a story, right?!” Just then, they heard stone being dragged across stone. They then saw the coffin lid moving.

“Getting Unicron flashbacks here!” gulped Sonic. Optimus and Blackarachnia leveled their weapons at the coffin as Sonic prepared for a spin dash. What came out…wasn’t a zombie at all. It looked like Sonic in royal garb and with a beard! The new Hedgehog looked groggy, then stared blearily at the group.

“How…how long?” groaned the Hedgehog. “How many nights hath slept Arthur Pendragon, son of Uther Pendragon, King of Briton and Lord of the Holy Roman Empire?”

“…You know, I kinda expected a human,” muttered Blackarachnia. The supposed ‘King Arthur’ then looked around.

“This place…it be not Avalon,” he muttered. “What place be this and…and what manner of creatures be ye? Metal men and a…a blue Sprite?”

“Sprite?!” protested Sonic. “Dude, have you looked at yourself lately?!” The mystery Hedgehog then looked down and his eyes widened.

“By the Lord!” he swore. “What manner of witchcraft be this?!”

“I’m as stumped as…” Optimus’ reply was interrupted by the barricade being blown apart. “Ah, SCRAP! INCOMING!” The Eggacons burst in, and the fight began. The Mystery Hedgehog looked on and was amazed.

“Two factions of metal men?! …A woman among them, unless mine eyes be…is that creature…it IS! It hath curled like unto a hedgehog and then it propelled itself…what world be this?! …I hath narrated to myself long enough!” The Mystery Hedgehog then leapt onto the head of a nearby Eggacon. The Eggacon tried to throw him off but couldn’t do so.

“ARTHUR, GET OFF!” warned Optimus. The Mystery Hedgehog then leapt off and Optimus shot it through the head. It fell dead as Blackarachnia and Sonic tore through the remaining two. Everyone then panted and sat down to recover. “Impressive, Arthur,” praised Optimus.

“…You know not who I am?” asked the Mystery Hedgehog.

“I’ve read about the Arthurian Legends, but he was a man when he ruled England.”

“Optimus, isn’t there a way to check if it really IS King Arthur?” asked Sonic. “You know, the one it’s supposed to be instead of the one I met?”

“…The one you met?” asked the Mystery Hedgehog.

“Why don’t we have a little confirmation of your identity?” suggested Optimus. He transformed, activated his holo-form, and held a hand over the Hedgehog’s head. “Mens revelare.” Optimus and the Hedgehog were bathed in a yellow light for a few seconds before Optimus pulled his hand back in surprise. “It IS King Arthur! Holy Scrap, you’re real!”

“Did…didst thou read mine mind?!” yelped King Arthur. “Was that…magic?!

“I did, and it was. Even us machines can be wizards and witches. You know, I think we have you at a disadvantage. I’m Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots of the planet Cybertron. This is my wife, Blackarachnia.”

“Hello, Your Majesty,” greeted Blackarachnia.

“And this is Sonic.”

“Hey, how’s it going?” welcomed Sonic.

“It…it goes…how is WHAT going?” asked Arthur.

“Okay, I think we better get him up to speed,” suggested Blackarachnia. “I mean, he DID sleep for a long time and it’s 4024.”

“4024? That be the current year of Our Lord?” inquired Arthur.

“That’s right.”

“By Heaven, I slept for longer than I thought. …But it hath served its purpose, for the wound given to me has healed.”

“The wound that Mordred gave you in the Battle of Camlann?” asked Optimus.

“Thou know’st mine final fight?!”

“Your legends are quite popular on my planet.”

“Then Merlin hath underestimated how far men would know of me! From beyond this little sphere! I dared not imagine!” King Arthur was smiling from ear to ear.

“Er, Your Majesty, I hate to interrupt,” interjected Blackarachnia, “but we can’t stay her forever.”

“The lady speaks truth,” agreed Arthur.

“As she always does,” chuckled Optimus.

“Flatterer,” giggled Blackarachnia. They then kissed.

“…Be they lovers?” Arthur asked Sonic.

“More than that,” came the reply. “They’re married.”

“Ah.” King Arthur smiled happily. The two bots then stood up.

“Come on, we better get out,” declared Optimus. The group then made their way to the tomb’s exit.