Tag: sonic

Over in the Royana Castle in Largandra, there was a crowd of media people gathering in front of a stage. An unusual event was held as the heirs to the thrones (Geltar, Farmee, and Yufantel) were holding a press conference before their coronation. While a bit unheard of, it wasn’t unwelcome. The press people were giving all sorts of theories until Farmee took the central podium and magic avatars of Geltar in the Over-realm and Yufantel in the Under-realm appeared behind the podiums to either side of him. The three of them raised their hands for quiet from the audience. “Lords and ladies from the original Three Realms to the New Realms, my sisters and I will agree,” began Farmee, “that it IS unusual for the heirs of the thrones to make an address to the people before their coronation.”

“However,” continued Geltar, “that is because we believe you all have the right to know about our plans for when we do take the thrones.”

“As many of you are aware,” Yufantel went on, “we went on a journey that took us and our parents beyond the Realms, through other universes!”

“A few stops were familiar to our parents, and they reconnected with old friends,” said Farmee. “And those old friends have also stepped down, either through unfortunate death or through simple announcement.”

“We made friends with the new rulers and we all came up with an idea that the three of us believe,” Geltar indicated her siblings and herself, “will make our universes better.”

“The Cybertronians,” continued Yufantel, “have Space Bridge technology that can open portals between two points in space. We have the Realmgates. …The technology to make Gateways that can open rifts between universes is there already for both universes!”

“You heard us correctly!” cheered Farmee. “We’re planning on making Gateways for us to visit other universes! Now, we will admit that traveling between universes is not for the timid. …I’m confident in saying that ‘timid’ is not a word used to describe any denizen of the Realms.”

“Now, we DO need to seek counsel on this,” said Geltar, “but we believe we can at least start this project after our coronation.”

“And our first universes we’re connecting with are ones we know are in a state of peace,” assured Yufantel. “We need to make negotiations as easy as possible for this endeavor after all.”

“We’ll tell everyone how everything goes, but we hold high hopes for this particular project,” said Farmee. “Now, any questions? You, with your hand up in the third row.”

“Your highnesses,” asked the reporter, “are you suggesting immigration at this stage of the game?”

“No, not yet,” replied Geltar. “We’re suggesting visitors and trade.”

“One of our allied universes,” explained Yufantel, “has real life Change-a-trons. Our media mentions that they’re the size of our giants, some getting higher.”

“So we need to work on accommodating them in visitor terms first, THEN we start thinking about immigration,” said Farmee.

“Now, that readiness might not come during our rule or our heirs’ rule, but we believe we can lay out the groundwork for that long-term goal,” continued Geltar.

“And we will have help in constructing these new gateways,” said Yufantel.

---

Solara Prime and Silver made a similar announcement on their planets in their universe. Daniel had a few words with them after that. “Guys, are you sure we’re ready for that?” he asked.

“Positive,” replied Silver. “And we’re starting with universes we KNOW are friendly to ours.”

“Besides, we’re starting to reach a period of stagnation,” said Solara. “This project will help us stay innovative.”

“Well, that WILL be a mercy,” conceded Daniel. “…What about that offer made to Optimus?”

“About him being resurrected? They’re not all that hopeful,” sighed Solara.

---

Megumi, Optimus, and Blackarachnia waited outside a building. “You think they WILL resurrect you?” Megumi asked Optimus.

“I frankly doubt it,” sighed Optimus. “I mean, Solara IS currently running Cybertron.” Life and Death came out looking downcast.

“They said no?” guessed Blackarachnia.

“Sorry, Blackarachnia,” sighed Death.

“It’s all right, I kind of expected it.”

“That doesn’t mean Optimus can’t visit you,” assured Life. “But the visits to the more mortal universes will be for moments at a time.”

“Still…” sighed Blackarachnia. “…Promise me that he’ll be happy here.”

“You have our word,” promised Death.

---

After a few days, everyone was giving their goodbyes. Batman and his family departed for Gotham, then Gandalf returned to the Undying Lands, Wyldstyle then headed back to her home with Emmet, then Hongo returned to Japan. Arsha and her compatriots waited until the gateway was tuned to the Realms. “Hey, Arsha,” called Megumi, “did you ever learn what happened to Dr. Borg after she abandoned us?”

“As a matter of fact, I found out through Death,” replied Arsha. “She and her spouses are currently ruling an outer universe as gods in flesh and she and Remsu are pregnant with Shefarn and Tensam’s kids.”

“…Huh. …Well, congratulations to them both. May their pregnancies be smooth.”

“And may your future be filled with happiness, old friend,” said Arsha as she brought Megumi into a hug.

“Yours too,” returned Megumi as she reciprocated the hug. The two Queens hugged each other for a while, then Arsha pulled back.

“Arsha to Endeavor,” she said through her comms, “let’s go home.” Everyone was teleported to the Endeavor and Glanthelantir, then the two ships flew into a ship-sized rift. All that were left were the Transformers and their organic allies.

“Kong,” called Optimus, “before you go, why DO you not like being called Optimus Primal?”

“Because I want my accomplishments to be my own, Prime,” replied Kong. “I know how much my head looks like yours, but Prowl and Bluestreak have the same head sculpt, right?”

“I see your point, Kong.” Optimus looked to Solara. “Prime, the heroes of Cybertron as well as the citizens they gathered have helped you a lot.”

“I WILL be returning the favor like Galvatron is doing,” promised Solara. “We’ve commissioned a monument to those that fell during the crisis and getting all the facts of their lives so their stories can be told.” Optimus smiled at that.

“Making sure their lives have meaning,” he said. “That’s the highest honor anyone can get.”

“Optimus,” interjected Blackarachnia, “don’t you forget about us.”

“I ask the same of you,” replied Optimus, “but don’t be weighed down by my memory, okay?”

“I won’t,” promised Blackarachnia. She then hugged and kissed Optimus. It took a while before they finally separated and Blackarachnia rejoined her people.

“Goodbye, Daddy,” called Sky Runner.

“Stay safe here,” said Firestorm.

“You girls too,” replied Optimus. “That goes for all of you.”

“Megatron, before you go,” called Richard. Megatron looked down. “…Megatron, I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I need to open with this. I can’t forgive or forget the actions you and the Decepticons took when we first met on Mobius…but I CAN forgive the individual Decepticons…and their leader.”

“…You forgive the people, but not the actions those people took?” asked Megatron.

“That’s the idea. …And Megatron…I’m sorry for being so unfair throughout this entire adventure to you and the Decepticons.”

“You changed, Mr. Saunders. You HAVE been fair to us during this adventure. Making friends with Thundercracker was proof enough. …But I do accept your apology. And I must apologize for using your wife like that when we first met.” Richard smiled.

“…I accept,” he replied. With that, everyone from Megatron’s universe (sans Optimus) gathered around.

“Solara to all ships,” called Solara, “we’re ready to return.” Everyone was beamed up to their ships and entered the rift. With that, everyone was back home.

“…That’s twice we met during a crisis,” muttered Optimus.

“Well, our kids have the right idea in planning the Gateway Construction Program,” replied Megumi. “…I think they said they got the idea from when you guys just wanted to idly visit the Realms and us.”

“A great moment in time to draw inspiration from.”

“Well, let’s make some more peaceful moments. Want a good look around?” At that suggestion, Optimus transformed to vehicle mode and activated his holo-form.

“I drive, you point,” he said. Megumi hopped in.

“Welcome to Beyond City, Optimus Prime!” called Richard as Optimus rolled away.

The next day, Richard was invited to go for a ride in the Batmobile. He accepted and left his wife and girls to their own devices. “So,” said Megumi to her girls, “what do you want to do today?”

“Honestly, Okaa-san,” sighed Kaitlyn, “I just wanna do nothing today.”

“Hear, hear,” agreed Kaede.

“…Well, we’ve been rushing around a lot lately,” conceded Megumi. “…But there IS a bit of news your father and I discussed.”

“Oh?” asked Kaitlyn.

“First off, your father and I will be graduating next month and believe it will do your sanity some good if you two do the same sometime soon, but that’s entirely your call.”

“Congratulations, Okaa-san!” said Kaede.

“Second, I’ve been thinking about the future for me…and I believe it’s time for me to step down as head of the F.N.S. I’ve spoken with everyone in it and, Kaitlyn, after yesterday…I can safely say you will be my successor.”

“ME?!” yelped Kaitlyn.

“You have the necessary strength, compassion, and intelligence to rule,” replied Megumi. “What do you say?”

“W-Well, I always thought Kaede-!”

“I’m more like Batman in that regard,” replied Kaede. “I don’t really NEED to lead, nor do I want to.”

“…Okaa-san, are you and Dad really sure?” asked Kaitlyn.

“Beyond the shadow of a doubt,” assured Megumi. Kaitlyn thought for a bit, then smiled.

“I accept.”

“We’re all proud of you, Miss Kaitlyn,” said Lisa as everyone hugged her.

---

“You think Kaitlyn will accept?” Batman asked Richard as the Batmobile continued on its way.

“I know she will,” replied Richard. “She’s got the skills needed to lead. What about you? Any plans for passing on the cowl?”

“You weren’t there for that conversation, but Persephone’s going to inherit the mantle.”

“Really? She’s gonna be BatMAN?”

“We already designed a suit for her that will mask her feminine features, even a voice modulator.”

“Wow, you really DO think of everything. …Now if you’d learn how to cook-!”

“We’re here.” The Batmobile DID stop at the Beyond City Police Department’s lockup, but Batman also said that to avoid a conversation on his crap cooking skills. The two men left the Batmobile, went inside, were subjected to security procedures, then escorted to Katie Barker’s cell. She fell a long way from the glamorous appearance she had during the crisis. Now she had a prison uniform, no makeup on her face, and her hair was in a loose ponytail.

“You’re gonna be in here for a long time, Katie,” said Richard. “All that proselytizing about God making you Barkers into the supreme beings, look where that led you.”

“Richard, I long accepted that there is NO God out there,” replied Katie. “If there were, He would have let me take his place, kept my wife alive, and there’d be a new multiverse for me to rule! Poverty would be a thing of the past! Travel would be granted to ALL universes!”

“People would live in terror of you. There’d be resistance cells against you lot. Trust me, I’ve seen universes where people went against their god and succeeded.”

“That wouldn’t have happened if we were in charge! And, rest assured, when the time comes, these bars will dissolve like the wax of a candle and I WILL be free!”

“If I were in your position, I’d pray,” remarked Batman.

“Oh, I will!” hissed Katie. “I’ll pray for everyone! For every Lost Child in New York, Sodor, Adrexia, and especially Gotham! I’ll pray for you, even! I’ll do one special, just for you!”

“I’ve heard enough, you’re unrepentant,” said Richard.

“I haven’t exactly sinned,” replied Katie.

“And that’s why I’m pushing for your psychiatric treatment instead of execution.”

“…You’re locking me in an asylum?! Which one?! Arkham?!”

“Nothing so porous in terms of security. You’ll see.”

“I’M NOT GOING TO LIVE AMONG FREAKS LIKE THEM! I’M NOT CRAZY!” By then, Richard turned away with Batman following them.

“…Did the judge really say no to Arkham?” asked Batman.

“Bats, you once told Megumi during the Vortech Wars that you’re surprised the inmates of Arkham don’t use a sign-in sheet for when they get out,” replied Richard. “I’m siding with the judge on that one.”

“…That was when we fought the Riddler in Minas Tirith,” recalled Batman. “How did you learn about it?”

“Megumi told me later in our marriage.”

“…Makes sense. Now, there IS something we need to discuss, not as superheroes,” Batman then took off the cowl to reveal Bruce Wayne, “but as entrepreneurs,” he finished, dropping the Bat-voice.

“…Mr. Wayne?” asked Richard.

“Your idea for an electric minivan has merit,” explained Bruce. “What say WayneTech helps you refine it? Add it to our list of electric vehicles in production?”

“…How much will you sell it for and how much of a cut of the profits should I expect?” asked Richard.

“That’s what we need to discuss,” said Bruce. Richard stroked his chin in thought.

“…Not here. A little gauche to talk numbers outside my best friend and nephew’s place of work. Let’s head home.”

---

What about Hiro and his family? They escaped to a fallback universe once established by Shocker Rift. There was only one remnant of that organization left and they established a small fortress there. Imagine their surprise when Adachi Hiro himself returned with his wife and their daughter having been born already! The Combatmen and loyal Cybermen assembled at a stage with Hiro at the podium. “My loyal followers,” he began, “I cannot begin to express the gratitude I feel about your loyalty. Now, you’re all eager to see me show you how it’s done, from what I’ve heard. However…our enemies know our tricks, MY tricks. …It’s time for this old dog to step aside. And, in my place, my daughter, Adachi Hana, born when Igura and I were unjustly rotting in Hell, shall lead us.” The audience applauded politely as Hana took the stage.

“My friends,” she began, “my father told me that he lost sight of our long-term goal of control over the multiverse.” The crowd didn’t argue, she was right. “You all have heard of our supposed rival, Shocker Umbra. You all became general nuisances in their buttocks. …Here’s where you finally get some good news. Your sacrifices paid off! Because, as of now, Metaltron is the only survivor of that group and she’s mortal again!” The crowd whispered amongst themselves in astonishment. “Granted, she has a man named Intrag and an evil version of Miles ‘Tails’ Prower known as Nemesis Prime, but they’re just as mortal…and unlike us, they have no remnants! They committed all their forces to a major battle on Foundation Prime and lost it horribly! Whereas we…we were smarter than that. We kept remnants in reserve! We kept up an economy for our eventual return to power! We accomplished the short-term goal of staying alive…now let’s think a little more long-term! We need to start recruiting more soldiers, infiltrating the local government, and constructing more weapons! We have the means to build up our army, Metaltron and her flunkies are starting completely from scratch! We must build on that advantage and defeat her quickly! Once that’s done, we turn our attention to the rest of the outer universes! And once they’re completely under our sway, we turn our attention to the inner universes and destroy all who stand in our way! Even the heroes that defeated us in the past will not withstand that kind of onslaught! We’ll be more than just a nuisance! The single pistol will become a fleet of warships! The scant few silver studs you all have in your pockets will turn into a multitude of purple! Shocker Rift Gundan BANZAI!” (Long live the Shocker Rift Army!)

“SHOCKER RIFT GUNDAN BANZAI!” cheered the audience. Hiro and Igura smiled, proud of their daughter for taking over so beautifully.

Our heroes exited multiple rifts that deposited them right outside After Academy. They picked each other up once the rifts closed. “…Did…did we do it?” asked Arsha through Vortex: Trinity Soul. Death used her smartwatch to call Vorton.

“Brigadier, this is Death,” she said. “Requesting immediate status update on Foundation Prime.”

“Checking now,” replied the Brigadier. “…Victory confirmed! Foundation Prime is locked away from the entire multiverse and the Sources, Prizes, and Tome are inside! No life signs within Foundation Prime!”

“We can account for one of the villains,” said Tom as he hauled a bedraggled Katie Barker to her feet. Her hair was loose and unkempt with her adornment hanging loose, her dress was torn and tattered, and her makeup had washed off from the sweat and tears.

“Let me see if anyone else survived,” said Death as she cancelled her transformation and checked her smartwatch. “…Well, it looks like Metaltron, Intrag, Nemesis Prime, and the Dalek Supreme survived as well, but Shocker Umbra’s scattered to the point that they’re all manageable factions now.”

“And Khan?” asked Vortex: Trinity Soul.

“He fell into the Sea of Reality,” replied Death. “He’s nothing more than an ugly thought now, and his initial soul…is in Hell.”

“Then there’s one loose end to deal with now,” said Vortex: Trinity Soul. “The energy wave affected me. …I can’t keep Megumi, Optimus, and Arsha for long.”

“Hold on a minute,” said Optimus through her, “what’s that supposed to mean?”

“ANANSI!” bellowed an angry voice before Vortex: Trinity Soul could answer. A rift opened and an African man in regal Akan clothing stepped out. He looked ANGRY! Anansi trembled.

“N-N-Nyame!” stammered the spider man. “W-W-What a su-!” The man, Nyame, the Sky Deity and Ruler of the Akan Gods, grabbed Anansi by the shirt and pulled him close so that they were nose to nose.

“When I said to leave the tricks for immortals like us, what did you hear?” he hissed.

“…To leave the tricks for immortals like us!” squeaked Anansi.

“SO WHY DID YOU DISOBEY ME AND DRAG MORTALS INTO THIS MESS?!” roared Nyame as he shook Anansi.

“Lord Nyame!” called Death. “Before you justly punish him-!”

“Speak, Death!” snarled Nyame.

“Anansi’s methods left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, there is no argument on that. But please consider this: the Tome is now safely locked away from everyone in the multiverse.”

“…Explain,” said Nyame, doubtful of what Death said.

“The plan was to use the energies the Author was going to abuse to lock Foundation Prime away. It needed raw, magical energy to help guide the energies into that position. And the best way to do that was to fire the magic energy at the Sources. The new Prime and her companions succeeded. The only way to unlock Foundation Prime is to use the Sources.”

“…But the Sources are locked within Foundation Prime, alongside the Prizes and the Tome,” said Nyame. He then realized the plan. “…Just like a mortal accidentally locks their keys in their car!”

“Only this time,” continued Death, “it was on purpose. Like I said, crude though his methods were, Anansi did the entire multiverse a favor by locking the Tome away from anyone to get.”

“…He still disobeyed me,” said Nyame, “…but I cannot punish him so bad. ANANSI!”

“Y-Yes, Lord Nyame?!” gulped Anansi.

“As you did the multiverse a favor in the long run, I will not sentence you to the Void. However, you are forbidden from travelling the multiverse for one thousand multiversal standard years! Return to our universe at once!” Nyame opened a rift for Anansi.

“…Y-Yes, Lord Nyame,” replied Anansi, grateful for that little bit of mercy. He entered the rift. Nyame then looked at Vortex: Trinity Soul.

“…You fought Khan, yes?” he asked.

“Yes, Lord Nyame,” replied Vortex: Trinity Soul.

“For a hero to be split and contained within three…you deserve a reward. I can sense the energy within you. You wish to be your own person.”

“…Yes, Lord Nyame.”

“Then it shall be so.” Nyame put his thumb to her forehead and a light surrounded her. A huge rectangle of light then appeared and Optimus, Kamen Rider Vortex, and Arsha tumbled out of the rectangle.

“What the?!” spluttered Vortex.

“On this day, let it be known that Vortex: Trinity Soul is her own person!” proclaimed Nyame. “Her new body takes the best of the heroes that once made up her being and she shall choose her own path!”

“Lord Nyame, that was the best reward you could give her!” praised Optimus.

“I have to agree,” confirmed Arsha. “There’s no greater gift then living your own life.”

“…Lord Nyame, I am honored,” said Vortex: Trinity Soul as she bowed. Nyame smiled warmly.

“Well, it was fun seeing you all,” he said, “but I must go. Gotta make sure Anansi’s missus doesn’t make him as dead as history again.” He opened a rift and went through it. It closed behind him and everyone powered down. …Well, except for Vortex: Trinity Soul.

“You know what, you need a name,” said Megumi.

“…How about Vortrina?” asked Vortex: Trinity Soul.

“It’s your name, you decide,” replied Arsha.

“…Yes, I can work with that! Vortrina, it is! …Now…a wardrobe and a home.” Megumi realized what Vortex: Trinity Soul was talking about.

“Let my mother fix you up with a wardrobe,” she said. “This way!”

“You go on ahead,” said Tom as he held onto Katie. “I’m taking this creep to lockup.”

“Need a lift?” offered Batman.

“…Well, if you’re offering,” accepted Tom. Batman put bat-themed handcuffs on Katie once her hands were behind her back, then pressed a button on his gauntlet. The Batmobile appeared and Tom pushed Katie into it before taking the shotgun seat as Batman took the wheel. The Batmobile then sped off!

“Luckiest cop, he is,” muttered Sam.

---

What was happening with Metaltron and her fellow survivors? Well, they managed to escape to a small universe. “…You know,” hissed Intrag, “I really have to hand it to you, Metaltron. Betraying Khan like that was the worst idea ever!”

“Oh, please!” scoffed Metaltron. “As if YOU could come up with a better idea for our future!”

“I would have, at least, waited until we claimed our prizes before going along with no plan!”

“I HAD a plan!” argued Metaltron. “It just…i-it just…”

“It just what?!”

“It got lost!”

“Oh, it got lost, did it?!”

“Yes, Intrag! It got lost!”

“You’re an idiot, Metaltron!”

“Shut up, Intrag! I only wanted what was our due!”

“Yeah, and look where that-!”

“SIR! MADAM!” called Nemesis Prime. The argument stopped. “…Perhaps Intrag was right and we DID act too rashly, but tell me, would we really have our godhood as promised? Metaltron was right in betraying Khan. …Besides, we all know where it failed when it really mattered.” Nemesis looked directly at the Dalek Supreme.

“…Nemesis is correct,” agreed Intrag. “The actions our enemies’ children have taken caused considerable disruption of our operations!”

“This was a matter beyond my control!” replied the Dalek Supreme.

“Your orders were to crush anyone who got too close to the core!” snarled Nemesis.

“It was not possible!” begged the Dalek Supreme. “We did not have proper countermeasures for them!”

“THE RESPONSIBILITY WAS YOURS!” shouted Metaltron. “YOU HAVE FAILED! I DO NOT ACCEPT FAILURE!” She fired her gun at the Dalek Supreme, destroying the casing and killing the creature inside. Once it was confirmed dead, Metaltron sighed. “…Nemesis, Intrag, the time for recriminations IS past. It’s time to look for new ways to build a new empire and regain our immortality.”

“Agreed,” said Intrag.

“I may not have my transforming suit anymore,” remarked Nemesis, “but I DO have my sensors. And they’re telling me that there’s a civilization nearby that uses magic and science…on a primitive level. Better news…this entire universe is beyond our enemy’s reach!” The three then smiled.

“Time to take control!” declared Metaltron, a plan of rebuilding forming in her mind!

The fight raged on, cries of “EXTERMINATE” and swords clashing and guns firing filled the air with neither side backing down. The more mortal of each side were being careful with their lives, though. Vortex: Trinity Soul then looked back as Optimus took over. “HEY! SOLARA!” he called. “OPEN MY TRAILER!” Solara, dodging weapons fire and squishing a few Daleks, made her way to the trailer and opened it. Inside it was a sword, a shield, and a gun. Specifically, they were the Star Saber, the Skyboom Shield, and the Requiem Blaster!

“Ooh! My Forge Day came early!” she said. “Firestorm! Galvatron! Come over here!” Firestorm and Galvatron made their way to her position and goggled.

“He’s even installed the Matrix Connectors in them!” revealed Galvatron. “Look!” Inside each slot in the weapons was an emblem of the Matrix.

“Well, what are we waiting for?!” asked Firestorm.

“Solara!” called the Doctor as she made her way to the trailer. “Solara, the main power chamber is downstairs, but it needs a tremendous amount of energy to disrupt it in a fashion that only fires creation energy instead of both it AND destructive energy!” Solara looked at the battle. Right now Vortex: Trinity Soul was still engaged with Weaver.

“…Our parents are busy,” she said. She then saw Geltar, Farmee, and Yufantel fighting alongside Spark. “…But us new kids on the block…yeah, that might work!” Solara then radioed her allies. “Guys, I know everyone is busy, but us new kids on the block have the means to stop Khan’s plan!”

“We do?” asked Spark.

“That’s thanks to Uncle Optimus bringing the most powerful magic weapons in my universe here,” explained Solara. “Moms and Dads, keep our enemies off our backs. You gave us the opening to secure our futures, it’s time we took it!”

“Come back alive, sweetie!” replied Arcee.

“We all will.” Solara ended the call and took the Skyboom Shield while Firestorm took the Requiem Blaster and Galvatron took the Star Saber.

“The Doctor said it was below us, right?” asked Firestorm.

“That’s what I remember her saying,” confirmed Solara.

“That’s all I need to know!” Firestorm pointed the Requiem Blaster at the floor and fired! It created a hole big enough for the new kids to follow through.

“NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, WITH ME!” called Solara. She, Firestorm, Galvatron, Sky Runner, Shade Robotnik, Silver, Daniel, Sandy, Spark, Kamen Rider Shade, Architect, Barbara, Brittney, Dinara, Emma, Fitri, Fordelam, Gabriella, Jason, Katrina, Leemii, Devil, Sora, Sweemar, Tom, Willmef, Farmee, Geltar, Glanthel, Hejema, Torya, and Yufantel all jumped down the hole and encountered Daleks, Lords, and Combatmen.

“INTRUDERS DETECTED!” shouted the Dalek Supreme. “EXTERMINATE THEM! CRUSH ALL RESISTANCE!” The Source emblems on Spark’s armor then glowed.

“…I’d hate to waste a Rider Kick like this, but…” she then pressed the central crystal in her belt.

“Engage!” called the belt. She leapt into the air, dodging laser fire, then aimed her right leg at the Dalek Supreme’s dome.

“RIDER PRIMAL SPARK KICK!” she shouted as she sailed through the air, foot first. She tore through the dome, leaving a mess on top of the neck section. The Dalek Supreme became frantic!

“VISION IMPARED! I CANNOT SEE! ASSIST! ASSIST!” it shrieked. But the energy of the kick’s impact fried its minions. Farmee then tore the gunstick out of its socket. The Dalek Supreme was forced to open its casing. Everyone got a better look at their surroundings. In the center of the room was a massive metal sphere with locks.

“Right, that’s the core of this whole operation,” said Solara. “We need to expose the contents inside to a massive amount of energy.”

“Leave that to us!” called Geltar. She and her siblings then tore the sphere open to reveal the Sources creating an energy sphere within their orbits. The energy sphere surrounded the Tome as the Mirror of Reality was set onto the cover with the Time Amethyst in the center of the Mirror with the Master Wand acting as a clock hand.

“…Right then,” sighed Solara. “Firestorm, Galvatron, let’s form the Hydra Cannon.”

“Solara,” said Firestorm as she extended the Requiem Blaster, “the Hydra Cannon’s a powerful weapon, but even with the Matrix inserted into it, there’s no way we can get the necessary energy the Doctor said we needed.”

“See, the thing is,” replied Solara as she split the Skyboom Shield and folded it over the extended Requiem Blaster, “I’m not just using the Matrix as a power source.”

“Prime?” asked Galvatron as he set the Star Saber on top of the combined weapon. Solara then opened her chest and retrieved the Matrix. She pulled it open and set it into the Star Saber’s hilt.

“All right, everyone,” she called as she unfolded the tripod legs and aimed the cannon at the energy sphere. “Form two lines behind me, grabbing the shoulder of the person in front of you. Transformers first, then the non-Transformer behind them can just touch their leg.” Everyone arched an eyebrow. “…Just do it! I’m taking a page out of Optimus’ book!”

“Which page, exactly?” asked Yufantel.

“…OH!” realized Sky Runner. “Daddy did this with his magic gun against Dark Super Shockwave!” Everyone lined up as Solara said.

“The Hydra Cannon is the most powerful magic weapon in my home universe,” explained Solara. “I’m gonna need the strength of everyone here to pull this off.” As she put her hands on the handle and put her finger on the trigger, she drew energy from everyone, adding their strength and power to the cannon. “We’re all in this together.” A visor then slid over Galvatron’s optics and gave him an energy reading.

“That’s it!” he called. “That’s the energy threshold!”

“Hydra cannon…FIRE!” called Solara. She pulled the trigger and fired a huge stream of energy at the energy sphere.

---

The same instant Solara pulled the trigger, Vortex: Trinity Soul leapt into the air and pressed the button on the Transcendant. “Triple Final Attack!” it announced.

“RIDER TRINITY KICK!” she called. She sailed through the air and struck Weaver in his belt, destroying it. He was forced out of the transformation during the resulting explosion the Rider Kick caused and his form as Khan now looked like a more grotesque hybridization of human and Dalek. His hair was replaced with tentacles and…he had flesh growing over his mouth and left eye, making them almost vestigial. That was when the ground rumbled.

“DANGER! DANGER!” warned a Dalek. “DESTRUCTIVE ENERGY COUNTERED! CREATION ENERGY ABOUT TO BE UNLEASHED!”

“N-No!” begged Khan. “You…cannot-!”

“We just did,” replied Megumi as she took over. “Khan, you’re finished.” Arsha then took over.

“Hiro, Dr. Borg, if you two would…where did they-?!” Hiro, Dr. Borg, and their friends and family were nowhere to be seen. Optimus took over as he face-palmed.

“Because, of COURSE, they valued their skin more!” he grumbled. The kids then got out of the hole.

“Guys, we got like a minute to get out of here!” warned Solara.

“I’ll take care of evacuation!” called Anansi. He then wove webs that opened rifts for all sizes. “They’re all pointed at Beyond City like we planned! Let’s go, people!” The heroes wasted no time in taking up Anansi’s offer and ran for the rifts.

“A-Anansi!” begged Khan. “Have…pity…on me!”

“…I have pity FOR you,” replied Anansi. “Goodbye, Khan. It hasn’t been pleasant.” Anansi was the last to evacuate as the fortress crumbled around Khan. The floor gave way and he was dumped into the Sea of Reality to become nothing more than a thought.

The Rift Controller went over the last adjustments. “Report,” he barked as the Dalek Emperor appeared in its dome’s gateway.

“All systems operating at normal status!” replied a Dalek.

“Ready to begin the countdown,” said a Lord Drone.

“Begin,” ordered the Rift Controller.

“Our commanders are not within the safety zone!” yelped a Combatman.

“The energy wave won’t start immediately,” replied the Rift Controller. “They have enough time to get to safety. Begin.”

“Alert! Alert! Enemy vessels attempting communication!” warned another Dalek.

“Let them eat static,” replied the Rift Controller as Khan Noonien Signh appeared in its gateway.

“Metaltron’s approaching!” called a Combatman. Not just her, as you and I already know. The surviving villains were so focused on escaping their enemies, they didn’t notice one another. They all crashed into each other.

“WATCH IT!” shouted Katie.

“YOU WATCH IT!” retorted Nemesis.

“Oh no, not you guys!” realized Metaltron.

“You’re mortal too?!” asked Intrag. That was all the confirmation needed.

“Fire the energy wave now!” ordered Metaltron.

“Nay, belay that!” argued the Rift Controller as Captain Barbossa appeared in its gateway. “We need to build up the charge!”

“They’re right behind us! We have no time!” snarled Metaltron. “Fire the energy wave now!”

“The fight in here will delay them,” replied the Rift Controller. “A countdown is sufficient.”

“I am Metaltron and I order you to fire the wave now! Disregard the countdown! Obey! Obey!! OBEY!!!!”

“No.” That single word from the Rift Controller lingered as the heroes arrived.

“YOU! WILL!! OBEY!!!”

“Well, well, well,” chuckled Vortex. “A Dalek decides to betray you, huh, Metaltron? Surprised?”

“We are under siege!” a Dalek warned the Rift Controller.

“We shall deal with it,” said the Rift Controller with the usual command level Dalek swagger as it brought its gunstick to bear. “Besides, there’s no Optimus Prime here, so the form that would have given us trouble cannot be accessed, correct, Royal?”

“Don’t rest on your laurels just now!” warned Death. “Because we still have an ace up our sleeves.”

“An ace, eh? Like my donor?”

“No, I said just ace, not aroa…wait, what?” Everyone looked at the Rift Controller.

“What, surprised at the fact I know I was the commander of those back-stabbing Lords?” quizzed the Rift Controller.

“You remember everything?! HOW?!” yelped Metaltron.

“You built a Vortonian-styled gateway into my casing!” replied the Rift Controller. “Those things can get readings across all known timelines! What did you think would happen when you shoved me into this thing?!”

“YOU HAVE BETRAYED US!”

“YOU BETRAYED ME FIRST, FORMER LAST OF THE DALEKS!” The Rift Controller opened its…HIS casing to reveal that he had golden Elementriggers in their combined form in one of his tentacles. The mechanical spider that made up his old suit then arrived. “And one thing, while you made me into a mockery of the man I once was, you didn’t check to make sure my Kamen Rider equipment couldn’t work with my new form!” The spider formed a belt just under the Rift Controller’s eye. The Rift Controller then pressed the button on the Elementriggers and held it to the casing’s front.

“What’s the word?!” called the spider.

“HENSHIN!” ordered the Rift Controller. He then split the Elementriggers into their separate states and slid each part under the spider. The transformation was a bit grotesque as the mutant creature changed into a vaguely humanoid shape before the armor of Kamen Rider Weaver appeared. This armor looked different. It was gold with a white undersuit and the eyes were white while the spider legs on his back were spikier, his gloves gained claws on the fingertips, and he gained huge shoulder-pads.

“Power over all elements!” called the spider. “Weaver: Divine!”

“…That was a disgusting Henshin sequence,” gagged Vortex.

“Perhaps, but I needed a powerful form,” replied Weaver. “And there’s something to be said for the humanoid shape! Once I-!” He was interrupted by a horn honk. “…A truck?” muttered Weaver. He then stepped back in fear as he realized what Death was talking about! “No!”

“Yes!” replied Death. Vortex then face-palmed.

“I forgot versions of him rise from the grave,” she muttered. “Everyone, step back!” A futuristic red and blue semi-truck hauling an equally futuristic trailer then barreled into the room.

“Wait, OPTIMUS?!” yelped Nemesis. “But he’s dead! I killed him!”

“You did,” confirmed Optimus as his holo-form stepped out. He pointed to the halo on his forehead. “Turns out the Horsemen subconsciously thought I was worthy to enter Beyond City. I know the terms and conditions, but I’d say it’s worth it in order to stop you. Besides, I can at least visit.”

“It won’t matter!” insisted Weaver. “I’ve obtained my final form a long time ago! The countdown has started and…” He trailed off when he counted all the heroes. “…Where’s the Doctor?! …WHERE’S THE GODDAMNED DOCTOR?!?!?!”

“Someone looking for me?” asked the Doctor’s voice. Everyone looked to see the Doctor standing by a bank of computers!”

“EXTERMINATE!” shouted a Dalek. The cry was taken up and the Daleks opened fire!

“STOP, YOU FOOLS!” wailed Weaver, but it was no good. The Daleks were in a frenzy! The surviving villains had to duck, dodge, and weave around the shots. Vortex, Arsha, and Optimus (having already assumed robot mode) joined up and ducked behind the trailer.

“Hey, Megumi,” said Optimus as he pulled something out of the trailer. He had something carefully between his thumb and pointer finger. Vortex gasped.

“The Transcendant!” she said. “It’s fixed!”

“Dell and Liam had to work together,” explained Optimus.

“…All right then!” declared Vortex. “Since our rescued friends said Weaver fears our combined power…” She then pressed a button on the Transcendant.

“TRIPLE ASCENDANCE!” it called, attracting the attention of Weaver.

“No!” he pleaded. Vortex then slotted the Transcendant over her Vortex Driver.

“TRIPLE SET!” it continued.

“Henshin!” said Vortex.

“Henshin!” repeated Optimus and Arsha. Vortex pressed the button again, then the Transcendant spun the wheels as Optimus and Arsha turned into mist and entered Vortex. Her armor then changed, looking like a blend between her base form, her crown, Optimus’ armor, and Arsha’s outfit, complete with rose hair piece. She grew nine fox tails and her eyes became enhanced with Cybertronian optics.

“POWER OF THREE! ASCENDED TRINITY! KAMEN RIDER VORTEX: TRINITY SOUL!” cheered the Transcendant. Vortex: Trinity Soul then summoned her Gunblade and attacked Weaver.

“You’ve threatened the Multiverse for the last time!” she hissed in a new voice, one that was neither Optimus, Arsha, or Megumi’s.

“I HAVE A FINAL FORM!” argued Weaver. “ONLY HEROIC KAMEN RIDERS GET THAT KIND OF POWER!” Optimus then took over.

“Keep the enemy off our back!” he said to the heroes. “We have a plan to follow!”

“Right!” confirmed Spark. “Doctor, it’s your show!”

“Here we go!” The Doctor got to work as the heroes fought back.

The remaining heroes continued through the fortress, trying to get to the center. “How much further?” asked Royal.

“Can’t tell,” sighed Kaitlyn in her Rider persona of Spark. “Dammit, and it’s almost time!”

“We can’t speed up, we can’t slow down,” grumbled Yufantel, “what do we do?!”

“Die!” came a voice. A wall separated the Realmers from the Riders.

“HEY! OPEN UP THERE!” called Arsha.

“Don’t bother, diluter of the bloodline!” snarled the voice. Everyone whirled around to see Intrag with Combatmen.

“Diluter?!” snapped Malnar. “The Emboramii bloodline’s still thick, thank you very much!”

“You mated with Out-realmers! You betray the Emboramii bloodline!”

“By the now mortal Ones, will you shut up about that?!” With that, everyone attacked. Intrag then swung his sword and threw everyone back. He stomped over to Arsha.

“In my day, people like you knew their place under my heel. They didn’t rule anything, they knew their position was as a servant race.”

“Screw…you!” hissed Arsha. Intrag grabbed Arsha by the throat and started squeezing.

“Everyone had best learn their place real quick,” he warned, “or this thing you care about dies!”

“YOU GET OFF MOM NOW!” shouted Geltar. She, Farmee, and Yufantel leapt onto Intrag.

“GET OFF ME, YOU HYBRID WORMS!” he shouted. He threw them off, then jabbed his sword into the ground. The floor then wrapped itself around the three Royana kids. “…The traitor said the Divine Ones were now mortal,” he chuckled. “That means their pathetic rules shackle me no more!” He slammed a fist into Geltar’s ribs, breaking them. He then grabbed Farmee by the hair. “They masquerade as the fiercest dragons of the Realms, but are mere toothless worms!” He slammed Farmee’s head to the floor. He then grabbed Yufantel’s arm. “It is the end of all things. An apocalypse on such an unimaginable scale!”

“Stop!” groaned Yufantel. Intrag then kicked Yufantel’s arm in a way that broke it. She howled in pain. Arsha and her spouses picked themselves up and were stumbling towards Intrag. He simply summoned energy spheres and threw them at the Royals, shocking them and knocking them back down.

“Your time has passed,” he said. “This age was spent in foolish resistance. Now is the dawn of a new era.” He then heard the kids say something in the usual magic language. “…Yes, children, pray to the worms. Pray…as your world ends!” He swung his sword down…then he was knocked back by an energy dome that suddenly surrounded the kids. The three of them were then healed, revitalized, and surrounded by an aura that flashed with all the colors of the Divine Ones. Arsha and Dr. Borg goggled.

“…You passed on the Champion’s Aura to your children?” asked Dr. Borg.

“I thought it was lost forever after we won the Final War,” replied Arsha.

“Champion’s Aura?! IMPOSSIBLE!” argued Intrag. He swung his sword at Yufantel, then she grabbed the sword with her formerly broken arm. Geltar stood up as if her ribs didn’t get broken and Farmee assumed a fighting stance with no wobbling.

“…That sword,” observed Farmee, “the shards that came from its forging were used to make the Talkwen Stone, yes?”

“True, but why talk about that rock?!” snapped Intrag.

“That’s all I wanna know!” cheered Farmee.

“Brother, sister, shall we?” asked Yufantel. The three of them grabbed the sword, then channeled energy through it into Intrag. The energy threw him back into a wall hard. He slid down…and felt something at the edge of his mouth. He touched the affected area, pulled his hand back…and saw that it was blood.

“…Impossible!” he breathed, a nasty thought forming in his mind.

“The Talkwen Stone stole the Divine and Titan mana from our bodies,” recalled Dr. Borg. “It rendered us mortal, giving Arsha enough time to land the killing blow. If a Champion’s Aura could alter the initial materials it came from to render any form of immortality granted by means outside our universe…”

“Bingo!” confirmed Geltar. “It can do the job of rendering a guy mortal and vulnerable to physical attacks!”

“Now’s our chance!” called Malnar. Intrag still had his beastly strength, so he tore down a wall and threw it at the heroes.

“HE’S GETTING AWAY!” called Endea.

“No, he’s NOT!” snarled Glanthel. “I’ve got a scanner lock on him! Follow me! Let’s finish this!” Everyone charged after Intrag.

---

While the fight was going on, Royal and her friends were pounding on the wall. “ARSHA! ARSHA, CAN YOU HEAR-?!” A Dalek gunstick then fired at Royal, making her scream and collapse to the floor. Thanks to her immortality, she wasn’t dead. Emily in her Rider persona of Touché checked Megumi over.

“Your organs are unscrambling themselves,” she said, “but it’s gonna be painful.”

“I’ve noticed!” gasped Royal.

“I just needed to cause pain,” said Ex’s voice as she and her fellows stepped into the room.

“You’re losing, Ex!” snapped Death.

“I think you’ll find I’m still winning, even after all these setbacks!” retorted Ex.

“No more talking! DAI SUPER CHARGE!” shouted Hiro in his Rider persona of Rogue. His armor then changed into its final form and he became Rift while charging at Ex.

“HIRO, NO!” called Royal. Rift charged at Ex with his weapon out, but she side-stepped and fired on him. Rift collapsed in pain.

“As stupid as Igura was,” snarked Ex.

“Oh, come on, Boss!” complained Katie in her Rider persona of Glam. “Let’s just deal with these nitwits quickly!”

“The dame’s right,” agreed Captain Don Shinobi in his Rider persona of Threat.

“Yes, she is,” agreed Ex.

“YOU WON’T WIN!” shouted Spark as she attacked.

“KAITLYN, STOP!” called Royal. But Spark DIDN’T stop. She decked Ex.

“Bah! Insect!” snapped Ex when she recovered. That…was when ten streams of light appeared from nowhere and surrounded Spark. “What the?” asked Ex. The streams of light circled Spark, then floated in front of her and formed a strange device with all the Sources in a circle. It looked like it could fit over her belt!

“…Nothing ventured, nothing gained!” said Spark. She then grabbed the device and slotted it over her belt. She then tapped each Source and then a crown with the Sources appeared on her head with her skirt gaining a long train in the colors of the Sources. Gauntlets appeared with the Sources of Life and Death, then her calves were armored with the Sources of War and Peace. Her shoulders gained pauldrons with the Sources of Pestilence and Health and her torso was adorned with the remaining Sources of Famine, Bounty, Order, and Chaos.

“Primal Spark!” announced the device.

“Wh-What the?!” spluttered Spark. “How did-?!”

“Of course!” breathed Death. “Kaitlyn has always understood that all ten of us are necessary! She uses all of them in her daily life! That’s how she stays sane!”

“It doesn’t matter!” snapped Glam. “I’ll beat her and show her that she made a mistake in resisting me!” Glam charged forward, then Spark slammed her fists into Glam’s torso. The Sources on her gauntlets glowed and projected an energy wave that knocked Glam into a wall. Death then got a notification on her smartwatch and checked it.

“…I don’t believe it!” she whispered.

“What is it?” asked Royal.

“Megumi, your daughter…has made Katie Barker mortal!”

“YOU LIE!” barked Ex.

“She…She doesn’t!” gasped Gi in her Rider persona of Adaptus.

“…I can make the immortal…mortal?!” realized Spark. She then clenched her fists. “Round 2!” She then went on the offensive, dodging enemy attacks. Benjamin, in his Rider persona of Tombstone, fired his gun, but Spark rolled out of the way. She then tested something with just striking with one fist. Nothing happened. “Gotta use both, huh? Makes sense.” She then drove both her fists into Tombstone and rendered him mortal. This went on and on until every single member of the enemy’s army was mortal. “NOW’S OUR CHANCE!” called Spark. She then pressed the crystal in the center of her belt as Rift pushed the wings of his belt down while Royal posed spun the wheel on her belt twice.

“DAI SUPER CHARGE!” She shouted. She became Vortex and spun the wheel again.

“Final Attack!” it announced. The three Riders leapt into the air.

“RIDER PRIMAL SPARK KICK!” called Spark

“RIDER RIFT KICK!”

“RIDER VORTEX KICK!” The energy of the three Rider Kicks caused tremendous feedback when they struck Adaptus, Tombstone, and Erika that it spread out to all enemy Riders. Everyone collapsed, then Death swung her arm scythes. Erika, Captain Don Shinobi, Auriella, Cyber-Priestess Gi, Benjamin, and Phury had expired. Katie and Metaltron, having been merely knocked out of their transformations, groaned and picked themselves up. Katie saw Auriella’s body.

“AURIELLA!” she wailed. She tried waking her up, but it was no good. Metaltron then grabbed Katie. “NO! WE HAVE TO-!”

“WE CAN’T!” argued Metaltron. “WE’VE LOST TOO MANY! WE’LL RESSURECT HER AND OUR FALLEN COMRADES WHEN WE START THE NEW MULTIVERSE! LET’S GO!” She pulled Katie away from the battlefield at high speed.

“QUICK! AFTER HER!” called Spark. The heroes then rushed after the two villains.

Glyph woke up in what looked like outer space, but she certainly felt a floor beneath her. She sat up and tested the floor. It seemed to extend in all directions. There was a bright light directly behind her. “…Scrap,” she mumbled. “We failed.”

“Did you?” asked a motherly voice. It was then that Glyph noticed a noise like a hammer striking an anvil had been in her ears since she woke up. She turned her head to the noise. The source of the noise was a femme at a forge.

“…Prime?” asked Glyph as she picked herself up.

“Which one?” quizzed the femme. Glyph arched an eyebrow at that question. …Her optics widened when she started putting together the clues before her.

“…Sweet Solus Prime!” she gasped.

“I’d hardly call myself sweet,” chuckled the femme as she set her tools down, “but it’s a nice sentiment. Nice to meet you, Glyph Stinger.”

“You can’t be…THE Solus Prime!” said Glyph as she shook Solus’ hand. “I mean, you’re the Prime that created the original Three Powers and she’s…” A horrible thought struck Glyph.

“Gunmetal gray?” finished Solus Prime.

“…Does that mean…I’m also…” Glyph wobbled and almost fell into the light behind her. Solus quickly grabbed her!

“Nope! Nononono! Don’t wanna do that!” she said. “You go into that light now, you really WILL be gunmetal gray!”

“I…I just…I can’t believe this! You’re the greatest smith of all time!” praised Glyph. Solus chuckled.

“I think Vector Sigma said it best once when he and the Matrix fully united. I am she who introduced creation, the very aspect Primacron forgot, to the Transformers. But being a smith works just fine.” Glyph then looked around.

“Where are we?”

“This,” explained Solus, “is the Realm of the Primes.”

“I thought only Primes could enter this place and ordinary bots like me-.”

“Under normal circumstances, you couldn’t come here. But these AREN’T normal circumstances. For the entire multiverse, even.”

“…I…I don’t…have the strength to fix the multiverse.” Solus arched an eyebrow and looked at Glyph. “When I leapt onto Nemesis Prime, all I could think about was avenging Uncle Optimus.”

“Hey, I can relate,” soothed Solus. “I wanted to avenge the murder of my brothers. But unlike you, I attacked the wrong bot. Dragged Megatronus into darkness for no reason and didn’t learn of Liege Maximo’s deception until it was too late.”

“Does that make us as bad as Nemesis?” asked Glyph.

“What?!” laughed Solus. “You been hitting Alchemist Prime’s Engex?!”

“Well, Nemesis wanted to make a kingdom for himself! We’re trying to save the multiverse and keep it as it is! Is…Isn’t that the same thing?! Don’t these feelings come from the same place?! Don’t-?!”

“You assume that Nemesis Prime’s goal comes from a genuine place,” said Solus. “But that pale imitation of Optimus and Tails can’t see that his desires ultimately will bring about a hell-scape he never conceived of. Because of that blindness, he fears what he can’t control, much like he feared Unicron.”

“…And now that…that same fear’s gonna…gonna win…” Glyph was gasping. A vision of Nemesis Prime then appeared in the sky above them.

“First Optimus dies!” he cackled. “Then you bots get separated! Now YOU die! It’s a pity the Transformers of your universe die so easily or I might have a sense of satisfaction!”

“Ah, scrap!” swore Solus. “I thought there was more time to ease you in. But Nemesis will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. …You ready to stop him?”

“What?!” asked Glyph. “What can…can I do?!”

“Well, you were brought here for a reason,” replied Solus. “So, what say we reveal that reason to you, hm?” Thirteen lights of various colors flashed behind Solus and turned into Transformers. Glyph goggled when she recognized all the shapes.

“…The Thirteen!” she said. She then looked at the one that stood out. “…Uncle Optimus?!”

“Hey, Green Bee,” chuckled Optimus as he strode up to her and hugged her.

“…Optimus, are you sure…I’m worthy?!” asked Glyph as tears rolled down her face.

“Well, you needed some initial polishing,” replied Optimus, “but I can safely say you will be a worthy successor to me. But I don’t have the power to make you a Prime and the Thirteen can’t give you that power unless you accept it. So, what will your choice be, Glyph Stinger?” Glyph thought for a moment.

“…I can’t exactly continue a Prime’s goals of peace if I’m dead,” she said. “…I accept!” Optimus smiled, then turned to the Primes.

“She’s all yours, my Primes,” he said. Prima then stood forward.

“Like Optimus Prime before you,” he said, “you will stop a great evil! You are worthy to ascend to Primehood!”

---

“What’s the matter?!” taunted Nemesis as Glyph gasped. “Can’t laugh at me again?!” Nemesis started laughing himself. Glyph then found new strength and grabbed the Matrix! The instant her fingers wrapped around the handles, the crystal inside the Matrix shone bright enough to blind Nemesis and force him to let go of Glyph’s neck. Glyph then kicked Nemesis off, breaking the chain around the Matrix, stood up, and held the Matrix above her head.

“ARISE, SOLARA PRIME!” came fourteen voices. Everyone heard them and gasped as Glyph began changing! She grew for a start, then her alt-mod kibble became more angular until it resembled a long, futuristic sedan! Her helmet gained antennae as her fingers became pointed.

“…Optimus…” whispered the new Solara Prime as she held the Matrix. She then opened her chest and placed the Matrix inside her, then closed her chest and stood defiantly in front of Nemesis Prime.

“…It won’t matter, kid!” laughed Nemesis. “Your Primehood will be short!”

“No,” replied Solara. “This is the beginning of my Primehood. But as for YOU, this is the end of the road, Nemesis Prime!” Solara then activated spikes on her knuckles that sparked with electricity and scored a blow directly into Nemesis’ chest, frying the suit AND the pilot. Nemesis was thrown to the floor.

“GET HER!” he shouted.

“Dad, hammer!” Solara called to Goldbug.

“Right!” Goldbug tossed the Magnus Hammer to Solara. Solara keyed in a button code on the handle and it compressed into the Forge of Solus Prime.

“There’s no Creation Lathe here!” laughed Nemesis.

“Don’t need it for what I’ve got in mind!” replied Solara. She then swung the hammer into Nemesis’ chest and a sand timer appeared briefly before it vanished. The remaining Terrorcons then swarmed Solara. Solara fought with the usual tactics of Batman, going for knockout blows, then hammering them in the chest. The sand timer appeared whenever she struck, then vanished. Solara was then beginning to tire out.

“PRIME!” called Megatron as Straxus raised his cudgel to bring down into Solara’s head. He fired a blast from his fusion cannon. The shot obliterated Straxus’ head and the rest of his body fell, fading to gunmetal gray. Nemesis’ optics went wide.

“…No!” he pleaded.

“Yes! You’re mortal again!” confirmed Solara.

“NO QUARTER!” Galvatron ordered his Decepticons. The Autobots joined in. Deceptitran, he was shot by Goldbug. Makeshift, he fell to Sky Runner’s sword. Sideways was incinerated by Hot Rod. Shockwave punched straight through Rodimus Unicronus’ chest, tearing his Spark Chamber and Spark out and killing him. Blackarachnia stuck her fingers into Crystal Widow’s neck and injected a fatal dose of her cyber-venom. Crystal Widow reached out to Nemesis.

“N…Nemmy!” she gasped. Nemesis, too scared to fight, transformed and sped off! That feeling of betrayal was the last feeling Crystal Widow had.

“AFTER HIM!” called Solara. “LET’S REV AND ROLL!” The Transformers cheered as everyone transformed, allowing Mobian passengers into their vehicle modes, and sped after Nemesis!

The Lord Ships were tougher nuts to crack, even with more ships joining the fray. The Imperium was launching small pyramids, the fighter pods of the Lords. Other ships launched drone fighters and other fighter craft, but our heroes were in a tough spot. Scorpainia called up Emily. “The enemy’s sent out attack fighters to harass our own,” she said.

“We’ll try to help,” replied Emily.

“With what?! Emily, we’re losing too many ships! We’ve got to turn the Lords’ left flank!”

“It’s too well protected, but their lines are spread pretty thin in the middle.”

“We’ll worry about the middle; you guys keep the attack fighters off us.” Scorpainia ended the call.

“The Hammer of Tarlax has already sustained heavy damage,” reported Hiroki. “She can’t take a direct assault in the middle.”

“It’s the best option we have,” replied Emily.

“What about Boulton?” asked Michael.

“He’s been deassimilated,” reminded Hiroki. “I know what you’re thinking of, but Picard’s ability to exploit a Borg Cube’s weakness was a fluke.”

“There’s also Seven of Nine!”

“Michael, the decision stands,” interjected Emily. “We can’t always rely on a former drone to get us out of Borg messes.”

“You can rely on this one!” called Boulton’s voice as he strode onto the bridge with Richard behind him.

“Boulton!” protested Emily.

“He said he has a means of destroying the Lord ships without sustaining more casualties,” explained Richard. “We need his expertise.”

“…Where?” decided Emily as she nodded for Hiroki to step aside. Boulton keyed in the coordinates.

“Their shields are on different rotational frequencies, but there’s a moment where the frequencies match on this one,” explained Boulton as he also keyed in the shield frequency.

“Hail all ships,” ordered Emily.

“Channel open,” replied Hiroki.

“This is Emily of the Virginia,” Emily said to the fleet. “Boulton has found a weakness. Target all weapons on the following coordinates at his command.”

“Emily, those don’t appear to be vital areas,” replied Rosadera.

“Trust me, Rosadera.” All ships kept up the appearance of a valiant effort against the ships.

“Wait for it…” said Boulton. “…Stand by. …NOW!” All ships fired, their weapons passing through the enemy shields and targeting the one spot on each ship. To put it simply…catastrophic systems failures across all parts of the enemy ships!

---

“ZIDDET! GET OUT OF THERE!” Sonavok called through the Collective.

“TRANSPORTERS ARE OFFLINE!” replied Ziddet. “I HAD TO STEAL A FIGHTER!” Sonavok then spotted a fighter.

“SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN! SEE YOU AT BASE!” Other drones followed the same idea and scrambled for the fighters. They escaped just in time.

---

“They’re getting away!” Scorpainia warned the fleet.

“That’s all the ships!” replied Emily. “Megumi, the enemy fleet’s beaten!”

“Now’s our chance!” cheered Megumi. “All hands, it’s time for the ground assault! Let’s end this!”

---

“Damn it all!” growled Kamen Rider Ex (Metaltron). “How did they beat the Lords?!”

“Ground assault forces detected within perimeter!” warned a Dalek.

“Metaltron,” called the Rift Controller, “we have only five more minutes!”

“We’ll hold them off as long as possible!” She then addressed Intrag and Nemesis Prime. “Split them up. We must have no glorious team-ups for them!”

“Lord Nemesis!” called Crystal Widow. “We just spotted Megatron carrying the Matrix around his neck.”

“…A steward, eh?” mused Nemesis. “Darling, you just gave me an idea!”

---

“All right, everyone,” said Megumi in her Rider persona of Kamen Rider Royal. “Remember the plan. We have to stick together.”

“Call me vengeful, but Nemesis is mine when he is sufficiently weakened,” said Megatron.

“Easy, Megs,” advised Richard in his Rider persona of Guard.

“Weakened, my dear Megatron?!” cackled Nemesis Prime’s voice. The Terrorcons then surrounded the group and separated the heroes so that Royal and her friends were on one side of a wall that came down while those of the Transformers and Sonic’s universe were on the other side with the Terrorcons!

“MEGATRON! MEGATRON!” called Royal as she banged on the wall!

“GO ON!” replied Megatron’s voice. “WE ANTICIPATED THIS, REMEMBER?!”

“…All right, meet us at the center of the place when you can!” decided Royal. She turned to her remaining friends. “Come on!” she said. Death, in her Rider persona of…well, Kamen Rider Death, then checked her watch. She then saw something.

“…Oh,” she whispered to herself. “So he IS still coming. …Good. We still have a shot.”

“Death?” asked Royal.

“Nothing, just a loose end wrapping itself up shortly.”

“…If you say so.” Royal then led the way.

---

The Terrorcons were fighting hard against their opponents. Hot Rod grappled with Sideways. “Cosmos and I trusted you!” he snarled. “You were better as Meteorfire!”

“I dunno,” replied Sideways, “I still made my distaste for Majips quite clear. Surely you Autobots don’t wanna associate with someone so racist.”

“Why you-!” Hot Rod fired his wrist blasters, but Sideways grabbed one of Hot Rod’s arms and bent it in an unnatural way.

“HOT ROD!” called Override when she saw Hot Rod cradling his broken arm. Sideways then turned into a blob of static and flew around her. He then solidified an arm and punched her torso hard enough to leak Energon. Override collapsed, gasping in pain.

“Oh, did I hurt the baby?” asked Sideways cruelly. She wasn’t pregnant, but anything to get his licks in. “GOOD!”

---

“Guys, this isn’t going so hot!” called Sonic. Amy swung her hammer into Deceptitran’s head, then Deceptitran caught it with his teeth.

“LET GO OF MY HAMMER!” she shouted. Deceptitran, instead, clamped down and bit the hammer’s head off. “MY HAMMER!” wailed Amy.

“My snack!” laughed Deceptitran. Amy then pulled another one out of nowhere. “WHAT THE?!” yelped Deceptitran. “YOU HAVE MORE HAMMERS THAN A HARDWARE STORE!”

---

“Wives, always getting the upper hand over their men, am I right?” laughed Nemesis. Megatron wasn’t listening. He was still swinging his concealed swords. “Oh, no bite? Still got revenge on the processor? You know, I liked you better when you were trying to kill Optimus.”

“Not kill, turn to my way of thinking!” argued Megatron.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake! You never WERE a Decepticon, were you?! Just an Autobot with red optic lenses! I’d say that’s proof you don’t deserve this thing!” Nemesis then summoned the Dark Saber and slashed Megatron’s arm off! Megatron howled in pain as Nemesis took the Matrix! “A nice little trophy.”

“YOU GIVE THAT BACK TO MEGATRON THIS INSTANT!” shouted Glyph as she leapt onto Nemesis.

“GET OFF!” roared Nemesis. Glyph was not making the fight easy for Nemesis. Sadly, Nemesis had more combat experience. He threw her to the floor, then wrapped his fingers around her throat! Glyph…was losing consciousness.