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

TMC 17-22

While Megatron was getting his house in order, Chromia was coming out of her induced stasis. She saw Optimus and Ratchet’s blurry outlines, then her audio receptors picked up that they were speaking. It soon became clear to her when Optimus spoke again. “Ratchet, you’re absolutely sure about this?!”

“There’s no doubt in my mind, Sir,” answered Ratchet.

“Oh no.” Optimus sat on an empty repair berth.

“O…Optimus?” asked Chromia. Both Prime and medic then turned to her.

“Chromia, you’re awake.” Optimus’ statement came out as one of surprise. “How are you feeling?”

“A little groggy,” answered Chromia, “sore too. But I’m all right. How’d the mission go?”

“Well, to get the bad stuff out of the way, Scattershot and his team disobeyed my orders for them to stay put and Arthur gave his life to stop Morgane. Their respective actions, though, saved our stories and reality as we know it, and the Autobots now have two stable Combiners. Scattershot and his brothers are calling themselves the Technobots and their combined form is Computron.”

“I’m sorry about Arthur, but I’m glad that we won.”

“Yeah, we won, but Megatron returned with a new jet mode.”

“Uh oh. Well, I’m sure that, thanks to Ratchet, I’ll be there to…” Chromia then got a good look at her surroundings. “Hold on a cycle, I’m in a different…” panic then set into her. “Back of the repair bay?!” She turned to Ratchet. “What did you find?!”

“Chromia, easy!” urged Ratchet.

“The back of the repair isn’t called the Dead Zone for no reason, Ratchet! What did you find?!” Ratchet hesitated, then sighed.

“Metal Fatigue.” Those two words echoed throughout Chromia’s head. Metal Fatigue: a weakening of metal due to stress, leading to an accumulation of small cracks, an illness no Transformer wants to be afflicted with. The least worrisome is stage one, where an overhaul would cure the patient. If it’s stage five and the patient chooses the overhaul, there’s a nine to one chance they would die during the procedure. It’s a terminal illness no one of metallic origin wants to be afflicted with.

“H…How bad?” asked Chromia once she found her voice.

“It’s stage three at the limbs, but…” Ratchet faltered before continuing, “…but it’s stage five at the Spark Chamber. It was practically dangerous to move you here. But don’t panic, we’re doing everything we can to reestablish communications with Cybertron! With any luck, this localized version of stage five won’t…Chromia, are you listening?”

“Optimus Prime, Ratchet,” declared Chromia, “I request medical euthanasia!”

“YOU WHAT?!” shouted the two mechs.


“SHE WHAT?!” cried Prowl once everyone heard Chromia’s announcement.

“That’s absurd!” protested Grimlock. “Can’t you talk her out of this?!”

“Ratchet and I,” explained Optimus, “spent two hours trying, but her mind’s made up. Besides, the law is very clear on this matter: a soldier’s right to end their life on their terms in a situation such as this is absolute. We all have to oblige this request, no matter how much we disagree with it.”

“We can talk to her, Sir,” offered Kup. “She’s probably feeling a little down. Whatever’s she’s got-”

“Metal Fatigue.”

“…Sir?”

“She has Metal Fatigue, stage five localized in the Spark Chamber. Swoop and Ratchet told me it was a miracle she didn’t break down sooner than she did.”

“How long does she have?” asked Hot Rod.

“If left untreated, a few months. Even if she is treated, you all know the odds of survival on stage five fatigue-ridden bots. In light of these details, I hesitate to call her decision an irrational one.”


While most bots and allies agreed, the topic was very divisive. Some wanted her to take the overhaul while others wanted their colleagues to respect her wishes to end her life. One thing everyone agreed on was wanting to see her, but the repair bay in a wartime isn’t like a hospital with visiting hours. Everyone was wracked with anxiety. To make matters worse, word about Megatron’s plan to leave Mobius to reestablish communications with Cybertron reached Optimus. He believed that the Decepticons would gain allies from other planets, so he made the decision to pursue the Decepticons with the Ark. What made the work so worrisome is that everyone wanted to see Chromia, but it wasn’t practical. However, Strongarm managed to get some insight on the matter during a visit to Ratchet. She sat down on a berth near Chromia. “Regs?” asked Chromia.

“Hey, Free-Wheeler,” greeted Strongarm.

“What are you doing here? Wait, you don’t have…?!”

“No, no, nothing so serious.”

“Then, what are you doing here?”

“Got a pain that feels like a burr on my rotator. Ratchet’s trusting my feelings, but I just want to be sure before I start taking care of it. I should be out by this afternoon after a little examination.”

“…Unlike me.” The mood went serious real fast.

“I’m not gonna gold-plate it; your decision’s caused a stir among the ranks.”

“Where do YOU sit on the matter?”

“I’m reminded of the time during the first war that I got Cosmic Rust.”

“When you and Prowl had a mission at the Autobot colony on Antilla? He refused to leave your side because of that.”

“Well, he’s a sweet bot under the rulebooks he buries himself with. In any case, after the corrostop, I was sure it’d be the end of me, and I would go for medical euthanasia. But, thanks to the stage three overhaul breakthrough, I got a new lease on life!”

“So, you think I should take the overhaul?” Strongarm winced at Chromia’s question.

“I don’t know. My Metal Fatigue didn’t reach my Spark Chamber. Like most of us, I just want to be sure you’re not being too hasty with this decision.”

“At the start, I thought I was, but given how extensive the Spark Chamber Fatigue is…” Chromia trailed off.

“Where in the Spark Chamber did Ratchet and Swoop find it?”

“It would be quicker to tell you where they DIDN’T find it. An overhaul would be too expensive and-”

“What if the funds were available?”

“Even if they were and the odds of survival were in my favor, how much longer could I go on? I’m 90,000 years old, you know!” Strongarm bridled at this.

“I’m just as old and Kup’s older than all of us! I don’t know about him, but I don’t see myself picking medical euthanasia anytime soon!”

“Is that because you haven’t considered the future?”

“What do you mean?” Chromia drew in a breath before she began her explanation.

“Strongarm, our generation is full of nothing but fighters. The generations after that, up to Optimus’, knew peace. We spent our entire adult lives fighting and felt out of place once the war ended, no matter what we did. I know elderly Transformers are the best-treated elderly people in the galaxy, but how far can our wartime advice take future generations? Even the advice of the generations before us didn’t support ours forever. Our advice will only meet the same fate. Sooner or later, our time will come. This is MY time and I choose to go out this way. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Chromia, I do.” Strongarm meant it. She understood Chromia’s feelings. Ratchet told Strongarm he was ready to examine her. As he induced stasis, she thought about what Chromia said.

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

TMC 17-21

The pair flew through Robotropolis with Megatron firing at Eggman. “Like the new look, Doctor? Wings become me, no?” Eggman still kept trying to get away. Megatron kept up the pace. “Tell me, has flying always been this easy or are you just incompetent at that?” Eggman fired missiles to try and deflect his tormentor. No dice. Megatron simply took the brunt of it and flew undeterred. “As heartening as it is to see the spring in your step once more, Doctor, it is only fitting that I warn you that your attempts to evade me will fare no better than your attempt to lead the Decepticons.” Eggman fired again and ducked into the sewer systems. “Ah, it’s a tour of your domain, is it? A hollow pipe for an empty leader!” Eggman then targeted his missiles at the walls and collapsed the pipe they were flying in. He stopped to see the smoke.

“…Megatron?” he asked. He then heard the shifting of metal and the whirring of a t-cog, serving as a split-second warning of Megatron’s robot mode.

“ROBOTNIK!” He grabbed Eggman and blasted a hole into the ceiling, returning the pair of them topside. “And that, as they say, is that!” He threw Eggman to the ground. Eggman bounced a few times before stopping by a building. Megatron transformed to alt-mode and his holo-form landed before grabbing Eggman and slamming him into the building. “What were you thinking, Doctor?! Walk me through your thought process here; what did you think was going to be the end result of you opening fire on my holo-form?! Look at me! I’m Megatron! Even as I rusted in the sands of Shamar while you galivanted and canoodled with Morgane Le Fay, you could not vanquish me! What hope do you have now?!”

“Hope?” groaned Eggman. “Hope took a walk a long time ago.”

“NO! This is not you, Doctor! I don’t expect a backbone, but I expect some form of self-preservation! You really want to die right now?!”

“…Yes.”

“You want me to end all this?!”

“Yes!”

“…Well, think back on the last thing you really wanted, and remember what an utter failure that was!” Eggman then punched Megatron to try and get away, but Megatron continued his pursuit. “If you truly sought release, you would have stood your ground after emptying your gun into my holo-form! You don’t seek oblivion, you seek punishment! I rarely like to help others; I see it as a character flaw. But, in your case, Dr Eggman, let me be of service!” Megatron then started slamming his fists into Eggman’s body. “You look like him! You move like him! When my blows strike you, your flesh reverberates the way his does! …But you are NOT Dr. Eggman! You can’t be! Eggman could talk himself out of anything! You aren’t even talking yourself out of this beating! As pathetic as he was, you’re a mere shadow of what I expected! Every blow I bring down comes from a place of pity, you wretch!” Eggman then did something that surprised Megatron, he grabbed his tormentor’s fist!

“Talk, you insignificant pile of scrap?!” Eggman then decked Megatron’s holo-form right into his alt-mode and knocked him out of the sky! Megatron transformed to land, only for Eggman to deck his face and suffer no ill effects. “TALK?!” roared Eggman. “Is that really what you want?! Or do you want me to merely beg for forgiveness?!”

“Is it my forgiveness you seek, Doctor? Is it me who you’ve let down?!”

“You clearly don’t understand! I doubt I even WANT you to!” Eggman tore off his glasses and revealed his eyes, blazing with every single emotion that fell under the umbrella of anger. Like the Erazor Djinn, his eyes were red with black sclera, clearly cybernetic enhancements.

“Understand what?!” demanded Megatron.

“The Roulette of Trust, that’s what!” Megatron stopped.

“I’m…sorry?” He was genuinely confused at Eggman’s statement.

“The Roulette of Trust! Come on, Megatron! Your whole faction wears deception as a badge of honor like I do! You backstab me, then I backstab you! One of us will prove the other’s superior somehow! We both know the Decepticons are beneath us! We lie to them to keep them beneath us, otherwise our life’s work would be undone! You never knew what it was like to see everything crumble around you!”

“…You think THAT is why I lie?” Megatron took a purposeful step forward. “You think I don’t know what it’s like to see my work undone?!” He took another step, punctuating each sentence with a step. “You lie to keep everyone a slave, I lie to free them! I lie to implant ideology! I build up the ideology! I liberate cities! I topple corrupt civilizations! It took a millennium for me! Then I slumber for one! Measly! Year! And when I wake up, THIS Is all that is left! So, say it again, Eggman! Say that I don’t know what it’s like to see my life’s work undone and made a mockery of!” Eggman was about to wet himself. “You and I have one thing in common, Doctor; the person responsible for leaving our lives in tatters…is you.”

“So, go on! End the Roulette of Trust if you hate it so much!”

“…No. Here’s why I keep you around, Doctor: your bullying of underlings and identifying with your equals, it makes you a more competent member of my inner circle than Starscream ever was. Your actions keep those below you, and, subsequently, me, in check. Your venomous aspirations make you a model Decepticon, even more so, given the life-span disparity between humans and Cybertronians. You are the type of deviant that will ensure our ultimate victory. But it is the thought of you in charge that keeps me alert. You see, even when I was an Autobot, leadership was never something I feared losing, but the reasons for my staying in charge have changed over the years. When I was an Autobot, it was simply because no one else was available. When I first became a Decepticon, it was because I needed to prove something to the whole faction. Now? Well, now, leadership is something I fear you gaining. Oh yes, that IS a fear of mine. So, in the moments that my all-consuming destiny lie ahead of me, you remind me of the need to watch my back. THAT is your importance to me, Eggman. …But that is in the past!” Megatron charged up a shot from his left fusion cannon. “So, let it be known that if our resources were not critical, our numbers not low, and our troops not outgunned…I would atomize you!” He fired his shot into a pile of scrap.

“Th-Thank…” Eggman’s thanks were interrupted by another bark from Megatron.

“DON’T thank me! It’s your own incompetence and poor judgement that’s saved you today! Instead, Doctor, repay me! The all-consuming self-hatred you’re feeling? Use it against our enemies! Tired of the bone-deep chill of losing, Eggman? Then stand with me, for right now has never been a better time to be a Decepticon!”

“…Yes, Lord Megatron.”

“Oh, and, Doctor, I expect the Roulette of Trust to continue, for you ARE right. We DO stab each other in the back constantly. There will come a time where it ends, but I’d prefer to stave that off until the Autobots and Sonic are defeated. Agreed?” Megatron held out a hand to offer a handshake. Eggman stared at the hand, then grinned before grabbing it. The two then shook hands.

“I say, let the games begin!” declared Eggman.

“I thought so!” Megatron then broke off the handshake and turned to see the crowd of Decepticons coming out from behind the cover they used to keep themselves out of the blast radius of Megatron’s beating. “You hear me, my Decepticons?!” he called. “Vengeance will be ours! We have taken care of an internal threat, but there is still the threat of the Autobots! They sit there, in their cozy base, ready to ghettoize us! How small, how ARROGANT, for them to not recognize what oppression does to warriors like you and me! Have they forgotten that it was from under their boots that the first Decepticons, then called the Ascenticons, rose to confront them in the first place?! The time for recriminations is over! You are needed, all of you, no matter how injured or infirm you are! You have no Energon? Let hate be your fuel! Blinded? Let your anger light your way! Crippled? Your bitterness will carry you to victory! Diseased? Rage will cure you! Scattered no longer, we come together, Decepticons! Banded and bonded with retribution and vengeance for all!”

“ALL HAIL MEGATRON!” cheered Thundercracker.

“ALL HAIL MEGATRON!” Shockwave joined him.

“ALL HAIL MEGATRON!” Frenzy, Rumble, and Ravage followed suit. Soon, all of Robotropolis was echoing with the phrase “All hail Megatron”!

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

TMC 17-20

Once everything was brought to some form of order in Robotropolis, Megatron decided that now would be an excellent time to take a tour of inspection. His troops lined a walkway and saluted…as best as their weary frames could allow. They were clearly run ragged, Eggman and the Combaticons’ doing. Of all the sights Megatron’s optics absorbed in his lifetime, the sight he saw now ranked as one of the most disappointing. They looked almost malnourished and ill-treated on the medical front, even Knock-out. Megatron decided it was time to breathe life into the dying embers of their rage. “Decepticons! My Decepticons, the days of sorrow and defeat are already behind us! I have been informed that we still have four working ships! Fully topped off on fuel and every single weapon kept well oiled for any battles! The communications problem with Cybertron is two-fold, from what Shockwave has told me! One: they have not returned any of her calls! Two: Eggman has blocked all attempts to make contact in the usual manner! But despair not! We still have allies among the stars! We shall travel to them as we journey to Cybertron! You deserve better than this and our allies shall give you better! Once we are returned to life, retribution, swift and terrible retribution, will be visited upon the Autobots and Eggman and his allies! So, take up arms and do not stop until your digits ache from squeezing the trigger of your blasters as they empty into your enemies! Revenge shall be your reward!”

“Lord Megatron,” mumbled Frenzy.

“Yes, my friend?”

“My Lord, how can I pull the trigger-” Frenzy then revealed his mangled hands “-when my hands haven’t been repaired for weeks?!” Megatron growled, not at Frenzy, but at the neglect Frenzy suffered. His mind flashed on the one fleshling that ruined his forces on Mobius. He’s eager to get to him, but some things needed to be addressed.

“Lord Megatron,” called Shockwave, “I must insist that we continue testing your body’s new armor as soon as possible.”

“You insist? Such ardor, Shockwave. I have already tested it out and it works as intended. Be proud of your contribution, or, at least, simulate the feeling.”

“My time would be better served in ruling out any stray connections to Unicron. Your current form was fashioned from his old corporeal form.” Megatron, of course, had a rebuttal on what she said.

“Shockwave, I have even reached out to him, and I assure you, he has no influence on me. You and Thundercracker have my gratitude for my resurrection, but, for now, I need you to make sure all our ships are ready for solar system egress at a moment’s notice. We are rather pressed for time now.”

“As you command, Megatron.” As Megatron left, Ravage followed behind him, giving him reports. As they walked, Megatron decided that now was the best time to visit a certain someone.

“My brothers and I,” reported Ravage, “have prepared extensive documentation about dereliction of duty in your absence and-”

“Enough, Ravage,” ordered Megatron. “Your findings will be reviewed in time.” They stopped by a human’s room. Megatron then transformed to alt-mode and activated his holo-form. “We’ve reached the final stop of my inspection tour. I wish to be left alone.”

“…As my Lord wishes.” Ravage slunk off as Megatron opened the door. Inside, the room was dark, with only the light of the outside illuminating the occupant’s features. The occupant was a broken-looking Eggman, still thinking back on what went wrong. For Megatron, he wanted Eggman’s immediate universe to consist of the anguish-dampened misery pit he dig for himself…and Megatron.

“Hello, Doctor,” greeted the Decepticon Lord. “…Come on, pick yourself up. You won’t find your dignity down on the floor.” Eggman stood up as if he was weighed down, his face looking equally heavy. “I wish to speak to you about your tenure as leader of the Decepticons.”

“Really?” scoffed Eggman. “You’d just like to have a chat about that?”

“A year, Doctor. One year to the day, you’ve commanded the Decepticons. You must be eager to tell me all about it.”

“…Why are you doing this?”

“Why am I doing what?”

“Look, I don’t care, all right?! I don’t care that you want to humiliate me before unleashing whatever absurdly creative punishment you’ve got in store-”

“Punishment?” Eggman scoffed at Megatron’s question.

“Whatever you want to call it!”

“No, I mean punishment for what, Doctor? Do you deserve punishment?”

“OH, JUST SHUT UP AND DO IT ALREADY!” Eggman shoved a gun into Megatron’s hands and made it so Megatron was pointing it at Eggman’s head. His hands never released his tormentor’s arm. The gun was in an active state, it would be so easy for Megatron to pull the trigger and end Eggman’s life. …It was too easy for Megatron. He engaged the safety and pulled his arm away so he could set the gun down.

“One year,” muttered the Decepticon Lord. “One year ago, I was punched from the Mojave Desert to Shamar and was never found until yesterday. You did not overthrow me, you merely saw a gap and meekly stepped in to fill it. Am I right? Is that how the reign of Lord Eggman began?” Eggman said nothing. “…Ah, YES! That’s not all, is it?! It’s easy to forget your credentials for the job! The culmination of your research into us led to the creation of your very own Transformers through the Allspark! The Cube itself wrote you a glowing reference as it birthed the Combaticons after so many years of inactivity! Your mastery of an ancient artefact that everyone barely understood obviously made you the most likely candidate for the position! Tell me, was the Allspark everything we hoped for after all the years the Transformers pursued it long before you were born? Did planets fall before you as you used it? Was victory a mere formality after tilting it back and forth under a strong light? Did your followers respect you simply by dint of you prancing around with it as if it were your favorite toy? I have to say, I expected this from Starscream, but YOU?” Nothing from Eggman, neither sneer nor smirk. For a moment, Megatron wondered if, while running the Decepticons into the dirt, he succeeded in destroying himself. Megatron growled as he continued. “Your silence is grating, so it falls to me to list your achievements! Under your rule, the Decepticons’ infrastructure was turned upside down as your Combaticons guzzled all necessary Energon while my soldiers were reduced to taking orders from your failed Eggacons so they could get the scraps! Shockwave was forced to call agents on Cybertron to inform them, with no way for them to inform the higher ups in any reasonable time! You resurrected your dead cousin in a form like Shadow’s, thus leading to the compromising of our moon base and the loss of our only means of keeping an eye on all enemy ships! My soldiers were treated as if they were mere Roombas that didn’t pick up as much dirt from a rug as advertised, on the verge of cannibalizing each other, so focused on their sole survival instead of the survival of the Decepticon Cause! …I hope it was everything you wished for, because this is exactly what happens when YOU get what you want.” Megatron leaned into Eggman’s ear. “All. Hail. Doctor. Eggman. You must be incredibly proud of yourself.” Eggman then grabbed the gun that laid forgotten on the table and fired on Megatron. He didn’t stop until the gun was drained of power. When Megatron still stood, Eggman remembered that he just shot a projection of lights and forcefields. He dashed past the holo-form and switched his Egg Mobile on before fleeing. Megatron teleported his holo-form into his cockpit and kicked his thrusters into gear.

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

TMC 17-19

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Wha…HOW?! Bruticus didn’t…!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Got it, sir,” answered Teletraan.


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

“What the Erazor Djinn said about bound genies…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TMC 17-18

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

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


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

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

“What about living?” asked Shadow.

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And did those feet in ancient time

Walk upon Englands mountains green:

And was the holy Lamb of God,

On Englands pleasant pastures seen!

And did the Countenance Divine,

Shine forth upon our clouded hills?

And was Jerusalem builded here,

Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:

Bring me my Arrows of desire:

Bring me my Spear, O Clouds unfold:

Bring me my Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,

Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:

Till we have built Jerusalem,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“My Lord, NO!” called Lancelot.

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

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

“ARTHUR!” wailed Guinevere. They then vanished.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TMC 17-17

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Still are, last I checked!”

“Not even close!”

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

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

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

“…What?!”

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

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

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

“A Symbol Ship?” quizzed Optimus.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What?!” hissed Thundercracker.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Megatron!” breathed Optimus in fear.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Bruticus is unimpressed thus far!”


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No, I’m not going to-!”

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

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

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

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

TMC 17-16

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What?” asked Cliffjumper.

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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


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

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

“…Yeah, I’m sure you will!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…Sure.”


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TMC 17-15

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

“Ain’t it, though?” agreed Onslaught.

“Yeah, peachy,” muttered Ravage.

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

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

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


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


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


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


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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

“SONIC?!” yelped Eggman.

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

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

“That will mean no obstacles, Mistress.”

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TMC 17-13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Thou maketh life sound clinical,” muttered Lancelot.

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

“…50 years ago?” asked Arthur.

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

“But how do you not age?”

“I’m an artificial life-form.”

“Artificial in…”

“That’s the end of that!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…Yes,” Lancelot finally sighed.

“My King, I…” began Guinevere.

“Am I?”

“…My Lord?”

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

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

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

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

“Exactly, they are merely stories now.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Aye, I am.”


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

“Should we move?” asked Onslaught.

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

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

“…Ma?”

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


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

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

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

“Pardon?”

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

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

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

“…No, it’s silly.”

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

“…Freedom.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TMC 17-12

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

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

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

“We don’t have an answer!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Scattershot…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Come in.” Chromia entered the office.

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

“Was it that obvious?”

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

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

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

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

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

“It didn’t SOUND slight!”

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

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

“No, no, I’m not gonna die.”

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

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

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