“I don’t believe it!” called Optimus happily over the screen the next day. “You beat the Decepticon Headmasters?!”
“They’ve left for Animatros,” replied Llyra.
“What IS Animatros, anyway?” asked Amy.
“One of our colonies,” explained Optimus. “Bots with beast modes instead of vehicle modes like us.”
“That explains so much,” muttered Amy.
“It sounds like you’ve had quite the adventure on Nebulos,” chuckled Optimus.
“She has honored us with her involvement in its liberation from my father,” proclaimed Llyra.
“Er, then why do you still have your family crest?” asked Optimus. “Doesn’t the House of Skargh now have dishonor staining its name?”
“Sentiment, mainly,” sighed Llyra. “And it does.”
“Llyra,” called Trema, “how would you like to replace sentiment with a new beginning?” She then took her own family crest off her shoulder and held it out to Llyra. “This has been too long. I have been a stubborn old woman to not notice your own honor.”
“Lady Trema?” asked Llyra.
“The House of Rozak,” declared Trema, “would be honored to welcome you into our family as a warrior, a wife, and a leader.”
“Does this mean…?” gasped Llyra.
“You and Galen have a wedding to plan, my daughter-in-law,” chuckled Trema. Llyra got misty-eyed as she accepted the crest and pinned it to her shoulder. They then did a Roman handshake, then a hug.
“You know, if you’re going to accept me into your house,” mused Llyra, “then it is only fitting that I improve your position.”
“You don’t need to,” assured Trema.
“But I must,” insisted Llyra. “Galen, Stylor, and I have been discussing your plans for the future.”
“I was not aware I HAD any plans,” muttered Trema.
“Lady Trema,” offered Llyra, “how would you feel about being named Nebulos’ official ambassador to Mobius?”
“…I’m not a diplomat,” argued Trema.”
“Nor am I a politician,” replied Llyra, “but this whole time has proven that fate can play cruel tricks on us.”
“She’s right,” mused Amy. “Mobius needs your skills. What’s more, I need you.”
“Well, my first duty is to my house,” answered Trema.
“Am I interrupting?” asked Galen’s voice. He approached the group. “What is this I see?” he asked.
“On top of me finally accepting Llyra into our house?” quizzed Trema. Llyra showed her shoulder off to prove it. “We’ve been discussing whether or not I should be Nebulos’ ambassador to Mobius. As I told them, my first duty is to my house.”
“Mother, I see no honor,” replied Galen, “in keeping you from your friends.” Trema considered, then decided.
“It has been a great honor fighting Zarak with you, my son,” she bid.
“The honor was mine,” replied Galen. Trema then turned to Llyra.
“Lady Llyra, as you accepted being Supreme Councilor,” she declared, “I accept being an ambassador.”
“Excellent,” cheered Llyra. “Your first assignment is to tell Optimus that Nebulos wishes to join the Autobot Alliance and fight the Decepticon Empire! You will also offer aid in any way you can, even combat aid!” Trema grinned, then turned to the screen as Optimus grinned.
“Optimus, Nebulos wishes to join the Autobot Alliance and fight the Decepticon Empire,” she relayed. “I will give aid in any way I can, even combat aid.”
“Wonderful news to hear,” chuckled Optimus. “Llyra, we’ll have to have a summit the instant Aleena and I finalize the terms of Mobius’ membership into the Autobot Alliance.”
“Mobius?!” yelped Amy. “Part of some interstellar alliance?!”
“Why not?” asked Trema.
“You and I have a lot to talk about when I get back,” chuckled Amy.
“When can I expect you?” asked Optimus.
“Master Trema, how long did it take the Retranga to get here?” quizzed Amy.
“Let’s see,” mused Trema, “Nebulos is 23.35 light-years from Mobius and we were going at warp 7, not counting the interruptions from the D.J.D and Ex-Traboon Monzo, so, 13 days. But we’re not taking the Retranga home.”
“Trema and I have already discussed this,” supplied Llyra. “You’re using the Space Bridge to return to the Autobot base on Mobius.”
“It’s a lot like the Ground Bridge,” continued Trema, “just more intense.”
“It’s going to take the better half of the day for our scientists to calculate where the Space Bridge portal will be placed,” finished Llyra, “even with the coordinates Optimus gave us. So we have all day today to have a farewell tour.”
“I would like that,” cheered Amy.
“Then I’ll leave you to it,” bid Optimus. “See you tomorrow.” The call ended and Amy smiled.
“I’ve missed Mobius,” she sighed. “It would be nice to see home again.”
“A feeling I’ve had since I came to Mobius,” remarked Trema. “There really is no place like home.”
Amy, Trema, Natalie, and Sira were at the Space Bridge platform with their luggage in tow the next day. They were given a hero’s farewell after freeing Nebulos from the Decepticons. Llyra was at the Space Bridge apparatus with a technician at the controls. He set the coordinates and a larger portal opened. Amy, Natalie, and Sira almost lost their footing. “Intense was right!” shouted Amy over the din.
“Coordinates confirmed,” called the technician. “You may proceed.”
“May honor and victory bless your battles,” bid Llyra.
“And may they bless yours,” returned Trema. “Tell me when your wedding is. I don’t want to miss it.”
“I wouldn’t dream of excluding you,” replied Llyra. “Farewell.”
“Farewell!” called Trema and her sister witches. They soon walked through the portal.
Back at Autobot HQ, a portal opened inside the Ground Bridge apparatus. Optimus, the Autobots, and Sonic and his friends were waiting in the Command Center. Soon, four figures walked through, a Nebulan woman, two human women, and a female Mobian hedgehog with pink fur. “SONIC!” cheered Amy as she started hugging him. As she nuzzled her face in his chest, everyone noticed that he was less eager to get away.
“Well I never,” chuckled Optimus. Amy broke the embrace and turned to everyone else.
“I have a LOT to tell you guys!” began Amy. To make a long story short, she told them all about her adventures on Nebulos and in space from running into the D.J.D to helping Starna place Black Scar in mode-lock and giving Zarak and his cronies discommendation.
“Even Megatron got discommendation?” muttered Optimus. He then whistled. “That’s a blow to the Decepticon Empire. If the leader of an organization was stripped of honor on Nebulos, the entire organization is stripped. Looks like Nebulos and the Decepticons aren’t on speaking terms.”
“Eggman wasn’t too happy about being stripped of honor either,” recalled Trema.
“He’s one of those people that would scoff at the notion of honor,” mused Amy.
“Even so,” sighed Optimus, “we DO have a bit of trouble since Nemesis Prime’s allied himself with the Decepticons.”
“But, through those struggles,” called a woman’s voice, “we have a new wizard and new allies.” A femme then came up. She was colored rusty red and copper rust green and had the ladder-boom of a fire engine on her back with the bucket behind her head. The fire engine’s cab formed her feet while the rear of the engine formed her arms and shoulders. Her helm had horns like Ratchet’s and she had a white face with red eye makeup and lips.
“Who are you?” asked Amy.
“I am Pyra Magna,” introduced the femme, “leader of the Rust Renegades, or Torchbearers, whichever you prefer, and Optimus’ teacher when it came to magic.” She then looked at Sira. “I understand you knocked some sense into my student when he went through a power craze.”
“I did,” replied Sira. Pyra Magna then grinned.
“I owe you a great deal,” thanked Pyra Magna. “For, through your actions, you have assured me that Optimus is worthy of wearing a Wizard’s Crest.”
“A Wizard’s Crest?!” gasped Amy. She then turned to Optimus. “You mean…?!”
“I’m now a full-fledged Wizard of the Red Order,” confirmed Optimus.
“Congratulations!” cheered Amy.
“And your actions on Nebulos,” interjected Sira, “have assured me of my decision.” She then drew out a necklace with a rose-based crest colored in red. Amy’s eyes went wide.
“…Me?!” she gasped.
“Amy Rose O’Hedge,” proclaimed Sira, “I, Sira Mayworth, Grand High Witch of Mobius, do hereby recognize you as a sister Witch of the Red Order. You have successfully completed your training and kept an open mind wherever you went in the universe, fixing mistakes as you went and learning from those mistakes. May you strengthen the universe as a true witch.” She then tied the necklace around Amy’s neck and it glowed red for three seconds before fading. Amy was misty-eyed as she hugged Sira.
“Thank you!” she bid.
“You’re welcome,” Sira replied softly. The embrace broke off.
“Congratulations, Amy,” cheered Optimus. “We can certainly use another full-fledged witch in our group.”
“So,” quizzed Amy, “what happened while we were away?”
“WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!” bellowed Megatron as he waved the report around. Nemesis Prime stood up on the bridge of the Nemesis to explain.
“My Lord, I had simply seized command when Shockwave was reluctant to…” he managed to get out before Megatron interrupted.
“You mean YOU’RE the lunatic that set back my plans?!” he roared.
“You are speaking to the current commanding officer,” hissed Nemesis.
“Give me Shockwave!” ordered Megatron.
“I told you, I am in command of the Nemesis,” dismissed Nemesis, his arrogance on full display, “according to every rule set down before you left for Nebulos. If you have anything to say at all, it will be said to me.”
“There’s only one thing I want to say to you, you weak carbon-copy of my young brother!” roared Megatron. “You have jeopardized my plans! Shockwave, ship status!” Nemesis rolled his optics before waving Shockwave over to report.
“Warp Drive out,” she reported. “Shields down. Transporters under repair. Weapons systems are going through final checks. At our present rate of repair, we will be under full power in 10 days.”
“What is your position right now?” asked Megatron.
“We are currently assuming a holding position above the moon base,” replied Shockwave.
“Continue holding position until I give the order to attack Mobius,” demanded Megatron.
“I told you, I am in command!” shouted Nemesis. “I will give the orders! We are going to attempt another bombardment of G.U.N. HQ!”
“NOT WITH MY SHIP, YOU WON’T!” bellowed Megatron. “SHOCKWAVE, RELIEVE HIM AT ONCE! THAT’S AN ORDER!”
“You can’t relieve me and you know it!” snapped Nemesis. “According to my rule…”
“TO THE PIT WITH YOUR WARPED SENSE OF RULE!” shouted Megatron. “Shockwave, I order you to assume command and hold Nemesis Prime in a cell on the base until repairs are completed! That is a direct order on my personal authority as leader of the Decepticon Empire!”
“At once, My Lord,” confirmed Shockwave.
“Don’t you dare!” growled Nemesis.
“Nemesis Prime, you are relieved of command and are hereby ordered to the holding cell on the moon base,” declared Shockwave.
“I don’t recognize a Decepticon’s authority, even IF their views align with my own!” snarled Nemesis.
“You aren’t in your native universe,” observed Shockwave. “It is illogical for you to try and force your views onto us. You ARE going to a holding cell for your irresponsible leadership.” Nemesis didn’t move. “Nemesis Prime, I do not wish to injure you.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” challenged Nemesis. Shockwave got into a fighting stance. “You’re bluffing,” dismissed Nemesis.
“It is illogical to bluff at this time,” replied Shockwave. Nemesis scoffed.
“I’m not moving from this spot!” he snarled. Wrong answer. Shockwave delivered a punch and a kick to the gut, a punch to the face, and foot-jabs at the knees. As Nemesis struggled to get up, Shockwave gave Soundwave a look. Soundwave then unleashed a tendril, wrapped it around Nemesis’ waist, and shocked him so hard, he started smoking and lay unconscious.
“Got a cell ready for him,” he called.
“Put him in it,” ordered Shockwave, Soundwave dragged Nemesis off the bridge. “Lord Megatron, I shall be detailing more repair crews to try and accelerate repairs.”
“See to it immediately,” sighed Megatron. He ended the call and snarled. “Allowing him to assume command while I was away was a mistake,” he muttered to himself.