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@optimus-prime-offical
Greetings Tumblr.
My name, is Optimus Prime, Leader of the Autobots.
He/Him
I do not have many boundaries, I just hope that people can find it in their sparks to be kind here. That is to say, no bigotry or discrimination.
My askbox is open, and you may ask about anything. Thank you for welcoming me into your community.
//Ooc info: mod is 18, but this not an 18+ blog, and anyone can interact!
mod is she/they, transfem//
thoughts on bees
I quite enjoy his company. Oh. you meant actual bees. They are fascinating.
Heyyyyy Optimus
You're an archivist right
There's some really weird fuckin classified files here, can you help with decrypting them?
I’m afraid I was never the best with decryption, though, I can try.
There are at least fifty rubber ducks glued around Prime's office. Wonder who that could've been from?
-🐝
Dear god….
TIMMY TIMMERS PRIME I AM HIGH AS FRAG
@weedchet-offical
what the fuck
" What happens if that same Blitzwing from last time starts attacking me again "
-🐝
…
" . . . Can you answer the question . . "
Why is it important?
" What happens if that same Blitzwing from last time starts attacking me again "
-🐝
…
@silly-little-arson-frog-offical
@optimus-prime-offical
hey been a minute. Anyway, you have two children now.
You’ve named your first born son Kent and your daughter Shelby
Interesting.
Sup loser
*time magics you into a sparkling*
WAIT WHAT! NO!
*Motormaster transformed into a sparkling before he could do anything else.*
Aww crap... Guys... @ratchet-offical @optimus-prime-offical @doc-nickel-official The Sparkling fairy is back... -_-
i am… so exhausted…
I just saw this deception in an alleyway I think it might be Christine
(ooc: I got the art from this reddit post https://www.reddit.com/r/TransformersArt/comments/1gw31mg/heres_a_christine_comic/)
I see. Do you have a location?
Are you worried about Ultra Magnus and Scratch?
Of course.
beep beep whir click whir whir rrrr
[Hi I just crawled out of a hole filled with korlonium crystals]
-@autoscout-official
Hello there, autoscout.
I’m a tripping or has everyone been a little quiet? Have I been quiet? 🥲😔
Lowkey since sentinel left I feel like I’ve been spiraling for no apparent reason. I’m not sure why but what used to be “meh, they’re probably just busy” has slowly turned into “oh no are they mad at me??” I know it’s not true but I can’t help but feel like it.
honestly the best way I can describe the absence of him is when the teacher moves your friend seats because you two talk too much, and then when you turn over to tell them something all you see is an empty desk. It’s honestly a little pathetic considering the short amount of time we knew each other for, normally I do not get very attached so quickly. I’m just gonna wait it out, sorry for the ramble folks.
//no, its been quiet for me too mostly//
Ultra Magnus shot up so quickly his vision blurred. Scratch! He had to find Scratch! They had stepped over the tape— they were in danger! He scrambled to his pedes in such a rush he tripped and fell to the ground. He hit the ground with a loud thud, as he moved to push himself up he caught a glimpse of his hands. His hands. Not the hands of the Magnus Armor, but his real hands, Dion’s hands. Stunned, he sat back on his knees, lifting his hands to the light and turning them as if testing that they were his. He looked around the room he was in, it was his room from before the war. He glanced behind him to where he had stood from, it was his berth. His own berth, in his own home in Iacon. His home where he and—
“Dion? What happened? Did you fall?”
Orion walked into the room and quickly made his way over to his younger brother to check on him. Magnus’ eyes widened, Optimus, no, this was Orion in front of him, his brother, his big brother before the war had hurt him so much. Dion couldn’t help but to leap up and pull him into a hug. Orion was caught off guard for a moment before chuckling and returning the hug
“What? You have a nightmare or something?”
A nightmare? Was that all it had been? Dion glanced around his room as the sunlight filtered in. It couldn’t have been a nightmare, it had all felt so real! But here he was, standing in Iacon with his brother, no war, no scars, no armor. He smiled happily.
“Yea, one heck of a nightmare! Lemme tell you about it!”
With that Dion and Orion began to walk to the kitchen for breakfast, completely unaware of the slight shimmer in the air…
[INITIALIZING RESTART SEQUENCE...]
RUNNING DIAGNOSTICS...
PROCESSOR... STABLE
HARDWARE... MINIMAL DAMAGE DETECTED. INITIATING SELF REPAIR...
SOFTWARE... STABLE
[DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE]
REBOOTING...
[*Scratch jolts awake, immediately slamming their head against the bottom of... Something]
[*They rub their helm, trying to alleviate their headache before looking around]
[*Even after a few scans, they don't recognize anything around them. Even so, everything felt... Off. They're missing something]
[*...]
[*They don't know where Magnus is.]
[*They shuffle over to peek out from the counter they were under, trying to look for him]
"Yea, one heck of a nightmare! Lemme tell you about it!"
[*Scratch flinches back under the counter, hoping that whoever that was didn't hear them]
[*They barely peek out again, trying to find any trace of Magnus]
*Dion walks quickly behind Orion into the kitchen, Orion reaches up and grabs two cubes of energon and walks over to the table, handing a cube to Dion*
“You wouldn’t believe it! I had a nightmare where all of Cybertron fell to war, the Decepticons went crazy and started killing everybody, and then you got the matrix of leadership and—“
“Me? The matrix? That’s ridiculous!”
Orion laughed and Dion followed. He felt silly now, for all the stress he had felt in the dream, none of it had been real.
“I know it’s ridiculous, dummy, but all dreams are. Okay, so after that the war ragged for like four million years”
“Four million?!”
“Yes, now shut up!”
Dion laughed and playfully shoved his brother
“And it all felt real in the dream?”
“Yea, I felt like I had lived the entire thing, I was old, dude!”
“And still single? Damn, you must’ve been ugly as slag.”
“I was not ugly, i had responsibilities! I had stuff to do, no time for romance! I had a kid to take care of too!”
“A kid? Where’d you get one of those?”
“I, uh, found them? Their name was Scratch, they… they were a good kid.”
“Must have been one convincing dream, little brother.”
Dion smiled and took a bite of his energon. The war had been horrible. Yea. But there were some parts of the dream he missed… he took a breath and steadied himself, all’s well that ends well.
That’s what they say.
Right…?
[*Scratch silently follows them, trying to listen in on the conversation]
[*They could recognize one of them, somewhat. He looked like Optimus, but... Younger]
[*And they were at a complete loss as to who the orange bot was]
[*He sounds... Familiar]
[*They continue following, traveling against the walls and ducking behind the occasional corner to stay out of their line of sight]
[*They eventually make it under another counter, desperately hoping that somehow maybe their experience playing horror games would save them]
"I was not ugly, I had responsibilities! I had stuff to do, no time for romance! I had a kid to take care of too!"
"A kid? Where'd you get one of those?"
[*Scratch pauses and peeks out from their hiding spot]
"I, uh, found them? Their name was Scratch, they... they were a good kid."
[*They just stare in utter disbelief. There's no way that was Magnus! He seemed so... Different]
"Must have been one convincing dream, little brother"
[*They shrink back into their hiding spot]
[*There's no way they just got sent into the past.]
[*They won't believe it.]
[*They're getting put through that one human movie. The one they can't seem to remember the title. Something something Back to the Future]
[*...]
[*Maybe if they just play along, it'll all be over, right?]
“You’re so stupid.”
Orion laughed as he listened to Dion finish explaining the dream he had had. Dion tossed the trash in the recycling and then quickly ran over to the door to follow his brother outside and onto the side walk. Dion smiles wider than he felt like he had in years as he sees the city in tact and not burned to ruins and the people walking around. He waves brightly to the people who great him, just as he always had before the war, although, considering there had been no war, he supposed it’s not like he had ever stopped. As they walked into the loading bay in the docks a bright voice shouted out to them
“Orion! Dion! Morning!”
Ariel ran up and pounced on Dion, playfully pretending to fight him. Dion laughed and began to tussle with her. Orion just sighed and rolled his eyes before separating them and flicking Dion in the forehead. After that they started to get to work. Dion was happy but he was beginning to get the strangest feeling of deja-vu. He could swear he remembered something like this before… he laughed to himself and shook his head, it was probably just the dream getting to him.
[*Scratch continues to follow them, trying to navigate between the other people in the sidewalk without getting walked over]
[*They look around them at the city of Iacon in awe]
[*They weren't created early enough to witness it in its beauty, only having grown up in the ruins of what was left behind]
[*They lose themselves in thought and admiration, only getting pulled back into the present as they bump head on into Orion]
[*They internally panic, before transforming and diving behind a corner, hoping that they were small enough to remain unnoticed]
“Hey, you can’t be here!”
Orion shouted at the small figure and gave chase, but as he stepped around the corner he glanced around, unable to locate the small mech. Two pairs of footsteps came running around the corner as Dion and Ariel came to check on him
“Orion?”
“What happened!?”
Orion huffed and put his hands on his sides.
“Just some dumb kid running around, I yelled at ‘em and they ran off”
“We’ll keep an eye out if they come back”
“I don’t know why kids always think sneaking into the docs will be fun”
Ariel rolls her eyes.
“Right, well, come on. That big energon shipment should be coming in any minute now.”
The three of them turned and began to make their way back to the loading bay while Dion yammered on about the wild dream he had had and Ariel laughed at the absurdity of the idea. As they stepped out of the room, Dion looked behind him for a moment. He jumped as Orion called out to him
“Di! Come on!”
“Coming!”
And with one last glance he ran off after his friends
[*Scratch ex vents in relief before transforming back and following slightly further behind]
[*Their size makes it a little difficult to navigate, but they manage to somewhat keep pace without falling too far behind]
[*They continue listening in, trying to figure out their next best course of action]
*in the loading dock area, a ship pulls up along the river and comes to a halt right at the edge of the docs, several mechs shout orders around and Ariel leads Orion and Dion to start unloading the shipment. For a moment everything was calm. And then all hell broke loose. There were shouts from somewhere in the front and then the shouts became screams gunshots shook the air. Dion’s eyes went wide as a large grey mech with a cannon on his arm strode into the room. Fear froze him to the spot and then he saw a flash of red and blue as Orion ran to try and stop the attacker. Dion wasn’t sure what he was doing as he leapt down from the platform to follow his brother into the fray. Blaster fire cut through the air and they dove behind cover to avoid it and a shriek rose from the center of the room. Dion looked up just in time to see Ariel crumple to the ground like a puppet with the strings cut. And then there was motion again, he ran to her side as Orion tackled the grey mech and began throwing punches. The grey mech laughed and tossed Orion aside like he was nothing, the entire world felt like it went silent as Dion watched the mech raise his cannon to blast Orion, he would never be able to move in time. And in less than a sparkbeat Dion was moving and tackling his brother out of the way. There was a bright flash of purple light and he was thrown into the opposing wall, a gaping hole through his torso through which the light of his very spark could be seen flickering. The last thing he could hear was the way Orion screamed.
[*Scratch stands frozen in the doorway]
[*They don't know what they just witnessed]
[*They don't know what just happened]
[*They need to run away]
[*They need to get to Magnus- or Dion or whoever he was in this timeline]
[*They can't move]
[*They can't run]
[*They would probably be screaming as well]
[*But instead they're just frozen at the door]
[*They can't do anything but watch]
*suddenly, the air begins to shimmer once more, just like it had when they were first pulled through time. The screams are abruptly cut off and the world seems to fall out from under Scratch’s feet and darkness consumes them. And just as quickly as it arrived it dissipated, Scratch found themselves exactly where they had been when it all started. Somewhere nearby they hear someone yawn.*
*Dion sits up peacefully as if having just woken from any normal recharge. He yawns as he stretches and then turns to get out of bed. He looks perfectly fine as if nothing had ever happened to him. He walks towards the door to his room, rubbing his eyes. He gets this gnawing sense that he isn’t remembering something. He’ll figure it out later, it’s time to get ready for work! He calls out to Orion as he enters the kitchen*
“Morning, Orion!”
*BANG*
[*Scratch bolts upright, smashing their head against the bottom of the.... Whatever it is]
[*They feel around themselves, trying to figure out what just happened]
[*...]
[*What did just happen?]
[*...]
[*Scratch scrambles out from their original place, hiding underneath another counter and watching Dion]
[*...]
[*Something's wrong]
[*He died. He was DEAD why is he back??]
Dion jumps at the noise
“Hey, did you hear that?”
Orion gives him a look
“Hear what?”
Dion glances around the room quickly before turning back around
“Nothing, I thought I heard something. Probably nothing.”
Dion and Orion eat their energon just like they had in the last version, this time they’re just chatting about the docs and Ariel and several other names Scratch thinks they might recognize and eventually Orion mentions the large energon shipment that’s going to come in at the docks at about noon today. The same energon shipment where Dion got shot last time
[*They keep following, making sure not to crash into anyone again]
[*Did they just have a strange dream? It felt... Familiar, but they can't seem to place why]
[*Part of them wants to go directly to them and ask what's going on]
[*Instead they just follow]
Dion and Orion stepped outside into the glittering brilliance of Iacon city once more, Dion walked a bit faster than his brother, more bounce in his step. When they reached the docks a pink mech comes running up to join the two of them.
"Orion! Dion! Morning!"
Ariel pounced on Dion, playfully pretending to fight him. Dion laughed and began to tussle with her. Orion just sighed and rolled his eyes before separating them and flicking Dion in the forehead. After that they started to get to work. Dion was happy but he was beginning to get the strangest feeling of deja-vu. He could swear he remembered something like this before... he laughed to himself and shook his head, he was probably just imagining things. The day seemed perfectly normal to the three of them, they talked and laughed, unloaded and reloaded various shipments, nothing out of the ordinary, but somewhere in the background a radio quietly played the recent news of the times
*kkzsht*
“Good morning Iacon city! This is the Iacon Daily bringing you Cybertron’s latest news! Recent reports of civil unrest are still on the rise as riots break out in the streets between various cities’ police forces and protesters. The protester gang who call themselves Decepticons have in particularly ramped up their action, some experts say that Cybertron’s leadership likely only has weeks before the violence boils over. In other news, storms over the Sea of Rust have—“
*kkzsht*
[*Scratch blinks]
[*It's all too familiar.]
[*Ariel's attack. Dion and Orion's reaction.]
[*It's almost as if...]
"...The protester gang who call themselves Decepticons have in particularly ramped up their action..."
[*Scratch freezes]
[*They don't want to believe it's happening. Not again.]
[*They sprint off after them, taking care not to get spotted]
It happened again. The moment the clock struck noon, there was the boat, the same one as before, and as the trio began to unload the shipment, the screams began again, Dion jumped down following his brother into the laser fire.
WAIT-!!
[*Scratch sprints towards them, desperately reaching out for Dion, pleading to make it in time]
*THONK*
[*Scratch nearly screams in frustration as they bash their head once again in the same underneath whatever]
[*They ex vent in frustration. How long had this been going on? Had they been oblivious to the loop for all this time? Had they been wasting any opportunity to escape?]
[*They take a moment to gather their bearings before scrambling out of their hiding place in search of Dion]
Once more Dion sits up from bed. He stretches his arms up above his head but as he stands up he seems to hesitate in the center of the room. He looks around him. Something feels… wrong. His room looks somewhat… dusty? Everything seemed desaturated. Hm. Odd. He’d have to make a point to dust everything when he got home. He walked out the door once more.
“Morning, Orion!”
[*Scratch scrambles to get to the door before it closes, running up to Dion from behind]
Mag- Dion! Wait-! Please!!
[*The door shuts in their face]
Frag frag frag-
[*Scratch tries to get through, trying to hit any triggers and failing to get the door to open]
Nonononono- Please no-
[*They take a step back, trying to find another way out]
Dion smiled as he ate breakfast with Orion, but something seemed weird. His energon tasted a little funny, he thought. He was probably just a bit sick, nothing to worry about, but as they stepped out into the city the strangeness only continued. The city appeared to be slightly… tarnished? Nothing seemed to shine like it usually did, vines climbed up the walls of some of the buildings, and there seemed to be more cracks in the sidewalks and all around…
Dion shook his helm, he was imagining it. He was sick and so was just noticing the negative in everything. That had to be it.
[*Scratch tumbles out of a window, crashing a far way down in a crumpled heap]
[*They peel themselves off of the ground before continuing to sprint after Dion and Orion in the distance]
[*They weave around crowds of cybertronians, trying to ignore the looks they gave him as they shoved their way around them]
DION-! PLEASE WAIT-!!
Dion stops and turns to look through the crowd, he spots a small Cybertronian running and trying to catch up with him and Orion. But just as he seems about to respond, Ariel runs over and leaps up to hug him. Dion laughs and walks into the docks, as if he couldn’t even remember being called for…
[*It's happening again.]
[*Scratch continues squeezing their way through the progressively increasing crowd, trying their best to reach out one final time before getting pulled back by someone]
Aww, are you lost?
NO I- LET ME GO-!
C'mon kiddo, let's go find your parents
[*They're getting dragged away]
[*They're too close]
[*They can't let it happen again]
Just as they reach the entrance of the dock, the clock strikes twelve. Noon. Blasts begin to tear the building to shreds once more. Dion jumps down from the ship and dives for cover, as he sits up he spots Scratch
“Hey! Kid, scram! Get the cops!”
And then Dion is moving again, diving to protect Orion, and with a flash of light it fades out once more.
NO!
*DONK*
[*And again.]
[*They don't even wait to recover from the hit. They just scramble out]
[*They crash to the floor, dizzy and feeling like their joints were grinding and melting against eachother]
[*They scrape themselves off of the floor, whirring in pain and trying again. And again. And again.]
DION! WAIT! PLEASE!
Dion freezes as he stands in his bedroom. A kid had just come running out from under his desk. What.
“Who the hell are you?!”
Doesn'tmatteryoucan'tgotothedockingareatodayitsgonnabeattackedbymegsomedecepticonsanditsgonnabebadandyoucan'tgopleaseIcan'twatchyoudieagainpleasejuststayforalittlelonger
[*They haven't noticed the tears streaming from behind their visor]
“Hey… I know you! You’re that kid that’s been sneaking around the docks!”
Dion pointed at them with a scowl on his face
“What have you been doing there, it could be dangerous, y’know?”
Yes! No! I. Frag-
[*They try to collect their thoughts]
It's DANGEROUS because it's gonna be ATTACKED by DECEPTICONS!!!
[*Their voice crackles with desperation]
Don't- Don't go- Please-
Dion’s expression softened,
“Hey, kid, calm down. The Decepticons? You mean the protestors? Kid, you need to listen to the news less, I promise there’s not gonna be any sort of attack, okay?”
Dion patted Scratch’s helm comfortingly
[*He doesn't recognize them]
[*They shake their head frantically]
No- no no NO I WATCHED YOU DIE-! SEVERAL TIMES-!
You- Why don't you believe me..?
[*Why would he?]
“Hey, hey, calm down. Why don’t you stay here for today? When I get back from the dock me and my brother will help you find your family, alright?”
[*They can't calm down]
[*They don't know what to say]
[*They don't know how to convince him to stay]
[*They won't have a family if they can't convince him to stay]
...You don't remember me.
“Hey, it’s gonna be okay, I’ve got you”
His voice was soft as he brought his hand up to wipe the cassette’s tears away
“Tell me what’s happening, okay?”
[*They ex vent rapidly, trying to gather their thoughts]
We're- We're in a time loop. I don't- know how we got here- some alternate universe Soundwave was telling you about a zone full of temporal anomalies
[*...]
I- You told me not to follow- but I did- and now this happened- and I don't know what to do- and I'm sorry- I should've listened- I didn't want to be a nuisance- I'm sorry-
Dion tried to speak as soothingly as he could
“Kiddo, it’ll be okay, I promise.”
If one was paying a lot of attention they would see how the colors of the world around them were becoming dimmer and fine cracks were beginning to show in the memories
[*They see the world start to deteriorate and crack around them]
[*They're scared]
[*They're trembling]
[*They don't wanna lose the only family they have left]
You- You need to wake up-
Hey, Scratch, I’m here, I’m here, calm down.
*there was a sudden sound, like an old timey clock, as noon arrived. The air around them began to wobble and shimmer, Dion placed a protective hand in front of Scratch as the world around them began to flicker in and out of focus, as if upset the loop hadn’t gone as planned*
Wh??????
[*Scratch grabs onto his hand, trying not to panic]
[*There's a signal cutting through the warped air]
...is destabilizing. This is Soundwave, please report-! Repeat, the anomaly is destabilizing. This is Soundwave, Please rep...
What- does that mean?????
*Dion’s appearance seems to flicker between that of how he looked at the start of the loop and a version that is much more scared. He stands at the ready, standing in front of Scratch*
I don’t know. This isn’t real, is it?
*his voice is almost shaking*
It’s not, I know it’s not. I… I don’t remember everything, but I know we have to get out of her. Now.
[*Scratch shakes their head]
It wasn't real- I don't think any of it was real-
[Fragging.. Ok dudes, I'm gonna try and pull you out whole the rift's open, ok?]
[*The world continues to tremble around them]
What happens if we don't make it out in time??
You will. Soundwave, I presume? Get Scratch out first. Am I clear?
[You got it dude]
Wh- WAIT-
[*Scratch vanishes from the room, only leaving a brief afterimage in their wake]
[*The world continues to crumble around Dion, cracks stretching along the walls and the world outside]
[*There's a sharp jabbing pain in his neck as he gets dragged back to reality]
*he winces at the pain, light headed from the way the world had seemed to wobble and shift, his hand comes up to hold his neck as he stumbles backwards. He vaguely makes out the concerned faces of mechs around him before he blacks out*
Uhhhh Ultra Magnus? Dude?
[*Soundwave stares over him]
Dude I need you to like. Wake up for a minute so I can check your vitals
[*He crouches down beside Magnus's head]
...If it's any help, Scratch is stable. They're resting on your chest right now so their self-repair does its thing
*Magnus lays there still, he seems to have completely passed out, but his vitals seem stable enough even if the values are a little out of preferable range*
[*Soundwave waits for a few moments, scanning Magnus's mind]
[*He ex vents deeply and turns to @optimus-prime-offical ]
He's stable enough to move offsite. I scanned his processors, and it looks like he got out early enough that his mind didn't get molten into slag. I'd still get him checked out though, I wouldn't be able to catch a lot of stuff
[*He gets up and adjusts his hachimaki]
I got some data on the timewarp that we just pulled him from, anyone in particular I should share it with?
Shockwave may be able to make sense of it.
*He’s gazing at Magnus.*
[*He nods]
Sounds good, I'll send over the data
[*He glances at Magnus and Scratch]
Need any help with transport?
I should have it handled.
[*He nods again]
If you say so, try not to hit any anomalies on the way out
I'll be here if anyone else wants to come onsite, but I don't want more than 3 people here at a time in case things get funky again
[*He pauses]
...Can you give me a ping when he wakes up? I'm kinda worried about the dude
… Actually, would you mind coming with me?
I do not wish to be alone.
[*He pauses]
I'll.. I'll come with you to the extract point, but I wanna scan the anomalies a little more before uh..
...
I'll walk with ya dude
Thank you. I am sorry to take your time like this. I should be stronger.
Nah dude, it's alright, happy to help however I can
[*He picks up Scratch with one arm and tries to help support Magnus with the other]
Coming down here at all is a lot of strength dude! Especially with all the... Y'know
I do not. What do you mean?
You came down to a dangerous area with a ton of anomalies that do who knows what just to help out with this guy
I feel that's pretty strong dude
*He chuckles softly. Its a sad sound.* And yet, I cannot even bear to walk back on my own.
*he chuckles again, then turns to Soundwave.*
You seem somewhat surprised. Is it not what one expects from a Prime?
Ultra Magnus shot up so quickly his vision blurred. Scratch! He had to find Scratch! They had stepped over the tape— they were in danger! He scrambled to his pedes in such a rush he tripped and fell to the ground. He hit the ground with a loud thud, as he moved to push himself up he caught a glimpse of his hands. His hands. Not the hands of the Magnus Armor, but his real hands, Dion’s hands. Stunned, he sat back on his knees, lifting his hands to the light and turning them as if testing that they were his. He looked around the room he was in, it was his room from before the war. He glanced behind him to where he had stood from, it was his berth. His own berth, in his own home in Iacon. His home where he and—
“Dion? What happened? Did you fall?”
Orion walked into the room and quickly made his way over to his younger brother to check on him. Magnus’ eyes widened, Optimus, no, this was Orion in front of him, his brother, his big brother before the war had hurt him so much. Dion couldn’t help but to leap up and pull him into a hug. Orion was caught off guard for a moment before chuckling and returning the hug
“What? You have a nightmare or something?”
A nightmare? Was that all it had been? Dion glanced around his room as the sunlight filtered in. It couldn’t have been a nightmare, it had all felt so real! But here he was, standing in Iacon with his brother, no war, no scars, no armor. He smiled happily.
“Yea, one heck of a nightmare! Lemme tell you about it!”
With that Dion and Orion began to walk to the kitchen for breakfast, completely unaware of the slight shimmer in the air…
[INITIALIZING RESTART SEQUENCE...]
RUNNING DIAGNOSTICS...
PROCESSOR... STABLE
HARDWARE... MINIMAL DAMAGE DETECTED. INITIATING SELF REPAIR...
SOFTWARE... STABLE
[DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE]
REBOOTING...
[*Scratch jolts awake, immediately slamming their head against the bottom of... Something]
[*They rub their helm, trying to alleviate their headache before looking around]
[*Even after a few scans, they don't recognize anything around them. Even so, everything felt... Off. They're missing something]
[*...]
[*They don't know where Magnus is.]
[*They shuffle over to peek out from the counter they were under, trying to look for him]
"Yea, one heck of a nightmare! Lemme tell you about it!"
[*Scratch flinches back under the counter, hoping that whoever that was didn't hear them]
[*They barely peek out again, trying to find any trace of Magnus]
*Dion walks quickly behind Orion into the kitchen, Orion reaches up and grabs two cubes of energon and walks over to the table, handing a cube to Dion*
“You wouldn’t believe it! I had a nightmare where all of Cybertron fell to war, the Decepticons went crazy and started killing everybody, and then you got the matrix of leadership and—“
“Me? The matrix? That’s ridiculous!”
Orion laughed and Dion followed. He felt silly now, for all the stress he had felt in the dream, none of it had been real.
“I know it’s ridiculous, dummy, but all dreams are. Okay, so after that the war ragged for like four million years”
“Four million?!”
“Yes, now shut up!”
Dion laughed and playfully shoved his brother
“And it all felt real in the dream?”
“Yea, I felt like I had lived the entire thing, I was old, dude!”
“And still single? Damn, you must’ve been ugly as slag.”
“I was not ugly, i had responsibilities! I had stuff to do, no time for romance! I had a kid to take care of too!”
“A kid? Where’d you get one of those?”
“I, uh, found them? Their name was Scratch, they… they were a good kid.”
“Must have been one convincing dream, little brother.”
Dion smiled and took a bite of his energon. The war had been horrible. Yea. But there were some parts of the dream he missed… he took a breath and steadied himself, all’s well that ends well.
That’s what they say.
Right…?
[*Scratch silently follows them, trying to listen in on the conversation]
[*They could recognize one of them, somewhat. He looked like Optimus, but... Younger]
[*And they were at a complete loss as to who the orange bot was]
[*He sounds... Familiar]
[*They continue following, traveling against the walls and ducking behind the occasional corner to stay out of their line of sight]
[*They eventually make it under another counter, desperately hoping that somehow maybe their experience playing horror games would save them]
"I was not ugly, I had responsibilities! I had stuff to do, no time for romance! I had a kid to take care of too!"
"A kid? Where'd you get one of those?"
[*Scratch pauses and peeks out from their hiding spot]
"I, uh, found them? Their name was Scratch, they... they were a good kid."
[*They just stare in utter disbelief. There's no way that was Magnus! He seemed so... Different]
"Must have been one convincing dream, little brother"
[*They shrink back into their hiding spot]
[*There's no way they just got sent into the past.]
[*They won't believe it.]
[*They're getting put through that one human movie. The one they can't seem to remember the title. Something something Back to the Future]
[*...]
[*Maybe if they just play along, it'll all be over, right?]
“You’re so stupid.”
Orion laughed as he listened to Dion finish explaining the dream he had had. Dion tossed the trash in the recycling and then quickly ran over to the door to follow his brother outside and onto the side walk. Dion smiles wider than he felt like he had in years as he sees the city in tact and not burned to ruins and the people walking around. He waves brightly to the people who great him, just as he always had before the war, although, considering there had been no war, he supposed it’s not like he had ever stopped. As they walked into the loading bay in the docks a bright voice shouted out to them
“Orion! Dion! Morning!”
Ariel ran up and pounced on Dion, playfully pretending to fight him. Dion laughed and began to tussle with her. Orion just sighed and rolled his eyes before separating them and flicking Dion in the forehead. After that they started to get to work. Dion was happy but he was beginning to get the strangest feeling of deja-vu. He could swear he remembered something like this before… he laughed to himself and shook his head, it was probably just the dream getting to him.
[*Scratch continues to follow them, trying to navigate between the other people in the sidewalk without getting walked over]
[*They look around them at the city of Iacon in awe]
[*They weren't created early enough to witness it in its beauty, only having grown up in the ruins of what was left behind]
[*They lose themselves in thought and admiration, only getting pulled back into the present as they bump head on into Orion]
[*They internally panic, before transforming and diving behind a corner, hoping that they were small enough to remain unnoticed]
“Hey, you can’t be here!”
Orion shouted at the small figure and gave chase, but as he stepped around the corner he glanced around, unable to locate the small mech. Two pairs of footsteps came running around the corner as Dion and Ariel came to check on him
“Orion?”
“What happened!?”
Orion huffed and put his hands on his sides.
“Just some dumb kid running around, I yelled at ‘em and they ran off”
“We’ll keep an eye out if they come back”
“I don’t know why kids always think sneaking into the docs will be fun”
Ariel rolls her eyes.
“Right, well, come on. That big energon shipment should be coming in any minute now.”
The three of them turned and began to make their way back to the loading bay while Dion yammered on about the wild dream he had had and Ariel laughed at the absurdity of the idea. As they stepped out of the room, Dion looked behind him for a moment. He jumped as Orion called out to him
“Di! Come on!”
“Coming!”
And with one last glance he ran off after his friends
[*Scratch ex vents in relief before transforming back and following slightly further behind]
[*Their size makes it a little difficult to navigate, but they manage to somewhat keep pace without falling too far behind]
[*They continue listening in, trying to figure out their next best course of action]
*in the loading dock area, a ship pulls up along the river and comes to a halt right at the edge of the docs, several mechs shout orders around and Ariel leads Orion and Dion to start unloading the shipment. For a moment everything was calm. And then all hell broke loose. There were shouts from somewhere in the front and then the shouts became screams gunshots shook the air. Dion’s eyes went wide as a large grey mech with a cannon on his arm strode into the room. Fear froze him to the spot and then he saw a flash of red and blue as Orion ran to try and stop the attacker. Dion wasn’t sure what he was doing as he leapt down from the platform to follow his brother into the fray. Blaster fire cut through the air and they dove behind cover to avoid it and a shriek rose from the center of the room. Dion looked up just in time to see Ariel crumple to the ground like a puppet with the strings cut. And then there was motion again, he ran to her side as Orion tackled the grey mech and began throwing punches. The grey mech laughed and tossed Orion aside like he was nothing, the entire world felt like it went silent as Dion watched the mech raise his cannon to blast Orion, he would never be able to move in time. And in less than a sparkbeat Dion was moving and tackling his brother out of the way. There was a bright flash of purple light and he was thrown into the opposing wall, a gaping hole through his torso through which the light of his very spark could be seen flickering. The last thing he could hear was the way Orion screamed.
[*Scratch stands frozen in the doorway]
[*They don't know what they just witnessed]
[*They don't know what just happened]
[*They need to run away]
[*They need to get to Magnus- or Dion or whoever he was in this timeline]
[*They can't move]
[*They can't run]
[*They would probably be screaming as well]
[*But instead they're just frozen at the door]
[*They can't do anything but watch]
*suddenly, the air begins to shimmer once more, just like it had when they were first pulled through time. The screams are abruptly cut off and the world seems to fall out from under Scratch’s feet and darkness consumes them. And just as quickly as it arrived it dissipated, Scratch found themselves exactly where they had been when it all started. Somewhere nearby they hear someone yawn.*
*Dion sits up peacefully as if having just woken from any normal recharge. He yawns as he stretches and then turns to get out of bed. He looks perfectly fine as if nothing had ever happened to him. He walks towards the door to his room, rubbing his eyes. He gets this gnawing sense that he isn’t remembering something. He’ll figure it out later, it’s time to get ready for work! He calls out to Orion as he enters the kitchen*
“Morning, Orion!”
*BANG*
[*Scratch bolts upright, smashing their head against the bottom of the.... Whatever it is]
[*They feel around themselves, trying to figure out what just happened]
[*...]
[*What did just happen?]
[*...]
[*Scratch scrambles out from their original place, hiding underneath another counter and watching Dion]
[*...]
[*Something's wrong]
[*He died. He was DEAD why is he back??]
Dion jumps at the noise
“Hey, did you hear that?”
Orion gives him a look
“Hear what?”
Dion glances around the room quickly before turning back around
“Nothing, I thought I heard something. Probably nothing.”
Dion and Orion eat their energon just like they had in the last version, this time they’re just chatting about the docs and Ariel and several other names Scratch thinks they might recognize and eventually Orion mentions the large energon shipment that’s going to come in at the docks at about noon today. The same energon shipment where Dion got shot last time
[*They keep following, making sure not to crash into anyone again]
[*Did they just have a strange dream? It felt... Familiar, but they can't seem to place why]
[*Part of them wants to go directly to them and ask what's going on]
[*Instead they just follow]
Dion and Orion stepped outside into the glittering brilliance of Iacon city once more, Dion walked a bit faster than his brother, more bounce in his step. When they reached the docks a pink mech comes running up to join the two of them.
"Orion! Dion! Morning!"
Ariel pounced on Dion, playfully pretending to fight him. Dion laughed and began to tussle with her. Orion just sighed and rolled his eyes before separating them and flicking Dion in the forehead. After that they started to get to work. Dion was happy but he was beginning to get the strangest feeling of deja-vu. He could swear he remembered something like this before... he laughed to himself and shook his head, he was probably just imagining things. The day seemed perfectly normal to the three of them, they talked and laughed, unloaded and reloaded various shipments, nothing out of the ordinary, but somewhere in the background a radio quietly played the recent news of the times
*kkzsht*
“Good morning Iacon city! This is the Iacon Daily bringing you Cybertron’s latest news! Recent reports of civil unrest are still on the rise as riots break out in the streets between various cities’ police forces and protesters. The protester gang who call themselves Decepticons have in particularly ramped up their action, some experts say that Cybertron’s leadership likely only has weeks before the violence boils over. In other news, storms over the Sea of Rust have—“
*kkzsht*
[*Scratch blinks]
[*It's all too familiar.]
[*Ariel's attack. Dion and Orion's reaction.]
[*It's almost as if...]
"...The protester gang who call themselves Decepticons have in particularly ramped up their action..."
[*Scratch freezes]
[*They don't want to believe it's happening. Not again.]
[*They sprint off after them, taking care not to get spotted]
It happened again. The moment the clock struck noon, there was the boat, the same one as before, and as the trio began to unload the shipment, the screams began again, Dion jumped down following his brother into the laser fire.
WAIT-!!
[*Scratch sprints towards them, desperately reaching out for Dion, pleading to make it in time]
*THONK*
[*Scratch nearly screams in frustration as they bash their head once again in the same underneath whatever]
[*They ex vent in frustration. How long had this been going on? Had they been oblivious to the loop for all this time? Had they been wasting any opportunity to escape?]
[*They take a moment to gather their bearings before scrambling out of their hiding place in search of Dion]
Once more Dion sits up from bed. He stretches his arms up above his head but as he stands up he seems to hesitate in the center of the room. He looks around him. Something feels… wrong. His room looks somewhat… dusty? Everything seemed desaturated. Hm. Odd. He’d have to make a point to dust everything when he got home. He walked out the door once more.
“Morning, Orion!”
[*Scratch scrambles to get to the door before it closes, running up to Dion from behind]
Mag- Dion! Wait-! Please!!
[*The door shuts in their face]
Frag frag frag-
[*Scratch tries to get through, trying to hit any triggers and failing to get the door to open]
Nonononono- Please no-
[*They take a step back, trying to find another way out]
Dion smiled as he ate breakfast with Orion, but something seemed weird. His energon tasted a little funny, he thought. He was probably just a bit sick, nothing to worry about, but as they stepped out into the city the strangeness only continued. The city appeared to be slightly… tarnished? Nothing seemed to shine like it usually did, vines climbed up the walls of some of the buildings, and there seemed to be more cracks in the sidewalks and all around…
Dion shook his helm, he was imagining it. He was sick and so was just noticing the negative in everything. That had to be it.
[*Scratch tumbles out of a window, crashing a far way down in a crumpled heap]
[*They peel themselves off of the ground before continuing to sprint after Dion and Orion in the distance]
[*They weave around crowds of cybertronians, trying to ignore the looks they gave him as they shoved their way around them]
DION-! PLEASE WAIT-!!
Dion stops and turns to look through the crowd, he spots a small Cybertronian running and trying to catch up with him and Orion. But just as he seems about to respond, Ariel runs over and leaps up to hug him. Dion laughs and walks into the docks, as if he couldn’t even remember being called for…
[*It's happening again.]
[*Scratch continues squeezing their way through the progressively increasing crowd, trying their best to reach out one final time before getting pulled back by someone]
Aww, are you lost?
NO I- LET ME GO-!
C'mon kiddo, let's go find your parents
[*They're getting dragged away]
[*They're too close]
[*They can't let it happen again]
Just as they reach the entrance of the dock, the clock strikes twelve. Noon. Blasts begin to tear the building to shreds once more. Dion jumps down from the ship and dives for cover, as he sits up he spots Scratch
“Hey! Kid, scram! Get the cops!”
And then Dion is moving again, diving to protect Orion, and with a flash of light it fades out once more.
NO!
*DONK*
[*And again.]
[*They don't even wait to recover from the hit. They just scramble out]
[*They crash to the floor, dizzy and feeling like their joints were grinding and melting against eachother]
[*They scrape themselves off of the floor, whirring in pain and trying again. And again. And again.]
DION! WAIT! PLEASE!
Dion freezes as he stands in his bedroom. A kid had just come running out from under his desk. What.
“Who the hell are you?!”
Doesn'tmatteryoucan'tgotothedockingareatodayitsgonnabeattackedbymegsomedecepticonsanditsgonnabebadandyoucan'tgopleaseIcan'twatchyoudieagainpleasejuststayforalittlelonger
[*They haven't noticed the tears streaming from behind their visor]
“Hey… I know you! You’re that kid that’s been sneaking around the docks!”
Dion pointed at them with a scowl on his face
“What have you been doing there, it could be dangerous, y’know?”
Yes! No! I. Frag-
[*They try to collect their thoughts]
It's DANGEROUS because it's gonna be ATTACKED by DECEPTICONS!!!
[*Their voice crackles with desperation]
Don't- Don't go- Please-
Dion’s expression softened,
“Hey, kid, calm down. The Decepticons? You mean the protestors? Kid, you need to listen to the news less, I promise there’s not gonna be any sort of attack, okay?”
Dion patted Scratch’s helm comfortingly
[*He doesn't recognize them]
[*They shake their head frantically]
No- no no NO I WATCHED YOU DIE-! SEVERAL TIMES-!
You- Why don't you believe me..?
[*Why would he?]
“Hey, hey, calm down. Why don’t you stay here for today? When I get back from the dock me and my brother will help you find your family, alright?”
[*They can't calm down]
[*They don't know what to say]
[*They don't know how to convince him to stay]
[*They won't have a family if they can't convince him to stay]
...You don't remember me.
“Hey, it’s gonna be okay, I’ve got you”
His voice was soft as he brought his hand up to wipe the cassette’s tears away
“Tell me what’s happening, okay?”
[*They ex vent rapidly, trying to gather their thoughts]
We're- We're in a time loop. I don't- know how we got here- some alternate universe Soundwave was telling you about a zone full of temporal anomalies
[*...]
I- You told me not to follow- but I did- and now this happened- and I don't know what to do- and I'm sorry- I should've listened- I didn't want to be a nuisance- I'm sorry-
Dion tried to speak as soothingly as he could
“Kiddo, it’ll be okay, I promise.”
If one was paying a lot of attention they would see how the colors of the world around them were becoming dimmer and fine cracks were beginning to show in the memories
[*They see the world start to deteriorate and crack around them]
[*They're scared]
[*They're trembling]
[*They don't wanna lose the only family they have left]
You- You need to wake up-
Hey, Scratch, I’m here, I’m here, calm down.
*there was a sudden sound, like an old timey clock, as noon arrived. The air around them began to wobble and shimmer, Dion placed a protective hand in front of Scratch as the world around them began to flicker in and out of focus, as if upset the loop hadn’t gone as planned*
Wh??????
[*Scratch grabs onto his hand, trying not to panic]
[*There's a signal cutting through the warped air]
...is destabilizing. This is Soundwave, please report-! Repeat, the anomaly is destabilizing. This is Soundwave, Please rep...
What- does that mean?????
*Dion’s appearance seems to flicker between that of how he looked at the start of the loop and a version that is much more scared. He stands at the ready, standing in front of Scratch*
I don’t know. This isn’t real, is it?
*his voice is almost shaking*
It’s not, I know it’s not. I… I don’t remember everything, but I know we have to get out of her. Now.
[*Scratch shakes their head]
It wasn't real- I don't think any of it was real-
[Fragging.. Ok dudes, I'm gonna try and pull you out whole the rift's open, ok?]
[*The world continues to tremble around them]
What happens if we don't make it out in time??
You will. Soundwave, I presume? Get Scratch out first. Am I clear?
[You got it dude]
Wh- WAIT-
[*Scratch vanishes from the room, only leaving a brief afterimage in their wake]
[*The world continues to crumble around Dion, cracks stretching along the walls and the world outside]
[*There's a sharp jabbing pain in his neck as he gets dragged back to reality]
*he winces at the pain, light headed from the way the world had seemed to wobble and shift, his hand comes up to hold his neck as he stumbles backwards. He vaguely makes out the concerned faces of mechs around him before he blacks out*
Uhhhh Ultra Magnus? Dude?
[*Soundwave stares over him]
Dude I need you to like. Wake up for a minute so I can check your vitals
[*He crouches down beside Magnus's head]
...If it's any help, Scratch is stable. They're resting on your chest right now so their self-repair does its thing
*Magnus lays there still, he seems to have completely passed out, but his vitals seem stable enough even if the values are a little out of preferable range*
[*Soundwave waits for a few moments, scanning Magnus's mind]
[*He ex vents deeply and turns to @optimus-prime-offical ]
He's stable enough to move offsite. I scanned his processors, and it looks like he got out early enough that his mind didn't get molten into slag. I'd still get him checked out though, I wouldn't be able to catch a lot of stuff
[*He gets up and adjusts his hachimaki]
I got some data on the timewarp that we just pulled him from, anyone in particular I should share it with?
Shockwave may be able to make sense of it.
*He’s gazing at Magnus.*
[*He nods]
Sounds good, I'll send over the data
[*He glances at Magnus and Scratch]
Need any help with transport?
I should have it handled.
[*He nods again]
If you say so, try not to hit any anomalies on the way out
I'll be here if anyone else wants to come onsite, but I don't want more than 3 people here at a time in case things get funky again
[*He pauses]
...Can you give me a ping when he wakes up? I'm kinda worried about the dude
… Actually, would you mind coming with me?
I do not wish to be alone.
[*He pauses]
I'll.. I'll come with you to the extract point, but I wanna scan the anomalies a little more before uh..
...
I'll walk with ya dude
Thank you. I am sorry to take your time like this. I should be stronger.
Nah dude, it's alright, happy to help however I can
[*He picks up Scratch with one arm and tries to help support Magnus with the other]
Coming down here at all is a lot of strength dude! Especially with all the... Y'know
I do not. What do you mean?
Ultra Magnus shot up so quickly his vision blurred. Scratch! He had to find Scratch! They had stepped over the tape— they were in danger! He scrambled to his pedes in such a rush he tripped and fell to the ground. He hit the ground with a loud thud, as he moved to push himself up he caught a glimpse of his hands. His hands. Not the hands of the Magnus Armor, but his real hands, Dion’s hands. Stunned, he sat back on his knees, lifting his hands to the light and turning them as if testing that they were his. He looked around the room he was in, it was his room from before the war. He glanced behind him to where he had stood from, it was his berth. His own berth, in his own home in Iacon. His home where he and—
“Dion? What happened? Did you fall?”
Orion walked into the room and quickly made his way over to his younger brother to check on him. Magnus’ eyes widened, Optimus, no, this was Orion in front of him, his brother, his big brother before the war had hurt him so much. Dion couldn’t help but to leap up and pull him into a hug. Orion was caught off guard for a moment before chuckling and returning the hug
“What? You have a nightmare or something?”
A nightmare? Was that all it had been? Dion glanced around his room as the sunlight filtered in. It couldn’t have been a nightmare, it had all felt so real! But here he was, standing in Iacon with his brother, no war, no scars, no armor. He smiled happily.
“Yea, one heck of a nightmare! Lemme tell you about it!”
With that Dion and Orion began to walk to the kitchen for breakfast, completely unaware of the slight shimmer in the air…
[INITIALIZING RESTART SEQUENCE...]
RUNNING DIAGNOSTICS...
PROCESSOR... STABLE
HARDWARE... MINIMAL DAMAGE DETECTED. INITIATING SELF REPAIR...
SOFTWARE... STABLE
[DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE]
REBOOTING...
[*Scratch jolts awake, immediately slamming their head against the bottom of... Something]
[*They rub their helm, trying to alleviate their headache before looking around]
[*Even after a few scans, they don't recognize anything around them. Even so, everything felt... Off. They're missing something]
[*...]
[*They don't know where Magnus is.]
[*They shuffle over to peek out from the counter they were under, trying to look for him]
"Yea, one heck of a nightmare! Lemme tell you about it!"
[*Scratch flinches back under the counter, hoping that whoever that was didn't hear them]
[*They barely peek out again, trying to find any trace of Magnus]
*Dion walks quickly behind Orion into the kitchen, Orion reaches up and grabs two cubes of energon and walks over to the table, handing a cube to Dion*
“You wouldn’t believe it! I had a nightmare where all of Cybertron fell to war, the Decepticons went crazy and started killing everybody, and then you got the matrix of leadership and—“
“Me? The matrix? That’s ridiculous!”
Orion laughed and Dion followed. He felt silly now, for all the stress he had felt in the dream, none of it had been real.
“I know it’s ridiculous, dummy, but all dreams are. Okay, so after that the war ragged for like four million years”
“Four million?!”
“Yes, now shut up!”
Dion laughed and playfully shoved his brother
“And it all felt real in the dream?”
“Yea, I felt like I had lived the entire thing, I was old, dude!”
“And still single? Damn, you must’ve been ugly as slag.”
“I was not ugly, i had responsibilities! I had stuff to do, no time for romance! I had a kid to take care of too!”
“A kid? Where’d you get one of those?”
“I, uh, found them? Their name was Scratch, they… they were a good kid.”
“Must have been one convincing dream, little brother.”
Dion smiled and took a bite of his energon. The war had been horrible. Yea. But there were some parts of the dream he missed… he took a breath and steadied himself, all’s well that ends well.
That’s what they say.
Right…?
[*Scratch silently follows them, trying to listen in on the conversation]
[*They could recognize one of them, somewhat. He looked like Optimus, but... Younger]
[*And they were at a complete loss as to who the orange bot was]
[*He sounds... Familiar]
[*They continue following, traveling against the walls and ducking behind the occasional corner to stay out of their line of sight]
[*They eventually make it under another counter, desperately hoping that somehow maybe their experience playing horror games would save them]
"I was not ugly, I had responsibilities! I had stuff to do, no time for romance! I had a kid to take care of too!"
"A kid? Where'd you get one of those?"
[*Scratch pauses and peeks out from their hiding spot]
"I, uh, found them? Their name was Scratch, they... they were a good kid."
[*They just stare in utter disbelief. There's no way that was Magnus! He seemed so... Different]
"Must have been one convincing dream, little brother"
[*They shrink back into their hiding spot]
[*There's no way they just got sent into the past.]
[*They won't believe it.]
[*They're getting put through that one human movie. The one they can't seem to remember the title. Something something Back to the Future]
[*...]
[*Maybe if they just play along, it'll all be over, right?]
“You’re so stupid.”
Orion laughed as he listened to Dion finish explaining the dream he had had. Dion tossed the trash in the recycling and then quickly ran over to the door to follow his brother outside and onto the side walk. Dion smiles wider than he felt like he had in years as he sees the city in tact and not burned to ruins and the people walking around. He waves brightly to the people who great him, just as he always had before the war, although, considering there had been no war, he supposed it’s not like he had ever stopped. As they walked into the loading bay in the docks a bright voice shouted out to them
“Orion! Dion! Morning!”
Ariel ran up and pounced on Dion, playfully pretending to fight him. Dion laughed and began to tussle with her. Orion just sighed and rolled his eyes before separating them and flicking Dion in the forehead. After that they started to get to work. Dion was happy but he was beginning to get the strangest feeling of deja-vu. He could swear he remembered something like this before… he laughed to himself and shook his head, it was probably just the dream getting to him.
[*Scratch continues to follow them, trying to navigate between the other people in the sidewalk without getting walked over]
[*They look around them at the city of Iacon in awe]
[*They weren't created early enough to witness it in its beauty, only having grown up in the ruins of what was left behind]
[*They lose themselves in thought and admiration, only getting pulled back into the present as they bump head on into Orion]
[*They internally panic, before transforming and diving behind a corner, hoping that they were small enough to remain unnoticed]
“Hey, you can’t be here!”
Orion shouted at the small figure and gave chase, but as he stepped around the corner he glanced around, unable to locate the small mech. Two pairs of footsteps came running around the corner as Dion and Ariel came to check on him
“Orion?”
“What happened!?”
Orion huffed and put his hands on his sides.
“Just some dumb kid running around, I yelled at ‘em and they ran off”
“We’ll keep an eye out if they come back”
“I don’t know why kids always think sneaking into the docs will be fun”
Ariel rolls her eyes.
“Right, well, come on. That big energon shipment should be coming in any minute now.”
The three of them turned and began to make their way back to the loading bay while Dion yammered on about the wild dream he had had and Ariel laughed at the absurdity of the idea. As they stepped out of the room, Dion looked behind him for a moment. He jumped as Orion called out to him
“Di! Come on!”
“Coming!”
And with one last glance he ran off after his friends
[*Scratch ex vents in relief before transforming back and following slightly further behind]
[*Their size makes it a little difficult to navigate, but they manage to somewhat keep pace without falling too far behind]
[*They continue listening in, trying to figure out their next best course of action]
*in the loading dock area, a ship pulls up along the river and comes to a halt right at the edge of the docs, several mechs shout orders around and Ariel leads Orion and Dion to start unloading the shipment. For a moment everything was calm. And then all hell broke loose. There were shouts from somewhere in the front and then the shouts became screams gunshots shook the air. Dion’s eyes went wide as a large grey mech with a cannon on his arm strode into the room. Fear froze him to the spot and then he saw a flash of red and blue as Orion ran to try and stop the attacker. Dion wasn’t sure what he was doing as he leapt down from the platform to follow his brother into the fray. Blaster fire cut through the air and they dove behind cover to avoid it and a shriek rose from the center of the room. Dion looked up just in time to see Ariel crumple to the ground like a puppet with the strings cut. And then there was motion again, he ran to her side as Orion tackled the grey mech and began throwing punches. The grey mech laughed and tossed Orion aside like he was nothing, the entire world felt like it went silent as Dion watched the mech raise his cannon to blast Orion, he would never be able to move in time. And in less than a sparkbeat Dion was moving and tackling his brother out of the way. There was a bright flash of purple light and he was thrown into the opposing wall, a gaping hole through his torso through which the light of his very spark could be seen flickering. The last thing he could hear was the way Orion screamed.
[*Scratch stands frozen in the doorway]
[*They don't know what they just witnessed]
[*They don't know what just happened]
[*They need to run away]
[*They need to get to Magnus- or Dion or whoever he was in this timeline]
[*They can't move]
[*They can't run]
[*They would probably be screaming as well]
[*But instead they're just frozen at the door]
[*They can't do anything but watch]
*suddenly, the air begins to shimmer once more, just like it had when they were first pulled through time. The screams are abruptly cut off and the world seems to fall out from under Scratch’s feet and darkness consumes them. And just as quickly as it arrived it dissipated, Scratch found themselves exactly where they had been when it all started. Somewhere nearby they hear someone yawn.*
*Dion sits up peacefully as if having just woken from any normal recharge. He yawns as he stretches and then turns to get out of bed. He looks perfectly fine as if nothing had ever happened to him. He walks towards the door to his room, rubbing his eyes. He gets this gnawing sense that he isn’t remembering something. He’ll figure it out later, it’s time to get ready for work! He calls out to Orion as he enters the kitchen*
“Morning, Orion!”
*BANG*
[*Scratch bolts upright, smashing their head against the bottom of the.... Whatever it is]
[*They feel around themselves, trying to figure out what just happened]
[*...]
[*What did just happen?]
[*...]
[*Scratch scrambles out from their original place, hiding underneath another counter and watching Dion]
[*...]
[*Something's wrong]
[*He died. He was DEAD why is he back??]
Dion jumps at the noise
“Hey, did you hear that?”
Orion gives him a look
“Hear what?”
Dion glances around the room quickly before turning back around
“Nothing, I thought I heard something. Probably nothing.”
Dion and Orion eat their energon just like they had in the last version, this time they’re just chatting about the docs and Ariel and several other names Scratch thinks they might recognize and eventually Orion mentions the large energon shipment that’s going to come in at the docks at about noon today. The same energon shipment where Dion got shot last time
[*They keep following, making sure not to crash into anyone again]
[*Did they just have a strange dream? It felt... Familiar, but they can't seem to place why]
[*Part of them wants to go directly to them and ask what's going on]
[*Instead they just follow]
Dion and Orion stepped outside into the glittering brilliance of Iacon city once more, Dion walked a bit faster than his brother, more bounce in his step. When they reached the docks a pink mech comes running up to join the two of them.
"Orion! Dion! Morning!"
Ariel pounced on Dion, playfully pretending to fight him. Dion laughed and began to tussle with her. Orion just sighed and rolled his eyes before separating them and flicking Dion in the forehead. After that they started to get to work. Dion was happy but he was beginning to get the strangest feeling of deja-vu. He could swear he remembered something like this before... he laughed to himself and shook his head, he was probably just imagining things. The day seemed perfectly normal to the three of them, they talked and laughed, unloaded and reloaded various shipments, nothing out of the ordinary, but somewhere in the background a radio quietly played the recent news of the times
*kkzsht*
“Good morning Iacon city! This is the Iacon Daily bringing you Cybertron’s latest news! Recent reports of civil unrest are still on the rise as riots break out in the streets between various cities’ police forces and protesters. The protester gang who call themselves Decepticons have in particularly ramped up their action, some experts say that Cybertron’s leadership likely only has weeks before the violence boils over. In other news, storms over the Sea of Rust have—“
*kkzsht*
[*Scratch blinks]
[*It's all too familiar.]
[*Ariel's attack. Dion and Orion's reaction.]
[*It's almost as if...]
"...The protester gang who call themselves Decepticons have in particularly ramped up their action..."
[*Scratch freezes]
[*They don't want to believe it's happening. Not again.]
[*They sprint off after them, taking care not to get spotted]
It happened again. The moment the clock struck noon, there was the boat, the same one as before, and as the trio began to unload the shipment, the screams began again, Dion jumped down following his brother into the laser fire.
WAIT-!!
[*Scratch sprints towards them, desperately reaching out for Dion, pleading to make it in time]
*THONK*
[*Scratch nearly screams in frustration as they bash their head once again in the same underneath whatever]
[*They ex vent in frustration. How long had this been going on? Had they been oblivious to the loop for all this time? Had they been wasting any opportunity to escape?]
[*They take a moment to gather their bearings before scrambling out of their hiding place in search of Dion]
Once more Dion sits up from bed. He stretches his arms up above his head but as he stands up he seems to hesitate in the center of the room. He looks around him. Something feels… wrong. His room looks somewhat… dusty? Everything seemed desaturated. Hm. Odd. He’d have to make a point to dust everything when he got home. He walked out the door once more.
“Morning, Orion!”
[*Scratch scrambles to get to the door before it closes, running up to Dion from behind]
Mag- Dion! Wait-! Please!!
[*The door shuts in their face]
Frag frag frag-
[*Scratch tries to get through, trying to hit any triggers and failing to get the door to open]
Nonononono- Please no-
[*They take a step back, trying to find another way out]
Dion smiled as he ate breakfast with Orion, but something seemed weird. His energon tasted a little funny, he thought. He was probably just a bit sick, nothing to worry about, but as they stepped out into the city the strangeness only continued. The city appeared to be slightly… tarnished? Nothing seemed to shine like it usually did, vines climbed up the walls of some of the buildings, and there seemed to be more cracks in the sidewalks and all around…
Dion shook his helm, he was imagining it. He was sick and so was just noticing the negative in everything. That had to be it.
[*Scratch tumbles out of a window, crashing a far way down in a crumpled heap]
[*They peel themselves off of the ground before continuing to sprint after Dion and Orion in the distance]
[*They weave around crowds of cybertronians, trying to ignore the looks they gave him as they shoved their way around them]
DION-! PLEASE WAIT-!!
Dion stops and turns to look through the crowd, he spots a small Cybertronian running and trying to catch up with him and Orion. But just as he seems about to respond, Ariel runs over and leaps up to hug him. Dion laughs and walks into the docks, as if he couldn’t even remember being called for…
[*It's happening again.]
[*Scratch continues squeezing their way through the progressively increasing crowd, trying their best to reach out one final time before getting pulled back by someone]
Aww, are you lost?
NO I- LET ME GO-!
C'mon kiddo, let's go find your parents
[*They're getting dragged away]
[*They're too close]
[*They can't let it happen again]
Just as they reach the entrance of the dock, the clock strikes twelve. Noon. Blasts begin to tear the building to shreds once more. Dion jumps down from the ship and dives for cover, as he sits up he spots Scratch
“Hey! Kid, scram! Get the cops!”
And then Dion is moving again, diving to protect Orion, and with a flash of light it fades out once more.
NO!
*DONK*
[*And again.]
[*They don't even wait to recover from the hit. They just scramble out]
[*They crash to the floor, dizzy and feeling like their joints were grinding and melting against eachother]
[*They scrape themselves off of the floor, whirring in pain and trying again. And again. And again.]
DION! WAIT! PLEASE!
Dion freezes as he stands in his bedroom. A kid had just come running out from under his desk. What.
“Who the hell are you?!”
Doesn'tmatteryoucan'tgotothedockingareatodayitsgonnabeattackedbymegsomedecepticonsanditsgonnabebadandyoucan'tgopleaseIcan'twatchyoudieagainpleasejuststayforalittlelonger
[*They haven't noticed the tears streaming from behind their visor]
“Hey… I know you! You’re that kid that’s been sneaking around the docks!”
Dion pointed at them with a scowl on his face
“What have you been doing there, it could be dangerous, y’know?”
Yes! No! I. Frag-
[*They try to collect their thoughts]
It's DANGEROUS because it's gonna be ATTACKED by DECEPTICONS!!!
[*Their voice crackles with desperation]
Don't- Don't go- Please-
Dion’s expression softened,
“Hey, kid, calm down. The Decepticons? You mean the protestors? Kid, you need to listen to the news less, I promise there’s not gonna be any sort of attack, okay?”
Dion patted Scratch’s helm comfortingly
[*He doesn't recognize them]
[*They shake their head frantically]
No- no no NO I WATCHED YOU DIE-! SEVERAL TIMES-!
You- Why don't you believe me..?
[*Why would he?]
“Hey, hey, calm down. Why don’t you stay here for today? When I get back from the dock me and my brother will help you find your family, alright?”
[*They can't calm down]
[*They don't know what to say]
[*They don't know how to convince him to stay]
[*They won't have a family if they can't convince him to stay]
...You don't remember me.
“Hey, it’s gonna be okay, I’ve got you”
His voice was soft as he brought his hand up to wipe the cassette’s tears away
“Tell me what’s happening, okay?”
[*They ex vent rapidly, trying to gather their thoughts]
We're- We're in a time loop. I don't- know how we got here- some alternate universe Soundwave was telling you about a zone full of temporal anomalies
[*...]
I- You told me not to follow- but I did- and now this happened- and I don't know what to do- and I'm sorry- I should've listened- I didn't want to be a nuisance- I'm sorry-
Dion tried to speak as soothingly as he could
“Kiddo, it’ll be okay, I promise.”
If one was paying a lot of attention they would see how the colors of the world around them were becoming dimmer and fine cracks were beginning to show in the memories
[*They see the world start to deteriorate and crack around them]
[*They're scared]
[*They're trembling]
[*They don't wanna lose the only family they have left]
You- You need to wake up-
Hey, Scratch, I’m here, I’m here, calm down.
*there was a sudden sound, like an old timey clock, as noon arrived. The air around them began to wobble and shimmer, Dion placed a protective hand in front of Scratch as the world around them began to flicker in and out of focus, as if upset the loop hadn’t gone as planned*
Wh??????
[*Scratch grabs onto his hand, trying not to panic]
[*There's a signal cutting through the warped air]
...is destabilizing. This is Soundwave, please report-! Repeat, the anomaly is destabilizing. This is Soundwave, Please rep...
What- does that mean?????
*Dion’s appearance seems to flicker between that of how he looked at the start of the loop and a version that is much more scared. He stands at the ready, standing in front of Scratch*
I don’t know. This isn’t real, is it?
*his voice is almost shaking*
It’s not, I know it’s not. I… I don’t remember everything, but I know we have to get out of her. Now.
[*Scratch shakes their head]
It wasn't real- I don't think any of it was real-
[Fragging.. Ok dudes, I'm gonna try and pull you out whole the rift's open, ok?]
[*The world continues to tremble around them]
What happens if we don't make it out in time??
You will. Soundwave, I presume? Get Scratch out first. Am I clear?
[You got it dude]
Wh- WAIT-
[*Scratch vanishes from the room, only leaving a brief afterimage in their wake]
[*The world continues to crumble around Dion, cracks stretching along the walls and the world outside]
[*There's a sharp jabbing pain in his neck as he gets dragged back to reality]
*he winces at the pain, light headed from the way the world had seemed to wobble and shift, his hand comes up to hold his neck as he stumbles backwards. He vaguely makes out the concerned faces of mechs around him before he blacks out*
Uhhhh Ultra Magnus? Dude?
[*Soundwave stares over him]
Dude I need you to like. Wake up for a minute so I can check your vitals
[*He crouches down beside Magnus's head]
...If it's any help, Scratch is stable. They're resting on your chest right now so their self-repair does its thing
*Magnus lays there still, he seems to have completely passed out, but his vitals seem stable enough even if the values are a little out of preferable range*
[*Soundwave waits for a few moments, scanning Magnus's mind]
[*He ex vents deeply and turns to @optimus-prime-offical ]
He's stable enough to move offsite. I scanned his processors, and it looks like he got out early enough that his mind didn't get molten into slag. I'd still get him checked out though, I wouldn't be able to catch a lot of stuff
[*He gets up and adjusts his hachimaki]
I got some data on the timewarp that we just pulled him from, anyone in particular I should share it with?
Shockwave may be able to make sense of it.
*He’s gazing at Magnus.*
[*He nods]
Sounds good, I'll send over the data
[*He glances at Magnus and Scratch]
Need any help with transport?
I should have it handled.
[*He nods again]
If you say so, try not to hit any anomalies on the way out
I'll be here if anyone else wants to come onsite, but I don't want more than 3 people here at a time in case things get funky again
[*He pauses]
...Can you give me a ping when he wakes up? I'm kinda worried about the dude
… Actually, would you mind coming with me?
I do not wish to be alone.
[*He pauses]
I'll.. I'll come with you to the extract point, but I wanna scan the anomalies a little more before uh..
...
I'll walk with ya dude
Thank you. I am sorry to take your time like this. I should be stronger.
Ultra Magnus shot up so quickly his vision blurred. Scratch! He had to find Scratch! They had stepped over the tape— they were in danger! He scrambled to his pedes in such a rush he tripped and fell to the ground. He hit the ground with a loud thud, as he moved to push himself up he caught a glimpse of his hands. His hands. Not the hands of the Magnus Armor, but his real hands, Dion’s hands. Stunned, he sat back on his knees, lifting his hands to the light and turning them as if testing that they were his. He looked around the room he was in, it was his room from before the war. He glanced behind him to where he had stood from, it was his berth. His own berth, in his own home in Iacon. His home where he and—
“Dion? What happened? Did you fall?”
Orion walked into the room and quickly made his way over to his younger brother to check on him. Magnus’ eyes widened, Optimus, no, this was Orion in front of him, his brother, his big brother before the war had hurt him so much. Dion couldn’t help but to leap up and pull him into a hug. Orion was caught off guard for a moment before chuckling and returning the hug
“What? You have a nightmare or something?”
A nightmare? Was that all it had been? Dion glanced around his room as the sunlight filtered in. It couldn’t have been a nightmare, it had all felt so real! But here he was, standing in Iacon with his brother, no war, no scars, no armor. He smiled happily.
“Yea, one heck of a nightmare! Lemme tell you about it!”
With that Dion and Orion began to walk to the kitchen for breakfast, completely unaware of the slight shimmer in the air…
[INITIALIZING RESTART SEQUENCE...]
RUNNING DIAGNOSTICS...
PROCESSOR... STABLE
HARDWARE... MINIMAL DAMAGE DETECTED. INITIATING SELF REPAIR...
SOFTWARE... STABLE
[DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE]
REBOOTING...
[*Scratch jolts awake, immediately slamming their head against the bottom of... Something]
[*They rub their helm, trying to alleviate their headache before looking around]
[*Even after a few scans, they don't recognize anything around them. Even so, everything felt... Off. They're missing something]
[*...]
[*They don't know where Magnus is.]
[*They shuffle over to peek out from the counter they were under, trying to look for him]
"Yea, one heck of a nightmare! Lemme tell you about it!"
[*Scratch flinches back under the counter, hoping that whoever that was didn't hear them]
[*They barely peek out again, trying to find any trace of Magnus]
*Dion walks quickly behind Orion into the kitchen, Orion reaches up and grabs two cubes of energon and walks over to the table, handing a cube to Dion*
“You wouldn’t believe it! I had a nightmare where all of Cybertron fell to war, the Decepticons went crazy and started killing everybody, and then you got the matrix of leadership and—“
“Me? The matrix? That’s ridiculous!”
Orion laughed and Dion followed. He felt silly now, for all the stress he had felt in the dream, none of it had been real.
“I know it’s ridiculous, dummy, but all dreams are. Okay, so after that the war ragged for like four million years”
“Four million?!”
“Yes, now shut up!”
Dion laughed and playfully shoved his brother
“And it all felt real in the dream?”
“Yea, I felt like I had lived the entire thing, I was old, dude!”
“And still single? Damn, you must’ve been ugly as slag.”
“I was not ugly, i had responsibilities! I had stuff to do, no time for romance! I had a kid to take care of too!”
“A kid? Where’d you get one of those?”
“I, uh, found them? Their name was Scratch, they… they were a good kid.”
“Must have been one convincing dream, little brother.”
Dion smiled and took a bite of his energon. The war had been horrible. Yea. But there were some parts of the dream he missed… he took a breath and steadied himself, all’s well that ends well.
That’s what they say.
Right…?
[*Scratch silently follows them, trying to listen in on the conversation]
[*They could recognize one of them, somewhat. He looked like Optimus, but... Younger]
[*And they were at a complete loss as to who the orange bot was]
[*He sounds... Familiar]
[*They continue following, traveling against the walls and ducking behind the occasional corner to stay out of their line of sight]
[*They eventually make it under another counter, desperately hoping that somehow maybe their experience playing horror games would save them]
"I was not ugly, I had responsibilities! I had stuff to do, no time for romance! I had a kid to take care of too!"
"A kid? Where'd you get one of those?"
[*Scratch pauses and peeks out from their hiding spot]
"I, uh, found them? Their name was Scratch, they... they were a good kid."
[*They just stare in utter disbelief. There's no way that was Magnus! He seemed so... Different]
"Must have been one convincing dream, little brother"
[*They shrink back into their hiding spot]
[*There's no way they just got sent into the past.]
[*They won't believe it.]
[*They're getting put through that one human movie. The one they can't seem to remember the title. Something something Back to the Future]
[*...]
[*Maybe if they just play along, it'll all be over, right?]
“You’re so stupid.”
Orion laughed as he listened to Dion finish explaining the dream he had had. Dion tossed the trash in the recycling and then quickly ran over to the door to follow his brother outside and onto the side walk. Dion smiles wider than he felt like he had in years as he sees the city in tact and not burned to ruins and the people walking around. He waves brightly to the people who great him, just as he always had before the war, although, considering there had been no war, he supposed it’s not like he had ever stopped. As they walked into the loading bay in the docks a bright voice shouted out to them
“Orion! Dion! Morning!”
Ariel ran up and pounced on Dion, playfully pretending to fight him. Dion laughed and began to tussle with her. Orion just sighed and rolled his eyes before separating them and flicking Dion in the forehead. After that they started to get to work. Dion was happy but he was beginning to get the strangest feeling of deja-vu. He could swear he remembered something like this before… he laughed to himself and shook his head, it was probably just the dream getting to him.
[*Scratch continues to follow them, trying to navigate between the other people in the sidewalk without getting walked over]
[*They look around them at the city of Iacon in awe]
[*They weren't created early enough to witness it in its beauty, only having grown up in the ruins of what was left behind]
[*They lose themselves in thought and admiration, only getting pulled back into the present as they bump head on into Orion]
[*They internally panic, before transforming and diving behind a corner, hoping that they were small enough to remain unnoticed]
“Hey, you can’t be here!”
Orion shouted at the small figure and gave chase, but as he stepped around the corner he glanced around, unable to locate the small mech. Two pairs of footsteps came running around the corner as Dion and Ariel came to check on him
“Orion?”
“What happened!?”
Orion huffed and put his hands on his sides.
“Just some dumb kid running around, I yelled at ‘em and they ran off”
“We’ll keep an eye out if they come back”
“I don’t know why kids always think sneaking into the docs will be fun”
Ariel rolls her eyes.
“Right, well, come on. That big energon shipment should be coming in any minute now.”
The three of them turned and began to make their way back to the loading bay while Dion yammered on about the wild dream he had had and Ariel laughed at the absurdity of the idea. As they stepped out of the room, Dion looked behind him for a moment. He jumped as Orion called out to him
“Di! Come on!”
“Coming!”
And with one last glance he ran off after his friends
[*Scratch ex vents in relief before transforming back and following slightly further behind]
[*Their size makes it a little difficult to navigate, but they manage to somewhat keep pace without falling too far behind]
[*They continue listening in, trying to figure out their next best course of action]
*in the loading dock area, a ship pulls up along the river and comes to a halt right at the edge of the docs, several mechs shout orders around and Ariel leads Orion and Dion to start unloading the shipment. For a moment everything was calm. And then all hell broke loose. There were shouts from somewhere in the front and then the shouts became screams gunshots shook the air. Dion’s eyes went wide as a large grey mech with a cannon on his arm strode into the room. Fear froze him to the spot and then he saw a flash of red and blue as Orion ran to try and stop the attacker. Dion wasn’t sure what he was doing as he leapt down from the platform to follow his brother into the fray. Blaster fire cut through the air and they dove behind cover to avoid it and a shriek rose from the center of the room. Dion looked up just in time to see Ariel crumple to the ground like a puppet with the strings cut. And then there was motion again, he ran to her side as Orion tackled the grey mech and began throwing punches. The grey mech laughed and tossed Orion aside like he was nothing, the entire world felt like it went silent as Dion watched the mech raise his cannon to blast Orion, he would never be able to move in time. And in less than a sparkbeat Dion was moving and tackling his brother out of the way. There was a bright flash of purple light and he was thrown into the opposing wall, a gaping hole through his torso through which the light of his very spark could be seen flickering. The last thing he could hear was the way Orion screamed.
[*Scratch stands frozen in the doorway]
[*They don't know what they just witnessed]
[*They don't know what just happened]
[*They need to run away]
[*They need to get to Magnus- or Dion or whoever he was in this timeline]
[*They can't move]
[*They can't run]
[*They would probably be screaming as well]
[*But instead they're just frozen at the door]
[*They can't do anything but watch]
*suddenly, the air begins to shimmer once more, just like it had when they were first pulled through time. The screams are abruptly cut off and the world seems to fall out from under Scratch’s feet and darkness consumes them. And just as quickly as it arrived it dissipated, Scratch found themselves exactly where they had been when it all started. Somewhere nearby they hear someone yawn.*
*Dion sits up peacefully as if having just woken from any normal recharge. He yawns as he stretches and then turns to get out of bed. He looks perfectly fine as if nothing had ever happened to him. He walks towards the door to his room, rubbing his eyes. He gets this gnawing sense that he isn’t remembering something. He’ll figure it out later, it’s time to get ready for work! He calls out to Orion as he enters the kitchen*
“Morning, Orion!”
*BANG*
[*Scratch bolts upright, smashing their head against the bottom of the.... Whatever it is]
[*They feel around themselves, trying to figure out what just happened]
[*...]
[*What did just happen?]
[*...]
[*Scratch scrambles out from their original place, hiding underneath another counter and watching Dion]
[*...]
[*Something's wrong]
[*He died. He was DEAD why is he back??]
Dion jumps at the noise
“Hey, did you hear that?”
Orion gives him a look
“Hear what?”
Dion glances around the room quickly before turning back around
“Nothing, I thought I heard something. Probably nothing.”
Dion and Orion eat their energon just like they had in the last version, this time they’re just chatting about the docs and Ariel and several other names Scratch thinks they might recognize and eventually Orion mentions the large energon shipment that’s going to come in at the docks at about noon today. The same energon shipment where Dion got shot last time
[*They keep following, making sure not to crash into anyone again]
[*Did they just have a strange dream? It felt... Familiar, but they can't seem to place why]
[*Part of them wants to go directly to them and ask what's going on]
[*Instead they just follow]
Dion and Orion stepped outside into the glittering brilliance of Iacon city once more, Dion walked a bit faster than his brother, more bounce in his step. When they reached the docks a pink mech comes running up to join the two of them.
"Orion! Dion! Morning!"
Ariel pounced on Dion, playfully pretending to fight him. Dion laughed and began to tussle with her. Orion just sighed and rolled his eyes before separating them and flicking Dion in the forehead. After that they started to get to work. Dion was happy but he was beginning to get the strangest feeling of deja-vu. He could swear he remembered something like this before... he laughed to himself and shook his head, he was probably just imagining things. The day seemed perfectly normal to the three of them, they talked and laughed, unloaded and reloaded various shipments, nothing out of the ordinary, but somewhere in the background a radio quietly played the recent news of the times
*kkzsht*
“Good morning Iacon city! This is the Iacon Daily bringing you Cybertron’s latest news! Recent reports of civil unrest are still on the rise as riots break out in the streets between various cities’ police forces and protesters. The protester gang who call themselves Decepticons have in particularly ramped up their action, some experts say that Cybertron’s leadership likely only has weeks before the violence boils over. In other news, storms over the Sea of Rust have—“
*kkzsht*
[*Scratch blinks]
[*It's all too familiar.]
[*Ariel's attack. Dion and Orion's reaction.]
[*It's almost as if...]
"...The protester gang who call themselves Decepticons have in particularly ramped up their action..."
[*Scratch freezes]
[*They don't want to believe it's happening. Not again.]
[*They sprint off after them, taking care not to get spotted]
It happened again. The moment the clock struck noon, there was the boat, the same one as before, and as the trio began to unload the shipment, the screams began again, Dion jumped down following his brother into the laser fire.
WAIT-!!
[*Scratch sprints towards them, desperately reaching out for Dion, pleading to make it in time]
*THONK*
[*Scratch nearly screams in frustration as they bash their head once again in the same underneath whatever]
[*They ex vent in frustration. How long had this been going on? Had they been oblivious to the loop for all this time? Had they been wasting any opportunity to escape?]
[*They take a moment to gather their bearings before scrambling out of their hiding place in search of Dion]
Once more Dion sits up from bed. He stretches his arms up above his head but as he stands up he seems to hesitate in the center of the room. He looks around him. Something feels… wrong. His room looks somewhat… dusty? Everything seemed desaturated. Hm. Odd. He’d have to make a point to dust everything when he got home. He walked out the door once more.
“Morning, Orion!”
[*Scratch scrambles to get to the door before it closes, running up to Dion from behind]
Mag- Dion! Wait-! Please!!
[*The door shuts in their face]
Frag frag frag-
[*Scratch tries to get through, trying to hit any triggers and failing to get the door to open]
Nonononono- Please no-
[*They take a step back, trying to find another way out]
Dion smiled as he ate breakfast with Orion, but something seemed weird. His energon tasted a little funny, he thought. He was probably just a bit sick, nothing to worry about, but as they stepped out into the city the strangeness only continued. The city appeared to be slightly… tarnished? Nothing seemed to shine like it usually did, vines climbed up the walls of some of the buildings, and there seemed to be more cracks in the sidewalks and all around…
Dion shook his helm, he was imagining it. He was sick and so was just noticing the negative in everything. That had to be it.
[*Scratch tumbles out of a window, crashing a far way down in a crumpled heap]
[*They peel themselves off of the ground before continuing to sprint after Dion and Orion in the distance]
[*They weave around crowds of cybertronians, trying to ignore the looks they gave him as they shoved their way around them]
DION-! PLEASE WAIT-!!
Dion stops and turns to look through the crowd, he spots a small Cybertronian running and trying to catch up with him and Orion. But just as he seems about to respond, Ariel runs over and leaps up to hug him. Dion laughs and walks into the docks, as if he couldn’t even remember being called for…
[*It's happening again.]
[*Scratch continues squeezing their way through the progressively increasing crowd, trying their best to reach out one final time before getting pulled back by someone]
Aww, are you lost?
NO I- LET ME GO-!
C'mon kiddo, let's go find your parents
[*They're getting dragged away]
[*They're too close]
[*They can't let it happen again]
Just as they reach the entrance of the dock, the clock strikes twelve. Noon. Blasts begin to tear the building to shreds once more. Dion jumps down from the ship and dives for cover, as he sits up he spots Scratch
“Hey! Kid, scram! Get the cops!”
And then Dion is moving again, diving to protect Orion, and with a flash of light it fades out once more.
NO!
*DONK*
[*And again.]
[*They don't even wait to recover from the hit. They just scramble out]
[*They crash to the floor, dizzy and feeling like their joints were grinding and melting against eachother]
[*They scrape themselves off of the floor, whirring in pain and trying again. And again. And again.]
DION! WAIT! PLEASE!
Dion freezes as he stands in his bedroom. A kid had just come running out from under his desk. What.
“Who the hell are you?!”
Doesn'tmatteryoucan'tgotothedockingareatodayitsgonnabeattackedbymegsomedecepticonsanditsgonnabebadandyoucan'tgopleaseIcan'twatchyoudieagainpleasejuststayforalittlelonger
[*They haven't noticed the tears streaming from behind their visor]
“Hey… I know you! You’re that kid that’s been sneaking around the docks!”
Dion pointed at them with a scowl on his face
“What have you been doing there, it could be dangerous, y’know?”
Yes! No! I. Frag-
[*They try to collect their thoughts]
It's DANGEROUS because it's gonna be ATTACKED by DECEPTICONS!!!
[*Their voice crackles with desperation]
Don't- Don't go- Please-
Dion’s expression softened,
“Hey, kid, calm down. The Decepticons? You mean the protestors? Kid, you need to listen to the news less, I promise there’s not gonna be any sort of attack, okay?”
Dion patted Scratch’s helm comfortingly
[*He doesn't recognize them]
[*They shake their head frantically]
No- no no NO I WATCHED YOU DIE-! SEVERAL TIMES-!
You- Why don't you believe me..?
[*Why would he?]
“Hey, hey, calm down. Why don’t you stay here for today? When I get back from the dock me and my brother will help you find your family, alright?”
[*They can't calm down]
[*They don't know what to say]
[*They don't know how to convince him to stay]
[*They won't have a family if they can't convince him to stay]
...You don't remember me.
“Hey, it’s gonna be okay, I’ve got you”
His voice was soft as he brought his hand up to wipe the cassette’s tears away
“Tell me what’s happening, okay?”
[*They ex vent rapidly, trying to gather their thoughts]
We're- We're in a time loop. I don't- know how we got here- some alternate universe Soundwave was telling you about a zone full of temporal anomalies
[*...]
I- You told me not to follow- but I did- and now this happened- and I don't know what to do- and I'm sorry- I should've listened- I didn't want to be a nuisance- I'm sorry-
Dion tried to speak as soothingly as he could
“Kiddo, it’ll be okay, I promise.”
If one was paying a lot of attention they would see how the colors of the world around them were becoming dimmer and fine cracks were beginning to show in the memories
[*They see the world start to deteriorate and crack around them]
[*They're scared]
[*They're trembling]
[*They don't wanna lose the only family they have left]
You- You need to wake up-
Hey, Scratch, I’m here, I’m here, calm down.
*there was a sudden sound, like an old timey clock, as noon arrived. The air around them began to wobble and shimmer, Dion placed a protective hand in front of Scratch as the world around them began to flicker in and out of focus, as if upset the loop hadn’t gone as planned*
Wh??????
[*Scratch grabs onto his hand, trying not to panic]
[*There's a signal cutting through the warped air]
...is destabilizing. This is Soundwave, please report-! Repeat, the anomaly is destabilizing. This is Soundwave, Please rep...
What- does that mean?????
*Dion’s appearance seems to flicker between that of how he looked at the start of the loop and a version that is much more scared. He stands at the ready, standing in front of Scratch*
I don’t know. This isn’t real, is it?
*his voice is almost shaking*
It’s not, I know it’s not. I… I don’t remember everything, but I know we have to get out of her. Now.
[*Scratch shakes their head]
It wasn't real- I don't think any of it was real-
[Fragging.. Ok dudes, I'm gonna try and pull you out whole the rift's open, ok?]
[*The world continues to tremble around them]
What happens if we don't make it out in time??
You will. Soundwave, I presume? Get Scratch out first. Am I clear?
[You got it dude]
Wh- WAIT-
[*Scratch vanishes from the room, only leaving a brief afterimage in their wake]
[*The world continues to crumble around Dion, cracks stretching along the walls and the world outside]
[*There's a sharp jabbing pain in his neck as he gets dragged back to reality]
*he winces at the pain, light headed from the way the world had seemed to wobble and shift, his hand comes up to hold his neck as he stumbles backwards. He vaguely makes out the concerned faces of mechs around him before he blacks out*
Uhhhh Ultra Magnus? Dude?
[*Soundwave stares over him]
Dude I need you to like. Wake up for a minute so I can check your vitals
[*He crouches down beside Magnus's head]
...If it's any help, Scratch is stable. They're resting on your chest right now so their self-repair does its thing
*Magnus lays there still, he seems to have completely passed out, but his vitals seem stable enough even if the values are a little out of preferable range*
[*Soundwave waits for a few moments, scanning Magnus's mind]
[*He ex vents deeply and turns to @optimus-prime-offical ]
He's stable enough to move offsite. I scanned his processors, and it looks like he got out early enough that his mind didn't get molten into slag. I'd still get him checked out though, I wouldn't be able to catch a lot of stuff
[*He gets up and adjusts his hachimaki]
I got some data on the timewarp that we just pulled him from, anyone in particular I should share it with?
Shockwave may be able to make sense of it.
*He’s gazing at Magnus.*
[*He nods]
Sounds good, I'll send over the data
[*He glances at Magnus and Scratch]
Need any help with transport?
I should have it handled.
[*He nods again]
If you say so, try not to hit any anomalies on the way out
I'll be here if anyone else wants to come onsite, but I don't want more than 3 people here at a time in case things get funky again
[*He pauses]
...Can you give me a ping when he wakes up? I'm kinda worried about the dude
… Actually, would you mind coming with me?
I do not wish to be alone.
