Chapter 9 – This Ends Now

The dry wind brushed across Silver's scales as she stared into the black sky of the scorched earth. The dark energy called her, tempting the young dragoness to follow its ways. But it could do nothing to shake her from the trance she had locked herself in. On her icy blue eyes, the image of the environment around her reflected off of the glassy surface. What was inside them gave away much more.

Fear. Torment. Pain. Agony. Every word with the slight notion of torture or death was the only thing that could run through the gray dragoness' mind. The land she once thought was amazing, beautiful even, had turned away from her, deceived her. The land had served as a prison for her, draining her power and slowly killing the young dragoness as the days passed. And she had the scars to prove it.

Silver lowered her wings and tail, listening as they slumped to the dusty ground, but kept her head high and alert. She watched as the two mysterious dragons crossed the rocky ground, noticing how they grew visibly weak and frightened. The scorched earth could do that to even the strongest and bravest of dragons. How the Sludge Guardian and her kin could have lived down there for so long, exposed to the dark energy that resonated through it was far beyond her knowledge.

The future Guardian had been following the blue and red dragons since the early morning, keeping out of sight and listening as best she could to them the whole time. But despite being around the two all day, she could never imagine their next actions.

"No," she whispered, "Not the scorched earth. Please, anywhere but there." But Silver's begging could not change their minds. Before she knew it, the two dragons, just her height and size, had disappeared into the building that rested before the gate. She could hardly believe it.

When she was there, she had lost her strength, her will to even want to live. Could it be any different for them? Surely the red dragon would have a hard time.

Silver thought about him: short with a slight build to him. Innocent eyes, yet headstrong attitude. But it was his side that troubled the gray dragoness. After being thrown against a tree, she thought that he would never get up. Yet here he was, miles and miles away from the original site, still walking and speaking. He was one tough dragon for sure.

Silver then thought about the female: tall, thin, and definitely built for speed. After watching the fight between her and the Water Guardian, Silver could conclude that the blue dragoness preferred fighting in the air. But what worried her was the female's build. While she was tall and agile, yet she was thin and appeared physically weak, lacking in strength. She seemed powerful and capable of great defensive strategies in a fight, but how long would that last?

Though she would never find out. Not that she could not, but rather, would not. Silver had suffered enough in there. Most of her life was spent in there while the Dark Forces tortured her. It was not until the Trine Guard established a wall around the perimeter of the lands that any dragon even realized she was there. Now, years after the event, the dragoness could hardly bring herself to even look at it.

"Is this what you want?" Coldfang's dark and authoritative voice whispered to her; "You want to follow them into that horrible place?" The gray dragoness did not reply. "This is exactly what I predicted: they're no doubt dragons of the Dark Forces."

"You don't know that!" Silver snapped, lowering her head in shame.

"I don't? Silver, look where they're going!"

"That dragon seemed to trust them enough to bring them in! You have see the other side of the story!" Now Silver was shouting, enraged not only because of her father's tone, but because the two dragons were entering the scorched earth and there was nothing she could do.

Nothing she wanted to do.

She turned, her back to the land. It was unlike her to run from a fight, it really was. But when the torturous memories were the only thing flooding her thoughts, was there really a point in moving back to where it all began? Spreading her impossibly large wings, Silver paused and let a quick message pas through her to her patiently waiting father, "I will find them again. It's not over."

Cylinder was jerked online by yet another pulsating blast. But immediately after her sensors kicked on, the blue femme hardly felt right. Her optics flickered, catching the image of Soundwave before her. It was his electric pulses that took her offline, and now, here they were forcibly rebooting her systems.

As soon as she regained control of everything, the Aerialbot lunged, but was held back by a series of tightly woven chains. She grunted as she tried to pull free, but her strength could not beat the restraints holding her back.

"Galvatron!" she growled, fighting against the chains. She used her knee to shove Soundwave out of the way. Upon seeing Galvatron and the other Decepticons, she narrowed her optics and pulled against the chains even harder.

The only reply was a small smirk on the Decepticon leader's faceplates. Galvatron approached the squirming Aerialbot, accompanied by Starscream and Soundwave. He looked over the femme, face just inches away from her own.

"It's interesting, Cylinder," he whispered, "How much one can learn in just a few cycles of doing nothing but taking in information."

"What are you talking about?" she glared at Soundwave, who brought forth an small, portable data pad with lists of information, all pertaining to her. Cylinder's programming, thoughts, actions, and everything she had ever known were placed on the small pad.

"While you were offline, Soundwave decided to have a look inside your programming to find out if you knew anything that we didn't. And sure enough, you did. It's funny how those things work. Cybertronians are such a miracle. Nothing is more amazing that this, especially when you think about all of those useless organics you Autobots keep trying to defend." Galvatron took the pad in his hand and examined several CNA (Cyber/Nano Algorithms) charts that made up Cylinder's programming, and then focused mainly on several data files where her memories had been stored.

The very thought of the Soundwave poking around inside her made Cylinder tense. Like, Rodimus, she had always been very picky about who prodded through her systems. But to have a Decepticon do it was what really killed her. Who knew where any of them, especially the Decepticon communications officer, had been?

"So," Galvatron continued, "This . . . Marchosias. He's a very powerful dragon, no? Says here that he commanded the 'Dark Forces' and was the most powerful dragon in the 'Dragon Realms' at the time. It would be nice to," his optics glowed a bright blood red as he spoke this, "Resurrect him."

Cylinder paused from her struggling and looked up as the purple Decepticon walked away. Somewhere behind her, Soundwave closed up paneling on her head. The femme shook her head in a failed attempt to shoo the blue mech away from her. "He's not dead," she hissed, "And you have no idea where he is to even try, so don't–"

Galvatron's laughed interrupted her. It emanated throughout the room, carrying itself high above them and echoing off the rough, rocky walls. The rocky chamber was large, tall and wide in all directions. The air was damp and drafty, yet the room was warm. The ceiling towered over the Cybertronians in the room. Several layers of tunnels stacked on top of each other lined the rough walls, and from inside one of them, a soft, orange light glowed from within. It only took a few moments after that for Cylinder to realize where she was.

"Whatever," she growled, "That still doesn't mean you have what you need to free him. That thing's safe with someone else."

Galvatron laughed once more and pulled from his subspace an intricate item that Cylinder could barely make out in the dim lighting of the cave. Sharp, definite features glinted in the faint light as the Decepticon leader turned the object around slowly. Occasionally, bright flashes of green, orange, or red would emanate from the tiny entity. It only took a few seconds longer for Cylinder to understand what it was that he was holding.

"How did you get that?" she cried, pulling against her restraints once more. Soundwave tightened them.

"What do you mean 'How did you get that'? It came from you." Galvatron replied flatly.

"How could it have possibly–" Cylinder paused. There was no way she could have gotten the Dragon Stone. Even with her questionable memory, she knew that there was no way she had it. It was safe with Acid, and she was sure of–

Acid.

How could Cylinder have been so stupid? When Acid gave the two Autobots their bags, he was not holding the Dragon Stone, and neither of them realized it. Acid had put it into Cylinder's bag, and when she returned to her Cybertronian form, the items in the bag, including the Dragon Stone, had been transferred to her subspace – a pocket designed for Transformers that kept any and all objects with them in an infinite storage container.

The blue femme leaned her head back against the wall and groaned. "Acid . . . why?" she whispered to the green dragon that was not there.

"I don't know why he did that, especially now that we know what we can use it for," Galvatron continued. "It's not very smart to make a stone that can cut through anything when you have a dragon sealed away in the depths of a planet's core."

In response to his statement, Cylinder leaned forward and caught his gaze with her own, freezing his processors and joining them with hers. They were going to attempt to free Marchosias. They had figured it out.

Though weak and worn out, the Aerialbot managed to keep every Decepticon in the room at bay while she delved deep into Galvatron's neural system. At her command, the purple Decepticon's grip relaxed on the powerful Stone.

A loud crack echoed through the hall when the Dragon Stone hit the floor. Cylinder had to remind herself that it was not broken, only cracked as she focused on it again. The power contained inside the old rock surged and sparked, trying its best to adapt to the new blemish on its already rough and blackened surface.

Galvatron, upon being released from Cylinder's control, turned and growled at the exhausted Autobot. She lowered her head in defeat, knowing full-well that she was in for it now. A cry of war rippled through the chamber as the Decepticon lunged for her, fusion cannon powering up with a bloodthirsty will to strike her down. Cylinder accepted her death and prepared for it. She leaned forward in hopes of her spark chamber being taken quickly rather than going through a slow, painful death, like the Decepticons usually liked to perform. But before she felt the impact of the large purple Decepticon, something smaller, red, and full of vengeance slammed into him.

Cylinder could see how Rodimus' injuries appeared when in robot mode. The metal was dented and scratched in places. Some places had no metal at all. Several cables and wires were leaking slowly, and a bright pink trail of Energon accompanied those bare places. She could still visibly see the pain on his face, but at least he was able to move. After all, it just might have saved her life.

As soon as Rodimus was able to knock the Decepticons back, the red mech advanced on Cylinder. He gave a slight tug on the chains that bound her to the rocky surface of the wall, the metallic bands snapping easily with strength that nearly tripled Cylinder's own.

"Are you all right?" he stammered between the warning sensors that went off in his processor.

"I'm fine," Cylinder replied, "Thanks. How's your side?"

Rodimus carefully brushed his hand over the gaping hole in his side, and removed it to find his hand dotted with drops of Energon. The leaking would do nothing to slow him down as long as he made this quick, but he had to promise himself that he would keep constant attention on his energy levels. "I'm fine."

With the reassurance, Cylinder turned to watch Galvatron and the other Cybertronians in the room right themselves. They stood, shakily at first, then regained control of themselves and stared back at the two Autobots, optics blood red with vengeance.

Everybot in the chamber knew what was coming next. The Decepticons were thrilled for the new challenge. The Autobots held feelings quite opposite of their adversaries. Cylinder's optics darted over to where Galvatron had been standing earlier, both the Dragon Stone and the remainder of the Blue Energon sitting there, waiting to be used. She knew immediately that whoever controlled both would be the clear victor of the battle. Unfortunately, so did Galvatron.

I've got the morons; you've got the glowing rocks, yeah? Rodimus thought, arching an optic ridge in amusement. The femme next to him nodded, at burst forward, letting her speed do the rest.

Galvatron could hardly keep up with Cylinder as she grabbed the Dragon Stone first. She shoved it back into her subspace pocket and turned, landing her fist directly into the Decepticon leader's face. Though there was little strength behind it, it gave the Aerialbot enough time to avoid a cannon blast at land next to Rodimus, the red mech already locked in battle with the other Decepticons and losing ground quickly.

It was clear to all of them that the Autobots were terribly outnumbered, with absolutely no hope of reinforcements to come to their rescue. But Cylinder knew that if she could get ahold of the Blue Energon and figure out how to reopen the portal that sent them there in the first place, she would feel a lot better about the outcome.

But first she needed a plan.

Neither Cylinder nor Rodimus were very good tacticians. Had Ultra Magnus been here, or even the late Prowl, the Autobots would have won the battle with little problem. But having limited knowledge on the battle strategies Galvatron liked to randomly call out kept both Autobots stuck in the dire situation.

Rodimus kept the Soundwave and the Sweeps away while Galvatron watched from above, noting the physical weaknesses Rodimus possessed as his strength began to dwindle by each passing second. Ahead of him, Cylinder raced back towards the Blue Energon, Starscream and Cyclonus on her heels. Given the limited moving space in the cave, a sudden burst of speed would have thrown the tall femme off course and into the wall. She knew that she had to keep her speed at a minimum enough so she could move quickly, but not so quickly as to run herself into the solid rocky walls.

Skidding to a stop, Cylinder fumbled to place her hands on the crystal, tearing a small chunk from it. Was this enough?

But as she crushed the stone into bits, a short, blue Decepticon slammed into her. Cylinder fell back, dazed and loosing focus. This was the one thing she always hoped would never happen. If the blue Autobot was hit hard enough, a wave of electricity would slam through her, temporarily stunning her systems and freezing her neural circuits. She stalled out, allowing the enemy a split second of the upper hand in the fight before she could regain control.

Trying to right her stunned processor, another fist smashed into her side, cracking the already fragile abdominal armor she had there. Starscream followed up on Scourge's attack with another push. All Cylinder could hear was the cackle of triumphant laughter from the other Decepticons as they watched her fall into one of the hallways of the cavern. All she could feel was the familiar sensation of her body changing, morphing; her metallic armor returned to that rough, scaly skin her dragon form sported. Then she felt the intense heat burn into her when she finally rolled to a stop.

This heat, unlike the heat in the open plains of the scorched earth, was at least several times hotter. If not, more. Cylinder could have sworn her skin began to boil as she stood on all fours. Her vision soon righted itself, and the femme looked up, squinting through the blazing heat waves that resonated from the ground. When her Aerialbot eyes corrected the temporary vision failure, her Spark skipped a pulse as she stared into what was truly hell unto itself.

Before her, a large, golden crystalline substance stood before her. It stretched from the floor to the high ceilings, and spanned the entire width of the room. Beyond the glassy surface, the ground bore nothing but flames that easily reached over seventeen feet tall, Cylinder's height in her robot mode. But being a dragon, the femme estimated that she was a mere six to seven feet. She felt undoubtedly small.

But it was what was directly in front of her that compelled the blue Aerialbot to look on in pure horror. A dragon, just about Acid's height, towered over her. He had long, curved horns that jutted from his head, and large, torn wings that rested carefully on his back. Cracked and worn chest plates protected his pitch-black, scaly body, and sharp, white claws curved out from his paws in a way that gave off the most menacing vibes Cylinder could have ever gotten.

But what scared her the most were his eyes. His eyes. Primus, forbid those eyes. A deep, endless, bloody sea of red was all that she could see in them. They glowed sharply and painfully as they stared back at the femme, cutting straight through her like a blade. Through them, Cylinder did not need to establish a connection to see the tragic history of this dragon unfold before her. The pain, the suffering, the deaths. He caused them.

Every single one of them.

Separated only by a thin layer of glassy crystal, Cylinder could only sit and wonder why he was here, or why he did not just try to break through. But it was the moment she laid a paw on the glowing wall did she realize why. A sudden burst of dark energy shot through her as she tore her paw away from the surface. It hit her like a bolt of lightning.

There was a reason why this dragon was here. And there was a reason why he could not get out as well. The dragon moved slightly and smiled in amusement at the young dragoness who stepped back in pure horror. Being here for thousands of years, with little to no visits from anything, sure was boring. It was nice to cause some terror in the hearts of others.

Backing herself against the other wall, Cylinder kept her wings protectively around the bags that had reappeared on her back, the only substance that could free the dragon separated by her body. She narrowed her eyes and spoke a single, fearful word, "Marchosias."

The only response was a small, prideful smile. So she did know his name.

"Alright, I'm getting tired of waiting," Cyclonus' voice echoed hundreds of feet above the two dragons in the heated cavern.

Cyclonus, along with Scourge and Starscream tumbled down the slick surface of the pathway, falling directly into the crushed Energon pieces. Cylinder watched as the mist engulfed them, changed them, but Marchosias did not. Rather, he could not see them change. The black dragon tried his best to look around the corner that shielded his view, but received no satisfying results. Instead he waited. He watched.

Observed.

Upon returning to their dragon forms, the Decepticons approached Cylinder, fire burning in their eyes. Cylinder backed herself against the wall, protecting the packs.

"Watch it," she barked, "I wouldn't want to free him if I were you."

Starscream turned and widened his eyes upon the sight of the massive and somewhat confused face of Marchosias. He appeared impatient, as if he actually wanted to watch the conflict unfold between the blue dragoness and the three larger, and definitely stronger dragons. He was itching to see it happen. A good fight always calmed his restless, demonic soul.

So if it was a fight he wanted, it was a fight he was going to get.

Cylinder charged forward and concentrated hard on her somewhat new blue fire ability. As she moved, time around her slowed, yet her speed increased. Her body trembled at the heat, but burst to life when the femme had successfully surrounded herself in a rushing inferno of blue flames.

Despite her disadvantage in physical strength, Cylinder had plenty of speed to overpower the Decepticons. She caught the three larger mechs off guard, slamming her burning body directly into Scourge's chest. The tracker fell backwards as he tried to regain his senses. The flames fizzled out, and Cylinder regained her awareness of what she had done. Odd, that had never happened before.

Marchosias actually appeared pleased at the Aerialbot's speed, but deep down, he, being experienced himself in fighting, knew she could not last forever. Before the femme knew it, Starscream and Cyclonus had gained the upper hand on her. Even without elements, both dragons were able to hit her with hard, powerful strikes, which sent her flying into the wall.

Cylinder regained focus before Starscream could pounce on her again and charged away from them; skidding to a stop at the Energon shards that were now drained completely dry of any power they once retained. She looked at Marchosias, who in turn gave her a slight smile of impression. To say it felt disgusting was far more than an understatement.

"Get up, you idiot!" Starscream demanded of Scourge, who refused to budge after the hit from Cylinder had clearly taken the wind right from him. The Seeker watched as Cylinder took to the sky and rocketed out of the passageway back towards the main chamber. He chased after her with Cyclonus and a very reluctant Scourge at his heels. They all left Marchosias, but the very emperor of the Dark Forces was far from done with them. Where these four had come from, there were definitely more.

The moment Cylinder had freed herself from the tremendous heat that boiled inside the cavern; she rushed to Rodimus' side. It was evident that the Autobot leader was growing weak, even though his Cybertronian systems were trying their best to perform self-repairs on him.

Cylinder watched as Galvatron observed the fight. Next to him, Cyclonus whispered in his audio – no doubt the news of their, or Cylinder's, findings. The purple mech smiled and laughed, optics glowing a brilliant red. He slowly climbed down from his perch and eyed the two Autobots, taking in the fear in Rodimus' optics and the rage in Cylinder's.

The Decepticons accompanying their leader formed a tight barrier around the two Autobots, bringing back a severe case of déjà vu for all of them. Galvatron approached the worn crystal and ran his fingers along the rough surface. The gem surged at his touch, as if begging to be used yet again. Tearing a chunk from it, he turned back to the other Cybertronians and waved it nonchalantly between his digits.

"Well . . . it seems that, yet again, we've caught you in the worst position possible, Autobots." He turned to Cylinder, who was still caught in dragon form. "Hand over the rock, and I won't use this on you," he threatened her with the Energon. But both she and Rodimus knew that the crystal was not aimed as a threat towards her, but more towards the young Prime. If the Energon was used on him, upon being brought back into his own dragon form, the strain on his side would eventually kill him, leaving Cylinder alone to fight off the other Decepticons.

Loosing Rodimus was not an option for Cylinder. Neither was risking the safety of the Dragon Realms by bringing about the very center of the world's hatred, pain, suffering, and darkness.

"Indecisive, are we?" Galvatron smirked before making an almost invisible gesture to Soundwave.

Without any emotion or large movements, the sociopathic Decepticon quickly raised his weapon and fired. The blast hit Rodimus' already exposed side, knocking the Autobot leader back against the wall, body smoking and Energon beginning to puddle around him. His optics flickered as he coughed, the pink liquid substance dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"No!" Cylinder tried to push through the Decepticon barricade, but kept her distance when a Sweep nearly crushed the small organic form.

"I'm only going to say this one more time," Galvatron stated, crushing the Energon between his palms and allowing his body to return to his own dragon form. The other Decepticons followed his lead. "Give me the Stone, and I won't kill you or Rodimus."

Something in the back of her mind kept telling Cylinder not to give in; it begged her to keep in mind what the consequences would be if she traded the Dragon Stone for Rodimus. It was not the Voice, though. It was something completely different, like the angel to her devil, or the lamb to her lion.

The silent message passed from Cylinder to Rodimus. The young Prime nodded at the arguments that circled through her processor. On one hand, if she refused to give them the stone, Rodimus would be killed, and Cylinder could at least get the chance to fight for possession of the stone. But on the other hand, if she gave the Dragon Stone to Galvatron, it would ultimately set Marchosias free, but would also save Rodimus' life. And the Energon could take them back to Cybertron. They could forget this ever happened. But in both Autobots' minds, risking the life of one meant more to them than risking the life of millions of innocent creatures. Maybe letting Rodimus die was the best option they had. The Autobot leader seemed to agree.

But there was still something else that tugged at Cylinder's thoughts. That second voice called to her. It spoke to the femme, and forced her to listen, whether she wanted to or not. Destroy the Energon, it said. Destroy the Stone. End this, Cylinder, and finish this fight.

No, the Voice overpowered the other, trembling with rage. Give in. Give in, and let this world rot. It was doomed from the start. Save Rodimus, and fight later.

As compelling as that sounded, Cylinder still could not completely get rid of the other thoughts. Destroy the Energon and the Stone? That would also mean destroying any hope of returning home.

The blue femme looked over at Rodimus. The mech struggled to stay online. She looked at Galvatron circling her like his fallen prey. Either way, this world would crumble, and they all knew it. But at least she had to try. If it meant saving this world, then so be it. The Voice protested, but became overpowered by the other voice, the voice that found its way into the Aerialbot, and guided her like the conscience she should have had all this time.

No, it whispered through Cylinder. No, this will not happen. This ends here, and this ends now.

Cylinder burst through the Decepticons, drawing her power from the words of the other voice, a voice that, as she listened to it more, began to feel more and more familiar. There was something to that voice that made the femme think. But for now, she had to ignore the thought and focus on the task at hand.

When Cylinder reached the crystal, she felt as though she knew exactly what she needed to do. In her own rage, pain, and fear, the emotions that had welled up inside her had finally let out. She was done, finished with going through the same motions every day of her life. It was time to do something that she could always be remembered for, even if every witness would be dead before they could spread the news.

Cylinder's fury was hardly the work of a trained elemental dragon, but given the circumstances, it would have to do. The room illuminated with a soft, electric blue glow as bright, blue fire engulfed Cylinder. Her eyes glowed brightly, even more so than usual. Her wings spread far apart, welcoming the flames as they spread across her membrane and licked up the thin golden limbs. The ground erupted in blue flames, bringing forth the true emotion behind Cylinder's power.

For a moment, time froze, and Cylinder gathered herself as she looked around her. Rodimus had done his best to take cover by hiding behind a large boulder near the wall of the chamber. He knew he was going to die, but at the very least he had to protect the Matrix from the blast so Cylinder could bring it back to Cybertron. If she could bring it back to Cybertron.

Galvatron took a cautious step back, along with everyone else. Maybe now he was thinking twice about reverting back to his dragon form with the rest of the Decepticons. Or maybe he was impressed. Cylinder would never know.

After another moment went by, the young Aerialbot could no longer take the strain of the power building up inside her. The Voice spoke with a roar of fury in her defiance the moment her power released. Fire rippled across the ground, burning and biting at the Decepticons that stood in its way. The force of the blast caused the Blue Energon to Shatter, reducing it to nothing but a pile of broken rocks. Rocks that were now giving off a steady trail of blue mist.

In the aftermath of her fury, Cylinder panted hard, letting her body tremble and collapse. Power was not meant to be used that way. Even as a robot, Cylinder knew the price to be paid when exposed to that much force and energy. Yet still, even as it died off, she could not help but feel content. She did not die, she saved a planet from death, and she destroyed the Energon. Or did she?

In the wreck of the crystal, surrounded by the mist, a single shard remained. It was not very large, nor was it all that small. No smoke rose from the gem, indicating that it still was unused. Cylinder's hope of returning home had reappeared, but before she could reach for it, a soft moan echoed around the rock walls. The blue femme immediately recognized it.

Cylinder dashed to the rock Rodimus had been hiding behind, noting the massive burn marks on its surface. She lowered her head in relief at the sight of her leader still functioning. He lifted his head and gave her a slight smile; the silent message of I'm alright passing through them.

Slowly, Rodimus found his footing, using the edge of the boulder for support to lift him up. His side whined in protest, but he did his best to ignore it. The Prime approached the Energon with Cylinder close behind.

Both Autobots watched as the catastrophic event of their first encounter with the portal played back again. The mist swirled around before them, igniting its bright blue light. The wind that had pulled them in before picked up, tugging at them, beckoning to come through to the other side, wherever that may be.

Rodimus, eager to get his wounds fixed and to return to his home planet, did not hesitate as he took one step in, followed by another. But as Cylinder followed, she turned back. The mist had surrounded her, changed her back into the robot form she was always meant to have. But even with the call of Cybertron burning with desire in her spark, she could not help but look back with longing on the world she was about to leave behind.

The bodies of unconscious (and maybe dead) Decepticons lied strewn about the stone floor, burns and blisters spanning the vast majority of their scaly bodies. The hallways that lead to Marchosais' prison burned with dark energy, most of it directed towards his anger of not seeing the fight end. The world beyond the cave became peaceful once more. The battle had lasted long into the night, as Cylinder could see the sun rising in the young sky. She did not even feel tired.

The Aerialbot thought about the world she was leaving, the dragons she would miss. Acid, Serina, who may or may not have been alive, Leviathan, and many, many more. Even with the threat gone, the blue femme still felt a strange attachment to this world, as though she knew this was not the end. The Voice, both the good and the bad, felt the same way.

"Cyl, come on," Rodimus' weary voice called from inside the portal. "I don't want this thing to close on us."

Cylinder lowered her head in silence. What was her excuse? Maybe she was not ready to leave. Maybe there was something else she was still needed for there. The blue Autobot picked up the unbroken shard, the last remaining piece of the Blue Energon. This crystal, this one crystal, was the only sign of hope for this world. This was far from being over – that much she could tell.

Answering Rodimus' impatient call, Cylinder turned, "I can't leave them," she stated. "I can't leave them behind, especially with the Decepticons still here."

"Cylinder," Rodimus started, "Even if they are here, they're practically powerless without their weapons. You have the Dragon Stone, so they can't free Marchosias. If we leave them here, we won't ever have to worry about the Decepticons again. Don't you want that?"

"Do I want to see a whole other race destroyed because of our selfishness? You saw what they did to Acid, heard what they did to Serina, and Primus only knows what they'll do once they're up and about again." Cylinder stood firm and strong before the smaller mech. Her stubbornness was hard to beat sometimes.

"Look," Rodimus attempted to compromise. "Right now, we're not in the best position for this. Please, Cyl, if we just leave now, I can promise you that we'll return and make sure this ends. But for now, please, just come home."

Cylinder continued to stare at him, "Promise?" she asked in the most youthful and innocent speech possible.

"Promise," he repeated.

Clutching the Energon, the Dragon Stone still with her, Cylinder walked forward to help the Prime through the portal. With one last look, she turned, making a statement that she would force herself to keep. "I'll be back. This doesn't end here. I can promise you that much."

Cylinder thought about the Realms, how closely related their situation was to her own. Cybertron, like the Dragon Realms, had always faced the threat of darkness, even if it was not physically there. It was almost like a Shadow realm, a parallel universe to Cybertron's own. The dark energy cried in disdain as the portal closed behind the two Autobots. The battle was won, but not the new war that was slowly emerging from the shadows.