Note-Timelines: Explanation to the different timelines in the story time-circle.
Timeline 1:
This is the normal cartoon reality, up to the final of season 3. The chapters 1 to 14 play completely in this time-line, in four different periods, the year 2011, 1986, 2005 and 9 million years in the past.
After Hotrod returned from the year 1986 Megatron had still the smaller time-machine and the designs for the larger one that Hotrod accidentally left in the past.
Megatron made the decision to use the designs to build the pyramid.
This led to the creation of timeline 1 itself and of timeline 2.
Timeline 2:
There was only a small glimpse of this worlds in the end of chapter 15.
Not much is actually shown except that Galvatron had at one point conquered Cybertron and killed Rodimus Prime.
In this timeline Megatron agreed to an alliance with Unicron before being transformed into Galvatron instead of just being pressed into service by him.
The Decepticons had, in opposite to timeline 1, never succeeded in completely conquering Cybertron by themselves, mainly because of the resources and time that were used for the secret creation of the Pyramid.
Now however they are finally able to achieve this with Unicron´s help.
Despite that Galvatron seemed to realize at some point how dangerous his "ally" truly was and travels back into the year 1986 to "prepare" the Transformers for his arrival.
Timeline 3:
This timeline is a result of the alternate Galvatron´s travel into the past from timeline 2. It creates the alternate timeline that was shown in the chapters 17 to 20.
Timeline 4: (New timeline)
The reality that would have been created by Cyclonus and Scourge, who were under Unicron´s complete control, timetraveling from timeline 3 into the past on their masters bidding.
Chapter 21
Space close to Cybertron, 9.000.000 years ago
The strange group of Optimus, Rodimus and Skywarp was standing in the center of the pyramid
Here they were confronted with the ancient fallen Prime.
"Why here, why this time?" Optimus asked him.
"A interesting question. There were actually a few periods that came into choice. I thought about going back to the great battle of the Original 13", he replied.
"But then I would have also risked to bring my lost brothers back into existence. That is not something I want to let happen, not after I went through such lengths to kill them in the first place.
This date however is ideal. The technology in this era is mega-vorn behind yours or my original one, a civil war has just started and the planet is in chaos, barely any resistance.
You see without Megatron´s attempt to make Cybertron mobile my master would have found this planet again millions of years earlier. That was of course the true reason I had set you up to stop him."
Optimus felt silent anger at this statement. He and his two partners were ready to fight, but their enemy made no threatening move so far.
"But then the blunder of your troops had led to Cybertron being thrown out of it´s orbit", The Fallen continued.
"To be honest, had it not been for Galvatron´s presence I would have interfered personally to stop Megatron´s project and shown my true self. But not even I could have hoped to defeat this three at the same time.
Now however it is different. There are currently two of me in existence. My counterpart is in this moment hiding under your army as `Cronus´. One of me will occupy Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge while the other destroys Megatron´s planetary engines. Then my master will find Cybertron soon enough and this world will perish."
"Why are you doing this? You are a cybertronian like us, you are a creation of Primus."
"Oh Optimus, my young friend, a very long time ago I realized one thing, something that my sentimental creator was not willing to see. This universe as it is, is not worth saving.
It is flawed, full of mistakes. It´s creatures are weak, in mind even more than in body, foolish, ignorant, completely unable to see beyond their own horizon, even if their life depended on it.
They need to be destroyed and replaced with new and better creations. Destruction Optimus is the true driving force of the universe, it alone brings improvement."
"Are you finished holding speeches?" Rodimus asked him. "I think we have heard enough of your twisted philosophy."
"I completely agree Autobot", Skywarp said. "It is time to let the guns talk."
"Your two new friends really have spirit", The Fallen answered. "But make no mistake, the universe will be destroyed and here we will finally start."
"No, it won´t, we will stop you", Optimus told him.
The Fallen however, once again, was not looking impressed.
"A battle-weakened Prime, a Decepticon seeker in the same state and a second Prime who won´t be there much longer against me? You have no chance."
"You underestimate us", Rodimus answered.
"We will see."
Both sides began to attack. The two Primes and the seeker were trying to combine their fire on their stronger opponent while he was targeting one of them at a time.
xxxxxxx
Cybertron: sector Kalis, at the same time
Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge were roaming on the top of one of the skyscrapers of Kalis city.
They, the group that had traveled from the original year 2005, were spending their time here and waiting.
It was only a few hours ago that they, however reluctantly, helped to create the Autobot Ultra Magnus. And now they were going to be present at the coming battle that would happen in two days.
Galvatron was standing at the edge of the building, leaning with his back to the side-wall, his particle cannon lying next to him.
Cyclonus was standing in another corner in a similar position and Scourge was walking up and down aside their positions.
"And we have just to sit around here and do nothing for the next two days?" The Sweep leader asked annoyed.
"Yes Scourge", Galvatron replied, "that is exactly what I expect. I want to avoid something like the last time happen again and I want to make sure that nothing else interferes. So we will wait here. Do you have a problem with that?" he asked now more threatening.
"No mighty Galvatron, of course not." Scourge replied, backing off a few steps.
"Good."
"I for my part have enough", Cyclonus pointed out. "I only want to make sure that everything happens the way it was meant to and then get back to our own time."
"I can imagine", Scourge commented, but suddenly he froze.
"Scourge?" Cyclonus asked.
"I am receiving signals. My sensors are detecting something, a object that has appeared at the edge of the star system. Galvatron, by what I am reading it´s energy output is equal to that of an entire planet."
"He is right." Cyclonus checked his own systems and confirmed Scourge´s findings. "I guess this certainly counts as an interference", he said sarcastically.
"Find out more about this object", Galvatron ordered.
The Sweep began to levitate into the air and and quickly flew upwards until he had reached the orbit.
Scourge was equipped with the highest developed sensors in the known universe. He could literally see people walking around on another planet.
Now he was scanning the outer regions of the star system. After less than a minute he had found what he was looking for. But what he saw made the energon freeze in his fuel-lines.
He was slowly gliding back to the ground.
"What have you found?" his leader asked him as he had returned.
"Galvatron, you, you won´t believe this", he said, not quite sure how to continue.
"Try me."
"It, it is the pyramid, the large model that designs we have found inside the smaller time machine 19 years ago. Someone had actually built it and it had just materialized at the border of this system."
Even Galvatron was actually in shock after hearing this.
"That is impossible, I have destroyed it."
"But that doesn´t change that it had just appeared out there", Scourge told him.
xxxxxxx
The pyramid
The three fighters were holding themselves against the fallen Prime better when they had ever expected.
They were keeping their distance and their fire was causing minor but noticeable damage to the super Transformer.
During the struggle however Optimus was realizing something. The Fallen had not used the powers they had seen from him before.
"Skywarp was right", he said. "You can not use your special abilities here."
"Maybe, but that doesn´t mean I can´t defeat somebody like you."
As he said this he was caught by a shot in the side from Rodimus.
"We are not so far behind you in power as you like to think", Optimus told him. "We can beat you."
But a few moments later Rodimus suddenly dropped his aim.
"Optimus", he said shaking, "something is happening to me."
Their opponent was now actually laughing.
"So you can beat me, really?" he asked sadistically.
They saw Rodimus form crumbling and shrinking before their eyes until he was again like he had been before.
"Hotrod", Optimus called out. "What…?"
"It was the Matrix that gave your young friend his new form", The Fallen stated, "the life-force of Primus himself. Now that we have all traveled into this period however there are two of them, the other being carried by your counterpart on Cybertron.
But I fear there is only one Primus in existence, only containing a single Matrix and so the one you are carrying is becoming nothing more than an empty husk."
"No."
"He had planned this", Hotrod said, "he knew this would happen, that's why he was reluctant to attack, he was waiting for this."
"You are very smart Rodimus", The Fallen said while he took aim and blasted the distracted Optimus.
The Autobot leader was thrown down with a burning wound in his side.
"It is over for you."
xxxxxxx
The year 2011 – Original timeline, the pyramid in Cybertron´s orbit
"Do we have a way to find out where Hotrod is?" Ultra Magnus asked.
"I fear we have a far greater problem", Perceptor replied.
"What do you mean?" Optimus wanted to know.
"This machine is active. If I read this instruments correctly and I am sure I do we have massive chronological disturbances outside. I have tried to contact both Skylinx and Autobot headquarters."
"And?"
"Nothing, I can not reach anybody, in fact I can not receive anything from outside this structure."
The Autobot scientist walked to one of the consoles close to them and began to read the displays.
"What is going on here?" Ultra Magnus asked.
"By what I am reading the space outside of this structure is in constant temporal flow. I fear Cybertron is not longer out there", Perceptor said with visible horror in his voice, "in fact, nothing is."
"The past", Optimus said, "something has happened in the past."
"Hotrod you mean?"
"What else, he has still not returned. Something must have gone wrong, horrible wrong, wherever he is."
"You have no idea?"
"I know that Hotrod was sent to the year 1986 and I remembered that he disappeared through the time machine a few days later.
Then, I had hoped he had just been returned to his own time, until now. But that was obviously not the case. Instead something had happened that disturbed the timeline."
"Really", Magnus meant sarcastically, "and you only just figured that out? By what Perceptor is telling us time and space are just falling apart."
"I may have been a bit too optimistic", the Autobot leader admitted.
Beside them, as if following their requests, the screen came to life. The scene that it showed was like a picture of Optimus worst fears.
xxx
He saw Hotrod together with another version of himself and surprisingly the Decepticon Skywarp fighting the dark figure that as they knew by now was The Fallen, one of the Original 13, the legendary Prime who turned on Primus in favor of his enemy, a herald of Unicron and Elita´s murderer, a being who would eradicate the entire universe.
The Fallen, by what that they saw had just shot Optimus double and had now the upper hand in the fight.
He attacked aggressively and held the two smaller robots at the defensive. They were completely outmatched.
Skywarp laid another volley of blasts on their opponent while Hotrod came from another side. But in the small room even the speed of the seeker was limited and he was caught by one of the shot from their foe.
The Fallen aimed his weapon, pointing it at Skywarp and fired.
His cockpit was shattered and he was smashed hard against the wall behind him.
"Only you left", the ancient Prime said to the young Autobot.
xxx
"Is this our Hotrod or just some scene from another time period?" Ultra Magnus asked the rhetoric question, completely aware that nobody could tell.
"Does that makes a difference?" Optimus pointed out. "This fight takes place here, inside this room. If he gets his hands on the pyramid it would be the end."
"We have to do something", Magnus said.
"Can you send us to that time period?" Optimus asked, looking at Perceptor who had by now mostly succeeded in learning the instruments of the time-machine.
xxx
Hotrod was now seriously damaged, struggling to stay on his legs.
"You have the honor to be the first to die to the coming inferno", The Fallen exclaimed. "The death of this universe begins here."
Behind him the alternate Optimus came back to his feet. It was clear that he wasn´t done yet. He shot at his opponent and threw himself at him in an desperate attempt.
But the wounded Prime had no real chance. The Fallen easily winded himself out of his grip and then struck him down with his battle-staff.
xxx
"No", they could hear Hotrod shout who was once again forced to watch as Optimus fell before his eyes.
"I think it will work", Perceptor said, "but there is no guaranty."
"That changes nothing", Optimus replied. "We have to try this."
He and Ultra Magnus stepped into the middle of the hall.
"Good luck", Perceptor told them before he activated the transporter.
The blue energy sphere built up around the two Autobots and they were gone.
xxxxxxx
The pyramid, 9.000.000 years in the past
Hotrod was now lying on his knees. Things had been turning worse so quickly.
They had the advantage but now it was all lost, they all have walked directly into a trap.
The Fallen was standing above him. He could see the damage they had inflicted on their enemy. It was more than even his powerful regeneration could take. His armor was melted and torn up in several places, but his functions were still completely intact. It was not enough.
"This is the end for you my young opponent", he said. "I admit you fought very well, even with your now limited power." He raised his weapon.
"And once again a Prime falls to my hand, farewell `brother´."
As he prepared to deal the killing blow the energy sphere appeared close to them and in the next moment another Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus stood in the room.
In his surprise even the fallen Prime hesitated for a small moment.
At the point upon their arrival Ultra Magnus had already activated and now fired his missile launcher that was mounted on his shoulder.
The projectile hit their enemy square and he was thrown backwards, with his weakened armor not longer able to withstand it caused heavy damage.
Optimus at the same time charged while firing his gun, one blast hit and pierced The Fallen´s left shoulder, before he slammed his fists into him. Ultra Magnus joined the attack a few seconds later.
Damaged and worn out from the last fight even one of the Original 13 couldn´t stand against this.
Another punch from Optimus slammed the ancient Prime to the floor of the central hall.
"Excuse me", Ultra Magnus asked, looking at Hotrod, "are you the one we have lost in the year 2011?"
"Magnus, it is really you."
"Yes, it is good to see you again."
Optimus saw his counterpart lying a few meters from them. His wounded other self was moving.
"You", he heard his own voice say, "you are me from the other world?"
"I am", Optimus answered, despite not knowing everything.
He saw the extent of the injuries. It reminded him all too much of his "death" a few years back. He knew that his double had not longer much time.
"Finish what we have started here", the alternate Optimus Prime said, "this machine, it needs to be destroyed."
"We will", he assured him.
The eyes of his counterpart darkened, his head sank back. They all watched silently as Optimus Prime died.
"Goodbye Optimus", Hotrod said, feeling strangely since the Prime he knew was standing right next to him, before he turned around.
On the other side of the room Skywarp was standing back up and slowly limping in their direction.
Both Optimus and Ultra Magnus had pointed their guns at their enemy, but The Fallen didn´t seem able to get up.
"Does that mean we have won?" Hotrod voiced the words they were all thinking.
Moments later his question was answered by a laughing that haled through the room.
Behind them something materialized, something that looked like a black cloud in the air, a formless formation of energy.
It was a being without solid mass, but in some sense nevertheless alive, one that they had all seen before.
"You", Optimus said.
"Yes, I am glad to see you Optimus, much more than you can imagine", the creature named Cabal told him, despite that he had no physical body the triumph and taunt were practically radiating from it.
"So it is true, you are involved in this."
"I am responsible for it", he replied. "It was me who created the designs for the time-travel device based on the technology of a advanced species.
I was there, standing before the tribune in Iacon Optimus, in the year 2011 when the pyramid appeared, in a burrowed body, a drone built to temporally hold my consciousness, only a faceless robot under the mass.
Despite what you thought it was me who was controlling this machine the entire time. I sent Hotrod and myself into the year you call 1986 to let the designs of this device fall into Megatron´s hands and then I manipulated him into building it in the first place.
The Megatron you know may have been able to resist my influence but the one from the other timeline, his mental defenses had been weakened by losses and defeat, so he fell under my control.
I used him to cause death and destruction to feast myself and to create the very thing you are standing in, all that for a single goal."
"Why?" Optimus asked with a single word.
"On the planet you had found me a group of beings had ripped a hole into your dimension and mine, opening a gate for me. But it closed too early, cutting me off from the rest of my essence and my source of power, leaving me stranded in this universe. There where you have left me behind."
"Who, what are you really?" Ultra Magnus asked him.
"What? darkness, destruction, chaos, death, pain, I am my universe and it is me. You can call the place where I come from what you like, the realm of chaos, the world of death, tartarus, hell.
I was left behind, but I learned. I learned to use the means of your own universe to bring it´s downfall."
"What do you mean with that?" Hotrod wanted to know.
"You have seen how this machine works. With every new use, with every interference into your history your reality changes, again and again in an endless circle and with that the integrity of your universe itself is wearing down, soon the walls of your reality will be so weakened that they will be crashing down."
"We will prevent this", Optimus said sternly.
"Prevent it? You have caused it. Why do you think I have shown you what was happening? It was your last travel, the one that brought you here, that damaged your timeline so far that it was ready for me.
Soon I will open another gate. But I will not simply return to my world, I will bring my world here. Thanks to the temporal damage I will rip down the barrier between our dimensions and your universe will perish, consumed by me."
"No, we won´t let that happen, we will do everything to stop you."
"You can´t, not this time. You don´t have the Matrix, you can not do anything."
Beside them the fallen Prime was trying to get back to his feet.
Defeat, he thought, after all this millions of years, since the other ancients vanished.
"Fallen, Megatronus Prime", he heard the creature before them speak, surprised to hear his old name after so long. "Maybe you would consider an alliance. I have watched you. We both have similar goals.
And besides, it doesn´t look as if you have much of a choice."
The ancient Cybertronian looked at his own destroyed state. Any regular Transformer, even a Prime, would be long dead.
And he had heard about this being too, the reports had been impressive.
"You are a loyal herald of Unicron, but you are aware that you and your master have ultimately not the same goal. The Chaos Bringer wants to wipe out the universe so that he can exist in a endless nothingness, you want to reform the universe itself by destruction.
You want the eternal circle of entropy, he wants the void.
And deep down you know that some day, in the end, he will also kill you."
The Fallen had to admit the creature was right. He had thought about this often in the past. The Chaos Bringer would spare nobody, not even his own heralds. What he wanted was a lifeless existence, so it was clear where it would ultimately end.
"But with me you can become his equal. Together we can shatter this dimension and form it anew in our image or you can perish with the others here."
There was never a choice, what his answer would be was clear from the beginning.
"I accept your terms, yes I accept."
The dark cloud lowered unto his form until it completely surrounded him.
"You have made a wise decision", it´s voice said.
The energy seemed to be flowing into his body, wounds were disappearing in seconds, even far quicker than the Prime´s own abilities could have done it.
The Fallen was standing before them, completely repaired, looking nearly as before.
But his optics, instead of shining in their usual red, were now completely black
Around him had formed something that could only be described as a black aura.
"Yes, this is the beginning of the end, the end of your world and the beginning of mine", the creature said. "All life will I consume piece by piece. I will turn the universe to ashes again and again for all eternity."
He turned to them.
"And I will start with you."