Last chapter in this one. Then 20 chapters in my next story and you people are going to dive straight into One Piece. Those stories come next, after all. :3
Shadescribe - Maria will get backlash from this eventually. It may not seem like it right now, but she is going to slow down at some point, and when she gets that chance for a breather, well - she's not gonna want to be near people for a while. As for the Quints...I'm not sure what they're gonna do now, actually. Mostly because Maria jumps around from world to world so much that she's not going to be as active in some things as she might be in others and...as a result, some parts of the story in her home dimension are missed. It's to be expected, but it's a little sad on my part because I've got so much to tell and so little time to catch up with myself for it.
Speaking of catching up...let's get you guys through the last chapter!
Chapter 20
Maria stood in front of the deactivated Space Bridge as Magnus' ship landed in the street, keeping her expression stoic and calm.
The Quintessans were gone, but there were still some things to take care of on her home world before she could feel like relaxing.
Matthew was still AWOL, for one thing.
Magnus stepped out of the shuttle as the human soldiers scattered, some of them dragging a screaming Galloway across the street – something about how the Cybertronians were monsters and he didn't want to see them invade private Earth space.
Like that was the biggest thing that humans had to worry about.
Magnus looked around for a moment, then caught sight of Maria and strode towards her. She stepped onto her hoverboard and rose up to meet him face to face in response, raising her head slightly.
"Maria," Magnus greeted, looking the little Reploid over. "I had not thought I would see you face to face again."
"I was expecting it," Maria replied. "The jump in time between when I saw you last and now was not expected."
Magnus grunted. "Perhaps not. Where is Megatron?"
"Helping Joshua and Jolt with something."
The truth of it was that they were attempting to work out how to disconnect Optimus' Matrix from the fake one Megatron had obtained without destroying either. Considering that Megatron wanted a trophy as proof of what he had done, they felt he deserved to keep it whole instead of in pieces.
Magnus raised an optic ridge. "How is it that he could help them?"
"It has something to do with what we found up on the Quintessan ship." Maria paused, then leaned around Magnus a little. "Lio Convoy, this is Ultra Magnus, one of Optimus Prime's generals and the leader of the Wreckers. Bulkhead and Wheeljack were a part of their number at one point during the war."
Magnus turned at Maria's statement and found himself looking at a face similar to Optimus', but at the same time not.
The Maximal bowed. "It is an honor to meet someone so close to the People's Prime."
Magnus' optic ridge rose even higher at the comment.
"Magnus, this is Lio Convoy, the missing leader of the Maximals that Galvatron's been looking for," Maria added without missing a beat. "The Quintessans had him."
"I see," Magnus replied. He nodded to Lio Convoy. "Stand tall, soldier. I have no need for formalities now."
Lio rose at that and nodded. "I understand you have been leading your people in Optimus' momentary absence."
"I have been as a part of a council of Cybertronians, yes." Magnus frowned. "Momentary? As far as I am aware, Optimus perished bringing our home world back to life."
Lio blinked. "You mean Maria hasn't told you?"
"Told me what?" Magnus looked over at Maria, frowning. "What is he going on about?"
"Megatron's surprise," Maria replied. A slight smirk toyed on her face for a moment before it cut off to a more serious expression. "The Quintessans intercepted him coming from the Well of AllSparks is the best we can guess for the moment. Joshua and Jolt are working on getting him to the point he can tell us what happened."
"What are you talking about?" Magnus demanded sharply. "Who is it the Quintessans intercepted? What do you mean about the Well of AllSparks?"
The back of the lab opened up in a strange, mechanical manner that made it look like the front of an airplane hanger or the side of some little kid's doll house set.
Optimus Prime stepped out and straightened himself up, rubbing the back of his helm like he had a pounding headache.
Magnus, noticing the movement, turned in order to see what was the source and froze.
"…Optimus?" Magnus asked in disbelief. "What – but – how?"
"…I am still attempting to figure that out myself," Optimus replied, lowering his hand from the back of his helm. "The Primes decided that I was to return to the physical world, but the Quintessans were expecting me and intercepted my return to Cybertron. They….intended to use me to awaken Unicron, I believe."
"Impossible," Magnus scoffed. "Unicron's Spark no longer resides here."
"Indeed not," Optimus agreed. "However, they were unaware of that."
"Just as we were unaware of the fact that you were the Thirteenth Prime?" Maria raised an eyebrow.
Magnus looked at Maria sharply before looking back at Optimus. "You're what?!"
Lio looked concerned. "I was not aware you had chosen not to inform them during the war – I –"
"You are not at fault, Lio Convoy," Optimus rumbled. "Worry not. I had thought that they would eventually know the truth, just not in this manner."
Lio relaxed at Optimus' words.
"When were you planning on this coming into existence?" Magnus demanded. "From the Covenant?"
"Perhaps. I was willing to let time run its course, but it seems time was not willing to let me do as I wished." Optimus shook his helm. "Quintus is passing from the physical world with each passing cycle because of the Quintessans' actions. I doubt that he will be able to able to provide for them for much longer."
"Quintus?" Magnus repeated. "Quintus Prime?"
"I doubt anyone else has that name," Maria replied lightly.
Optimus nodded. "I understand that you would find this very difficult to take in, but there are some things that I need to do."
"It involves Quintus," Magnus guessed.
"Yes. The Quintessans have had their run with him for him long enough. More than long enough." Optimus' optics darkened.
Magnus nodded. "Anything you need, Optimus."
Optimus gave a short nod in return, then turned to look over at Maria. "This is something you will not be able to assist me with. You will be needed elsewhere."
Maria frowned. "Where is it that I'm needed?"
"Matthew," Optimus said, "is missing."
Maria's eyes widened.
Magnus looked between the two of them as Lio looked confused.
"Matthew?" Lio repeated.
"My brother," Maria said almost absently. "He hasn't come back since the Continuum Shift."
"Someone will tell you where to find him," Optimus said. "He will be here after I've left."
"You don't know who," Maria said.
"You will know him when you see him." Optimus shook his head. "Beyond that, I cannot say for certain."
Maria nodded. "Understood. "I'll keep an eye out for him. Is there anything you will need from me in order to help you?"
"We'll already be able to take care of everything we're going to need," Jolt replied, stepping out of the back of the lab. Joshua was standing on his shoulder. "You go and find your brother. We have things handled here."
Maria considered that.
"World Jumpers are only needed in places where things have gone out of control," Joshua said. "I am needed here. You are needed elsewhere. We'll have things handled while you are out finding Matthew."
"What are we going to do about this little revelation of ours, though?" Wildfire stepped out into the open, looking at Optimus critically while Magnus looked over at her in surprise. "People's Prime? Well, the people are going to be going insane when they realize that one of the Firsts was leading the Autobots in the war."
"Who I was and who I am have not changed," Optimus replied evenly. "My actions and the sides I chose in the war should not be considered as though I was following Primus' orders directly. I was acting on my own."
"And Orion Pax?" Megatron stepped into the open now. "Was that all an act, Optimus?" There was a hardness in his optics, as though he was seriously reconsidering what had happened between the two of them.
Optimus shook his head. "When I went into the well and reemerged as Orion Pax, my memories of Optimus were not within reach. I was not aware of who I had been until I was given the Matrix by Primus in the last moments of the war here on Cybertron."
"And the subsequent memory loss after Unicron's defeat?"
"An unforeseen after-effect of relinquishing all the knowledge of my fellow Primes to put Unicron back in slumber," Optimus replied evenly. "Even now, I do not remember what had happened in that span of time."
Megatron considered that, then nodded a little. "I see. I appreciate your honesty, Optimus. Perhaps we can do something about the Quintessans together?"
Optimus inclined his head slightly at Megatron's words, then nodded. "I will need someone with a strong hand and a silver tongue, to use the human phrases. Ultra Magnus, you will remain on Cybertron and continue to do what you can to govern the planet. When I return from my mission involving Quintus, I do not intend to take that position from you or the council you have set in place."
"Very well." Magnus straightened. "It's good to have you back, sir."
Optimus nodded again. "Let us return. There is much to discuss."
"Good luck," Maria spoke up. "You may not need it, but I feel I should say it anyway."
Optimus looked over at Maria, Wildfire following his gaze. "And to you as well, in your endeavors in searching for Matthew."
Maria nodded. She may not be able to help in what was to come against the Quintessans, but she had other things she needed to do.
Her brother was going to be found.
Time Break
Maria sat out on the front steps leading up to her front door, looking up at the sky and thinking about Wildfire and the others. They'd left three days ago for Cybertron, and then parts unknown, and she hadn't heard a peep from them since they had left.
Other than Wildfire reporting that they were going to be out of communication range before the week was out, but Maria wasn't as concerned over their movements as she would have been twenty years ago. She knew they could handle themselves well enough without her – they did before she got herself involved, and they did after she disappeared.
If they needed her, she would know.
As for Matthew….
Maria's brow furrowed in thought. If Matthew hadn't come back from the World Collision and Continuum Shift, then he might have been on one of the worlds that were involved in it. That was going to take some time to search, and even then, she didn't know if she would be able to find him.
Or if he would even—
"Excuse me!"
Maria looked up at the sound of the voice and blinked blankly for a moment before her eyes focused on the figure who had spoken.
A man wearing an outfit that screamed "magic," including a long, flapping red cloak, was coming up the street at a hurried walking pace.
Maria rose to her feet as the man approached, tilting her head slightly.
"You wouldn't happen to know anyone who answers to the name of Maria, would you?" the man asked. "I'm looking for a young woman who—"
"I'm Maria Carlsdale," Maria replied without letting him finish. "And you're Dr. Steven Strange. What brings you to my dimension, Sorcerer Supreme?"
The man cut himself off in surprise, blinking a couple times. Then he shook it off. "Sorry; I should have known not to expect someone older. I'm here about your brother."
That got Maria's attention. "You know where he is?"
"Yes." Strange paused. "He doesn't remember who he is yet, but he will. And it is going to happen soon. But he needs your presence in order for them to break through completely."
"Let's go."
"Wait."
Maria paused, halfway off the steps and nearly down onto the sidewalk; Strange was a little taller than she was, which is something she had been expecting.
"I don't know what the old world was like, but no one remembers it." Strange paused. "No one, except for one man, but he is being considered clinically insane by the rest of his universe."
Maria nodded, expression becoming grim. "I see. All right." She stepped down onto the street and prepared to summon a portal. "Are you going to need a portal back to your dimension? I will need to—"
"I can find my own way back," Strange replied. "You need to see this new world for yourself; I cannot bring you into the Sanctum. You will need to find it on your own if you require assistance from me."
Maria nodded. "Understood. Where is Matthew?"
"You'll know when you see him."
Maria frowned at that, then nodded. "All right. I'll see you if I need your help."
Strange smirked. "That would be a first. A World Jumper needing our assistance." He moved a few steps back and made a motion with one hand before disappearing from sight.
Maria looked at where he had disappeared for a moment, then snapped her fingers and summoned a portal.
Before she stepped through it, she looked up at the empty house Jack and Miko had given back to her.
"I'll be back," Maria murmured quietly.
Then she stepped through the portal and didn't look back.
Well, I guess that gives you guys a few hints as to what's coming next. :3
Maria's Adventures: Reset the Status Quo will start being posted this weekend! I'll see you all there!