A/N - This story serves as a follow-up to my previous crossover, "Frozen II with Team Prime". I'd highly recommend checking that one out before reading this one. Now without further adieu, I present to you: "Frozen with Team Prime: Twisted Time".
Two months had passed since the enchanted forest was restored by the efforts of Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff, Sven, and eight small but strong Autobots; Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Wheeljack, Bulkhead, Ultra Magnus, Smokescreen, Arcee and Bumblebee. If the Autobots were suffering from crises of lack of purpose before the main events, it was impossible to tell now. Accepted into Arendelle with open arms, they've found new and improved purpose. Ratchet, who stayed behind in the forest with Elsa, has done a spectacular job of keeping her out of trouble. The other seven joined Arendelle's guard, and quickly became highly respected among the ranks. All was well among them.
Anna and her fiance Kristoff stood at the docks along with Sven, Olaf, and all seven Autobots as they awaited something to come to them.
Bumblebee beeped. ("What's keeping them?")
"They'll arrive before ya know it, Bee." Said Bulkhead.
"Arendelle, this is Ratchet. Come in Arendelle, do you copy?" Ratchet said through Optimus Prime's communicator.
"Loud and clear, old friend!" Said Optimus.
"Excellent! Now Elsa and I have an important question for you guys!"
"What is it?" Asked Anna.
"How come you guys are looking the wrong way?" Elsa asked through Ratchet's communicator.
Everyone turned around just in time to see Elsa riding the water spirit with Ratchet right behind her as they rapidly closed in on the docks.
"Might wanna take a few steps back, I remember what happened last time." Said Wheeljack as he took a few steps back. Everyone else quickly followed suit as the water spirit stopped with a splash that landed on the part of the docks where they once were. Elsa created a curved platform of ice that connected to the dock as she and Ratchet stepped off the water spirit, which bowed its head before disappearing. Elsa and Ratchet then stood onto the docks with everyone else, the curved platform disappearing behind them.
"It's good to see you, sis!" Said Anna as she and Elsa tightly hugged.
"You too, Anna."
"Ratchet, are you still keeping her out of trouble?" Asked Anna.
"She doesn't make it easy sometimes, but I manage."
"Hey! When have I made it difficult?" Elsa said, feeling accused.
"Need I remind you of what happened with Ryder last week?"
"What? What happened with my brother from another mother last week?" Asked Kristoff.
"Trust me, you guys are gonna wanna sit down for this one." Said Ratchet.
Half an hour later, everyone sat in the castle library with the fireplace burning several big logs and lighting up the room.
"... if I hadn't intervened when I did, things would've gotten even uglier." Said Ratchet.
"Wow. I didn't see him that much during our little adventure two months ago, but I didn't take him for reacting like that." Said Arcee.
"Me neither. Good thing Ratchet's the one that stuck around, he's a much better peace keeper than I am." Said Smokescreen.
"I would have never guessed such a thing would happen." Said Anna.
"Me either, and though I easily could've deflated the tension on my own, I'm glad Ratchet stepped in." Said Elsa.
"Never underestimate the persuasiveness of an Autobot." Said Wheeljack.
"So, moving onto another subject, I've been thinking ever since I became queen and appointed you Autobots as part of my security team." Said Anna.
"About what? Does it have to do with us?" Asked Bulkhead.
"Yes, it does, and I have a question." Said Anna.
"Go ahead, we're ready to answer anything you want to know about us." Said Optimus.
"Okay, are there other Autobots out there?" Asked Anna.
All eight Autobots paused, not having given much thought to it upon their arrival on Earth a little over five years ago.
"A good question, Anna." Said Optimus.
"The war for Cybertron took a heavy toll." Said Arcee.
"By the end of the last battle when the last Decepticon was killed, the only surviving Autobots on the planet were the ones that are in this room right now." Said Ultra Magnus.
"However, the war was not confined to Cybertron alone. And I believe there may be other distant survivors out there, many lightyears away, who either have yet to receive our transmission, or are on their way right now." Said Optimus.
"That'd be nice, except we know for a fact that most of the good ones are gone." Said Wheeljack.
"The good ones?" Asked Olaf.
"We weren't friends with only each other, you know. We had other comrades." Said Smokescreen.
Bumblebee beeped. ("Lots of others. They were like extended family.")
"Yeah, but unless y'all wanna get depressed, I don't think it's a good conservation topic." Said Wheeljack.
"Oh please, Anna and I had a very rough childhood." Said Elsa.
"And I grew up without parents." Said Kristoff.
"And I've died! And almost died multiple times before that!" Olaf said with a disturbing amount of enthusiasm.
"Very well, if you guys wanna know about our fallen comrades, we'll gladly tell you." Said Ratchet.
Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven listened closely and watched in amazement as the Autobots projected blue holographic images of the many other Autobots they once knew. They all looked so different from the Autobots they knew.
"Roadbuster, Pyro, Impactor, Rotorstorm, Seaspray, all dust." Said Wheeljack.
"Ultra Magnus, Jackie and I are pretty much the only three Wreckers left." Said Bulkhead.
"Don't forget, we lost Kup and Hot Shot a day before I was promoted to soldier." Said Smokescreen.
"Not to mention Ironhide." Said Ultra Magnus.
"I lost my fair share of teammates, but it wasn't until Tailgate when I started getting personally affected." Said Arcee.
"Only started?" Asked Elsa.
"I... we all were affected by the last major loss of the war." Said Arcee.
"Who was it?" Asked Anna.
Ratchet fiddled with the settings on his arm-mounted scanner before it then projected an Autobot nearly the same size as Bumblebee but smaller than Wheeljack. He had broad shoulders, big forearms, long legs, a well-armored chest, and horns on his head.
"This was Cliffjumper." Said Ratchet.
"He was one of our best, I'm surprised he never joined the Wreckers." Said Bulkhead.
"What was this guy like?" Asked Kristoff.
"Cliffjumper was a highly capable warrior. And, he was fiercely loyal to the Autobot cause." Said Optimus.
"He tended to be reckless, but he was capable of following orders. More than I can say for some Wreckers." Said Ultra Magnus.
"I wish I could've known him better. What I did get to see of him, I really liked." Said Smokescreen.
"Same here, kid. He and I made a pretty good team when we finished off Bonecrusher." Said Wheeljack.
"How did he... you know..." Said Olaf.
"The last battle. Only Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, and about a hundred Vehicons were left in terms of the Decepticon forces." Said Arcee.
"Wheeljack, Bee and I dealt with Soundwave while Optimus kept Megatron busy and the rest of us concentrated on the air support." Said Smokescreen.
Six years ago, the last nine Autobots stood on what was left of some Cybertronian ruins as the last of the Decepticon forces fought them in the final battle. As Optimus hit Megatron with everything he had, Starscream led the Seeker Vehicons in a mid-air assault on Arcee, Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, Ratchet and Ultra Magnus as Bumblebee, Smokescreen and Wheeljack engaged Soundwave.
"Soundwave was a royal pain. He had gladiatorial experience just like Megatron, and apparently he almost beat him in a fight. But I saw what was giving him such an advantage and decided to cut it off." Said Wheeljack.
As Soundwave's two tentacle-arm extensions grabbed Bumblebee and Smokescreen and slammed them against ruined buildings, Wheeljack took out his swords, jumped into the air, and sliced them off as he landed back on the ground. As Bumblebee and Smokescreen pulled the lifeless tentacle-arms off of them, Wheeljack headbutted Soundwave so hard that his visor cracked.
"Not so tough now without those dumb things, are you?!" Taunted Wheeljack as he stabbed one of his swords through Soundwave's left shoulder at such an angle that his neck was also affected before he let go of that sword and landed a hard uppercut the 'con, further disorienting him before he stabbed his other sword through his chest. Smokescreen then blasted his left leg, making him fall to his knees before Bumblebee punched him in the face so hard that his visor shattered, making the lifeless 'con fall backwards onto the ground, dead. Wheeljack then pulled his swords out as he, Bumblebee and Smokescreen ran to help finish off the winged Vehicons.
"Those blasted troops knew they were the last ones standing, and somehow it made them far more competent and dangerous. And it seemed like every time we took one of them down, the others would just fight even harder. Still, they were just Vehicons." Said Ratchet.
Bumblebee, Smokescreen and Wheeljack helped speed things along as Optimus and Megatron continued pummeling each other evenly matched.
"Come on, 'cons! Is that everything you got?!" Shouted Cliffjumper as he he fired his two triple-barrel cannons, taking out seven flying Vehicons and hitting Starscream, making him fall out of the sky. He transformed into robot mode, one of his wings black and smoking.
"Cliffjumper! I grow tired of constantly running into you!" Said Starscream as he fired his left arm missile, making the Autobots scatter as it exploded the ground they were at moments ago.
"Face it, Scream! Only one side of this war will win, and it's not gonna be yours!" Said Cliffjumper as he ran forward and tackled Starscream, taking both of them down a hill as the Vehicons transformed into robot mode and engaged the Autobots closer. As Bulkhead, Smokescreen, Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack made short work of the Vehicons, Arcee, Bumblebee and Ratchet ran to the hill where Cliffjumper and Starscream fought at the bottom.
"Even if you're right, there's one thing I can do!" Shouted Starscream.
"And what would that be?"
"I can be rid of you!" Shouted Starscream as he fired his right arm missile at the red Autobot, striking him head on with a small explosion. Starscream evilly grinned at the sight, only for his expression to drop as a wounded but still operational Cliffjumper ran out of the smoke and sent him flying with one punch. Starscream tumbled across the ground before coming to a stop face-up.
"It takes more than that to beat me!"
"You're right! Well luckily I'm capable of more!"
As Cliffjumper moved in to attack again, Starscream punched his razor sharp fingers straight through Cliffjumper's chest, making a noticeable hole. Starscream pulled his hand out, and Cliffjumper stalled as energon started leaking out of the hole.
"Hang on, Cliff! We're coming!" Shouted Arcee as she, Bumblebee and Ratchet ran towards the scene.
"Oh, I don't think so!" Shouted Starscream as he turned his right hand into a cannon and fired at the bottom of a tower next to him, making it collapse and block the other three Autobots before they could reach him.
Starscream then turned around and punched into the hole in Cliffjumper's chest again, this time going even deeper inside. He then felt something round and crushed it before ripping his hand back out. Cliffjumper reached forward with his remaining strength and shot Starscream in the face with his left arm cannon before he collapsed onto the floor, dead.
As Starscream slowly recovered from being shot in the face, Arcee tackled him to the ground and sliced her left arm blade deep into his neck, decapitating him.
Meanwhile, Smokescreen and the Wreckers joined Optimus in fighting Megatron. As they kept him busy, Optimus took out the Star Saber and impaled him through the chest. The Decepticon leader fell to his knees, but even though all the other Decepticons had been killed, he pushed onward.
"I still function... Prime. You haven't... won. Not... while my... spark... still burns..." Said Megatron as he weakly sent his closed fist forward, stopping an inch short of Optimus.
"You fought well. Goodbye, Megatron." Said Optimus as Megatron's optics faded from red to gray and his lifeless body went limp.
"Ha ha! We won!" Exclaimed Bulkhead as he and Wheeljack butted their chests against each other.
"That's what we all thought. But while we did win the last battle, we still accumulated one final loss. After we buried Cliffjumper's body, we realized that Cybertron was a goner. No amount of cleaning and rebuilding could save it after everything that had happened. So we took off in our last functional ship. After about a year in space, we entered Earth's orbit. The ship broke apart and Optimus lost the Star Saber, and all eight of us shrank to a tenth our original size. But after five years of adapting and preparing, here we are." Said Smokescreen.
"We are few, but strong. We have suffered losses, more than you know, but we have grown." Said Optimus as he gestured to Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven.
"The odds of us being the only remaining Autobots out there are about 50/50." Said Smokescreen.
"Still, while I like your enthusiasm in wanting to meet more of us, Anna, don't get too excited." Said Wheeljack.
"Of course." Said Anna.
Bumblebee beeped. ("Is it really night already?")
Everyone turned to the side and saw the moon lighting up the night sky through a window.
"Wow, that took longer than I thought." Said Ratchet.
"Autobots, it's time for our evening patrols." Said Ultra Magnus.
"And it's time for us humans to go to bed. Some of us have to finalize big decisions, ya know." Said Kristoff.
"Don't worry, we'll have the date set in stone tomorrow." Said Anna.
Optimus activated his jetpack and hovered a foot above the ground before pushing the doors open. He deactivated it and landed on the ground with a slight thud.
"Good night, guys. See you in the morning." Said Elsa as everyone exited the room and went in different directions through the hall to different rooms.
"Smokescreen, Wheeljack." Called Ratchet.
The two white Autobots stopped in their tracks as the other five continued down the stairs.
"What is it, Ratchet?" Asked Smokescreen.
"You guys are right to advise Anna to keep her hopes down. I retrieved the mini-station I left by the Dark Sea back when Elsa, Optimus and I reached Ahtohallan."
"Yeah, what about it? We had one of our own, used it to try and scan for you guys' life signals while we were stuck in that cave." Said Wheeljack.
"I expanded its range, it can cover five lightyears when turbo charged. I've turbo charged it three times since then, and not once have I found any other Autobot life signals out there. Five lightyears, and the only ones that show up are ours."
"I guess that is pretty rough." Said Wheeljack.
"So maybe we are the only one's left, big deal. What's important is that nothing dangerous is out there." Said Smokescreen.
"I know, and with Elsa being more powerful than ever, any threats that do show up should be a piece of cake to deal with. But at the same time, I do wish there were more than just eight Autobots left." Said Ratchet.
Ratchet looked up at a picture of the group that was made a few years before the Autobots came into the picture. He thought of the stories they'd heard of their first big adventure before the enchanted forest. Wheeljack and Smokescreen joined him.
"Sometimes, I wonder what it would've been like if we could've helped out the first time around."
"Me too. It's a heck of a story I would've really liked experiencing for myself." Said Wheeljack.
"Same here, mostly 'cause I got the short end of the stick in comparison to everyone else in terms of the war." Said Smokescreen.
"Well, it doesn't do good to dwell on the past when we've got the future to think about." Said Ratchet as he walked down the stairs. Wheeljack and Smokescreen took one more look at the Autobot-less group picture before they joined him, seriously pondering potential what if scenarios.