Song: Kryptonite – 3 Doors Down
Note: Kanjian Ridgebacks are similar to Cybertronian Predators and they look like this:
tigressa101/art/Demon-Remastered-683351853
The space bridge made a cackling noise as they jumped through. Arcee expected a vast wilderness to be their spawn point but instead she froze flabbergasted as the others came through.
"What's wrong, Arcee?" Bolt laughed, "You look like you've seen a-whoa…"
Megatron was threw up his eyebrows and scoffed, "Talk about a kingdom."
In front of all of them, there lay a massive city with skyscrapers containing energy spheres accustomed with rotating rings similar to that of the Allspark's design. Some rested on the top of the pointed buildings while a few orbited the buildings themselves. The foliage and vegetation of blue were interwoven with the architecture to preserve life instead of bulldozing it completely as Arcee had seen Earth do. Floating infrastructure seemed to react to the energy of the city itself, relying on said power to keep its altitude. And seen in the farther side of the city was a castle-like goliath of a palace. Statues visible from their point of view were sculpted into the material like gargoyles, intimidating yet formal. The biggest thing that threw off Arcee was the similar appearance it had to a Cybertronian Predator until she recalled the Kanjian Ridgeback was a descendant from the same ancestor as the Predator. They had evolved separately…and the Knajian Ridgeback those statues signified was the mold of the king himself.
Various ships of makes she didn't even recognize as cybernetic landed and left from ports stationed in both the sky view ramps connecting several buildings near the top while others were placed on specialized platforms connected to the edge of the city. It seemed the city was a trade hub as well as Kronos' main residence.
"I don't know about you, but I want to get a closer look," Bolt said eagerly.
As they walked towards the start of the city limits, passing over a bridge with the crystalline pink water running under it, Arcee was quick to peer up at the sky. Two suns, a yellow and a blue binary set, made the sky appear a bluish green. A belt of asteroids orbited the planet, and the atmosphere made them appear silver with a pinkish tint from the reflection of light off the planet's surface. She smiled at the sight before focusing on the new residents of the world.
Techno-organic Kanjians, Dinobot and Predacon-like makes as well as many other animal types, walked on the streets of the city. It stunned her a little to see a few bots that looked similar to Tigressa, a Kanjian Razorback, just in various different colors. The blue with green-stripes and a light purple with burgundy red stripes were not what she imagined any of Tigressa's species to be like. The Dinobots were equally various colored with many tones, and she noticed they didn't seem to transform into robot modes or at least they favored their beast forms a lot more. Those with wings, horns, tails and other appendages all were variants of animals even in their robot modes, and the Cybertronians stood out like sore thumbs among them.
Several bots had not just animalistic qualities, but some were draped in vegetation while others seemed to have lava or heat in the place of what would have normally been bio lights. In the sky, some bots were in the clouds when a lightning bolt struck down on one. Instead of being electrocuted, the bot harnessed the power of the electricity, glowing bright yellow and sparking the same as how the Megastrikes on Cybertron acted when receiving a storm-fueled power boost. It was then Arcee put together some of the populace had powers akin to nature as well as having animal modes.
On the water, bots manipulated the liquid to jump like deer across it. Those that had powers relating to the ground levitated and changed the planet's surface to their liking for even mundane things like a new chair. Nature bots moved vines and trees to rest among their leaves without hurting said vegetation. Even snow-based techno-organics were using their powers to merely bring joy to the younglings that loved their element and wanted to play before the decent temperature of the day melted the snow.
Arcee had heard of the technique used by cyber-ninjas "Processor Over Matter" but she thought it was fake. It was said to take concentration and meditation to do something as simple as moving objects with the mind. She always believed Yoketron, the acclaimed master of POM, was a psychic nutjob. This was real, and the bots across the city did it so naturally like it was like learning to walk. She refused to believe she now owed Yoketron an apology...if he was still alive.
Then they noticed Kanjis had a lot of interstellar visitors, and one species was not ignorable. Rozarians, Kanjis' neighbors, were all talking and laughing alongside their robotic acquaintances like true friends between species. Many Rozarians were a tint of blue, dark and light variants always with a lighter shade for the underbelly, with handcrafted armor attached by straps over their shoulders, chest and legs most commonly. The rhino-like reptile aliens had a few differences between the males and females Arcee noticed. The females had ribbed underbellies with thicker barbs on the spine and tail than the males who were smoother and less pronounced. The males did have larger nose horns and paw pads however. The females were taller by a few feet in most cases, but both were massive and held a fair share of girth and muscle for an organic species.
Plenty of other species lingered around the shops, vendors, and other businesses, most of whom were also organic or similar to the structure. A mint green thirty-foot cephalopod creature with twelve tentacles and six eyes lined down its head squeaked and used the suckers on its limbs to communicate in a type of coded pattern a ram Kanjian had no problems deciphering. To Arcee's surprise, there was a humanoid species wandering though they were within nine to ten feet tall and had pointed ears almost akin to a cat's structure. Their eyes were wide with skinny pupils but otherwise held quite similar qualities to a human. It scared her that a single galaxy away could have such a similar species and no one on Earth even knew they had nearly identical counterparts.
The streets were lively dancing with the shadows of moving clouds and ships zooming past while on the ground, the Kanjians seemed like a pleasant race. Monogoliaths and less intelligent wildlife hung around a few shops with their owners and didn't seem to mind younglings crawling and perching on them. Some younglings could be seen soaring above the city following their flying creators while others trailed behind on all fours on the ground, unable to move fluidly bipedal yet. Dinobot young also preferred sticking to their beast modes as she watched three Triceratops-like younglings bounce behind their carrier laughing.
"It's like Cybertron and Earth had merged and I'm not sure how I feel about it," Megatron said. "It's a bit too bright."
"Monster of the dark, are you?" Arcee snickered.
"You haven't complained," he mused.
They tensed as they passed identical colored guards with their weapons either stationed on their backs or their hips in specialized holsters. They were completely different in armor structure, one being a dragon and the other a hawk, but all their armor had been coated silver with gold etchings and their optics were both hollow black with only gold orbs among the darkness, a stylistic choice it seemed. In the center of their chests, the crest of the king was prominent. The insignia was a silhouette identical to the Cybertronian Predator's head structure with two sets of horns curving at the base as four separate pieces hovering with two craved holes for the eyes. A crown emblem sat between the horns to signify royalty. They were Kronos' Royal Guards.
The guards paused upon seeing them and stepped in front of them. One tried to speak but Arcee couldn't understand Kanjian. They quickly adapted, changing frequencies until they landed on Camien which was arguably the same as Cybertronian. The dragon femme immediately demanded, "Halt, where do you hail from?"
Bolt pointed at himself and the others. "We, uh, hail from Cybertron and we-"
Both guards suddenly pointed blasters at them with the hawk mech yelling, "You are under arrest for conspiracy and attempt of hostility towards the crown!"
Several other guards who saw the drawing of their peers' weapons immediately followed suit until all four Cybertronians were surrounded. Moonhunter growled while the rest raised their servos cautiously eyeing the guns.
"Wow…I think that's a record for how fast I got banned from a planet," Megatron remarked. "I didn't even do anything to do it too."
"I blame you, Arcee," Bolt sighed.
"WHAT?!"
They were humiliated as they were marched through the city towards the palace. They got distrusting looks from both the citizens and the other aliens. Whispers were heard as bots of all breeds landed and crowded the streets. Several guards with their weapons drawn, all serious and ready to shoot them if they so much as flinched, escorting them to the gates tense and vicious.
The palace was silver, a different shade than the guards, and had black undertones to it. It was the largest building in the city, far larger than any structure Arcee herself had seen on Cybertron except the pillar of Torus Heights. As they were sent through, the courtyard was open to the public as a small park, but the inner gates were closed. The water fountain of rose gold in the middle was not of the king but a femme who held a giant crystal ball of blue with a slightly smaller yellow orb and small orbs floating around it magically like a solar system. She realized the statue was holding the largest sun with its other binary sun and its planets. She spotted the small orb that represented Kanjis with two marbles for moons. One planet out was Rozaria itself. She didn't know who the femme was, but she had bird-like dragon wings, some type of free-flowing armor over her waist armor like a religious loincloth dress and oddly resembled Tigressa in facial structure.
Then they passed a set of exterior murals. King Kronos, in a simplistic art style, had his visage crafted onto a colorful stone base with a type of rock engraved on the wall exterior. He was black with white optics, stripes and claws; his crown a decadent silver and gold with gems below each tip. In a circle around him, twelve silhouettes of beings were positions with what appeared to be representation of elements. Arcee's optics went wide and nudged Megatron when she spotted among them Tigressa herself shrouded in darkness on the top left section of the circle. Below her was a mech that looked identical to Kronos but had red coloring instead of white. Five others like him were each a different color like his black and white color scheme had been scattered into six forms. Between each "clone", five other forms, all individual in comparison, were positioned. If Tigressa was related to Kronos, that meant all the figures in the tile work were her siblings.
"Keep walking," huffed one of the guards.
The entrance was huge and the halls within were astronomically massive in comparison to even the guards beside them. Arcee could only marvel at the structure that was nearly big enough to support a titan. Statues of King Kronos' children including Tigressa were found decorating the halls next to stained glass that depicted their powers. Tigressa's statue made her posture aggressive and dangerous. As a being of darkness, the shadows were shown to morph around her with her oddly pure red optics in the mural having dark purple flames on the edges. She didn't know whether the design was intentionally biased or was attempted to please her. The other statues confirmed the bots similar to Kronos were indeed his children, not clones, as the stained glass showed their range of abilities.
"Not the way I wanted to visit the castle, but I will take it in stride regardless of what happens," the Vehicon said humorously despite the others not sharing his feelings.
"The King will determine your fates for he does not take kindly to usurpers. You will pay for what you heathens did."
"Ah, yeah, quick question about that," Megatron asked, "…what exactly did we do?"
A leopard femme guard responded harshly, "Your kind dared to trespass and declare war with us. Of course, you didn't get too far. It was quite funny to watch your fellow Cybertronians get their corpses dragged underground and scattered by the wildlife. We hardly had to lift a finger in the assault. But the charges still stand, and someone will pay for the treachery."
Another guard, a deer, said, "We are approaching His Majesty's throne. Do not speak unless spoken to."
The grand doorway to the throne room was decorated with gold and had the insignia of the king, the same as the crests adorned on the guards. When the doors opened, the insignia was split in half. The throne room itself held pristine stained-glass windows and vibrant glittering drapes lining the ceiling to emulate stars. In the center of the ceiling, an orb of energy that could have been mistaken for the Allspark has rings rotating it the same as the ones found on and among the skyscrapers. It lit up the ceiling with unknown symbols as its energy coursed throughout the room. Pillars that had spaces between them crackled with electricity with their shaped objects of mystical purposes hovered within the vacancies. The banners around the room had the insignia as well as a giant podium attached to a rather building-high table. The stairs led to the odd table near a hundred meters high, and it had a more distinguishable chair three-fourths its size beside it…
It took Arcee a second after glancing at the table-like object questionably to note there was something off about it. That wasn't a table and wall piece combined…it was a throne. She gulped nervously that the king was more than a hundred times her height. King Kronos was nearly as big as a titan. The second throne must have been his mate whoever it was, the carrier of Tigressa and her kin. The giant doors on each side of the room had yet to open, but Arcee assumed he would be audible regardless of where he was in the palace since he was so big.
The guard with dragon kibble who first arrested them walked in front of them and held out her servo. "The king will be with you shortly. May he grant you mercy if you're lucky."
As most of the guards left, a few stood at attention near the doors to ensure the room was inescapable, their tails and ears twitching with annoyance more than anger. As they stood there, Arcee took a second to glance out the nearest reinforced window and found the gardens in view one story below their level. Bots of the castle had the privilege to wander the sacred gardens that consisted of blue plant life that looked gorgeous alongside the metal of the Kanjian infrastructure.
"The guy knows his décor, that's for sure," Bolt snickered as he twirled staring up at the ceiling.
Suddenly, a growl was heard outside and Arcee traced it to two pillars with holes in the garden. Trailing her sights up, she was shocked to see two Metalwoods planted in isolation on top of the pillars. Their roots intertwined within the holes and went down several feet but didn't touch the foliage on the ground. The flowers the Metalwoods grew at the base of their trunks to lure prey to kill in spite sat undisturbed next to them on the levitated patch of soil on the pillar top. The sentient trees shook and used the shovel-like limbs to brush off loose twigs. While she watched them, she heard a soft whoosh of air within the room but thought it was from the windows near her. She failed to hear Bolt gasp as she studied the layout of the garden and landscape.
"Those Metalwoods love the isolation more than they do killing. The less disturbed they are, the less on edge they become to where you can see them in a new light out of danger. All creatures have a side of them we never see except for those willing to look at a different point of view. Interestingly, the same goes for people."
The deep voice was unfamiliar and Arcee paused upon hearing it. She turned partially to see Megatron, Bolt and Moonhunter facing towards the throne silently and perplexed. The queen slowly trailed their gaze high up to the figure who now sat on the giant chair in the room with one leg crossed over the other casually.
Grey reptilian eyes with slit pupils softly raised a brow while white-striped crocodilian jaws and anteater-like upper snout with the gem-tipped edge formed a gracious smile. His nostrils lay on a dark grey plate between the optics and the slant that formed his dragon-esque elongated nose. Unlike the Cybertronian Predator, King Kronos expressed no ill intentions towards any of them. With his bat-like wings tucked onto his back and tail coiling gently with another white gem on the end, he stayed relaxed. He had to be almost three hundred meters if not bigger and now Arcee knew how humans felt looking up at someone like Megatron for the first time. Like his insignia, the crown upon his head was designed specifically for him to sit between two sets of horns with a longer set farther back behind his small deer-like ears.
He was big and could certainly tear apart the Cybertronian Predator with ease, possibly even the likes of a Queen Leviathan and a Supreme. How he managed to get into the room...that puzzled Arcee the most. She stared long and hard at the demonic-looking but kind king as he held amusement in her bafflement.
"So, you're the Queen of Cybertron, Arcee?" The giant mech purred, steam rising from the slit nostrils.
"Y-Yeah?"
"Nice to meet you, my dear. I am King Prometheus Kronos, just King Kronos preferably. My name is often a bit of a mouthful to say. My sire before me, Arcadius Kronos, was fond of the tradition of elegant naming. I ended it with my children mainly because of the hassle."
Megatron and Bolt remained stunned but said nothing as he grew pleased.
"So, the war is over? I'm surprised that it ended but I'm glad Cybertron finally regained its individuality after years of scrutiny under the reign of tyrants and false gods."
Bolt raised a shaky digit. "Well, now, your Highness, that's a-a little harsh."
King Kronos frowned but it wasn't an angered or frustrated expression. It was mere disappointment in himself. "Ah, my apologies. One mustn't assume, of course, but I've also seen firsthand Cybertron's more gruesome past with the Thirteen Primes. We tried to befriend them, but they were afraid of us, of me mostly. It was a shame what had happened."
Arcee was taken aback as she quickly deduced he was sincere. "Why?"
King Kronos leaned down to rest his arms on his knees and he simply replied, "Well, look at me. What was your thought when you first saw me? Were you afraid of me? Did you think how easy it could be for me to pick you up and crush you into a pile of scrap? And for that matter, have you seen my citizens? All techno-organic mechs and femmes that can hunt and attack like wild animals and yet they do not? The thing people fear most is the unknown. You couldn't have known I was truly a kind soul until you talked to me, so were you afraid before? You can be honest."
The blue femme made a hand wave. "Well, yes, you are a bit intimidating in size."
The dragon mech stunned her by giving a light-hearted rumble of a laugh. "You see? Now, imagine those that could spread propaganda. How easy would it be to see bots like me as monsters just by size or might alone? Unfortunately, the Thirteen Primes were suspicious even towards their own-"
Arcee grimaced as she recalled the Allspark's former predicament and Solus' death.
"-I tried to let them see I meant no harm. But I failed to do so, and they sent those ships here. Sadly, the poor souls on the vessels didn't even make it towards Gemelo. Nature got them and there's a chance they are still here through probably buried by the vegetation underground, nasty business that but something tells me you aren't here for them," the king said, tilting his head with a neutral expression.
"Wait, aren't you going to berate us, punish us for what we 'supposedly' did to your rule? The guards sounded quite assured we would be flailed and beaten, in a manner of speaking," Megatron sneered.
"My guards?" He eyed his faithful soldiers who sheepishly rubbed their necks and whistled like little kids. The king then burst out laughing even more. "You aren't responsible for that! I would never hurt you. My guards like to joke and scare tourists all the time. Granted, they shouldn't be, but they do. A million things to do and keeping track of when my guards make some bad jokes is unfortunately not high in my priorities of keeping my galaxy running. Now that we have that cleared up, I assume you are here to break some news? I sense a concern you are hiding. Please share it with me. I promise to do all that I can to help."
"Um, well, it's a bit more complicated than that," Arcee stated. When Kronos gestured for her to continue, she did so. "We've gotten word that several cybernetic worlds were in danger, and we've been helping them per the Allspark's warning. We've saved four of them so far from..."
"The Metal Heads?" King Kronos finished without missing a beat. He leaned back in his chair with his clawed servos pressed together in a pyramid shape and a raised brow.
Bolt gestured between him and the floor confused as hell. "How do you know that?!"
The king shrugged, "Oh, I don't know, it might have to do with the fact that they are already here."
"What?! H-How could they be here so fast?!" Arcee exclaimed.
"Simple, they know they can't get the jump on me. I don't know how much of the history of the Horaquan you know but like their master, they know better than most of my own personal enemies that using a surprise ambush on me is quite hard. I've faced them before and won. They've already done mundane damage and have retreated for the time being. Kanjis is not safe to those with harmful intent. No harm, no worries but the Metal Heads cannot control their thoughts. I do fear they will act soon. I intend to face them again, but perhaps you could help me, if you so desire. A little community service for the sins of your ancestors."
Arcee recognized the deal was similar to how Silos set her up to be his errand girl. However, King Kronos seemed far gentler in his approach, and it was clearly optional. "Alright, what do you have in mind, your Highness?"
"Please, my dear, formalities are not a necessity for guests. I want you to help my citizens and see about exterminating any of those pests you come across. Your best bet in learning about them is to ask-"
A burst of light filled the room suddenly and at first, Arcee thought it was the Allspark but instead, a white femme with dark blue stripes and horns appeared. They could both teleport it seemed. Metallic feathers and a dragon-like tail, they all thought they were seeing Tigressa in a new form, but it only dawned on Arcee first that this wasn't her but rather her mother, the same femme on the statue you outside. She looked regal with her loincloth-like armor draped down to her ankles decorated with Kanjian symbols and star patterns. The side pieces attached to her hips held the same designs. Her crown was silver and merged with her helm full of dark blue panels that made her look like she had hair going down to her broad shoulders. The resemblance of Tigressa was uncanny.
"Kiara, my beloved, these are our guests from Cybertron. They are here because of the Metal Heads."
Like her mate, Queen Kiara seemed to frown, shaking her head solemnly. "A pity you had to visit us only to encounter this problem. I wish it didn't have to come to violence but there are no other options now. If you could help, that would be awfully good of you."
Even when King Kronos stood for his queen, she only reached his lower chest. Even the other tiger-dragon Razorbacks Arcee saw weren't remotely close to Queen Kiara's size. That concerned Arcee more than she let on. She nearly tipped over just looking at the two as they both stood their full heights. King Kronos caught the stares and grinned.
"Just to ease your woes, I've been around for quite some time. My species, the Ridgeback, technically never stops growing. We grow fast until we're adults and then we slow down considerably but we don't cease. The older we get, the larger we get. And, if it makes you feel better, I'm not even the largest Ridgeback ever. That would be my sire and many from his generation remaining. He's the reason the palace originally was expanded to this grand size."
All three Cybertronians' optics went wide as they imagined what Kronos Sr. could have looked like against his own son.
"Someday, my sons and daughters will grow to this height, assuming nothing conflicts that and maybe I'll still be around and reach my sire's height by then."
"Wait a minute, wait, wait, wait, how many children do you have again?" Bolt asked.
"Twelve, six sets of twins, not counting the four Cybertronians like yourselves I adopted some time ago."
The warlord and the Vehicon exchanged concerned glances while Arcee pursed her lips in thought. Nighthawk and Draco mentioned Kanjis and that they knew the king...oh no. Slipstream would go batshit crazy if she knew.
"Twining, huh? One set is rare, but how did you end up with six?! That sounds impossible," Megatron winced.
King Kronos awkwardly smiled to his darling queen before answering, "Well, one of the oddities of my species is that we always have an even number of offspring. You see, no matter who we bond with, whoever is a Ridgeback will always have half the brood look like them. That means if you have one child, two will develop with one appearing like the Ridgeback parent. If both creators are Ridgebacks, the only hitch is it will remain an even number. Kiara and I kept having technically a single child, so nature did its thing in that regard and the result was twins six times over."
Bolt scoffed, "Boy, you sounded like you had your work cut out for you."
"It was a hassle, to put it lightly. Their sibling rivalry still goes strong to this day despite they are all grown up sans Phantasmos and Eclipse. I was eventually told I can't have any more children by my physician. He almost hit me to get the point across because of their chaos," he laughed slightly strained. Bolt moved his head to glance farther down his frame and the giant mech caught him before instantly sneering, showing a hint of fangs with a deadpan tone, "Not like that."
The name struck Arcee as the same name mentioned by Draco on Chaar. "So, these children of yours, will we meet them?"
"They are here now, home at last. I suppose there's no harm in it," he said, peering at his wife. "I'll talk to them and see if I can get them to help you. Until then, we will be the few who will deal with the Metal Heads. The calmer the citizens, the easier it will be to assess the situation and act accordingly. Also, even if I do get my children to help, they might be slightly antagonistic. Their relationship with the Metal Heads' creator was...rocky to say the least. A lot of scars that some might not be willing to revisit any time soon."
Arcee knew there was pain in the way he said that and felt bad for wanting to know. King Kronos saw her dilemma and sighed.
"You want to know about her, don't you?"
Bolt sat on the floor eager to listen while Megatron leaned against a pillar intrigued. Arcee was the most unsure, not because she doubted King Kronos but was instead afraid of what she might find out. She spoke softly, "We have known who was responsible. The question now is why did it happen? What happened to Tigressa?"
The king bit his lip as his mate held his servo. "Tigressa was my eldest child, her twin was Demon. I loved her from the moment I set optics on her, but my Rozarian shaman and doctors sensed something wrong and no one could tell me what. I treated her as I would any child but as the years went by, juggling between being a first-time father and the ruler didn't seem to be enough for her. I did everything I could to be there and yet, she started to drift away.
"I began to believe after a while she was envious of my powers, wanting more that I couldn't give her even if I wanted to. Having to split my love between her and Demon, having to focus on more than the well-being of just my family, she didn't share my ambitions and turned my love down once she was an adult. I tried to rekindle our relationship but no matter what I did, she wouldn't listen. When I had the others over time, her hatred grew. She began tormenting her siblings, something I couldn't stand by and let her do. I feared she would kill them."
"One hell of a sibling rivalry," Bolt muttered. "So, basically, she was a spoiled brat is what I'm getting from that?"
There was something King Kronos wasn't telling them as Arcee immediately noticed a small shrug suggested it wasn't the case. He merely agreed to end the conversation faster. The looks of worry he exchanged with his mate told Arcee there was another side of the story and Kronos was very much aware of it. Perhaps it was easier to portray her as a spoiled brat than relive the damage done to not just her siblings...
"Perhaps, Arcee, we could move on from this delicate subject," the larger queen said. "I need a favor if you're willing. Our Metal visitors bring nothing but pain and destruction. Unfortunately, the nearby Golden Forest has been confirmed to harbor three unyielding omnipedes that have been disturbed from their slumber amid the infestation. I have an associate of mine out there to deal with them but he might not be able to on his own. Please, neutralize them as best you can."
Arcee nodded as Megatron agreed as well. Bolt, on the other hand, decided to stay with Moonhunter who was asleep near a guard's foot. "You two can have fun with that. I'll see about figuring out a game plan for the Metal Heads here with the help of the king and queen. If he knows about them, makes our job easier than dealing with the virus on the other worlds."
"We won't let you down, your Majesty," Megatron said.
"Oh and I'll send you an uplink of our language, that way you can understand the locals a lot easier and communicate faster. They know Camien and Cybertronian to a degree but aren't as fluent in it as I."
Arcee gave a salute and gestured for Megatron to follow her out.
King Kronos smiled as they took off but it slowly deflated to worry. "I do hope Tigressa is not planning another attack. It would hurt me dearly to have to fight my daughter again."
The Vehicon said nothing except awkwardly twiddled his thumbs. He was not about to break the game changer of reporting Tigressa's ultimate demise, so he had to think of a way of going around it for the time being.
Being let out of the castle and free to roam, Arcee and Megatron looked over the city of Gemelo, the fountain with Queen Kiara's likeness, and the far background of the horizon. Faint structures hid among the blue trees and in some directions, the lakes that surrounded the city spanned to shadows of mountains. At the same time, both received an upload for the Kanjian language which they hastily downloaded into their voice box module.
"Okay, where's the Golden Forest?"
"Probably the one direction we can't see," the warlord replied, pointing back at the castle. He was right; the castle blocked virtually all the northern view of the area.
They traversed on foot around the exterior of the castle, passing some of the guards again who peered at them a bit annoyed but otherwise did nothing. She assumed King Kronos immediately told them to stand down once they left his throne room. They weren't pleased by the order but obeyed regardless. Arcee turned a corner and was nearly crushed by a sauropod Dinobot, only pulled back in time by Megatron.
"Careful, love, it's a bit hard to stop a step once I move," the regal Brontosaurus Dinobot apologized.
Arcee used the sudden interaction to quickly ask, "Do you have directions to the Golden Forest?"
The Dinobot femme nodded and moved her limber neck in the direction, "Of course, in fact, I can see it right now. Just follow the bend of the palace walls and once you hit the Eldergrove Plaza, keep straight on the marked road. You can't miss it."
"Thank you!"
Megatron smirked, "And the guards thought everyone hated us."
A group of humanoid women with the cat-like ears laughed among themselves before spotting Arcee and Megatron. One of them whistled and drew both their attentions. On an elevated table designed for smaller beings like them, the girls waved them to come closer. Arcee knew she needed to get going but her curiosity got the better of her.
"Now, I've been visiting here for years since I was a kid and I've never seen your type of chassis. Are you, like, from another world? If so, I got to know!"
"We're Cybertronian."
The girls were amazed more than fearful as one of them said, "No way?! That's awesome! I never thought I would ever meet a living Cybertronian! I thought you guys were extinct?"
Megatron was a bit amused himself at the prospect. "Ah yes, the closest we ever have but our extinction was not a guarantee."
Arcee wanted to retort about it being his fault but she refrained as the humanoids made noises of awe with their ears moving with every expression they could muster.
"It's a pleasure to meet you! We're Zevyerians, by the way, hailing from beautiful Zevyera in the Arcapluma system just a few solar stars down. If you ever want to visit the best beaches in the galaxy, hit us up!"
Arcee gave a thumbs up as the Zevyerians waved them goodbye. "Nice talking to you!"
They reached the Eldergrove Plaza where several Rozarians were hanging around with drinks in hand. The Golden Forest gleamed just beyond and Arcee could see why it was named as such. The light of the suns reflected yellow Energon seem near its grove and made the underbrush glow gold.
"Arcee, this is King Kronos. I have alerted our associate in the forest of your arrival, a mech named Dragonhide. He'll show you the basics of our world while you track down the omnipedes. Bolt will be helping me configure a new mapping of the affected areas the Metal Heads have already done damage to. Good luck."
Arcee turned to Megatron with a grimace, "The Metal Heads get bolder every day apparently."
They ran out the city towards the Golden Forest with various noises of wild creatures and the groaning of energy from the crystals that grew within. Thankfully, they had no need to worry about the woods being dark with its bio illuminated flora on top of the golden light. A bug-like clattering, however, made them pause not even partially into the edge of the forest. A shout also echoed not too far from their location. They moved deeper in trying to trail the sounds. The shout of a mech, very distinguishable, was more angered than scared. A lighter area with less trees upright but plenty of fallen ones told them there had been a scuffle.
Suddenly, a giant dark green centipede made of flexible metal busted through the trees with its mandibles expanded out of its jaws in a hideous roar that would make an Insecticon weary. It clattered past them, destroying anything in its path. A shout followed. A fiery orange mech with a dark purple and black gradient on his limbs and chest jumped over the damaged brush before getting on his servos to produce pink flames from his mouth, vivid pink optics burning as bright as the fire he spewed.
When the giant bug burrowed, he growled, "Yeah, you better run, you fat slug!"
Arcee and Megatron watched the dragon mech make a crude gesture before interrupting his rant. "Um, are you Dragonhide?"
His pink bio lights flared but it was out of frustration of the situation, not directed towards them. "Argh, those little monsters woke up the hive of omnipedes and I can't get those bastards to go back to sleep! It's their resting period, takes about sixty days of the year to complete. Now that they are disturbed, they will be behind and by the great gods, that'll mess up their feeding habits leading more problems! And you? Let me guess, King Kronos sent you."
"Inexplicably," she replied.
"Look, I don't have time to babysit. Unless you can fly to pinpoint their location for me or keep up with them, you aren't much use out here and those omnipedes? They are vicious when cornered. Ancient beasts that have survived everything including bombs. I don't need rookies against indestructible bot killers."
"Luckily, I can do both," Arcee said cockily.
Dragonhide looked at her winglets before extending skeletal-like wings with three-clawed servos on the arms from his back on cue. Energy expanded and covered them in a synthetic transparent pink membrane as he leaned on one leg more than the other. His tail curled as he was amused.
"Then can you keep up, little flyer?"
She activated her own energy wings, flexing them in response with a smirk. "I just might."
"And you?"
Megatron didn't have to show off a damn thing. He was already smiling. "Been there, done that."
"Good," the dragon mech said with newfound confidence, "maybe we stand a chance after all. I have some tranquilizers I can use on them but I need to head them off and apply it directly into their mouths. Their armor is far too thick to penetrate with any caliber weapon, lethal and non. You scout, drop and keep them occupied, I pounce and put them down. Like clockwork."
Megatron and Arcee gestured to each other eager to get the party started. Dragonhide took it as a sign to head out after the nearest omnipede, transforming into a wyvern and running on both his hind legs and winged limbs. The bug creatures were definitely not silent in their rampage as Megatron threw Arcee up into the sky. She glided over the Golden Forest amazed at the view alone, and Megatron transformed into his jet mode to join her. With miles of landscape and distant towns that did nothing to hinder the new world's extravagance, Arcee enjoyed the rush of flight among the bluish-green sky.
Rustling down below had her immediately spot one of the omnipedes. It was a blackish grey variant that was heavily shadowed by the trees but still noticeable. It roared as trees were cut down in its wake. Dragonhide was seen trying to catch up with it. He blew fire and altered the omnipede's course into a thinner area of the forest. The trees were moist enough naturally to deter wildfires from occuring it seemed.
Arcee grinned and dived down as she was instructed. Right at the head, she caught the mandible sticking out of its mouth so fast, it couldn't bring it back into its mouth as it reared stunned. She swung up and covered the four eyes of the creature as best she could. The omnipede bucked and moved backwards trying to rub its head against the ground furiously to get her off.
Dragonhide caught up with them and transformed back to robot mode, bringing out a blaster and loading it with a tranquilizer the size of a large missile. He aimed and Arcee reached past the omnipede's optics to grab the mandibles to give him a shot. Once the mouth was open enough, he fired. The tranquilizer hit the back of the throat into delicate mesh and slowly, the omnipede quit fighting. It rumbled drowsily before collapsing and growing still with soft breaths. Arcee jumped off as it coiled automatically into a ball.
"One down, two more to go. Don't worry, I'll mark its location," the orange mech said. "Need a boost?"
Arcee nodded and he let her climb onto his back before taking flight in his beast mode. The wyvern growled like a chuckle and let her leap off to glide again before diving to run across the forest floor. The second omnipede was the same green one they had encountered that got away. Dragonhide sprinted for it.
Megatron trailed above and transformed when he felt he had a perfect opportunity. He landed on the back of the omnipede and used his strength to force it upright to slow it down. However, he didn't take into consideration how high it would go and found himself pinned beneath it with a disheartened grunt. He still clung to the creature as it was belly up but had to wait for it to roll back over to shrug off the crushed feeling. Dragonhide sounded like he was having a blast laughing at his misery.
The omnipede bucked and screeched, clicking its mandibles like it was trying to speak. Megatron went to its side before slipping under its belly still with a tight grip and pushed it over his head to its confusion. It opened its mouth to make dissatisfied noises and Dragonhide took his shot. Megatron nearly threw the omnipede down as the tranquilizer kicked in making it limp in his grasp.
"Damn," he snarled.
The wyvern made a considerate roar once he shifted from robot to beast again and bolted for the final target. The last omnipede sounded loud but Arcee had trouble pinpointing it. She tried to follow rustling trees but it remained elusive. Finally, she dived and landed on the forest floor curious if she was either missing something or she was just going blind. The clatter of a million insectoid feet was prominent.
Arcee suddenly turned to see a blue omnipede tear down trees and hiss at her. Given the vegetation was also blue, she immediately knew it blended too well with its environment. That's how she missed it. It charged at her, snapping its mandibles in preparation of eating or dismembering her. She dodged as it slammed its head forward. It proved fast, striking with blood red optics like it saw blood.
When she avoided one bite, she was abruptly knocked off her feet and the omnipede took the chance to step over her. Jaws dripped saliva as it chattered hungrily. It rose with its body rattling. Arcee expected the worst. Just then, Dragonhide stood above her right as the omnipede came down and had his blaster at the ready. He fired as it clamped down on his arm and yelled out in pain. But he fired two more tranquilizers just in case, refusing to stop until it stayed down. The omnipede shook disoriented as it still kept a good grip on his arm with its teeth until it sluggishly hit the ground, not before Arcee managed to crawl to safety.
Dragonhide forced open the mouth and got his arm out, sneering at the Energon leaking from the blaster and his limb. "Well, not the worst injury I've ever had."
"Thank you," Arcee praised calmly.
The mech smirked despite the pain. "Ah, it's nothing. I wouldn't have let anyone get hurt besides me regardless. I take care of the omnipedes in their hibernation. It happens yearly, you know?"
Megatron landed beside Arcee to check and see if she was okay which she gestured immediately that she was.
"I'll tell King Kronos you did good, rookies. Maybe I'll hire you one day to be professional omnipede round ups. Don't worry about me. I'll get myself patched up soon, not before I oversee the transportation of these troublemakers," Dragonhide said.
"Anytime," the warlord replied.
They left Dragonhide to deal with the sleeping omnipedes and traveled back towards the city once he pointed them in the right direction. The edge of the forest gave way to light and both were pleased to see the suns in their full glory as Megatron stretched, popping sore joints back into place.
"Last time I wrestle with omnipedes-ow…"
"Getting old?" Arcee snickered.
Megatron had his shoulder pop extremely loud and grimaced, "Feeling old, not so much cosmetically."
She grinned until Silos' voice came through, but it sounded strained. "Arcee, meet me in the Hallows, a set of ruins near the city, western end. It's…urgent."
Silos never portrayed a sense of urgency before and his voice reflected a type of uncertainty but given his past with Kanjis, she could imagine he was uncomfortable being back in a familiar place where he made one of the worst betrayals in the planet's history.
She quickly said to Megatron, "I need to talk to our esteemed associate. He has some information."
"Do your thing," he yawned. "I'm going to head back to Bolt and see if he's learned anything other than cyberbiology facts. Let's hope he hasn't driven the king insane and banned us in actuality."
Arcee knew the safest way to her destination was through the city, so she transformed and sped off. She got stares at her vehicle form and ignored them as she used the plaza to redirect herself westward. The west side of the border had less trees and held a few ponds which she carefully maneuvered around. She listened out for anything peculiar as she tried to find the ruins. Instantly, she came across remnants of an overgrown path and transformed back to robot mode. The path had rocks that suspiciously looked like the outlines of body parts. She kept her blaster armed as she trailed off into the overgrowth.
An archway of old metal with dark blue vines all over it loomed at the top of the hill. Its damage was dated, some appeared barely recognizable as scratches and gunfire holes. She walked under it as she heard the animal ambience in the background. Shifting trees made her paranoid and her worries were only broadened when she saw a few of them moving a distance away, crawling on their roots before settling in a sunny spot. Now she knew what Kronos and the guards meant when they said the Cybertronians who attacked were brutally killed by nature. She stayed cautionary going farther in. Trees outgrew the ruins with a collapsed wall infused with the roots of one and she saw the brush overlapping decorated metal murals with unknown entities painted on them. It took a second before she felt metal beneath her pedes.
The floor was damaged and held another mural but unlike the faded ones on the wall, the floor still had some color, but the outline was atrocious. Beyond that, broken pillars with vines and a wall with a chipped space for a door resided. She walked through the large hole in the wall and noticed Silos standing among the ruins unusually vacant.
He lifted a paw up, running his claws delicately against the faint outline of an animal, a horse or a big cat she assumed though it was very hard to tell. He then peered up where the rays of the suns burst through the canopies to lighten the ruins. He wasn't brash, angered, or even sad. It almost seemed like he was entranced. Arcee approached the Metal Head, noting his ears twitching so he knew she was near.
"This place...I haven't seen it in forever," he mumbled just loud enough for her to hear but his voice carried no farther.
"What was it?"
For the first time, Silos looked guilty, plagued by memories he was unsure how to feel about. He looked at her with remorse. "This was Tigressa's temple. Every child of Kronos had a temple built in their honor, each with reflections of their powers and likeness. The Temple of Midnight Hallows was dark but beautiful with Energon confined like candlelight. Its murals used to glow as bright as the moons. When I befriended her, I visited this place a lot. The sun never touched a single shred of its beauty except the exterior. When she was banished, the temple was forgotten. I see time was not kind to it. The light has tainted it.
"We used to meet up here and talk. I was so infatuated with her despite the fact that she was out of my league. I felt comforted by her ingenuity. She had a way about her, conveying her ideas like a poet and manipulating the shadows around her to dance without a care in the world. I saw her like no one dared to, no one could. No one knew Tigressa like I did. In my eyes, she was a goddess. The darkness was intoxicating, and we loved it together."
Arcee looked at the mural he was eyeing the most. It was then she could vaguely make out the outline of a tiger-like dragon with wings. Tigressa's alt mode. It was rustic, and she knew it wasn't meant to be like that. In some way, Arcee despised how the temple had been treated.
"Even though she hurt people, I swore to follow her to the ends of the universe. Heh, funny how that ended up." Silos peered down at his clawed hands. Then he started speaking as if Tigressa was still around. "We are just monsters, you and I, and I wouldn't live without you either way."
To hear him still hung up on the same person who technically made his hell, Arcee grew slightly disappointed but understood why he still cared even if his love was never returned in the same way. Seeing the mural so desecrated was a crime alone. Arcee knew what he meant. With the light radiant from the current time of day, the murals had all lost their definitive distinctions, sun-bleached and were nothing but blemishes on the metal, and her mural was defaced the worst like a forgotten sin.
"I met with King Kronos just recently."
Silos tensed at the name, breaking him out of his self-mourning, but he played it off. "Yeah, quite the benevolent figure everyone loves, right? Of course, not many know his more questionable secrets. They aren't bad but wouldn't be good for his nice reputation like how he abandoned his daughter after he kept giving her siblings."
Arcee frowned, "You can't blame someone for having more kids. He had the finances, he loved them all-"
"Did he? And yet if you ask anyone, they will tell you Tigressa was a monster. Now where do you suppose they got that idea, hmm?" Silos mocked with a noticeably unpleasant growl. "Hell, her youngest sibling, Phantasmos, was the reason she was defeated in the first place in the war she fought against her father. Now that I think about it, his little stunt cost her one of her Rift Rings."
The name of the object was unfamiliar and she narrowed her optics. "Rift Ring?"
Silos grew a terrible smirk, "Only the most powerful bridge in the universe. The Rift Ring was able to do more than just cross distances to planets and galaxies, Arcee. It had the power to cross dimensions and universes. Unfortunately, Phantasmos grew wise in her plan to take Kanjis using it and overloaded the damn thing sending Kor and more than half the Metal Head legion flying through time and space into a universe they were trapped in for some while. Kor tried to get out but was killed by a persistent freak of nature from that universe. Then you encountered him on the isle, destroying him once and for all, and killed Tigressa who had been banished by Kronos after her defeat here. I went into hiding and manned the Metal Heads until it proved inconvenient to me."
That made Arcee retract confused. "Inconvenient...I thought you said you left when you thought Tigressa went too far?"
Silos shot his ears back and snarled, "Inconvenience, betrayal, heartache. The term is not relevant. What is relevant is that Tigressa's legacy is in shambles. Some of it my own doing what I believed was necessary, the rest of it petty by those who would rather remember her as anything but a person."
Arcee narrowed his optics but didn't press it as she instead asked, "And the Rift Rings?"
He seemed to have collected himself rather quickly upon hearing the question and grinned again. "Well, one was sent with Kor as it overloaded, the second one was lost, and the third was created after we lost the second Ring. It was torn into pieces and scattered in the Callistro Valley not too far from here. Perhaps, I could ask a favor. I myself don't much care for interdimensional travel, no gain personally, but if I were to have the pieces of the Rift Ring intact, it would ease my mind a little about all Tigressa's memories being shamed like the Hallows. If you can find the pieces and put some trackers on them, I can do the rest. I know the seams on the Rift Rings were five to seven segments each. Chances are the Rift Ring will never work again from how long it's been separated, but I'd at least keep it as an honor to her life...as troubled as it was."
"I can do that if it brings you peace of mind. But why would no one take the pieces of such a powerful bridge from the valley?"
Silos taunted, "I would believe it may have something to do with what lies within the valley? The Callistro Valley is home to the largest Metalwood populace in the world. Of course, no one is stupid enough to go down there and retrieve the pieces! There's a saying on Kanjis: always watch for flying corpses. I assure you that that motto was not made to scare people initially."
The queen nervously peered around at the trees, still paranoid of encountering one that might get the idea to attack her. The fact that the valley had the Metalwoods was even more frightening. "I-I'll see what I can do for you. Sure, no need to be scared or anything. Yeah..."
"Wonderful," he all but purred. Handing her a total of five currently deactivated trackers, he nodded and turned his back on her. Silos mapped out the old temple inscriptions that were somewhat visible, muttering to himself as he read their texts beneath the faded murals. Arcee left him alone in favor of planning her route to Callistro Valley, the home of the monster trees.
"I'll send you the coordinates and meet you once you are done. Now, leave me in peace," he said forced like she was intruding on sacred ground.
She didn't want to argue with him and rolled her optics. After walking a decent way, she transformed and sped off to the coordinates as soon as they were given to her. One of the roads on the outskirts of the city led her straight to it though the drive was a bit long. She slowed down as she passed a Dinobot and several bots covered in foliage of different breeds, ones that she started to believe grew on them naturally, as they bended and manipulated the plant life around them. A strong fire resistant to moisture had damaged part of the forest, the markings on a few trees suggested a lightning strike. Their bio lights grew bright as their plant life growing on them became dense in color and before Arcee's optics, the damged forest turned back into a blue paradise. Flowers littered the ground in mass as the trees grew branches in seconds. She didn't know if such powers were inherited or simply born out of random, but the outcome of their powers showed off a revitalized forest like the lightning had never even scorched it.
The Callistro Valley was off the side of the road that wound around a hillside, clear as day. It was covered in loose trees and...Metalwoods. There were plenty of grass and flowers but as she transformed to see it in more detail, she witnessed a Metalwood grow enraged and destroy a non-sentient tree next to it. It sliced the base which fell onto its stub before leaning then broke every branch and tore the remainder of it in two. Flinging the dead tree, it shook with a muffled roar. The parts of the tree bounced uselessly onto the ground near a few other Metalwoods that made a noise of annoyance.
If she was going to find the Rift Ring in here, she had to be quick. Silence was not an option. Running down the hill after making sure no one saw her, she eyed the landscape and transformed. Another problem she faced was she had no clue what color or size the Rift Ring was. Driving passed Metalwoods that began to hiss and growl, their limbs crinkling in disgust and wrath before throwing them down to miss her by inches, she searched for anything that looked out of the ordinary. Had she slowed down in the slightest, she would be impaled, crashed, or sliced in half.
A glimmer of bronze caught her mirrors behind her hidden in a cove of upturned soil from supposedly a previous fight among the Metalwoods. She swiftly braked and moved back around, using her speed boost to get to it fast. She transformed and ran a servo along its frame. Unknown letters were engraved on it but the simplistic insignia of a Metal Head-like face told her all she needed to know. The Rift Ring was bronze and judging by how far it was buried, quite big and this was only one piece out of supposedly five. She placed a tracker and continued.
The second piece was found shortly after half-submerged in a pink pond. Its edge stood out but at least half its total mass was beneath the water. She tagged it even as the Metalwood near it grumbled and raised its mantis-like killer limbs up prepared to strike. She jumped out of the way as all its available limbs reached out and struck the ground feet from her.
"Keep your leaves on, I'm not going to hurt you!"
The tree still rattled, roots twitching anxiously.
She drove across the valley for a while trying to find the other three and avoiding all the Metalwoods even as their flowers gave off an alluring scent. It was tempting to visit them, she wouldn't lie, but she just couldn't afford to kill herself. She discovered the third piece suddenly when she hit a bump in the road. Overgrown, it blended well into the soil. Unlike the previous two, it had a spherical addition to it magnetized to its side. Arcee presumed it was a part of that piece. Placing her tracker, she sped off.
"Arcee," Silos said, his voice tired and depleted of snark like he probably wanted to say, "do you know what happened to the Rift Ring? It suffered a massive cataclysmic power rupture, courtesy of King Kronos, and shattered. The battlefield isn't far from the valley. The pieces were thrown in here to prevent anyone who was loyal to Tigressa to reunite them. I may have lied to you. I know whereall of them are."
"If you knew, why send me? This is a waste of my time, Silos!"
"..."
"Silos?"
"I'm sorry, I'm...just...I miss her so much." His tone was heavy, pitiful even. Arcee felt guilt spread like fire across her processor and spark. "I'll, um, I'll arrive shortly and recover the rest of the pieces. I thought having you do it was easier, but I see now I was wrong. I just want her legacy to be in the care of someone who will treasure her forever."
Arcee halted where she was and shifted to robot mode with a look of despair on her faceplates. She had never heard him so beat up but there was an odd sound that followed in his voice. She couldn't tell if it was him crying or laughing. Possibly, he tried to cover the pain with humor as she had seen with Wreck-gar on Junkion. She waited patiently for him and a space bridge appeared. He wondered through it a bit neutral for someone grieving but he probably didn't want to be seen in such a weak state of mind.
He sniffed, "I'll take it from here. You don't have to do this."
She relieved herself of the trackers and nodded, "If this makes you more comfortable, I respect it."
A sudden twitch of the edge of his lip despite almost being hidden by the cheek plating of his helmet was weird like he was trying to smile but refused to do so. Arcee didn't show signs of conjecture on account of not judging where it may be coming from, but it was abnormal to say the least.
"Now then, I suggest you get back to Gemelo before the king gets a little confused. I thank you for helping if anything. I'll see to it I find the rest of the pieces. Do be careful on the way out," he sneered.
She sighed and patted his shoulder, "Just be careful yourself."
"Oh, I shall."
When Arcee got back from helping Silos and escaping the valley where the Metalwoods were growing even more anxious the longer she stayed for a pile of rather useless Rift Ring parts that didn't impress in the long run admittedly, Arcee clambered into King Kronos' throne room after going through all the guards and the city only to find Bolt sitting on his knee and chatting up a storm. King Kronos didn't seem to mind, only smiled at the Vehicon's tall tales and slightly overexaggerated truths.
"Then she stabbed Rockrider right through the abdomen, but the traitor still dragged her down! Arcee refused to go with a monster and smashed her head in midfall! As the Allspark saved Arcee, Rockrider hit the smelting pit in a vast inferno of flames signifying the fall of a tyrant's empire!"
"That is quite a victory indeed," the king said humorously. "It reminds me of the battle in the Wydon Mountains on the planet Vesuvio, Esper System. I was challenged by the mighty Orvek. He fought me, nearly severed my arm but I used his own environment to my advantage. He lived in an arctic kingdom but was not truly immune to cold. I lured him out into the open and kept fighting until his organs couldn't take the blizzard; I admit I was beginning to think I would succumb to it too but I outlasted and prevailed. Although it's not my most famous of victories because it wasn't fought tooth and nail, I preferred it because I relied on my wits more than my strength. Most of my favorites are."
Megatron and Moonhunter were sitting on Queen Kiara's throne to the guards' ire but the queen had vanished most likely doing something while her mate entertained their guests. Then they gestured at Arcee as the king looked her way.
"I heard you were successful in helping Dragonhide with the omnipedes. They aren't bad creatures, just a little cranky here and there," he said.
"Better than Metalwoods who want to beat your aft every second of every day," she responded back.
Megatron frowned, "You encountered a wild Metalwood?"
Arcee shrugged, "Bound to happen one day considering we're smack dab in the middle of their home world. Doubt you can stay here and not encounter one."
King Kronos raised his servo up from his lap casually. "She's not wrong."
"King Kronos, with all due respect, there's something that's been bugging me all day," Arcee abruptly said. "We know Tigressa made the Metal Heads but it seemed like you were dodging the question. Even as we countered the omnipedes, I still can't help but think you don't want to talk about her yet it is crucial to why the Metal Heads are returning now."
Bolt winced as King Kronos remained still. Then he retorted, "It is hard to speak of my daughter, Arcee, that you must understand. The Metal Heads were her creations, and they devastated the balance of my rule as well as many worlds. It's not a delicate subject."
"But it is relevant to what's happening. We get it; she was troubled as a youth out of jealousy, but what led to the Metal Heads existing. What happened the day you banished her?" Arcee pressed.
The guards awkwardly looked between one another with sorrow. Kronos had assistants on the side she just noticed, a purple wolf mech and a red and blue spider femme who reminded Arcee of both Blackarachnia and Airachnid as one.
King Kronos sighed, "Fine, you want the whole truth? Whatever you hear, understand that the circumstances that led to certain decisions did not come lightly. Tigressa was the original heir to the throne. When I was done and saw her ready, I was planning on retiring. I have lived a billion years; how long can I last? Kanjis was a home of my own, and I wanted to give it to her so badly. But Tigressa grew mistrusting, devious and dissolute in her quest for power. I saw the signs of her madness, and I had no choice but to revoke the throne. It only made things worse.
"Before then, she was targeting her siblings, and I think she killed our family pets that died under mysterious circumstances but that's assuming. I have no proof still. She believed that my reign as king was choosing to play god when I helped build worlds and create life among them when all I wanted was to help, to watch the wonders of the universe come to all. But Tigressa saw my ideas as misuse of their true qualities. Instead, she wished to take and force her will as truth. She grew corrupted and after I renounced her chance at the throne, that's when her darkest ideas came into fruition.
"The Metal Heads were born of her blood mixed with the elements of our world and her powers. The serum she tested on a deathtrap plant and the results were horrifying. The skull gems they bore were a copy of the gem on her chest like a cruel form of self-representation. The early versions of the virus were tested on unsuspecting victims and animals. She went to worlds merely to unleash her horrors of creation and watch them mutilate and infect everything they touched. By the time I knew of her treachery, she had already begun her war against me. I lost my oldest friends, some who were around to take care of her when she was a youngling. I saw my people scared and as the monsters they couldn't stop bore down upon them, and she turned my own Captain of the Royal Guard into a deranged killer out of his love for her overwhelming his loyalty to Kanjis. Even Sephtis, his colleague, fell to her whim and became the active Metal Head Leader, Kor."
Arcee breathed harshly knowing who he meant. She could see the picture Silos vividly in her head that he had in his ship of his old self and grew panicked as his visage twisted into the current monster he was. His laughter echoing as she could imagine him transforming into a Metal Head, green Rozarian blood turning dark purple and sluggish as his body was shredded and reformed. Light blue darkened to a deadly hue as the skull gem of his chest burst out of his heart. The image of him within her waking nightmare turned on her now with jagged jaws and yellow glow eyes. She panted scared but thankfully, no one saw her plight.
"She put her own brothers and sisters in danger. Tigressa was going to kill everyone if it meant getting her way. With the abominations at her command and that dreaded transport, the Rift Ring I believe it was called, she fought my forces and I finally had to go to the last resort I had. I tried to kill her at one point. With her army, she was one of the few enemies I had that had gotten close to overwhelming me. I was terrified fighting her how malicious she was. Through quick thinking, my youngest son, Phantasmos overrode the Rift Ring and sent the Metal Heads across space never to be seen again. I managed to finally win against Tigressa but casted her out instead. I couldn't bring myself to kill her. Despite everything, I still loved her. It broke her mother's heart the same as it did mine. And then I had to banish my own children briefly in fear of her manipulating them to harm others. I was tormented by her fall, more than you know."
Everyone was silent including Moonhunter whose ears were laying low. The guards could only stand in their positions uncomfortable as the truth had Arcee baffled and afraid. How could Tigressa do that out of mere resentment? She paused and then whacked herself on the head mentally. Megatron already did similar...but at least he learned something from it.
King Kronos shook his head, "There isn't a day that goes by I don't think about what I could have done differently to save her from her darkest ideals, but maybe there isn't anything. I live with the burden of never knowing, and Tigressa will never be sane again because of me."
Bolt patted the kneecap of the king and blurted out Arcee's thoughts. "No, it-it's not your fault. I mean look at Megatron. Technically, he killed more than half our race and-"
The blunt end of Dagger Prima nailed him in the head and he cried out holding his face while a furious Arcee scolded him. "You're not supposed to say that, Bolt!"
She could tell Kronos was fighting a smile but coughed, "True, yes, but I already know what Megatron did. The difference is Megatron did it out of greed, not out of disdain though I would imagine Optimus' choices in the matter didn't help a lot."
"How do you know about Optimus? About any of Cybertron's history? You were cut off, weren't you?" Megatron scowled.
"Just because Cybertron cut off travel to Kanjis doesn't mean I don't have my own ability to go between worlds nor not get information. I wouldn't say I was spying on Cybertron out of some spite of my own for such an interesting attempt of a failed coup, but yes, I eavesdropped a bit."
"No offense," Arcee huffed, "but that makes me think Tigressa got her tendencies from you by saying that."
The giant dragon mech grinned, "Actually, that's her grandsire's trait. My sire wasn't as nice ruling over the galaxy. Granted, I do have my sire's fury if pushed but I'm never cruel or demanding in my actions within reason. I never believed that was the proper way to rule. I changed a lot of policies he enforced. Tigressa only met her grandsire once and I think that's one of the few times I've ever known my sire to not have any remark or crude comment to say...mostly because Tigressa kept answering back with something as equally crass. Needless to say, it was one of the most frightening things I ever witnessed that didn't involve death."
"Well, I'm sorry about your loss either way," the queen said.
"The tale is best left as it is. If you try chasing ghosts the rest of your life, it'll ruin you. You can't change the past, Arcee. I do regret how I may have helped spawn her sinister behavior inadvertantly, but I don't linger on it because I do have a kingdom to run. I suggest you do the same now that you know and don't let it change what you set out to do."
Arcee nodded as King Kronos lowered Bolt back on the ground. The Vehicon shoved Dagger Prima back into her grasp and made a raspberry noise despite not having a mouth to show off the motion. She laughed at his attitude even though he deserved it.
As King Kronos stood and stretched, the armor creaking quite loud against Megatron's same previous motion after the encounter with the omnipedes, he sighed, "Now then, I should check on the lava bulls out back in the magma stalls outside. I need to feed them before they start trying to eat the actual stands themselves."
Bolt whipped around instantly excited, "You have lava bulls?!"
The king laughed, "Just because I lost pets in the past doesn't mean I didn't get more. Come, I'll show you them."
Arcee and Megatron knew for the moment they had nothing better to do and followed the king to the outdoor royal stables. They had to sprint to keep up with him with Moonhunter the only one of the four who could. Seeing the light reflect off Kronos' armor to make it appear a deep dark grey more than black was unusual. The white in his design, however, made the light glow off those spots instead. To their surprise, he stretched his wings he had tucked among his back kibble which expanded over four hundred feet. His tail swayed pleasantly as he enjoyed the suns' warmth.
"Feels good to get some sunshine," he stated. As he breathed, his white bio lights pulsed in agreement.
Just then, Bolt was nearly pushing on Arcee hanging over her shoulder and pointing at the gates that held the lava bulls. The horned charcoal-black bovines of stone and metal rumbled as they grew interested in their visitors. One hollered close to Megatron, its fumes growing hotter.
"That means they like you. If they hated you, you'll know the immediate response when it occurs," Kronos chuckled. "Would you like to feed them? Arcee, beside that bucket over near the warehouse, there's a bale of feed. Could you grab it for me?"
Arcee ran to the warehouse without question and grew a little excited herself. She had to drag the bale as it proved heavy. Its dried purple contents drew the attention of several bulls. Handing a servo-ful of hay-like feed to Bolt and Megatron, she lured a big specimen to eat gently. She rubbed its nose and it mooed before sniffing her. After Bolt fed his bull, he pulled out a data pad to record the new information.
"You better not ask me to nab a few of these bulls for you, Bolt."
"Nah, I can just go up to three different ones to get the data. Maybe if you lure them-"
"Nope," Arcee snapped quickly.
They all burst out laughing. Even King Kronos found it humorous as he pet one calf with the tip of his claw carefully as he was crouched beside it, though it did little to reduce his size in comparison to all present. Moonhunter cautiously sniffed a bull that suddenly blew smoke into his face. The Nitrotiger fled back with his spine raised and hissed.
King Kronos then said, "Arcee, I forgot to pass this on from my sparkmate to you. It's a Core type. She is dealing with a few errands and gave me it to give to you as thanks for your help with the omnipedes."
Arcee caught the Radiant Core he held after he threw and smiled. "Never can get enough of these."
AN: Kanjis is the only planet that is an OC world but I wanted to include a techno-organic planet with origins to Tigressa as her monsters are, of course, the enemies here. It was quite fun to be honest. There was a size discrepancy with King Kronos last novel where I said 300 ft and he would be bigger than the average building. He would be nearly titan size and I think I left in the mistake of the Precursor Robot and the Sentinels being accidentally said to be in feet than in meters as well.