On a planet, all was still; a single flower bloomed...
Then, all Pit broke loose.
A gorilla rushed across the landscape, pursued by strange, alien robots...
The robots transformed into tanks to continue their pursuit of the silverback, the flower crushed in their wake.
Eventually, the tanks cornered their prey; transforming back into their robotic forms, they loomed over the gorilla...
As it turned to face them, the beast spoke!
"I don't know who you are, but if it's a fight you're looking for... Primal Prime, maximize!" it announced.
Sparks flew as various parts of the ape's anatomy attempted to shift, but to no avail. The tank transformers stopped in their tracks, readying their shoulder-mounted cannons...
"What's happening to me?! Why can't I transform?!" the ape, now identified as Primal Prime, questioned.
A computerized voice rang out from the Maximal leader's circuits.
"System error; analyzing..."
As the tank transformers fired upon him, Primal Prime jumped to an overhead pipe and backflipped away from the source of trouble. The robots fired on him again, forcing him to swing from one bar to another to escape.
The tanks continued their pursuit, not relenting for a second! Primal Prime suddenly heard a voice in his head...
"Primal Prime... The Seeds of the Future lie buried in the past..." it said. The voice seemed to be guiding him towards a nearby rail transport system...
Making a leap for it, Primal Prime landed in an open car, where he found a giant rat!
"AY! Get outta here, bub! This is *MY* hidin' spot!" it complained. Primal recognized THAT voice!
"Rattrap?!" he gasped in disbelief. The rat did a double-take.
"Primal?!" Rattrap gasped as well, equally stunned.
As the tanks continued firing upon the rail car, Rattrap had severe concerns...
"Do you mind tellin' me what's goin' on right now?! The last thing I remember, we were on our way home to Cybertron; now, these yo-yos are usin' ME for target practice!" he complained.
Primal was disturbed by this.
"You don't remember, either? It must be some kind of virus causing a memory fault!" he guessed as another spark flew from his body. Rattrap noticed the sparks flying.
"You wanna talk glitches?! How about the fact that I can't transform?!" he explained, showing off his body's sparking.
"I know; *I* can't transform either! We'll figure it out later; we just have to keep moving right now!" Primal told Rattrap.
"Nuh-uh! Ain't no WAY this rat's abandoning this titanium-reinforced ship!" Rattrap complained again, crouching low to the ground.
As the tanks again caught sight of the railway, they readied their cannons...
Primal grabbed Rattrap by the scruff of his neck and leapt clear of the blasts to the ground below.
Fleeing the area, Rattrap was pleading with his internal systems to let him transform...
"Rattrap, maximize! Rattrap, maximize!" he shouted.
As the tanks continued to fire upon the pair, Rattrap grew desperate.
"Rattrap, PLEASE MAXIMIZE!" he pleaded.
Primal Prime heard the voice again.
"The Seeds of the Future lie buried in the past..." it spoke again, guiding him to the left.
"This way, follow me!" Primal urged Rattrap, turning left.
The tanks caught up to them as they reached a dead end...
"Rattrap, please maximize..." Rattrap whimpered to his internal computer as another spark flew from his body.
As the tanks charged up their cannons, three feline forms loomed overhead...
The cats leapt down to the tanks and blocked their optic sensors! It was now easier to see who the cats were...
"Cheetor!" Primal Prime exclaimed happily.
"And Aurora and Shadow, too! Good timing, you three!" Rattrap cheered ecstatically.
"Move it or lose it, guys! We can't play "Blind Man's Bluff" forever!" Cheetor explained as another tank fired at him.
The three tanks were dispatched by their own kind, leading to a remark from Shadow.
"Hey, you just slagged your own guy! That's deep-freeze cold!" he said.
Rattrap walked up to one of the tank robots.
"Hey, Tin Man! Yeah, that's right; I'm talkin' to YOU, rust-for-brains!" he said, rushing between the legs of the 'bot.
As the robot tried to grab the rodent, Primal Prime tackled the tank transformer and cleared a path to safety.
The quintet rushed around a corner and hid from view, hoping they were fast enough to evade sight.
"Did I miss something?!" Cheetor whispered. Shadow nodded.
"Yeah, I mean... This IS Cybertron, right? Our home planet?!" he asked. Aurora was equally confused.
"Why are our own kind shooting at us?!" she queried.
"Have you guys looked in a mirror lately?! Our "Own Kind" doesn't recognize us in these lousy fur coats!" Rattrap complained as he started shorting out again.
"No problem! We've just gotta get to a CR chamber and de-bug this transforming glitch!" Cheetor explained.
"HELLO?! We're in the middle of NOWHERE right now!" Rattrap complained again as all five Cybertronians began painfully shorting out!
"It's worse than I thought. If we don't transform out of these beast modes soon, our operating systems will shut down permanently..." Primal Prime realized.
"So, you're saying that if the Robo-tanks don't get us, the virus will?!" Shadow complained.
"Oh, boy; I LOVE havin' options..." Rattrap whined.
Suddenly, a light illuminated the quintet of beasts, revealing their hiding spot!
A tank transformer fired at them, opening a gaping hole in the ground. Primal heard the voice again, guiding the ape into the hole!
"Everyone underground, now!" Primal ordered. Rattrap saw how deep the hole was.
"What makes you think it's any better down THERE?!" he asked as another shot sailed overhead. The projectile collided with a nearby structure, making it fall...
"I withdraw my question..." Rattrap whimpered, jumping in.
The others followed suit, the falling object covering their escape route.
The five transformers fell for a while until they landed in an energy web.
A giant black widow spider descended, hissing until it saw who it had trapped.
"Oh, it's you... Too bad, I was hoping to take some of those tanks offline with me," it spoke in a female voice.
"Blackarachnia?" Aurora asked. The spider nodded.
"Phew... I've never been SO glad to see- I've NEVER been happy to see you, now that I think about it," Shadow said, smirking cheekily.
"Isn't this cosy? Now we can all deactivate together!" Blackarachnia said with snark.
"Nobody's deactivating on MY watch!" Primal retorted.
"Impressive rebuttal, Primeape. But unless I miss my guess, you five can't transform out of beast mode any more than *I* can! I give it three mega-cycles before we're ALL offline for good," Blackarachnia guessed.
"You sure know how to paint a pretty picture..." Rattrap muttered.
The voice in Primal's head spoke again, guiding him.
"This way, follow me," he advised.
"Isn't it a little late for spelunking?" Shadow complained as he saw that the path led to a steep drop.
"It isn't a coincidence that we found each other; something's been guiding me to all of you. Whatever it is, it's down there..." Primal reasoned, pointing to the darkness below.
As the six transformers descended, they noticed what appeared to be ruins.
"Wh- what IS all this?" Shadow asked.
"This must be what's left of the earlier Cybertronian civilizations..." Primal Prime assumed.
"How much further? My webbing's drying up..." Blackarachnia complained.
"My servos are stiffening..." Aurora realized.
"My circuits are fusin'..." Rattrap added.
"Just hang in a little longer..." Primal pleaded. Blackarachnia fell as her web tapered off.
"Blackarachnia!" Primal gasped.
"End of the line!" Rattrap realized as he and the others also fell into the abyss.
Upon awakening, the six transformers were met with more darkness.
"Where are we?" Blackarachnia asked.
"Nowhere, no thanks to our "Fearless" leader... Shadow growled.
Primal heard the voice again. "Nowhere... And everywhere!" he realized.
"Ground Control to Major Primal; give it up, will ya? There's nothin' here..." Rattrap complained.
Feeling a presence, Primal Prime picked up a piece of rubble and hurled it.
"I... Will NOT... Give... UP!" he announced.
As the rock flew, it seemed to impact a dark wall and cause an eruption of fire!
As Primal Prime put his hand into the flames, it was revealed that they were, in fact...
"A hologram!" Aurora gasped.
"The Oracle... The Oracle computer that foretold the coming of the first Transformers to Cybertron! THAT'S what's been calling me!" Primal realized.
But... That's just a legend... Isn't it?" Rattrap asked.
The computer displayed a collection of individual sparks, their voices echoing throughout the chamber.
"At long last... A receptive spark!" they announced.
A column of light engulfed Primal Prime as his eyes began to glow...
"Primal?" Cheetor gasped.
"Initiating download sequence..." the Oracle announced.
Primal saw a vision of the sparks floating through space.
"You are now interfacing with the Matrix, the Allspark that links everyone and everything that ever lived or ever will live. The Great Transformation awaits, Primal Prime; prepare to be reformatted..." the Oracle said. Primal saw visions of Cybertron being engulfed by some form of energy.
"Remember this: The Seeds of the Future lie buried in the past. To unleash your inner warrior, you must tame your outer beast. Seek the balance, Primal Prime. Transform your destiny; transform and... TRANSCEND!"
As Primal Prime emerged from the light, the others could only gawk.
"Boss Monkey?" Rattrap gasped. Primal's new form was suitably stunning; he looked to be equal measures of machine AND organic!
"What the Pit happened to you?" Shadow asked.
"I was reformatted. If you also want to survive, you must allow the Oracle to reformat you..." Primal explained.
Looking at the light, the remaining Maximals were also engulfed by it. Upon emerging, the spider, the rat, and the three felines inspected themselves.
"Slick!" Shadow commented, noticing his pitch-black fur.
The light receded, leaving the Maximals with more questions than answers...
"Where'd the Oracle go?" Aurora asked.
"I dunno... But is anyone else gettin' that buzzin'?" Rattrap replied, hearing a buzzing noise in the wind.
Rushing towards the six Maximals were a team of motorcycle transformers, their engines revving loudly.
"Unfortunately... YES!" Blackarachnia answered.
"What do you say we give these new bodies a test drive?" Shadow said with a smirk.
Lining up alongside each other, the Maximals confronted their pursuers. The motorbikes transformed into their robot forms as they got closer...
"Maximals..." Primal began.
"Maximize!" they all shouted at once. ...Nothing happened, though.
"Uh... Do these upgrades come with a warranty, Curious George?" Shadow asked with a whimper.
As the group were fired upon, all of the Maximals took cover.
"So, after all that, we STILL can't transform?!" Blackarachnia asked in shock.
""The Seeds of the Future lie buried in the past"; that's what the Oracle told me!" Primal explained.
"Any idea what it means?!" Aurora asked impatiently.
"I'll tell ya what it means: It means "RUN"!" Rattrap reasoned.
The group ran until they got to a ledge.
"Jump!" Primal commanded, noticing another ledge below them. Landing, the Maximals saw the motorcycles jumping over them, with one falling into the crevice below them...
"We bought some time... But we're still toast if we can't transform!" Shadow complained. Primal's eyes widened.
"How could I be so blind?! The Seeds of the Future lie buried in the past!" he exclaimed.
"Again, what does that mean?!" Aurora growled.
"According to legend, the first robots that came to Cybertron had to LEARN how to transform; it took discipline, purity of spark, and YEARS of practice..." Primal explained.
"Newsflash, banana breath... WE HAVEN'T GOT YEARS!" Shadow shouted as the motorcycle transformers doubled back and prepared to confront them.
"We'll have to split up and fight them with what we've got!" Cheetor advised.
The motorcycles launched themselves at the Maximals, one ploughing into Primal while the others went after the rest.
Cheetor utilized his speed and agility to outmanoeuvre and bewilder his opponent; Shadow and Aurora stuck together and used their respective camouflage to hide before pouncing.
Rattrap jumped onto his adversary from above and used his teeth to jam the motorcycle's rear wheel, making it spin out.
Blackarachnia erected an energy web as the 'bot targeting her sped at her, disabling it.
As Primal Prime was fighting off several motorcycle transformers, he was forced to fall into the crevice!
He heard the Oracle speak again...
"To unleash your inner warrior, you must tame your outer beast..."
Primal relaxed, realizing what he had to do...
A blue glow emanated from his spark as he began to transform!
Now in a more humanoid state, Primal announced his new mantra:
"I am... TRANSFORMED!"
Flying back up the gap with his new flight pack, Primal Prime uppercut-punched the motorcycle that made him fall. The remaining robots began firing at Primal, but he wasn't concerned...
Deftly taking the blasts to his forearm armour, Primal Prime swiftly redirected the energy into an energy pulse at the motorcycle transformers!
Two bikes transformed out of robot form and attempted to speed off when their teammates were incapacitated, but Primal had other ideas.
Picking them up by their back wheels, Primal attempted to interrogate them. Just then, the other maximals walked in. They were astounded by what they saw...
"Huh... You really CAN teach an old gorilla new tricks..." Blackarachnia mumbled.
"Time for some answers... WHO SENT YOU?! WHY ARE WE BEING TARGETED?!" Primal asked aggressively. The motorcycle transformers didn't try to answer, instead opting to rev up and fall from Primal's grip to their doom.
Primal Prime began transforming back and descending as the rage of the situation overcame him.
"NO! Not now!" he pleaded.
Landing with a thump, Primal Prime was met with amazed looks from his fellow Maximals.
"Awesome transformation, Big Bot!" Cheetor said with wide eyes.
"Yeah; what's your secret, Infernape?" Shadow asked.
"I... Understand!" Primal said mysteriously.
"Great, that makes ONE of us..." Aurora said, rolling her eyes.
"We all have a lot to learn... Our training will commence at once!" Primal commanded.
""Training?"" Rattrap whined.
Walking off, the Maximals were unaware that they were being watched...
Through a visual feed, a silhouetted figure monitored the situation...
"Maximals, one of which has intact transformation capabilities? Absurd! Hmm... It would seem that Primal Prime and the Maximals won the Beast Wars, after all! Look at them, though; they're contaminating the perfection of Cybertron with their mongrel beast forms... So wretched, so distorted, and so... ORGANIC! ...I will exterminate them all..." the raspy-voiced individual hissed.