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The death and burial of Ultra Magnus
This contains the death and burial of Ultra Magnus
from "The Death of Ultra Magnus". I cut out the parts not directly related
to Ultra Magnus, such as the plotting by Megazarak (Scorponok) to overthrow
Galvatron, and the Trainbots' arrival in the middle of battle, which doesn't
make much sense to me. ^_^; What's left is Sixshot pummeling
Ultra Magnus while the Destrons kept the other Cybertrons busy.
Technical details:
The source is a videotape from the Japanese Headmasters laserdisk, so its video quality is pretty good. I applied a sharpen filter to it, so it looks good even in full-screen mode if you want. Double-size mode is neat! ^_^
Description of the events in the video:
Some translations of the dialogue are supplied by Prowlus (bfoong@hotmail.com) from Star TV's English dub, with some changes.
The Destrons (Decepticons) have been attacking Ultra Magnus' base and its Cybertron (Autobot) defenders. As the video clip begins Ultra Magnus, whose name was pronounced more like "Rutra Magnus", is in front of the main entrance keeping watch. Seeing nothing but knowing this isn't really true, he calls on the Destrons to come out of hiding: "Come on, show yourself. Whoever you are, come out at once!"
Just then a building starts spinning rapidly as it moves toward him. Jumping up to deliver a mighty karate chop to it, he found the mighty Destron six-changer Sixshot as the culprit. Announcing himself, Sixshot trades some barbs with Ultra Magnus.
"Remember me?" asks Sixshot. "I'm your death wish."
"You want to conquer Earth? You'll never succeed as long as I'm here, Sixshot!" Ultra Magnus retorts.
"Stupid commander, I'll send you quickly to hell!" Sixshot promises, beginning the fight and its not-quite-fitting music. :}
Throwing some explosive black ninja stars which miss before dodging blasts from Ultra Magnus' red rockets, Sixshot transforms ("Transform!") into his wolf mode. However, as Magnus watches, the vision starts blurring into multiple copies! "Don't make me laugh!" the Cybertron calls out, but tackles the wrong one. Sixshot fires laser beams from his wolf eyes, slamming Magnus to the ground again. "Stupid fool, you're getting too old!" the Destron taunts. Transforming again into tank mode, Sixshot rolls up and sideswipes his opponent downwards.
Metroflex (Metroplex) then shows up in his huge rolling battlestation mode to aid Ultra Magnus. Firing first, he then transforms and runs after the still-rolling tank mode Sixshot. "Stupid fool!" he yells at Metroflex. "Transform!" In his jet mode he flies around a steep hill as he orders Dinosaurer (Trypticon) to hold off Metroflex.
Coming back around, he heads for Ultra Magnus, who dodges him and grabs onto his jet mode. Undeterred, Sixshot transforms again into gun mode, freeing himself to fire. Trying to shield himself with his left arm, Magnus is knocked down again. Metroflex wants to help him, but Dinosaurer prevents him from doing so.
(At this point the Trainbots are supposed to arrive to help him, but for some reason they aren't around when the episode returns to this scene, so I cut it out. They do return later after going off to contact Fortress on planet Cygnia:
Shouki: "Commander, if this keeps up we'll lose Earth to the Destrons. We must contact Cygnia right now!"
Ultra Magnus: "OK, quick, get in touch with Cygnia."
Shouki: "I'll do that right now!")
Metroflex is still preoccupied by Dinosaurer, so Ultra Magnus has to deal with Sixshot himself. Unfortunately there seems to be six of the six-changer running around him. ^_^; One knocks him down, another shouts "Arrogant fool, watch this! Transform!" and then all six jump up into the air to transform, each into a different mode! Landing, the wolf mode throws Magnus into the air with his jaws so the gun mode can strafe him before he crashes. The tank mode rolls up over him, but Magnus sears his hands when he pushes up the tank by its metallic treads: "I'll protect Earth to the end!"
Raiden, the combined robot form of the six Cybertron Trainbots, runs into view, saying "Soushireikan (Supreme Commander) is coming! Hold on, commander!" Having defeated the Monsterbot Doublecross earlier, the Horrorcons Apeface and Snapdragon in beast modes run in to stop him. "Well, you're too late, isn't it?" sneers Apeface. "You don't have a chance!" adds Snapdragon.
Sixshot then starts glowing as he shouts out a transformation phrase ("Final Transform!"), changing into a strange, seventh mode which is a combination of his other modes: "Winged Wolf". The background music turns appropriately ominous as Ultra Magnus gets hit by a number of the powerful shots as he tries to avoid them, but Sixshot still knocks him down physically. "This is the last combination of them all, and your life!" Grimacing, Magnus stands up as he is massively bombarded by the winged wolf's rear cannons as he flies by.
"Watch out, here comes my killing shot!" the Destron announces. The final blast throws him against a large rock, where Sixshot unleashes two more barrages from his rear cannons, one for his back, and then his front when he rolls over. As Magnus gasps and rolls his head back, Sixshot begins laughing VERY evilly.
As Sixshot's laughter continues, the Fortress Maximus battlestation finally arrives with the four Cybertron Headmasters on it. "Ultra Magnus!" Hardhead cries out. Chromedome falls to his knees, shocked at the sight: "Ultra Magnus...Sixshot...You shall pay, I promise!" Moving into action, Hardhead calls out to Sixshot, "I'll give you a taste of your own medicine! Let's go! Transform! Head formation!" The four leap into the air and join hands (Highbrow with Chromedome, Hardhead with Brainstorm) to form a spinning energetic X-formation which knocks Sixshot away.
In the meantime Fortress (Cerebros) has come down to check on Ultra Magnus. "Commander! Ultra Magnus, please hang in there!" As Highbrow and then Chromedome land, calling out, "Commander!", Fortress is telling him to hang on. "Can you hear me? It's Fortress." Covered with now visible damage, Magnus says his last words before he apparently stops functioning: "Cybertrons, you'll have to keep the peace on Earth..." Saying his name over and over again futilely, Fortress then lays him down and then tells the four, "Cripes, we can't just let Ultra Magnus die like this. We have to avenge him!"
Agreeing strongly, the four leap up into the air around Sixshot, still in his "Winged Wolf" mode. He fires his rear cannons at Chromedome but misses. Hardhead and Highbrow grab him by the wings and holds him in place while Brainstorm and Chromedome flies feet first into him. Then they each grab a part of his extremities, spinning him around and around until they throw him slamming into the hovering Fortress Maximus battlestation. Hovering there, he is stomped on and head-butted simultaneously by all four. Screaming in pain, Sixshot transforms back into robot mode as he falls into the ground below, where he picks himself up and retreats with the other Destrons: "Next time I'll give you twice what you gave me!" Watching him go, Chromedome mutters angrily, "Sixshot!"
Some time later as mournful music plays, Carly, Daniel, and Spike show up around Ultra Magnus, now in a coffin filled with white flowers. Daniel cries, shouting his name.
Metroflex in robot mode approaches Fortress, requesting a favor for Magnus: "I don't want Ultra Magnus buried in space as usual. He loved Earth, he sacrificed himself heroically trying to protect it, so I suggest we bury him here on Earth."
Fortress nods. "That's a good idea, why didn't I think of that!"
Drying his eyes, Daniel cheers up at Fortress' acceptance of the request. "Yes, Fortress?"
"Yes indeed," he replies, "his heart belongs here. Earth is the best place for him!"
"Thank you, soushireikan," Metroflex smiles. "From now on I'll take on his duty of protecting Earth."
"We must bury Ultra Magnus in a beautiful place on Earth," Fortress adds.
"Thank you very much," adds Metroflex.
Later as the Fortress Maximus battlestation flies over a barren landscape, Highbrow notes, "It's such a cruel world."
"It's odd," Hardhead says, "they just left without taking any energy!"
"Then why? Why did they come and attack Earth if not for energy? It doesn't make sense," Fortress wonders.
"Look over there!" shouts Chromedome. At Fortress' "Eh?" Chromedome continues, "Shall we bury Ultra Magnus in the lake?"
"It's beautiful. I'm sure Ultra Magnus would love to be in a place like this," Fortress comments. "I'll conduct the ceremony."
Stoppping the battlestation, Fortress gives the final words as the other Cybertron Headmasters gather around Magnus in his coffin:
"Ultra Magnus, brave warrior, my best friend...we must say goodbye now... rest in peace. As long as I live, I'll always remember you. Farewell, brave warrior!"
The coffin seals up with a transparent cover before it is lowered and fired at a slow speed into a water-filled cave that opens into the body of water.
As the episode ends the narrator notes, "The unvoiced disagreement between Galvatron and Megazarak leads to dispute within the Destron forces. Both want to control Earth. Does Fortress know their plans? Can he stop them? Does this mean the end of the Destrons?"
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