Onyx Prime

Of the Thirteen, **Onyx Prime**, the "Lord of Beasts", is the most spiritually-minded of their number, in tune with both the creatures of the natural world and the intangible realm of the spirit. He alone has the ability to properly use the three-faced Triptych Mask given to him by Primus; this artifact allows him to cast his spirit across vast distances to commune with the dreams of far-off beings, or even track the journey of a Spark across the afterlife. Though some view these strange mental voyages across distant realms as mere flights of fancy, Onyx and his visions make him one of the most inspirational Primes.

Onyx Prime's spiritual aptitude allowed him to cultivate an inscrutable presence that made him appear mysterious and slightly intimidating at the best of times, even to the other members of the Thirteen. In spite of his powers, Onyx Prime is a kind-hearted and friendly individual at Spark, a trait that made him one of the most liked members of the Thirteen. Indeed, all of his siblings treated him as a fiercely loyal companion and a steadfast confidant—Micronus Prime, in particular, once regarded Onyx as his closest friend. As the first Transformer to possess a beast mode, those Transformers who revere him as the greatest of the Primes tend to eschew the vehicular alternate modes of other Transformers, preferring to wear the animalistic forms exemplified by their spiritual progenitor.

## Biography

Onyx Prime was the eighth member of the Thirteen produced by Primus, to serve as his children and warriors against his opposite, Unicron. As one of the mid-level Thirteen spawned between the opposing warriors Prima and Megatronus, Onyx Prime had a more balanced and elemental quality. He was a fierce warrior and fought valiantly in the battle with Unicron, but also had a spiritual side that intrigued some of his fellows while flummoxing others. He was very close to Solus Prime (often to Megatronus's chagrin) and was perhaps best friends with Micronus Prime.

The death of Solus Prime hit Onyx harder than any other member of the Primes. It was Onyx who discovered her body in her workshop, and the cry he let loose chilled Alpha Trion to his very oil. He had to be physically restrained by Vector Prime's power after finding Solus, and held in that position to prevent him from seeking vengeance on Megatronus himself. When the division between Megatronus and Liege Maximo came to a head, all the remained Thirteen warred with one another in a battle lust that was divorced from all possible reason. When they regained their senses, the Thirteen found Maximo dead and Onyx Prime gravely injured.

As Megatronus declared himself "The Fallen" forevermore and exiled himself from Cybertron, the Thirteen questioned what to do next. Solus Prime's body had melted down to the core of Cybertron, creating a font of life that could potentially produce new Cybertronians. As his dying act, Onyx Prime volunteered to catalyze the process, journeying down into this Well of All Sparks with the power of his Triptych Mask reorganizing the thirteen patterns of the Thirteen into an endless variety of new Cybertronians. They believed the power of Primus would preserve Onyx Prime at the core forevermore, keeping him from the death awaiting his injuries. Quintus Prime, Alchemist Prime, and Adaptus Prime each contributed some of their power and skills to this experiment as well, ensuring its success. In the end, the Thirteenth Prime and Micronus Prime chose to journey down into the Well with Onyx. The Thirteenth intended to be reincarnated among the new sparks, allowing him to live among them and learn from them. Micronus could not bear to be parted from Onyx, and chose to exile himself to the core with his mortally wounded friend as well.

The experiment was a success, and the Well of All Sparks soon erupted with an endless array of new lifeforms, brought into existence by Onyx Prime and the power of his siblings. The Predacons of the Age of Evolution certainly drew strongly from Onyx's pattern, as did the other beastformers that followed in their wake over time.

## References

1. ↑ *Transformers: The Covenant of Primus*