Menonia
The realm of Menonia is accessed by a Quintesson transport device hidden on Cybertron. It seems likely that Menonia in fact exists in an alternate dimension, and whether the name "Menonia" refers to the dimension as a whole or merely one world within it is unclear.
Menonia's technology is the equivalent of Earth's Middle Ages. However, magic is much more prevalent.
Known inhabitants include:
- Humans
- Dragons: The wizard known as the Golden One can take dragon or human form.
- "Birdpeople": Humanoids with the wings, feet and heads of birds.
- "Tree-centaurs": Strange creatures that seemed part centaur and part Ent.
- "Wood-bots": Mara-Al-Utha, the Red Wizard, employed wooden servants that looked like generic Transformers (a hint of his Quintessonian nature). It is unknown if they were animated by technology or magic.
- "Reptile-birds": a small dragon/pterodactyl-like creature called Groyle served the Red Wizard.
Fiction
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
During the time in which the Quintessons ruled Cybertron, a number of criminals were banished to other dimensions. Mara-Al-Utha, a practitioner of the forbidden art of sorcery, was sent to Menonia. At that time, Menonia was ruled over by the powerful sorcerer known as the Golden One, who took Mara-Al-Utha under his wing as a student. The Quintesson was greedy and, employing the magic he had learned, blasted the Golden One into a cave, blocking the entrance with a huge boulder. In the Golden One's absence, Mara-Al-Utha took control of the kingdom and assumed the name "Red Wizard".
Mara-Al-Utha ruled "ages beyond counting", enslaving the inhabitants of the kingdom and punishing dissidents severely. As well as using other races to control the population, he built the wood-bots as servants. Despite the Red Wizard's long and punishing rule, the Golden One's allies continued to rebel against their slavery and mounted unsuccessful attacks on the castle.
When Daniel Witwicky and Grimlock visited Menonia, the rebel forces were massing for a final, decisive attack on the Red Wizard's castle. The Red Wizard was able to trick Grimlock into helping to defend the castle walls against the attackers.
During the attack on the castle, more Autobots, tracking down Daniel Witwicky, via Steeljaw, arrived to find Grimlock and helped to reinforce the castle defences. It soon became clear to them that the Red Wizard was not what he appeared to be. Meanwhile, Daniel and the Golden One's pupil had been freed, and they in turn had located and freed the Golden One, with the help of Ramhorn. Weakened by his imprisonment, the Golden One had a difficult time fighting the Red Wizard, revealed finally in his true form as Mara-Al-Utha. The Autobot Blaster was able to provide amplification to allow the Golden One's spells to be heard, and Mara-Al-Utha was swiftly defeated.
With Menonia once again under the rule of the Golden One, the Autobots returned through the portal. Madman's Paradise
Alternity
Planet Menonia had magic, which was something considered taboo by many mechanisms. The elite trans-dimensional Questors had a base on Menonia in a ruined city. It was from this base Megatron used a dimensional tablet to view and take control of the Planicrons of Flatworld, with Skywarp at his side and Thundercracker looking on.
Starscream arrived at this Questor base with a magic tablet of his own. Starscream put his fellow Questors into stasis lock with his four evil optics and a higher dimensional magic battle over the fate of the Planicrons ensued as Starscream and Megatron input commands on their tablets that could rewrite reality. Starscream could not even scream as he died a horrifically noisy and painful death.
While Megatron was distracted by Starscream's gruesome death, Skywarp noticed Thundercracker accessing one of the tablets. Skywarp's accusatory cry roused Thundercracker, who then realized he was holding one of the magic dimensional tablets and that commands to free the Planicrons had already been entered. Thundercracker fled, using his Nova Concussion ability to cover his escape.
Some time later, Thundercracker returned to Menonia where he received a message of thanks from the Planicrons and witnessed a ghostly apparition of Starscream. Alternation
Animated cartoon
Menonia was part of the Quintesson Pan Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere in the Milky Way. The Complete AllSpark Almanac Swindle picked up a case of powerful super glue from Menonia, which he used to patch up Lugnut after Hothead Blitzwing shattered him with some glass gas. However, the joke was on Lugnut and Blitzwing, since Swindle was arming both Decepticons and stoking their overblown arms race/rivalry. Everything Must Go
King Grimlock
Menonia was a realm governed by the forces of magic. It was made up of various regions and polities, including forest, a golden castle, villages such as Valerift Grimlock the Rebel and Angloria, Grimlock the Defender and the Red Wizard's Keep in the Rotlands Grimlock the Avenger.
In the past, Optimus Prime had visited Menonia and with the Golden One as an ally had liberated the Menonians. But, time moved differently in Menonia; what were centuries to an Autobot could be ages on Menonia. The Golden One had since turned into a despot and begun punishing those who would not worship him as chosen of Soltron. A resistance, including Elder Arnak of Valerift used the last of their sorcerous fuel to reach out across dimensions to try and bring Prime back, but instead succeeded in getting Grimlock. Though the resistance pointed out that they needed the Golden One's magic to return Grimlock home, this had no effect on the Dinobot leader. Magically observing the Dinobot stalking off, the Golden One was convinced his reign would be unchallenged, though Arnak's daughter Arko ran off to try and win the Dinobot to their cause. Grimlock the Rebel
When the fishing village of Angloria was attacked by the wood-bot forces of The Red Wizard, Grimlock and Arko (having found each other in the intestinal cave of a ridge worm) were among its defenders. Grimlock the Defender
Lord Grimlock led the defenders of Angloria into the Rotlands to confront the undead forces spawned by the Red Wizard's necromancy. While the Dionbot was occupied, The Golden One and Clatta attacked the village of Valerift. At the Red Wizard's keep, Grimlock battled the Wizard, realizing from vocal clues and the presence of energon that the Red Wizard had been a Quintesson all along! The injured Quintesson revealed that the "blood of Soltron" ran through all life in Menonia and the Golden One was yet its master. The Red Wizard was slain, which was more than the resistance member could have hoped, but in their moment of triumph, Arnak brought word of the fate of Valerift. Having learned of the Red Wizard's Quintesson nature, and suspecting Soltron's blood could be some kind of strange energon, Grimlock agreed to confront the Golden One, unknowing that Arko had joined his side. Grimlock the Avenger
While Arko learned something of Soltron's blood as the Golden One bestowed new armor upon her, Grimlock was ever more certain there was tainted energon in Menonia. At the reclaimed keep, Grimlock made plans with Elder Arnak and Elder Nerea of Angloria, who revealed that Angloria still had some sorcerous fuel left. Grimlock advanced alone to confront the Golden One at his seat of power. Clatta, referring to himself as Overseer of the realm, greeted Grimlock. Grimlock quickly dispatched the lackey and battled with the Golden One's other minions, allowing time for Arnak and Nerea to cast a spell that would cause an extended eclipse. The Golden One shape-shifted into the form of a dragon and attacked Grimlock. As the Golden One was weakened by battle and eclipse, another entity began to assert itself from within. The original Golden One and the Soltron entity struggled internally. As the Golden One went out in a blaze he managed final words to thank Grimlock. But while Grimlock thought on this and determined that in death the Golden One had paid a price for his terrible deeds, Soltron sought Arko as a new host and she submitted. Grimlock and the Sorcerer
Grimlock battled Soltron, determined that Soltron, now possessing Arko's body and golden armor should not have her! Grimlock knew that Arko would not fear pain, but he did not wish to destroy her body but to save her. Grimlock made an offer to Soltron that if the entity would leave Arko and Menonia never to return, Grimlock would show them "universe". Soltron moved to possess Grimlock's body but was confused by the presence of green energy. This was revealed to be Grimlock's very spark, Grimlock's universe, where they battled epically. Grimlock appeared inactive to outside observers but eventually woke to say he the tiny sun god was dead. Taking stock, Arko and some number of the resistance had survived. Arnak was weakened but alive and voiced regret that having used the very last of the sorcerous fuel they did not know how to return Grimlock home. He suggested Grimlock might rule as their new leader. Grimlock acknowledged the efforts of the Menonians to free their own realm and suggested Arko instead might lead. Some time later (she had changed armor), Arko was able to open a portal using some portion of Grimlock's own spark as fuel. Optimus Prime appeared reaching out from the other side of the portal. Grimlock the Triumphant
Notes
Foreign names
- Japanese: Menonia (メノニア)
