I'm going to be attacked for this, but I will refer to Megatronus as Nova Prime, and here is why:

1) I didn't just start calling him Nova. I read /something/ (Primus knows what) that listed the Thirteen, and Nova was listed as the Fallen.

2) It's better,in MY OWN opinion, than Megatronus. Sure, Megatron chose Megatronus because he was no different than the Fallen (read Exodus before you start thinking that Megatron knew early on he was evil, a scumbag, and going to kill those closest to him like Nova did). Plus, I also read somewhere that Optimus Prime (the original, not the reincarnate, and if you're mad about that, well, then...can't help you there) called him "fondly" Megatronus, which really hits the heart, you know? Don't you have a nickname for a sibling and then you feel totally demolished when he/she does something against you and you feel betrayed? Imagine Optimus' pain when he watched Nova kill Solus (SPOILER, he did. Says it in Exodus and I think again in Exiles, but hey. Guess what. The Fallen killed people. Happened to be his sister the first time.)

3) Personal preference.

In conclusion, good luck trying to get me to refer to the Fallen as excusively Megatronus. I literally cannot do it.

Buuuut, here's the fic! It's going to be set during/after the latest RiD episode, Battle Grounds Part 1, and let me tell you, I "squee"ed so loud, I think the neighbors heard me when he came back to life!

Also, my fingers are buddy taped. I was doing jumping jacks with a little too much enthusiasm and I cracked my thumb against my other thumb, and it hurts to bend it, which is fine, until you start actually doing things. So typing will be slowed down (you wouldn't think so. It's just my thumb secured against my index finger, but I'm making a lot of mistakes XD)

I thought I was ready. I had faced every challenge Micronus threw to me, completed them with time to spare and, when I was feeling especially proud, with some flair, but he scolded me for preening. I don't understand Micronus. I took less time figuring Nexus Prime out, which is not an easy feat with a combiner, and the First Combiner was Nexus, the mech watching my progress now, but he turns away before I finish my task, and I feel inadequet. I have never felt this way, not once, while around the Primes. I felt one with them, and I was once, and I feel like I am home, but now, my mind is not in my work, and I am losing Micronus' fights.

"Optimus. This is not a game. You have to be ready." Micronus finds me at a loss, and is quick to remind me that while he is short, a minicon, he is powerful. A blow to the inside of my knee has me kneeling and I watch him with dim optics. "Optimus."

"I have been training for years, Micronus. What am I preparing for?"

Micronus huffs and squirms in irritation as though I have asked and asked this question every day (and I confess that I have). "I've told you! A great danger is coming to Earth, and you must be ready!"

A greater danger bigger than Megatron? Than Unicron? Who is more feared than Unicron, a mech I had destroyed with the Matrix, which thrums in a contented way. It likes being home, too.

Then it chimes, and I know Prima is close. I turn, and there is the large Prime. He is quiet, tall, and brilliantly white. Everything is white. Even his optics are a pale blue glow as he watches me. He swings his Star Saber in a bored way, tosses a salute to Micronus to it, and then he fades into the mist surrounding us now, a mist I found comforting. It glows blue and white, and sometimes if I watch I can see figures dancing, but Micronus swats my helm and tells me to pay attention.

But now, Micronus stiffens and he leaves me alone for the first time, leaves me unguarded.

There is a loud, long exhale behind me, and I know I am not alone. I turn, and smile up at the toothy grin of Onyx Prime, the Predacon King before Predaking. I am in awe briefly simply at his size, at his delicacy with me and Micronus when he nuzzles and plays, but then I am concerned. Onyx is jumpy, twitchy. Unsettled. His optics give it away and his tail is tucked between his legs, but he wears a mask of content and he licks my face. I am not fooled.

Before I can request him to revert to bipedal mode, he disappears and out comes Micronus. I turn. He stares at me. He crooks a digit, and I know I must follow.

I do, and I am not disappointed.

Vector Prime, Nexus Prime, Solus Prime, Quintus Prime, and Amalgamous Prime stand in front of us, their optics bright and their mouths a thin line. They are displeased.

"He is not ready," Nexus Prime rasps. "I sense it from here."

I am not ready to be dismissed. "Please. I will face any challenge to the best of my ability, but if the lives of innocence are being put in danger, I must act."

Micronus' servos curled into fists. "Send him back," he said.

Solus Prime is usually quiet as she stands with her brothers, because while she has the ability to speak, sometimes she does not. She is more likely to speak with Onyx or Prima at her side than Vector and Nexus. Any Prime could have spoken to me, but it was these five, specifically. The Matrix senses it, thrumming and whirring in my chest in a way that can be heard. Amalgamous chuckles, and four helms whip around to deliver him a glare.

He looks back at them all. "Sure, Optimus is a young one. Sure, Optimus is not ready. Sure, Optimus does not know what he faces, but do we know for sure? Vector?"

I look to Vector, who snaps his mouth shut audibly and his optics dim. Vector knows all, or so I thought.

"My powers are...limited."

"Limits. Sounds like a mortal term." Amalgamous elbows Quintus Prime, who shuffles in his cape. Though Amalgamous had been forgiven for being tied with Nova, no one trusts him completely save me. Amalgamous is good, as is Liege, who is banned from these meetings for a little longer. It pleases me to know I am not the only one with tests.

Nexus shivers suddenly, then speaks. "Optimus, step forward."

I do, and I am greeted by Amalgamous, who opens his spark chamber.

"This will hurt. I am going to transfer a portion of my spark into yours, download some memories into the Matrix. The first one is always easy," he whispers. "Just keep your helm up, but if you feel weak, you must tell us to cease or you will die."

I know very little about our souls, and from what I had heard, it sounded like what I was going to be going through was impossible. And then I looked around at the gathered Primes and then a little higher. My breath caught, and I knew...

Nothing is impossible with Primus. He watches the gathering. I only see his massive optics and a slightly up-turned mouth, but I know it is Primus. I know it in my spark.

Amalgamous pulls me closer, and I look down at the band of light seeking my spark. When it finds it, I know to expect pain. I get pain.

Since you will probably never have to go through anything like this, let me explain this to you. If you have ever burned your finger tip or felt embarrassed, you know that hot feeling you get that creeps all over your body? I am experiencing that know, though it is white-hot and strangely cold. Prime Magic.

I stumble away from Amalgamous when he releases me, and I touch the Matrix, reach further in to touch my spark. It pulses wildly, and bands of light caress my digits in a soothing way.

"It is fine," Amalgamous purrs and he pulls me closer once more. "Your team has grown. One of my grandcreations is on your team, including one of Primus' own creations. Take care of them?"

Every so often, something big happens. An earthquake, a tsunami, or a really terrible storm that destroys several towns, kills families...and after each and every one, a pregnant femme gives birth to a creation Primus crafted for eons, one circuit at a time, until its birth to give hope and light the future. Last time, it was myself and my brother, and this time...it must be a femme.

I nod, and Amalgamous' place is taken by Quintus, and then Nexus, and then Vector, until finally I am faced with Solus, which, in my current state (I am sprawled on the ground, Micronus asking me questions on how I feel), I realize that the letters in her name can spell Souls. I smile at her, and she jerks back.

"He is not well."

"I am well," I protest, struggling to my pedes. I wobble, but Micronus is there to steady me. I thank him by standing taller.

"I cannot do this."

"Yes, you can."

Solus stares at me for a moment more before she nods and slowly kneels, sending a portion of her spark into me and pushing memories into the Matrix. She does not stop, even as I scream and collapse, enveloped in light as Vector prepares to send me to Earth.

Alchemist steps out of the shadows. I would greet him if I was not still screaming. "He will need upgrades."

Vector's servos move and my armor cracks. I am in agony, and I want to tell them to stop, but they continue, and I am unable to get away. Have I failed them? Is this why they punish me so?

"You can do it, Optimus. You have to survive." I hear voices all around, voices, but I see no faces. I try to believe the voice, but the pain...oh...

It is over with a loud noise. My armor comes undone to reveal shiny new armor, bigger, tougher, and bolder than the last. I am new, and my optics open and my mouth closes. I am ready.

ooo

Nemesis was hiding. He glanced at Nightshade, who was protecting Fixit and the humans. Fracture and his minicons were inside the junkyard. Yeah, Nemesis didn't believe it either, but there they where, walking closer and taunting them.

When he had everyone's attention, he held up three digits, then started counting back, lowering a digit until all he had was a fist and he threw it into the air as he got up and screamed. "Ahhhhhhhh!"

The humans and Nightshade followed him, lifting pathetic excuses for weapons only to find Nemesis throwing down his weapon and thrusting a digit into the chest of a blue and red mech standing over the fallen forms of Fracture and his minicons.

"You couldn't save one? Just one, for your dear old brother? What? Think I can't handle it. I can handle it. While you were dead, I was fighting and interfacing with the sweetest femme you ever saw. You don't know about it, because you were dead. You hear me? D-E-D. Dead!" Nemesis threw a punch at the mech's face, but his fist came undone and he threw himself at the mech, tackling him into an embrace. "I love you, bro."

Nightshade dropped her crowbar and Fixit put his weapons away. They were in silent awe, but Denny and Russel were still on edge, confused and shaken.

The mech stood, Nemesis standing beside him with his arms crossed. "All is well, Denny and Russel," the mech spoke gently. "I am a friend."

Russel's eyes widened and he dropped the fry pan. "I know you. You're Optimus Prime!"

That snapped his father out of his daze and the electric mixer was discarded. "You're the one Bumblebee told us about? The one that saved me? You mean, you passed your tests?"

Optimus fell silent and he blinked a little at the ones gathered. Nemesis felt his brother's discomfort over the bond and he knew what had happened. "I will face any challenge to the best of my ability," Optimus declared. "Where is Bumblebee? I must speak to him."

Russel blinked up at him. "He's rescuing Strongarm, Sideswipe, and Windblade with Grimlock and Drift."

Optimus nodded. "We must hurry. I feel a darkness returning."

Nightshade frowned. "Unicron?"

"An evil younger than that, but he has not stepped pede on Earth, until now."

ooo

Optimus arrived on the scene just in time. Strongarm, Sideswipe, and Windblade were strapped to a statue. They were screaming in pain as electricity that put the jolt coming from a Insecticon prod to shame. And then a SpaceBridge opened, and he saw a figure walking out. He ran to intercept, to cut it off.

He brought his blade down on the controls, and while the SpaceBridge shut down, it was too late. The blast blew everyone back, knocked the three bodies tied to the statue out. Optimus recovered first, looked back at Bumblebee, Drift, Grimlock, his brother, and Nightshade, who shook their helms and groaned. And then his helm snapped up to see Nova Prime standing in front of him.

Nova Prime's battle mask snapped back to reveal his grinning face and he laughed. "Thank you for the welcome party, Brother!"

Nemesis was at his side.

"Oh, but don't worry..." Nova Prime swept his claws in front of the brothers, sending Nemesis flying with Dark Prime Magic. "I'm not interested in you or your children. I am more interested in...other matters."

As soon as the s sound was made, Nova Prime disappeared and so did the other Decepticons, as if they didn't exist. Optimus looked around, seeing minor injuries before he climbed the statue to prod the three sleepers.

Strongarm blinked her optics open once, then went limp. Optimus lowered her down to her mate, Nemesis. He dropped Windblade to Bumblebee and jumped down with Sideswipe in his arms.

The red mech woke up immediately, looking around.

"I have you," Optimus whispered softly and he watched Sideswipe go still once more. "They need medical attention."

Drift turned his helm. "We need that, and countless prayers to Primus for the Thirteen to send hope to us."

"They have," Optimus said. "I am that hope."