They were painful tears. Each small drop that escaped her optic felt like needles on her hardened chasse. No amount of sadness she'd ever felt could add up to her current state. The message from Autobot City on Earth replayed in her mind over and over. "Word to Elita-One, Cybertron base 3-niner-4-4-1-1. The Autobot commander has fallen in a battle with Megatron. Ultra Magnus has been appointed to the command of the Autobots. Message from Autobot commander Ultra Magnus:

I'm so sorry, Elita."

The formal document crushed her. Her spark strained at the fact that she wasn't there to help. If she had just gone with him, she would've made a difference. Of all the years she and her sparkmate spent together, he had been there. As she sobbed into her recharge pod, she spoke two words. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

Elita never cried. Even when Shockwave had her pinned down with a gun to her nose, she didn't show emotion. Even when Starscream threatened to slaughter her entire team, she wouldn't budge. Even when the great Zeta Prime passed, she was unmoved. It was her that was the voice of lightness and reason in times of despair and her team knew it. They didn't mess with her and they felt sorry for any Decepticon who did. Elita felt her core wrench and twist as the grim fact sunk in more. What hit her deepest was when two sentences entered her mind. The heinous forwardness of them made her cry harder.

Optimus was dead. There was no changing that.

She felt so powerless. So weak. She felt like she could've made a difference had she been at his side as she used to be. She could've at least held his hand as the last bits of life left him. She didn't know what she would or could do for the rest of eternity. For over 5,000 years she and Optimus held their sparks close. You can't take all that back. You can't just erase all those years you loved someone else. You can't go on.

Her face was in her pod. There was no getting up. There was no going on, at least not for a long while. She had a stunning realization. What if she and Optimus could be together? What if she could join him? It was that thought that made Elita pick her head up and look at her ion pistol. Her shoulders sank as she considered it more. She moved her hand a little.

"Would it be right? To leave my friends forever? To spend an eternity with one mech? The war is still strong, and one casualty shouldn't lead to another. The Autobots need me, and I'll be there to help no matter what."