At the moment, The Princess and the Dragon & Conduction is on Hiatus because of writer's block :( but for the time being, I'll grant this little gem I've been cultivating for the past few days! Thank you to anyone who's interested in this AU!

And if you want your OC in the AU, I'm more than happy to try and squeeze them in, even if it's just for a chapter!


Orion Pax was lost.

This was not the first time he had gotten lost somewhere, but it was the first time that he was lost whilst on a warship. He wasn't sure how he managed to get lost, but he did and if he asked for directions, he was ignored. He wasn't sure as to why nobody wanted to talk to him, but Orion didn't push the matter. Maybe a majority of them were mute? If that was so, he was going to be polite and leave them alone.

Orion then heard yelling. Curiously, the mech walked towards the source of the sound. He was worried that someone was hurt and needed help. He looked into a cracked door and saw the red medic that had changed his emblem a few hours prior. He was looking at the floor under him and was clearly the one being yelled at. Orion wasn't sure why anyone would yell at the mech. He was the only one on the ship with a medical degree. Maybe it was an upset customer?

"I cannot believe you!" Yelled a strange whose faceplate covered the console screen. He was a very dark purple with a dark silver faceplate and red optics, the right one possessing an axe scar. He was a little bit familiar when Orion thought about it. After a few moments, he put a name to the face. Offroad, a legendary Charioteer. Chariot racing was a bloody sport where it was average for at least three mechs to die per race. A violent and despicable spawn of a glitch. "I have bent myself backwards keeping your worthless hide alive, and this is how I'm repaid? More medical nonsense. If I wanted a medic, I should've shagged a nurse."

"It's kind of hard to race when you're in a warzone," the red medic said. It was more of a grumble and he refused to look up from the ground. Orion understood that pose as he often took it when he was talking to him. "We need medics. More now than ever. If you pulled your helm out of your afterburner, maybe you'd see that!"

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me, Three!" The red med tensed up at Offroad's infuriated tone. "You are lucky I'm not there, because if I was, I would beat you so hard your paint would chip off. It's a disgusting colour and it's filthy." That wasn't true, Orion could clearly see that the mech took great care with his appearance. Offroad didn't seem to see that. "I'm going to come down and deal with you myself. Clearly, your re-training hasn't worked as well as I had been promised... Blasted handlers. If you want something done right, you do it yourself." And with that, the call ended.

Orion's spark went out the medic who kicked the console. Coolant was brimming in his optics and was desperately trying to keep control of himself. Orion quickly understood what Offroad was talking about and he was appalled. The red medic was a Pedibred, a racer type.

Pedibreding was a sick and twisted practice that the Council refused to outlaw for no other reason than the fact it put credits in their storage compartments. All the sire and carrier cared about was producing a successor that would be a champion of whatever brought the two parents together, ignoring the fact that it was torture for the youngling. The way they were programmed made the purpose they were bred acted like a drug to them. If they went too long without, they'd get withdrawal symptoms. And if they did it too much, it'd corrupt their sanity until they could only care about that one thing.

Which, horrifically, was very much desired.

The large mech slowly walked into the medical bay. He found the entire practice to be revolting and he wished that the Council would have attempted to bring attention to how dangerous it was. Some, like Stormwire and Soundwave, were able to get dampeners when they were very young but not everyone was as lucky. Dampening had been invented by Ratchet and Black Frequency, and those two were revered for it. Even when the Council threatened their lives, the two refused to stop helping those who were suffering. That fact made it impossible for Ratchet to have been the one that killed Cybertron.

"What do you want?" Spat the medic.

"I want to know that you're alright." Orion looked at the screen where Offroad had been and then towards the red medic. "That mech, he's your sire, isn't he?" The silent glare was enough of an answer. "Well, he's wrong."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're a Racer Pedibred, but you're a doctor. That's incredible. I've never really been good at much besides coding and organising, so it's a little inspiring to see that you've gone into such a difficult and complicated field of work." Orion sat down on the large berth in the room and patted a spot next to him. The medic looked very confused and severely anxious about the situation. Maybe it was because he was smaller than Orion? "It sounds a little crazy, but talking about your problems and venting them onto someone willing to listen can lessen the weight on your struts."

"What are you, my therapist?"

"No, but I have my audio receptors tuned to you."

Knockout was extremely uncomfortable with the position he was in. Nobody was supposed to know that his waste of CNA of a sire contacted him regularly and they weren't supposed to see that it had any effect on him. To see Big Rigs, a mech that Knockout had stupidly attempted to fight once to get that Data Cylinder, trying to comfort him was very... Bizarre. He knew that Big Rigs had amnesia, but those blue optics were so innocent and inviting that it felt like it was more than that. Like Big Rigs and this guy were separate entities.

"I... Well, I'm a Pedibred, like you said. A racer. I'm one of five, which is why he called me Three. My carrier and Offroad met and made a contract to produce four younglings. Two Charioteers for him and two Volocitrons for my carrier. It didn't go as planned." Why was he talking? He shouldn't be saying anything! Damn those blue optics to the pit! "Motordash, Speedway, myself, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were the results. Only Motordash had what Offroad was looking for, and my carrier had grown attached to us other four. She got us dampeners and because she happened to be a bit of a star, the Council granted her custody of us. I, obviously, wanted to be a doctor. My sire didn't like that. Nor did he like that he didn't get the two he was 'obliged' to own. So, he took me."

In truth, Knockout never really wanted to be on the side he was on. He was born a few vorns after the escalation had begun and his carrier wanted her sons to be Autobots like herself. He'd always toyed with the idea of turning coat, but it was his fear of his sire that kept him where he was. Offroad tried to remove his dampener but it didn't work, and the only thing keeping him from terminating Knockout was the fact that he'd been transferred to another galaxy. And he was very, very protected. Medics were always on short supply and most Decepticon medics were just scientists thrown into that position. That meant he got security like Breakdown with him at all times.

He had talked to his bonded, Breakdown, about turning coat sometimes during their long drives. But Breakdown was very against that idea. He had changed sides after suffering an immense betrayal that fueled his loathing for the Autobots. Knockout understood his feelings and understood why he was against them. Breakdown refused to be on the Nemesis because of Big Rigs' presence, leaving Knockout a little on his own. He understood why, but it still annoyed him.

"I was taken when I was little as well," Orion said. "My carrier and sire didn't like me or my brother. We were just 'in the way' and we weren't even given names. Just '1' and '2'." Orion never found who his parents were. Magnus joked that Sentinel was their sire, and Orion prayed it was just that. A joke. Sentinel Zeta wasn't a very nice mech and had actually tried to kill Ratchet once. Maybe it was twice? His memory was fuzzy. "I was walking home from getting something, I'm not sure what it was. Supplies of some kind. Then a large femme kidnapped me. She took younglings in order to make slaves out of them because she didn't want to pay for those who were bred. Her name was Shatterstar."

"That name sounds familiar..."

"It should. Stormwire and Soundwave were also victims of her. She's how we met, actually." Orion smiled a little. He remembered that frightening memory very clearly.

She had been dragging Orion through the mines, claiming that he was a waste and wasn't worth the effort. She was going to kill him because he'd kicked a large mech in the faceplate, damaging his optic. Orion had every right to kick that mech in the face. He was trying to interface with him, and Shatterstar was mad that she lost a 'reliable' customer. She threw him on the ground and aimed a blaster at his helm, intending to end his short life. And then Orion met Stormwire.

Even though he was only 5, that mechling ran right to Shatterstar, swiped the blaster from her servos and shot her in the optic. He didn't know who Orion was, but he'd saved his life. Not only did Stormwire save Orion's life, but Stormwire gave Orion his name. Through Stormwire, Orion met Soundwave, Blitzraid, Firefox and Ariel. And through them, he met Ratchet, Black Frequency and Shockwave.

And it made him very worried about his two brothers and how strange they were behaving.

"Stormwire?"

"Megatronnus is just a name he took to get the Councils attention," Orion sighed, waving a servo like it wasn't much of a big deal. "When I suggested using a Prime's name, I didn't think he'd go for The Fallen. But it worked. Maybe a little too well. Being the only one who answered to that name made him a bit of a target, not that he cared." It had been the first time that Ratchet had beaten someone with a wrench, which later became his signature weapon. Stormwire just had a massive grin on his faceplate, pride swelling in his chassis when the Council responded. How you could treat an assassination attempt as a 'win' was beyond Orion, but he let Stormwire stay pleased with himself. "Oh, I haven't asked your name! I'm so sorry."

"Knockout."

"Knockout. It's a good name." The medic wasn't sure how to react to that little bit of information. Lord Megatron's name was really Stormwire, and they met in a slave mine while they were younglings. He'd always believed that Soundwave and 'Stormwire' met in the Arena, that he didn't have a name before taking one and so on. Obviously, there were some gaps in history. "Is there something you'd like to do to make you feel better? Personally, I watch the stars or take a warm oil bath."

"I like music if that's what you mean."

"Then let's listen to some music. If you like it, it's probably good."

As Knockout watched the much larger mech, a thought slowly crept into his processor. Even when a bot had amnesia, they'd still retain some mannerisms or body language. It was akin to what humans call 'muscle memory'. But Orion had none of what Big Rigs had. His tone, his posture, everything was uniquely him. The thought was that maybe, just maybe, this was more than simple amnesia. Like Orion and Big Rigs were two separate bots. It was easy to lie to the Leader of the Autobots, but to this mech who had no knowledge of the past 300 vorns of war, it was... Wrong. Like Knockout was lying to a child or an innocent data clerk, which Orion was.

He was just some guy who happened to have been close to Megatron before the war. When he took the Matrix of Leadership, something must've changed. Something drastic enough that when the Matrix was drained, it left nothing but Orion. Like a parasite leaving the body. Knockout was going to have to test this idea, and listening to some Queen or David Bowie might be able to help him out with that.

"Oh, it is. You seem to be a Queen kind of mech to me. While you're listening to it, I'll have a check through your systems. Think of it as a freebie for being understanding about my... familial situation." Knockout got up and waited for the mech to lay down. Usually, he'd have to argue for hours to get somebody to quit being a pain in the aft, but no, Orion was completely trusting and cooperative. It made him feel like a more competent physician. The racer put his playlist on random and Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer came on. It wasn't David Bowie, but it was still fine music.

"What's that sound?" Cybertron didn't have instruments like the guitar. Their music was more electronic and dubstep compared to the large variety of Earth had. Being the music expert he was, Knockout knew everyone's preference. Breakdown had a thing for Bon Jovi, the band that was currently playing, Soundwave liked Three Days Grace alongside Beethoven, Knockout liked almost everything and even 'Stormwire' had a preference. He hadn't expected Skillet of all things but he wasn't one to judge.

Starscream was a sourpuss and refused to indulge in the joys of music, but Knockout knew he'd be a Beatles bot.

"That's a guitar. There are a plethora of instruments on this planet, and a large number of the population can sing." Cybertronians were capable of singing, but only a very tiny percentage. Knockout, to his knowledge, was the only mech with that skill. It wasn't very useful in battle nor did it help him in his profession, but Breakdown enjoyed it. He couldn't sing, but he'd always join in for the fun of it. It was just one of the things that they did together and it was one of the many thousand reasons he loved that big blue moron. "They're quite the artistic species. From music to weaponry."

And medicine.

Knockout had been researching how the human body worked, and it was extremely complex. While they were fragile compared to Cybertronians, humans were pretty durable when it came to the hazards of their homeworld. They had a lot more diseases and some very creative ways to combat them. Knockout had started implementing their techniques into his own work, though he had to adapt much of it. Their species had quite a different anatomy despite the quaint similarities. Brushing that part aside, he was very much fascinated by what the fleas of Unicron had managed to develop.

"I like it."

Orion wasn't worried about being scanned. He'd gotten over his fear of medics thanks to Ratchet. He had a bit of a temper sometimes but he meant well. Thinking about the medic made him question the fate of Cybertron. Ratchet might have had a shady past, but he wouldn't have done something like that. He wouldn't do that to any world, let alone their homeworld. Maybe it was a very bad joke of Stormwire's. He and Ratchet never got along. They bickered to the point where compliments and insults was the same thing to them.

"I'm glad you do."

He liked Knockout. He liked this 'music' as well. When one song ended, another began, and Knockout would tell him the name of the artist. Simon and Garfunkel, Bon Jovi, Bob Dylan, Elvis, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Bonnie Tyler, and there were a couple of others that he found to be enjoyable. The red racer commented that modern music was nothing like the old days, and Orion took his word for it. The David one sounded a little like Stormwire when he used to sing to him. His optics closed as he drifted into a memory he cherished dearly.

It was a very, very violent storm. The screeches and bellows of the blackish purple clouds above drowned everything in darkness, frightening the young mech. The only light he could see outside was from the red and pink lightning that sizzled and struck the metallic ground like it was trying to punch its way to the core. He hated storms. It was a silly fear, he already knew that, but Orion was frightened by a lot of things. He was ashamed of that. He wanted to be brave, but as with everything, he failed.

There was an agonising wail and a brilliant flash of scarlet took the mech by surprise. He knew it was stupid to be peering through the window of his room, knew it was dumb to watch the lightning dance across the sky. He stumbled back and fell off his berth, crashing to the floor with his coverings draping over his frame. Even though it scared him, Orion wouldn't deny that it wasn't beautiful. It truly was like a dance of pure power, like the jagged flashes of light held swords and spears and were battling each other. Like neon paint splattering against a black canvas.

There was another crash, and this time, Orion could feel the vibrations of a lighting strike under his pedes and rear. It had struck far too close for Orion's liking and he shifted under his berth, wishing for it to go away. Or at least mute itself. It'd be slightly less scary if not for the thunderous roars that shook the ground below.

His helm perked when he heard his door open with that amusing whoosh. He could tell who it was from the weight of the pedesteps. A smile spread across his faceplate as his brother got down on his knees and peered under the berth with a smile.

"Did the thunder scare you again?" Orion nodded. Two cerulean optics rolled as he moved out of the way, giving Orion space to get out. Even though he was only 11, Stormwire had the frame of an adult. A side effect of being a Gladiatorial Pedibred. It was a little difficult sometimes, but Orion knew that Storm didn't care. The larger mech grabbed the covering and threw it over himself, turning himself into a tent of sorts. "I'll shield ya."

"I know you will," Orion smiled as he hugged his brother, already being soothed by the sound of his spark beat. The grip tightened when there was another caterwaul emanating from outside. Orion knew he could hold on as tightly as he wanted to and it wouldn't be able to affect Stormwire in the slightest. A strength he envied considerably. "I must look pathetic. Hugging you like some toy."

"I can't say," Stormwire joked. "It's one of the benefits of being blind, Orio. I know you don't look pathetic, you're just hugging your bro during a pretty bad storm. Nothin' wrong with that." There was another whoosh from the door and the covering lifted up. Orion looked at Soundwave, the mech's silverly blue optics glowing as brightly as Stormwire's. "You too, huh?"

Now that Soundwave had joined them, the 'tent' had a far less deflated form. Orion always felt safer when his brothers were with him. Even though he wasn't related like they were, he'd learned that CNA didn't determine your family. A gift only these two idiots could give. They were younglings in the frames of adults, and he frowned a little. Even though it was really scary, they'd never be able to see the battle of light taking place far above them. Blindness was a genetic defect of Gladiatorial Pedibreds, similar to how ADHD was for Racers and OCD was for Builders.

Orion looked at the largest of the three as he started whistling a familiar and soothing tune. The song that put to rest all of their worries and helped them recharge when they were afraid.

look to the soft and misty skies

the moon is full and wind is blowing

now please love don't you close your eyes

I see your fear is growing

you do not have to be afraid

darling please be brave

there's nothing out there quite like me don't you see?

Ravage nudged the 'tent' up with his snout and clambered into Soundwave's lap, eager to hear the seldom heard talent of Storm's. The minicon purred in tune and his red optics shined with relaxation. Orion twisted himself around so his back was against Stormwire's chassis, and could feel the hum of his engine as the lullaby went on.

Not every monster's scary

sometimes they are on your side

I'll leave the bad ones wary

I'll gnash and bite, they'll run and hide

Soundwave shifted so he was leaning against the largest of the brothers, and Ravage did so as well. His small helm rested on Orion's lap, his purr tickling his thigh a little bit.

you don't have to fear the dead

you've tamed the monster underneath your bed

You don't have to fear the night

'cause I'll be watching you 'til morning light

The chorus of screams and tears of light continued outside, but it was like the song was keeping it away. Orion knew that was nonsense, but it was a comforting feeling. One he treasured in the scary world they called home.

the forest's mellow and the

stars are clear the night is full of wonder

should any creature threaten you

I'll tear them all asunder

you do not have to wake in fear

'cause darling I am here

Just put your hand inside of mine

We'll be fine

Orion's hand gripped Stormwire's and wrapped it over him like another covering. Ravage nuzzled his helm against the large silver servo, his purring yet to cease being in perfect alignment with Stormwire's song. Soundwave was drifting off, the anxiety brought on by the thunder slowly ebbing away.

Not every monster's scary

sometimes they are on your side

I'll leave the bad ones wary

I'll gnash and bite, they'll run and hide

you don't have to fear the dead

you've tamed the monster underneath your bed

You don't have to fear the night

'cause I'll be watching you 'til morning light

Orion was starting to drift into recharge as well. Though the tempest outside had yet to lessen in ferocity, his own Storm was protecting him. Maybe it was pathetic to have his baby brother look after him like this, but at this very moment, Orion didn't care. Neither did Soundwave or the feline minicon whose purr was starting to quiet down as he too drifted towards slumber.

Even the darkest of nights end in sunlight

so I'll do my best with the rest

you know we'll be alright

It was starting to get dark, but it was the welcoming kind. The orchestra of terror was just background noise now, all he could really focus on was the rise and fall of Storn's chassis as he took deep intakes and outtakes.

I'll do my best with the rest

so hush now close your eyes...

"I'll always be there for you, Orio..." was the last thing Orion heard before slipping into a well-needed recharge.

Knockout didn't know what he was looking at. During the scan, Orion had drifted off into recharge, and that was probably for the best.

As Knockout believed that Orion Pax and Big Rigs were two separate mechs, he used the X-R1 scan. The X-R1 was designed to check the damage caused by viruses or, thanks to the Quintessons, invasive parasites and/or slave codes. It would show a bar chart or a pie chart, and it would tell the doctor how much of the mech or femme was a Cybertronian or was the result of whatever required an X-R1 scan.

For example, say Breakdown killed Starscream (if only) and he claimed that his actions were not his own. The X-R1 would determine if it had been a virus or parasite that had taken control of his mind or if Breakdown just got sick of the stilettoed pain in the aft.

That was a poor example. Mainly because nobody would try and pass on the opportunity to frag Starscream and nobody would let a parasite take the credit for such a satisfying accomplishment. The parasite would probably be allowed to take Starscream's place as a thank you gift.

Usually, you would see two separate pieces of a chart. Knockout always went for a bar chart, and it was good that he had done so. Otherwise, he may have missed something he hadn't thought possible. Instead of there being two pieces, there was three.

41.5% was Orion Pax, 58% was Big Rigs, and the 0.5% was a 'parasite' of unknown origin. Thankfully, the parasite was dead. And its death was what made the divide between Orion and Big Rigs possible. From what he could read, the parasite tried to corrupt and warp Orion's memory files, but the processor was a masterpiece that should never be meddled with. In an attempt to save Orion from this intruder, the processor made a copy of Orion's memory files and locked them away so when the parasite was gone, it could replace the corrupted or damaged files.

He bet the human brain couldn't do something as awesome as that.

The parasite was only inside of Orion's frame for barely twenty-two earth hours, which was barely anything on Cybertron. While it was in the process of fulling taking control of Orion, it was met with a very violent surge of electricity that would have fried a normal bot to embers. This surge must have tricked the processor into believing that the parasite was still alive. It'd only allow Orion's to the surface once the parasite had been exterminated.

Knockout's optics widened at the mere possibility.

Orion's memories, the undamaged ones, surfaced after the Matrix of Leadership was drained of all of its power. That meant that either the Matrix was the parasite, or it had a parasite living inside of it. Maybe not all of the Quintessons' crawlies had been documented and destroyed. Perhaps one survived by escaping into the core of Cybertron, surviving by feeding on the energy of the Matrix until it met the electric chair.

"Uhh... Megatron? You're going to want to come to sickbay. I've discovered something that will either make you happy or make you want to murder me."

Knowing Knockout's luck, it was probably going to be the latter.


That song is by Madam Macabre and is called 'The Monster Underneath Your Bed'. I highly suggest listening to it. I've had this song stuck in my head for weeks!