Summary- The day Optimus Prime sacrificed his life for the ones he loved. There's a reason why the guy's a Prime. Slight OCness, minor OptimusXArcee...
As the sparks of new life shot out and danced around the sky, the group of Autobots standing before the well held sad expressions, some more sadder than others. Their Prime, who was worth more than what he was titled, had sacrificed his life for more Cybertronian life to grow on the planet that they had been fighting for.
Knock Out was a Decepticon who admired Optimus as a truck. And had even flirted with him on the first occasion they met. When his partner, Breakdown was slaughtered by Airachnid, the mech had to ask himself 'Is this who I want to be? Do I want to be a killer machine?' The more he asked himself, the more he doubted the Decepticon cause. At the end of the war, when Cybertron returned, he made the decision to finally become part of the Autobots.
And although he was told that he couldn't be trusted, the Prime had faith in him. Every Decepticon was capable of change. And Knock Out was no exception.
He looked at the grieving group before him and decided that since they knew him far better, he transformed in his Aston Martin vehicle form. The car reversed before pulling away and speeding off, ready to begin the next phase of his life as a Cybertronian.
When Optimus had told the mech that his Autobots were like family to him, Ultra Magnus didn't understand what it meant. After the humans told him the definition of the term, the second-in-command realised that these Autobots had grown stronger together because of the war, and they wouldn't have had it any other way.
Ultra Magnus wished to have stood by the Prime in his final moments instead of being laid to rest on this portable berth that Ratchet had put him on to say their goodbyes. As the mech stared at the well, he waited for Ratchet to finish before they would go back to the medical hospital and wait until Ultra Magnus was cleared of injury.
Wheeljack didn't know the Autobot well enough to have made a bond with him. But joining him on his mission to retrieve the Allspark told him the Wrecker that it would be the only time he actually got to bond with him. The Autobot hummed silently as he closed his optics.
When the Prime and him first worked together, it was a mission to save Bulkhead from Dreadwing and his bombs. Although disappointed in him for what he had done, Optimus seemed to try and welcome the Wrecker into their fold. But Wheeljack decided against joining the team, and left to search the planet for more wonders.
When they reunited again, Wheeljack had no intentions of leaving and stayed to fight alongside his partner and the family. As the Wrecker was not one for sad stories, he nodded at the well and slowly turned to walk away. It proved harder than he thought.
Smokescreen remembered the day that Optimus died before his optics and was presented the Matrix of Leadership. As tempting as it was, the Matrix belonged to a mech that was worthy. Smokescreen never thought himself as worthy so why should he believe that he was then.
The matrix had chosen him, but Smokescreen had thought that he had made too many mistakes to accept the role. He was praised when Optimus returned better than before by Ratchet and Smokescreen knew that what he did was good sign. Even Arcee had thanked him, although he the rookie wanted to know why.
The youngling had realised that without Optimus, he wouldn't have saved Cybertron and given new life to the planet that was named home. And the Prime was here both days because of him. Smokescreen gasped silently as he realised what his true destiny in the war was, letting a small tear fall as he whispered goodbye and took off suddenly.
The five Autobots that remained watched him disappear as they knew that the poor youngling would take things harder than some would.
With the exception of Ultra Magnus, the four original Autobots stood side by side as they had done for years since joining Optimus Prime on Earth. Each one had formed the closest bonds with their leader and each-other. That was something that could never be taken away from them.
Bulkhead knew that Optimus told him off for good measure. The former Wrecker learnt many lessons such as rising above yourself to rescue your enemy. The former Autobot Breakdown, who left the cause for the Decepticons, was killed at renamed CYLAS. The bulky mech had never seen him since, telling him that Breakdown was truly gone.
When Bulkhead said goodbye to Miko, his fifteen year old charge, it was his hardest day. But now, saying goodbye to Optimus was another hard day. He looked at his pedes, hiding the emotions as he whispered two words,
"Thank you."
Saluting at the well, he transformed and drove off to find Wheeljack, hoping to talk about the positives of new life on Cybertron. But there was always a negative.
Bumblebee had risked his life many times for his leader. Optimus was a father figure to him that never stood down. His newly gained voice let out a sigh as he looked to the stars,
"Why Optimus? Why?!"
He let his tears flow slowly as he realised he had a job to do. The scout had promised that Optimus could count on them to keep the peace. Bumblebee would make sure of that for he was rising up to a new challenge. Tears still flowing, he waved goodbye and didn't say a word, like he had done with his charge Rafael Esquivel.
As Bumblebee wandered away, Arcee broke down in sobs, finally letting her walls crash in front of Ratchet, who comforted the femme. It wasn't fair!
The day Optimus held her hand and comforted her in the Artic told her that she slowly fell for the Prime. She would do anything for him and was destroyed when he turned back into Orion Pax. And she had gone to Vector Sigma with Jackson Darby, her charge to return his memories.
She remembered him thanking her personally. And Arcee would never forget it. Because it touched her to know that he did care about what everyone did around him.
The femme cried as the medic held her. Ratchet was also on the verge of a breakdown. This was what it all had to come to. Saying goodbye was always the hardest thing to do. And if there had been another way for this not to happen, Ratchet would have found it and done it in a sparkbeat.
He hummed a small tune to Arcee, hoping to comfort her. Nothing was able to comfort her. And Ratchet knew that.
He remembered the Cybonic Plague incident where he was determined not to let Optimus to pass before Megatron did. The years, although some sparkbreaking, were the best years of his life. Because of Optimus was there.
"Goodbye my son."
Ratchet gathered the femme and stood her up as they together, with Ultra Magnus, left the well. Arcee was in no state to be by herself and Ratchet was going to make sure that she was with him.
"Optimus always had feelings for you, Arcee."
11:00pm here and this sudden idea need to be typed. All done on my tablet so if there is any spelling mistakes, please let me know. I got teary-eyed at the end there. It is what it is. Good night or day everyone!