Welcome to my newest story! Well, not mine, per se, seeing as I wrote it with thebookfan09 but still. Hope you enjoy it!
Nearly all of the fighting had ceased when the two faction leaders faced off. The large city was eerily silent, save for the jeers of a certain silver mech and the strong promises of the red and blue mech standing before him.
"Prime!" The red-opticked bot rasped, clenching his fists. His opponent raised his head gracefully and stared him down.
"One shall stand, one shall fall." He declared, raising his energon blade.
"Why throw your life away so recklessly?" Megatron taunted, lifting his own mace. The Autobot leader scoffed.
"That's a question you should ask yourself, Megatron." He rumbled, and then the two leaders clashed. Metal struck metal, energon bit into armor, and the soldiers were all motionless.
The Autobots all stood stock still, watching with wide blue optics and praying that their Prime would emerge victorious.
The Decepticons watched with a grim eagerness in their red optics, confident in Megatron's prowess and all but baying for blood.
Violetnight and Lightwing were no exception. The purple and blue femme stood motionless, delta wings held high and stiff. But they twitched in worry every time Megatron managed to slip past Optimus's strong defenses. Lightwing was almost as tense as the femme beside him, his silver and green frame rigid and cerulean optics watching his brother's every move.
The fight continued for only another breem, but every bot there would later swear that it had been an eternity. Suddenly, Megatron was on the ground, weaponless and staring down the barrel of the reigning Prime's laser rifle.
"Finish him Prime!" The shout rose from many of the Autobot's vocoders, and the Prime grimly aimed his rifle.
"No more, Optimus Prime!" The Decepticon cried, scuttling away. "Grant me mercy! I beg of you!"
"You, who are without mercy, now pleads for it? I thought you were made of sterner stuff!" Optimus said, and prepared to fire. But what happened next was a complete shock to all watching.
Suddenly, a red and orange mech by the name of Hotrod lunged toward Megatron, shouting "No!" with the intention of preventing Megatron from grabbing the gun he had been discreetly reaching for. Megatron jumped to his feet, grabbing the discarded ion blaster, and snatched Hotrod, holding him in a headlock with the blaster to his helm. He grinned victoriously.
"One move, Prime, and this mech dies." He snarled, and all the Autobots tensed up. Lightwing and Violetnight both knew what decision their Prime would make. They just hoped they were wrong.
But no. Optimus, the mech who could never allow another Autobot to die for him, hesitated, then dropped his rifle in surrender. Megatron grinned even wider and kicked the blaster out of his reach, then turned to gun to Optimus.
"I would have waited an eternity for this. It's over, Prime." He snarled, and squeezed the trigger. The blast tore into his shoulder, bowling him over. Megatron fired twice more before letting go of Hotrod, letting the shocked mech scramble away. He laughed eagerly as all the Autobots cried out in despair, some trying to assist their Prime while others held them back.
"No! Optimus!" Violetnight shouted, and tried to run towards him. But Lightwing gripped her forearm, pulling her back. She turned to face him, and saw the pain in his optics. She immediately quieted. She wasn't helping anything by getting the attention of a now overconfident Decepticon leader. So she stilled, standing silently beside her brothers and sisters in arms, wings dipped low in sorrow.
"I am now the ruler of the universe! And no one shall stand in my way!" He roared, arms raised above his helm, and the Decepticons all cheered. They ignored the icy glares of their blue-opticked enemies, instead reveling in their victory. But their happiness did not last for long.
Behind Megatron's back, the fallen Prime shakily stood, optics dim and energon pouring out of his wounds. But he took several unsteady steps forward, and as Megatron was turning around to face him, Optimus shoved him back, sending him staggering over the edge of a steep cliff. He collapsed as Megatron fell, and this time, both factions did not hesitate to surge towards their leaders.
Lightwing, Kup, Hotrod, Ultra Magnus, and Perceptor all crowded around their fallen leader, and the other Autobots stood back, watching and hoping that the wounds were not life threatening.
Meanwhile, Starscream, the second in command of the Decepticons, ordered them all to gather up the wounded and to retreat inside Astrotrain's shuttle mode. Soundwave carried Megatron's prone form inside, and when the shuttle doors had closed, they rocketed away from the smoldering ruins of Autobot City.
Violetnight watched them go, seething, then turned and followed the procession of bots inside the small, undamaged hangar that would serve as a temporary medical bay for their leader.
Optimus Prime would pull through. He had to. For who else would be able to lead them through their darkest hour?