A/N: I thought I was done, but nope...still a couple lines of text to go. Here you go.
When you came to, you were lying beside a large outcrop. Someone had placed you in a relatively sheltered nook in the stone.
For a few moments, you stared at the rock formations above you, trying to assemble your thoughts. Your name was Smokescreen, that was for sure. Now, where were you? The texture and color of the stone matched that of the side of the Autobot base...And then everything snapped back into place.
"Optimus?!" you yelled, catapulting to your feet. There was no sign of him anywhere. You glanced around in shock, wondering if you'd just dreamt up the happenings of the last couple of days. When you saw the phase shifter on your arm and the Forge lying beside you, though, you were reassured of your memory's integrity. So where was Optimus?
You looked down at the dust on the ground, and saw traces of very big footprints. The tracks ended a few meters away in what looked like a miniature explosion. It...didn't look like the marks of blaster fire, or really, of any sort of attack, so...what happened? Where'd he go?
You looked up. In the distance, you could see a green sign above a strip of asphalt cutting through the Nevadan desert. The text on the sign was familiar, as if you'd driven past that sign multiple times to get back home...
Autobot Outpost Omega One, once home, now ruins, was not far away from Megatron's shiny new citadel. Presumably, everyone still able to fight had made plans to take the fortress down. And if Optimus was alive, he would do similarly. Wherever he was, there was the place you should start looking.
You took a running start and hit the ground speeding.
Apparently, your friends really had been busy while you were gone. By the time Darkmount was even in sight, it had already started crumbling. "...Aw, I missed it!" you couldn't help but moan, as the towers collapsed with a thundering roar.
A couple of minutes of driving later, you arrived at the remains of the old base. Everyone was gathered there, and a couple bots more. There was Wheeljack, the other Wrecker who Bulkhead said was hanging around on Earth, and Ultra Magnus, the Autobot commander who you'd heard about back on Cybertron but never really seen until now. Your friends looked scraped-up, but they were all alive and well. And...Optimus.
To say that he was alive would be an understatement. The Forge had gifted him with a powerhouse of a new body. He was several feet taller and significantly bulkier than he was the last time you saw him, and his optics blazed with vitality. An involuntary laugh escaped from you as the glorious contrast between his earlier state in the cave and his current state hit you in the faceplate. Your grin faded when the gaze of his bright optics, along with everyone else's, fell upon you.
You looked around at all of the faces turned towards yours, registering emotions ranging from curiosity to pleasant surprise. What you cared most about right now, however, was what Optimus was thinking. The expression he bore now was difficult to discern, which you thought was an appropriate look. Then you spotted traces of a frown in the line his mouth formed, and you dropped your gaze to the ground, feeling your spark sink.
After a pause, the sound of heavy footsteps approaching reached your auditory sensors, and soon a pair of large pedes appeared in your vision. You continued to keep your gaze downcast, until you felt a gentle servo placed on your shoulder. Tentatively, you raised your optics to his face, and saw that he was smiling.
"You were faced with an immeasurably difficult choice," the Prime's voice rumbled, softly enough that the others couldn't hear. "I am proud of you for making your own decision."
You felt your vocoder locking up. "...Optimus..." you whispered, voice cracking.
And then you performed the second partly-logical, mostly-impulse action you would do that day - you threw your arms around his waist and gave him the tightest hug you could muster. A surprised moment passed before the embrace was returned with a quiet chuckle.
And for a few moments, you didn't care about what was lost and what had been gained, all you could think was that everything and everyone was all right again.