I'm going to warn you, this one's quite a tear jerker. You have been warned.
I don't own Transformers, only Hera and Silmara.
- 3. Lost in Memories -
Optimus just stared at her.
"Rider?" he asked, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Silmara snorted as she turned to face him. I have chosen you as my Rider, Optimus.
"I think you've got the wrong person. I don't even know who you are or where you come from." Megatron tensed, was it just him, or was Optimus sinking back into a depression?
I understand you are confused, she began, but he quickly cut her off.
"Look, point is, I'm not the Optimus Prime you're looking for. I'm not even officially Prime anymore. I'm just an exile. One forced to live alone. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be getting back to that." He stamped off toward the woods. Megatron chose now as the time for intervention.
"Live alone? And what of me?" Megatron kept his voice soft, not wanting Optimus to think he was angry with him.
"You came here because you thought you had to. You've always done that." Megatron was shocked.
"I came here because you're my brother, Optimus! I came here because I care about you! Because I fragging love you, and I don't want you to offline with a broken spark!" Megatron couldn't hold back how upset he was by Optimus' behavior.
"Thank you for your concern, Megatron, but even you can't change the fact that I am and always will be an exile. Unwanted. Unneeded." He started walking again. Megatron started after him.
"Stop it, Optimus." Megatron commanded, tears stinging his optics, "Why are you talking like this? This isn't the Optimus I know." Optimus paused and looked back.
"You're right." he said darkly, "The Optimus Prime you know is dead." And he stormed off into the woods, leaving a stupefied Megatron in his wake.
"Optimus!" Megatron started to go after him, but Silmara lowered her tail in front of him.
Let him go, she said gently, He is scared and confused and upset. He needs time to clear his mind.
"But-" She cut him off.
Trust me. He is not angry, not with you or I at any rate. Peace, Megatron, he will come around. Megatron was startled by her use of his name, but did nothing to acknowledge it.
"I hope so." he said, staring sadly at the woods where Optimus had disappeared to.
You are worried about him. Silmara observed.
"Of course I am. He's my little brother." Megatron stated, "He was the only true family I had."
You have been through much together. Please. Tell me about you two as brothers, for it is something I would love to know about my Rider.
"Well, the first thing I should probably tell you is that our parents left us when we were sparklings. Optimus was too little at the time to remember it, but they dumped us off at the Autobot base and went Primus knows where. Only recently did our father return, and he had gone mad long before."
What mean you? Silmara asked.
"I mean he tried to kill Optimus. Twice.' Silmara hissed at this as Megatron continued, "I was forced to kill my father, Sentinel, or watch Optimus die."
That must have been a difficult choice, the dragon remarked. Megatron scoffed.
"Not really. He stopped being my father the day he abandoned Optimus and I."
Is it possible he left you to protect you and went mad from worrying about you and missing you?
"Not likely. Sentinel never had much of a spark to begin with. He only took a mate to continue his line, the line of Primes." Megatron scowled at the thought of his father, "He was probably the reason the Decepticons captured us when they attacked the Autobots."
The two sparklings were awakened by the sound of alarms screeching and klaxons blaring. It was nowhere near time to get up, yet they could hear mechs and femmes running and screaming.
"Wh-what's happening, Megs?" Optimus asked, clutching his blanket tighter around him as though it could protect him. Megatron could see his baby brother shaking in fear under the blanket. He quickly wrapped the smaller sparkling in a hug and held him close.
"I dunno, Oppy. I don't think it's good, though." He regretted saying the last bit when he saw his brother's optics widen and felt Optimus cling to him in a viselike grip. Suddenly, the door to their room burst open as Ratchet and Hera burst in, causing Optimus to scream and start crying. Megatron hugged him tighter as Hera scooped them up in her arms and ran out behind Ratchet.
"What's happening, miss Hera?" Megatron asked.
"Decepticons." the femme replied as she ran, "Don't worry, children, you'll be safe." Optimus continued crying loudly. Megatron tried everything he could think of to quiet his terrified brother. Hera rushed into Ratchet's medbay and yanked open a dusty closet door. She gently but quickly put the two sparklings down inside.
"Stay here, little ones. We'll come get you when the 'Cons are gone." With that, she closed and locked the door, hoping she had hidden the tiny sparklings well enough from Decepticon detection. For if the 'Cons got their hands on either one of them, especially little Optimus, the Autobots would be history. And the poor child didn't even know he was going to be the next Prime yet.
In the closet, Megatron held Optimus tightly in his arms, rocking him gently back and forth while stroking his back and whispering soft comforting words into his audio receptors. Optimus clung to his big brother for dear life, tears streaming down his little faceplates.
"Shh, shh, it's okay, Oppy. Don't cry, you'll be all right."
"Megs." Optimus squeaked, suddenly freezing, "Someb'dy's out there!" Megatron listened and now he heard it too, the sound of mechs walking around the medbay. Several cannon blasts were heard, each earning a jump from Optimus and a reassuring squeeze from Megatron. Then there was silence.
"Are-are they gone, Megs?" Optimus whispered.
"I think so." his brother answered. Suddenly, the door exploded above their heads. Optimus screamed and tried to bury himself in Megatron's chest.
"What have we here? Could this be the one we're looking for?" the tall Decepticon hissed. Megatron saw the fear in his little brother's optics and decided to put his own fear aside.
"GO AWAY!" Megatron shrieked, "YOU'RE SCARING MY BROTHER!" By this time, Optimus was crying loudly again.
"Tsk, tsk, someone needs to learn to respect their elders!" the Decepticon hissed again, grabbing them by their necks and running out of the medbay.
"RATCHET! HERA!" Megatron screamed, choking as the Decepticon gave his neck a hard squeeze. Then, suddenly, the Autobot base disappeared from around them and was replaced by darker corridors and the hum of engines. They had warped onto the Decepticon ship. The two were thrown into a storage bay and the door slammed and locked. Megatron waited until he was sure the 'Con had left them before he crawled over to Optimus, who lay shaking and sobbing on the floor.
"Oppy?" he said softly. The little one looked up into his brother's loving face.
"Megs.' he said softly through his tears.
"The stupid 'Cons have us." Optimus' optics widened.
"I scared." he sniffed, tears landing on Megatron's shoulder.
"Don't worry. We'll be all right." Megatron said, trying to reassure his little brother.
"Megatwon, why 'Cons so mean? Why they so scary?" Megatron hugged his brother tight against him as tears of his own began to fall when he answered.
"I don't know, sweetspark. I don't know."
Silmara was silent as Megatron finished his story.
"I sometimes still see that terrified little face. Still hear him screaming and crying. They took us to their base and tortured us, Optimus more than me." Megatron had tears in his optics now, "They hurt him so much. I was amazed he lived through it all."
He has strength in him that even he does not know. Silmara stated.
"You're telling me." Megatron said with a small laugh. "When we were finally found, it was almost too late."
Megatron let out a weak groan. His whole body hurt and he couldn't move with the pain. He looked over and saw where Optimus lay, covered helm to pede in wounds, and laying in a pool of his own energon. Optimus hadn't moved or uttered a sound and by now Megatron feared the worst for his tiny brother.
No! Oh, Primus help him! Oppy! Please don't be dead, please! Megatron pleaded in his thoughts. As though his desperate plea had been answered, Hera and Ratchet suddenly appeared in the doorway. Both were taken aback by what they saw, but Ratchet quickly recovered.
"Hera, stay here and hold off the 'Cons. I've got to get these two to a medbay NOW!"
"Ratchet, they're bleeding! They'll never make it back!" Ratchet looked down at the two sparklings and realized she was right. He would have to apply field dressings to stop their bleeding energon until he could get them proper treatment.
He ducked behind some crates as several Decepticons and Autobots barreled down the hall, intent on beating the slag out of each other. He dismissed this and reached for a gash on Megatron's head.
"No." the sparkling gasped, "Oppy first." Ratchet knew by now not to argue with tis one when it came to his brother. He pulled out several sheets of metal and quickly bandaged Optimus' injuries. Only then did Megatron allow himself to be treated.
That done, Ratchet picked both up and ran to where he knew the Autobots had warped in from. Another step, a flash of light, and he was back in the Autobot base. Megatron groaned weakly from in his arms as he raced to the medbay.
"It's all right, little one. You're safe now." He laid them on separate berths beside each other. He first gave Megatron painkiller to help him settle down, then he turned to Optimus.
This was his first thorough look at the sparkling's injuries. What he saw sickened him. How could even the Decepticons be this cruel? If the Autobots had been any later, the poor sparkling would have died. Ratchet checked his vitals and saw that he was barely holding on as it was. Ratchet frowned. He couldn't do anything until the child was conscious so he could tell which wires were unharmed. He turned to the other sparkling, whose optics were only half online as he lay motionless on his berth. With only a few whimpers thanks to the painkiller, Ratchet was able to close up the wounds. He then hooked Megatron to an energon line to replace the energon he'd lost and gave him a sedative to help him rest. Satisfied, Ratchet went back to try and wake Optimus.
It was over two hours later when Megatron awoke from his sedative-induced sleep to the sound of Ratchet cursing under his breath and Hera whispering something beside him. The sound of Optimus' name jolted Megatron awake, but he sat up too quickly. His optics went blind for a moment and he let out a gasp as he fell back onto the berth with a loud clang. Ratchet and Hera whipped their heads around and saw what had caused the sound.
"You're awake." Ratchet stated, though there was no concealing the gravity of his tone.
"How's my brother?" Megatron asked. Ratchet and Hera looked at each other before they answered.
"Megatron, we're not sure how to tell you this, but..." The medic was struggling to hold himself together, "...I did everything I possibly could for him."
"Wha'd'you mean?" Please don't be what I think it is. Megatron thought. Ratchet fumbled for the words.
"I...I tried...as hard as I could...He just...He..."
"Megatron." Hera said softly, taking his little hands into hers. Megatron noticed tears forming in her optics.
"Sweetie...Optimus is one with the AllSpark now." Megatron sat there, motionless, hoping to Primus he'd heard her wrong.
"No." he whispered, tears in his optics now, "No...no..."
"Sweetspark, we tried everything. He was just too far gone." Hera could already see his little spark breaking.
"No." Megatron cried, jumping off his berth, not noticing he had pulled his energon drip out. "No, no, NO! OPPY!" he screamed as he ran to his brother's berth. He scrambled up onto it, his wounded body screaming in protest, and began to shake his brother vigorously.
"Oppy, wake up! Wake up! You gotta get up!" Megatron yelled, tears now flowing like waterfalls from his optics.
"Please, Oppy. You gotta wake up! You just gotta!" It was then, as Megatron bent over his brother's body, he noticed Optimus' dark optics and the fact that he could no longer sense his brother's spark.
The pain in Megatron's body paled in comparison to the pain in his spark. His sweet, innocent little brother, his precious little baby was gone. And Megatron hadn't even been with him when it happened.
Carefully, Megatron lifted Optimus into his arms and hugged him close, sobbing into his little brother's shoulder.
"I l-love y-you, Op-py." Megatron choked out through his tears as he softly kissed his brother's faceplates, "I l-love you s-s-so m-m-much." He sat there with Optimus' body in his arms rocking back and forth as though he were simply putting the baby to sleep. He didn't even notice when Hera walked up to him until she spoke.
"You can stay in here, tonight. If you need anything, come get me or Ratchet." Megatron only nodded and she and Ratchet left the medbay.
Megatron had no idea how long he sat on Optimus' berth, and he didn't really care. The only thing that truly mattered to him was gone.
"Optimus." he said softly, stroking the still adorable little faceplates, "I...I never g-got to s-say...I love you."
A tiny whimper. It was faint, but it was enough.
"Oppy?" Megatron was hoping beyond all hope that he hadn't just imagined the sound he'd heard, that maybe, just maybe, Primus pitied him and decided to give his brother back.
"M-Megs?" came the weak response.
"OPTIMUS!" Megatron cried, forgetting that the others were asleep. He held Optimus tighter, his tears now tears of joy. Then he remembered what Hera had said.
"Wait here." he instructed Optimus. He then jumped off the berth and rushed to where he knew Ratchet's and Hera's quarters were.
"RATCHET! HERA! COME QUICK! IT'S OPTIMUS!" Megatron cried. The two doors slid open. The medic and femme stepped out and followed Megatron back to the medbay. He jumped onto the berth where Optimus was laying.
"Megatron, I know you want him to be, but-" Ratchet was cut off as Megatron shook Optimus and the sparkling onlined his optics. Ratchet's brow ridges shot up and Hera's hand flew to her mouth.
"See?" Megatron said, "He's okay!" Optimus lifted his arms and dropped them around Megatron's neck, his head nuzzling its way into Megatron's shoulder.
"Love...Megs." Optimus said tiredly. Megatron hugged his brother and planted a small kiss on his forehelm.
"I love you, too, Optimus." He then yawned realizing how tired he was. It wasn't long before he lay down with Optimus still in his arms as Hera draped a blanket over them. Soon, the two little sparklings were fast asleep.
(Where Optimus is)
It had been over an hour since Optimus had stormed away from Megatron and Silmara. He could barely see the sky through the thick canopy of leaves and tree branches. He could hear strange sounds coming from the forest around him. He didn't know what most of them were, and that frightened him.
Optimus, you slagging idiot! he screamed in his mind, What were you thinking, running off on your own! Now if the 'Cons find you, you're done for! Optimus kicked a tree stump in anger at how foolish he'd been. But all it did was earn him a stinging pain in his foot.
I should start heading back, he thought. But when he turned to do so, he realized he didn't know which way he'd come from. Any path he might have left was concealed by the growing darkness in the forest. Optimus' cooling fans kicked on as he ventilated faster at his realization.
He was lost.
To make matters worse, it started to rain. Optimus stood up and decided to just find somewhere warm to stay at this point. He thought about sending a distress beacon, but then he remembered that the Autobots had taken his comm link when he was exiled. He couldn't contact anyone.
It was dark when he finally saw a waterfall crashing down over a small dugout space in the rock. Upon closer inspection, the space was big enough for him to fit in. Shivering, he knew he couldn't go any farther and eased himself into the hollowed out space. He had no hope of finding Megatron and Silmara now.
Just as well, he thought, I doubt they'll want me back after this. It broke his spark to think such a thing, but he told himself it was the truth, as much as he wished it were not so. He pulled his knees up to his chestplates and wrapped his arms around them. He didn't know what to do now. He was lost, he was scared, he was cold and wet and more miserable than he'd ever thought he could be.
"I miss you, Megs." he whispered softly, tears starting to fall. He lay down on his side and curled into a tight ball in a vain attempt to stay warm. He lay there in that wet, muddy hollow, the mud sticking to him, crying and shivering as the rain fell harder and thunderclaps were heard.
"Please, Megs." he whimpered, "Please come find me."
(Where Megatron and Silmara are)
Megatron looked out at the woods nervously, waiting for Optimus to return. It had been well over two hours since he'd left, and Megatron was growing worried.
"Somethings not right." he stated, "Optimus should have come back by now. Something's wrong."
So I noticed. I too thought he would have returned by now. Silmara agreed.
"Yes, he should. Unless..." Megatron suddenly turned to face Silmara, "What if something happened to him! What if the rogue Decepticons found him!" Megatron's cooling fans sprang to life to keep him from overheating. A loud thunderclap caught his attention, and he noticed the raging storm for the first time.
"Oh, no!" he gasped, "Optimus is out there!" Megatron faced the dragoness with a determined look steeled in his optics.
"We've got to look for him, Silmara. He could be lost, or hurt! I will NOT just wait this out while my poor baby brother is somewhere out there cold and alone and probably scared. I don't know about you, but I'm going to find him."
Rain does not bother me. I shall go as well and search from the air. Silmara stated. Megatron couldn't help but flash her a smile.
"You're worried about him, too." She snorted.
What kind of dragon would I be if I didn't worry about my Rider?
"Well, get in the air, then, and let's find your Rider." Silmara roared and leapt into the air in a rush of wings. Megatron faced the direction he'd last seen Optimus go and plunged into the woods.
They had been searching for a little over an hour, and Megatron was getting desperate.
No sign of him from up here, came Silmara's latest report, By the way, you can speak to me with your thoughts. Usually, only a Rider could, but since you share a bond with my Rider, you are included in the Rider bond.
Thanks, for that. Megatron answered, Hey, fly ahead of me a little and see if you can sense him.
Will do, though I hope it is you who finds him, since you know him best. With that, she flew off.
"Optimus, where are you?" Megatron called to the sky.
(Where Optimus is)
He wasn't sure how long he'd been laying there. The rain fell harder, and the thunderclaps and lightning grew louder. Through the waterfall, Optimus could see shadowy things moving around in the darkness. Off in the distance, he heard, or thought he heard, a sound like a roar. He shuddered and hugged himself tighter, the mud squishing whenever he moved.
(Where Megatron is)
He had sent Silmara straight ahead of him, since he thought he was following his brother's trail. The wind picked up a little, surrounding him with the scents of wet pine, mud,...and a faint tinge of energon. Megatron quickly pinpointed the direction and followed the scent. Soon, he could hear the rushing of a river or creek nearby. The smell of energon was definitely stronger here. Suddenly, Megatron took a step forward to find the ground gone. He toppled forward and rolled down a small (to him) hill. He quickly stood up and shook himself off. He looked around and saw a waterfall emptying into a rushing stream. But there was something on the air besides the sounds of the storm and the waterfall. Another sound, not natural to this area, had his attention. Cautiously, he made his way over to the waterfall. He had a sharp intake as he saw what was behind it. There was a large, hollowed out space in the rock. And curled up, shivering, in that hollowed out space, was Optimus.
I found him! Megatron called, not really caring whether Silmara heard him or not. He eased into the space and knelt beside his brother.
"Optimus!" His brother looked up at him, and Megatron's spark broke. He could see, even through the mud and dirt that covered him, the pain in Optimus' face, and where he'd been crying.
"Megatron!" Optimus gasped in disbelief.
"Oh, Optimus, you had me worried sick! What happened? What's wrong?" Megatron held Optimus' shoulders so he could look the mech in the optics. Optimus, however, merely collapsed weeping against Megatron.
"Oh, Megs, I'm s-so s-s-sorry!" he cried, "I just...Everything happened so fast...The Autobots, and...and y-you, and...and..." Megatron puled his little brother into his arms.
"Shhh, Optimus. It's all right now. I promise, you're okay now." He stroked the back of Optimus' helm gently, just grateful that his brother was safe and not hurt.
"B-b-but I...I..." Megatron silenced him again.
"I don't care about anything else right now. I'm just glad I found you, and you're not hurt."
"You...You mean, you'll st-still h-h-have m-me with y-you? Even after...after how I...acted?"
"I love you, little Optimus, and nothing can ever change that." Megatron gave him a soft kiss on his helm, "You'll always be my sweet, beloved baby brother. Always." Optimus seemed to accept this answer and simply let Megatron hold him.
"Where's Silmara?" Optimus asked suddenly, "I owe her an apology, too." As If she heard him, the dragon landed in the stream and stuck her head in under the waterfall.
Little one, she said, upon seeing him, You are safe. Megatron and I thought you were lost forever. Optimus hung his head, guilt shining in his optics.
"I'm sorry." he said, "Everything's just happening so fast with the Autobots and Megatron and you and...Can you forgive me? That's not how I truly am. Please, let me atone for it, I-" Silmara cut him off with her response.
Optimus, there is nothing to forgive. I understand, you were frightened and upset. Your reaction was only what anyone in such a state would do. She reached down and nuzzled him gently. He rested a hand on her snout and looked into.
"So...am I still your Rider?" Optimus asked.
Little one, Silmara answered, you will always be my Rider, even when the two of us pass from this world. That, like your brother's love, will never change.
"Good." Optimus said. "That's the way I want it. You, me, and Megs."
"Forever." Megatron added. Silmara nodded.
Even after death.
Yay, Oppy's happy again, and Megs is a big ol' sweetie again. Wonder what will happen now that the three are a team.
Review please!