Hello all, and welcome to the last chapter of Replacements, it has been long overdue I know. I am glad to be finishing this story and I hope ya'll like how I worked it. However, this is not the end, I have several side stories I will be posting to fill some gaps that got left in here due to the process of the plot. If there is anything that has left ya'll a bit confused mention it in a review and I will try to post a side story to answer you.

Thanks for sticking through to the end! Enjoy!


Epilogue:

Smokescreen was right. It took nearly a centivorn to do, but Prowl had finally overcome his trauma. That was not to say the Praxian did not still have mental scars, but they no longer controlled him the way they once did. It had taken nearly four vorn of constant council and companionship from Smokescreen before the younger was able to consider taking another job and risk trusting a stranger again. Prowl had been an enforcer before his stint in Iacon and he contacted them to see if they possessed any open spots. As it turned out the current Chief Enforcer of Praxus was his old partner, Stalker, who was more than happy to welcome back an old friend. The Praxian enforcers needed a new lead detective and tactical analyst for their S.W.A.T. team and Prowl was a perfect fit for the dual role. He was paired with another detective to help him readjust to the enforcer regulations and even after the settling period SheerLock refused reassignment in favor of remaining Prowl's partner.

The two became dear friends and it was actually through SheerLock's bondmate that Prowl found the most effective method of healing. Wax-On was the head of a small psycho-physical therapy clinic who specialized in enforcer rehabilitation and after hearing a little of Prowl's story he suggested a radical therapy for the black and white. Prowl at first dismissed the idea, but Wax-On was also a friend of Smokescreen who was more easily convinced of the concept's potential.

A few decacycles later Prowl had found himself on a land shuttle to Iacon with Smokescreen for a 'surprise daytrip.' The blue elder Praxian led his younger brother on a winding journey through the capital city until they reached the Mausoleum of the Primes. Prowl had not wanted to go in at first, but some light coaxing by Smokescreen convinced him to enter. The psychologist marched Prowl straight up to Sentinel Prime's tomb and told his brother that he needed to talk to his long-deactivated tormentor. The black and white had felt rather silly talking to an entombed corpse, but his brother had not been wrong yet so he indulged him.

Prowl had been unsure of how to begin, so he fell back on his judiciary training that he had received when he was placed in the pseudo-military High Command. He started by listed off all the charges that the former Prime could have been convicted for and went from there. "Sentinel Prime, former Lord of Cybertron, prior holder of the Matrix of Leadership, you are hereby charged with abuse of authority; coercion to receive favors, sexual or otherwise; rape; blackmailing subordinates for the purpose of forced relations;..."

The list had gone on and on, then Prowl began to recite the evidence that supported the charges and that was when he broke. "...and I never wanted it you sick fragger! I told you no! I begged you, pleaded with you, but you didn't care! It was all about you, always your pleasure, your wants, and frag what anyone else might have thought! Everything that was ever said to you was always spun your way, if I said no then I was just playing coy, if I hit you, kicked, ran, or hid, I was just being kinky! That's what you always said, you enjoyed raping, it wasn't fun for you otherwise, you said so yourself! I tried to get away from you so many times and you always dragged me back. I tried transferring out, quitting, one time I even went into hiding on the other side of the planet and you still came after me! You were sick and obsessed and because of you I am broken and cannot even look at another mech with even the hint of attraction because it triggers thoughts of what you did! I was young and inspired when I came to you and you sucked my vitality from me like an Empty! I hope your spark rots in the deepest levels of the Pit and that every sick thing you ever did to me or another is revisited upon you for all of eternity!"

Prowl screamed at the deactivated Prime until his vocalizer gave out and he had nothing left inside save himself. He collapsed against the cold metal of the wall sobbing great tears of release and began to beat at the effigy of his tormentor with his fists.

Smokescreen never once tried to stop him and let the younger mech let out his emotions until there was risk of frame damage. Then the blue mech wrapped his arms around his brother and comforted him as the last of his tears drifted down his cheeks. They returned home in silence, neither ready to address the events of the orn.

After that Prowl's healing had moved swiftly and now after eighty-six vorns of intensive therapy the black and white was almost ready to say he was healed of his demons.

And during all of that Prowl watched the Prime. He was true to their parting agreement and observed the divine leader for the truth of his character. Optimus Prime did not disappoint. The Prime began his public rule by exposing the Council for who they truly were. The Council would come forth announcing a new law and how it would benefit the mecha of Cybertron. Then Optimus would go before the Cybertronian people and show the true nature of the new mandate. He would present undeniable evidence of who would actually be benefiting and how it would effect the lower class citizens. Then, he would do the most unexpected thing. Optimus Prime asked the mecha of Cybertron if it was what they wanted. If the people said yes, he would leave it be, but if the people said no, protested the unfair rule, he would exercise his power as Prime to nullify the offending law. The Council was most displeased, but they could do nothing about it, almost.

In two vorn there there had been a record number of twenty-nine assassination attempts on the young Prime, which puzzled the mecha of Cybertron for they all loved their Prime and could not understand why anyone would want to harm the only Prime in recent history to actually do his job as Servant of the People. The Council had blamed it on the Decepticons, but Prowl knew from his various contacts that the Decepticons were still without the resources for such forays into subterfuge. Every assassination had been stopped swiftly, something that pleased Prowl, for Optimus had chosen well when he selected his bodyguard. The mech had been servo-trained by Kup himself and the red guard, designation Ironhide, had an almost twelfth sense for detecting danger to his Prime.

It seemed for a while that Optimus might actually be able to bring peace to Cybertron, but then the Council arrested Shockwave as a Decepticon supporter. The Prime immediately went before the Council to protest the action, demanding that he be shown their evidence against Tarnian ruler, but it was a trap. The councilors knew that Optimus would object to the imprisonment of a mech who had been considering supporting him, and had planned ahead. They used the confrontation to delay the Prime, to make him think he was making helmway with his demands for honorable justice, while outside the government compound their true plan was being enacted.

The Council commandeered the global intranet and broadcasted their chosen punishment for one whom they deemed a traitor, as an example to all who might follow in his pedsteps. In full view of everyone everywhere they performed Empurata on the conscious, fully-aware mech. Prowl did not think he would ever forget those screams. The Praxian and the Tarnian had been friends once upon an academy campus, but had lost touch during Prowl's stay as Sentinel's aide. Now, they would never be able to be friends again.

Optimus had been informed of the proceedings once it was all but too late. The honorable mech rushed out of the Council chambers to rescue the unjustly punished mech, but by then nothing could be done. In fact, upon arrival, the Primal party discovered that not only had Shockwave's face and servos been amputated, but his meta had also been subjected to Shadowplay. The once emotive, just mech was gone, and only a cold, logic driven creature remained. Optimus still tried to save him, to fix him, but nothing could be done. In a rage over the cruelty the Prime suspended the Council indefinitely while he began gathering data for their permanent removal.

It was too little too late though. Shockwave joined the Decepticons an orn after he returned to his home in Tarn.

Once Tarn aligned itself with Megatron, so too did Vos, and with the combine reinforcements of those two cities, the Decepticons were ready to begin their offensive. Suddenly, the war that the nobles pretended did not exist was everywhere, and cities across Cybertron began to fall before the angry might of the Decepticon battle cry.

Prowl sat in the anteroom and waited. He had reviewed all the evidence, considered all the relevant data, and now it was time to act. The injustices that had been served to the denizens of Cybertron had to be stopped and he was going to help make it happen.

He had gone to a recruitment office to sign up with his chosen faction, but his designation had been red flagged. The officer in charge of the office had told him that the only way he could be accepted in was to get permission from the faction leader himself. Fortunately, the flag on his file also gave specifications allowing such a meeting, and here he was.

The door to the inner chamber opened with a loud crack as a white and red mech stomped through, but then turned back to deliver a final word to the remaining occupant. "…and don't you ever slagging try that again, do you understand me?! If you do I will fragging reformat your glitching aft into an energon roaster and then we'll see how well you lead one of those slagging noble suicide charges!"

The angry white mech grumped off through the other door still muttering imprecations about the dubious sanity of the mechs he had to work with. Prowl just sat there, stunned into immobility, until a soft, but powerfully deep voice bid him enter.

The Praxian stood and walked in to the office. Its lone occupant sat behind an enormous desk that just barely fit his own huge frame, but for all that, Optimus Prime was truly a gentle giant. Prowl saluted him and gave an unexpectedly warm greeting. "Retired General Prowl of Praxus reporting for duty sir, in whatever capacity you need most."

Optimus Prime opened his newly hinged battlemask and smiled. "Welcome to the Autobot Army, reactivated General Prowl. I have awaited your return with much hope."

***[END]***


Vigatus: yes there are, and will be in the side stories, other g1 characters. This is really the beginning of a much larger series of stories and the others will have more characters involved.

Foxbear: oh good, that's how I thought of it too, but was still worried. Thanks!

Kkcliffy: yes, family is awesome! And as you can see Smokey's psychology degree did come in really handy.

Lair of the Twisted Muses: *offers up sniffly, hurting Prowl for lovin's* Prowl said you could hold him, but sadly Vector Sigma denied the slapping request (although he did say that Sentinel is currently being lectured by all the past true Primes so I think he is getting his dues). Peace for Prowl is going to be a long process and although he has made some headway into dealing with his trauma, it will not be until the entry of a certain other black and white into his life that he will truly be close to finished.

Thanks also to Someone I'm Sure and arceeenergon for their encouraging reviews!

Note: there will be one more "chapter" to answer all the final reviews, FYI.