OK. Being able to update the story consistently was fun while it lasted. School starts again on Monday and as you know, the final two years of high school are go time! So I have to buckle down and get real serious with my studies.
REVIEW REPLIES!
Bee4ever: I loved this episode! The look on Megatron's face when Optimus used the Star Saber was priceless! And Bee is jealous! How cute!
Last episode was pretty priceless.
Awesomo3000: This episode was freaking EPIC! :D But the next episode is gonna be even EPICER!
Got that right!
Autobot Shadowstalker; Holy…Crap! Alpha Trion actually CAME instead of giving them some message?! Oh man, craps about to go down! Oh and now you see why I don't like Smokey much after this episode but he's still badaft!
I'll give you that.
lancepm: (1) ooh!nice. liquid pride (sniff, sniff)
Liquid pride?
(2) oh whatever you do. Do not bring the triple-agent sideswipe into the mix. Yeash! Call me a fleshling would ya!
I don't even know what you're talking about with Sideswipe.
(3) talent resides everywhere even in the leased of these.
Wha?
(4) you know whats epic, having Michael Ironside potray ultra magnus. Be still my pump! (batman fan)
That guy's too tightly wound for his own good. He needs to loosen up a bit.
(5) held by Natalie Grant. Sad song.
STOP POSTING SO MANY REVIEWS! TRY TO LIMIT YOURSELF! PLEASE! I DO HAVE OTHERS TO REPLY TO!
(6) I was talking about a crossover.
Oh… Please read the reply to your fifth review and try to limit yourself. Thank you.
AlphaTrion3145: You know the Autobots were not precent in 'Patch', I think I know what you could do with the Them during the events of the episode.
The Mandarin: The wedding? She may not go for it Master…
It's just a guess.
Thanks for reminding me about that! Because…I'll admit. The promo for Patch kinda freaked me out – because, you know, it's STARSCREAM – so I actually never watched it. :/
Guest: Princess of Dreams
Ok Smokey made some mistakes. But he's still young yet and didn't experience what the rest of them have. He'll learn in time. He meant well. Too bad I know what Megajerk will do next… Please update!
If I didn't hate Megatron before, I hate him now.
haloangel21: Great chapter! This episode was my second favorite behind Triage. Optimus with a badass sword and Megatron's scared face. Best part of the whole episode.
Everyone on YouTube reckons that Megatron actually leaked a little transmission fluid…and so did everyone else in the room.
lmp21dragonhand: well I like episode 16 because of Clancy brown.
Doy…
tfp-fan: EPICALLY EPIC CHAPTER! :D BTW, in the next episode when Megatron cuts off that Prime's arm and replaces his old arm with it then uses the Forge to make the Dark Star Saber, do you think that's the worst thing he's ever done? Aside from flooding the Earth's core with Dark Energon?
That last one wasn't him. That was Unicron.
Miko873: 2 things. First, that was so fricken AWESOME! Second is a question, was it hard revising that whole episode?
I actually write the chapters as I watch the episode. That way I can get it just right.
dx-1118: Whoa! Didn't see that coming! Alpha Trion on Earth? What next!?
Thank you for updating so quickly. Can't wait till the next chapter! It's gonna be epic!
Now, I know you don't like me writing long reviews, but I have an urgent question. In Rising Darkness you explained that Talida, being a techno-organic, runs on Enerblood, a mixture of Energon and human blood. In one chapter Ratchet explained that since Talida can't produce Energon naturally in her system, she needs regular doses of it from him to maintain her Energon-to-blood ratio. So my question is, if Raf is Talida and Bumblebee's son, and is therefore only one-quarter human, then wouldn't he also need Energon? Because as you yourself pointed out with Talida's suicide attempt with that Tox-En, any imbalance to a techno-organic's Energon-blood ratio can be fatal, so shouldn't Raf have died years ago?
Sorry about all that, but I feel I had to point that out since it is kind of a plot hole. Don't hate me! I love your writing and your characters! Really! Update soon!
It varies with the amount of exposure to Energon they have growing up and who actually raises them. With techno-organics, within the first year of their life, their bodies begin adapting to the environment they will live in. Since her Cybertronian parents rather than human parents raised Talida, she has developed the dependency on the Enerblood mixture (they actually didn't find out until she was five years old). Raf, as you know, was raised by a human family and wasn't exposed to Energon until he finds out about the war. Do you get it?
The Mandarin: dx-1118's comment reminds us of something… How did you come up with Enerblood?
I just came up with it randomly. I can't exactly explain it.
Transformers: Prime rightfully belongs to Hasbro and The Hub.
© Talida Prime and other OCs rightfully belong to me unless I say otherwise.
In the End rightfully belongs to Linkin Park and Warner Bros. Records.
Ah... If there's one thing that I was unable to resist, it's using the song that brought Linkin Park to stardom. Sure. All of their songs are amazing. But In the End is what put Linkin Park on the map!
Oh! One question! Who plays the Linkin Park 8-Bit Rebellion game! I'm playing it and if you wanna add me, you can! My username is Cazna. As for why I used it…I misunderstood the name question. :/ Don't laugh at my confusion. And…do NOT make fun of that name. It's my actual birth name! So make fun of it…watch out.
ENJOY!
"(It starts with one…)
One thing! I don't know why!
It doesn't even matter how hard you try!
Keep that in mind! I designed this rhyme,
To explain in due time!
All I know…
Time is a valuable thing!
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings!
Watch it count down to the end of the day!
The clock ticks life away!
It's so unreal…
Didn't look out below!
Watch the time go right out the window!
Trying to hold on but didn't even know!
Wasted it all just to watch you go…
I kept everything inside.
And even though I tried,
It all fell apart.
What it meant to me,
Will eventually be a memory of a time when,
I tried so hard!
And got so far!
But in the end,
It doesn't even matter!
I had to fall,
To lose it all!
But in the end,
It doesn't even matter!"
Previously on Transformers: Prime…
"It will only respond to the power of a Prime, Princess Rayna or someone wielding the Energy Sword!" Megatron gasped in horror.
"Talida and I have picked up a second Iacon locator beacon!" Ratchet reported.
"I'll go," Smokescreen volunteered.
"Smokescreen chooses a vehicle mode with screaming double 38s on the doors, making him an easy target. I wouldn't be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about Jack's safety," Arcee confessed.
"The Star Saber. A legendary weapon forged by Solus Prime," Smokescreen identified.
"We Decepticons now faced our darkest hour," Megatron proclaimed darkly.
"We are receiving a beacon," Optimus announced.
"From who?" Ratchet immediately inquired, only to have Optimus and Talida answer by opening a portal to reveal…
"Alpha Trion," Talida answered, causing everyone to gape in surprise and disbelief at the figure standing before them.
"Nice to see you again, my disciples," Alpha Trion greeted.
"Forgive me, Lord Megatron. While I do not question the wisdom of our tactical retreat, know that I am fully prepared to lead the troops in a counterattack against the Autobots," Dreadwing proclaimed.
"Counterattack?!" Megatron repeated in disbelief as he whirled around to face his first lieutenant, "Perhaps you failed to notice Optimus and Talida Prime cleave an entire mountain with a single blow! With the Star Saber in his possession along with Talida possessing Princess Rayna's Energy Sword, my enemies can oblviate us all with a single wave of their hands! I must find a way to tip the balance of power back in our favor!"
"Do we also not possess a powerful relic of the Ancients?" Dreadwing inquired.
"Indeed. The Forge of Solus Prime," Megatron nodded, "But it is useless except in the hands of a Prime, Princess Rayna or her incarnate."
That was when Megatron froze as a realization struck him. He began chuckling. Dreadwing just stood there confused. He knew that Megatron had formed a plan. But he didn't understand why he was chuckling or even what the plan was.
"But I might be able to wield that power if I were to control such a hand," Megatron mused with a chuckle.
"Alpha Trion?!" Ratchet gasped in disbelief.
"Nice to see you again," Talida nodded curtly.
"Likewise, young one," Alpha Trion responded with a curt nod, "You look well after our encounter on Cybertron. I only wish we had met again under better circumstances. If only Iacon were able to withstand the final assault…"
"So you speak to us from across the ages?" Optimus guessed in bewilderment.
"No. I am here. I am real. The Star Saber could only bring me here by combining the power of both that sword and the Energy Sword of Princess Rayna. I am certain that the two of you have now deduced why Cybertronian relics and Decepticon relics have come to be found on such a remote world," Alpha Trion assumed, "Indeed, I had transported them here. But not so much to keep them out of Megatron's hands. But to ensure that they would reach yours."
That last sentence caused Optimus and Talida to gape at the original Prime in disbelief.
What on Earth did Alpha Trion mean by that?
TRANSFORMERS PRIME
"One thing! I don't know why!
It doesn't even matter how hard I tried!
Keep that in mind! I designed this rhyme,
To remind myself how,
I tried so hard…
In spite of the way you were mocking me,
Acting like I was part of your property!
Remembering all the times you fought with me!
I'm surprised it got so far…
Things aren't the way they were before!
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore!
Not that you knew me back then!
But it all comes back to me,
(In the end…)
You kept everything inside.
And even though I tried,
It all fell apart!
What is meant to me,
Will eventually be a memory of a time when!
I tried so hard!
And got so far!
But in the end,
It doesn't even matter!
I had to fall,
To lose it all!
But in the end,
It doesn't even matter…"
"As you may have long suspected, the Covenant of Primus records events of the future as well as the past," Alpha Trion began.
"We know. The prophecy involving Unicron being our Earth's core?" Talida reminded everyone dryly.
"Talida," Optimus warned.
"Sorry," Talida mumbled.
"There is no need to apologize, young one. I understand your point perfectly," Alpha Trion shook his head, "My imperfect understanding of its runes affords me of a shadowy glimpse of what is to come. The Covenant's pages foretold that you, Optimus Prime, would journey to there small but significant planet, assist in the conception of a daughter who would be destined to follow Princess Rayna's footsteps and there engage in a crucial chapter of the war against the Decepticons. I know neither the nature of the battle nor its outcome. I only hope that these relics of the ancients will aide the Autobots in your time of need."
"What are they?" Optimus inquired.
"What I am about to show you will be transmitted into your minds via your swords. They must be for your eyes only until my departure. Afterwards, you must begin the work to find them," Alpha Trion told them.
"Show us," Talida immediately requested.
That was when they saw what they were going to devote their time finding. While the images flashed around in their minds, they understood instantly. Thanks to Alpha Trion, they knew why they came to Earth after the exodus. There was something here they had to search for. A search they had to be devoted to.
"Optimus! Talida!" Ratchet gasped as the two suddenly fell backwards.
Ratchet, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were barely able to catch Optimus while Arcee and Smokescreen immediately swooped to catch Talida before she fell. Alpha Trion just stood there casually. He knew they saw what they needed to.
"I think I will show myself out," Alpha Trion decided before disappearing.
"Easy, you two," Ratchet coaxed as the Autobots helped the two Primes onto their feet.
"Aw, that's nice! I spent the final days of the war guarding the guy and he didn't even bother to notice me! Let alone say hi!" Smokescreen sulked.
"What did he want us to find?!" Bulkhead asked eagerly as he shoved Smokescreen out of the way.
"It is paramount that we recover the final four Iacon relics," Optimus announced, "The Omega Keys."
"Keys?" Arcee repeated in confusion.
"To what?" Ratchet demanded.
"To the regeneration of Cybertron," Talida answered.
"Earth's moon is a barren rock, is it not?" Dreadwing asked Megatron as they stood on the roof while the Nemesis flew towards the moon.
"Indeed, Dreadwing," Megatron nodded in agreement, "But the moon is not our destination."
At first, Dreadwing was confused. What were they doing out there if they weren't even contemplating flying to the moon? Then they flew around the moon and he knew.
The Decepticon Space Bridge – the new version they had built after the explosion of the previous construction – was hidden from plain sight behind the grey mass.
"A Space Bridge!" Dreadwing gasped.
"Our very own. Relocated after the Autobots discovered its whereabouts on Earth. The dark side of the moon is hidden from prying human eyes. And more importantly, well out of the Autobots' reach," Megatron clarified, "Come, Dreadwing! We shall travel to the one place in the galaxy which may provide the means of defeating Optimus and Talida Prime!"
Without another word said, the two transformed into their respective vehicle forms and flew through the Space Bridge portal Soundwave had activated for them.
"Pack your gear! We're going back to Cybertron!" Bulkhead cheered.
"I can't believe it!" Bumblebee whirled excitedly.
Ratchet cackled in joy before exclaiming in relief, "Believe it now, Bumblebee! Civilization at last!"
"But I just got here!" Smokescreen protested.
"I remember oil baths! First thing I'm gonna do planet side is soak for a whole solar cycle!" Arcee decided, gesturing to her body that was worn from millennia of battle and motherhood.
"I can't wait to tell Miko!" Bulkhead gushed, causing everyone to remember just who they would leave behind if they ended up returning to Cybertron.
"And Jack," Arcee sighed.
"And Raf," Bumblebee bleeped sadly.
"Er, Optimus, Talida, keys open doors. Can they really revive an entire planet?" Smokescreen asked.
"While I am unfamiliar about the lore of these Omega Keys, Alpha Trion knew many secrets," Optimus stated.
"The technology of the ancients has long been lost to the conventions of modern science," Talida piped in.
When Megatron and Dreadwing exited the Space Bridge portal they flew through, they found themselves flying through the all-too-familiar blackened skies. The ruins of buildings and homes and the bodies of the fallen littered the ground. There wasn't a flicker of light left on the planet known as Cybertron. All expect for the small smoldering fire that was still burning at the Hall of Records in Iacon due to the missile Megatron had launched in the hopes of terminating Arcee, Jack, Talida and Alpha Trion several months before. Even though he had witnessed the destruction of his home world, Dreadwing was still left in shock.
"The devastation to our home world is worse than I remember," Dreadwing confessed as they flew over the ruined cities before proclaiming, "Curse the Autobots to the pit!"
"Whatever their function, this much is certain," Optimus began as everyone gathered around Talida and himself.
"Without having all four Omega Keys in our possession, we can't revive Cybertron," Talida continued.
"Which means we can't afford a single one falling to Megatron," Arcee surmised.
"Four sets of coordinates from Alpha Trion remain encrypted. It is logical to conclude that each coordinates correspond to the location of the Omega Keys," Optimus went on.
"Dad and I cannot afford to stop working until all four coordinates are decoded. The future of Cybertron is riding on us finding those Omega Keys," Talida finished.
When Megatron and Dreadwing arrived to where Megatron desired to go, it became clear to Dreadwing that they haven't returned to Cybertron to survey once again the damage the darkness and brutality of war had left behind. While Dreadwing stood behind him holding a flashlight, Megatron pushed a door open. When he saw the contents of the room, he realized where Megatron had taken him.
"A tomb!" Dreadwing gasped.
"One known to contain the remains of Primes," Megatron added before smirking, "Please. Tell me you are not adverse to desecration."
"It is just that being in such a place evokes powerful emotions," Dreadwing confessed, already feeling his split spark begin to hum in pain and grief, "Considering the fate of my twin."
"Then you should delight in our purpose here," Megatron shrugged with a smirk as they approached a tomb, "To extract our revenge on Skyquake and of all our fallen brethren…"
That was all the convincing that Dreadwing had needed. Immediately, he grabbed the lid of one of the tomb and began sliding it away from its casket. As the body of the Prime housed inside was slowly unveiled.
Unsheathing the sword, Megatron raised his arm…and executed the swipe.
"You shall require more practical means of carrying such a blade," Ratchet stated to Optimus as he began working on a sheath for the Star Saber.
"He's right. It made my life easier with the Energy Sword," Talida laughed slightly as she and Optimus worked on decoding the final four coordinates.
"I know it feels funny saying this. But I'm not sure I want to go back," Arcee confessed.
"Who knew we'd ever get so used to our new home?" Bulkhead asked rhetorically.
"I don't want to leave my son!" Bumblebee immediately decreed, "Not after Tally and I had only just found him again!"
"Yeah. I don't think I'd ever want to leave Miko," Bulkhead admitted.
"We've made friends here. Family," Arcee stated, sadness in her voice.
"We could always…text them" Ratchet suggested with a shrug, "Just like Talida will."
"I will what?!" Talida stuttered as she suddenly stopped working, causing Optimus to cringe slightly.
"You never told her," Ratchet mumbled.
"Told me what?" Talida demanded.
Optimus let out a heavy sigh before saying, "Talida, you are the incarnate of our Princess. What Alpha Trion said about you being destined to follow in Rayna's footsteps was true. Before Cybertron went dark, Rayna was our sole ruler, despite the planet being slowly destroyed by the darkness and brutality of war. What Ratchet is trying to say is there are certain duties that are unavoidable. Among them being returning to Cybertron once it is revived…and becoming its queen."
"WHAT?!" Talida screeched in disbelief.
"I will tell you everything later, sweetspark," Optimus promised before resuming his work.
"You'd better," Talida threatened before resuming her own work.
Deciding to change topics from the startling revelation, Bulkhead brought something else up, "After fighting the war for so long, it feels like I can't do anything else! My soul mate died during the exodus! So it's not exactly like I can settle down and raise a family!"
"You could always go back to construction," Ratchet suggested, "The power of the ancients may be able to breathe life back into the planet's core. But our war-ravaged cities will surely require rebuilding."
"I wouldn't make any travel plans just yet. We still have to find the Omega Keys and secure them before the 'Cons do," Arcee pointed out.
"Yeah. Like that will be a problem," Smokescreen scoffed, "Optimus as the Star Saber now! With the combination of the Star Saber and the Energy Sword, Megatron's end is in sight!"
"Yes, I can do it, Lord Megatron. If you're certain that's what you really want," Knock Out relented to Megatron's rather strange request.
"Like nothing I've ever desired before, doctor," Megatron rumbled.
"I shall induce stasis," Knock Out sighed as he went to type in the commands.
"NO!" Megatron cried, causing Knock Out to freeze, "I wish to bear witness as you attach my new appendage."
"Coming up," Knock Out nodded as he transformed his servo into his rotor saw.
Megatron closed his optics and looked away as the sparks began to fly off his arm. Eventually, he did open his blood red optics. But not to watch the gruesome work of Knock Out removing the bottom half of his current arm from the elbow below.
But to stare at the blood red hand he had taken from the tomb of the Primes on Cybertron that would soon become his new appendage…
"Autobots, Talida and I have decoded the first set of the final four coordinates!" Optimus proclaimed.
"You all will be dividing into teams in case the two of us decode another set of coordinates before the first team return to base," Talida added
"I'm on team 1!" Smokescreen immediately decided, "Who's with me?!"
"I'll go," Arcee answered as she stepped forward with a slight smirk.
"After you, sir…ma'am…commander," Smokescreen stuttered nervously.
"This will be interesting," Talida muttered with a small smirk.
"You can say that again," Ratchet nodded in agreement as he activated the GroundBridge.
The operation Knock Out had performed on Megatron was nothing short of a success. Glancing between the Forge of Solus Prime lying in the vault and his new appendage, Megatron smirked. Before, he was able to hold the Forge of Solus Prime in his hands; but was unable to utilize its powers due to not being a Prime or Princess Rayna's incarnation. Now, with the hand of a Prime attached to his arm, not only can he hold the Forge.
He can also utilize its power.
"Yes," Megatron chuckled happily as he lifted the Forge from its small vault, watching how it came to life at his touch, "At long last, the Power of the Primes belongs to me!"
The coordinates Optimus and Talida had decoded led Arcee and Smokescreen to one of the many deserts in Egypt. Arcee was able to recognize that they were in Egypt due to the pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza surrounding them and she knew for a fact that the Valley of the Kings wouldn't be far from where they were.
"First ones here," Smokescreen declared after a brief check of the area.
"No locator beacon. Which means the relic is still buried. Right about…there," Arcee proclaimed as she pointed to a nearby pyramid.
Megatron was quick to take advantage of his newfound power. He was at work using the Forge of Solus Prime to transform a simple clump of Dark Energon into a powerful weapon. Knock Out and Dreadwing watched on with interest.
"The Forge of Solus Prime possesses the ability to create anything from raw material!" Dreadwing stated.
"And in this case, the raw material would be a great hunk of Dark Energon," Knock Out added.
While Megatron was busy utilizing an Iacon relic, Arcee and Smokescreen were hunting around the pyramids of Egypt for one that belonged to a set of four. Slowly, they found themselves being led to a series of tunnels underneath the pyramids. Taking his opportunity, Smokescreen decided that he should try and make things right.
"Er, Arcee, I owe you an apology. I never meant to endanger Jack. Humans squish easily! I get that now!" Smokescreen promised.
"This isn't just about Jack! Team Prime can't afford any casualties! Human or bot!" Arcee snapped before continuing forward, but not without adding, "I've already lost two seasoned partners! I don't need a rookie on my scorecard!"
"Not gonna happen. Elite Guardsman honor," Smokescreen vowed before remembering something Arcee had just told him as he went to follow her, "Wait. You've lost two partners?!"
As Megatron came close to the completion of his weapon, Soundwave walked in. Despite the lack of sound coming from the spy, his presence didn't go unnoticed. Megatron immediately stopped working to see what Soundwave needed him to know.
He saw a map take up the black spaces of Soundwave's faceless visor. Immediately, Megatron know what it meant.
"You have decoded the next set of Iacon coordinates. Excellent work, Soundwave," Megatron complimented.
"Heh. Nice of the humans to pile a ton of rocks on top of our relic, huh?" Smokescreen joked dryly as he and Arcee walked through the tunnels in a crouched position.
The deeper the two Autobots walked into the ancient tunnel network, the louder and the faster the beeping from Arcee's scanner became. Eventually, it changed from a series of quiet, fast beeps to one shrill long beep. Arcee and Smokescreen observed the hieroglyphics that were written on the walls of the tunnel. They didn't need to know how to study the hieroglyphics to know what they were saying.
"Pretty much spells things out, doesn't it?" Smokescreen remarked.
"Come on. Help me move this," Arcee requested.
Smokescreen didn't bother to object. And it wasn't just because he wanted to get on the femme's good side. Together, they removed a block of clay from the wall structure. Fortunately for them, the removal of a stable block didn't bring the entire place down on top of them. Due to the tunnels being thousands of years old, Arcee and Smokescreen didn't know just how fragile time has made them.
When the cavern was revealed, all of their worrying was rewarded with relief. One of the Omega Keys they desperately needed to find was lying on the floor. Waiting for any Cybertronian to find where it was buried and take it away.
"The Ancient Humans must have thought the Omega Key was a gift from the Gods," Smokescreen guessed.
"And in a sense, they weren't wrong," Arcee smirked slightly.
The closer they came to the exit, the queasier Arcee began to feel deep inside. Something deep in her gut was telling her that something was seriously wrong. That trouble was lying ahead. When they exited the tunnels, they saw that Arcee's gut feeling was corrected. Megatron was standing there waiting for them.
And they knew what he would want since there was only one reason he would be here.
"The relic…now," Megatron requested impatiently.
"Two against one. We can take him!" Smokescreen promised Arcee as they prepared to fight.
That was before, with his newly acquired hand, he unveiled his new weapon. Using the Forge of Solus Prime, Megatron had transformed a simple chunk of Dark Energon crystals into a glowing, powerful, dangerous purple sword. Smokescreen and Arcee gaped in horror at the site of Megatron's new weapon. Before their eyes, they saw their chances decrease.
"Ratchet! GroundBridge! NOW!" Arcee immediately requested.
No GroundBridge was sent. So Arcee and Smokescreen were left to face this alone. And they knew that surviving Megatron like this were severely slim. Smirking, Megatron swiped his sword like Optimus and Talida do with theirs. A wave of dark energy was emitted from the sword. Unable to move, Arcee and Smokescreen were hit in the chest by the force. The force was enough to send them flying.
The two of them landed roughly in the desert sand a few hundred feet away from the Pyramids of Giza and separated from one another. The Omega Key they had acquired landed a few feet away from them.
Despite the odds that were mounting against them, Smokescreen wouldn't give up. He stood up and began racing towards Megatron, firing Energon pellets from his blasters. Amused, the Decepticon Lord used his new sword to reflect them away from his form.
Arcee watched in horror as Megatron's sword emitted another wave from another swipe. This one attacked Smokescreen, who was still attacking. She watched in horror as Smokescreen was knocked off his pedes and sent flying. This time, he didn't stop. Not until he came into contact with the wall behind him. With all the sand appearing from the ground upon impact, she couldn't see him. To her, it seemed as though Smokescreen simply disintegrated to dust.
"SMOKESCREEN!" Arcee cried in horror.
"What manner of treasure did Iacon send us this time?" Megatron mused as he picked up the Omega Key with his free hand before using the tip of his sword to make the saddened Arcee face him, "I could slice you into two right now and delight in the pain your spark mate, who happens to be my baby brother, would feel due to a spark fracture. But I need you to deliver a message. Tell Optimus and Talida Prime that if they want this relic, they have to come and get it themselves."
With those words exchanged, Megatron threw the relic to the ground.
"And then Smokescreen was just…gone," Arcee recalled sadly as she told everyone back at the base what had happened, "Like he turned to dust."
"No," Talida whispered, causing Optimus to rub her back in a comforting manner.
"Poor kid," Bulkhead sighed sadly.
"Arcee, do not blame yourself. It could just as been easily been you," Ratchet reminded her.
"I say we go claim a piece of Megatron's miserable hide!" Bulkhead proclaimed as he and Bumblebee marched towards the GroundBridge, charging their weapons along the way.
"No!" Optimus immediately protested, "We have already lost another one of our own today. I will not risk anymore lives."
"Based on what Arcee has witnessed, it stands to reason that Megatron has somehow managed to get his hands on something that resembles the Star Saber. Because of this, there are only two people that can retrieve the Omega Keys. And those two people are Dad and myself," Talida declared.
"The fate of Cybertron rests upon its retrieval," Ratchet reminded the two.
"Whether Megatron knows it or not," Bulkhead piped in.
Knowing what they had to do, Optimus and Talida left the confines of their base. Armed and ready, they made their way to the coordinates Arcee had just left. Each step was filled with caution. As though their next step would be their last. Eventually, they reached the relic that was sticking out in the sand…and Megatron himself.
"Claim your prize, brother…if you can," Megatron tormented with a smirk as he approached them.
It was then that Optimus and Talida got a good look at the Decepticon Lord. When they did, they gaped in horror at the sight they were presented with. Megatron looked like his usual crappy self. But there were some adjustments. The new dark red appendage stood out against the gunmetal grey of his paint. But Optimus and Talida weren't sure of what sight horrified them the most. Megatron's new arm or new weapon.
"By the AllSpark, Megatron!" Optimus gasped in horror.
"What have you done?!" Talida demanded in the same horror her father held.
"This, my dear niece? I find it affords me certain advantages…such as the Forge of Solus Prime!" Megatron smirked as he unsheathed the glowing purple sword he had used on Arcee and Smokescreen moments before, "My first creation, fashioned from the Blood of Unicron! I call it the Dark Star Saber! Slayer of Primes, if you will!"
The battle began then and there. For some witnesses, it would resemble a light show. The streams of bright blue and vibrant purple battling one another in a fight between good and evil. Every attack Optimus and Talida made, Megatron rebutted and vice versa. The majority of the time, Optimus was doing his best to protect his daughter. This somewhat amused Megatron as an idea formed in his head.
"Why waste your energy, Optimus?! I am sure my dear niece can protect herself! In fact, why don't you allow us to have our own little duel?!" Megatron suggested with a smirk.
"Over my dead body!" Optimus immediately snarled in response.
"Bring it on, Uncle!" Talida challenged.
"Sweetspark, no!" Optimus pleaded.
"I can do this, dad!" Talida reassured him.
"Then let us begin," Megatron suggested.
"With pleasure," Talida nodded with a smirk.
With those words exchanged, their glowing swords clashed with each other's blades. A cosmic wave of light emitted from this action, creating an atmosphere of blue and purple. Optimus tried to join the fight. But he found that he couldn't. It was almost as if an invisible force emitted from the swords were holding him back, stopping him from protecting his daughter.
"You have been practicing, my dear niece. Your form has improved significantly since our last encounter," Megatron observed as she continuously blocked his attacks.
"What can I say, Uncle Megsy? I've been more than eager to do this again," Talida confessed as she swiped at his legs, causing him to jump before their swords collided again.
"At last, you, me and your father, we take our rightful places. As GODS with the powers of the cosmos!" Megatron proclaimed.
"My father and I are nothing more than soldiers, my dear uncle! But you?! You're nothing more than a prisoner of your own twisted illusions!" Talida spat.
With a scream, Talida used her powers to block one of Megatron's attacks. Surprised and horrified, Megatron fell onto the desert sand on his back. Something he would have trouble believing is his niece being able to beat him. That was something he wouldn't allow to continue. Talida had the chance to end it. But when she heard her dangerous snarl, her body refused to react. She was frozen.
"And the tides of the war shall forever be shifted," Megatron proclaimed with a smirk.
"TALIDA, RUN!" Optimus yelled as he raced forward.
"You will never win," Talida snarled, each word filled with a promise.
"We shall see," Megatron retorted as he raised his sword in preparation to strike, "I never wanted things between us to end this way. But you have left me no other option!"
"TALIDA!" Optimus called.
"No! NO!" Talida begged.
She raised her sword in an attempt to block the oncoming attack. But nothing would have worked. Megatron's sword came down from the side and struck her. Talida's dying screams echoed all around them as the sword sliced her into two. Her remains didn't fall onto the sand like everyone else's who died this way. Instead, she disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke hurtling towards the skies. The only things that landed in the sand were her Energy Sword and the gold heart-shaped locket Optimus had given her for her sixteenth birthday.
"NO! NO!" Optimus roared in horror as he knelt to the ground, desperately feeling around for his teenage daughter, his body already trembling in grief, "TALIDA!"
"As much as it…pains me, it had to be done," Megatron shrugged casually.
He went to walk away. Take the relic and leave his brother kneeling on the sand crying over his daughter – his dear niece – that he had killed. He was never able to.
When he turned around, he saw Optimus racing towards him roaring in anger and grief. He swung his sword around, intending to do to Megatron what he did to his daughter. But Megatron easily blocked his attack and blocked the others that followed. Eventually, Megatron overpowered Optimus and swiped his arm.
"My Dark Star Saber has tasted two sparks tonight, one of which being the incarnate of Princess Rayna. But it still thirsts for the spark of a Prime!" Megatron sneered.
Within moments, Megatron had knocked Optimus onto the ground and left him struggling to get back up. With a roar, the Decepticon Lord went to kill his baby brother and finally end the war in his favor. However, Optimus raised his sword in defense at the last second.
Very much like the dying screams of his daughter, the sword shattered and disintegrated.
Optimus knelt on the ground once again, defeated. His sword was destroyed. There was no way he would be able to stand up against Megatron's attacks. Not while he had the Dark Star Saber in his possession. He felt the edge of the blade against his shoulder and upper back. Normally, it would signify the bestowing of knighthood. But he knew it wouldn't be.
"And so it ends! Just as I envisioned! With your head beside my new trophy!" Megatron snarled as he raised his sword to strike…
"Oh, you mean this?!"
In confusion and horror, Megatron turned around to the source of the voice. When he did, he saw Smokescreen standing there casually with the Omega Key. He was confused as to how Smokescreen was still alive after he supposedly died. He was horrified by the fact that Smokescreen had taken the relic right under his nose.
"Finders keepers!" Smokescreen smirked.
Taking the opportunity, Optimus used the remains of the Star Saber to strike Megatron in the chest, forcing him to stumble backwards. Smokescreen immediately raced forward to join the fight.
"SMOKESCREEN, FALL BACK!" Optimus ordered, not wanting to lose another life tonight.
Smokescreen didn't listen. He still kept coming. Even as Megatron sent a wave of dark energy hurtling towards him. He was able to avoid it. He watched the tides shift over and over again. When it looked like Optimus could win, Megatron overpowered him. Megatron sent another wave of Dark Energy towards them. Immediately, Smokescreen knew that this time, it would be fata. So he raced forward and grabbed hold of his leader. To their surprise, the ray went right through them.
"RATCHET! GROUNDBRIDGE!" Optimus barked into the commlink.
"NO!" Megatron roared.
"Missed us!" Smokescreen tormented with a smirk.
Without a hesitation, Optimus and Smokescreen raced through the GroundBridge. Roaring in anger, Megatron went to give chase. For extra measure, he swiped his Dark Star Saber, emitting a wave of energy hurtling towards them. Unfortunately for him, Optimus and Smokescreen raced through the GroundBridge in time and the portal slammed shut behind them. The wave Megatron sent towards them dissipated. However, instead of screaming in anger as he did before, he chuckled darkly.
"Run, Optimus. Run! Those trinkets from Iacon will not save you! Not while I possess the power to TEAR THIS WORLD APART!" Megatron vowed.
Optimus and Smokescreen walked through the GroundBridge. Slowly. Painfully. When Optimus walked through, Ratchet immediately guided him away. Smokescreen followed with sadness written all over his face for everyone to see. What just happened was beginning to take its toll on him. Everyone noticed this. But they didn't know what had happened.
"Smokescreen!" Bulkhead exclaimed in surprise.
"And Omega Key number 1," Smokescreen added as he held up the key to prove his point.
"But…how?" Arcee demanded, "I saw you!"
"I, er…decided to borrow the phase shifter," Smokescreen muttered, holding up his wrist to show them.
"Again?!" Ratchet exclaimed in anger after he finished scanning Optimus' latest scratch.
"Good thing too. The wave from the blast hit me like a wrecking ball. The impact must have activated the shifter. I don't know how long I must have been unconscious. But when I came outside, something horrible had happened," Smokescreen chose his next words carefully, choosing to let Optimus tell everyone for themselves, "But Optimus was pissed at Megatron. And I mean pissed. I waited for the right moment to make my move."
"You're learning," Arcee complimented.
"So can I keep it?" Smokescreen asked, "It really is working out for me."
"Yes, yes," Ratchet muttered before looking around the room, "Wait. Where's Talida?"
That caused everyone to freeze momentarily before looking around. They couldn't believe that the techno-organic hadn't returned with Optimus and Smokescreen. They saw Optimus let out a shaky exhale and open his fist. They saw that he had been clutching his daughter's sword and locket close to his heart.
"So…I wasn't hallucinating!" Smokescreen gasped in horror, "She's really gone…"
"Gone?!" Arcee repeated in horror.
"What do you mean gone?!" Bulkhead demanded dangerously.
"Was she captured?" Bumblebee asked, praying that it wasn't what they were thinking.
"Megatron killed her," Optimus rumbled sadly.
"No! That can't be!" Ratchet protested as he immediately went for the computer, "You must have been hallucinating! She has to be alive!"
But when he saw the life signals, he immediately went quiet. He saw that Optimus', Arcee's, Bulkhead's, Bumblebee's and Smokescreen's were still thriving. But with Talida's…there wasn't even a weak signature. There was nothing. It resembled Optimus' signal while he was with Megatron so many months ago. But he knew she hadn't gone off grid.
"I…I can't find Talida's life signal," Ratchet trembled, "Excuse me."
With those words said, Ratchet stormed out of the room, unable to contain his emotions. Bumblebee, who was never afraid to express his emotions, knelt on the ground sobbing and wailing. Bulkhead, despite the lubricants running down his own cheeks, held the young scout close to his chest and tried to console him. Sobbing, Arcee raced out of the room towards the nursery, seeking comfort from her young son. Smokescreen slumped against the wall. He wanted to cry. But he couldn't.
What did make him cry was the way Optimus was. Void. Emotionless. While everyone was dealing with their own reactions to Talida's death, he made his way to the computers and resumed his work on the Iacon database. His optics stung, the burning sensation the evidence of the lubricants he wanted to shed. But he couldn't. He had to keep going. He would decode the final three coordinates. He would find the remaining Omega Keys. He would revive Cybertron.
For her.
"Lord Megatron!" Knock Out cried as he raced through the corridors to find his master on the bridge, "The troops found something on the wings of the Nemesis."
"Please let me be, Knock Out," Megatron pleaded, "Take whatever you found to Dreadwing."
"I think you will want to see this," Knock Out protested.
Deciding to amuse the medic, Megatron turned away from the large screen. When he did and Knock Out unveiled what was found, he gasped in disbelief.
It couldn't be…
"I've put my trust in you…
Pushed as far as I can go…
For all this,
There's only one thing you should know…
I've put my trust in you!
Pushed as far as I can go!
For all this!
There's only one thing you should know…
I tried so hard!
And got so far!
But in the end,
It doesn't even matter…
I had to fall,
To lose it all!
But in the end,
It doesn't even matter…"
Me: Didn't see that coming, did ya? I had to rewrite the ending to suit everything I had planned.
There is something serious that I need to talk to you about. I had another look at the statistics of teenage suicide. Particularly for those who were the victim of bullying or part of the LGBT community. Once again, I was shocked and horrified by the statistics. They made me feel sick and disgusted. So I thought that I would, once again, try to raise awareness for this worthy cause.
I found this prompt in a friend's journal on deviantART. Naturally, I shared it and posted it as a journal myself. But I also wanted to post it on here.
So if you wanna kill yourself, imagine this:
You come home from school one day. You've had yet another horrible day. You're just ready to give up. So you go to your room, close the door, and take out that suicide note you've written and rewritten over and over and over. You take out those razor blades, and cut for the very last time. You grab that bottle of pills and take them all. Laying down, holding the letter to your chest, you close your eyes for the very last time.
Jack: A few hours later, your little brother knocks on your door to come to tell you dinners ready. You don't answer, so he walks in. All he sees is you lying on your bed, so he thinks you're asleep. He tells your mom this. Your mom goes to your room to wake you up. She notices something is odd. She grabs the paper in your hand and reads it. Sobbing, she tries to wake you up. She's screaming your name. Your brother, so confused, runs to go tell Dad that "Mommy is crying and sissy won't wake up."
Talida: Your dad runs to your room. He looks at your mom, crying, holding the letter to her chest, sitting next to your lifeless body. It hits him, what's going on, and he screams. He screams and throws something at the wall. And then, falling to his knees, he starts to cry. Your mom crawls over to him, and they sit there, holding each other, crying.
Miko: The next day at school, there's an announcement. The principal tells everyone about your suicide. It takes a few seconds for it to sink in, and once it does, everyone goes silent. Everyone blames themselves. Your teachers think they were too hard on you. Those mean popular girls, they think of all the things they've said to you. That boy that used to tease you and call you names, he can't help but hate himself for never telling you how beautiful you really are. Your ex-boyfriend, the one that you told everything to, that broke up with you… He can't hand it. He breaks down and starts crying, and runs out of the school. Your friends? They're sobbing too, wondering how they could never see that anything was wrong, wishing they could have helped you before it was too late. And your best friend? She's in shock. She can't believe it. She knew what you were going through, but she never thought it would get that bad… Bad enough for you to end it. She can't cry, she can't feel anything. She stands up, walks out of the classroom, and just sinks to the floor. Shaking, screaming, but no tears coming out.
Raf: It's a few days later, at your funeral. The whole town came. Everyone knew you, that girl with the bright smile and bubbly personality. The one that was always there for them, the shoulder to cry on. Lots of people talk about all the good memories they had with you, there were a lot. Everyone's crying, your little brother still doesn't know you killed yourself, he's too young. Your parents just said you died. It hurts him, a lot. You were his big sister, you were supposed to always be there for him. Your best friend, she stays strong through the entire service, but as soon as they start lowering your casket into the ground, she just loses it. She cries and cries and doesn't stop for days.
June: It's two years later. Most of the kids from school go to a counselor/therapist at least once a week. Your teachers all quit their job. Those mean girls have eating disorders now. That boy that used to tease you cuts himself. Your ex-boyfriend doesn't know how to love anymore and just sleeps around with girls. Your friends all go into depression. Your best friend? She tried to kill herself. She didn't succeed like you did, but she tried… Your brother? He finally found out the truth about your death. He self harms, he cries at night, he does what you did for years leading up to your suicide. Your parents? Their marriage fell apart. Your dad became a workaholic to distract himself from your death. Your mom got diagnosed with depression and just lays in bed all day.
Fowler: People care. You may not think so. But they do. Your choices don't just affect you. They affect everyone. Don't end your life, you have so much to live for. Things can't get better if you give up. I'm here for absolutely anyone that needs to talk, no matter who you are. Even if we've NEVER talked before, I'm here for you. It hurts. Things do eventually get better. Don't give up.
Me: In the United States, there are a lot of factors that cause teenage suicide. Sometimes, there's a combination of them. They include trauma, loss, domestic violence and bullying among others. So please. Don't be a bystander. Help them.
I know September is five months away. But I want you to think about this. Every week in September, the United States promotes a weeklong campaign that promotes suicide prevention and the warning signs of suicide. It's called the National Suicide Prevention Week. Each year, they hold this week to correspond with World Suicide Prevention Day on the 10th of September. This year, NSPW begins on Sunday September 8 and ends on Saturday September 14. Please raise awareness and do something. Because being a bystander can make you feel as bad as the enemy.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I can move on to this. No promo this time. For one thing, I spent too long on the suicide awareness (not that I don't regret it). And second of all, I'm not doing Hard Knocks next. I'm doing an original chapter about everyone dealing with what happened.
Review. Fave. Alert. Whatever. You guys know what to do.
BYE!