Leo almost immediately lost his mistrust of her, just because of a few words she just said. 'Everything we love will be lost.' That simple statement did more to snap him out of this depression that had been plaguing him these past few weeks than anything else could. It was also her calm presence that soothed him further. He could actually feel that she didn't mean them any harm. "All right, you have our attention. Now would you care to elaborate?"
"As if mere mortals could understand." The man in red said behind her. It was also the same voice that had rubbed Leo the wrong way outside already. With this one Leo could feel the underlying hostility aimed towards him.
"I really don't care for your tone." Leo told him, his gaze not backing down from the poorly hidden glare.
"You were not brought here to like my tone, creature. You were brought here to do our bidding."
Leo decided that the dislike between them was mutual. He didn't like this pompous ass either. "We do noone's bidding." Was his firm reply.
"You will do as we tell you!"
"You want to take a bet on that?" Leo crossed his arms.
From the fire bowl in the far corner came an irritably amused snort and the red clad man looked over at it in annoyance. "Be still spirit! You're presence is only tolerated because it is also needed!" There were a few growling noises that came from the bowl, then it was still.
Leo and his brothers exchanged a long look over that interaction.
Amaterasu's eyes flashed with mild anger before she turned to the man behind her. "Kagu-tsuschi, I quickly grow tired of your bickering. Have you not learned yet that they must willingly submit or all our efforts will be in vain? I begin to wonder if your godhood given immortality is also interfering with your good reason."
Mikey leaned in close to Raph. "Dude...their speech is confusing me...did she just insult him?"
Raph crossed his arms with a wide grin as he looked at the man. "Yup."
Mikey grinned along with him. "I like her already."
Amaterasu smiled at him a moment as Leo quieted them both with a glare. Then he looked back at the goddess in front of him. "Ok, for the sake of the argument, and so we can all move on here, let's just assume you are all gods. You obviously pulled some strings to get us here, so there is nothing really to deny that proof. And it's also obvious that you need our help for something. Now," He glared at Kagu-tsuchi a moment "would you care and try giving us an explanation again? Because I really need a good reason not to beat the living, immortal shit out of you for controlling our wives like puppets." That last part came out in an angry growl as he stared them all down.
He felt Vicky's hand slide into his as she moved closer to him. "Leo...insulting them, if they are gods, might not be the best idea."
"I wasn't insulting them. I was just giving them a fair warning what is about to happen if I don't get some answers."
"I may join in that myself." Hide agreed with an angry rumble.
She facepalmed.
Amaterasu's face grew serious then, even grave as she looked over the gathered group. Then her eyes settled on the Autobot leader as he patiently waited. "I know what you fear gentle one. The first stirrings of it stirred within you the night you discovered the dark energon. It pains me to inform you that those fears are valid and the legends are not legends after all. The one you fear most, comes even now."
Prime's eyes grew wide as the words hit him. "Unicron..."
She nodded slowly. "The Lord of Chaos."
There was a thud behind them and Leo turned to look, to find Cris had passed out on the floor.
"Cris!" Raph was by her side in an instant, and even Leo quickly moved to her. Both turtles kneeling down even as Donnie came over to make sure she wasn't hurt.
It was the concern for her that blinded him to what was coming from Vicky. A terrified fear. He looked back up to her to find her shaking violently and almost ready to faint herself. He quickly grabbed her hand and guided her to the floor before she did, and she clung to him, shaking.
"That...has never happened before." Raph said mystified as he watched Donnie work. "She's never fainted from fright..."
"She's got a right to be scared Raph." Dennis said in a shaky voice. "Unicron..." He shook his head in disbelief. "Even after everything we've already seen...I still wasn't expecting this..."
"Who the fuck is this unicorn guy?!" Raph asked in frustration.
"Unicron." Donnie corrected even as Cris started to come back around.
"Whatever!"
Even the Autobots were standing in surprised shock at this information. It took a long while for Hide to snap out of it enough to where he could answer a rapidly getting pissed Raph. "He is the opposite of Primus."
"Say what now?"
Cris was shaking as she sat up. "That is a great simplification of him Hide."
"Long explanations waste time." He shrugged.
"He is the embodiment of everything Primus is not." Amaterasu clarified. "Death, destruction, chaos. Where primus values order and life."
"And he's the size of a fucking planet!" Vicky added. "Let's not forget that little tidbit."
"Not quite so large as most, but immense none the same."
"Well excuse me if I was a mile or two off." Vicky sarcastically shot back. "Let me get this straight, Unicron is coming, and you call them here, pester them with dreams and visions of his arrival, and you expect the guys to fight this overgrown shit factory?! He's out in space!"
"No, gentle companion, that is not the entire reason. The descendant of the Primes is given the chore to bring the Chaos Bringer low. But not even mighty Unicron fights alone. Even as ancient Primus has delegated members of the cybertronians to watch and defend against his return, Unicron himself has his agents who spread his destruction. His heralds. They sow the seeds of destruction before the arrival of their master. Making his task of world destruction easier by bringing the defenses of the planet low. By the time they are done, there is nothing left to withstand the ultimate fate Unicron will impose onto what remains. Even now they come, if they do not already walk upon the face of our gentle home, minor forms have already descended and have met their end. It is those beings who need to be brought down, so the descendant of the Primes may focus on his own herculean task."
Cris groaned as she dropped her face into her hands. "Can I please just faint again and wake up when the bad news ends?"
Leo was feeling the same way Cris was, frustrated and a little overwhelmed. And Vicky's added fear wasn't helping. "And how exactly do you expect us to do that? Last time I checked, we really aren't any match for a planet eating Bot, or his cronies we've come up against so far. And something tells me that they are just going to get bigger and badder."
"They shall. That you are correct on assuming. What you have seen so far is nothing compared to what shall come soon. He has his own champions. Four beings he took and stripped them of who they had once been, conforming them to meet his needs. No more are they free thinking individuals, but pawns of their master and will do whatever he commands them to do, and he commands the apocalypse."
"The four horsemen." Donnie mumbled, then shook his head. "I thought that was just a bible story."
"It's not the first time our histories have collided." Hide reminded him. "It very well may be that some of our legends have been transferred to your religion."
"That's going to upset a lot of folks in the religion community." Donnie grumbled back.
Hide just shrugged. "Not my fault."
"These mule riders have names?" Mikey asked curiously.
"War, Conquest, Famine and Death." Donnie replied.
Hide looked at him curiously. "Interesting, in our legends it is War, Pestilence, Famine and Death."
"Well...I guess you could conquer something by pestilenceing the heck out of it." Donnie rubbed the back of his head.
Mikey chuckled. "Dude...is that even a word?"
"It is now."
"We waste time with this foolishness! They sit here and discuss tales from long past even as the Dark One comes ever closer!" Kagu-Tsuchi crossed his arms in anger as he looked on with contempt.
"It helps them understand." Amaterasu calmly replied. "This they need to do so they can better comprehend the task we have just laid upon them."
"You still didn't answer my question." Leo said. "How do you expect us to fight something like that? We couldn't even keep the smaller ones down."
"I suppose I could build a big gun." Donnie said wryly.
"Yay! Big guns! Oh! Maybe she'll turn us into big Autobots! Just call me Mikeyabot, the ninja robot that transforms into a large turtle!" Mikey chirped and Raph facepalmed that time.
Leo looked at all of them with slight annoyance, wishing they would be quiet for five minutes.
Amaterasu wasn't so annoyed with it though it seemed. Her eyes were sparkling with amusement as a slight smile formed on her lips. "No. That is not what I wish to do, though you would make an impressive Cybertronian."
"Not very likely. Not sure a large metal turtle would be very intimidating." Sunny grumbled and Sides snickered.
"With orange flames for a paintjob! Ever seen a turtle with orange flames!"
"Will you quit already!" Leo finally snapped at his little brother before addressing Amaterasu again. "What did you have in mind then?"
She looked at him quietly a long while, then sighed quietly as she looked at her now somewhat antsy companions around her. Her face turned back to him when she got the reluctant looks of agreement from them. "There are other legends that are more than just tales to be told to children. Some of these hold great power, more than he stories lead you to believe. I wish to give you this power, but it will change you. Once given, it can not be taken away. That fact alone comes with a price." She glared at her companions this time, her eyes very angry with them. "A price I may add, I did not wished forced against you."
"My decision stands firm Amaterasu." Kagu-Tsuchi narrowed his eyes. "Mortals can not be trusted with this. They will be corrupted by it and will seek to rise above themselves once the task is done."
"I do not think so." She replied firmly. "Not these mortals. But I have no time to enter long negotiations with you. The price, my champions, is that you will depart from this world to dwell in the land of the spirits."
"No!" Vicky snapped. "What kind of bargain is that? You ask them to come here to fight...whatever...and their reward is to die? Are you serious?"
Amaterasu winced a little. "Not die. I would not take their life from them. But it has been agreed, by vote, that if they succeed they can not dwell here on this mortal plane. They will live on, in a plane where their new powers will not be so unusual. It will actually be very common there."
"No!" Vicky was trembling in anger now. "I won't let you do that!"
"Then everything here is lost. For I can not gain the co-operation of these gods without that agreement." She looked sadly on as Vicky started crying. "Though, I never wanted this. I have watched them for a very long time and see no need for it."
"I do." Kagu-Tsuchi firmly replied, unshaken by the fact that Vicky was now crying in Leo's arms as he tried to calm her, and similar reactions were happening with his brother's wives.
Leo didn't like it either. The thought of living on without her... It almost broke his resolve. He wouldn't be there with them, but they would have a chance to live on. Lavi and Ty would live on, be able to form their own strong bonds with their mates. All of them, plus countless others, would continue with their life in a world that wouldn't be torn apart.
"Daddy...no..." Lavi whispered as she read his expression, and what he was thinking. "Don't..."
"I'm sorry turtle dove." He looked at her, and saw the tears in her eyes. "If this is what has to be done, I agree to it." He gave her and the other three children he raised a sad look as Ty, Dennis and Amy hovered around a now crying Lavi. "At least I can go knowing I did what I could for you, all of you."
He gently removed Vicky from his arms and handed her to Dennis then approached the Goddess, noticing as he did that his brothers had also passed their upset wives to their just as bad off children and approached with him. "Do it."
