The Diego Diaries: Trials and Tribulations (dd6 448)
-0-There, somewhere
Sideswipe paused before Primus, then knelt down. Touching his forehead to the ground, he sat up to stare at the warrior god that he reverenced. Primus fought Unicron to a standstill. That was something that reverberated in his head constantly. This mech was a warrior's warrior and his inspiration. Standing, he turned toward Ratbat and Micronus. "There isn't anyone here, just like Ratchet said, who doesn't have their own stories. We were abandoned, Sunny and me. Blue had his entire city and family obliterated before his optics. He was the only one standing. All of us have their stories. But none of us turned out like you, Ratbat.
"No one ever helped us. No one ever cared enough to try. We were on our own forever and even if we wanted it," he said glancing around the vast area, "we knew You weren't going to come. It was on us. US, Ratbat! I agree. When do we stop being adults and need supervision? Sunny and me never accepted supervision. Maybe it would've made some things easier but we didn't care. We were made adults from the moment we were left and it was up to us to decide how it was going to be. When we did get genitors again, we chose them ourselves. IT WAS OUR DECISION!
"We became criminals because there was little else for kids our age to do then without the state interfering with our freedom. It was either get exploited or exploit others ourselves. We don't say it was right but it was what we did. We weren't going back. That was our choice and everything that followed was on us. Our decision, our outcomes, our burden ... it was ours alone. When the war came and we chose the Autobots, we were mocked because everyone thought we'd become Decepticons. FRAG THAT! We weren't traitors. We were a lot of things but we weren't traitors to Cybertron and the Decepticons were. Prime had the Matrix. He was trying to save everything and everyone. He was … he was holy. I would never go against that, ever."
He turned toward Primus. "You were my ideal. You're the warrior I hope to become. My kids study You in school and all around us the relics remind us that we are one, that You and the Others love us. We fragged up royal but its on us. IT'S ON US! We can make it better now and we have. Because we can now, we could have then but it didn't happen. It isn't on You that it did, Lord Primus. No one made you take bribes and sell out all of us, Ratbat. No one made Decimus ignore the miners or steal things and Contrail help you destroy Tarn and Vos. You made that decision yourselves and something tells me that even if They had intervened to help, it wouldn't have changed one thing anyone in charge did or planned to do going forward, Ratbat. Or you either, Contrail. You know what you did, you had power given to you and you used it like a hammer. I don't blame Them," Sideswipe said nodding toward Primus. "I put the blame squarely where it belongs … on you."
With that, he walked back to Sunny and Blue, hugging them as they turned back to watch. It was silent, then Prime turned toward Primus, bowing lowly. "Lord Primus … all of our people are my responsibility. During the war, things were confused and difficult. We did our best to secure the relics and as many of our people as we could. It was deeply chaotic and difficult. There were those who assisted," he said glancing at a pensive Heatout and Dai Atlas, "and many who did not." He stared at Contrail and a defiant Ratbat. "I am not in a position to make the decisions for them here and now in this place but I am compelled by my beliefs and the genitors and family who raised me to ask You to factor in what everyone has said. All of us lived in the same cruel system, but not everyone survives the experience in the same way. There are more prisons in life than poverty. Even if gilded, chains are still chains.
"You were not obligated to intervene. We do not need more genitors and we were not children. We had Your guidance in the Chronicles and other sources but we did not heed it. It is on us that this has happened. I am asking for mercy, however, because we are at the end of a long rocky road and bear the consequences together of generations of bad decisions and cruelty. Thank you for your wondrous love and mercy," Prime said as he bowed lowly. Behind him, most of the crowd did the same.
Primus looked at Prime like a son, which he was. "You are a treasure to me, Optimus Prime." He looked at Ratbat and Contrail. "You wished to control the Matrix. Perhaps it is time for you to learn the folly of your ways."
It was still for a moment, then Primus began to glow. When He was difficult to ascertain behind the shield of light that formed around Him, a figure began to emerge standing up from His body like Primus had been a chair upon which He sat. It was a light body individual who walked down the steps toward them. Halting shortly before Prime, he solidified into a youth, a phenomenally beautiful youth whose body was covered with the moving images of galaxies, stars that shown brightly and the odd comet straying past. He showed the universe, all universes on his armor as He smiled at Prime. "Hello, Optimus Prime. It is good to see you in this reality at last, old friend."
Prime knelt as he stared at the figure. Behind him, the others did, all but Ratbat who stared warily at the youth and Contrail who was still on his knees. Behind him, Primus sat as Himself again, watching quietly all that was unfolding. The figure looked at the others, then grinned. "Please ... all of you … stand."
They did, then Ratbat walked closer to him. "Who the frag are You?" he asked with deep suspicion.
The figure turned toward him, then smiled. "Why, Ratbat … I am the Matrix."
An agonized groan was heard in the crowd as Neo followed by Laret staggered forward, collapsing on her knees before the figure. "It is so. Forgive me what I've done. I love you," Neo stammered as Laret knelt beside her. Mraz, Gravitas, Eronus, and Templar clung to the priests who stood with their arms around them. Sela smiled, then began to softly chant a prayer of thanks to the Matrix.
The figure stared at them, then knelt. "Why do you ask for what you already have, Neo?" he asked.
She looked at him nearly tearfully. "May I touch you?" she asked.
He pulled her to her feet, then hugged her. He hugged Laret as well. "I have admired the philosophy of the big frames since their inception. They believe that you cannot ask for what you already have because they give forgiveness and love unconditionally in their selfless service to The People. They live their philosophy with their forgiving grace. They are close to Us and thereby live with greater fidelity to the Straight Way Forward. You cannot ask for what you already have, Neo."
She nodded tearfully, then stepped back as another figure appeared beside the Matrix out of thin air. It was nearly identical, a shining universal being seemingly made of youth. He smiled at Prime. "I see you again, Optimus Prime."
Prime bowed lowly. "I am honored to see You again though I am unclear what name to call You this time, Lord."
The figure chuckled. "I can see that. Lord AllSpark doesn't have much of a ring to it."
The crowd gasped again, some sinking to their knees once more as the AllSpark and Matrix grinned at them. "They are a very reverent group," the Matrix said as the AllSpark nodded.
Micronus grinned at them. "Brothers, what mischief do you wish to conjure this time?"
Prime who had guessed that the AllSpark was the repository of The One among The People when He came to interact with the lower dimensional planes some time before wavered between falling to his knees to stay there forever and assisting Them through any demand whatsoever, though he didn't know how. Prowl who had been told about the AllSpark's purpose by Prime knelt with shock on his face. Prime glanced at him, then the two. Why They were here Themselves, he didn't know. "Lords, what can we do here? We wish to do the right and just thing."
"The frag you do, Prime. You just want a scapegoat." Ratbat looked at the two figures who were watching him with no small interest. "Where were you when we needed you? How come you didn't help us when things turned to slag? Why should we reverence you as gods when you don't give a frag about us when it really matters?"
They glanced at each other, then the Matrix moved closer. "Ratbat, you are wrong in a number of your assumptions. We are always with you. The Matrix device allows Me to be here. The AllSpark is many things but It is here among You and always was until Megatron tried to take It into his control," he said. "The other Primes … they were unworthy and I left them to keep them from using My power to harm others. Guardian was the only good Prime in the past after the Pantheon and Nova was the last Prime altogether that I shared Myself with until Orion Pax came into the Senate like a supernova. I had waited so long alone." He glanced at the AllSpark who nodded solemnly.
"We have always been here. We are focal points of comfort for you and All That Is. All sparks granted lives move through the Matrix." The Matrix glanced at Primus, then Ratbat again. "Lord Primus is The Gateway to The One but the Matrix is The Gate to you. All sparks that are born no matter the method come to Lord Primus through The One. Lord Primus is the Gateway to a new life. But I am the Gate. Each leaves through Me and all come back to Me before returning to Primus and The One. I remember every new face, every pure spark, every hopeful ambition including all of you. I receive back every broken spark, every sorrow and pain when they return. Every child who died in the wars, every adult, every member of your families who were taken away because of the choices made came to Me for comfort first. It is My function and everlasting honor to do so. They are all safe and sound, well, comforted, and aware of you. They watch you and when they can, they come into your dreams to comfort you. None of you and none of them were ever alone, though it must have seemed like it, I can imagine. That, too, is a construct that you make in your separation."
"Frag philosophy. What happens now? Did you come to cart us off to The Pit?" Ratbat said sourly as Contrail groaned loudly in his fright.
The AllSpark seemed to pulse with light, then He moved closer. "THERE IS NO PIT! THERE IS NO HELL, NO PLACE OF ETERNAL TORMENT! What offenses constitute such things? NONE! THE ONE CREATED YOU! THE ONE LOVES YOU NO MATTER WHAT! HOW COULD YOU IMAGINE THAT A FATHER COULD HARM THEIR CHILDREN FOR ANY REASON AFTER THEIR TORMENT AND NOT TAKE THEM IMMEDIATELY BACK IN EMBRACE!?"
A barrage of thunder rolled through the gigantic room as lights flashed from unseen lightning somewhere in the cosmos. For all they knew, stars could have gone supernova and were quasars now from the intensity of His reaction. The figure of the AllSpark rose to a gigantic height as around It the wind began to whirl. Thunder rolled, then He began to subside. When He was back to the glowing youth, He shook His helm in frustration. "Forgive me. I love completely and wish you no fear. It is not a part of Me that I give fear to anyone. I loathe hateful doctrines that make you believe that you are less than the perfect beings you really are and after a lifetime of pain and suffering more awaits you. How can a father condemn Their children? How can someone who had a terrible life or suffered believe they will go to more at their passing? It is not true. You are love. You are going to remain so even if you forget it in this life. You will come with Me, Ratbat. You are in need of great care and love," the youth said. "You, Contrail, will go to the Matrix and remain there until you remember who you really are."
Contrail stood and stumbled back. "NO!" he said before the AllSpark raised His arm and the mech disappeared.
Ratbat stared at the empty space, then began to run. He disappeared immediately.
Micronus glanced at the AllSpark with a grin. "Don't worry. He'll be back."
He was. He slid to a halt in the same spot, then glanced around for a hiding place. Before he could find one, the AllSpark raised His arm again and the bot disappeared. It was intensely, almost ominously silent in the vast space, then love seemed to permeate every cell and diode in their bodies. It washed over them, emanating everyone knew from the AllSpark who was looking at them with overwhelming love and welcome. As the crowd and Powers stared at the empty spaces where the two were, the sound of music began to filter through everyone's emotions. Lights flew from the darkness above, falling down among them as they swirled around. Halting beside the AllSpark and Matrix, the lights formed into mechs.
Elder, Femme, Freedom, Life, Youth, Happiness, and Truth were there. The immutable elemental truths of life, the concepts that were universal, the wisdom that was as old as All That Is came to join the conversation.
They glanced at Primus, then turned to the AllSpark and Matrix. Bowing, They gathered around the two. The AllSpark grinned, then looked at the solemn group watching all of them. "We are always here. It is up to you to think otherwise. All of Us are here." He turned to Primus who stood, then bowed Himself to the AllSpark, something that baffled everyone but Prime and Prowl. As He did, the rest of the Pantheon bowed to the AllSpark as well. With a glowing light rising in His body, the AllSpark smiled at the overwhelmed group watching. He began to rise into the air as His body began to ruffle, like wheat in a light breeze. "Do not worry about them. They are with Us who love them even as We love you. It is now, always was and ever will be unconditional," He said, then burst into sparkles. All of them danced in the sky, then faded away.
Bots in the group watched them fade, their incredulity clear to see. Then the Matrix rose slowly, staring at the group with a look of love on His beautiful face. "You are loved. You came through Me, you will come back to Me. Do not make it too soon," He said with a slight grin. He began to spin with light bursting outward, then He flew back to Primus and reversing His emergence, He sat back into Primus and dimmed away. A small flash of light illuminated Prime, almost as a salute from the Matrix returned to him once more.
It was silent, then the Pantheon stood almost as one. They turned toward Primus, then bowed. He nodded His helm, then with delight on Their faces for the gathered watching, They faded away as well. It was just the group and Primus at last. He leaned forward. "I am delighted with the progress of Cybertron. I know it will take a long time and there are still dangers uncounted, but you work hard and I am pleased. For those of you who came back to Me from dark roads trod with Megatron, you are heroic and you mustn't forget that. I am happy to see you back and there must be no regrets to mar your redemption. They are a waste of energy and self love. I will also assist you that testified and have returned to our fold by wiping the memories from the jury of your true identities so that you will have a full chance to live as you were designed to do without being found out by others. As for the rest ..." He glanced at Optimus. "You have the one you need."
The Great One, the Shining Son of The One sat back, then looked at the archetypes who were waiting for Him. He grinned. "You have your path and I know you will honor it. As for these ..." He nodded to the archetypes. "They will assist. Come to Me. It is time."
They grinned at him, Prime and the others, then light began to build in them as the seven prepared to return to The One From Whom All Goodness Flowed. Upward they burst, flying in concert with each Other as They spun overhead in a beautiful dance, Their light streaking behind Them. They reached Their pinnacle, holding a moment, then flew swiftly toward the helm of Primus Himself as they changed in configuration. They reached it shrinking into luminous lights, then settled, colorfully glowing as They affixed themselves onto the crest of His helm like jewels on a crown. They glowed there, bright and beautiful, adding to the almost impossible beauty of Their bearer.
Primus stood, then looked at them with an intense expression of love. "You are My jewels, all of you. You are My glory. You are a part of All That Is. You are connected to Me and Everything That Is by bonds of love that cannot be broken. Your life journey is to learn and feel delight. How swiftly you forget that. No matter what, remember that you are profoundly and completely loved," He said as the room began to fade.
They were back in the courtroom once again.
-0-TBC 8-20-18 edited 8-21-18