Here's the next chapter! Lots going down in this one, on top of a few more surprises! I hope you all enjoy! I DO NOT OWN TRANSFORMERS! Bear with me because I haven't written 3rd POV in a while, but it's necessary for this part! Also some of the backstory for this fic is based off of the fic Extinction isn't always forever by Moonlightdeer! It's turned into a collab fic, and her characters will be making an appearance at some point, some more frequently, and with bigger roles than others! Just wanted to throw that out there!
(3rd POV)
Every able bodied person, human or Cybertronian stood frozen, staring up at the massive form towering over them and blocking out the sun with his monstrous bulk. No words were uttered, the silence so deafening that one could only hear the deep rumbling breaths escaping the large draconic being standing over them.
Once red and blue plating, had turned to thick scales of the same color, that covered the entirety of the once Cybertronian Optimus Prime. A splash of silver decorating his underbelly, and maw, similar to his previous form's face and protoform.
Large wings sat atop bulky shoulders, the top of the membranes being stained a dark blue that gradually brightened until it turned to a violent red near the bottom. Two sets of three horns sat atop his head, the middle being larger than the ones lining it on either side, each being a dark gray, with a blue tip on each, from behind them, two large rows of spikes rose skywards from his neck, gradually shortening into stubs as they travelled down to the base of the neck, and ending entirely between the wings.
The red parts of his hide licked at the blue parts, like the flames that decorated his previous armor. Both colors melding together and clashing into a bright violent lining between the two. His stocky, muscular build was accentuated by a long, thick tail that flicked out from behind him, the brunt of it turning and revealing a sword like, metallic tip, similar in design to his arm blade.
Eyes that were slitted like a reptile stared down at everyone gathered in a daze, the pupil being a dark blue, that being surrounded by a bright silver that lined the entire length of it, surrounding it on all sides, and then that was further accentuated by a bright electric blue that took up the rest of his reptilian irises.
Ratchet stood up, slowly approaching him. "Optimus… what in the name of Primus happened to you?"
He blinked as if to dispel the fog in his mind, breathing heavily through his nostrils and expelling a cloud of blue and red smoke. "Ratchet… what am I? I do… not feel like… myself…"
Three toned eyes drifted down, taking in the large dark gray claws resting on what were most definitely not peds, but instead looked like massive paws. He craned his stout, yet still somewhat elongated neck around in an effort to take in his new features, but some of the protruding armor plating on his shoulders prevented the action due to the angle of his neck being too low to pass over the top.
Instead he slammed his snout against the sharp edge of one of the thicker plates, jolting back with a snort that sent another cloud of thick smoke into the air. "What in the name of Primus…?" He exclaimed, not being able to fully comprehend what was going on.
"That ain't got nothin' to do with Primus!" Ironhide grunted. "Last I knew, having contact with the Matrix didn't cause a Prime to turn into one of those organic predacon things, like the ones from…" He skimmed over mentioning Clare's name out loud, because he knew that her death was a fresh, festering wound in the sparks of quite a few of the bots around him. "…the runt's video games?!"
Three toned eyes widened, snapping around in their sockets to try and take in all he could, becoming aware of the fact that seeing directly ahead was difficult, due to his eyes now sitting on the sides of his head and not at the front as they had with his Cybertronian helm. "But... how?!" He murmured, and nobot had an answer for him.
At least until Sam spoke up. "Optimus! The Twelve remaining Primes! They left a message that... Clare... worked out! They said that the Matrix granted a power that was too great for Primus to let them keep! This must be it... this was what they were trying to keep from the Fallen!"
All attention was on the human teen for a few moments after that, at least until an enraged roar sounded, causing all, including the now Dragon Prime, to turn to face the source. Megatron, he was charging directly towards Optimus, the first round already flying towards Optimus' side. "No matter what form you take Prime! I will offline you! I did so before, and I shall do so again!" He roared, the sound accentuated by round after round piercing the air from his cannon.
There were shouts of dismay when the large rounds hit, detonating on contact.
Yet, nothing happened, the smoke cleared after each one, to reveal no injury, only singed blue and red scales. This did not deter the Decepticon Warlord though, as he continued to charge, causing the humans who tried to stop him to scatter to avoid being stomped into the sand and undoubtedly crushed.
Optimus huffed, a sense of irritation filling him as he raised his front left paw from the ground, rolling onto his right side slightly, before simply slapping Megatron away with his massive appendage, larger in width and height than his nemesis by quite a degree. The force easily swatting him into a sand bank on the other side of the battlefield through two buildings. "Pest." He grumbled, his scaly lips parting in an irritated snarl.
"Yo! Prime jus' bitchslapped bucket helm like a lil' glitch!" Skids exclaimed, high fiving Mudflap before the two found themselves on the receiving end of Ratchet's wrench.
"Shut up you stupid half bits! This situation is hardly something to be laughing at!" The CMO cursed angrily. He was obviously still upset at himself for not being able to save Clare, and to compound his frustration now Prime had apparently been altered into an entirely different species… and he had no idea what their leader now was, or how to treat him and get him back to normal.
"Ratchet… that kind of behavior is not helping anything." Optimus rumbled in a deep baritone growl, one that was cut off when something suddenly rammed him in the side with enough force to actually knock him off his large paws and onto his other side, eliciting a startled bellow from him as he struggled to roll himself back upright, at one point his hind leg snapped out, the appendage slamming into a ruined building and sending all that was left of it flying through the air with the impact.
A flash of silver tinged with copper flashed by in front of him, snatching the Matrix that had been laying haphazardly discarded on the ground after Optimus' change. The current Prime having no opposable servos to pick it up with, if he'd even noticed it at all. That left The Fallen with a perfect opening to swoop in and snatch it up.
The former Prime shot up to transform and land on top of a dilapidated pyramid, with the Matrix clutched in his wicked claws. "Finally I, Megatronous, can be restored to my full power. With Ierena dead, and your current disciple unable to use his new form, there is nothing that you can do to stop me Praxidrakulus! Now all I have to do is contend with your pet, and Sion, and no one will be able to stand against me!" He roared, as he raised the Matrix over his helm and thrust it into his spark casing, which then exploded into a pulsating wave of energy that expanded outwards and covered his entire frame. That of which began to expand as well, the sound of metallic plating bending outwards to accommodate the growth was clear to hear over the howling wind of the desert, the light was just dim enough to show as what were once bipedal legs and arms seemed to morph into something that was distinctly not Cybertronian. He grew large paws, with claws that gripped onto the pyramid that he was perched on, which began to buckle and cave as his body elongated and grew, adding to the weight bearing down on the ancient structure. His spine elongated, seeming to outstretch his body and show vertebrae that were very much made of bone, not metal, but they were quickly obscured by the muscle and tissues that quickly grew over them. Boney plating grew over the flesh that was pulsating with silvery veins, that pumped lifeblood that was not like anything those gathered had ever seen before. He hunched as the rest quickly formed, the faded maroon colored armor closing in on everything that needed to be protected, revealing his surprisingly emaciated form, the bone structure sticking out from where the plates were a bit weaker. The armor near his shoulders split as flesh seemed to expand outward like winding tendrils that quickly merged together to form first the skeletal structure of the wings, and then the sickly gray, tattered membranes formed immediately afterwards.
Tattered wings spread upwards, beating several times with such force that it caused the pyramid beneath to finally crumble, and whipped up a sandstorm that sent several vehicles that were close by flying, the force sending the bots back as well as the humans who were simply flung away with the force of the wind, eliciting startled shouts of terror from them.
He tilted his head back, two sets of three horns and two rows and spikes that were a mirror image of the newly turned Prime clipping against the protruding shoulder armor he'd sprouted, as his blood red, and electric blue eyes flashed when he let off a bellowing roar. "Finally! I am Fallen no more! Bow down before the true form of Megatronous!"
Those down below stared up at the Fallen's new form with identical expressions of fear, all besides the newly turned Prime who's eyes suddenly flashed purple…
(Optimus POV)
I barely had time to react to the sight before me, when something else invaded my mind, a presence which overwhelmed me without fight due to my shock at all the events currently transpiring.
"Relax young one, I'm merely here to help."
That voice... "Primus?" It was an off servo... paw... guess, but the rumbling chuckle which echoed around my helm as I lost all control of my own body, both confused and unsettled me greatly.
"Your perception, apparently one of your greater attributes, is correct. Now, seeing as you have no idea how to use your new body, I'll be taking the opportunity to... oh what's that phrase that I've heard Sion, and Ierena say from time to time, a human term I believe... 'Get back in the saddle'? 'Stretch my legs?' It does not matter, they're the ones who have to put up with the humans, they know the terms better than I do."
I was left, for the most part, shocked. Yet, a question made it through. "What do you mean by that?"
Before I could respond, I realized I was moving, legs pushing down and getting fully underneath my form from where they'd been laying haphazardly since I'd been knocked over, a sense of dizziness filling me at the sudden distance from the ground which my helm sat at on my elongated neck, which had formed a shallow 's' shape.
"At ease Optimus, I know what I'm doing. Allow me to deal with my own mess. Megatronus should have been dealt with eons ago, and I'd rather not burden Ierena or Sion with this mess. Sion because she has much to deal with at present, and Ierena because she has not lived all the years she has been alive. She's still too young and inexperienced to handle him at present."
That explained nothing… If anything it left me completely confused as to who Ierena, and Sion were… I had never heard the designations spoken before, and I was feeling even more lost than I was previously.
"Sion and Ierena are both very dear to me, that is all you need to know for now. Now then, I think it's about time I take my former creation to task for his indiscretions. Calling him that makes me feel distinctly old…" Primus rumbled in irritation, quite unlike how I expected our creator to conduct himself. "Now then, if you will excuse me… this aft beating is long overdue."
I could not believe that our creator was so… unformal…
(3rd POV)
Megatronus had been moments from unleashing a fiery hell upon all in the surrounding area when Optimus crashed into him, eyes glowing purple and narrowed down to the finest slits as his large jaws locked tight around his upper throat, fangs putting on so much pressure that they punctured the thick plating there, drawing thick rivulets of silver blood from the wound. Megatronus responded almost instantly with a furious roar, one clawed paw snapping up to try and pry the jaws off as his neck began thrashing, trying to shake his assailant loose but only making the fangs sink deeper and denting the thick plating which covered the underside of his neck.
The possessed Autobot leader slammed a massive paw into Megatrnous' chest in response, a growl ripping free from his upper chest and could be easily heard by all surrounding, even as humans and bots had to run for their lives to prevent the massive paws of the two dragons from crushing them under foot as they struggled against one another, Optimus evidently the stronger of the two, but he was smaller than Megatronus, the maroon and silver dragon taking advantage of this whenever he could, despite Optimus gouging and ripping at the thick armor plating protecting the flesh underneath Megatronus' neck and upper chest. Finally, the former Fallen was able to rip himself away, raising his claws and smacking Optimus' on the side of the face with enough force to knock him away and get some distance between them so that he could recover somewhat from his injuries.
He lowered himself closer to the ground, angling his back so that the injured area was less exposed. Then he charged towards his slightly smaller, and more vibrant colored opponent, head being lined up like a battering ram so that his sharp horns would puncture the sensitive underbelly of the current Prime, while the thick silver plates which lined the top of his helm and between his horns were aimed more at snapping whatever came into contact with it.
But much to his surprise Optimus, who should not have known instinctively what to do in retaliation, spun and smacked him away with his thick sword tipped tail, the dangerous edge slicing into his neck and sending silver blood raining down on the ground as Megatronous stumbled back from the blow, shaking his head back and forth to try clearing the daze he was now in.
"Did you really think that I would allow myself to be bested by such a simple maneuver Megatrnous? A hatchling fights with more tactile movements than that!" A deep, rumbling voice boomed across the battlefield, emanating from Optimus, despite him not actually speaking.
Megatronous eyed Optimus' body with barely concealed fear. "Praxidrukulus? What are you doing here?!"
"I have come to put an end to your reign of terror Megatronous! My power was the gateway through which you were brought into existence, and it will also see to your demise. You will never be allowed to plague this world, or any others again. I will not allow you to continue being a threat to Sion, or Ierena! Today is the day I end this for good!"
At that Megatronous maw widened, sharp serrated teeth being revealed in a macabre smile. "You are too late to save Ierena Praxi! She has already met her end, just moments before you arrived! How does it feel to know that you are too late to save her after all you have done to ensure her survival? My namesake has already done away with her and in your current state there is nothing that you can do about it!" He cackled gleefully.
"You are truly a fool if you think that she is truly dead Megatronous. I have put plans for every possible contingency into effect long before you were even created, or were aware of her existence. It is a gift that comes with the ability of foresight."
A thundering growl escaped Megatronous as he spread his legs and took an attack ready stance. "Then I shall have to contend with her again once I've taken care of you! It is not like you can remain in your pet's body for long Praxi! When you are forced to return to your slumber, I will kill him! Then I will hunt down Sion and contend with her, and then no one will be left to protect Ierena! You cannot make up for your shortcomings when she is truly dead! Your plans will all be destroyed by me! In the glorious name of my master!"
"Try stalling as you will, but I desire nothing more than to get back to beating the hell out of you!"
Without missing a single moment, harsh arcs of electricity began dancing over the Prime's frame, jolting out from around the armored chest area and racing down him on all sides before suddenly jarring up and flowing up into the six horns which sat on either side of his helm, having run between the rows of spikes behind them, which seemed to look like biological tesla's, before vanishing into the scales between and to the sides of them. Not a moment after the blinding light show, the Prime's jaws snapped open, unleashing a flurry of lightning like bolts towards the larger, emaciated dragon, who had barely a moment to react before it stuck him directly in the lower neck, the ensuing explosion of force and electricity sending the male back a good few hundred meters.
A massive tremor rocked the ground when he slammed into it, skidding a good few dozen meters further, and whipping up more sand and debris with the force that his body hit with. The force with which the sand particles hit the gathered bots' armor with, caused a flurry of sound akin to bullets ricocheting off of a hard surface.
He finally came to a rest at the base of a large sand dune, where he laid dazed for a few seconds, before he quickly regained his bearings and pushed himself up before Praxi could close the distance and capitalize by pouncing on his downed form.
He widened his stance, summoning a current of electricity over his body in the exact same way that Praxi had done prior. Quickly charging it up, he opened his mouth and fired at Praxi, who was within a few feet of him, the blast hitting him point blank in the silver scales which made up his face with enough force to send his body flying through another pyramid. the impact left him crashing through the ancient structure, massive chunks of sandstone were sent flying like dust in a hurricane, some crashing dangerously close to humans and bots alike, forcing them to flee even further back in an attempt to escape the danger zone.
His body buckled and rolled across the sand in a tangle of limbs, but he recovered in a fraction of the time it took his adversary to. Within a second he was back upright, just in time for Megatronous to charge in with his horns lowered and ready to skewer his opponent. Praxi quickly countered by lowering his head and charging back, locking horns with the slightly larger form, resulting in a loud bang as their thick skulls slammed together, the shockwave of the impact rippling down both of their necks, akin to mountain goats ramming one another. Massive paws slid along the shifting ground, at one point, one purple eye spotted the twins, still kneeling in the same place they had been before the brawl, staring at Sunstreaker's empty servos, somehow they had gone unscathed, the massive chunks of sandstone dangerously close to them alerting the more vibrantly colored dragon of the danger the two where in.
He was able to move, pushing against his adversary in such a way that he was facing away from the twins, allowing his tail to wrap around the two, and with as much gentleness as he could concentrate on, he flung them away with a bull whip like motion of the tail, sending the unresponsive, yet still clearly conscious mechs flying towards the other Autobots, who quickly rushed to the two limp mechs to continue pulling them away from the two brawling dragons as they continued to push against one another, kicking up thick sand clouds, filled with potentially deadly debris.
They pulled back at the same time, rearing up on their hind legs with bellows of outrage that shook the ground, before their skulls collided again, this time forcing them to remain upright as their long arms began delivering harsh blows to one another's chests and the far thinner abdomens, and anything else which could be reached. Their tails were used to brace their forms as they continued their brawl, hissing, snarling and roaring at one another.
"What's wrong Praxi? Are you so desperate to get rid of me because I pose that much of a threat to your oh so well woven plans, that you would take such a weak and unskilled form without any hesitation?! Ha! You're more fool hardy than that useless piece of slime that my namesake was able to dispatch so easily! You really are a pathetic excuse of a creature you worthless shadow! Even Sion is stronger than you! And she's a useless cripple!" Megatronous snarled out mockingly, all while delivering a harsh blow to the underside of Optimus' chest, partially winding him.
Not a moment after he finished speaking though, it was like the Egyptian Desert had just lost its ability to make sound, a deathly silence rolling over everything within a mere moment. Megatronus seemed to realize some horrendous mistake he had made, his dual color eyes widening in fear as he froze in place, horns still locked together as a low rumble built within the red and blue male he was locked with, the finite slits which made up the center of purple eyes shrunk into tiny dots as fangs became bared and a bright glow built up in the back of his throat and around his chest.
A menacing, haunting, and murderous voice left the now livid male."You really do have a death wish if you dare to speak of Ierena in such a way and call me by such a name, Megatronus, then you have the gall to call Sion a cripple. She is strong, and if there was the possibility that I fail to end you this day, she would destroy, you. But that doesn't matter you just signed your life away... to the grim reaper himself. Say hello to the damned for me, I'm sure they'd welcome you in the underworld… well I know one who will… She's going to enjoy your presence greatly… Along with your brethren."
With that he locked their horns together by twisting his at an angle that interlocked the sets together completely, then he lifted himself up on his hind legs again, dragging the struggling form of Megatronous up with him, until the slightly larger male was standing on his hind limbs, the forelimbs wildly kicking and clawing at his opponent in a futile attempt to claw through the thick armor on his chest.
Then Praxi spun, knocking Megatronous off balance and pinning him on the ground with a tremendous body slam, jaws quickly clamping down on his neck to hold him in place as he squirmed to get free like a frightened animal, the glow in the back of his throat pouring forward in the form of liquid fire, the thick liquid searing Megatronus' damaged under flesh, ripping an agonized scream from him as the liquid goo coated most of the upper part of his neck, the flames sinking into any and all open wounds, and searing the flesh a noxious black as the smell of burning flesh filled the air in all of its nauseating potency.
"Never mess with a shadow Megatronous… you never know when one is going to reach out of a dark little corner, and drag your soul into the void. This has been long overdue… say hello to the underworld… I'm sure they'll enjoy prolonging what I'm doing now!" Praxi growled against his throat, ripping another scream from the pinned mech as his burning wounds were assaulted, legs kicking weakly against the one pinning him, but it had no effect, his wind pipe clenched tight by the crushing force on his neck causing him to lose his ability to mentally function properly. The smaller dragon rumbled contently, before he conjured a current of electricity over his claws and slammed them straight through the weakened plating on Megatronous' chest.
Silver blood spurted up from the gaping wound, which crumbled further in, then exploded outward as a massive wave of heat rushed out from the fallen male's chest. His two toned eyes lost their color, going dim as silver rivulets started pouring out of them, as he coughed more out of his maw.
Then his body twitched one last time, before going completely still, head and neck lolling to the side before crashing to the ground, the rest of his form going still not long afterwards, twitching a few more times from the current ripping through him before going still. What were once scales quickly began crusting over as Praxi ripped his arm back out, molten goo pooling from between his claws as it landed firmly back onto the ground, but only for a moment before he reared up on his hind legs, maw falling open in a triumphant roar which seemed to split the heavens, as the thick storm clouds those around hadn't even noticed, ruptured in a cacophony of sound and light as pillars of electricity struck the ground, barely missing the bots and humans, totaling some buildings as the deafening roar continued, causing all around to have to cover their ears or audios in a barely effective attempt at drowning out the sound. All of this happened while the corpse of his fallen adversary began to fossilize before their eyes, forming a small rocky outcrop, which Praxi quickly tore apart, his paws slamming into it with enough force to shake the ground as he set to work almost blindly destroying the rock formation, until it was mere boulders, scattered across the former battlefield, no turned silver blood bath.
He lowered himself back down onto all fours and made his way back over to the group of Autobots and humans still standing around watching, the Decepticons having already fled when Megatronous had been defeated. "I will return your Prime to you now. Make sure that he knows that his job is not done."
Not one spoke as the purple glow faded from Optimus' eyes, leaving dull blue and silver in its' wake as he fell to the ground in an exhausted heap. "That… was… an interesting and exhausting experience… I hope that there is never another situation where that is necessary…" He mumbled in a daze.
Ratchet rushed forward to kneel next to his head, which was easily big enough to dwarf him at least five times over. "Are you alright?! What was that?! Who the frag is Praxi?!"
Tired blue eyes rolled over to regard him lazily. "I… believe… Praxi and our Creator Primus… are one in the same…"
Ratchet paused in looking him over, though he had no idea how to treat… dragons… "Praxi and Primus are the same being? Are you trying to tell me that our Creator is a giant dragon of unknown origins?"
"Yes." He exhaled heavily, sniffing at the air through his massive nostrils. "Ratchet… I am surprisingly hungry… and something smells enticing…" He rumbled.
They all looked over at where his eyes had zeroed in, comical expressions overtaking their features when they realized that Optimus was smelling the charred frames of the dumb twins, who apparently were not lucky enough to get out of the way when lightning started being flung around during Praxi's victory roar. They were charred from helm to ped, frames frozen because their joints had been completely fried, leaving them unable to move and smoking.
Skids coughed up a cloud of smoke. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"
"Someone should probably do something about them…" Lennox sighed, feeling far too old after this battle.
"I will eat them…" Optimus muttered, saliva dripping from his mouth as he tried to push himself up, a low whir building up in the back of his throat as his jaws began to open wide enough for those around to spot the serrated blades spinning along the sides of his throat, ready to slice through the charred metal of the idiot twins.
"PRIME NO!" Ratchet shouted, along with a good portion of those surrounding.
Optimus huffed, the sound of the blades halting as he instead tried to push himself up. "Very well, Lennox, have your men prepare transport for the injured… I need to go find something to sate this hunger." He declared, eyeing a moderately sized Decepticon which one of his men had dispatched during the fight. "He should do for now…"
Those left behind exchanged worried glances as their Prime lumbered over towards where the corpse lay, limping slightly due to the injuries he had sustained.
None of them knew where this new twist in their lives was going to take them.
(Clare's POV)
Where was I?
I felt like I was a billowing mass…
Not solid… with no weight to me…
I imagine that this is what it felt like to be a cloud…
Time seemed to have no meaning, I didn't even feel it passing. I had no way to keep track of how long passed, since I literally could feel nothing around me. It was like I wasn't awake, but sometimes I felt like I was asleep… and other times I felt as if I was on the verge of consciousness, but I could never cross that threshold and wake up.
I was dead…
I remembered dying…
Death itself wasn't painful to me. It was just like a blanket of cold surrounding me, and pulling me out of my body, and from there I'd been in this place. But it was warm and peaceful here, dark but not ominous…
Even so… I wanted to go back to the land of the living, and return to my friends and family… But most of all, I wanted to return to my twins. Maybe all the dead felt this way? Yearning for what they once had, but could no longer grasp?
We all wanted to live again…
I wanted to live again…
Even in death, I didn't just want to give up and remain here… but I couldn't fight it… There was no way to fight it, no solid form to return to…
Death was absolute. It was inescapable.
I would never get to tease Sam about his nerdiness again, or hang out with Mikeala in her garage. I'd never get roped into helping Uncle Ron with the lawn, or have to drag Aunt Judy away from the weed brownies again.
I'd never get to listen to music with Opi, or sit with Dad and listen to him prattle on about tactics and Cybertronian History, and see the way his normally icy blue optics became warm when he recalled his home with me.
The twins… I think that I'd miss them the most though… I'd miss pulling pranks with Sides, and having to run from Ratchet and his wrenches when he caught on and chased after us. I'd miss the way I would run the other way while Sides acted as a distraction, and I'd make my way back to their room where Sunny would be sitting huddled up in front of his easel working on something, and then I'd crawl into his lap and watch. I always curled up against the warm plating there, and sometimes I'd be lulled to recharge by the peace and quiet that we found ourselves in.
I'd never wake up curled up on top of one of their chassis again…
I already missed it…
"Sometimes what appears to be death is only an illusion young one." A deep, rumbling timber seemed to echo from all around me, wherever that was.
It startled me, not that I physically reacted to it, because I had no body. But I felt distinct surprise at hearing it. "Holy fucking hell! Who's that?!"
When whoever it was next spoke, he sounded distinctly scolding. "Watch your language Ierena! One so young should not be speaking in such a crude manner!"
"Wait… how do you know my name? And how many people know my fucking name?!" I yelped.
"Ierena! What did I just say about you using that language?! Stop cursing! And as for how I know your name, it is because I was the one that gave it to you. Now stop acting like this is unfamiliar territory for you!"
If I could give him a look right now… I totally would, and I was definitely thinking about it right now… Ya know… if I had a face… "This is unfamiliar territory you asshole! I don't even know what the fuck's going on right now!"
"I will explain when you stop cursing like a sailor! That may be how Sion conducts herself, but she was not raised by the most civil of beings! You however, were raised with morals! Act like it!"
The fuck…? Ok, now I was even more confused than I was a couple seconds ago… "Ok first off: Who the he…ck… is Sion? Second: Who the heck are you? Third: What the hell… heck is going on here?! See? I can watch my language somewhat, and be polite. Now tell me what I want to know!"
He sighed, the sound echoing around this realm I was trapped in. "Sion is a relative of yours."
I cut him off before he could continue speaking. "Hey whoa wait for a second there buddy! Are you saying that I have a relative? As in a blood relative? Wait does she even have blood? Because I'm pretty sure that I have energon not blood… But then again… I didn't see any energon or any cables or anything when Simmons had me vivisected. So I've always kind of wondered about that…"
"Your… physicality… has varied as the situation calls for it."
"Eh… confusion level just rose a thousand percent… Is there any way you can explain what's going on in English? As in not in some weird alien pig latin? How the heck do I even have a blood relative that I've never known about?! C'mon buddy give me some answers here! I'm confused and lost!"
He rumbled, though I couldn't tell whether it was in amusement or irritation. "Sion is your cousin, your mother was her Aunt. As for why you have never met her, it is because she is not present in this plane of reality at the moment."
"Uhhhh… what?"
"She is currently in another dimension, dealing with another aspect of this whole… debacle that we've now found ourselves in. You two could not be left together, because the destruction that you both could've caused without adequate supervision had to be avoided, to prevent the world you were placed upon from ending up consumed by complete and total anarchy."
"Jeez… you don't seem to have a lot of faith in our abilities yah know?"
"By the time it was possible to bring you into this world you both would have been infants, with Sion being slightly older than you. With both of your abilities in one place, you both would've caused destruction on a galactic scale. That would not have been good. So we had to separate you two."
"I don't understand what you mean by, 'causing destruction on a galactic scale?' How could I possibly cause such widespread destruction, when I'm like… six feet tall? Literally… I come up to Sides and Sunny's knee! I'm so tiny that they can barely frag me!"
"The body you have been inhabiting is a fake one. Your real one has been kept preserved all this time, waiting for you to return to it when you were ready. Though I am beginning to wonder whether your current caretakers have been a good influence on you…"
If I could've shrugged I would have. "Well I could've turned out like Sam! He's a total wiener!"
"He may be a… wiener, but he seems like he cares for you greatly."
Well that was true, and it made me think back to every instance that he was there for me when I needed it. My thoughts kept drifting back to the moments after Starscream had attacked me, and Sam was the first one to come to my side and ask if I was ok… He'd always been like that when it came down to it, doting and fretting over me… If I ever met him again… I would only tease him half as much!
"I do think that you should treat your friends and family better, but joking here and there is still ok. In fact, I encourage it. But you will have time to make amends later, for now we have many important things to discuss."
"Like what?"
"Let us find a more… scenic place to talk shall we?"
In between one second and the next my energy form seemed to become more tangible, like I now had limbs, almost like when I was alive. But I still felt distinctly… intangible still as well, and when I opened my optics I was floating in the middle of an absolutely massive room.
It was dark and dingy, with plants growing in through cracks in the walls, which were spotted with dirt and grime, barely showing flashes of white here and there from their previous state. Shattered, dirty crystals lined every inch of the massive columns that stretched all the way to the ceiling, which was decorated in even more crystals. It was so high that I almost couldn't see the top actually, even with my high powered optical sensors. I didn't even want to judge the distance…
I was floating in front of a set of enormous stairs, each step big enough to make me feel like I was just a speck of dirt in comparison. I doubted that if I laid down on it you'd be able to distinguish me from the dirt coating them, marring even more crystals that were lining the walkway.
At the very top were two platinum gold thrones lined with crystals, the one in the center was raised, and the one on the right was lowered a bit. I was sure that they were once beautiful, but now they were coated in grime, and some sort of plant was twisting around the center one, almost like ivy overrunning it.
Where was I?
"This was once a place that those like us dare not tread of our own volition."
When I looked back up at the main throne my optics widened when they landed on a friggin' ginormous black dragon sitting on the middle throne! "Oh shit… well… my lifelong dream… of seeing a real life fucking dragon… has come true. I can stay dead and be forever content with being dead! This was the one thing… I never thought I'd get to see on my bucket list! Well fuck if I had my list, and a pen, I'd check it off and then just die afterwards. This is the coolest thing ever!"
Eyes that were a two toned black and purple on the edges, with a cluster of white speckles in the center, that glowed a myriad of luminescent colors of every shade, stared down at me from his massive black head, tipped with two sets of three gray horns on each side, the middle being the largest. He had a plum colored underbelly, and membranes making up the underside of his wings, with brighter lavender colored speckles lining the edges of the rubbery looking appendages.
His body was stocky and muscled, with a stout neck, and broad shoulders and hips. He somehow reminded me of a male body builder… only the tip of his claw was bigger than even the largest human male in the world. That's how freaking huge he actually was!
"My name is Praxidrakulus, but Cybertronians refer to me as Primus."
My thoughts literally came screeching to a sudden halt… "Ok… my processor just shorted out! Did you just say that you're Primus?!"
"Cybertronians call me Primus, but my real name is Praxidrakulus. I'd prefer it if you would call me that, not Primus."
"Ok… uh… Can I shorten that somehow? Not that I can't remember it, but it's a real pain in the aft to say all of it. How about Pax?"
"I would prefer you to call me Praxi."
"Ok… Praxi. Why am I here though? I thought I was dead, and now you're telling me that I'm not. I'm really confused." I admitted honestly.
"I have stated that you are meant to return to your real body, now is the time."
"Praxi can you just get to the point of all this already?! Ancients above, if you carry this out any longer another millennia will have passed before you get to the point! I'm about to pass out from boredom here, and your other guest is anxious to talk to Ierena too!"
I looked towards where the voice came from, and Bob was sitting on the lower of the two thrones. "What?! Bob what the frag are you doing here?! And when could you talk in a femme's voice?!"
"Technically… I was never an insecticon to begin with, not that telling you that would clarify anything at all. I possessed Bob before he even hatched from his egg, and that is why he immediately took a liking to you, and before that I possessed your dog Frankie. It was all me, as Praxi and Liara tasked me with protecting you and Sion. This was the easiest way to do so, without giving too much away. When you return to the Autobots, I will relinquish Bob's body back to him and assume a different form. I grow tired of being an insecticon… I prefer being something more feline in nature."
"You're like a weird cat lady aren't you?" I deadpanned, though I was feeling a good bit of amusement with the situation regardless.
Her form suddenly distorted and glowed a bright luminescent green, shimmering as she seemed to shrink and reform as something distinctly feline, yet still small. When the glow faded a white angora sat with emerald green eyes staring at me. "Ierena I am the definition of a crazy cat lady. Isn't that right Praxi?" She looked up at the massive black dragon staring down at her unamused.
He snorted out a thick cloud of black and purple smoke. "I think we are getting off track again…"
I snorted. "No doubt. So… can we possibly get to the point of all this… kinda dead, but not really dead experience thing?"
"To put this into perspective, that body of yours is merely a temporary vessel. You were never even meant to be trapped in it for this long, but certain… unexpected events forced me to strengthen the seal that binds your… essence to it. Originally you were neither Cybertronian nor human, but another species entirely, but I was forced to extract a small portion of your essence and implant it into a Cybertronian carrier, who you then shifted on an anatomical scale to match. Your essence appears as a spark in this form, and not even the most skilled medic can ascertain that there is anything off with it. For all intents and purposes it is flawlessly disguised. However, your physicality changes as the situation calls for it, and for a time you were not Cybertronian either. Instead you took a human form, when your previous one dispersed due to certain… circumstances… and you became a human infant. That is how you have lived most of your conscious life so far, though there is much that you do not remember from before that time."
"I thought that I was a pretender the whole time though…"
"That was… a side effect that came about after you came into contact with the Allspark… It simply reverted you to a composite form that would allow you to co-exist with whatever side you may have chosen. Think back to when you were… vivisected…" His voice deepened into an angry rumble when he spoke the word. "you admitted that the scientists did not find anything out of the normal for typical human anatomy correct? Why do you think that was?"
Understanding dawned on me fully, causing my optics to widen to the size of saucers. "I was… human then…? Like… not Cybertronian at all?"
"That is correct. I was not joking when I said that your physicality changes when you have need of it, without even needing your consent to do so. It is an inborn ability that those of our kind have always possessed."
My thought process came to a complete, abrupt, screeching halt. I just stared up at him, and he stared back down at me without speaking as I tried to comprehend what he just said! It only took me twice as long as it should've to come up with a conclusion, and when I did my jaw dropped and I just screamed. "I'M A FUCKING GIANT DRAGON?! THAT IS THE COOLEST FRUCKIN' THING EVER!"
"We are not dragons Ierena, that's the human terminology and it isn't accurate. The proper name of our species is 'Titan', but the full name is something that I can't be bothered to try pronouncing."
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Back up there for a second dragon peeps! I thought Titans were just fairy tales! And they were always portrayed as humanoid beings that rivaled the Greek Gods like thousands of years ago!"
He seemed to chortle, bristling as his maw seemed to tilt up on the sides in a smile that showed a whole lot of razor sharp, serrated teeth. "The Greek Gods are merely the human's perception of where they should stand in the balance of power. The truth of the matter is that my original Thirteen creations, and Zyriun… may have had an influence in many of the human's mythology. They are the ones responsible for the stories of Dragons and Godlike beings, because they often times assumed human forms when needed."
The white angora seemed to purr proudly in response to the last part of that statement. "And I may or may not be responsible for the stories of the Egyptian cat God Bassat."
"So… I'm guessing that you're Zyriun then… since the other Thirteen that he mentioned were obviously the original Primes, and they're officially all dead. Kinda sucks, because they seemed like fun bots to be around. That reminds me though! Why grant them the power to turn into… Titan hybrids, if you were just gonna take it back later?"
"It was more… energy efficient to temporarily grant the power, then reclaim it in order to keep myself from growing too weak. They are doing well however, with mother to keep them company in the afterlife."
A cue the screeching halt of all thought processes!"Mother?! So you mean you didn't just suddenly pop up out of nowhere somewhere out in space!?"
Zyirun chuckled, white paw pressing against her cute little mouth. "No he didn't just pop out of nowhere Ierena! My sister Hariun is the one who carried him, while his other mother Liara is the one that got her pregnant."
So… Praxi had two mothers? "So… the God of all Cybertronians is…."
"Just your everyday Shadow Titan Prince." Zyirun answered.
Praxi nodded. "That does not mean I did not create Cybertron and the Cybertronians. They are still my creations as well. My mother, Liara, is the Shadow Queen, and perished after sustaining fatal wounds from her own twin sister, Giaveniria, whom my mother successfully killed. Leaving myself, Zyirun, you and Sion, as the only Titans left in existence. Zyirun because I had just enough energy left to resurrect her, and you two, because my mother and I were able to save you eggs from destruction." Praxi explained. "The events… which happened then, will forever haunt me…" He mumbled, shifting to reveal his right side to me, revealing a gruesome set of three claws marks evident along his side, along with one of his horns, being just a jagged stub, the position it had been in previously had hidden that from me.
"What… what happened? Why are we the only survivors?"
The two looked to one another, it was a strange sight, a tiny Angora Cat sharing a look with a Dra… Titan, easily the size of a super tanker.
Zyirun was the one to answer. "Gia… she was the Queen of the Lights at the time, the complete opposite of Liara. The two sisters had never been able to see eye to eye, what with the events which transpired in their hatchling hoods that not even my sister knew the full extent of… Lia was always a proud, strong, and brilliant leader, compassionate, loving, and determined to win and defend all innocent from wrongs, the true definition of a Shadow Queen. She led the rebellion against her sister. Gia, was a cruel, dominating, power addicted borderline psychotic being, fueled by the belief that all other creatures were below her… She was the one who convinced their father, the King, to murder her and Lia's mother, Erasimnathi, who, despite being a light, had been working to break down the social barriers which had plagued our race. All that work Gia quickly demolished once she inherited the throne. I'm getting off topic here… Gia, was losing control, it was evident that even the highest members of her court, were beginning to doubt her, to argue with her, to upright abandon her. Her own mate, Kioloundonus, Kiol as we knew him fondly, was a devoted Shadow sympathizer, his loyalty firmly set with Liara, long before Gia claimed him as her own. She was also spoiled rotten I should add… when Gia lost control, she ordered the creation of a virus… That virus, was a monstrous plague, which she willingly unleashed on her own… in an attempt to purge the 'unworthy', in hopes of blaming it on the shadows… She'd rushed the production, foolishly believing that Lights would be able to resist it… There was no antidote… and within days, families were going mad, ripping each other to ribbons, the entire Titan race… all killed by a bloodlust we couldn't fight… It is a miracle in itself that Praxi and Liara weren't effected… mostly due to them being so far away from where the virus was released… But we still lost so many good, untainted ones, to those who couldn't fight it… and within a few human decades, none of us were left… Not even Gia's son was able to escape it, his own corrupted mind leading Uniderunis to constantly attack Praxi, even when all others had long since passed… Uniderunis, to Cybertronians, is Unicron… I think I could have worded that differently… but that is effectively what happed… We were all wiped out by the crazy bitch who was Praxi's aunt on Lia's side…"
I… was speechless.
Praxi sighed. "Zyirun… I had hoped you would have done that more discretely."
The Angora just shook her head. "If I didn't warn her, what she would see as her body assimilates would have driven her mad potentially… and we both know that Sion wouldn't beat around the bush with this."
"I have a suspicion that she will be just fine no matter what gets thrown at her Zyriun. She seems to have inherited a strong will of her own. When the time is right, I trust that she will not give up and do what is right."
It might just be my imagination, but I was positive that his mult-faceted eyes flashed a myriad of colors in the space of a second, and they seemed to soften at the edges just slightly. Maybe I was just imagining it, because as soon as I noticed it, it was gone.
Something in the atmosphere around us seemed to change, growing more serious and heavy. Praxi turned to look down at Zyriun, and she disappeared with a wink after taking some sort of unspoken cue from him. He then rose to his full height and stepped down from the throne he was previously sitting on, hind legs flashing out and kicking it over with enough force to take the top part of it off. "Hmm… Sion has taken a liking to beating on her mother's throne… now I see the satisfaction in doing so myself. But I digress, and there is someone else who I have brought with me who wishes to speak to you, and I am bound by honor to allow her to see you."
He came to tower over me… which let me tell you… really made me feel small… "Dude… not gonna lie, your size is intimidating me a bit. I mean, I'm still super tempted to piss you off enough to see if you breathe fire, just please aim it at something besides me when I yank on your tail ok?"
"You are easily distracted… I will show you later. We have more important things to attend to… and someone is currently yanking on my horns because she is that impatient…" With that he reached around to the base of the cluster of horns that lined his neck, which I hadn't seen before, and grabbed something. Something that gave a very feminine like yelp of surprise, before he came back around with a Cybertronian femme held by the scruff bar by one tooth.
He sat her down in front of me, and she easily towered over me by at least double my height. Her armor was a bright silvery white, and her frame actually looked a lot like mine, but she had audio horns that were a little straighter and stuck upright, unlike mine. She also was lacking claws, and instead had a heel on each ped, somewhat like ShimmerNova.
Dark blue optics, like sapphires, stared down at me as she bent down so that she was actually face to face with me. And then she just stared at me for a moment, until it got awkward and I looked to Praxi for help. "I think something's wrong with her… She's not talking."
"Give her a moment… she has been dead for quite some time, and you are a lot different than she last remembered you."
Before I could turn back to my silent watcher, something suddenly plucked me up and crushed me against a well-endowed chassis. "Oh my little Ascella! It's been so long since I saw you last!"
I squeaked when she started twisting her frame from side to side, flinging me around like a ragdoll almost, vents stuttering when she squeezed the ever loving shit out of me. "Gah…! Halp… me…"
Who the frag was Ascella?! Why was everyone suddenly calling me all these different names that I had no idea where they came from?! Well ok… I knew where Ierenadrelana came from, but I was still confused as to why Praxi named me.
Wait a minute… Was I that dumb?
I scaled up the femme who was squeezing the life out of me, until I was able to look over her shoulder at our onlooker. Once I was able to see him I pointed at him accusingly. "You asshole! You're my fucking dad aren't you?!"
He cocked his head at me. "You figured that out quicker than I was expecting given the circumstances."
I opened my mouth to unload on him when the femme squeezing the life out of me tightened her grip and nearly snapped me in half! "She's fricking crushing me! Who is this anyways?!"
"She was your surrogate, Cybertronian carrier. Her designation is Stellara, and Stellara could you please stop trying to squeeze the life out of my only remaining hatchling?"
Stellara looked up at him irritably. "Creator or not, if you don't let me hug her as much as I want to, I will come up there and punch you in the eye. Let me hug my sparkling in peace!"
What the hell?! Now I was her kid too?! "Ok so… she's my surrogate carrier?! Am I a Titan or am I Cybertronian?! Make up my mind for me!"
"You are a full blood titan. I implanted a fragment of your essence into Stellara here, and she gave you a Cybertronian form as all carriers do, then she gave birth to you. But it was a temporary form, meant to keep you safe, until the time was right for you to change back. Which is now."
I held a servo up to stop him. "Ok… who's bright idea was it to wait all this time before fucking my reality over?! Cuz I technically died, but it wasn't ever my real body so I'm technically not really dead, and now there's a crazy Grand Aunt involved in my life, who apparently was the inspiration for the Egyptian Goddess Bassat, because she's a crazy cat lady!" I stopped to take a deep breath. "And now I've figured out that you're my father, and not the cool, "Luke I am your father type shit", but just like you made me figure it out on my own you asshole! That… with my attention span sometimes, that could've taken me centuries to put together! I can never think on one thing for too long I swear! You could've just been up front with me from the start! And now I apparently have a Cybertronian carrier, trying to see if she can break me in half like a freaking chopstick! Can you please stop squeezing me to death?!"
"No."
Praxi, dad, dragon, Titan guy… just rumbled in amusement. "She has missed you a lot Ierena."
"Clearly…" I muttered. "Is she gonna do this all day?"
She pulled away to look at me. "Probably."
"Fuck me…"
"Ierena…"
"Oh don't you Ierena me Mr. Dadoftheyear!" I snapped moodily.
Something smacked my aft, making me squeak at in surprise as my optics shot down to the narrow sapphire ones staring back at me. "Don't you talk to him like that little femme! You have no idea what he's done to make sure that you were safe!"
She sat me down and put her servos on her hips like a mother about to scold their child, which in a roundabout way I guess I was. But I was… feeling the familiar pain of being unwanted in my chassis, like when I was little and I thought that I'd just been abandoned because I wasn't wanted. It was irrational, and the rational side of my mind tried to convince me that I wasn't an abandoned, unwanted child, but the irrational part of me was convinced that he'd withheld the truth throughout this whole conversation, because he didn't want me to know, because he didn't want me.
He just stared back at me, but it was Stellara who moved to kneel in front of me and wipe the tears that were flowing down my cheeks away. "Ascella… Our Creator has done everything possible to make sure that you and Sion were well cared for and protected. That's why he came to me and asked me if I would become a surrogate carrier for you, because he wanted you to be able to live all this time. He didn't want you to be completely trapped in suspended animation for trillions of years! He had no way of raising you, like he so badly wants to, because he is trapped as the core of a planet! How can he provide for you and protect you when he can't even move? Why do you think all of this was necessary in the first place? Why do you think that I accepted his plea so readily? Cybertron was at war, I'd lost my previous sparkling to events that I couldn't control, and I didn't feel fit to have another! But I saw how pained he was over your current state, and I couldn't say no. Even if there was somebot else that could've done what I could, I wouldn't have been able to pass the duty onto somebot else. He gave you up so that you could actually live."
By the end of her emotional tirade she was crying and desperately embracing me. I couldn't help but to wrap my arms around my… carrier… and hug her back. All while I kept eyeing my… Father, who was standing in the same spot, though he had his head bowed down… almost… shamefully?
She pulled back to cup my cheeks and get my attention back on her, smiling shakily. "Let him be the parent he couldn't be for all this time, let him be able to cherish you, like how I tried to cherish my own daughter before I lost her. Please, Titans have sensitive essences... for all of their thick armor and stubbornness... all they want to do is feel what most species take for granted. Let him love you like any father should... please, give your father a chance, after all he did to ensure you were as safe and happy as possible... I think he deserves you walking over there, and telling him exactly how you feel, no sugar coating, no cryptic messages, I want you to be as blunt as a club with him as possible. Will you do that for me? Please?"
With that she stood and moved to the side, leaving a clear path to him. "D-Daddy…" I hiccupped, as I slowly shuffled forward, ignoring the way the energy started pulsating around me and I seemed to instinctively move onto all fours, my entire body tingling as the world around me seemed to shift and shrink. Even my Father seemed to shrink, though he still towered over me.
I felt my neck elongate as I craned it up towards him. "Hold me."
He slid one leg forward to create a nook for me to squeeze in against his chest, head craning down to nuzzle me, as the massive wings formerly sitting erect on his back came down and wrapped around me, creating a canopy around us. "So... long... I've waited so long for you to say that to me... Oh Ancients... I never want to let you go... I already lost your mother... I already lost your brothers and sisters... I don't want to lose you as well... Please... forgive me…"
I felt more hot tears spill down my cheeks. "I already have… I love you Daddy."
Light silver droplets dripped onto my shoulder. "I love you too, my little Star Light Breaker."
Despite the situation I found myself curious as to the new names. "What's with the new names again?" I sniffled.
"It is the human translation of Ascella, and Ierenadrelana. I figured you might want to know… now hush and let me hug you like I haven't been able to in trillions of years. Your mother would've been so proud of you… just like I am… Stay safe my little Star Light Breaker…" Before I could respond, before I could fight it, darkness overtook me, the last thing I felt was my daddy holding me tight, and him whispering something I didn't catch.
I don't want to go… I don't want to lose my daddy… I just found him again!
R&R! The feels are so strong right now! I almost cried!