It had been a long party. It wasn't rare for Lostlighters to extend celebrations beyond the usual - or reasonable - standards. And, given the circumstances, maybe he shouldn't be surprised. But as his feet attempted to drag all the way to the elevator after what he figured was a dram-too-many of engex, Minimus couldn't help but feel that things had gone a little too far this time around. Admittedly, not all responsibility laid with the crew: after all, by now he should know better than to accept a glass handed over by Whirl, of all people. Maybe the general good spirits had gotten to him, perhaps the second in command had felt so relieved to have this astronomically-impossible chance that, for once, he had allowed some leeway to his own self. Whatever the case, despite the profound embarrassment he felt as his clumsy hand tried to reach that big button to call over the elevator, Ambus was quite certain he didn't regret a thing.
...Although that could be the engex talking.
Sometime in the middle of his contemplation, the lift's doors finally slid open, allowing the Magnus armor to stumble inside as its bearer produced a tired, sound sigh. The ample shape had crooked to a side, resting its wobbly weight on the good, reliable wall, when a palm prevented the door leaves to meet.
"Ah~ I was certain I would miss it for a moment..." Commented Megatron, as the gate reopened to allow him in.
His crimson optics flicked in surprise for a moment, at the mech's visage. Minimus straightened up like a spring under his gaze, trying to pretend normality.
"Megatron." He managed, without a tremble or a glide.
"Minimus. I hope you don't mind me joining you- we do head for the same deck after all."
"Perish the thought. It is only reasonable, and I certainly hold no property over this contraption."
"By the Blue Blazes what the hell was that" Thought the bot inside the suit, cringing at the ridiculous response. He was used to feeling that soft coat of nervousness when alone with the co-captain, but this was just preposterous/embarrassing.
As usual, his companion managed to disarm him by means of a simple, chuckling smile.
"You were tricked to try Swerve's special punch, I see..." said the Decepticon leader, simply, as he pressed the button for the appropriate floor.
"Tricked is a strong word... Is it so obvious, or do you speak from experience?"
"Oh, I've had my fuel-regulator locked on 'active' for a long time now. But I can still recognize the taste of Old Corroder with ease."
"I see. That seems like a useful... ability to have." Commented the reputable bot, his perfectly straight stance lightly swaying back and forth, to his dismay.
"Perhaps. But to be honest, since my range of experiences has changed, I've found that maybe you just have to let go sometimes."
For no apparent reason, the loadbearer's fuel-pump skipped a beat.
"I mean, the results of forfaiting control from time to time can be worth all the unease along the path."
"As the one mech drunk here, friend..." Began the tall mech, closing his optics for a moment just to find his come-and-forth got worse "...I beg to differ."
Megatron turned to him, and the bot felt the pressure of his kind, harmlessly amused smile.
"Come now, Minimus..." procured the former warlord, and the uttering of his name made Ambus' plating prickle, "You certainly looked like you were having fun."
The Magnus armor's lips curled in a subtle grimace as its lenses focused on the wall, somehow feeling as if he had been put in evidence.
"I was." He admitted, looking back with a serene expression. "I also made a fool of myself."
Megatron's dentures came to view in one of those remarkable grins of his and the loadbearer felt his energon working up.
"Your singing improved everyone's mood."
"First of all," began Ambus, reaching for the elevator's display to make it open prematurely, somewhere in between the seemingly eternal ride, "That was not 'singing', because this terrible armor's voice-box has been set in auto-tune to match Magnus' voice- and for any screaming to sound rowdy, if you can believe that. Therefore I was unable to actually sing as much as I barked. I assure you I wouldn't even have tried if I didn't consider myself a decent performer."
"I have no doubt your own voice would have made a remarkable melody for tonight's events."
"Second..." Continued Minimus a little breathlessly - all fault of the engex, no doubt - as the damned lift refused to respond, "...Second, they 'cheered up' because after how much they laughed at that dumb song it was unavoidable they would turn from happy to hysterical."
"You're being too hard on yourself. Drift enjoyed it- so did Cyclonus, and numerous others. And when Rodimus changed the track and you two sang along-"
"I would like to suggest a change of subject." Interjected the mech, defeated by the elevator's display and turning to the back of the outrageously small space.
"Hm-hm~ Very well. I actually have a question to ask you."
"Upon consideration, perhaps the former topic wasn't so terrible."
"A little faith, Minimus." procured Megatron, and yet again that register he used to pronounce the name made Ambus' spark tickle. "It is merely a popular inquiry that has been going around among the crew. Your take on it could be insightful."
"I'm not sure if that detail is very reassuring or quite the opposite... But we're already here, so as the saying goes, 'I'm all ears'."
The co-captain paused a moment, perhaps considering, before continuing.
"Tell me, friend..." He said finally, optics focused somewhere on the roof. "...What were your reasons to agree to this journey?"
"What do you mean?"
"You'd be surprised to know the number of answers that simple question's got."
The loadbearer felt his second face squint at this supposed conundrum.
"...Do you really have to ask?"
His friend's semblance faltered a little.
"...I wanted to prevent myself from assuming. Without confirmation, any theory I had could end up being-"
"I did it for you." Stated the mech, simply and unweaving. "For you and for me."
Showered in the light of Megatron's baffled stare the Magnus' armor cringed at the words ushered off its own voice box.
"That was poorly phrased." He blurted, before anything else could fill the void of his argument. "What I meant was that it was best for each of us, separately."
'Somehow, that is actually worse.' He thought then, frustrated.
"I mean- what I mean is..." Said the bot, and if he wanted to be honest then he knew he had to think about it. "...This was the only chance you'd get."
A kind, quiet moment. Ambus could feel the sweet glance of those crimson optics right on his helmet, and he had to make an active effort not to look back.
One of the things that characterized the former Enforcer was his capacity to multitask. Usually he was most proud of this ability of his, especially since it allowed him to keep tabs in many directives without compromising whatever he was doing at the moment. However when it came to the risky, improbable maneuver they had pulled to reach this universe, that useful trait had proved to be a curse as well. Minimus could remember the tense grip over his systems as the countdown got close to 'one', how he had only managed to keep serene by clutching his fists tightly at the sides of his frame. And even when the quantum jump succeeded, and everyone was caught in the sweet thrill of happy disbelief, at the back of his head Ambus had been unable to ignore the fact that, back at their original dimension, his other self was going through a disheartening realization. He wondered even now, after the joy of camaraderie, despite the guilty – yes, it certainly was guilty at its core – relief that had flooded over his spark. He wasn't sure he would ever stop wondering, but it was something he could live on with- after all, it wasn't the only uncertainty the loadbearer carried over his chest, nor the greatest of them.
"I would rather not think about it so soon after our departure from that universe, it isn't my intention to be gloomy... But I think on the trial, and- sigh~"
"I see… But you surely had doubts? Even after serving on the Lost Light, you had a level of galactic respect only a couple of cybertronians in history ever held. Hell, not many sentient beings have been considered on such high standards."
"Tsk~ that's supposed to make me doubt?" Scoffed the loadbearer, crossing his arms and tilting a little too forward. "I pursued respect throughout most of my lifetime. And based on my experiences I would much rather be loved."
Again the word infiltrated his speech. For the fifteenth time Ambus promised himself he'd never drink again. Solid energon only from now on.
"Appreciated. I meant appreciated."
"And you're certainly appreciated here."
"I would appreciate it if you would stop mocking me."
"I don't mean to come across like that." Apologized the mech, that smile he seemed unable to erase from his features trying to hypnotize the helpless Autobot. "I'm merely surprised how much it shakes you to drink, for once. Our interactions are usually much smoother than this. To be honest I'm... not very sure how to behave."
"You're doing fine." Mumbled the loadbearer, holding his wobbly self on the wall.
What was this heat all of a sudden? Ambus had imagined engex to burn at different levels than regular fuel, but this was scandalous.
"Well good. Because I feel I have to thank you, Minimus... And the least I want is to upset you."
"Thank me?" Asked the mech, incredulous. "What for?"
"For everything... For what you said during the party, about considering me a friend." Megatron moved about, with a little grin. "I know you meant everyone, and maybe there was no need to state it... But hearing you say that as you looked at me meant a lot. So thank you, mi dear friend."
Ultra Magnus felt his feet wobble out of control, as if he had lost all strength on his extremities. He even had to rest his helmet on the captain's shoulder, suddenly dizzy. His companion tensed a little over the sudden contact, surprised, but didn't move away.
"You're welcome..." blurted the loadbearer, finally. "Thank you for treating me as- for-"
"Minimus?"
"Why hasn't this elevator open yet?" was the hasty, mumbling answer, almost like a whine "There's no way we didn't reach the deck in all this time."
The barely contained amusement in the former decepticon's optics made him pause.
"What?"
"You stopped the lift, Minimus."
"What?"
"When you went to the board, you pressed the STOP button and-"
"By the Blue Blazes..."
"I assumed you had your reasons, like you wanted to talk or..."
"This is- this is beyond embarrassing. That's it, I'm done."
"Would you like me to-?"
"Yes, yes please."
As the box finally resumed its ascension, despite his own severe words, the loadbearer found himself fighting back a laugh. That explained all this weird situation they had found themselves in, talking about these metal-tickling, preposterous things, as if there was something electric charging the air... It made him remember one of the many books dear Verity had discussed with him during their time together: 'A summer Night Dream.' To this day he recalled that title, even if the author or the contents had escaped his memory.
And poor Megatron had been caught in this bizarre moment. Ambus could only be grateful that the mech managed himself with such tact and grace. Only with him could Minimus do a thing as foolish as this without worrying about his reputation, of being the object of mockery for months and months on end… The further back he looked, the more ridiculous the notion became, but it was undeniable the loadbearer felt safe with this mech.
"*Sigh~* And o think I expected to work on some preliminary reports back at my hab-suit - I'll be lucky if I manage to get off this armor..."
"I could help you with that." Procured Megatron, nonchalantly- and when he noted Magnus' wide-opened, bright optics, he added, "With your reports, I mean."
The double leafed door opened with a little *cling!* that sounded almost like a mock for the energon-stricken Ambus.
"Of course that's what you meant." Managed the mech a little breathless again, stumbling out the confined space "What else could you mean..."
"It would be nice to see you in your best form after so much."
"Call me crazy... But I'm starting to think you're saying all this things on purpose."
Megatron laughed a little grin, and Magnus had to suppress the dumb smile trying to crawl up his face.
"Guilty as charged…" Continued the captain, playfully, and Ultra Magnus had to shake his head to prevent a dumb fit of giggles. "It's just there hasn't been much time for it, except for that little while the armor was damaged by the C.U. troopers. And things where still... complicated back then, between us."
"It certainly feels like an eternity ago."
The two mechs walked down the corridor, headed for the hab-suit wing. It was strange that the ship would be so quiet. It was easy after festivities as the one still going at Swerve's, to forget how immense the Lost light was, how comfortably it fit her passengers. The only sound that moved around in the quiet was the soft rumor of the active ark, the kind hum filling the background noise. This silence, however, was delightful: Somehow, even after the ridiculous things they had said on the way here - mostly out of Minimus' inebriated synthesizer, he had no doubt - the loadbearer felt a joyful ease within his plating, almost a delirious happiness.
Probably the engex all over again.
"Well, here's where we part ways, Minimus." Said the poet, his rich, deep voice gently filling the space between them, "And try to take it easy with your work. We've got all the time in the world."
They had reached the cross-hallways. Megatron's hab-suit at one direction, Ambus's at the other.
"All the time in the world..." Thought the loadbearer, facing the path before him. Somehow, a thought began to form on his mind- or did it come from somewhere else? His chest was particularly warm at the moment, he felt, and he wondered for a moment if he was drunk at all. His lack of control over the armor would indicate so, and yet this had happened once before, hadn't it? An eternity ago, back at the Necroworld. The imprint of his mind had stopped to work with the locks on the Magnus armor. Could this mean a deeper change on his self? Only time would tell. Whatever the case, the idea that had popped-up on his mind had too much weight for him to ignore it. If he had wanted to ignore it.
"Or... Maybe you could help me with the reports. Make sure I don't mess something up."
Megatron stopped on his tracks.
"…Of course. And since we're at it, you could tell me about that book you were writing- Terms of Peace, is it?"
"You heard about that?"
"Cyclonus mentioned his interest on having a copy, once you finish it. He couldn't tell me much about it however- except for the fact it wasn't a poem. He seemed pretty adamant about that."
"Well," Continued Minimus, signaling the appropriate corridor, "You're in luck- I could use some input about it. Once we're done with work, of course."
"Wouldn't expect less, Minimus."
Ambus was still taken by how everything had turned out. Admittedly, the mech had been feeling like he was traversing a dream since the moment the Lost Light had been replicated in this new world. He wasn't sure he would ever stop feeling like this... But it didn't really matter. He could get used to joining his friends at Swerve's, used to cataloging and registering anything this new universe could house, used to wearing his own plating and most importantly, he could very well get used to having someone at his side.
Certainly, Minimus could get used to all the marvels this second chance would grant him.
Afterlight, part II - The End.
/Welp! That's the end of Afterlight. Took me a million years, probably because the idea for this part was much less clear (I believe you can tell whenever I got off the tracks, so to speak.)
As usual, I apologize if the lenguage is "riddled" or confusing or just, you know, bad.
Hope you enjoyed it, whoever you are.