Chapter 21
The Wrath of the Goddess
The appearance of an unknown deity on the battlefield brought everything to a screeching halt…
The towering femme just smiled down in a manner that may have been meant in a non-intimidating manner, but was taken as anything but. Megatron's optics went wide and he withdrew his bade from Optimus's abdomen before kicking the Prime away and turning around to face the now looming deity. As though this day hadn't been bad enough already! He raised his arm cannon preparing to fire off a shot at Yue, but she moved considerably faster than one would expect from a creature her size and merely smacked Megatron away! His body bounced several times as he essentially flew across the ground before crashing into a large rock outcropping! The force of his impact caused multiple pieces of stone to break off and fall on top of his frame, burying him underneath the rubble.
"You may want to tend to the Prime my dear Songbird." Yue said in a melodic sing-song voice. "Or else I expect him to drop dead within the next few minutes." She then turned her attention completely away from what was taking place and focused on a nearby barren section of ground and she outstretched her arm and placed her hand on the earth… From beneath her hand a brilliant white glow illuminated the ground and began snaking its way through the desert landscape before pooling in the area that the goddess had been eyeing. That was when large amounts of stone and earth began to rise up, crafting some sort of formation. Within two minutes it became clear that she was creating a place for herself to sit; a throne. Its design was rough at first but gradually it smoothed out as it became something that could be truly regarded as a work of art. The throne was massive and truly seemed to fit its creator, since it was made of marble and was white in color while inlaid with silver and jade filigree, it even had several ornate protrusions on the arms and the back. Yue took a moment to admire her work before sitting down, and when she was seated it revealed that this throne was positioned so that the moon shining high in the sky above was perfectly centered in between her horns.
"Funny… Yue sure is a lot bigger than I remember." Freefall commented nonchalantly. Clearly neither she nor Moonrise were afraid or even a little bit nervous about the goddess's presence or her sudden show of aggression when she had sent Megatron flying. Weaver however clearly didn't share their sentiments.
"Yeah, well I think she's even bigger than I remember!" She squeaked, unfortunately drawing Yue's gaze onto her.
"It's Orb Weaver isn't it?" Yue questioned, obviously catching the teenager off-guard if the scared 'Meep!' she accidently released was any indication. Yue didn't react to the squeak of fright either ignoring the techno organics fear, or more likely she just failed to see it and continued on with what she was saying. "Yes, I am sorry about our first meeting. I didn't mean to scare you."
"I-I-It's c-c-cool…" Weaver somehow managed to say amidst her stuttering, granted in an extremely high-pitched voice. This made Yue smile, once again baring her sharp teeth… and failing to notice that she was making poor Weaver highly uncomfortable.
Nonetheless while all this had been going on, Songbird and the rest of the Predacon's had moved over to where the Autobots were now gathered and without so much as a word she transformed and placed her servos on Optimus Prime and quickly healed him before he could succumb to his injury. But this on top of everything else that had happened during this day finally made Songbird collapse from total exhaustion. Fortunately Predaking was able to catch her before she hit the ground. Even core tired, Song managed to steady herself before becoming aware of the whispers that were rapidly growing in intensity and in volume amongst the Vehicons. But even she was far from prepared for what happened next…
"All bow down to the Loreley!" One of the Vehicons yelled as loud as he could before dropping his weapon and falling to his knees before Yue! His words were echoed by all of the remaining Vehicons, the Miners and the Eradicons. All of whom also immediately dropped their weapons and bowed down… There was no doubt in their minds that this was the deity that Songbird had often spoken of in the stories she would tell them! They knew she was to be respected, revered…
Worshiped…
And why not? Primus had seemingly abandoned them long ago, even before Cybertron had gone dark. They had been regarded as the lowest of the low in the Cybertronian caste system and they had joined the Decepticons in hopes of bringing about change to make their lives better! Yet in the end they had been reduced to nothing but Megatrons gun fodder. But Songbird was not like that, she had looked out for them! Actually helped and cared for them! And the way that she had spoke of this deity, in their optics made her seem completely trustworthy! After all… Songbird had never led them astray and in their very sparks they knew she never would.
Even though Song just put her face in her servo and pretty much gave the universal 'Oh brother' look…
Yue blinked one time in surprise before tilting her head to the side and staring down at this strange little scene that was unfolding before her. But her confusion did not last long before her big purple optics suddenly went wide and she laughed! A laugh that was not at all malicious, but filled with joy.
"Songbird you have brought me worshipers?!" She stated in a voice that contained an immeasurable amount of happiness and glee. "I never expected you to do something like this! What a wonderful gift!"
Song uncomfortably shifted from one pede to the other. "Yeah, why don't we just go with that…" she muttered lowly. Inwardly thinking that while she loved this lot, they really were as dumb as shovels. As she had definitely not expected this from them…
"She told us stories about you; oh great and benevolent goddess!" One of the Eradicons quickly injected.
"I'm sure that she did." Yue said, her smile not fading away even a little as she refocused her attention entirely on the still kneeling Vehicons."But right now you may now rise." She said with a slight motion of her hand, indicating that it was alright for them to stand up. "Well, this day has certainly taken a turn in a way I had not expected! Especially since I wasn't expecting to gain followers in this manner. Not that I'm complaining! I have been watching you all and I know that you have suffered… But now by your choosing to worship me, I will see to it you shall never suffer again and you will even reap the rewards of being my disciples!" Now the second that Yue started talking about protection and rewards, if any of the Vehicons had actually been skeptical that would have instantly changed! Frag, it was as though Yue was answering their silent prayers! But as the Eradicons and Vehicons cheered, Optimus Prime cautiously approached the femme and within moments all optics were on him and everything had gone silent.
"On behalf of the Autobots and the humans that dwell upon this world I thank you for your aid in stopping Shockwaves monster. Though I ask that you please forgive my questioning, but who are you?" There was a flash of unreadable emotion behind Yue's optics, although her smile did not fade it was definitely not as warm or as happy as it had previously been.
"Oh yes, where are my manners…" Her voice was outwardly pleasant but definitely had a frigid vibe concealed within it. "I have a thousand names, but I have been using Yue moreso lately so you may address me as that." Now no longer entranced by the Vehicons praise, her attention fell not only on the Prime but on the entire odd gathering of humans, bots, cons and sparklings… yet it was when her gaze settled on Paradox that there was a brilliant flash of purple light from her optics and the ground beneath the little femme suddenly rose up! It happened so fast that no one had time to react, not even Knockout or Ratchet! The mountain of stone rose up until Yue reached over and plucked the terrified youngling off of it and carefully held her in her hand… "Hello dear little one." Again the cold tone in her voice vanished as quickly as it had come and she was now openly ignoring everybody else.
"Um… h-hello?" Paradox squeaked as she trembled in the goddess's servo, knowing that at any second this strange newcomer could easily crush her like a bug! But that was not her intention and Yue frowned at the little one's obvious fear. Apparently it was easier for her to read Paradox's fear than Orb Weavers...
"Needn't be afraid of me Paradox; you weren't scared all the other times you spoke to me so there is no need for it now." She said calmly, although her words brought a look of confusion to Paradox's face. The little youngling knew for certain that she had never this giant of a femme before. But as she continued to look into Yue's face and she took notice of how her strange body gave off a light that was so similar to moonlight and how the moon was perfectly positioned between her horns… The realization dawned on her and her optics went wide.
"You're the Moon Spirit!" She stated surprised and this made Yue smile again. In fact she became so entranced with talking to the tiny child that she did not pay the slightest bit of attention to Knockout as he was charging up to her, his saw blade drawn and whirring!
"You put her down now-!" He snarled, but before he got too close to Yue the former Decepticon medic suddenly found himself pinned underneath the massive talons of one of the new Predacon's the deity had created, namely the largest one with the blunt snout. The red medic immediately began to curse and struggle but the large beast pinning him didn't falter whatsoever. In fact as it looked down at him this dragonformer emitted several low growls and clicks as though to say 'Please don't do something stupid!' and it was also being surprisingly careful not to injure, or even so much as scratch the smaller Aston Martin.
Ratchet on the other hand was not restrained and he darted around the big dragon and also went for Yue, his medical blades drawn and ready to fight! But just as Knockout had been stopped in his tracks, Ratchet was also quickly slammed to the ground by the rabid green Predacon! Now unlike its larger comrade, this beast was far from gentle and its claws dug deep painful gashes into Ratchets body as it snarled in his face! For a minute Ratchet honestly thought that this creature was going to kill him as it opened its gaping maw and a hellish red light bloomed in the back of its throat as it began to summon it's lightning breath; however as fortunate would have it Yue's attention was temporarily drawn over to this little scuffle and since this dragonformer was still wearing the gear Yue had attached to its head, the beast suddenly seemed to seize up as she once again took control of it rendering it docile… but it still remained unmoving on top of Ratchet.
"Miss Moon Spirit?" Paradox said softly. "Um, thank you… for granting my wish." She said with a polite bow of her head. After all she had been taught very good manners by her grandpa and the rest of the Autobots.
"You are most welcome sweet child, but if memory serves me your wish hasn't been… completely granted… yet…" Yue stopped as her optics settled on the disturbing scar that adorned the youngling's chassis, she frowned obviously disliking what she saw. And without a word she brought her other clawed hand over and dug the razor-sharp nail of her pointer finger deep into her own wrist! Once the nail was coated in her pale lavender blood she reached over and gently poked the scar on the young femme's body. Within seconds a soft white light bloomed from the twisting wound and it began to shrink before fading away entirely.
Of course Paradox's body glittered with a subtle lavender light as it underwent a noticeable change wherein her small frame became quite a bit more ornate.
"I feel kinda strange…" Paradox commented as she looked over all of the changes that had just been made to her body. And it was true she did feel… different… It wasn't in a bad sense but to a youngling it was still a bit unnerving.
"Don't worry you'll soon get used to it." Yue explained with a slight wave of her hand. "In fact I find it to be quite an improvement since this symbolizes that you are now officially under my protection! Now to actually fulfill all the criteria of your wish…" Without making it any clearer as to what she really meant, Yue abruptly dropped Paradox! Naturally the little one began screaming at the top of her vents; but surprisingly the first one to react was the Predacon that was pinning Knockout! It spread its wings and bolted upwards and managed to catch the small femme as she fell! Unfortunately once the little one was safely in its claws it started to make the movements that it was going to perform an aerial loop, but it faltered as though it wasn't entirely used to flying and ended up crashing to the ground landing full force on its back! Although Paradox was unharmed, the Predacon holding her made a squeaky pain-filled sound that could only be roughly translated as 'I'm ok…'
Tripwire was actually the first one to make it over to the fallen Predacon and his sister. "You ok sis?" He asked worriedly as Paradox managed to wiggle herself free from the dragon's talons. Although he was clearly surprised when he got a look at Paradox's new form; not that he had any time to comment before Knockout grabbed them both up and pretty much snarled up at the looming goddess.
"What were you trying to do?! She told me her wish was to meet her Carrier and Sire, did you think that you'd just kill her and send her to Breakdown?!" Yue remained quiet for several long minutes as her eyes narrowed while she glared at Knockout.
"I would be far more careful with my words if I were you; especially since I have no reason to hurt them. In fact if it wasn't for my interference they wouldn't have even been born!" She stated coldly but the slightest twinge of amusement ghosted across her features as a look of confusion quickly settled on the red medic's face. "Oh come now, haven't you ever been even the slightest bit curious as to how someone with a weak gestation chamber was suddenly able to carry twins to term? Allow me to remind you…" Yue held out one of her clawed hands and ignited within it a ball of white flames; after a second or so these flames condensed into a single bright orb with distinct images clearly reflected within it.
For a moment Knockout didn't know what he was looking at, but then his optics suddenly went wide as he began to realize what scene playing out before him. It was the very day he had felt Breakdown off-line, the same day he also realized he was carrying yet again! He saw himself in his decimated Medical Bay (Which he had promptly leveled as soon as he felt his mate die…) He was on his knees wailing pitifully and his face was buried in his servos; eventually he looked pitifully out the only small window in his MedBay and looked out at the blanket of stars that filled the sky.
'Please Primus…' He had whispered. 'Please don't let me lose them too! They're all I have left of him! Please!'
Yue closed her hand on the flame, extinguishing it. "You prayed to the wrong god that night." She stated coldly. "Primus was not the one who answered your prayer, I did. I granted you a wish… so don't you dare insult me!" The goddess took a deep breath and exhaled slowly obviously to calm down which she apparently did because she began to smile once again and the dark tone in her voice seemed to have dissipated. "And besides, I knew that he would catch her. After all…
He is her father…
Knockouts head snapped up! "What?!" His voice was filled with complete and total disbelief. "Breakdown wasn't a Predacon!"
"'Wasn't' truly is the important word here." Yue stated merrily as the big Predacon managed to roll over off of its back and it stood up to face knockout… Were the very least look down on him since it towered over his smaller frame. Its large golden optics held a familiarity that made Knockouts tanks churn in recognition… and before he could say anything the Predacon transformed.
And Breakdown was now standing there…
Now Breakdown was undoubtedly big before, only it would appear that he was slightly bigger now! And his body had also become that of a Predacons, thicker armor adorned with more spikes and sharp edges, but in spite of all the changes Breakdowns face and optics remained the same… He was still the same… the same strong, kind spark that only now resided in a different frame. Instinctively Knockout tightened his grip on his sparklings. He wanted so desperately for this to be real, for his lost bondmate to truly be standing in front of him! But he could not help but be cautious, for he highly doubted his spark could survive another emotional blow.
"Breakdown?" He whispered so low that it was barely audible. 'Please let this be real…' he couldn't help but silently hope… But when a familiar smile crossed his face and a look of warmth and kindness shone from within those optics; he knew…
"How ya' doin' Knock?" Breakdown's gentle voice asked. That was it, it truly was him! The much larger mech carefully pulled his mate close but he was careful not to accidentally crush the two younglings that Knockout held. His youngling's... at the same time Tripwire and Paradox were floored by this new revelation, this was their Sire?! Breakdown looked down at the two and smiled warmly at them before reaching down and gently petting Paradox's head, she immediately leaned into the gentle caress. Words could not describe her happiness at finally meeting her real parents and being safe with them both… But Breakdown hesitated before making any moves towards Tripwire; the small mech looked up regarding his sire before finally letting his defenses drop and he eagerly reached for him. Breakdown could only smile before picking up his son and holding him… After all Tripwire had wanted to meet his Carrier and Sire every bit as badly as his sister had…
Not far away from this happy scene the Autobots were every bit as surprised by this revelation of who that Predacon truly was as Knockout had been; (In fact the Bulkhead's jaw had dropped open and he muttered a fairly loud 'Oh slag…' thankfully his newly resurrected rival had failed to hear him.) But it was Arcee who managed to come back to her senses before everyone else and voice what was undoubtedly a very important question.
"Wait… if that's Breakdown then who are-?" She immediately turned only to witness the red Predacon transforming into an eerily familiar form, one that like Breakdown had been altered to be larger and more intimidating than it originally been… but it was still familiar enough to be recognized by all of his former teammates.
"You guys miss me or what?" Cliffjumper chuckled at the looks of disbelief that were quickly being written across his comrades faces. But his upbeat attitude was abruptly changed when Yue suddenly began to shift upon her throne and cleared her throat in order to get everyone's attention.
"Cliff?!" Arcee asked barely believing her optics. "You're alive?!"
"Yeah I'm back alright 'Cee, but this conversation is gonna to have to wait for another time… 'cause things are about to get pretty fragging ugly." Cliffjumper's entire demeanor visibly underwent a dramatic change; it became obvious he was afraid of something that Yue was about to do.
"I think it's about time that we start moving things along, don't you agree?" It was exactly clear who specifically she was talking to but that soon became the least of everyone's worries as her purple optics suddenly flashed once and a purple light traveled up each of her spire like horns, when upon reaching the top multiple bolts of lightning shot out and struck all of the present humans (Even little baby Kole…) as well as Orb Weaver, Paradox, Tripwire who were still in Knockout's arms.
"What have you done?!" Optimus immediately demanded as the Autobots human companions fell lifelessly to the ground and the two sparklings also went eerily still and silent.
"Don't be afraid, they are unharmed. I merely put them to sleep; wouldn't want to give nightmares to those whom genuinely can't handle what they are about to witness." Yue quickly stated before anybody else could start screaming at her. And it was true, Bulkhead had quickly gathered up all the humans who had been struck by the supposedly lightning and sure enough they were all alive but apparently in a deep state of unconsciousness. Knockout immediately went to start screaming but Breakdown quickly put a hand over his mouth silencing him before he could even begin yelling at Yue.
"You still should have found a better way to do it than that Yue." Songbird commented coldly. "There are certainly better, less terrifying methods you could've used aside from that." She apparently the one that was closest to Yue, so apparently she had the ability to question the deity.
"Maybe… but the result is still the same." She replied with a slight shrug. "Now we can begin with-"
"M-My goddess?" The voice of Steve piqued up just loud enough to get Yue's attention and her optics fell on the small trembling Vehicon who was still holding the gravely injured and barely conscious Starscream. "I b-beg your help."
"You may speak." She stated with a nod, giving him the ok to go ahead with his request.
"Please Lady Yue," Steve whispered as he knelt down. "Please heal Lord Starscream!" Clearly the towering femme hadn't foreseen this and after a second or so after this request registered in her mind… she burst out laughing a disturbing, cold, unnatural laugh!
"Now why would I do that? When I like him so much better this way!" She cackled, her words cutting through the air like a poisoned knife.
"Wha-?!" Steve barely managed to choke out before Yue locked her optics on Starscream's agonized form and a deep disturbing amount of malice rapidly began to fill them.
"You're wasting your time with him, he isn't worth your time or your affections! He is nothing more than a winged rat at best!" She growled, her voice cold and unnerving. Even in his deplorable state Starscream made an attempt to cower from this being he could not see… He could only hear Yue which left his mind to create horrible images of what kind of monster she must truly look like. In the darkness his mind was truly a prison now. "I know you can hear me rat," she continued viciously. "I want you to know that if I had the time and the extra energy I would tear you apart and rip your guts out through your big obnoxious mouth! Or maybe I would change you into a slug… But fortune seems to favor you this time, I will leave your fate in Songbirds claws. When I am done here if she chooses to heal you, so be it! If she chooses to leave you in the state you're in, and oh so rightfully deserve, so be it!" Yue finished with a noticeable snarl and she turned her now openly agitated attention onto everyone else. Particularly Optimus Prime.
"I have several far more pressing issues that need to be dealt with as of now. Starting with the question of whatever led any of you to assume that I, the Child of Unicron would be benevolent?" Yue couldn't help but chuckle slightly as she watched this new tidbit of information sink into their processors. But her amusement was cut short when she realized that she had unintentionally scared most of the Vehicons a as well as Darksteel and Skylynx into a nervous panic; frag even Predaking looked unnerved at this revelation! "Oh, no wait I seem to be explaining this wrong; for you see those who worship me and those whom are connected to my followers will have nothing to fear! To them I am benevolent… and of course to the race that I shall be the guardian of and protect for all time. My new race… the Predacons."
"I beg your pardon?" Predaking asked, his processor not fully comprehending what she was saying.
"What I mean to say is that from this moment on, I hereby claim the Predacon race as my own!" She declared with a grand gesture of her arms. "I will see the species restored far beyond its former glory! And thus I will be its patron deity!" Yue seemed absolutely delighted about her plans, but it was somewhat clear by the way she was explaining this that no one else was going to have any say in her choices. Predaking noticed this, but what could he have done about it anyway? If he was to argue with Yue all it would accomplish would be insulting her and earning her wrath; besides the more he thought about it the more the idea struck him as a good one. He knew Yue, Song knew her even better. She had already expressed a fondness for their race and now she was guaranteeing them protection and a bright future. While it was certainly a little unorthodox Predaking found himself quickly adapting to the idea, even liking it. He looked over at Songbird wondering what her reaction might be, or perhaps she already knew that Yue had planned this. But when he set his optics upon the gryphonformer the first thing he notice of was how worried she looked; it was strange but he had taken notice of how Songs demeanor was different from how he suspected he usually was with Yue. He wondered what it was that brought about this change, could it be that Songbird might just be a bit nervous about what was taking place and how others would react to it?
Or was it that she knew something about what was yet to happen?
A loud shout redirected everyone's attention back to Ratchet who was still trapped underneath the claws of the motionless green Predacon. Yue actually looked a bit taken aback by this and she watched Arcee, Cliffjumper, Smokescreen and the other blue Predacon worked to push the other off of the old medic. It took a bit of doing but eventually the green and silver Predacon was hauled up just enough to allow Ratchet to get out from underneath its claws. It was disturbing how the beast seem to have no life or any form of will of its own, but then again when it had been allowed to do as it wished it had been completely out of control and borderline rabid. No one got a chance to ponder this for very long because Yue suddenly made a motion with her hand and this Predacon further demonstrated that it was completely under the goddess's control as it spread its wings and flew over to her and landed in her lap. In comparison to Yue this Predacon would be roughly proportionate to the size of an average housecat and without any hesitation she picked it up with both hands, obviously she was taking great cares to be gentle… At least that's what it looked like until she slowly began to open her mouth and there was a faint clicking sound which exposed a pair of abnormally large canines. Just as it became evident that she was going to bite this Predacon, its twin raced forward and hastily transformed… Revealing that its identity to be none other than Dreadwing; which would make the other Skyquake.
"Yue! Please don't hurt him! I beg of you!" Dreadwing pleaded desperately. His pleading caused the femme to pause and look at the honorable warrior in a pitying sort of way.
"I'm not going to hurt him." She explained softly. "I'm merely going to rid his body of what plagues him." And before Dreadwing could say anything else, Yue drove her fangs deep into Skyquake's neck!
Immediately a shriek of horrible pain escaped from Skyquake and the undead Predacon suddenly began to flail wildly, but Yue's grip remained as strong and vicelike in spite of the dragonformers frantic movements. As he continued to thrash, the headgear and visor that Yue had implanted to control him broke off and dissolved into nothingness. Dreadwing fell to his knees as Skyquakes agony spilled through his half of their shared spark and he quickly became overwhelmed by his brother's suffering! He felt the utter torture it was just to be existing in the state he was in, to not be dead but not be truly alive either! But amidst the crushing anguish something else was beginning to rise; the smallest barely recognizable sensation of relief was steadily growing stronger. As the pain was slowly ebbed away Dreadwing began to realize what was happening Yue was using her massive fangs like a pair of filters, siphoning out the dark energon from his system and allowing what little normal energon that remained in his body to flow once again through his lines. Even adding some of her own lifeblood to his frame in order to assist in healing as well as give him enough energon to continue to function. Finally after what felt like an eternity, the goddess removed her fangs from Skyquakes neck, the gaping holes that her teeth left behind instantaneously healed up, no doubt due to the contact with Yue's healing blood. She then seemed to press a certain spot on the dragons back and whatever she did apparently forced his exhausted frame to transform on reflex. Once this was done, the deity gently placed Skyquake's limp form on the ground next to his twin.
"Brother?!" Dreadwing weakly questioned as he put his servos on Skyquake's chassis and gently shook the unconscious mech. The green and silver twin hissed in pain since his entire frame felt sore and his systems were still busy recalibrating and rebooting. But after several pain filled minutes his bio-lights flared to life, now a blazing red in color and his optics weakly opened.
"Dre… Dreadw-wing?" Skyquake whispered, his voice raw and hoarse. "Where- are?"
"Safe." The blue twin said with a sigh of relief. Relief that his twin had not been injured by Yue's actions and that he had truly been returned to him alive and no longer trapped in his own private hell. "You are safe."
"Pain, there… had b-been so much pain! For s-so… so long." He rasped as the weakened emerald Seeker made several weak attempts to sit up but his body refused to cooperate. Dreadwing just pushed him back down as gently as he could.
"Shhhh, you rest now brother. I shall not leave your side, not even for a moment… I promise." He said as he gently pet his twin brother's helm. Unable to move, let alone argue, Skyquake laid back down and was unconscious within a matter of seconds.
"As I have stated before, those whom serve me… shall reap the rewards." Yue stated as a small smile graced her features. Sighing in immeasurable relief, Dreadwing bowed before Yue and muttered a 'Thank you' to the deity. She merely nodded and watched as the former Decepticon-turned-Predacon transform into his new dragon beast mode and carefully slid his twin onto his back and moved him to another area a little ways away from the epicenter where everything was taking place.
"It seems that you have not chosen to follow the path of darkness and chaos like your Sire," Optimus commented trying not to let how intrigued and unnerved he was by the situation and this… creature… show. "But what remains unclear is whether you intend to become our ally or our enemy-"
"Oh shut up!" Yue snapped at the Prime, her optics narrowing hatefully. "I do not care one iota what you view me as! I know what I am; I am balance! And how dare you assume for one moment that I do not create chaos! Chaos is needed every bit as much as order is! Look at your own race; a society that was ruled by order, what did it lead you too?! Tyranny and oppression! Order and chaos went out of balance with 'order' becoming too strong! When the balance of power is thrown out of alignment the other must rise to reset the balance! Chaos was needed and your war happened, but by then it was too late wasn't it?! Your world was destroyed before the balance could be reset! Don't you go saying that 'chaos' and 'darkness' are evil, because I have seen more wicked deeds done in the name of order and light than any other!" The goddess roared, her voice seemed to echo for miles and miles. "You want to know what I am Prime? I am what I choose to be!"
"Yue! Please calm down!" Songbird exclaimed, she knew that Yue's temper was dangerous at best and completely murderous at worst. The deity's looked over at the Gryphonformer, her optics filled with malice. But again, Song was closer to Yue than anyone else so hearing her request begrudgingly made her calm down.
"I am what I choose to be…" She repeated. While her anger was undoubtedly still raging just beneath the surface, she at least managed to get a grip on it. "While I believe in the philosophy of balance, I am also a firm believer in the fine art of justice. This is something that even my Predacon's must know the about me and understand. Know that to stand before me, is to stand before judgment!" Now her smile returned as she looked down at Optimus only there was no good nature behind it… there was nothing but wicked intent. "And now it is you who shall be judged."
A powerful blast suddenly collided hard with the side of Yue's face…
Megatron had finally managed to free himself from the rubble Yue had sent him flying into and in spite of the blow he was seemingly uninjured. His optics burned with rage as Yue had gone completely rigid, the only movement was in her own amethyst optics as they slowly settled on the silver warlord. The wound on her face was a disgustingly nasty gash that bled out only a few droplets of her pale lavender lifeblood, a strange diluted form of the Unmakers dark energon.
"And what would a beast like you possibly know about justice?" he spat wrathfully.
"More than you ever could." She answered in a surprisingly calm tone, but the malevolence had not decreased in the slightest. "Now shut your mouth."
"Insolent brat! You believe that you have the capacity to judge the crimes of others when you yourself are little more than a sparkling?! Correction, not even a sparkling but some hybrid abomination!"
"I said shut your mouth!" Yue snapped, her voice elevating and her sharp servos beginning to dig into the arms of her throne causing large cracks to appear in its once flawless design.
"Do you believe that I will cower down before you just because you have power?! Because you are a so-called goddess? You are nothing but a fragment of Unicron, a mistake! I would bet that if you were to be cleaved open you would be hollow inside!"
"SILENCE!" She screamed before bolting upright from her throne, her optics blazing with rage. "You will be silent, or I shall make you silent!"
"Oh but with all due respect goddess…" He sneered with mock sincerity. "I would like to see you try!
Yue was silent for a moment as she was apparently considering Megatron's words and suddenly her optics began to shine with a deep dark energy that was steadily getting more powerful with each passing moment. "Then so be it!"
White flames suddenly erupted from her body, completely enveloping the angry deity and then the fire began to condense in size… but when the flames evaporated Yue was considerably smaller; still a head and shoulders taller than Predaking but still smaller than her true colossal size. She wordlessly extended her hand in which blazing purple flames sprang forth and then took the form of a large Kine mallet. Megatron cracked his neck loudly before unsheathing his blade and assuming his fighting stance.
"Come and get me glitch!"
Yue charged him…
Admittedly Megatron may have underestimated just how strong Yue was; he barely had time to duck out of the way of her hammer! In fact the former gladiator had little choice but to switch his tactics to defensive simply due to the fact that Yue was quite literally rampaging through the landscape leaving a trail of havoc and destruction in her wake! It was also clear that while she was strong she had no set stance her fighting skills were practiced but far from refined, so her movements were unpredictable… Megatron saw an opportunity and ducked underneath another viscous swing of the mallet and got close enough to Yue to stab her twice in her shoulder! While not a fatal the wound hurt like hell and the young deity howled in pain but managed to lash out with her arm and smack Megatron away. The blow sent him flying back but he righted himself midair and landed only a little ways away from his opponent. He smirked for now he saw her weakness; if he could just navigate around her attacks and fight her at close range he would undoubtedly have the advantage. But as he readied himself for another flurry of attacks he heard something that stopped him dead in his tracks…
He heard cheering...
From their positions watching this fight unfurl, the Vehicons had suddenly began to cheer! Shouting encouragements and praise… but they weren't cheering for Megatron; their cries of adoration were for Yue while they screamed for their former warlord's death!
And for one horrible moment Megatron was back in the Pits of Kaon with the crowd screaming for his defeat…
Yue smiled as she basked in the Vehicons cheers, getting completely distracted from her fight she raised her fist to the heavens as though she was already triumphant. This proved to be a dangerous mistake, for once Megatron regained himself he was overcome with such anger and hatred that he let loose a feral snarl before whipping around and plunging his blade deep into Yue's abdomen! In a blind rage he stabbed her over and over again while Yue screamed in pain; the small part of him that was aware of what he was doing was deeply disturbed by how this abominations thin plating ripped apart so easily almost like a sparklings protoform... He didn't even stop his assault when the gaping hole in her midsection spilled out its contents; blood, entrails and all sorts of fleshy pieces that were disturbingly humanlike and yet not anything close to human at all… In one final movement he cleaved his blade straight up tearing open her chest, neck and eventually most of the right side of her face, piercing straight through her right optic. It was only when Megatron stopped his frenzied attack did he realize that Yue was no longer screaming…
She was laughing…
But how? He had just flayed her open! How was she laughing at this?! Megatron never got a chance to react before Yue's ripped open torso shifted until the horrific gash was suddenly lined with razor sharp teeth and her entrails suddenly rose up and wrapped around him with a crushing grip and held him in place while the goddess hefted her hammer and before he knew it she slammed it straight into his body sending him reeling back, but Yue's intestines quickly became taught and pulled him back only to be slammed with that mallet once again! She repeated this process five times, until Megatron's body was cracked all over and profusely bleeding. Finally she reeled him back in once more only this time she grabbed him and brought her mutilated face down to glare him straight in the optic while her insides and face slowly began to fuse back into their proper places. By the time she began talking no one would have guessed she'd ever had a single mark on her and she let her kine mallet dissolve into nothingness …
"You'd dared to take my father's blood which is my birthright! And you dared to think that you could control it! Well you were wrong, the dark energon is mine and I will be taking it back now!" A familiar clicking sound was heard and Yue's smile showed that her specialized canines had once again been activated and she quickly bit deep into Megatron's neck cables!
It became apparent almost instantly that something was radically different with the way Yue filtered out the dark energon this time. When she had freed Skyquake from its influence the entire process took only a few moments, but with Megatron it was obvious that it was taking longer. One explanation was that Yue had been at her true size when she had bitten Skyquake, her fangs had been so large that everything had been resolved quickly. Now she was much smaller and so were her fangs, so filtering all of the dark energon from his body was obviously going to take longer… the other explanation was simply that she was taking her sweet time, letting Megatron endure the painful cleansing process. When she finally finished there was a river of the foul glowing purple substance dribbling out of her mouth as she smiled down at Megatron… In spite of the searing pain he had not screamed or cried out even once, he didn't want to give the glitch the satisfaction of seeing him in pain. Not that seemed to bother Yue much, She maintained her death-grip on Megatron while nonchalantly removing the Dark Star Saber from his back. (Megatron chose not to use it against Yue because he feared that using it against Unicron's heir might not have worked out so well...) She inspected it for a minute before carefully placing it on the ground and returning her full, undivided attention to Megatron.
"Before you challenged me, I told you to be silent." She said in a deceivingly happy tone. "Now I will make sure that you are…" With those eerie words Yue brought her free hand up to her mouth and bit down on one of her nails. She pulled and with a little effort she pulled the entire nail out! A trickle of blood oozed from this self-inflicted wound but Yue paid it no mind as she ran her now bloodied hand through her long white hair before carefully selecting a single strand and pulling it out. Yue brought this hair up to the nail she was still holding in her mouth and somehow a small hole opened up at the base of the nail and she slid the hair through it…
When she finished there was no denying that she had just threaded a needle…
"Skylynx! Darksteel! Look away right now!" Songbird ordered causing the younger two Predacon's to become slightly confused, not that they got to dwell on the subject for Song didn't give them much time to obey orders before pushing their heads away from this sight and Predaking noticed how Song closed her optics at the same time. Still his curiosity had got the better of him and he found that he could not to look away.
"Now be careful not to move or I might miss my mark…" She said sweetly after taking her 'needle' out of her mouth and bringing it up to Megatron's face. Starting to realize what she was about to do Megatron began to fiercely snarl and struggle successfully preventing Yue from getting to near his face… At least until she obviously became frustrated and put the needle back in her mouth before grabbing hold of his right arm and effortlessly tearing it off. Now with that Megatron finally screamed, screams that only increased in volume when Yue's needle finally pierced his face…
And slowly, inch by agonizing inch, Yue stitched the Decepticon Warlord's mouth closed…
"Did you know that it was my father who taught me how to sew?" The deity began to randomly talk as she let Megatron drop to the ground and he immediately began tearing at his mouth, but with no success at all. "My mother was never any good at it, whereas my father was exceptionally skilled with a needle and thread… He actually made most of my childhood toys when I was growing up. Out of the finest human skin that came from those damned to his torture chambers. She tilted her head back as she became lost in a pleasant memory from her youth.
(Yue's Flashback…)
In a beautifully decorated room within an Atlantean Castle, and Yue, who was only about two maybe three years old sat quietly on the knee of her father's human form, a massive bear of a man who was probably seven or eight feet tall when standing. He wore tarnished golden armor with particularly massive shoulder spikes, while the few parts of the armor that weren't gold were black. His skin was as pale as death while his eyes were a deep purple. The man's face was hard and set as though it had been chiseled from stone, his hair was a dark brown almost black in color and he had a goatee. Atop his head was a large horned helmet that was the same tarnished golden color as the rest of his armor. Currently Unicron was sitting at a large wooden table sewing some sort of toy together while his child eagerly watched him work.
"We will not mention this to your mother…" He grumbled, knowing that if that damnable woman ever found out about this stupid miscellaneous skill of his he would never hear the end of it. Still he finished with the last stitch on the toy before handing the finished doll to his daughter… it was a fragging creepy thing with a white eyeless, mouthless face and it wore what looked like a black suit and had several long black tendrils protruding out of its back… it was the kind of thing that would normally scare the living daylights out of any normal child, but since it was something her daddy had made for her Yue loved it…
But upon hearing of her father's desire for secrecy, Yue blinked her large eyes and looked up at him confused before wordlessly pointing behind him where Lyrica was leaning in the doorway… and her expression was obviously filled with amusement.
Oh frag…
"Huh, I wonder whatever happened to that doll…" The goddess muttered as she finally returned to reality, only to see that Soundwave and Ravage had rushed over to Megatron's side and were trying to help pull the stitches out. But they were having no more success than the grievously injured silver titan. Yue snorted, knowing that their efforts would be completely futile. Still, she looked over at Optimus and raised an eyebrow when she noticed how the Prime was glaring angrily at her, his fists clenched so tightly that they were actually shaking. "Don't get comfortable; I have plans for you too." She growled before looking over towards a barren section of ground and in a sudden rush of lavender flames Yue returned to her previous massive size... "But I will have to retrieve one other individual before we can continue on any further. For he shall be the first one to answer for his crimes…"
Now at this Yue knelt down and picked up the Dark Star Saber which she carefully inspected for a few minutes, seemingly impressed by the weapon her cold optics also glanced over at Megatron's severed arm; it was like something suddenly clicked and she brought the blade up to her right arm and she seemed to slide it into her arm. Immediately a disturbing surge of dark energon veins flared to life on her forearm before a large curved blade burst from just above her wrist in the exact same manner Megatron's blade would protrude from his arm. Content with this new little upgrade, Yue began using her new blade to draw a large summoning circle on the ground and every rune she crafted was lit with the hellish purple light of the dark energon. At the same time every strand of her long white hair that was touching the ground began connect with the earth causing faint bursts of pale light to bloom in these areas.
"Contrary to how it looks, my hair isn't really hair at all. Each strand is actually a nerve that is directly linked to my brain…" Yue explained when she heard the Vehicon's confused whispers. "And since I share a kinship to this planet I can use these nerves tap directly into it. In other words, all of the earth can become an extension of my being… an ability that I share with my father." She fell silent and retracted her new blade and held her hand directly above the summoning circle, but it looked like she was ready to strike out at any moment. "It's exceptionally useful when hunting the damned." And at that her arm lashed out and went straight into the ground within the circle which immediately erupted with dark light…
And Yue then proceeded to pull Shockwave out through this portal…
Clearly the scientist had neither prepared for, nor expected what had just happened. Frag, his brilliant mind was still trying to comprehend the fact that he was currently in the grasp of a massive femme that had just grabbed him out of nowhere! Before he could think to use it against her, Yue quickly brought her other arm over and crushed his arm cannon. She then stood up and looked over from Shockwave, to Megatron and the finally she stopped when she came to Optimus.
"Now that everyone is here we can finally begin!" She proclaimed, carelessly tossing the cycloptic mech away in the same manner that a child would discard a toy they had grown bored with. He landed with a painful 'thud' but was otherwise uninjured. But before he could stand, Shockwave suddenly began to sink into the ground! It was as though he had just landed in quicksand and it was not only happening to him… Megatron was abruptly ensnared by thick serpentine tendrils of dirt and earth that abruptly pulled him under the ground, as was Optimus. But just as the Autobot leader had begun to sink into the earth his horrified comrades tried to grab him and pull him free, yet in spite of their combined strength and efforts they were unable to prevent the Prime from being swallowed up by the ground.
There was a brief pause, before the earth suddenly exploded and three massive trees sprang forth from the ground only they weren't normal trees, they were grey and looked as though they were long dead. Their twisting branches were lined with rows and rows of razor sharp thorns and entangled in these winding tree limbs were the forms of Shockwave, Optimus and Megatron. They were strung up so tightly that it was all too clear that they were unable to move, hell in several sections of their frames the sharp thorns had pierced them clean through! There were even several thorns stabbed into the gaping wound where Megatrons severed arm had once been… although everything else was apparently random, with Yue's animosity towards the former warlord it was far too likely that this was deliberate.
Once this was complete Yue burst out laughing a cold malevolent laugh and threw her hands up as she looked joyfully towards the sky, taking delight in what she knew was about to come…
"The trial begins now!"
I'm extremely sorry, but this chapter was delayed due to the fact that I had to go out of town and I was unable to finish this chapter until I got back… and I'm also sorry but I just couldn't resist throwing a Slenderman joke in there ^^; Wow we're really getting close to the end now; only one or two more chapters to go after this one and the story will be complete! So as usual, please remember to Read and Review! ^_^