Author's Note: Okay so a little more angst happens here but there is fluff and lightness at the end. No more angst will happen for the remainder of the story (I don't think). As far as I know, this was it. Enjoy and please review!!
Thanks to: shimmershadow30, FunkyFish1991, LyricaBelachium, Crossfire1205, Elita One, and Blood Shifter 2 for such great reviews!!
Chapter 12
Ratchet was worried.
Two orns…it has been two orns.
The ARK had entered the orbit of a dead planet in the Theta Quadrant only a couple of joors ago.
Ever since he had zapped the yellow twin with the EMP blast, his brother had yet to awaken from recharge. He wasn't responding to anything.
"I just don't understand this. It's as if, they are no longer separate individuals but one being."
"Spark bonds can be a powerful thing, as we all know."
"Yes, but the really intriguing part…is that these twins share a spark…a rarity in itself."
"So what does that mean for these two?"
A long suffering sigh filled the expanse of space that was the med-bay.
"Because Sunny has suffered so adversely and his twin has not…I have reason to believe that Sides is somehow now the link."
"The link to what…"
"Look at it this way…one twin is more Decepticon and the other is more Autobot. It is near impossible for spark twins to be separated like this since it puts a tremendous strain on their sparks, which would explain why they have been in stasis for so long."
"I think I understand now…in order to bring the twins back together and to mend the ties which have been stretched too thin, they are re-building a bridge between each other in order to compensate for the damage which has occurred."
"Precisely"
Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Optimus Prime stood around the still forms of both twins who were currently lying on a recharge berth together in the med-bay, completely oblivious to the conversation that just took place.
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Sides, wasn't sure where he was or how he had gotten here…but he could sense that his brother was nearby.
"Hello? Sunny…can you hear me?"
No reply.
Sides kept walking through debris filled corridors. The red youngling soon recognized where he was—the abandoned Alpha Sigma Youth Sector.
He soon broke into a run when he heard the sounds of a battle raging as blaster fire erupted nearby. Explosions shook the ground and sparks rained down from damaged ceiling panels and here and there small fires consumed bits of wreckage that blocked some hallways off. The red twin felt panicked and knew he had to find his brother and get him out of this terrible place.
"SUNNY!! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Tears streamed down the youngling's face as he felt fear gripping his spark. The battle was raging closer and he had yet to find his twin.
He followed their dim spark bond that led him away from all the noise and to the other side of the base where it was dark and far too quiet.
At long last, he found him…but the sight that greeted his optics frightened him.
He saw his brother and himself trying to evade the seeking claws of Starscream. Sides screamed when he saw one of the three Decepticons kick Sunny into the outstretched hands of Starscream, who swept his struggling twin up into the air by the back of his scruff bar.
"At last…you pathetic pit-spawn…you are MINE!"
The red youngling watched from the sidelines as he saw the terrible experience of their encounter with the Decepticons unfolding before his optics.
Sides saw his other self, scramble madly after his twin and watched the other Sides beat his two little fists against the mean one's shin plating, screaming for the Decepticon to let his brother go. This was so weird to watch...especially since he knew what was coming next.
"Leave me alone you little pest!"
Sides watched as Starscream lifted his other leg back and with one swift move, kicked his other self with enough force to send him careening halfway down the corridor. His flight was stopped however when his small body slammed painfully into one of the other towering mechs.
Sides winced as he witnessed HIMSELF, shut down into emergency repair stasis almost instantly. He averted his optics to look back at Sunny.
The yellow twin didn't even appear to register his presence. It was like he was invisible or something. Sides wanted so desperately to call out to his brother, to let him know that he was okay and wasn't harmed but the towering figure of the Decepticon that held his brother in his wicked clutches frightened him into regretful silence.
The red youngling watched the rest of the scene unfold with shocked optics. He watched as Sunny screamed at his unconscious form lying on the floor, broken and on the brink of death. Sides watched with intense pleasure as his yellow twin kicked Star-freak in the face…until it came to the worst part of Sunny's memory. As much as Sides wanted to look away, just the fact that he was watching something he had missed the first time had his attention glued to the terrible scene.
"Do you know what I'm going to do to you now youngling? I'm going to hurt you in ways that are beyond your puny little processor's comprehension."
Starscream continued.
"You know youngling…there are far worse things than death…by the end of this joor, you will be begging me for a quick termination!! But that is not going to be YOUR fate."
Sides watched Sunny follow Starscream's gaze down to where it landed on the battered frame of his other self. He clicked and twittered in newfound anxiety when he understood what the brute was referring to.
He was going to kill the other version of him and force Sunny to watch.
"I'm going to rip off your friend's arms and legs first…one by one. And then, I'm going to slowly rip out his spark before I blast whatever's left back to the pit. You will then get to live the rest of your WRETCHED EXCUSE FOR A LIFE…with the knowledge that you were too weak and powerless to save him."
Sides screamed from the sidelines as he witnessed Starscream back-hand his brother's face. The red youngling sucked in a breath when he noticed a shift in his brother…
So this is where it all began. This is when his brother became different and so angry.
Sides cringed when his brother screamed very loudly at the Decepticon.
"I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU!"
His brother was so angry he was spitting and hissing, struggling in an attempt to break free. By this point, his bright baby blue optics, were burning a brilliant violet purple.
Sides walked forward when he saw this…his brother's optics were changing into scary ones.
"Sunny?"
Side's voice quivered and came out in a high squeak.
For some reason, his brother still couldn't hear him. Sides felt helpless as he witnessed his brother have a complete meltdown. The red youngling couldn't help but feel guilty that he hadn't been there for his brother through all of this, his optics landing on the battered frame of his other self.
The energon in his pumps froze at what Starscream said next.
"You know…you might make a good Decepticon yet, youngling. Embrace your rage…continue to hate me, hate makes you strong!!"
All of the fight leaked out of Sunny and he whispered softly, as fresh tears flowed anew from newly restored baby blue optics. Sides was close enough that he could actually hear him from that distance.
"I hate you…"
"What was that, I couldn't hear you…" Starscream smirked with satisfaction as he held the pathetic little creature up before him.
Starscream made a hand gesture to his two fellow wing-men who immediately moved forward to retrieve the body of the red youngling.
"Now you will watch as we extinguish his spark…a spark YOU could have saved. This will be an example to you. Now you will see what becomes of all those who defy the reign of the Decepticons and choose to side with the WEAK!!"
Sunny turned away, unable to witness what he was sure was to come.
Starscream grabbed his head and turned it so he couldn't look away.
Sides, was crying now…it was so…so HORRIBLE. So this is what his brother refused to share with him, the answer to all the riddles and questions. He couldn't blame his twin…he would probably be feeling just as much rage, if not more at what Starscream was about to force his brother to witness. It was true, that the twins were not only loyal to each other but extremely over-protective as well. No one hurt his brother and got away with it!
Sides had to bring his hands up to cover his audios when his brother released the loudest, most audio piercing, spark wrenching shriek he had ever heard in his young life.
Soon, the red twin found himself screaming as well as a torrent of emotions leaked through their bond to him.
Pain. Rage. Anguish. HATE. Love for his brother. Helplessness.
Sides shook his head and looked up at the towering Decepticon that still held his brother high above him and snarled at what the mean one said to Sunny next.
"You know…I was supposed to destroy you little one…but you might make a good slave. Or better yet, a really good pet."
Sunny's purple tinted optics shifted completely over to red now and he howled and hissed, no longer himself as the Con's words hit him with cruel force.
Then something in the atmosphere changed…Sides could tell. What was happening?
The original colors and design of the Youth Sector were completely altered. The hallways were now composed of darker colors and jagged plating. The red twin briefly wondered if this is what Decepticon headquarters would look like before focusing his attention on his brother again, with a shiver racing down his back plating.
He had an instinctual feeling that this is not what had originally happened the first time.
Starscream purred in the youngling's audio, ceasing his struggling. The words were not lost on Sides, whose face immediately contorted into one of shocked horror.
"Join the Decepticons youngling…it's the only way to save your brother."
Sides ran forward and screamed shrilly, opening their bond up with pain and fear.
"NO SUNNY!! DON'T JOIN HIM!"
Sunny turned his head to look down at him with a pair of blood red optics.
The yellow youngling stared blankly at him, with no hint of recognition. The youngling craned his head to look up at Starscream who was smirking now. The Decepticon set the youngling down on the floor and knelt next to the yellow one and in a silky voice, continued to brainwash his twin.
"Hate makes you strong, little one. Only your strength can save your brother."
Sides had tears running down his face now as he cautiously approached Sunny with an outstretched palm.
"Sunny, don't listen to him!!"
Starscream continued with an evil smirk.
"You will have the power to protect your brother for eternity…if you join us."
"Sunny…I'm your brother…please don't"
A hint of recognition appeared in the crimson optics of his twin.
"Make your choice"
The yellow youngling turned crimson optics from the seeker to his brother and back again, unsure, of what to do.
"You swear that my brother will always be safe?"
"I guarantee it."
Sunny looked at his brother with deep regret and whispered.
"It's the only way I can keep you safe, Sides. I have to."
"NO!! SUNNY!!"
Sunny directed his crimson optics to look up at Starscream and faintly nodded.
"Okay…I'll join you…only to save my brother."
The Decepticon then reached down and with one clawed finger, tapped the little one's helm lightly with an evil grin directed at Sides.
The yellow youngling screamed and brought his hands to his head as pain lanced through his processor. It felt as if someone was shredding his cranial unit with hot knives.
"S-sides…h-help…me!"
The red youngling ran forward to see if he could help his brother but slid to a halt about three feet away when Sunny looked up at him with an expression filled with rage. Hatred was in his optics and he growled at him.
"All Autobots…must be destroyed!"
"NO! I'M YOUR BROTHER!!"
Decepticon programming was beginning to activate and all that the yellow youngling could see in front of him…was a weak, pathetic Autobot youngling who had to be terminated immediately.
Sunny ran at him with an almost animalistic shriek, taking Sides completely by surprise. Sides didn't have time to brace himself and felt the heavy weight of his brother tackle him to the floor. They rolled a couple of times from the force of the impact but Sunny soon pinned him down and began to punch him.
Sides cried and struggled to get free and screamed at his psychotic twin.
"SUNNY STOP!! YOU'RE HURTING ME!!"
The yellow youngling ignored him and continued his assault on his helpless prey, with triumph in his Decepticon colored optics.
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Ratchet swore when the red youngling began to convulse and scream on the table.
"Slag…we're losing one of them…"
"What's happening to him Ratchet?!" Optimus was about to fritz out of his processor with panic and worry.
"His spark is fading…"
The CMO swiftly deactivated the little one's motor control system and injected a highly energized solution that would hopefully prevent his spark from extinguishing for a little while longer until he could figure out what to do.
"It seems that Sunny is dominating…"
"Dominating how?"
Ratchet turned a troubled look on Prime. Optimus's optics widened in realization.
"You mean to tell me that, Sunny is killing his brother?"
"From what my scans are telling me, their bond is already beginning to sever which would indicate that yes…Sunny is pushing his twin away."
"Can't we DO something?!" Optimus angrily demanded, with helpless desperation.
"We can only hope that Sides can find a way to bring him back. From what I understand, Decepticon programming is very hard to break once it's begun to encode within his processor. I'm afraid that the outcome of this…is up to them."
Optimus knelt down and held the tiny hand of the red twin.
"Don't give up little one…you can do it," the leader whispered encouragingly. He received a small twitch in response, almost as if the little one had actually heard him.
"Come back to us."
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Sides felt his spark breaking and his optics went wide when he felt their bond beginning to snap.
With a last act of desperation, the red youngling threw his head back and screamed with every last ounce of energy that he could muster.
"SUNNY DON'T LEAVE ME!!!! I LOVE YOU!! I LOVE YOU! YOU'RE MY BROTHER!!"
As if a switch had been flipped, Sunny stopped pounding his brother into the floor and his optics flickered from red to purple. He shook his head as if to clear his vision and lowered his raised fist when recognition crossed his face.
"S-sides…is that really you?"
"Sunny…" the red youngling sobbed.
The yellow twin fell to his knees when he realized what he had just done and one of his hands clutched his chest in pain as he felt their weak bond on the very edge of breaking.
"I'm so sorry…"
Sides noticed that the scenery around them was slowly fading out of existence.
The yellow twin's optics flickered from purple to blue as he struggled to return to himself.
"I hurt you…" Sunny looked down at his hands and shook his head in denial.
"I hurt you…" he repeated again, his voice was broken and filled with deep anguish.
The most sorrow he had ever felt in his life constricted his spark until he felt that it would break.
Sides sat up and clasped his brother's hands within his own, also aware of the pain his brother was feeling through the thin bond they still shared.
"Sunny…you're my brother and I love you."
Sides pulled his brother closer and held him in a comforting embrace as his twin broke down in tears at the realization of what he had done. He thought that if he turned Decepticon…he could protect his brother from ever getting hurt…but in the end, HE was the one who hurt him!
"I'm so…so sorry, Sides. I love you too."
As the two youngling twins embraced, all of the emotions they felt…the greatest of which was love triggered a reaction within their sparks.
The two gasped and pulled apart as a bright light emanating from both of their spark chambers began to fill the dark gloom around them. They felt the frayed strings becoming tightly woven as their bond healed and doubled in strength. Sunny looked up to see the smiling face of his twin, his optics now a baby blue that matched his brother's.
"You really scared me."
"I know…I'm sorry" Sunny averted his optics to the floor, ashamed and angry with himself for not just scaring his brother but for actually hurting him.
Sides reached out and gently lifted his brother's chin so that his twin was staring him in the face.
"You didn't leave me…"
Sunny half smiled although his eyes were dim and filled with grief.
"I promised you that I wouldn't."
"Brother…that's all that matters. You were so close…so close…"
Sides brought a hand up to cover his chest above his spark chamber as a twinge of pain raced through him at the realization of how close he had really been to losing his brother forever. Their bond had nearly snapped…and if it did…
"Don't think about it. I'm back now. And I'm here to stay," a bright smile lit up Sunny's face as he brought a hand up to his brother's cheek in a comforting manner.
"No…we are back."
Sides matched his twin's smile and they stood up, standing beside each other. They could sense that something was about to happen. Sunny sought out his brother's hand and Sides clasped it warmly.
A bright light intensified until they both felt fuzzy and disoriented. It felt that for a second, their sparks had become one again and all sense of place and time was lost.
Sunny and Sides didn't care, all that mattered was that they were finally together again.
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Both twins groaned as their systems began to reboot out of stasis.
Two identical pairs of baby blue optics opened to see two worried faces hovering above them both.
Sunny cocked a head with a confused expression when he saw Ratchet's lips moving but heard no sound. No wait…he was starting to hear something although it was faint and slightly garbled.
"—alright…slow—ystems…-booting…"
Sides was suffering the same effects his brother was only his optics were locked onto the relieved expression of Optimus Prime who was also trying to speak to him.
"—so relieved…you came—ack…to me…"
Finally their systems had finished rebooting and their audios were fully restored.
Sides and Sunny turned their heads to look at each in surprise when they realized that they were actually holding hands. One of Sunny's optics started twitching and Sides' face turned red from embarrassment and they let each other go. It was all fine and dandy to be all mushy and have some brotherly love in private but to display all that in public…in front of the Doc and Optimus just wasn't cool.
Sunny sat up and looked around to see that they were in the med-bay. He looked over to see that Optimus had directed his gaze on him. The yellow twin bowed his head and looked intensely at the table and began to draw designs in the shiny metal with an index finger.
"Optimus…I'm…I'm sorry about what I did."
The youngling squeaked in surprise when he felt a large hand scoop him off the table and settle him against a familiar chest.
"All is forgiven, little one."
Sunny rested his head above Optimus's spark chamber and sighed in contentment when he felt as well as heard the soothing thrum of the leader's spark.
Sides attempted to sit up as well but a gentle hand had pushed him back down. He pouted up at the stern but slightly amused face of Ratchet who was scanning him over again. The scan actually tickled and he giggled in response, bringing a small smile on the CMO's face.
"Unfortunately, Sides will need to remain here for another joor."
"Why?" Sunny's voice squeaked again, although this time the youngling didn't mind. It felt good to be carefree again…it was almost as if the encounter with Starscream had never happened.
"His spark was strained during the re-bonding process and his systems need time to adjust to the changes you both have made."
Sunny looked down at the floor with sorrow filled guilt.
"It's my fault."
Ratchet looked stunned at the youngling's words and shook his head.
"Don't blame yourself for something that was out of your control. Besides, as far as I can tell…it appears as if your bond as doubled in strength, a very rare occurrence in our race."
Optimus gently stroked a finger against Sunny's cheek to get his attention.
"Little one, some bad things can turn around for the better. If you hadn't gone over the edge, you and Sides never would have rebuilt and strengthened your bond. I have a feeling that this was meant to happen…" Optimus fondly smiled at both younglings.
"Why?"
"Only time will tell youngling. I do believe that this event was indeed, a blessing for the both of you," Optimus wisely stated with mirth still in his optics.
"We have also decided not to separate the two of you. We will simply have a schedule to rotate you both around our ship-mates' schedules in order to accommodate everyone accordingly."
Sunny nodded his head in agreement and locked optics with his brother.
The twins smiled mischievously at one another and knew that from then on out, they were going to be a force to be reckoned with.
TO BE CONTINUED!!