Ascent

Megatron held on for a long time, Primus thought as he felt the old mech lay down for the last time and draw his counted number of gasps. Optimus had offered to go faster than Vector Prime, and Primus only chuckled as he allowed his thirteenth creation passage to Cybertron.

ooo

Megatron gasped, poison flooding his veins. The Dark Energon shard in his spark was giving up on him, reducing him to a pile of scrap. Tears trickled down to the dust of his home in the Badlands. The Decepticon territory, he knew, would be left alone while the memories of the Decepticons still remained.

He would go quietly, Megatron assumed. So quietly that Primus himself wouldn't even notice, but as Megatron watched, a shape formed in the horizon and slowly made a beeline towards him. He wanted to lift his helm and see who this brave soul was, but his helm was too heavy and he was too tired.

The shape came close enough that Megatron recognized the colorations. Blue and silver and red and yellow, all smashed onto one frame...he would have growled, but his vocals could only produce a defeated whine. He jerked and laid still, panting.

Optimus knelt and touched his helm with his servo. "Megatron...I have come to retrieve you."

Megatron gave a weak whimper and his optics closed. He curled his fists into claws. The great Megatron, come to die, and the only one that came to him was his enemy, the mech he had betrayed and back-stabbed repeatedly...the librarian he mocked and pushed to every breaking point only for the mech to turn around and give him some odd gift or spare him from death...anyone but Optimus Prime, he begged. He'd even take Starscream. Anyone but the Prime...

"I also want you to know that I forgive you."

Megatron's mouth opened in a soundless scream and he turned his face to press it into the grit. He didn't want to hear anymore.

"I know why you did the things you did, and I am okay with it now. The past can die in the past, and it does not have to make an appearance in the future. Megatron, do you accept this?"

Megatron nodded weakly and reached out with his claws. Optimus took his servo, the other still on his helm. While the Prime watched, the once great warlord gave one last shuttering breath. A smile eased across his faceplates and his optics dimmed. Optimus stood and let Primus take him back.

ooo

Optimus watched Megatron look around the realm in confusion before his faceplates split into a grin and he laughed, making the warlord jerk. Back in Primus' light, all of Unicron's meddling melted away, leaving only silver armor and blue optics with blunt digits. Megatron touched his armor lightly, felt his face and rubbed his servos. His optics dimmed and he looked at Optimus.

"Welcome home, brother," Optimus said.