(And it is finally here. The battle you have all been waiting for. So sorry for not updating. Please don't hate me for not paying attention to this story.)

Chapter 20

The Final Battle

As Optimus Prime, Maria, Starscream and his mini-con made their escape, Thrust was quick to inform his leader through com link.

As he did this, the rest of the Autobots all got the com link from their leader that he had Maria and that they should prepare for battle as soon as he would return with Maria and all would escape through the ground bridge.

It was at that moment that the com link reached to Megatron.

-Master! We have a problem!-

-What is keeping you, Thrust? I ordered you to bring the brat over here. Where are you and what are you doing?-

-I tried to bring the youngling, but Optimus Prime appeared out of nowhere and knocked me out. Starscream is also with him and they are escaping with the youngling!-

"Guess your plan backfired, Moose Head." said Jetfire in his real voice, and as the enraged Megatron looked up, the Optimus Prime that was supposed to be there, now disintegrated and Jetfire was now in his place.

"What?" Megatron growled with utter confusion, but then Side Swipe started to giggle and the Decepticon war lord looked down. In his hands, where the Crest of Primus should have been, there was now a stuffed snow man.

"Sorry about the Crest. It got a little frostbite." Side Swipe joked and the others laughed.

Megatron roared with anger and frustration as he threw the toy to the ground and stomped on it, stuffing exploding out of the now ripped seems of the toy.

"DESTROY THEM!"

All at once, the Autobots and Decepticons engaged in a rough and violent battle, blasters and guns firing, fists flying. All the mechs of each side were giving it their all; their effort to beat and weaken the other was overpowering. The Autobots were now in this literal fight to the death, but they were not only fighting for their lives, they were fighting for the younlging they had loved and protected.

Hot Shot and Side Swipe were in a heated battle with Demolisher and Cyclonus, mainly engaged in a physical fight, kicking and punching with all their might, and were easily beating the slow minded Decepticons.

Red Alert was in a fight with WheelJack, and Jetfire was left to fight off Megatron, who was not going down and was still fighting.

"I will not lose to an arogant bot like you!" he threatened the second in command, punching him squarely on his face plate, knocking him to the ground, btu before Megatron would go in for the kill, Blurr blasted him with plenty of rounds from his weapon, driving him away.

"You okay, Doc?" Blurr went to the CMO's side and helped him up.

"I'm fine."

Just as he said that, a great rumble shook the ground and to the Autobots shock, the giant Tidal Wave appeared.

"Ah, reinforcements. TIdal Wave, Take care of them and keep the Autobots at bay. I've got some plans I need to attend to." Megatron ordered the behemouth as he made his escape, and the giant went into battle, firing his weapons at the Autobts, who tried their best to get past him and stop Megatron, but it was futile. The giant kept them at bay, while the Decepticon war lord made his way to find his adversary and destroy him and the youngling...once...and for all.

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As the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons raged on, Optimus, carrying Maria in his arms, followed by Starscream, ran their way past the battle so as to not be seen by the other Decepticons and made their way over a canyon. From there Optimus would contact their human companions from earth to activate the space bridge and transport him, the youngling and the other Autobots back to earth.

"It's only a few miles. If we can get there soon, we will be in the clear." Optimus told Starscream, but then a shot rang out and a blast of fire and bullets came to the side of the bots, and MAria screamed in terror. Starscream looked to where the shot was fired, only to find Thrust in pursuit of them, his weapon at the ready.

"Optimus, you and the younlging must go without me. I'll hold him off." Starscream ordered the leader as he brought his sword from his jet wing, but before he ran out to battle, Maria called out to him.

"No! You can't." she called to him, her face desperate and scared for his life.

Starscream saw the look and went to her, and using one hand, placed it behind her head and brought it to his forehead and rubbed his head against hers. "I will return for you, little one." he promised Maria.

And with that, he ran to meet up with Thrust, fighting him off and keeping him at bay, and Optimus ran off with the youngling.

"He will be alright, Maria. " Optimus tried to calm her down, but the youngling was struggling to break free from him.

"But, we have to help him." she fussed.

"Maria, please settle down. Starscream is a strong warrior. He will be fine, I promise." Optimus cooed and this time, MAria believed him and nodded her head in understanding.

"Now, let's get you home and..."

A giant explosion erupted in front of the Autobot leader. The blast was so powerful, the force pushed him and the youngling into the air and landed hard onto the ground, the youngling crying in pain and Optimus quickly came to her. "What was that?" Maria asked in a scared voice, shaking with fear.

"The last sound you will ever hear, brat!" Shouted a cackle of insane laughter as the form of Megatron appeared, his tank-cannon aimed at the child and was powering up, ready to fire.

But Optimus was quick to act and shot at his enemy with his mounted wrist-guns and fired them at the tyrant leader, catching him off guard and Optimus quickly put himself between Megatron and the child.

As Megatron got back up, he saw his opponent standing protectively in front of the youngling.

"You know, I actually feel sorry for you, Optimus Prime." Megaton sneered. "You of such great power protecting this insignificant speck of life. Then again, it's typical behavior of your pathetic Autobot nature. And to think that that power of yours could have been used to save your wife, but you were too late to even care. Now they are stuck in limbo and the child that you protect shall join them..."

"ENOUGH! You leave my family out of this Megatron! I don't care what you have in mid for me, but the youngling is not yours to kill. Whether we are not of one spark, I am her father and I will protect her!" Optimus snapped.

Maria only lay there in awe by her adoptive fathers words. Form that moment, she knew that he did love her and would do anything for her.

"Very well then, Prime. Let's see you keep that promise." Megatron hissed before he charged straight towards them, but Optimus charged back at him, and soon the mighty robots were locked in a heated battle.

Optimus and Megatron gave it their all in the fight, each strike and blow was almost equal to the power of the tides of the ocean and the pain was just as such. But neither of them backed down. They were determined to see the other surrender, but one had the will to protect the one he had sworn to love, while the other was determined to see the other suffer in defeat.

"You might as well give up, Optimus. You are bound to lose this fight." Megatron growled as he elbowed the Prime in the chest and kicked him down, but before he attack, Prime moved out of the way and rammed into the tyrant leader and slammed him against one of the moon craters walls.

"I will never surrender to you." Optimus warned Megatron as he punched Megatron in the abdomen several times before Megatron retaliated with a savage kick to the face plate. The force of the kick was so strong that the face mask that Prime wore was torn off, rolling across the ground to Maria. She picked it up and looked back at the battle, seeing Optimus on the ground, holding his cheek in pain.

"Optimus! Get up!" she cried to him, but he couldn't. The pain in his face was stinging like mad.

"At last, the hero reveals his face, after all these millenia, after what happened to your family." Megatron taunted as Prime slowly stood up, his blue face in full view, and an old scar across his right cheek plate.

Optimus went after Megatron again with a yell of anger, but was suddenly caught off guard by an upper-cut, and was now stumbling as Megatron attacked him with savage punches and kicks, and Optimus was now in great trouble of collapsing in total exhaustion. Suddenly Megatron shoved Optimus to the ground and hand both his clawed hands around Prime's neck, choking him.

Maria screamed in fear and watched in helplessness as Optimus was being strangled before her optics.

Optimus gagged and struggled to breathe, but Megatron was much to strong for him. "I have waited an eternity for this moment, the mighty Optimus Prime dying in my own clutches." Megatron grinned and tightened his hold on the Autobot's neck.

Maria was not sure what to do. She was scared for both her life and for Prime's. What could she do?

Save him.

"Who said that?" Maria said quietly. The voice, soft and calming was heard from in Maria's processor. "Who are you?"

In time. Save your father. He needs you. Said the voice, and MAria suddenly felt courage build up inside her. She was no longer afraid.

"Die! Die and turn to ashes!" Megatron shouted as Prime gasped his last breath.

"NO!"

Just then, Megatron felt tiny hands grab his face and scratched him, and he yelled in pain, letting go of Optimus and started to get up and twist and turn, his hands desperately trying to grab at the youngling. Maria would not stop her assault and continued to scratch at Megatron's face while avoiding his hands at the same time.

As Optimus got to his feet, he stood in utter disbelief at the sight of who his savior was. BUt, he knew that Maria was only distracting Megatron, allowing Prime to recover his breath and await his turn.

As Megatron screamed for her to get off, Maria managed to grab a stone from the ground and started banging on Megatron's forehead repeatedly, each hit harder than the last.

"GET OFF!" MEgatron roared as he finally managed to catch the child and fling her to the ground. But, to his shock, she got up and got into a fighting stance.

"You leave my father alone, you big bully!" she ordered.

Megatron was about to attack when a tremendous force slammed into his side and Megatron soon found himself at the mercy of Optimus Prime once again, only now, Optimus was fueled by his fatherly love and his strength, which ultimately sealed the deal.

After a mirage of attacks, Optimus finished off by grasping Megatron's horns and tore them off. Megatron howled in pain and agony, his cries reaching to the other fighting Cybertroninans.

"That's Megatron. Come on!" Scavenger called to his team of Autobots and they abandoned the now defeated Decepticons.

Starscream also heard the cries of his leader, but knew that it was over. She transformed to his jet form and flew away from the moon, knowing that the youngling was now safe from his leader's clutches.

The Decepticon leader was now on the ground, feeling his once proud horns, and felt a stream of energon leaking from them.

"You're finished Megatron..." Optimus spoke and quickly seized him by the chest plate and held him up. Megatron looked at the Prime with fear and pain in his optics, which was unusualy to Prime, but he didn't think about it.

"Please! Let me go! Grant me mercy! I beg of you, Prime! I promise I will never go after your daughter and I will leave earth alone. I will stay in exile on this moon, just please let me live!"

Optimus looked at Megatron again, and was unsure of his word, but he was now in weak condition to fight back, and knew that killing off a life that was weak was against everything that the Autobots were about.

"I will let you live, but I warn you. If I see either of your men or you come close to my daughter or threaten her life, I will be forced to take your life." Optimus hissed as he let go of Megatron, the Decepticon leader landed on the ground with a thud.

Optimus stood for a while looking at the fallen Decepticon before turning around to face his daughter, who held out his mask to him.

"I believe this is yours."

Optimus smiled and took the mask and placed it back on him, and the two looked up ahead, seeing their team coming to their aid. Everything was now okay, Maria was safe and they were going home.

But, Megatron was only pretending to sound afraid and took the chance to attack. As he readied himself, his mini-con appeared out of nowhere and power-linked to him. The added power increased the power that was building up in his pulse cannon to full power and as it reached its capacity, Megatron took dead aim at the youngling. "Life is to short." he whispered.

As the cannon fired, Optimus tuned for a split second, as did Maria.

What happened next was nothing either of the Cybertronians ever expected. Optimus Prime, ran to the yougnling and pushed her out of the way, and all he saw was the blast, and felt the impact burn through his side and energon poured out of him. The force was agonizing and powerful.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Maria screamed, her optics wide open, staring at the sight.

All that Optimus could recollect from the moment was the vision from so many months ago, the dream. Was this what the dream meant, his sacrifice? He could not find the answer as his optics dimmed and blacked out.

The sounds of footsteps were all his audio receptors could hear, and he felt someone hugging him, and tears streamed from above, grazing his face.

(Oh no. What happened? Will Optimus make it? I'm not sure, but we will find out in the next chapter. Please try to be patient for I am a bit slow at the moment. I am trying my hardest to finish up this story you all have grown to love, as well as me, but I am also trying to finish up my other stories and requests, as well as a new long story. I will do my best to finish up the story, and that is a promise. Sparkling Lover out. Special thanks to newbienovelistRD for helping out with this chapter.)