Previously on Transformers Prime:
As Bumblebee takes on a personal mission to take his T-Cog back from the clutches of Starscream and MECH, Optimus Prime, Arcee and Bulkhead travel to a mountain where an Iacon Relic is said to be located. As the three autobots climb to their destination, they are greeted by Knockout and Breakdown, already excavating the Relic out of the stone. A single look by Optimus has given the Autobots the identity of the Relic: the Forge of Solus Prime. A brutal weapon of unmatchable power whose closest peer is the Star Saber of the First Prime. And a mystical tool of ancient origins capable of creating anything bar life itself.
If the Autobots can manage to retrieve the Forge, they can use it to create a new T-Cog for Bumblebee as well as provide new upgrades to the Jasper base. If the Decepticons retrieve it for their own use, they will be left with nothing but a heavy mallet. For only a true Prime can bring the Forge's real power to bear. But they will deprive the Autobots of a strategic advantage in their long war that lasted for eons. Something quite significant if you ask me.
The fighting began in earnest. Knockout was able to shield himself from Optimus and Arcee's blaster fire using the shield generator whilst Breakdown was occupied with Bulkhead. The shield generator was a tough nut to crack. Nothing was getting through it. So, Knockout used its invulnerability as a weapon. Pushing the shield to its greatest size as he slammed it towards the Prime and the femme. It worked as planned. Optimus and Arcee were forced back by the shield and were inching ever closer towards the cliff they just climbed up from for every second Knockout walked towards them. With the shield in front of him still.
Meanwhile, Bulkhead and Breakdown were beating the shit out of each other. With neither of them having the upper hand. But that stalemate was working towards the Decepticons' favour. Because Optimus and Arcee are getting nearer towards the cliffside and are about to fall off the mountain. Bulkhead knew this. He needed something to tip the scales. Something big, and heavy.
Bulkhead then looked to where the Forge was.
With both hands, the Wrecker lifted the hammer out of the solid rock it was buried under and with a heave, slammed it towards a charging Breakdown who was about to swing his own hammer towards the Autobot's head. The impact was so great that it caused Breakdown to fly high in the air and fall on Knockout. Causing the red Decepticon to lose his grip on the shield generator. Which consequently saved Optimus and Arcee from a very long fall. Knockout was quick to recover, though. And began racing towards the shield generator. But Bulkhead was quicker. Slamming the Forge on top of the thing and 'irreversibly' breaking it.
And this is where our story picks up:
—-
It happened all so quickly.
Bulkhead watched as the mech who shot him in the back appeared outside of the portal that showed up out of thin air. The green Wrecker growled in hatred and anger towards the mech. He was so close to pummeling Knockout into paste as well as whacking that stupid faceplate of Breakdown. But all for that to be stopped by Megatron's sudden appearance.
"A relic of the Primes… here on earth?!" Megatron exclaimed as he stared at Optimus with unhidden glee and arrogance. Knockout and Breakdown clamouring to his side in haste.
The last Prime could only grimace as his longtime enemy swung his predecessor's hammer onto his shoulder like he owns the thing. His energon pistols aimed low on the ground to avoid Megatron retaliating by killing Bulkhead. Optimus looked to see Arcee clenching her servos since she can't do anything without harming her comrade. Both loathe the uselessness they are feeling at the moment.
"The Decepticon cause is once again indebted to the contributions…of Orion Pax." Megatron spat with all the sarcasm and boastfulness he had. Practically spitting out the old name of his former friend, the clerk who became a Prime. He was walking backwards towards the groundbridge portal that leads to the Nemesis - the battleship base of the Decepticons.
However, unlike in the real timeline, Megatron here turns around a second or two earlier than he did canonically. His lieutenants being a bit farther from their leader as well. This is important to know because of what Bulkhead was planning to do.
"Oh no you don't!" Bulkhead roared as he brought all his strength he could muster to his legs and sprung like a lion towards its prey. Both of his servos transformed into identical wrecking balls. Megatron was about to turn around and swing the Forge towards the Wrecker but was overcome by the speed and power the Autobot had. He was being pushed away from the groundbridge portal and onto the mountainside. Megatron felt a wall of stone behind his back. He was pushed so far that he had hit the mountainside. The Decepticon leader then retaliated by grabbing Bulkhead by the faceplate and making him eat rocks. Slamming the Autobot towards the same area Megatron had hit his back with.
—-
"Arcee, we must help Bulkhead. Get to him as fast as possible." Optimus ordered as he began running towards the Wrecker and his longtime rival. But Breakdown's hammer got the better of him. Pushing the Prime back by a few feet and stopping him in his tracks.
"You aren't going anywhere, Prime! RAAGGHH!" Breakdown then charged Optimus who readied his twin blades. Their duel was on.
Arcee didn't have to look back in worry. She knew Optimus would win. Her main concern is Bulkhead. She was running towards the Wrecker when blaster fire almost hit her helm. She stopped to see Knockout with a blaster for his left servo and a circular saw for a right servo.
"It looks like our little femme over here has missed her weekly check ups. Well… luckily, the doctor is IN!" Knockout then ran towards Arcee whilst keeping up the constant blaster fire. His saw revving up as he got closer to the femme.
Arcee dodged the swing of the saw and then a surprise blaster shot before retaliating with a hefty right hook towards the Decepticon's chest. In pain, Knockout then swung his saw again in rage. Gleefully smirking as the saw scraped the femme's left shoulder; energon leaking through the wound. But he couldn't dodge Arcee's uppercut due to the Autobot's superior speed. Causing Knockout to stumble back and shoot off stray blaster fire to distract the femme. The Decepticon's eyes widened as Arcee transformed into her cycle mode. He figured out that she was planning to ram him to get to Bulkhead. He was a second too late to react however. As Arcee's front wheel slammed onto Knockout's chest and then head, causing his paint to get damaged as well as dropping him on the ground.
"Ow… ughh… this is going to take hours to fix…" Knockout groaned as he looked at his busted chest and wrecked paint job. His head spinning like a cow in a tornado.
—-
Megatron dodged another attack from Bulkhead. The Wrecker was lucky to hit him 3 times when he caught the warlord by surprise. But once the Decepticon figured out his enemy's attack pattern, victory was at hand. Megatron then raised his arms and swung the Forge towards Bulkhead's chest. Causing the Autobot to be sent flying towards the mountainside once more.
"You are a stubborn Autobot. And a brave one as well. I will make your death quick!" Megatron said as he broke into a run. Cocking the Forge at his left side to deliver a killing blow.
Bulkhead's body was sitting on a crater of his own making. He was partially knocked out by that hit. He's having a hard time getting his head together after it got bashed so many times by the bloody mallet. He could only watch as Megatron ran towards him with the Forge at his side. Preparing to end the Wrecker's life once and for all. He wants to move away, but he can't. His body is not responding. Maybe this is the end…
"BULKHEAD, GET UP!" Bulkhead's eyes widened in alarm as Arcee's voice penetrated his audio receptors. The femme was too far to assist in any substantial manner. She could only scream in hopes that Bulkhead could hear it. And it worked! In a speed that surprised even himself, the green Autobot ducked from the incoming hammer. The resulting strike caused the entire mountainside to shiver and shake.
Megatron growled that his attack had gone to waste. No matter, a simple kick to the Autobot's side was enough to put an end to his stubbornness. Meanwhile, Bulkhead lost the ability to get up after that kick. His strength and resolve finally left his body with that kick. He can taste the energon coming from his mouth. He can only watch as Megatron approaches him in a slow manner. As if he's achieved his victory over the Wrecker already.
"Your strength is as pitiful as a minicon's. But, you have given me some enjoyment with this hammer. I am going to enjoy crushing your helm into nothing but foil." Megatron heaved the Forge above his head as if aiming for the killing blow once more. But Bulkhead noticed that he was a bit slower than before… Is Megatron becoming sluggish? Is it because of the hammer? Not like that matters. The Wrecker's life flashed before him as the hammer started to descend towards his helm.
"NOT ON MY WATCH!"
Bulkhead's optics widened as the motorcycle form of Arcee transformed into her bipedal self. She managed to land a successful kick on the Forge as it went down. Causing the hammer to get lodged on the mountainside instead of Bulkhead's faceplate.
"You insolent vermin!" Megatron shouted. Enraged by another attempt to stop him from ending the green Wrecker's life. The Decepticon leader swiped the femme aside by using his right servo. Causing the blue Autobot to get thrown up into the air.
"Ugh! Bulkhead you have to get up! I'll distract him." Arcee shouted as she recovered from the attack via a backflip. She then activated her energon blasters and began raining blue bullets upon the enemy. The femme had to stop however, since Megatron retaliated with his giant cannon strapped to his right servo.
—-
"You must stand up, Bulkhead! Arcee cannot resist Megatron for much longer." Optimus shouted. Narrowly blocking Breakdown's hammer with his blades. The Prime could not manage to find a weakness within the berserker-like Decepticon before him. He knows that the longer he stays occupied with Breakdown, the higher the chance Megatron has in killing his Autobots.
"No!" Optimus shouted as he kicked Breakdown away. He will not let his comrades die here. They will return home alive. All of them.
"It appears that our duel has finally taken too long to keep on going." Optimus said with a chilling undertone that caused even Breakdown to pause from his rampage.
"This must end now!" With a mighty roar, the last Prime charged towards his enemy. Both blades pointed toward Breakdown. The fighting that commenced was fierce. Optimus' newfound speed and power that was fueled by his genuine desire to protect his comrades - no, friends - had given him the tactical advantage he needed to overcome his Decepticon opponent. With every swing of his blades, Breakdown's solid defence began to chip away. Until what was left was a sloppy guard that Optimus handily broke with a right hook to the face. Causing a large gash to form on the berserker like Decepticon.
"Gah!" Breakdown cried. Energon leaking through his new wound. The pain had caused him to fall onto his knees in defeat. His life was now at the mercy of the Prime. Shame rising up within his spark. He could not face his master, Lord Megatron like this. Not after losing in such a humiliating way. His head hung low. Waiting for the final strike that would end his life.
But no strike came. And this confused Breakdown. Whose optics were still facing the ground. Unable to see his opponent. With newfound rage at this act, he rose his head up to shout at the Autobot leader.
"What are you waiting for, FINIsh me…?" Breakdown's optics widened. Optimus Prime is no longer in front of him! Where did he go?
"NO!" Breakdown's audio receptors heard the Autobot leader's voice. And it was coming from behind him. As he turned around, the Decepticon watched as the Prime arrived too late to shield the blue femme from Megatron's cannon blast. Blue energon spilled from the femme's side. Which turned into a considerably large hole.
Breakdown was supposed to feel elation that one of the Autobot scum had finally been killed by his leader, Megatron. But he couldn't. Instead, 2 foreign emotions that he hadn't felt in a long time bubble up inside him. The shame and humiliation long gone from his spark. What replaced it was fear and dread.
These two emotions only swelled when Breakdown realised it was caused by the enraged Prime. Who was holding onto the body of the femme like she's about to die. As the Prime lowered the femme onto the ground as gently as he could, Breakdown saw it. He will say it to anyone who will listen even if no one believes him. He doesn't care.
For he saw the same fear and dread he's feeling at that moment in the eyes of Megatron.
And it was at that moment Breakdown knew who would win the fight.
—-
"Megatron!" Optimus shouted. His servos then turned into his blades. The Prime barrelled towards his longtime rival after finally reaching the boiling point. Megatron will die for his actions!
Megatron could only haphazardly fire off random blaster fire as he tried dislodging the Forge from the mountainside. He thinks it is the only thing that could help him gain the upper hand against the vengeful Prime. But his strength is failing him. The Forge was surprisingly taxing on the Decepticon lord. He didn't even use it that much, but it caused him to use a lot of his strength just to swing it. After half a second of deliberation, Megatron found it a waste of his time to try and take it out of the stone. His attention was more needed to counter the oncoming Pri-
SLASH!
Megatron managed to block Optimus' blades using his right arm on time. The Autobot leader's newfound speed almost cost him an eye. The former gladiator then kicked the Prime on the chest to give him some breathing room. Then, Megatron unleashed his blade. He then attacked Optimus with an equal amount of ferocity. Both sides dishing out everything they had on each other. Whenever Optimus would inflict deep but not incapacitating wounds on Megatron, the Decepticon would merely answer back with a visceral punch, kick or equally deep injury as well. Neither of them managed to gain an upper hand as their duel raged on. Just like Optimus' duel with Breakdown. But, this is a whole other level.
—-
Bulkhead had managed to get up as he watched Optimus stab Megatron's leg. He also watched how Megatron roared in anger and shattered the Prime's blade. While the end of Optimus' blade is still lodged onto the Decepticon's leg and causing the mech to become significantly sluggish, it still meant that Optimus had lost one of his key tools in winning the duel. Megatron has the upper hand now. And the backhand slash from the Decepticon's blade that ended up cutting open Optimus' chest showed that clearly.
"Impressive! This is the longest you have ever survived against me in millenia, Optimus. But I am afraid that I have to end our duel. Permanently." Megatron wasn't going to take any chances this time. Twice he had been thwarted from killing the green Wrecker. And while his rational side screamed at him to end it asap, the part of his spark that revelled in the realisation that he was finally killing Optimus took over. That side wanted to savour this moment. To etch into Megatron's spark the moment the last Prime's optics faded into nothingness. To remember the feeling of the energon from Optimus' gaping chest flow onto his servos. And boy, does Megatron want that. His arrogance and sadism finally getting the better of him.
—-
And it was at this moment where Megatron walked towards Optimus' fallen form did Bulkhead muster all the strength he could gather and take the Forge. He knew that it would be helpful for Optimus to have a weapon like this. The Wrecker's logic was: if he struggled to use one of the most powerful relics of the Primes, surely a fellow Prime wouldn't have that kind of problem. Right?
"Hey ugly!"
SMACK!
—-
Megatron found himself eating dirt suddenly. His helm suffered from a high level impact that came from… the Forge! It threw him high up in the air before he could register what happened! Truly, that weapon is powerful.
When Megatron
"Y-you…" Megatron's optics were hazy at best. He could only see a far off green blur holding onto a yellow stick that was slowly dragging it towards a blurry red… No! If Optimus manages to wield the power of the Forge-
"Breakdown! Knockout! Stop Optimus Prime from taking the Relic! He will doom us all once he gets a hold of it." Shouting to both of his lieutenants, Megatron rose up from the ground and began to run towards the Prime whilst drawing his blade out. He grit his teeth in pain as the shard of Optimus' blade was still stuck to his leg. Megatron then pulled the shard out through brute force. Causing him to become free from the pain of the shard but at the cost of becoming sluggish and slower. A deadly combination.
"You make it sound like we're in any situation to fight, Lord Megatron." Knockout mumbled as he looked at Breakdown's battered form. Optimus Prime really did a number on him. The Decepticon looked towards his battered chest and groaned at the number of hours he's going to take to fix his paintjob.
"I really need to convince Soundwave to tell me his secret on how to avoid scratches. That mech always somehow looks all polished and unscratched." He said to himself.
"…Wait…" Knockout whispered. And idea sprung to his mind.
—-
"Optimus! He's coming. You need to get up and take this. And fast." Bulkhead groaned as he heaved his way towards his leader. The weight of the Forge finally got to him it seems. It's like dragging 5 mechs and a femme the size of Bumblebee. Not a great experience, to be frank. Especially when Megatron is rocketing towards them. Whose energon cannon is firing off salvo after salvo in an attempt to stop Bulkhead from giving the Forge to the last Prime. Who was practically crawling to get as close as he can to the hammer. Optimus was about to get his grip on the hammer before his servo got shot by Megatron's cannon fire. It became nothing but a stump.
"I will not allow it!" Megatron roared. He transformed back into his robot form and continued his cannon fire whilst running towards the red and green Autobots. But he was too late. The moment Megatron saw Optimus' singed stump of a servo touch the Forge. A great light emerged from the hammer. The same light engulfed the last Prime and started… healing him?
"No…" Megatron whispered. His eyes widened at the mystical event happening in front of his eyes. He watched as every cut, every dent, even that singed servo and large wound at Optimus' chest faded into nothingness. Replaced by a completely fixed body that did not have a single trace of injury. For once, Megatron was at a pause.
"So this is the power the Primes possessed…" Megatron said to himself. His awe at the display of this kind of power washed away his anger and hatred for a second there.
And as sudden as Optimus' healing. Megatron's vision went black.
—-
Arcee woke up on top of a medical table. Her head in pain and her side feeling as if it's on fire. Arcee looked down to see that her side was covered in metal that was welded onto the spot and grimaced at the memory of the shot that blew a hole on her body. She was sitting up now. Eager to get up the table and out of the room. But as soon as she tried to move her legs, vertigo kicked in.
"Easy there, Arcee." The femme heard Ratchet say as the medic caught her.
"What… what happened?" Arcee asked. Her memory of the fight was hazy at best since she was out of commission after Megatron almost killed her.
"Optimus managed to sustain your spark for 5 minutes after the fight. Just long enough to get the groundbrige open and bring you back home to get you properly treated. You were fortunate to have lasted that long back then. You could have gone to the Well of Allsparks at any moment." Ratchet explained. His optics glaring at the large patch of welded metal on the femme's torso. He was mad about his inadequacy to do any better.
"This is the best I can do for now, Arcee. You must understand that you are in no position to be walking around. Much less go out and fight the Decepticons. If only we could use that relic to heal you like it did with Optimus…" Ratchet said as he inspected his handiwork and began fixing up the less than stellar parts of it.
"Relic? You mean the Forge?" Arcee asked. Her optics widening in surprise at what the medic had told her.
"Indeed. When Optimus had touched the Forge with his servo, he had unleashed the hammer's full potential. Covering him in a light that mended all the damage he sustained from his duel with Megatron. It restored him to his top shape as well as provided him with enough power to end Megatron. Permanently." Ratchet said. He had finished his repairs and was now standing straight at this point. Still focused on Arcee as he told the story of what happened to her.
"Permanently? As in, Megatron's dead?" Arcee asked in bewilderment.
"I can only hope so." Ratchet sighed. "I truly believe that Megatron had perished after his duel with Optimus." He was fiddling with the monitor situated in the med bay where Arcee is resting at.
"Megatron is as stubborn as a mech can get. How can you say for sure that he's dead? Did Optimus crush his spark?" Arcee asked. A tinge of hope within her words as she spoke.
"No, I am afraid that Optimus is far above that kind of savagery. Instead of crushing Megatron's spark, he crushed something else. Something that no bot could ever come back from. In my perspective, at least." Ratchet then turned the monitor towards Arcee's direction. And what the femme saw dropped her jaw.
"The mountain… it's gone!" She exclaimed. And it was true, the mountain had been demolished into half of its original size. The slope on the higher portion of the mountain had transformed into a rugged plateau. Rocks of gargantuan sizes
"I was surprised as you are when I saw this too. To think that in the right hands, the Forge that Solus Prime used to create can also be a most destructive weapon. The power of the Primes both scare and amaze me." Ratchet said as he returned the monitor back to its proper place.
"Luckily for us, the hammer is in Optimus' possession. No other being can the weapon be trusted with other than him." Ratchet finished.
"Has Megatron's body been confirmed?" Arcee wondered.
"With all that rubble burying him, Optimus hadn't thought the need to. Besides, like I said. Nothing could survive that." Ratchet replied with confidence.
—-
"I can't believe he survived that…"
The reports weren't joking. Megatron truly was buried under a literal mountain of rubble. His body was torn apart by some sort of force. Knockout and Breakdown gave their own testimony of the events that happened - even detailing how one of the limbs smacked Knockout on the face - and even then she didn't believe it. Only when she was summoned to the medbay did Airachnid understand the gravity of Megatron's defeat.
Airachnid was watching Knockout do his work in patching up the Decepticon warlord. Well, patching up is a little bit too vague to describe reattaching disconnected limbs as well as replacing broken metal plating. The spider like femme could only watch in subdued stupefaction as she thought of the only possible enemy that could've caused her leader to become like this.
She couldn't help but shiver in fear and worry as the name that appeared in her mind somehow became so powerful to render Megatron into a heap of scrap.
"Optimus Prime… to think that his lineage gave him access to that kind of power! We must be careful when the time comes to face him once more." Megatron's words that were filled with hatred and rage caused Airachnid to get out of her stupor. Her mind's gears turning about to give a proper reply.
"Lord Megatron, if I may ask. How was it possible for Optimus to def-" Megatron growled. "do this kind of thing to you? What was that relic that gave him such strength?"
"The relic was none other than the Forge of Solus Prime. A weapon said to create anything the wielder had in mind. It was also said to be a weapon so destructive, that it created a crate the size of one of Cybertron's moons on Unicron's faceplate during the Thirteen Prime's legendary battle. The only catch to that hammer was that only a Prime could wield its true power." Megatron explained. He then felt a sharp pain as Knockout welded his right arm back into place.
"What will be our next course of action, Lord Megatron?" Airachnid asked.
"We must search for the remaining Iacon artefacts. Optimus Prime may have taken one of them, but we must have the rest if we are to win the war! I will leave that mission in your hands, Airachnid. See to it that my will be done." Megatron ordered.
"And it shall, my Lord." Airachnid said as she bowed. She was about to leave when all of a sudden she paused in her tracks. As something that she almost forgot came to the forefront of her mind.
"What will I do about our new… discovery?" Airachnid asked. Referring to the strange coffin-like object they found alongside Megatron's left leg at the base of the rubble.
"... see to it that it is excavated for any Relics. If it is not one, then throw it off the Nemesis. I do not need useless trinkets on my ship." Megatron replied.
"As you wish, Lord Megatron."
And with that, Airachnid left the medbay. Just in time to avoid Megatron's burst of anger as Knockout mishandled the welding machine caused the Decepticon leader to writhe in pain. A smile on her face as the image of a frightened Knockout came to mind.
Little did the Decpticons know that they have discovered something far more valuable and dangerous than the flimsy mallet that broke down an entire mountain.