Arcee and the Cyber Worlds

by Tigressa101

The Queen of Cybertron returns. Months after taking back the throne and retrieving the Allspark as promised, Arcee finds her next adventure outside the world she is most familiar with. She becomes bent on a mission to restore Cybertron's relations with the Cyber Worlds, the other Transformer planets, but can she do it? Sequel to Arcee and the Isle of the Allspark

19. The Third Trial of the Allspark

Song: A Million Dreams - Pink

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When Arcee woke up after surgery, she was in the medbay. Her arm didn't hurt, but she saw there were some rough patches of grey attached for the time being until a cosmetics mechanic could be brought in to repaint her color scheme. The Decepticons proved very sympathetic to her plight. Pharma had fixed what he could. She was warned that the blaster affected might not work entirely for some time or retain permanent affliction, especially with Sunstorm's power, but there was a chance it could recover very easily.

Before she was put under to ease the pain so Pharma could work, she was visited by Draco and Nighthawk as well as Slipstream who praised her for keeping her baby safe. Megatron and Bolt never moved from her side until they were forced to leave, Moonhunter too, and she had yet to speak to The Matriarch. With little to no noise of weapons within that timeframe, she assumed the Decepticons got rid of the remaining Metal Heads who couldn't carry on without their commander. There were a few reports of feral Decepticons who turned on their own with exposure to the virus but unlike Velocitronians and Camiens who would have trouble killing a friend, the Decepticons were quick to terminate the infected despite ties. As cruel as it seemed, they were efficient when they wanted to be to getting rid of threats.

Arcee moved her arm soundly just to get the range of motion back when the one person she dreaded to see came in. The Matriarch peered at her with a tilt of the helm and said, "Quite brave what you did back there. Pharma didn't torture you, did he? No missing parts or unknown devices your system is reading?"

The queen frowned at that which led The Matriarch to clarify, "He's technically supposed to be monitored when he treats people. Old habits of his darker tendencies when the war was going on. He's been good without incident so far. So, care to tell me what that monster wanted with you?"

She smiled sarcastically, "It loved me, can't you tell? The Metal Head Leader hates my guts because I've already stopped two other attempts to take over a planet and now, it's personal. If they destroy me, they get the planet anyways...but then again, this is the first time the Metal Heads ever dealt with you. With your charming personality and beauty, they wouldn't have stood a chance regardless."

"Flattery is interesting but not required. I, at least, appreciate your nobility to a degree."

"You sound like Shockwave, you know that?"

"Explains how we get along so well, doesn't it? Back to the matter at hand, you did admirably. I'll admit you are quite a leader and you have helped save Chaar even if I did have a handle on everything."

Arcee didn't take the comment wrong even though she could. Instead, she merely replied, "Sometimes it's better to cover all bases rather than risk coming up shorthanded in something you think you can do by yourself. Even I want help occasionally. Do I need it? Not always but it does relieve stress, and everyone would be willing to help you if you let them. You don't have to do this on your own."

The Matriarch grew silent and tense, but Arcee noticed it wasn't against her entirely. Something was eating away at the leader's self-confidence, slowly but surely. Arcee hoped she wasn't making The Matriarch feel belittled or enraged at the notion of accepting help. Before she could get an answer, however, a portal spawned in the corner of the room with ghostly voices leaking through the energy.

"Come to me."

Both femmes exchanged looks before The Matriarch blurted out, "Have you been dead this whole time?!"

The question stunned Arcee who grimaced, "What? No! It's the Allspark! It does this whenever it wants to talk to me! Am I dead...do I look dead to you?!"

"No, you're still bitching," laughed The Matriarch.

Arcee scoffed and dragged herself off the berth, stretching her arm twice across her chest and once up straight before walking into the bridge. "I'll be back, don't wait up."

As soon as she entered the portal, she felt herself descending fast in a freefall. The galaxies and planets seen through the transparent energy combined with lingering nebulas echoed voices, a sure sign the Allspark was in tune with its Well and she was entering a form of it. Arcee flipped upright as she caught sight of a distant platform coming up and hit the landing with one leg expanded out, one leg crouching and her good arm catching the force. Standing up, she brushed herself off and awaited the Allspark itself.

The worlds were back, all eight of them circling the platform she stood on from afar. But there was something different about them this time. Kanjis, Aquatron, Earth, and Cybertron looked darker than previously. Junkion still looked the same and the remaining worlds she had already stopped the invasions on were brighter with some type of cosmic shield over them.

"Darkness in dreams is often a form of reality our minds cannot comprehend but the tale must be told, so the mind creates a version of it like a riddle. The universe can be riddled in evil, but that doesn't make the universe itself evil, just a bad dream in which it may or may not ever wake from if no one does anything to stop it."

Arcee smirked near the end of that speech with a shrewd reply, "The philosophy side of you is entertaining."

Light appeared behind her, and she turned to see the Allspark tipping its rings back and forth playfully before rotating them all at once around it in a full circle. It then said, "Figured it would be useful to know."

She pointed at the darker worlds with blatant concern overbearing any humor she had. "What's happening to them?"

"Your victories of few are to be congratulated, however...recent events must be taken into consideration. The powers of evil intent are moving closer to their goal-"

"They haven't taken any of these worlds yet though."

The Allspark turned violet with sadness, a smaller tone among its many voices echoing behind its main. "I'm afraid there's more to winning a war than winning battles and purposes. True, they don't have what initially wanted but now, things have changed. The leader of evil is going after you, and little are you aware that your attacks on their troops is not the victory you think it is. I recommend not going to Junkion or the other worlds."

That made her pause and slightly move her helm back in disbelief. "You mean...abandon them to die?! We can't do that!"

"That's not what I mean. Wherever you go, they will follow. It is in their nature to take out anyone who gets in their way, the same as their late creator who you destroyed on my isle. They won't stop and every world you visit will draw them there."

"So, I either leave and hope they don't take the planets we're trying to reunite or go and just keep combatting them until they do leave me and the others alone? What type of lose-lose situation is that?! If that's the case, I'm going to continue fighting and I intend on finding this bastard of a leader. I'll kill them where they stand."

The Allspark still seemed saddened by that but lit up to its regular blue colors to move away from the delicate conversation. "I didn't mean to anger you. I apologize. But...you may be right. I have been wrong before, haven't I?"

Arcee heard the heartbreak in its voices and didn't mean it herself, but she was dead set on her mission and an inconvenience wasn't going to change that. She would win if she had to be sacrificed in the process as well. That was a leap she was ready to take. "I assume you really called me here for some of your relics on Chaar. Keep in mind, we are among Decepticons who probably won't part with them that easy."

"Among the world of carnage and seclusion, five relics await return. A vessel of chaos, its powers unlimited, untouched by purity but wielding it with carelessness is most regrettable. Growing like a fungus, tainted crystals decimate the unfortunate if used as a weapon; escape is rare. The poison of its point aims true, but it is not made to kill immediately, torturing those infected with a painful end and a satisfying justice in the eyes of some. Born of darkness, no light can touch it, its purpose an eerie monstrosity yet shrouded in mystery to all but one. Reinvented but not forgotten are the waves of sound that carry with an echo of pain, origin defiled by cruel minds."

Arcee sent it a deadpanned sneer and it quickly backtracked.

"Sorry, what I meant to say was the first relic you seek is the Matrix of Conquest, the brother to the Matrix of Leadership. Unicron made it to harness his madness and those who wield it risk an infallible fate...at least when he was still roaming the universe. Using all Unicron's powers will corrupt and destroy the user over time, a fate very much disturbing as it feeds off the user's life in return. The second relic is the original crystals of the Tox-En. Invented by Alchemist Prime, this variant of Energon was meant to be used as a counter-toxin but its exposure to the chemicals around his lab changed it. It grew unstable and with that, it grew harmful to all who encountered it. Most crystals were destroyed by a specialized team deployed by Alchemist himself, but the original crystal was locked away until the raid on Iacon where Megatron got the idea to weaponize it. The third relic you seek are the Liegian Darts. Like the Tox-En, Liege Maximo embedded his prized weapon of stealth with a toxic coating that could render a victim incapacitated before slowly going offline. But his darker ambitions made these weapons not for defense but often his own form of torture against those he believed were conspiring against him. His secret, like many others, were taken to his grave."

The queen rubbed her optics with a groan, "Every time I hear about this guy, it's always something."

"He wasn't highly regarded; some might say he was born jealous of his fellow Thirteen for all the good they did. But instead of fixing himself to do good, he sought an ulterior motive to allow him to do what he pleased without being seen in a negative light."

"Sounds like he was compensating..." she muttered.

"The fourth relic you seek is Nexus Prime's black sheep. The Omni Saber was made in the Pits of Iacon's underground. It was made in darkness so its power will not work among the light of day. The weapon was designed to test Nexus' limits but served no other initial purpose until he reformatted it into a vessel of ruin that could supposedly turn all impaled by its blade into beings of ill intent, dark personalities most foul, and unyielding loyalty to the user. Deemed a mistake, he hid it beneath Iacon in the basement where only Alpha Trion knew where it was until the siege by the Decepticons. The Omni Saber was never used again. And the last relic you will find here is one most familiar. The Resonance Blaster with its ability to turn sound into painful screech of destructive magnitude was made by Micronus Prime who dubbed it the Sound Barrier in its youth. Stolen by early scientists under Megazarak, a tyrant commander under Megatronus Prime, it was hidden for years and studied until Decepticon scientists later converted it to its current state. They knew not it was a relic of the Primes at the time. It became a weapon that couldn't be matched, and the user could remain untouched as long as they held it."

Arcee tapped her chin before realizing where she had heard of the weapon. "Soundwave has the Resonance Blaster! We fought over it on Earth with Knockout before he got a hold of it! I'll get you your relics back safe and sound, pun intended, I promise."

The Allspark laughed and orbited her once in delight. "I know you will. When you're ready, meet me in Shockwave's laboratory."

"Absolut-wait, Shockwave's lab? That place is swarming with Cons. You think it's wise to do that?"

"I can handle it," it answered as it drifted skyward.

The platform Arcee was standing on rumbled before suddenly shattering and she fell into the center of a galaxy she failed to see. A bright light consumed her among it, and she found herself landing on her aft on the medbay floor with a surprised Matriarch retreating like she had seen a ghost to the far wall. She realized as she sat there, she had been teleported from the ceiling instead of ground level where she had walked into the portal the first time. How long The Matriarch had waited for her between then, she didn't know but could guess it had been no more than a minute from the rapid glances between the ceiling and her right side showing off the confusion of the other leader.

"Where the hell-?!"

Arcee winced standing up as she rubbed her lower spine and tried to smirk. "Told you. The Allspark has its ways."

The Matriarch shook off the initial shock and asked, "What did it want?"

"Um, this is going to weird to ask and possibly you're going to not like me, but it needs its relics back. Do you know anything about something called the Matrix of Conquest by any chance?" She knew The Matriarch knew something when the latter clammed up before saying, "I take that as a 'yes' maybe. Let me get Bolt over here though. Bolt, come to the medbay alone."

"Arcee! You're awake! Okay? Something happened, didn't it?"

"You have no idea," she laughed.

Bolt had come in record time running through the doors only to be thrown off by seeing The Matriarch leaning against some of the medical equipment which he gave off an unmanly scream. His superior merely rolled her head to the side bored in response.

"O-kay?! You're here...too?! I take it that makes it really important?" He maneuvered around The Matriarch like she was going to bite him before resuming his normal attitude with Arcee. "So, what's up?"

"The Allspark came calling-"

"Great," he said lamely.

"-and there are five relics here. One of them is the Matrix of Conquest. Any insight on that?"

The Vehicon crossed his arms as he thought to himself. "It's weird, I don't recall that name but maybe it's also known as the Matrix of Chaos? The Matrix of Chaos was said to be a dark copy of the Matrix of Leadership, born of Unicron's unmanageable powers. It's purple with a star-like core crystal, opposite to the Matrix of Leadership's smooth core. I've read about it in Alpha Trion's old documents, but he said it vanished after a mech named Shokaract was defeated by one of Primus' Demons, protectors of the Well who by legend go after lost and escaped souls or they are unleashed to restore order with anything regarding creations of Primus and Unicron. He was said to be wielding it at the time and while he would be invincible to the likes of a Prime, the Demons were believed immune to the powers of the gods. Apparently, this guy was incredibly cocky, and it bit him in the aft in the end."

Arcee scowled, "That sounds fake."

"It's what Alpha Trion wrote so unless he was protecting Shokaract from a more embarrassing death, it's all we know of it. As for the Demons, there is some speculation that they themselves are a type of spirit in the Well, but it does indeed sound more like myth than a real thing. Then again, I don't know because we weren't around to see Primus when they were most active in protecting what they created and that's more of a question for the Allspark who is currently the only entity with direct access to the Well and its occupants."

Pursing her lips, she looked between him and The Matriarch who refused eye contact. "Matriarch, do you know where it is?"

The Matriarch snarled back, "Even if I did, why would I give it to you?"

Bolt sounded displeased but amazed at the same time, "You mean you had the legendary Matrix of Chaos, Conquest, whatever the hell it's called here on Chaar the entire time?! The Allspark calls for it; you need to give it up regardless how you feel!"

"Alright," the larger Vehicon confessed, "yes, I have it. When the Decepticons were constructing a base here outside of Autobot territory, a Decepticon named Bludgeon found it exploring Greengard for a new place to inhabit, a planet similar to Earth on the other side of the galaxy. It was found abandoned, cast aside like trash. Knowing now what it was associated with, I'm surprised there wasn't a body attached to it. It was hidden beneath my current citadel and Megatron didn't know about it. I was one of the few who did because Bludgeon was friends with my superior at the time and I overheard them, sought it out once I came here and kept the information to myself ever since."

Arcee narrowed her optics suspiciously, "And you never got it in your head to use it or give it to Megatron?"

"To do what exactly? I'm insane, not an idiot. Let a fallen king and his crew know about it to do something they couldn't fix? Megatron was an excellent leader, but he had problems too. You don't give someone like that 'unlimited power.' I didn't care for power then and I still don't now. The way I figure it is I'll rule on my own terms. Those who seek external power to take leadership are weak. You either get it yourself or don't bother, in my opinion. I intend to see that in my rule until I die."

Arcee nodded understanding of her position. The Matriarch was a warrior through and through; a weapon of mass destruction was not a presentable victory to her therefore it had no use even if others didn't agree with the opinion. "I need it. And if I take it back to the Allspark, no one ever will use it guaranteed. There would be no temptation for anyone who accidentally figures out it's beneath your throne. It works for you either way."

The Matriarch huffed for a second, squeezing her fists tightly. Then she finally agreed. "Very well, you can have it. Just don't do anything stupid with it."

"I'll try not to," Arcee scoffed.

As they left the medbay towards The Matriarch's citadel, Bolt asked, "So, what else do you need to find?"

"I need the original Tox-En crystal, Liegian Darts, the Omni Saber, and the Resonance Blaster."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Tox-En? That nasty stuff is a war weapon, is it not? That's a relic of a Prime?"

"Alchemist Prime, yes."

"That I didn't know," the Vehicon mech said. "Well, I can tell you about the Liegian Darts first. Liege Maximo was said to be notorious for underhanded tactics he could slip past his fellow Primes. The darts were green and black to hide the ominous poison they were embedding with. Originally, they weren't toxic, but he infused them with a resin found in Cybertron's Underground to use against Unicron. The Omni Saber is pitch black with its handle a deep blue. It was Nexus Prime's failure and utterly useless for the most part because it holds no powers he wanted to give it. Don't remember what it does beyond looking sick. And the Resonance Blaster...doesn't Soundwave have that, Matriarch?"

"It's a possibility," she answered. "I don't keep tabs on what he has or not."

Bolt made a deadpanned sigh, "Some help. Anyway, the few texts about it implied it wasn't created by Decepticon scientists as I thought, though many would argue otherwise. It was, I think, Micronus or Alpha Trion's creation. Funnily enough, it wasn't initially a weapon at the time. It was a broadcasting unit that could go to unfathomable decibels."

Arcee shrugged, "So, someone screwed up?"

"Eh...probably. Just a dream invention gone bad."

The Matriarch led them past her throne room to an elevator after they entered the citadel. The ambient purple lighting certainly made the halls feel like Arcee was aboard the Nemesis again. They stood silent in the elevator as the lights moved past them on their drop to the basement levels. The elevator chimed and opened, revealing to Arcee a whole different aspect of Decepticon stockpiling she had never seen. The room they entered was filled with captured artifacts, raided parts of ships and, horrifically, other bots which she had a fear Pharma had used some to repair her, and there were a few unused ships dangling from the ceiling by support chains. One of them looked like a smaller version of the Nemesis but had overlays of an Earth spaceship the company so-named NASA used. It wasn't until The Matriarch pointed at it once she caught the queen staring did Arcee know why.

"That is Astrotrain, the juggernaut skybomber...poor guy got his wings clipped in Thunderhead Pass and came down like a missile nose first. Unfortunately, the impact caused his processor to gain irreparable damage. He was a walking corpse for a while when he was shipped here until, well, he passed away from complications. Couldn't bury the fragger so that was the best we could do, not my choice, mind you."

The vehicle form of Astrotrain creaked as it hung there lifeless, making shivers go down Arcee's spine at how unceremoniously the flyer was discarded by previous inhabitants of the citadel. But that was quickly forgotten. Dagger Prima glowed as the whispers echoed through the halls like it was expecting someone or something to answer. Of course, the relics had their own form of communication. Receiving echoes and a faint purple glow near the back had her nearly running. The two Vehicons took a moment to catch up to her. Through the maze of shelves and large, lost items, the whispers present seemed to grow vicious the closer she got.

Arcee couldn't tell if Unicron's energy made the Matrix of Conquest answer so maliciously, but the feedback was strange compared to previous relics' responses. Given the dagger was made through Primus' gift and Solus' craftsmanship, it was opposite to the hellbent creation of Unicron. They probably despised one another. Like a serpent's tongue, the Matrix called out in threatening tones to Dagger Prima's calmer dialect. When she got near its location, she flinched back when cackling electricity ran across the floor with a loud bang. It didn't spread to her, but it did arch from behind several rusted Energon crates. Taking another step forward, a spark had her pace back more steps before realizing the Matrix of Conquest was not going to let her touch it as long as she had an item of Primus on her person.

"B-Bolt, can you take the Matrix to Shockwave's lab and watch over it? I get the feeling it's going to be a shocking experience hunting the other relics with it near me."

The Vehicon wordlessly agreed and gestured for her to stand back as he approached the Matrix, tossing a few crates in the process to uncover it. Even she saw from her distance away that it was a relic of Unicron. With jagged handles and a core composed of untamed crystal spiking outward, the dark purple-black metal of the Matrix of Conquest looked identical to the antibodies she once fought in Unicron's body when the Autobots and Megatron teamed up to snuff his spark. He lifted it carefully with its purple lighting haunting the room.

"Wicked," he whispered amazed. "I never thought I would see this in real life, and it was under us the entire time. Megatron's going to have a field day with this if he learns he almost had a Matrix of his own nearly in his grasp."

The Matriarch chuckled, "Perhaps now wouldn't be a good time to tell him. Look, you two, I have to head back upstairs to run my base. I don't know where the other relics may reside but maybe a good bot to ask would be Shockwave. He's moving the Driller grubs into the holding bay just above us. If any relic is a weapon or experiment gone bad, he might know something."

Bolt nodded, "I'll get this to Shockwave's lab. Good luck out there, Arcee. Let me know if you need anything else."

Arcee waved off both of them but waited a few minutes to let Bolt mainly get a head start out so she wouldn't antagonize the Matrix of Conquest any further. It responded well to Bolt and that's all that mattered. She had to wonder if the Matrix of Conquest was made out of spite or simply out of yearning to be praised. Unicron had demanded loyalty, how else would he achieve it without bargaining?

She rode the elevator up to the holding bay where Shockwave was placing his Drillers in a confined tank half filled with sediment. She could see a few of them had already buried themselves in the dirt and rested near the bottom of the glass. It was scary how fast they moved through it compared to them crawling on top of the ground.

Shockwave heard her and without turning towards her as he set down one of the last grubs in his possession, he spoke in his usual monotone. "This is only temporary. I plan on making them a larger area to nest in that can give them enough space to expand in the following years, just a matter of building it but I seem to have time now."

Arcee bit her lip, unsure of what to say to him. The Drillers all looked like their deceased creator. Doomsday was a good pet, she would admit, and all she did was do what she had been ordered. It was a shame. Finally, Arcee said, "Doomsday would be proud."

That made Shockwave paused and peer to the side but not completely at her. He stared a second, then responded, "She would. Her offspring will grow to be just as mighty and fearless. Of course, there will come a time scraplets and other cyber-bugs won't satisfy them. In the war, I had alternatives that wouldn't fly now and days."

Autobots. He didn't have to say it for her to know what he meant. All her friends at Typhoon Base certainly found out Doomsday's hunger. She then thought about Chaar with all its snake-like species. "You could release them here on the sand-dwellers but they may attack other species as well."

"Most likely. Introducing a species unknown to the world will always have consequences; the planet isn't designed for the survival between natural and unnatural predators. So, it seems we've hit an impasse. What would I sacrifice to ensure their survival?"

"You're a smart mech...give it enough thought and you'll come up with something."

Shockwave shook his head when he finally turned to her. "Intelligence doesn't mean strategic. I know a million and one ways to kill someone but I know not how to execute all of them. The Drillers are only as good as I can make them but no matter what I do, they will always be wild animals. Doomsday was no different. Why do you think she still attacked you when I wasn't there to order it?"

She didn't answer and the scientist moved by her to set the tank's lighting up so the Drillers would have warmth. Once he finished, he stood there staring at the screen with a barely noticeable huff.

"I create what I can only dream of, I command what I wanted to create but never did, and I sat in my lab for thousands of years thinking what did I do so wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong," she said confused.

Shockwave looked at her and somehow behind that one optic with no other facial features, she could see a portion of regret. "You have no idea what I've done. You've heard the stories, those monsters that I built, those like Predaking from ancient Predacon CNA, Insecticon hives to summon at my disposal, and operating on poor Grimlock and his team? Those are the tales told too many times, some with good proof."

He held up his cannon that had taken the place of his left arm. It was hard to miss the faint scar on the upper half where it had been ripped off his person by Grimlock in his primal rage and consumed like an animal. From far away, unnoticeable, but up close? There indeed was a slight off put color of grey merging with his own. His audial fins twitched hearing the belt of the ammo amplifier running off the cannon to his backside clink against his waist. A handicap certainly but nothing that he allowed to stop him from his work.

"Do want to know the rest?"

The offer caught her off guard. Arcee slowly nodded out of curiosity but still held slight fear as to what she would find in the mind of the Decepticons' most deadly scientist. Shockwave put down his arm cannon and let it fall past his hip limp like he was in disbelief himself.

"I once had a smile; I once could see the world as I knew it in peace. Cybertron was at peace. I ran the science guild as a senator and Head of Science and Astrology. I loved my job, one of the few things I could do my very worst at and still come out on top, arrogance assured. Nothing seemed wrong then. I remember I had blue optics, can't recall what I really looked like anymore but I know the blue, Earth sky blue almost. I had everything in my power but wanted more than I could handle. I was so confident that I failed to see the plot of my fellow senators including the egotistical Dai Atlas who governed me. I didn't listen; I was prideful...a fool.

"To prove my genius, I sought to create greatness never before seen. I was the one they looked to for help. I was their god. I should have known differently. I experimented on the masses for a cause that didn't exist. I made weapons of mass destruction including a bomb that would decimate the whole of Iacon as a last resort. Atlas didn't like my boasts, my intelligence but I never gave up. I ignored him; I ignored my peers as they cried out for me to stop but I couldn't. And then, that day happened."

Arcee watched with interest but also flinched as he slammed his fist into the console base. His optic flared bright red as his helm whipped around to face her. "I should have killed him when I had the chance!"

He sounded beastly, unhinged and Arcee couldn't do anything but stare at him unmoving. "Dai Atlas and the other senators betrayed me, took my emotions, my body, my face, and my individuality. I was tormented by the reflection of the mirrors at first, but then I realized how without my direct emotions, I was free. I could no longer be hurt, liberated to do whatever and no one could stop me, so I did the worst things in my career. I hunted them...all...DOWN. Their screams were intoxicating, watching the blood drip from their corpses was the most refreshing wonderment I had felt in eons like a cleansing rain. I wanted more but I didn't wait for my opportunities like my younger self. I didn't wait for approval. I took what I wanted and nothing stood in my way."

As he finished, Arcee grew saddened by his words. She knew betrayal, killed quite a few bots as well in revenge just the same. The fact that she could say she related to Shockwave was unreal, the same mech who had tortured her like an object under her capture from Starscream and the same mech who defiled Grimlock into a roaring mad Dinobot. Somehow, she understood his point of view and that concerned her a little.

She gulped, peering down at the floor briefly before questioning, "You said they took your emotions? Then where did your love for The Matriarch come from, if I may ask?"

The question did something odd that she had never expected one of Shockwave's demeanor to do: it stunned him dead silent. His audial fins kept moving rapidly as if trying to come up with an answer but he didn't know it.

"There's still some of your emotions left," Arcee stated, "because you didn't express them when you were a senator. They took away what they thought made you who you are, what you did use in your so-called arrogance, but they didn't know you well enough now, did they? Your mind is fractured, but what you truly feel can't be deleted that easily. That's also why you stay by her side; you both suffered at the hands of others, you are both broken on the inside, but you found each other when everyone else threw you away."

Shockwave stared unreadable until he spoke in unusual softness. "I love her because...she is me...and I am her. From the ashes, we rose and now, we are unbreakable. We know what we are, and that makes us dangerous but that's how we found each other too. The pain is everywhere, more than you know, but when has that ever stopped either of us? It's why I won't operate on her; there's nothing to change. She's accepted it and so have I."

Arcee slowly furrowed her brows in utmost horror as it dawned on her what he meant. "You're planning on going with her when she...is...?"

The scientist clasped her shoulder gently, a rarity of what she was used to from the war. "When the time comes farther down the line, there is a mutual decision we have come to together. I have lived to see a great deal of things, I have done everything I hoped to achieve, so am I supposed to live forever? A life is only worth living if you have something to live for. What else is there for me when my last story has almost been told?"

"But, the Drillers? Your experiments?"

"Can exist without me. I know someone has been paying attention to my work around here, so my legacy is stable. And we still have time. Her condition will take a good number of years before it comes to that. We will live each day as we always have." She refused to ignore the strife of the conversation for her own needs to find the relics but it seemed Shockwave read her mind. "And what of your legacy? I take it defeating the Metal Head snake has led to something else you need to know and for that, I cannot promise any suitable answers."

Arcee shook her head, "It's more like something to do with the Allspark. I've been sent to find some of its relics here on Chaar, does Tox-En, the Omni Saber, or the Liegian Darts sound familiar?"

"Actually, they do. The Tox-En is in my lab. As for the Liegian Darts, it was stolen by Cyclonus in the raid of Iacon. I assume he never got rid of them. The Omni Saber is in the arena Blitzwing and Lugnut manage."

"The Tox-En crystal, as in the first batch ever created, is in your lab already? Cool, that solves the problem of bringing it there anyways. Bolt has another relic I found and he's storing it there for the time being, hope you don't mind."

Shockwave merely replied, "As long as he doesn't explode anything in my lab, I am quite fine with it."

Arcee grinned and pressed her servos together in delight. "You are awesome! I appreciate you so much! You take care of yourself in the meantime and just know that we all care for you more than you realize!"

She left the room to a slightly bewildered Shockwave who resumed looking out for the Drillers when they made a noise wanting to eat. With a heavy sigh of amusement, he went to search for the defanged scraplets he had stored in the other room.

Arcee ran out of the citadel only to pause as many Decepticons wandered. She tried searching for either Cyclonus or Soundwave first as the two had no designated area they could appear at. The building that housed the arena wasn't far away so as she walked around looking for the two, she also paced towards the arena. If all else failed, she could just get the Omni Saber for right now.

The arena had a fight already active as she walked in. To her delight, it was a battle between Lugnut and Blackout, some of the heaviest hitters on the Decepticon team. There were Cons watching in the stands including Blitzwing, Lockdown, and Slipstream. She was a bit surprised to see Nighthawk and Draco hanging next the edge of the stands for the best view in their child-like amazement of the battle royale.

Arcee maneuvered the stands passing the Constructicons that catcalled her, something she expected being the ruffians they were, and going behind Lockdown. His wonderward wagged its tail and gave a small bark which she had to pause at and give the animal a few pats on the head before moving on. She did note Steelback had a collar with skull gems decorating it. Of course, Lockdown would give his partner a collar made of trophy-worthy parts, and Metal Head gems were quite valuable.

"Hey, I have a question for you," she said as she sat beside Blitzwing.

The triple changer had his calm personality watching over the fight and it took him a second to realize he was being addressed. He smiled as he peered to his left. "Well, if it isn't the Metal monster hunter herself? I take it you aren't here for me specifically."

"In your dreams, three-face" she snickered. "Do you have a sword named the Omni Saber? Pitch black blade, hates light?"

Blitzwing raised a brow and turned towards her with one servo on his knee and the other arm casually lying over his thigh. "A 'pitch-black' saber? That's very specific. What's so special about this Omni Saber that I might want to part with?"

As he said that last part, he gestured over yonder and she followed his direction to see a dark sword attached to a shield like a symbol. Dagger Prima reacted, glowing brightly and the edge of the Omni Saber lit up blue in response though its blade remained dark.

"Be...cause it's important. Like the odd glowing doesn't tell you that instantly?"

Blitzwing eyed the dagger before huffing, "I suppose so."

"How did you get the Omni Saber?" Arcee asked, watching Lugnut swipe Blackout's leg out from under him before dropping an elbow down in an intentional fall. She winced but stayed intrigued. "Did you buy it off someone or steal it?"

The Decepticon grinned, "You would think that but in truth, I wasn't the one who found it. I did place it here after some convincing, but I never took it. You would have to ask Scythe, that redeemed guard of yours. When Iacon was infiltrated, Scythe and several other Decepticons oversaw getting the relics. He got the Omni Saber from Alpha Trion's keep after letting Blast Off and Onslaught murder him. Granted, that wasn't supposed to be what happened, but things got complicated when we found most of the relics were gone, sent with Alpha's trusted assistants to be jettisoned into space for eons. Scythe had a crew of Decepticons deliver the sword as well as these weird, green darts or something to Chaar. I just thought it was a piece of décor as it was a lousy weapon, didn't work at all in any room with the lights on. Unfortunately, fighting in the dark is very hard to pull off so we just put it aside and forgot about it."

Arcee looked again at the Omni Saber in the shadows of the arena before Blitzwing laughed, "Do you know what idiot made a sword that only responds to darkness? It's utterly useless on a planet but it's decent in space? I don't get the purpose of that."

She shrugged, "Neither do I but Nexus Prime was experimenting at the time it seems."

"He should have left the weapon-making to Solus, in my opinion if that's the case. Can't take someone else's job just because you want to but can't deliver the same standards. That's just an insult to injury, especially for a Prime who was martyred. The Omni Saber is yours if you want it, just don't go stabbing anyone here with it."

"I make no such promises," she joked.

Arcee moved towards the Omni Saber while simultaneously watching the fight intrigued. So far, Lugnut was winning. As Blackout activated his rotor blades attached to his arm, the purple mech grabbed his forearm, keeping the blades from aiming at his face and punched the helicopter square in the jaw. The grey mech snarled and ran at him again. When the two mechs went rolling, Arcee didn't know who to cheer for.

She jumped onto the wall, grabbing the Omni Saber by its hilt and pulled with all her might. The first few attempts it didn't budge but by the fourth, it broke loose with the shield clattering down onto empty seats. Some Decepticons looked at her weird, but her distraction didn't hinder the fight one bit. She had to awkwardly carry it out of the arena to Blitzwing's laughter while trying to not let the weight drag her backwards or have her faceplant stumbling forward. The Omni Saber was much heavier than she thought it would be.

Outside the arena building, her relief came when Megatron caught the sword threatening to tumble her backwards again. Moonhunter yowled at the scene as Megatron chuckled, "Having a bit of trouble?"

"You can say that," she breathed tired as he instead placed the saber to rest against his shoulder effortlessly.

"I take it this has something to do with the Allspark?"

"Yep...where have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in a while."

The warlord gestured aloof, "Coming back to this base has stirred some memories. I haven't stepped foot on Chaar for over three centuries. That's not long per say but it's long enough to really appreciate the base as it is. I've been visiting a few of my former hangouts that I went to when I was stressed or wanting a new change of scenery. I would like to show you them-"

"Thanks, but I'm a little busy. Once we get all this dealt with, I'll keep that in mind. You understand, right?" Arcee said with a guilty tone. Spending time with Megatron was unfortunately not on the list now as much as she would love to.

He gave a pleasant smirk, "Always busy, aren't we all? Perhaps I can be of some assistance? Where might you be taking this?"

"Shockwave's lab. The Allspark intends on meeting me there."

"I'll take it back there; you just finish what you need to do. Oh, and maybe you should call Optimus when you get a chance. He wants to hear from you on your progress with The Matriarch."

As Megatron and Moonhunter transported the Omni Saber to Shockwave's lab to rendezvous with Bolt, Arcee took a moment to contact Optimus per his instruction. "You want an update, huh?"

"Arcee, it is good to hear from you. Have you made any progress with The Matriarch and Chaar's citizens?"

"The Decepticons adore me but The Matriarch is still not biting. I think she's more conflicted about my approval with the Decepticons than having actual ill will towards me as a rival leader. She wants to prove herself as her mind collapses but she fears being shown up. If I can just get her to realize she can trust me, that's what is holding her back."

As Arcee peered around among the Decepticons for any sign of Cyclonus or Soundwave, Optimus responded, "Like Megatron himself. The Matriarch is deflecting her internal problems onto external predicaments and people, making her think you are tied to the conflict within her when, in reality, she is pushing away the solutions in her pride. Megatron did the same thing for different reasons. He was delusional enough to believe his loss of the Matrix of Leadership and the war was my fault when he was the one who sabotaged himself in his arrogance. The only way to get her to see the problem differently is to appease her and then show her she's wrong. Pretend you are the problem and slowly integrate facts while you talk to her. The Matriarch will begin to see the flaws in her own thought process and redirect her anger to herself. That will open her up to vulnerability which you can then show her you are trustworthy. If all else fails, just be there for her regardless."

"She makes it hard to get through with her attitude and downright nasty behavior though," scowled the queen.

"I would think that sounds familiar in another way, Arcee."

She heard him and wanted to call him out on the blow, but Arcee knew it was true. She was the same. Though she still had rough spots, plenty of therapy and an outlet in fighting had tamed her more aggressive loner ideals. The Matriarch was hurting similar to how she had been. Losing those like Tailgate and Cliffjumper made her bitter so losing one's mind like The Matriarch and thinking she was being replaced, uncared for had to hurt just as bad. She was just as lost as Arcee, and no one deserved to be let down in their time of need even if they believed they didn't need help.

"I can try but I have no guarantee, do I?"

The Prime's voice grew uncertain. "I'm afraid not. But I know your spark, Arcee. You will do what's right in the end."

Just as she was about to walk off after leaving the communication, Dagger Prima whispered and something was answering it just as quick. Peering around again, she knew either Cyclonus or Soundwave had to be close by now. Turning, she nearly slammed into Soundwave. She muted her scream but did give off a startled huff.

"Oh whoa...you-?! Don't sneak up on me like that, please!"

The spymaster said nothing as usual and tilted his head.

"You suck at telling me what you want. I hope you know that," she sneered. "But since you're here, do you still have that Resonance Blaster? Everyone says you do and I'm not leaving without it."

"You suck at telling me what you want. In your dreams...the Allspark..."

Hearing her voice made her tense. She hated when he did that, mocking her like she was always wrong or made her sound stupid. "Yes, the Allspark. Are you going to give it to me?"

"Even if I did, why would I give it to you?" The Matriarch's voice echoed from Soundwave.

"Well, what do you want in return?"

He showed a weapon schematic on his visor, the ricochet ray. Given she was technically taking a weapon, it made sense for her to have to trade for it with another weapon. But she still held her ground as to try and explore other negotiations.

"I-I can't give that up! It's been useful to me all this time! Are you sure you don't want anything else?"

A slow shake of his helm had her stubbornly drop her arms to her side with a defeated groan. When he produced the Resonance Blaster, he held it from her as he opened his unoccupied servo awaiting the ricochet ray.

Arcee rolled her optics with distaste, "You are despicable. By Primus...here, fine, take care of it. It was a gift from Scythe. You damage it, it's on you."

She handed over the ricochet ray and Soundwave placed the Resonance Blaster in her servos. She eyed the weapon before noticing Soundwave staring at her. "You think I'm going to use it on you as revenge for all the scrap I had to put up with. You would deserve it, but I'm not here to be your enemy any longer."

When he still didn't budge, Arcee began to believe she said something wrong. Soundwave, however, merely looked in the direction of Shockwave's lab where Megatron and Bolt had gone, only then did it click.

"Megatron...he's happy now, if you must know. You're more than welcome to come back to Cybertron with us." She then sighed, "When we were trapped on the Allspark's isle, he had nothing but great things to say about you. He cared even after all this time. You were his true friend, don't think because he's with me that he has forgotten what you've done for him. I won't."

Her last sentence made him turn back to her slightly taken aback before the latter extended his servo. Arcee was hesitant to take it but when she did, her doubts about him faded. He gave a nod, a sign of respect to her even if she was once a vastly-hated enemy. He approved of her, and she never felt prouder. Without another "word," Soundwave walked off and let her relish the Resonance Blaster she had earned in his trust. She never expected it would be a test of loyalty but Soundwave was always mysterious in his desires and how he thought.

That left the last relic to obtain. Cyclonus was still not around, maybe he went back to the caverns? But she doubted he would risk a Mallibi stealing his precious artifacts if that were the case. There had to be a place she hadn't considered he would go. He loved solitude surely so where was secluded enough that he wouldn't be messed with? Well, there was one place she never got to explore really...

Arcee sped out of the base much to many Decepticons' confusion and hightailed it towards the ruins of the ancient civilization that had once inhabited Chaar in its prime. As the day stretched to weaken the nebula glows even if the sun barely made a difference among the surface, she used her speed boost to get past sand-dwellers who grew annoyed from the noise of her engine. But they didn't pursue as most were too tired and prepared to go back to sleep for several hours. The ruins grew larger as she got closer and she transformed at the edge of what once was an archway. Low winds whistled through the smaller spaces of former windows. She looked to her right to see faint blood and scorch marks still where she had killed the ten Decepticons she had foolishly assumed were planning on assassinating The Matriarch. The ship was gone as were the bodies but the evidence still remained.

Walking cautiously into the ruins, she noted the original interior, though exposed to the elements, had markings on the pillars and faint paintings on the walls depicting a dark orange or red-skinned species with blue tattoos. The colors were obscured from the years of exposure but there still was a tint to them that gave her an idea. They were bipedal, humanoid, horned beings with spider creatures posed next to them like regal pets or sacred animals. What appeared to be snakes, like the sand-dweller and direfang species, were also painted with offensive poses against the people. The only difference was they looked slightly different to the current species of each. Evolution most likely changed some of their features to adapt to the desert world, which gave Arcee the implication that Chaar was far more abundant in vegetation once and with water. This theory stuck more when a few faded paintings depicted some plants and green waves, green water from the type of minerals that it once settled among she supposed. Dagger Prima abruptly glowed.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Arcee whipped around to see Cyclonus peering up at the pictures with equal awe. "An ancient civilization came to ruin and left a desolate world behind. Many species Chaar once had didn't survive but some did."

"The sand-dwellers and direfangs. It must have been a startling change to have your world suddenly die before you..."

"Don't we know it. Why have you come here? Gawking at ruins is hardly a queen's pastime let alone an impatient one. You don't strike me as the meditative type to care as much as you pretend to right now."

"Who says I don't care? How do I know the Decepticons didn't wipe them off the face of Chaar to begin with?" Arcee retorted.

Cyclonus gave a harsh grin, "If it matters, we inhabited Chaar as a deserted wasteland. Means no, we had nothing to do with this world's demise. You still haven't answered my question though. You're stalling."

Arcee clicked her glossa against the roof of her mouth stubbornly, "Liegian Darts, green in color with perhaps some poison in them. I want them for the Allspark and some sources say you might know where they are."

"Now, we're getting somewhere," the purple mech mused. "The Liegian Darts were stolen, yes, and maybe I have used them, but I don't intend to give them up to you. Why should I?"

"Why is everyone against me doing my job here?! The other worlds weren't this bad about it, except a few! I tell them it's a task from the Allspark, they split with it despite not actually seeing the Allspark with me. I tell a bunch of Decepticons from the same planet who have seen the Allspark that it sent me to collect its relics and none of you budge without some convincing. What do you want me to do, service you to get it?"

Cyclonus sent her a flabbergasted expression but seemed to have some form of respect as he shook his head. Then he brought out green arrows from his subspace, a hazy purple mist arising from the tip with a bubbling hiss.

"The Liegian Darts, great for hunting and assassinating. I would think someone of your caliber would be less crass, but I take it you've been through quite a lot since I first saw you." Arcee went to grab it but he pulled it away. "However, I was in the middle of a peaceful moment. So, if you don't mind, I would like to finish my meditation. You are welcome to join me."

"Inviting me over to your retreat on the second date? You make a girl blush," she joked back.

"Keep talking and I might make that a reality, not before shooting you with these first and watching you slowly grow weak at my mercy before dying painfully."

Arcee gestured with a huff, "Lead the way, Romeo."

Cyclonus took his place among an old altar, sitting with his back towards her and facing the extension of the ruins Arcee had failed to notice. "I come here to relax often. I may be Decepticon in name but I didn't much care for Megatron's crusade, instead only aiding him for a chance to go home victorious and at peace. Obviously, that didn't work out."

Arcee sat beside him in a meditative pose, breathing in then letting air come out her mouth. Her vents loved the calmness after much strain and excitement the following week with the other worlds and the Metal Heads constantly on the move. She glanced at the rest of the ruins that lied below the remnants of the building they were in. A small village it appeared to be with dams embedded in the ground before a huge drop empty emphasizing that there once was a lake or other body of water, half-buried equipment long destroyed by time, and even distant citadels including a tilted watchtower of sorts crumbled partially. She noted there were rock vipers and other little animals scurrying about in no rush among their environment.

"What do you think happened to them?"

The mech had his optics closed but replied solemnly, "I believe with the sun so far out, there was a colony like ours that just didn't have any luck as the resources weren't meant to be used for any species other than the animals who knew how to balance their intake. In comparison to intelligent lifeforms who harvested the plants and water at a faster rate than what could replenish in the time frame, the animals ate only when they needed to. The only other theory is the planet was once closer to the sun, had all its resources, but somewhere down the line, they made a mistake as their technology grew too fast, maybe knocked the planet out of alignment."

"Not unlike how Earth seems to be going," she muttered.

"People don't mean to be greedy but there always will be greed, both good and bad. It's balancing it between what is needed and what is wanted that civilizations have trouble with therefore they fall hard when they can't escape the consequences that keep building with each decision against what they truly need. I'm not saying the people of Chaar did that, I have no proof, but it's not out of the realm of possibilities either. The same happened to us to a degree. If Earth is following this path, they aren't the first and they undoubtedly won't be the last. It's just the curse of sentience, I'm afraid."

She then held up a digit, a bit perplexed by the sudden logic of Chaar. "Wouldn't it be colder though if it's farther out from the sun? Chaar?"

Cyclonus gave her a genuine smile but refused to laugh. "I'm pretty sure the reason we called it Chaar was because Shockwave found evidence it was once extremely hot here the same time all these species were still alive as well as this civilization so even though it has cooled down, there's an active heated core below us right now."

They both sat in silence for a while. Although Arcee wanted to move on, she couldn't as long as Cyclonus wanted to revel in his peace and quiet. She stopped fighting the impatience and followed suit once she realized he was waiting for her to join him spiritually. Her mind slowed where everything wasn't as jumbled, like a headache relieved. The cool winds of Chaar ghosted over the ruins and she heard its movements mapping the land like fingers grazing over the rock itself. Suddenly, she felt something being put in her lap and half-lidded optics trailed down to see the Liegian Darts resting in her space. Arcee looked at Cyclonus who smugly grinned now.

"See what happens when you take the time to breathe? Some solutions just fall into your lap like so."

"You're still an aft" she smirked back.

"Only when it counts," he said. "When we met last, I threatened to kill you when I lost the amulet. After you left, I thought a bit about the circumstances of the situation, that I was being too harsh. Years of war will never brush off easy for some of us like others who came merely forget its existence. I figured we would meet again and when Soundwave heard you needed the relics from his constant snooping, I figured you returned something dear to me, I would do the same. But not before letting you trust me enough to finally put your guard down."

Arcee pondered that but had nothing to say against the logic. Cyclonus was always mysterious like that. He could be your enemy one day and your friend the next...assuming he never tried to kill you beforehand. The trust was forced, but not in a bad way. She had to give him credit for being sneaky about it. But with the Liegian Darts now in her possession, she could finally finish her mission.

"Well, I appreciate the break but I must get going."

Cyclonus nodded but before she left, he gestured to her and made her pause. "I look forward to meeting you again, assassin. You and I never had a proper fight. The unmatchable, uncapturable Arcee was one of the few targets on my hit list I never got around to hunting even after all these years. I can wait a little longer."

Typical Cyclonus never failed to bring the sinister motives to light when he wanted to. Arcee shrugged humorously and saluted as she placed the Liegian Darts into her subspace. "Bolt, I need to ground bridge to the lab."

"You found all the relics?"

"Every single one of them."

His reply came when a ground bridge opened beside her. "Then let us summon the Allspark and give it what it wants."

She raced into the bridge and jumped out in front of Ramjet and Novastorm. They chastised her irate as she left them behind to search for Megatron, Bolt, and Moonhunter. When a cat's curious noise got her attention, she smiled as Moonhunter was being pet by Shockwave.

"Quite a nice pet you have. I sense Soundwave might be a bit jealous, maybe even me too."

Arcee winced inwardly as she remembered Ravage. The Cyber-Cat was lost when Soundwave tried to overhaul Iacon's Fortress Maximus in a recon mission. No one knew where he went but it bothered Soundwave for years. It certainly didn't help that not long after, Rumble, Frenzy, and Buzzsaw were hunted down by Autobot Minicons deployed specifically for them. Laserbeak was all that remained and the bird kept close to his master's chest ever since. Soundwave took control of him out of fear of losing him, a harsh reality of war even Soundwave himself couldn't escape unscathed. Sure enough, Soundwave was distant and occasionally looked her way as well as Moonhunter's. Arcee felt bad but there was nothing she could do.

Megatron chuckled in lighter humor, "As if you need any more pets, Shockwave? We've already told you no more and you've gotten away with the Drillers by a technicality. You aren't getting anything more and I think I can convince The Matriarch to agree with me on that."

Shockwave responded snidely, "You forget, I'm her sparkmate. I think I have a bit more leeway in convincing her of anything than you. So, how easy do you think it would be for me to get a direfang with the right distraction?"

Bolt laughed, placing a servo over his optic visor and nearly falling from his leaning position against the wall as Megatron sent a soured sneer towards his former scientist. Arcee butted out of that faster than she walked in on it because there was not much she could say to straighten out that comment when it was its own experience. She finally had to step in when Megatron was about to reply.

"Oh, a distraction? Well, how else will she be so willing to-"

"Alright, alright, alright, boys...let's not stray into anything we're going to regret in a minute," Arcee scowled. "We have our ways in how we deal with arguments, some for better or for worse, and we're just going to leave it at that."

Bolt then continued off her. "So, since we have all the relics, should we get started?"

Shockwave wordlessly brought the contain with an abnormally sized Tox-En crystal. The difference between what they knew about the type of Energon and seeing the original stood out blatantly. The Tox-En they knew was small, green, and often smelled bad. The larger crystal was darker than normal and had a puddle of constant regenerating ooze dripping off it. Black spots were abundant like scabs and its energy gave off a deep cracking sound.

"Don't be fooled by its appearance. This is the original batch. It is over a seven hundred million years old. Locked away, it was experimented on and used to spawn fresher crystals before they were used as weapons. Since it is no longer needed, I have no problems relinquishing it to the Allspark."

Bolt held the Matrix of Conquest away from Arcee when Dagger Prima started throwing a tantrum being in its vicinity again. Megatron had the Omni Saber and Arcee brought out the Liegian Darts and the Resonance Blaster.

"Wait a minute, how did you get that from Soundwave?" Bolt asked from the far side of the group next to Shockwave.

"He gave it up after I traded my ricochet ray regrettably."

"Oh," he said disappointed, "that sucks."

Arcee rolled her optics. "Tell me about it."

Energy around the room swirled and hissing like a million voices until a bright flash made multiple Decepticons ran back. With its rings engraved in Primus' language as well as Cybertronian, the Allspark made a cry before making a ghostly laugh.

"The relics of old, reunited at last. I see one of them is not enjoying it though." They peered at the Matrix of Conquest in Bolt's servos that vibrated angrily when suddenly, it was encased in a bubble and floated up to rotate around the Allspark against its will. "Unicron's defilement of creation will not see another master again for as long as I live."

The other relics slowly drifted from each Cybertronians' grasp and orbited the Allspark alongside the angered Matrix of Conquest that could do nothing in its prison. The poison in Liege Maximo's Darts vaporized among the Allspark's energy, relieving it of its ability to harm indefinitely. The Omni Saber's blade, despite being surrounded by light, remained as dark as a black hole.

"I thank you for all your efforts in returning the Primes' sacred weapons and experiments. Take heed, there will always be darkness in the universe everywhere but our dearest dreams. That is where one is truly safe."

The Allspark spun around with the relics zipping in orbit in a blur before it vanished with a spiritual roar. It left Arcee and the others stunned until the oddest noise erupted in the room. The Decepticons all congratulated her against the Metal Heads and seeing the Allspark so pleased at the same time. Even Starscream looked impressed along with an agreeing nod from the ever-silent Soundwave. She felt her spirits soar hearing the acceptance of those who were once her enemies now truly her friends. Some of the Vehicons made comments about her, praising her as an effect leader. Others joined in cheering her name. Megatron looked very proud of her and somewhat joined in on it too.

However, the cheering died as several bots looked past her and the others redirected their attention as well. She followed their gaze and froze. The Matriarch saw them, saw the praise they were giving the Queen of Cybertron. She tensed with bitterness. Arcee wanted to speak out, wanted to say what The Matriarch should hear that she wasn't trying to take over through the popularity with an outreached servo, but the Decepticon leader turned without any words of her own. Arcee was forced to watch The Matriarch leave with her back towards her with resentment.

---

AN: What goes on in The Matriarch's mind is kind of hard to explain in words. As for Shockwave, I felt like he needed his story told too and I mostly followed canon references to his senator life but there was some creative liberty obviously. Arcee getting to know the Cons not as these generic bad guys but enemies who have done wrong, some regretting it and others reveling in their cruelty but still being not entirely evil per say, was crucial in the formation of Chaar as a world worth saving. Had this been during the war, not even Arcee would lose an second of sleep over its destruction but knowing its citizens now, it wouldn't be like her or Optimus to completely dismiss them.