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He was supposed to have gone to battle because he was ready to fight again, ready to face things as before and to support the Autobots once more. Optimus, Elita, everyone. But it turned out to be impossible...
As soon as he saw him. Shockwave.
"He... He..."
Ultra Magnus froze right there on the battlefield, arriving alongside Wheeljack to finish off the Decepticons with the other Autobots. First, a rescue mission, then an all-out attack to reclaim Cybertron and prevent Earth from being drained. He had arrived determined, weapon in hand, until he saw him, saw that horrible and unique amber optic, and all his past memories flooded his processor like a bucket of cold water.
"Oh no..."
"Ultra Magnus?" Optimus asked quickly, noticing his friend's state, completely still while the others advanced.
"I... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I can't."
And that was all he said as he transformed and fled. Without looking back, without thinking in that moment if his friends, his comrades, needed help. Abandoning them.
"Magnus!"
"Oh, look at him! Still remembering what I did to him and abandoning his team, how splendid!"
Before withdrawing, it was the last thing he heard, that sadly recognizable voice with that sadistic edge echoed in his helm. He couldn't shake off anything that had happened, he just couldn't.
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"Come on... I just need the information on where your leader and his team went. Mine unfortunately isn't responding, so... What better than the second in command of the Autobots to tell me where they went!"
Spoke the bot with a single optic, holding one of his tools in hand, just as he ripped off a piece of armor from the blue and red mech. The screams followed immediately, but he still kept his head down and didn't reveal any information.
"It's not that hard to say a couple of things, dear Autobot... Just imagine, everything will be over faster if you speak now. I might even repair your armor once you give me the information. How about that?"
"No... No, never..." He replied in a dragged, tired voice, finding it hard to speak.
"Too bad for you, but lucky for me, I have a variety of tools! They’re freshly made and definitely need testing... So, since you insist." He set the previous tool on a tray while picking up another, approaching menacingly once again.
“No... no, no, NO!”
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Ultra Magnus had reached what he believed to be the furthest point from the battle, the furthest from Shockwave, which meant being safer himself. Far from those memories of what had been done to him, far from any danger of being captured and painfully experimented on again. He realized how much those 100... 1000 years had impacted him. How could they not? Just hours ago, he had stopped being an exposed frame of his cables and spark. His fear was justified, but...
But it had been extremely inconsiderate of him to leave them fighting alone. Weren't there still two captured soldiers missing? Wasn't Cybertron on the brink of danger? Hadn't he just seen Arcee, his iron apprentice, after so long? Was it fair to withdraw again?
Definitely not, he was an Autobot. That wasn’t right, to leave his comrades at the mercy of the enemy. To let them go through the same thing he did. Already two of them had been subjected to it for only a few days, and they were already somewhat injured. What would happen if he allowed the others to suffer the same fate? No, he couldn't. He couldn't let that happen.
Still, it was all very difficult, all those thoughts. The fear present, the trauma. He couldn't return, or rather, he didn't want to return.
He sat on the ground and looked up, at the sky. The home planet was so close to the surface, and a beam extracting, draining, and killing all the sea. A terrifying spectacle that would definitely end the life on the planet they were now on. He sighed in defeat, burying his helm in his servos, thinking about how just because of his trauma, for not being able to face the one who tormented him for years, he had left behind all his comrades, friends, his faction.
In the midst of his silence and his own misery, he heard noises in the distance. Not so far away as to be coming from the battle, but rather as if they were coming from a wooded area. Hearing the sound of heavy footsteps, and what seemed like the sound of wheels moving. He didn't decide to approach much, just to have his weapon ready. Had one of the Decepticons followed him? Or one of his comrades to convince him to return?
Hidden among the plants, he saw what looked like one of the old Autobots, perhaps one he didn't pay much attention to, and one of the planet's organics.
“Please, Beachcomber, we have to go back.”
“Spike, this war will continue whether we are there or not. We only risk more by going.”
“But at least try... My friends are there, they’ve treated us well, and I couldn’t just let the Decepticons win. Not let them destroy the planet where I live.”
He was impressed by the courage of that little organic, nothing suited him to go face the Decepticons. Neither his size, nor structure, nor the fact that he seemed to depend on a small wheeled machine to walk. But still, he was asking the mech to help him get there. To take him to the others because he wanted to protect his friends. Even if perhaps he had only known them for a few days. Ultra Magnus had known them for vorns.
“All right, Spike, I’ll just take you there. Let’s go.”
Replied the nature-loving bot, picking up the human and his chair onto his shoulder, heading towards the battlefield that he had abandoned just moments ago.
The blue and red mech remained silently watching; neither of the other two had noticed his presence in that short time. But what he had heard had definitely impacted him.
Such a small being, yet determined to fight despite everything, to protect his loved ones. Even if he was at a disadvantage in being able to defeat the Decepticons, or being able to fight well. Simply his bravery and confidence accompanied him. If a human could do it, why couldn’t he? He had been through horrors with Shockwave, yes. But he was still an Autobot, one of those who had accomplished the most, someone whom Optimus trusted, and Arcee admired. He had asked to be repaired because he knew that one way or another, he could fight for the cause.
Yes, he wasn’t going to let a mad Decepticon throw him out of the game. He was better than that.
He stood up and transformed back into his alternate mode. He didn’t care that he was afraid; it didn’t matter if he had to sacrifice himself again. They were worth it, they were his team. So he headed back into the battle. Against whatever may come