Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He was in a rush, that was the first thing he registered. He didn’t know why, but his mind and spark were racing with a desperate urgency unknown to him.

“Woah, woah, easy there,” A muffled voice said off to his side, “What’s gotten you so stressed? Not even online yet and his anxiety levels are through the roof.”

A second, deeper one came in next to him. It made his whole frame shudder slightly as spoke, something in the voice plucking at something in the back of his mind, “How are his other vitals, Ratchet?”

“Stable,” The first voice answered, “And he should be coming online in about three, two, one.”

The second the one named Ratchet hit one, he felt his whole body suddenly coming alive. Systems powered up and energy surged through him, traveling all over his frame and automatically causing his limbs to flex.

The young mech gave a gasp and his optics shot open, his body lifting off of the hard surface he was lying on.

A large warm servo gently rested on his chassis and softly pushed him back down, somehow easing the panic flowing through him. The bot blinked at the dim lights above him and turned his helm, immediately finding the gaze of a much larger mech on him.

A gentle smile broke out across the red and blue bot's face as he removed his servo and rested it on the side of the surface, “Hello there,” He said in a deep voice, “My name is Optimus Prime. Welcome to Iacon.”

The young bot blinked again and looked around as he slowly lifted himself. He was in a neat white room, devoid of many things except for some weird machines, chairs, and the platform he was lying on.

“Where am I?” He asked in a soft voice, turning back to the larger bot when he felt the urgency start to return.

“You are in the Delphi Hospital,” Optimus Prime informed him, gesturing to the window behind him, “You are the most recent spark to come online since Cybertron’s, our home planet, revival. We have at least one being forged a week now.”

The young mech slowly swung his legs off the side of the platform, accepting the servo offered to help him. He stumbled for a second but quickly regained his balance, leaning on the window frame and looking out.

His optics went wide and he inhaled softly.

There was a massive city before him, buildings rising up from the ground and hanging suspended from whatever room shielded the city.

“The buildings, why are they hanging?” He asked, pointing at them while he watched jets fly up and to them.

“Iacon was built underground before the Quintesson war,” The white and red bot he assumed was Ratchet said, walking over, “We have long since expanded outwards to the surface.”

The mechling gasped and pressed his face closer to the window when a large yellow train suddenly sped past on tracks that appeared to materialize in front of it. He watched, craning his neck as he saw it arch sharply and shoot right into the sky, out of an opening where the light was spilling out.

Optimus put one servo on his shoulder, making him turn and look up at him, his large blue optics now full of curiosity and a hint of recognition.

“Do you have a designation?” He asked, tilting his helm slightly, “Serial numbers are often already assigned to newly onlined bots but if they want to name themselves later on they can do that as well.”

“My name is… wait a click…” The young mech frowned, furrowing his brow and lowering his gaze. 

He did have a name, but what was it? It was like he could see it in his mind, yet it was shrouded by an opaque veil. He squeezed his optics shut and held his helm, trying to see through it.

“Don't strain your processor,” Ratchet said, tapping his helm, “Don't want you to blow a gasket trying to remember.” 

“Wait! It starts with M!” He cried, relief washing over his face, “M-57!”

“M-57?” Optimus blinked, a mix of undefinable emotions coming over his face.

“Yeah, though I can't remember what the rest is,” He muttered, putting one digit on his chin, “It was longer.”

“Well I'm sure it will come back to you in a few days,” The Prime smiled and patted his shoulder, “But there's no rush. Now, how about I show you around? I'm sure you'd like to meet some bots your age?”

M blinked, “There are more bots like me?”

“Oh course,” Ratchet cut in, “It's almost been a year since Cybertron came back online. I think you can guess how many new bots we've had online since then as it was even more back then.”

“We have since taken to raising the new generation on the surface,” Optimus explained, “New Cybertonians are sent up to the surface, to the city of Vos, where they are educated. From there, it is their choice where they want to go.”

“And… I get to go there?” M asked, turning his gaze back to the large hole in the sky.

The red and blue mech smiled, “You get to live there. There are a few things you need to know, but everything will be shown to you.”

He nodded slowly and gripped his servo, “I want to go,” The young mech concluded.

Optimus turned to Ratchet and the medic nodded.

“He's all good,” He confirmed, “Vitals and physical performance seems all good. He is free to go but bring him back if anything happens. I'll be coming up to Vos in a few days to check on our newest bunch.”

“Right, thank you Ratchet,” Optimus smiled and stood, shaking his servo while walking to the door, making sure M-57 was with him.

The young purple mech quickly stopped and turned to Ratchet, “Thank you sir,” He said, courtly bowing his helm before hurrying out after the Prime.

The medic nodded back with a smile but when he turned to his data pad, it dropped to a frown as he read over the small bots states.

Judging from certain high numbers, there was definitely something unique about that one.

—---------

“Sir? Is everything alright?”

Optimus snapped out of his thoughts to look down, spotting M glancing at him.

“You seem to be staring at me a lot,” He said, looking up innocently.

The Prime blinked as he realized but then smiled, “Apologies. It's just to look similar to someone I used to know.”

“A friend?” 

“Yes, he was my closest friend,” Optimus smiled, but M frowned when he saw that smile drop and shift to a face of regret and sorrow, “But I have yet to see him in months. We both went our separate ways, two paths that destine us to forever be held in conflict.”

“Well if he was your best friend, I don't think he'd have any excuse not to forgive whatever happened between the two of you!" M said, "I'm sure he'll come back soon!"

The red and blue mech just sighed, “I admire your optimism, but sometimes people choose not to change back. He was too far gone for me to do anything.”

He stared up at the overhead buildings, remembering the times when D-16 used to look at him with a smile. 

A small servo holding his broke him out of his thoughts, and he looked down at the smaller purple mech looking up at him, giving a gentle smile, “Then you just need to bring him back, right?”

Optimus blinked but then let himself smile, ruffling the mechlings helm, “Yes, I suppose I will try to.”

M grinned and turned back, going silent again as he looked all around him.

A few bots stopped and stared when Optimus walked past with the new spark but he was glad to see M didn't seem to mind. The Prime waved with a smile to those who called and greeted him while they stepped onto the train, the purple mechling taking a small step closer.

“Just hold my servo,” He instructed, feeling the smaller digits grip his, “And don't be scared. You’re perfectly safe.”

“I'm not scared,” M said simply, though looked around curiously at the bots and staring back at a few.

“Good,” Optimus smiled and held onto one of the hanging straps as the train doors closed. The small space shuddered and started to wave as the engines roared into life. 

M stumbled a bit but managed to stabilize himself by grabbing onto Optimus around his waist. The Prime chuckled and reassuringly patted his back, causing him to relax and let out a sigh while the vehicle started moving.

“Here comes the fun part,” He grinned, nodding his helm to the window nearby. 

The mechling turned his helm and looked, watching as the city sped by. He gave a surprised gasp when it was abruptly turned on its side, the train arching upwards suddenly and he felt his pedes leave the ground. They were all weightless for a second but hardly anyone seemed bothered by it. 

He looked down in confusion, still clinging to Optimus while a wave of electricity passed through the floors. Immediately there was a tugging sensation and he pulled back down, a collective clang sounding down the carriage as all the bots inside were magnetized to the train.

He quickly spun around and watched as they soared closer to the hanging buildings, soon shooting right through them while the light got brighter and he was forced to look away. 

The glow still seeped in through his closed optics while the train shuddered violently. Optimus pulled him closer but tapped his shoulder.

When he was finally able to open them again, he blinked a few times and looked out the window, his optics slowly going wider.

The train had shot out right into the middle of a large city, tall buildings rising up around it as the tracks maneuvered in between them. Flashing neon signs sped past and he could see the sky, a mix of deep blues, purples and greens.

The young mech looked down, catching glimpses in between the skyscrapers of open land where the city had yet to expand. Large mountains formed by themselves around the outskirts, constantly changing shape.

“Don't they ever crash into the buildings?” He asked the Prime curiously.

Optimus shook his helm, “No, there never has been one to do that. Ever since the Matrix was restored, the behavior of the planet seems to have shifted. The mountains surround and protect Vos.”

“Amazing,” He muttered, feeling the train slow down as it pulled up into a station.

The car came to a stop before the doors hissed open and bots all filed out.

M kept his servo wrapped tightly around the larger mechs, turning in every direction as they walked out and looking up at the glass ceiling above them, amazed by the twin moons that were right overhead.

“Hey Orion!” 

He turned and looked down as a black and white mech with doorwings and a blue visor pushed his way through to them.

“Jazz,” Optimus greeted with a smile, “I'm glad you could meet us here despite the short notice.”

“No problem,” The other mech grinned and enthusiastically pat the taller Primes shoulder, “I was on my break anyways and even so I managed to get Prowler to cover my later classes.”

He paused and looked down at M, “This the newest spark?” He grinned and leaned down, ruffling his helm, “Woah, I didn't realize he had a similar frame type to D! He could be your big brother if I didn't know better!”

“Who's D?” The mechling asked, tilting his helm.

Jazz seemed to realize what he'd just said but quickly played it off, “Old friend of ours when we were still miners. Don't put too much thought into it. What you should be thinking about is your introduction.”

“What introduction?”

“Why the one you're going to give when we arrive at the academy!” He grinned, standing and putting one servo on his back, steering him to one of the large doors out, “You're going to want to give them a good first impression!”

Optimus gave a small sigh but played it off with a smile, following behind the two closely.

“And luckily for you, they decided to build the city around the academy,” Jazz said and enthusiastically waved his servo out at the large building at the end of the street, “Look at that! We don't even have to drive.”

“It's… quite big,” M mumbled as they approached, turning his helm up so he could get a full view of the large, grand building.

Optimus walked slightly faster so he could be next to them, looking down at the young mech to see his reaction as most were in awe when they first saw it.

It was a bit difficult to read M-57, he did admit. The purple mechling's default expression seemed to give him the effect that he was always scowling or bored, yet he could tell that was never the case. It was just the way his optics lit up as he stared that indicated his true feelings.

They stopped at the large gate that was cut into the walls. Those weren't that high but were just enough to give the bots inside some privacy.

“Welcome back, Jazz,” One of the two mechs standing outside nodded to him with a smile, “Already got a new student?”

“Yup! About to give him the tour,” The grounder grinned while the golden gates were opened for them.

He stepped inside and stopped a few meters just before the steps that cascaded up to the building, “Welcome to The Academy of Vos!” Jazz announced, waving his servo around at the large building, “Or as you may now call it, your new home.”

---------

M could barely keep his optics ahead of him as they walked, too busy trying to stare at everything he could. He turned in circles almost every minute to try and take it all in at once.

The small crowds of young bots quickly parted for them, some standing straight and saluting as they passed while others seemed to give more casual waves. 

“Are these all students?” M asked, staring back at the mechs and femmes as some craned their necks or stood on the tips of their pedes to try and get a look at the new mechling.

“Yup! Most of them are from the new generation of sparks that emerged from the Well, but there are also a few from before. I myself was here for a few months before graduating and will now be your Communications professor.”

M turned and blinked at him, “You don't look like a teacher,” He said bluntly.

Optimus gave a short laugh next to him and Jazz's door wings raised slightly in amusement.

“Well welcome to Cybertron, little mech,” He laughed and ruffled his helm again, “Where everyone is more than meets the eye.”

He grinned as he quoted the Prime next to him, getting the larger mech to flush slightly as they walked into a large circular hall.

The curved walls around were divided into thirteen segments, each with a door in the middle that seemed to lead off into other rooms, while the largest opposite them went outside where they could see a few mechs training.

As they approached the center, M looked up and tilted his helm.

A massive mural had been sculpted into the ceiling. 13 Massive statues stood on large pedestals, one in each segment. They varied in size and shape but all held some sort of weapon and were holding them up and out towards the middle of the curved roof where there was a massive ball of blue glass. Fissures had also been cut into the ceiling between the figures so sunlight streamed in and reflected off the ball, making it glow like energon.

“Who are they?”

Jazz and Optimus stopped and looked up at the statues, both now smiling as well.

“Those are the 13 Primes,” The blue and red mech explained, “The first Cybertonians created by Primus himself and the leaders of our planet through the Golden age until they were brought down by the Quintesson.”

“Who's that?”

“That is something you will learn about in your studies,” He smiled and put one servo on the mechlings shoulder, “I could tell you now but we will be here all day though.”

“Oh, ok,” M nodded simply and looked back up at them.

“Come on, you have the whole school year to gawk up at them,” Jazz grinned and pulled him along, though he continued to stare up until they entered one of the side doors and the statues were obstructed by a lower ceiling, “But they are important to know as the houses we divide students into are named after them.”

“What are houses?”

“They're basically a fancy word for a group of students. It makes it easier to then divide the teachers and sort everyone,” Optimus explained, “There are an average of 40 bots in each one.”

“This is the teaching room for house Nexus, the one you have been sorted into,” The black and white mech went on, “And they're mostly all new bots like yourself.”

He nodded, turning his gaze down and looking down the short corridor as it opened up into a large lecture hall. Steps went down in the middle and split the room in two, rows of tables that curved around in a semicircle, five on each side and each table having four seats at it. All cascaded down one after the other and boarded a stage that had one desk on it as well as a large board.

There were a few empty spaces but most seats were occupied by mechs and femmes who seemed to be around the same age as him. A single pink and white femme who looked to be much older stood by the board, writing notes on it.

Jazz grinned and rapped on the nearby wall before walking down, the two following him, “Hey ‘Cee!” He called, “Got your new student here!”

Every helm in the room turned to look at them and immediately all the students stood to greet them.

The pink femme turned and her face broke into a smile as she put the data pad and pen she was holding down on the desk and walked over to meet them.

“Welcome young one,” She smiled sweetly, shaking M's servo as they walked up onto the stage, “My name is Arcee, and I will be your main teacher until you graduate.”

He nodded, “It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am.”

“Such a polite mechling!” She exclaimed happily, clapping her servos together, “Why don't you come over and introduce yourself to the class?”

M nodded and followed her as she led him to the edge of the center of the stage.

He looked out at all the young mechs and femmes looking at him curiously.

“Nice to meet you all,” He said simply, raising one servo in greeting, “My name is M-57.”

They all stayed quiet and stared at him expectantly as he held his servos behind his back and stood up straight.

“Is that all?” Arcee asked gently next to him.

He blinked at her for a second before turning back to them, not really sure what else he had to say, “I just came online,” He added, “I look forward to getting to know all of you.”

Chapter Text

M-57 walked out silently after the rest of his class after the bell rang, signaling the end of the day.

After the awkward introduction, he was quickly directed to an empty seat in one of the top rows next to a pink and yellow femmeling. Jazz and Optimus both gave him smiles and waved but they had to leave, needed to go and do their own things. 

Due to the time he'd arrived, Arcee had told him he could sit and watch how lessons worked until it ended, after which all the bots would go to refuel before everyone settled down for the night.

She was luckily kind enough to provide him with a timetable and map of the campus, showing him where his recharging room was in a wing of the school where all the other bots in House Nexus stayed together. She also told him everything he needed was already waiting for him at his berth and for now just suggested he follow the other students around.

So he did that, but he felt a bit secluded as he followed the group out of the class and into the large hall, following a good few steps behind them. They all seemed to break into different friend groups, leaving him by himself.

So instead of trying to make small talk, he distracted himself by looking up at the ceiling, staring at the Primes, and trying to get a better view of them.

He didn't watch where he was going though as soon enough, he bumped right into someone.

The mechling shook his helm and looked up at the slightly taller bot, a white mech with gold highlights.

“Oh sorry,” He mumbled, “I wasn't looking where I was going.”

The taller mech grinned and put one servo on his shoulder, “No problem new stuff,” He said cheerfully and looked up, “Looking at the Primes? All of us have bumped into someone doing that. What's your designation?”

“M-57.”

“Well M, I'm P-189,” He said, “But you may call me your upperclassman. Anything you need, I'm your guy.”

M nodded and looked behind him, noticing his class had left him behind. He turned to P, “Can you point me in the direction of the cafeteria, sir?”

Oh please, you don't have to be that formal,” The white mech said, flustering while waving his servo.

“Yes, please,” His friend snickered next to him, a lanky green mech, “Don't raise his ego any higher than it already is.”

The former spun around and glared at him before he turned back to M, his charming smile coming back, “It's right down the hall you came through on your right. Can't miss it at this time of day.”

“Ok, thanks,” He nodded and started walking.

He found it strange when the white mech seemed to be following alongside him, “You should try smiling more,” He said, poking the smaller mech's cheek, “You're gonna scare bots away if you keep scowling at them.”

“This is just my face though,” M frowned, lifting one servo and putting it on his face plates.

“Don't listen to P,” The green mech said, slapping his arm and looking at the younger bot, “He's just an aft.”

“I am not!” P cried dramatically, putting one servo on his chassis, “I just wanted to give the young mechling here some advice!”

“If you want to give him advice, make sure it doesn't make him feel self-conscious,” He said before quickly adding, “Name's Q-21 by the way.”

The purple mechling just nodded, giving a small smile while they walked into the cafeteria.

“There's that smile!” P laughed and patted his back, “But this is where we split, fledgling. I'll be seeing you around though. House Prima and Nexus have outdoor activities together so I'll see you then!”

He flashed another blindingly white grin, ruffling his helm while Q waved and they walked off.

M waved after them, still smiling slightly as he turned and navigated his way through the crowds of students.

He finally found a station with large tables, trays, and plates filled with energon of different colours and sizes. Feeling his tanks rumble, he grabbed a tray and filled it with different cubes, wanting to try them all.

The young mech then looked around, spotting a few bots from his class all at one of the square tables. So he went over and sat on the edge, his shoulders hunched while he ate the cubes and observed the other bots in the room silently.

After a few minutes, he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to find the femme he sat next to earlier grinning at him while three other mechs looked at him, one on her other side and two scooting over so they were across from him.

“Hey there!” She smiled, waving as M looked back over at her, “You're the new guy right?”

The purple mechling stared at her before nodding silently, not knowing what to say.

“He looks scary,” The small green one across from him with what looked like glasses said, looking out from behind the lanky blue and gold one with tiny wings on his back.

The smokey blue one scowled and leaned across the table, lightly hitting him, “Don't be rude!” He reprimanded, “The poor guy's probably just nervous.”

M felt a bit of relief washing over him, glad someone seemed to be able to pick up on his emotions.

The same mech pushed his way past the femme and took his servo, shaking it with a bright smile, “Z-52,” He introduced himself.

“I'm S-15!” The femme piped up cheerfully.

“O-142,” The blue one nodded in a soft voice and then leaned to the side to show his shorter friend now looking very sheepish, “And this is A-123.”

“I'm M-57,” He said with a small smile, shaking all of their servos.

“Yeah, we heard,” O smiled, “That was quite the introduction.”

M just shrugged, “Like I said, I’d just come online. I barely know anything about myself.”

“Don't worry newbie,” Z grinned, standing and pulling the purple mech up with him, “We can show you around the place and city. You’re gonna fit right in but right now, you’re seeing the dorms!”

“Dorms?”

“Where we recharge,” O explained as the small group ran out, “We were told we were getting a new guy in today. Your berth is between mine and S’s.”

“Bunk mates!” The femme giggled happily as they ran around to large steps going up to the next story. The balcony wrapped around the circular ceiling, another story above them, both with exits leading away.

M found himself being pulled down one of the side corridors, trying to remember where they were going but losing track after the last couple of right turns.

“This one's ours!” Z called back, pointing up at the large arch as they entered, a symbol of a gun and shield crossed over each other as what looked like a crest.

“Nexus Prime,” M mumbled, leaning his helm back as they came into the large circular room.

“And these are the dorms!” S called as she ran ahead inside, stopping in the middle and twirling with her arms outstretched.

A couple of young bots looked up from the circle of chairs as they entered but quickly returned to whatever they were reading and writing on.

The walls seemed to be lined with a variety of books and data pads, as well as a few choice ornaments on the shelves and walls like shields and spears. The room itself felt like a well-built fortress but also had a nice homely feel to it.

“Over there's the bar,” A said excitedly, pointing to the far end. A large window had been cut into the wall and in front of it, a large table curving around lined with bar stools, covered in bright colours that made it stick out like a sore thumb.

M blinked and turned to Z, “Why do we have a bar?”

“Well it's more of just a refueling station for anyone who needs energon when the cafeteria is closed,” He explained with a small smile, “But A and a couple of the older bots decided to add their own touches and made it into a small bar. No high grade though. Elita made sure of that when she found out.”

“A does still make the best sparkling-friendly cocktails,” O grinned while the short green mech next to him took a curt bow.

“Remind me to bring you over some time,” A said, lightly nudging M, “I like making personalized drinks for everyone.”

“Oh. Thanks,” He said with a smile, looking back at it while Z pulled him to the right side of the room where another arch was cut, leading down a long hall.

“These are the oil baths!” The navy mechling said, stopping and showing a large room that was divided into two, two pools full of black liquid though one was smaller than the other. There were also small cubicles with what looked like showers in them.

“Mechs and femme are separated,” S explained, pointing at the smaller bath, “There's less of us so you guys get the bigger one.”

M just nodded, looking at the room before letting himself get dragged out again, this time by O, and back into the main room to the one across it.

“And this is where we recharge,” O said, leading them into the room on the left. This one just had a carpet inside, but the walls were closer together as cubicles were lined up along them, going up three rows.

M followed the dark blue mech up a small ladder on the side to the second floor where a small platform allowed them to walk along the row. He turned and looked at the new bot, knocking his knuckle on one of the frosted glass doors, “This is my hole. This is yours,” He pointed to the one right next to it.

The purple youngling tilted his helm and walked over, looking at the simple empty plate on the door.

“That's where you put your name,” A piped up, still standing on the floor below them and looking up.

S lightly slapped the back of his helm, making the green mech choke, “He's new, not dumb!”

M gave a small smile as he watched them and pulled the sliding door open, walking inside.

Despite the outside appearance, it was quite spacious inside. It was a rectangular room big enough to fit in a simple desk, a recharging station opposite it, and a small cupboard next to that. It was small but cozy.

“And as soon as we get free time, we'll take you to the market and you can start putting up posters and decorating it,” Z grinned while he and O peered inside, “You can do whatever you want with it since it's your room.”

M turned and looked at them, giving his biggest smile yet which made the two blink in surprise.

“Thanks!”

——————

Not even a day later, M found himself standing in the training yard between O and S, all the younglings in his class lined up while their instructor walked up and down.

He hadn’t been alive long, but all it had taken was a shelf almost falling on him and some experimenting with Z to realize he didn’t feel fear. Well, at least he thought he didn’t until…

“Alright, everyone! Straighten up and look alive!”

All of them snapped up straight as Elita-1 called the orders out, marching up and down like an army soldier. She stopped in front of him and looked down, “And what is your designation recruit?”

Instinct took over and M sprang into a perfect salute, “I am M-57, Elita-1!”

Z gave a small snort next to him but quickly covered it with a cough when the others looked over at him.

The older femme gave a small smile and pat the purple mechlings shoulder, “I like your spirit, recruit,” She said, “Keep it up.”

M nodded sharply as she walked away, relaxing a bit while he looked over. S was grinning at him widely.

“What?”

She giggled, “Why did you do that so stiffly?”

He just huffed, “It's proper formation.”

The pink femme just covered her intake with one servo to hide the rest of her laughs while Elita and another red mech came forward.

“Right! Most of you know the drill and those who are new, listen up!” She called and turned to the mech next to her, rapping her knuckles against the large padded board he was holding, “You're all required to take this test once a month to ensure your physical performance increases or at least doesn't deteriorate. There will be a few standard procedures we will run through so I'll let those of you who've been with us longest go first. House Prima?”

The younger bots looked over at the group that walked forward, all matching each other's paces with their noses held high in the air.

P-189 seemed to be leading them. He also held the confident aura to him, but the white mech turned and waved to M as they passed.

The younger bot returned it, though looked over in confusion when O scoffed next to him.

“Damn pricks think they're the most important just because they're in the house of the first Prime,” He muttered to M, who frowned and looked back at the group.

“Language!” A hissed, elbowing him and looking back nervously to see if any of the older bots noticed.

But they were too busy with the assessment. Elita was standing to the side, holding a data pad while other students took turns running at the red mech and trying to push him back as far as they could. 

As far as he could see, the most they got was only a few feet. P did pretty well for someone who seemed more obsessed with the state of his frame.

Elita then signaled for them to move to the back while House Nexus took the stage, moving forward quite a bit more disjointed than their peers.

M watched silently as the young bots in front of him each went, even though the results were nothing compared to the previous group. Most of them were only just taller than half the red mech's height, so having them barrel into him must have been a joke.

“Alright M!” Elita called, snapping him out of his daze to see he was next. She patted the cushioned board, “Run and hit it as hard as you can. Don't worry about hurting Ironhide. He's the toughest we've got!”

The purple mechling gave a small nod and pushed his pede back against the dirt before he took off running the short between them. He heard S cheer behind him along with the rest of his house, surprisingly.

M let out a yell just before he collided, turning his body so his shoulder took the brunt of the force and slamming into the cushion. He heard Ironhide grunt, his pedes scrambled slightly before they both toppled over and went flying from the sudden impact.

The mechling shook his helm and sat up, blinking as he looked back when the silence behind him registered. 

And was met with looks of utter shock.

Even Elita's optics went slightly wider as she looked back at the two now a good couple of meters away. 

Ironhide got up behind him, grunting while rubbing his arm. M jumped up and ran over, quickly helping him up.

However, the red mech burst out laughing and put one servo on his helm, “Jeez kid, where in the Pits did that come from?” He grinned as he led him back, “I felt like I was being hit by a train!”

“I just did what I was told to,” M muttered, dropping his helm slightly in embarrassment so the rim of his helmet partially covered his optics.

“Interesting,” Elita-1 muttered, looking at him with interest as she wrote something down.

M ‘oomphed’ when someone slapped him hard on the back, making him stumble a bit and look up to see P grinning down at him, “Gave us quite a shock there,” He laughed, leaning down to his height, “Didn’t realize you were a mucho mech with those arms.”

“What’s wrong with my arms?” He frowned, looking at his arms.

“Nothing, you just don’t look that strong,” S laughed, taking his servo and pulling him along, “Now come on! I want to see just how powerful you are!”

He blinked as they moved on to the next test, this one requiring them to hold a device and squeeze it as hard as they could. M stared down at his while the numbers on the screen continued to rise the more he clenched his fist.

“Damn man!” Z said, coming up behind him and looking over his shoulder, “How are you not breaking it?! It just went into the hundreds!”

“Is that good?” M asked, looking over at his friends. It didn't even reach 60.

“I’d say so considering the average for us is about 30-50,” O commented, coming up next to him, “Though I’m interested to see how you are in the next examination.”

Which turned out to be sprinting.

And in which he and the blue and yellow mechling left everyone in the dust, both easily keeping pace with each other. A came stumbling up and comically collapsed face-first into the dirt as he crossed the finish line, making S giggle.

That didn't last long however as pushups were next, all of the sparklings lined up and down on their stomachs, groaning as they tried to do as many as possible.

“Freaking how?” Z grunted, looking over at M next to him, the purple mechling doing it with ease and not even looking tired.

“They're not that bad,” He said simply, looking over and watching as some of the others struggled.

“Do you think this is easy, cadet?”

They both jumped and he looked up to see Elita standing in front of him.

“Yes ma'am,” M nodded immediately despite the face Z was making at him.

“Do you think you can do a one-servo push-up?”

He tilted his helm and looked down, “I've never tried but I can.”

The young mech hopped up and held one servo behind his back, still keeping the same pace.

“Dude, you're not normal,” Z said, pausing to speak with him while she walked away.

M just gave a small smile and looked over, “You’re just figuring that out now?”

Chapter Text

Optimus walked down the halls of the school, now empty due to it being the middle of the day and classes in full swing. It had been a couple days since he brought M-57 here and so he decided to check on the mechling while doing his rounds while reviewing the whole school.

“Don’t know how the kids do it. I don't think I could survive going for hours just having to sit there and do nothing. I mean good for them but still doesn't mean it's something  I would do willingly. I don’t think I could just sit around and watch stuff the whole day.”

He smiled and looked down at the yellow mech walking next to him, B chatting away and filling the silence of the corridors. He’d recently taken a proper name, but after so long of just calling him by his serial number, Optimus found it strange to call him anything else.

“Isn't that what you did back in Sub-level 50?” Elita asked with a small smirk from the Prime’s other side.

“Ok, that was different!” Bee argued, “I had Steve and the other guys to talk to.”

“Right,” Optimus drew the word out, thinking back to the bot made out of trash he’d accidentally ‘killed’ after meeting.

“Still glad I only have to make guest appearances here.”

Elita laughed, “You come and help with certain activities. Those are not just guest appearances considering you also speak with the students more than any of the other teachers.”

Bumblebee just grinned and puffed his chassis out while they walked into the smaller hall, “What can I say? Solitude has given me the ability that I no longer fear talking to people,” He laughed, “I can talk all day if I want to!”

“Don’t I know it,” Optimus chuckled, looking up at the lecture room as it came into view.

The Prime poked his helm into the class and frowned when he saw an absence of the small purple helm.

“Where’s M?” Optimus asked, looking back at Elita, “Shouldn't he be in class right now?”

She blinked and pushed him aside, looking in and then quickly back out at him while Bee pushed past to look, “Where the frag is he?!”

Optimus quickly took out a data pad and sent a message. Not even a minute later, a short pink and yellow femme stepped out, looking at them with awe.

She grinned and saluted, “Captain Elita and Optimus Prime!” Her smile grew again, “And Bumblebee!”

“Sup kid?” He grinned happily next to her.

The Prime smiled and lifted one servo, patting her helm, “At ease soldier,” He said and kneeled to her height, “We were just checking in and noticed M-57 wasn't in class with you. Do you know where he is?”

S-15 gave a nervous grin and looked down at her pedes, “I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone. I don't wanna get him in trouble.”

“He won't get in trouble,” Optimus reassured her kindly, “We just want to make sure he isn't in any danger.”

She looked up at him, “Ok, well…”

——————

M lay flat on his stomach to try and hide himself in the grass, leaning on his elbows. Very slowly, he lifted himself up and peered over the tall blades, just allowing his optics to peek out before he ducked back down.

Carefully, the mechling inched forward, mindful of anything below him that could make noise. He exhaled slowly, gently parting the grass and then quickly stopping when he heard something walk closer.

He froze but still kept his frame relaxed, keeping his breathing even and calm as he gradually raised himself up.

His spark lit up as one of the Cyber Deers walked right up to him, staring at the mechling for a second before it lowered its head and snuffled in the dirt by him, looking for something to eat.

M smiled and gradually shifted his weight into his left arm, slowly lifting the right towards the animal. When it looked up, he froze again, servo halfway between him and it.

The deer blinked and leaned forward, sniffing his digits curiously.

He could feel the excitement growing when he gently pressed his servo forward and touched the animal's snout.

It was warm, like the sunlight that gently bathed his plating.

The purple mechling found he much preferred it outside. Over the past few days, he had decided he rather enjoyed the company of the animals.

While he did like spending time with his small group of friends, they weren't the reason he always wanted to get away. He may not have been the smartest kid in the class but…

The whispers that followed him through the halls, and the optics that pierced his backplates were unnerving. He was told new bots got this kind of attention for a bit after they arrived, but what he was getting was something else.

The older bots were cautious around him, like an animal trying to figure out if the other was a predator or not.

He didn't know if it was because of the abnormal physical abilities he displayed, or if it was something else. No one else seemed to be willing to share that information with him, and he hadn't been able to speak with P in a while.

Luckily, he liked the escape he could get out here. The deer didn't judge him.

“M-57!”

All the deer's heads snapped up and the orbs held between their antlers turned red. The herd then turned as one and quickly pranced away, making the mechling groan and sit up.

“And just what do you think you're doing out here young man?!”

Oh, scrap.

M jumped up and spun around, standing at attention immediately while Elita marched towards him, looking furious.

He threw in a hasty salute and stood tall, “I saw the deer out the window on the way to class and wanted to see if I could pet it, ma'am!” He called, spark sinking more when he saw Optimus Prime behind her.

She marched up and stood in front of him with her arms crossed, “And did you think to tell any of your teachers about your little excursion?”

He hesitated, his form falling for a second before he quickly picked it back up, “I informed my best friend, ma'am!”

“Yes, we know,” Optimus said, looking disappointed but relieved as he walked up next to her, “Though we were also informed this isn't your first time skipping class.”

He froze, realizing he’d been caught, optics going wide. The mechling slumped and rolled a small rock with his pede, “They’re boring,” He mumbled quietly, avoiding the whole truth. He didn’t need them worrying about him with more important duties, “And besides, I get all the stuff I need from the archives.”

“When did you go to the archives?” Elita pressed, “You’re always in the training ground during the day. You’re not sneaking out at night past curfew, are you?”

The mechling stiffened again, wincing slightly as he turned, trying to avoid their gaze.

“M-57, look at me right this instant.”

He seemed to weigh his decisions before making the smart choice of turning and looking at her.

She glared back expectantly.

“Well… I sometimes like to go and read in the library,” He mumbled, his gaze starting to wander back down, “It's nice when there are no noisy bots around. I like the quiet.”

Elita sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her optics, “And understandable as that is, I am afraid to tell you this kind of behavior cannot go unpunished. I understand you don’t know all the rules yet and I thank you for being honest with me, but I think you know as well as I do that this kind of thing can not be encouraged.”

M’s helm fell in shame but he nodded, “Yes ma'am.” He said softly.

“I have to agree with Elita there,” Optimus nodded, making the mechling wince slightly at the disappointed gaze he was being held in, “Nothing too harsh, but enough to let you reflect on your actions.

M looked up nervously, “And that is…?”

——————

“Frag it all,” M muttered in annoyance, letting his helm fall with a thunk onto his desk littered with datapads and books.

Not only did he have a test to study for already, but Elita had given him extra homework from the lessons he’d missed to complete as punishment for bunking classes.

He groaned and turned his helm sideways, rubbing his face as he looked at the mish-mash of scribbles that were supposed to be his notes.

“It would take a philologist to decipher these,” He muttered, trying to read his own handwriting.

In the end, the purple mech just sighed and let the pad fall to the desk, stretching as he pushed his chair away from it and stood up. He rubbed his optics, the only light coming from a small desk lap already making him feel like he was staring at the sun.

He turned and almost groaned when he saw it was almost midnight.

He was nowhere near done!

“Stupid mech making stupid choices,” He grumbled angrily and his the palm of his servo against his helm.

The youngling just turned and opened his sliding door, walking out onto the platform and looking around. Everyone else's cubicles were dark as they recharged, his was the only one lit up.

“You lucky bots,” He sighed, not even bothering to slide the door closed as he went over to the ladder and slid down it, landing lightly on the floor.

Deciding he needed some fuel, M yawned widely as he stumbled through into the dark common area, though paused in the archway.

Three young bots were gathered around one of the small side tables, a single dim light on it that only just illuminated their faces as they sat in a circle on the plush chairs.

They spoke in hushed whispers so M dulled the brightness of his optics, melting into the shadow of the entrance and shuffling closer to hear, curiosity getting the better of him.

“You really think our teachers would hide something like this from us?” The smallest asked softly, a short and bulky mech with grey plating.

The red mech to his left nodded with a grim expression, “Yeah. They've been trying to hide it since the beginning. They think we won't notice ‘cause we're kids.”

“To be fair, none of us would know if you hadn't decided to sneak out and try to steal energon goodies from the cafeteria,” The light blue one piped up, the higher voice telling him she was a femme.

“Yeah, but I didn't think I'd overhear that!” Red defended himself, “Trust me Moony, I would've stayed ignorant if I had the choice!”

The femme, Moony as he called her, rolled her optics and crossed her arms, “Really? You would rather live like an idiot than pay attention to the fact there's a secret war going on right now?”

M blinked at her statement.

There was a war going on right now?

“To be fair, we should have seen it sooner,” The grey one said, leaning back, “I mean after the whole defeat of Sentinel, an entire evil faction is formed and then just disappears? That don't sound right.”

“Exactly,” Moony nodded and turned to the red mech, “Now that you think about it, any idiot should be able to figure that we're fighting the Decepticons far outside city limits. Why else would our teachers be on such a frequent rotation?”

Red sighed and rubbed his face, “Well, I can say some things are now starting to make sense.”

“Really?” The short one asked, “Like what, Cliff?”

‘Cliff’ looked at them darkly, “Remember a few months ago?” He said, his voice going so soft that M had to lean closer to hear what he was saying, “A couple young bots from house Megatronus and Vector suddenly disappeared.”

“I remember that,” Moony nodded while the grey one looked confused. She quickly turned and added, “This was just before you got here, M.”

The purple mechling almost jumped before reminding himself he wasn't the only one with a serial designation starting with the letter ‘M’.

“Right,” Cliff went on, “I heard from some other guys that they'd gone and found information on the Cons and their leader, Megatron. Apparently, they thought his ideas and cause were the right way to go and had been becoming pretty vocal about it.”

“What? Are you saying they ran off to join the Cons?” M frowned, staring at the light.

“Must be. Optimus was the one that addressed us saying they'd left. I don't think he'd be the kind of guy to offline younglings for having a different opinion.”

The other two nodded while M listened intently.

“Do you think that's why security also increased?” Moony asked, “There have been more guards around since then. And also access to certain books in the library was restricted.”

“Must be why,” Cliff shrugged, “They probably don't want more younglings going off and getting mixed with the wrong crowd.”

“Do you think anyone else will join? Or maybe the Cons will attack Vos?” She whispered.

The red mechling just sighed, “Who knows? People have said that mech Megatron went off his rocket after shooting Optimus. Probably isn't sane in the helm anymore.”

“Don't blame him,” M huffed and sunk back into the plush cushions, “The same would probably happen to me if I basically killed my best friend.”

“Speaking of which, did you hear what Bee said the other day?” Cliff asked, taking a small data pad out of his subspace, “Apparently old Megs was a miner before he went insane.”

“Really?” Moony asked, tilting her helm.

“Yeah! And this was before bots got cogs again so he looked completely different. I did some digging and check this out!” He grinned and turned the screen to face them.

The other two leaned in to see. M did as well, squinting at the heavily pixelated image on the screen.

It showed a group of bots working down in the mines. Cliff quickly zoomed in on one area, specifically where two mechs were walking and talking to each other, frozen mid-sentence while carrying energon.

“No way!” M laughed and tapped the screen, “Is that Optimus?”

“Nope! That is Orion Pax,” Cliff grinned, “Who Optimus was before he became a Prime.”

“And next to him…?” Moony trailed off, looking at the grey mech.

“D-16,” He said, “Megatron when he was just like the rest of us. Take a closer look though. Frame type remind you of anyone?”

“Now that you mention it,” M said, putting one servo on his chin, “He kinda reminds me of the new guy. What was his name again?”

“M-57,” The femme answered for him, “The one who bunks classes but kicks all our afts in training.”

“It's freaky right?” Cliff grinned, “Maybe that's why all the teachers seem to pay so much attention to him. They think he's gonna be the next Megatron!”

“Poor guy,” Moony mumbled, “Must be difficult having the same frame as a warlord.”

“I don't think he even knows that,” M cut in and jerked his thumb behind them, “Only time I've seen that guy read is when he has to, and I don't think his friends discuss that stuff a lot.”

“Still, I think it's weird how strong he is,” Cliff huffed, “We're all dying and he looks like he just breezes through them!”

“You're just jealous because he beat you,” Moony grinned.

“Shut up!”

“Nope!” She stuck her glossa out at him.

“Why you-!” He started to get out of his seat when M laughed and stood from his.

“Well wonderful conversation you two are having but I can’t keep my optics open any longer,” He yawned, stretching, “I’m gonna go recharge now.”

“Same,” The femme grinned, standing and ruffling Cliff’s helm, “So if you want to sit here and argue with yourself the whole night, be our guest.”

He narrowed his optics and stuck her glossa out at her as they walked around.

M-57 inhaled and pressed himself back against the wall, pushing as close to the corner of the bookshelf as he could and squeezing his optics shut while they walked right past him.

They went by, still chatting away and thankfully not seeing him. But just before they properly made it through, he heard them stop.

“Something wrong?” Cliff asked, making M tense.

“Thought I saw something,” The shorter mech said. They were silent for a second before he sighed, “Never mind. I think I’m just tired.”

“Sleep-deprived more like it,” Moony snorted, a small thunk of her hitting him following, “Don’t think we haven’t seen you up reading at night.”

M felt his plating relax as their voices disappeared into their separate rooms, but he didn’t move for a good few minutes.

After the silence continued to press down, have gave a small gasp and let his helm fall back against the shelf, his whole body numb from being tense. His knees gave out and he slid down to the floor, pulling his legs up and hugging them to his chassis. Their conversation played over and over in his mind, feeling like he was spinning in circles.

M didn't need to go and research who Megatron was. He knew. Everyone who’d ever lived knew.  

He stared at a stain on the wall across from him, gripping his plating tighter while his processor pieced together what all of that meant. It left him with a simple yet grim conclusion.

Bots were scared of him because he looked like a warlord.

He understood what that implied now, but he wasn’t sure what came with it. He sure as hell didn't want to spend his life being stared at. The whispers around him were starting to get annoying and there was no doubt they would continue.

M just gave a small sigh and buried his face in his arms, wishing he could curl up and forget everything he’d just heard.

Chapter Text

“You guys go ahead,” M said, looking up from the mess, “This'll probably take me a couple more minutes to clean. I'll catch up with you there.”

“You sure you don't need help?” S pouted, standing next to him.

He just smiled and waved his servo, “It's fine. This was my fault anyway, and I can hear your tanks rumbling from here.”

She blushed, making him laugh, “Fine! But if you're not there soon I'm coming back whether you like it or not!”

“Sure,” He shrugged, waving as he watched her and the other three hurry out.

M turned and looked at the bright green foam all over his desk and floor, “What a mess…”

He sighed and went back to wiping it up, the cloth he was using soaked in seconds.

If the sleep deprivation wasn't enough to make him mess up in classes, the conversation he'd overheard last night was. That had led to overheating one of his solutions and it exploded in a colorful wave of thankfully harmless liquid.

“You were distracted today.”

He looked up for a second at the red mech standing over him. Perceptor wasn't their usual professor for this, but he had been asked to take this lesson and one before to help.

“I didn't get a lot of time to recharge last night, sir,” He simply said, turning back down and focusing on cleaning.

“No, I've seen sleep-deprived students many times before,” The older mech said, “The others may not have noticed, but the way you were staring off reminded me of Optimus when something troubling has just happened.”

M looked over as he crouched down to his height, “So what happened to you?”

The purple mechling stared at him for a second before looking down at the bubbles as they slowly popped and disappeared.

“Do you also think I'm going to be the next Megatron?”

…

“Excuse me?”

M sighed and looked up at him, “I've heard bots talking. A lot say I look like Megatron before he got his cog, and many of those think that means I'm going to become like him. Do you think that is going to happen to me too?”

Perceptor sighed and took his monocle off, cleaning his while closing his optics, “Frankly, that question has a simple answer,” He answered, “Megatron became what he is now because of a series of events in his life leading up to one point. Seeing as most of those events won't happen in yours, I would say that your chances of becoming like him are less than 9.27%. Not just that but your personalities would have to be at least 67% alike and so far, you seem to match him by only 34%.”

M blinked at his teacher, trying to figure out the difference between all the statistics he was being given.

The red mech looked at him and sighed, putting his monocle back on, “What I'm saying is that the odds of you becoming the next Megatron are highly unlikely,” He said, “I doubt you have the intent in you to commit the same acts as he did. Though those are only observations I've been able to make over the past few days, so don't take them as fact.”

“Right,” M said with a small nod, looking down, “Thank you, sir.”

“Sure,” Perceptor said, standing and helping him up, “So now don't go and prove me wrong, otherwise I will be highly annoyed.”

The mechling gave a small laugh, holding the dirty rags to his frame as he watched his teacher walk back to his desk, not caring that they smudged and dirtied his metal.

——————

“Have you chosen an alt-mode yet?” A asked a few hours later, arms behind his back as he leaned over.

M looked over blankly, “Huh?” It wasn't that he didn't understand the question, but he’d just been so deep in thought that it had flown right over his helm.

“Your alt-mode,” Z said casually, “You know? What you turn into.” For emphasis, his plating shifted and compressed down into a small truck that drove next to them. 

“Oh. I haven't really thought about it,” He admitted with a shrug, S laughing as O pounced on and hitched a ride on the vehicle, making him speed up and face ahead of them.

“I don’t blame ya,” A said, “You joined the academy during a heavy week of work. Lucky for you though, all you need to do is find the right thing you want to be.”

M frowned and looked around at the bots going past in the market and the cars and bikes driving by on the road to their left.

“It may take a while,” He sighed, looking back at the green mechling, “Nothing really stands out to me.”

“Don’t worry,” S said, coming up and jumping on him, hanging off his shoulders which he luckily didn't mind her doing, “Choosing is a big decision. It's normal to take a while.”

“Yeah!” O called as they drove past, “It took me almost a month!”

“And we’re still not really sure what he turns into!” Z laughed, playfully trying to throw him off as he screeched to a stop next to them.

“I've told you a million times!” The winged mechling huffed, jumping off and lightly kicking his friend as he transformed back, “It's called a griffin!”

“Sounds cool,” M laughed, “Is it a kind of car?”

O turned and smirked at him, puffing his frame out, “Even better! It’s a creature from an alien planet!” He rapped his fist against his chassis proudly, “You’re looking at one of the first new sparks of our generation to choose a beast mode. Who knows? Maybe you’ll have one as well.”

“Woah,” The purple mechling said, genuinely impressed. Well, that did explain his wings and hooked helmet now, as well as the clawed digits.

“You should see him when he spars with it,” A added, bragging for him, “He’s unstoppable!”

“Oh! I wouldn't say that,” O laughed, waving one servo while they stopped and looked at a stall.

M smiled, half-listening to them as he looked at the variety of small knives being sold.

Z, who was laughing as well, paused and turned, looking across the street to where the larger skyscrapers and buildings rose up.

“What?” S asked, turning and following his gaze with a frown, “See something Z?”

“More like hear,” He muttered. M paused and turned, looking over as well as the loud ringing became louder now.

And then the building that looked like a storage unit had its wall blown off, sending smoke, flames, and metal in every direction.

M quickly pulled and used his body to cover S and Z as the warehouse exploded, protecting them from the debris raining down. O yelped and hid behind the stall, pulling A with him. 

The purple mechling spun around and stared as a group of seekers jumped out of the burning building, all cackling while carrying loads of glowing blue cubes.

“That's our energon!” Z cried, scrambling to his pedes and staring in bewilderment, “Why are they stealing it!? There's more than enough to go around.”

M clenched his fists, feeling himself puffing up before he took off running after the mechs despite his friends calling after him.

He grabbed a piece of scrap that had been blown up and threw it, nailing one of the seekers on the helm. The red and grey mech spun around with a growl that turned to surprise when he saw the sparkling.

“Hey!” M yelled, “You put that back! It doesn't belong to you!”

“Who's the brat?” He heard the blue one ask, looking back as they ran, bots yelling and jumping out of the way.

“Don't know! Don't care!” The lead one said in a distorted and whiney voice, “Just get to the train!”

M grit his denta and pumped his arms harder, feeling himself closing the distance between him and the group. 

“Damn, he's fast!” A purple one called, disappearing in a flash of light and then reappearing farther ahead.

The purple mechling felt his spark drop when he saw the station ahead, one of the lead mechs jumping in and throwing the conductor out the window with a yell. The others all sprinted and jumped into the open doors of the carriages.

“Come on Screamer!” The purple one yelled, banging the side of the train as he turned and waited for the last one.

The red and grey one grunted and threw the cubes ahead of him, the other seekers catching up just as the train started to move. The mech snarled and the boosters on his back and legs lit up as he tried to catch up, reaching out for the others.

“Oh no you don't!” M yelled and tackled him, finally able to catch him.

The two went sprawling to the ground, tumbling over and over until he managed to pin the larger mech to the ground.

“You twerp!” He screeched, quickly breaking his arm free and punching him.

Pain exploded in M's cheek and the world spun for a second, yet he tightened his grip and snarled, bringing his face close to the mechs, “Who are you?” He demanded, “And why are you stealing our energon?”

“Well you have so much it doesn't really matter, does it?” He sneered and grabbed him by the shoulders, his thrusters lighting up.

M gasped when he realized what was happening but it was too late. The seeker took off, flying along the ground until he kicked the dirt and got up into the air, soaring alongside the train.

He yelled and slammed the younger mech into the side, holding him against the vehicle as he flew faster.

M yelled in pain as his back felt like it was being decimated. He struggled against the other bot, kicking and trying to force him to let go.

“Brat!” He spat and flew back for a second just so he could spin in the air and throw the purple mech against the cart.

M cried out as he hit the train, the force making him ricochet off the side and briefly roll along the cart. His pede hooked on something and he was pulled along like a ragdoll, stunned for a second.

Finally, his wits returned to him and he grabbed onto the metal, digits scraping into the grooves to try and get a grip. He yelled and launched himself up, grabbing onto the railing above him and yanking his pede free, bouncing against the side.

He huffed, taking strain against the wind while he pulled himself up onto the top of the train, crouching down while gasping for air and trying to ignore the flaring pain in his back and leg.

He looked up, shielding his optics as the train sped out of the city and into the barren landscape.

“Scrap,” He said through gritted denta and forced himself onto his pedes, starting to stagger along the train to the car he'd seen them go into.

Jumping between them almost brought him down again, his leg taking the most strain and buckling a few times when he landed. 

M grunted and just banged his fist against his thigh, “Don't give out on me now,” He panted, grabbing onto the railing to pull himself up.

Then the hatch on the car in front of him clicked open, making him freeze and look up.

The blue mech who had been leading the group hoisted himself out and stood tall, looking at the stowaway.

M blinked for a second, a hint of familiarity itching in the back of his helm as he stared at the blue and white plating and speakers, as well as the fact his chassis was mostly a screen.

However, he had to ignore it when the mech started sprinting towards him, easily clearing the gap between the cars.

M yelled as he ripped the railing he was leaning on off the side in one motion, taking a few steps forward before swinging his arm back and lunging, throwing the pole like a spear with all his strength.

It soared with deadly accuracy and would have hit if the blue mech hadn't twisted at the last second, just able to dodge with the side of his helm only getting scratched. Still, he paused in surprise at the force at which it had been thrown, staring at the smaller mech.

M inhaled and let out a yell, his pedes scraping off the metal as he charged at him.

The blue mech kept silent as he started running as well. They stopped just before colliding, both bots bringing their fists back and throwing their punches, servos slamming into each other and creating a small shock wave.

He watched as the larger bot tilted his helm curiously, seemingly amazed at his strength. But he quickly delivered another punch right at his optic, making M’s helm snap back while he also grabbed the purple mechlings wrist. He pulled him down sharply bringing his knee up to connect with his stomach.

M choked painfully as he coughed up energon. Still, he grabbed the older bot’s helm by one of the fins and twisted, throwing the blue mech over his shoulder and slamming him down onto the metal.

“I'm going to ask one more time,” He panted, standing over the older bot, “Who in the Pits are you guys?”

His opponent suddenly burst into life and grabbed him by the neck, easily lifting him off of the ground. M grabbed at his servos as he was held in the air, the movement of the train swinging him around.

“We are Decepticons,” The blue mech said in a heavily modified and robotic voice, “You are currently at our mercy. Stop resisting and I will make sure you are disposed of quickly.”

M blinked and looked down at him, “Do… I know you?” He asked slowly as recognition started to come over him when he heard his voice.

He tilted his helm, “Recognition is impossible. You are a new spark. You do not know me.”

The blue mech lifted his servo, preparing to punch him again.

M’s optics widened. Something flashed in front of his mind and without thinking, he blurted out, “Your name's Soundwave! You're one of Megatronus’s top lieutenants and bodyguards, aren't you!?”

He seemed to have hit the nail on the head as the large bot paused. Soundwave brought him down to his face, “How do you…?”

He went still for a second before holding him out again and a weird tingling sensation passed through the young mech.

Soundwave went still before he slowly looked at him. “Just this once,” He growled and walked over to the side, throwing him off of the train.

M yelled as he arched through the air, spinning slightly so he turned just in time to slam face-first into the ground and went rolling. 

He finally stopped, laying on his stomach in a patch of grass while his helm tilted enough to see the train flying away and out of sight.

“Frag it all,” He muttered and gingerly pushed himself up, every part of his frame aching while multiple warnings lit up his vision. The adrenaline was leaving him, making his body feel weighed down and he just became aware of how much his optic hurt, probably dented while his back was probably shredded to smithereens. He lifted one servo and ran it down the side of his face, wincing at how the metal was shredded and studded with rocks.

He probably looked like road kill right now.

He staggered to his pedes and looked around, almost groaning when he saw how far away the city was, just against the horizon.

Of course, this was the day he chose not to bring a data pad.

The young mech started limping back, knowing any hope of catching the train was gone. He coughed up red dust, trying to clear his vents from the fall but it never seemed to end.

But M paused and turned to look behind him. He stared at the distant mountains that formed and shifted on the horizon. 

Something pulsed in his spark, drawing him towards them.

He remembered feeling this the first time he’d seen them as well, only now it seemed stronger. Still, could he even get that far in this condition?

Before he could think too long, his helm shot up at the sound of vehicles. He stumbled desperately toward the small group of cars at the bottom of the hill as they followed where the train had gone.

But they didn't see him.

M gasped and quickly rooted through his chassis, remembering the flare Optimus had given him. He fumbled desperately for a second while his servo transformed before finally managing to load it into the gun. He then held his arm straight into the air and fired, looking up and watching the trail of bright red smoke it left.

Nothing happened for a second before the truck leading the group broke away and headed for him, being replaced by a pink motorcycle.

M cried out in relief and stumbled down the hill towards him, tripping a few times but scrambling back up.

The truck transformed just a few feet away and Optimus grabbed the young bot just before he fell again.

“M?? M are you alright?!” He cried, kneeling down and looking at the youngling, face turning to worry when he saw the state of his frame.

“Sorry sir,” He groaned, looking at him regretfully but with a small smile, “They got away.”

The Prime just sighed and hugged him close, “That doesn't matter,” He reassured him, “What does is that you're alive.”

“Yeah, but they got me good,” M winced, shifting a bit, “What about the others? Was anyone hurt in the explosion? My friends were right by it.”

Optimus looked at him in surprise but his expression quickly softened and he smiled, standing and slinging him onto his back so the mechling could wrap his arms around his neck and look over his shoulder, “Don't worry. No one was hurt and all the other sparklings are fine.”

“That's great to hear,” He sighed with a small smile, resting his helm on the Prime’s shoulder while he called for pickup, his optics fluttering, “I'm just gonna close my optics for a second. Is that alright sir?”

“Yeah, you do that, kid,” Optimus nodded as he started walking, “You earned it.”

Chapter Text

“They did quite a number on you, kid,” The medic said, helping the young mech stand up in case the anesthetic was still in effect, “I’m surprised you’ve recovered this quickly.”

M-57 nodded slowly, flexing his pede while he looked down at it. He brought one servo up to his face, amazed by how his cheek was smoothed out again with little to no scarring.

“I’m just glad Optimus found me,” He mumbled, “I probably would have been in worse shape if I’d walked all the way back to Vos.”

The medic, who he now knew was called Pharma, nodded in agreement and started reading back all his stats but he wasn't really listening. M just stared at the ground while Pharma’s voice became background noise, his mind wandering to the strange dreams he’d had which were now all just a blur.

There were flashes of light and the far-away sound of bots screaming, but they seemed to pull away when he tried to bring them to the surface.

“M?”

“Hm?” He looked up at the flier when he realised he’d been talking to him.

“I asked if you think you’ll need an escort?”

“No, I remember the way back.” The purple mechling said, looking down at his wrist and sliding his thumb over the thin scar there.

Huh, there was another on his other wrist.

When did he get those?

Pharma looked at him for a second with concern before sighing and leading him to the door, “Right. But do come back here should anything break or feel sore.”

“Got it,” M nodded, and walked out, giving a small wave to the medic before turning and continuing out of the building, onto the busy street.

He looked up as the suns started dipping in the sky, getting ready to start sinking in preparation for the night. The mechling sighed as he walked, taking his small data pad out and typing a message to S, telling her he was fine since they probably haven't heard from him the past few days he was getting fixed.

He looked up briefly while crossing the street, cars rushing past while he jumped onto the pavement and looked back down at the screen.

He then stopped and looked up.

M turned his helm to the side and stared down the alley. It was right on the edge of town, allowing him to see Cybertron’s wild landscape stretching out to the horizon while the mountains seemed to shift out of the way for him.

There was a tug at his spark, just like before, but now it seemed to hold there the longer he stared.

Mesmerized, the mechling pocketed his datapad and ran down the alley, jumping up a few stacked crates discarded there and easily clearing the thin wire fence blocking him. He stumbled a bit when he landed but quickly took off running down the hill towards the small station right where the city ended.

When he got there, the single train there hissed as the pistons started pumping, making the wheels move. M picked up his pace, easily keeping up with the vehicle and waving at one of the doors.

A mech inside blinked when he saw but quickly rushed over and opened it, holding his servo out. M grabbed it and jumped as the bot pulled him in so the doors could snap shut again, the train quickly picking up speed.

“Thanks,” He nodded to the red mech, dusting his lap off before helping himself to the empty seat next to him.

“No problem, little man,” The stranger smiled, sitting on his left while a yellow mech who looked similar leaned over curiously, “Didn't think I'd see any youngsters on this train.”

“I'm doing a project for school,” M said simply, absent-mindedly swinging his pedes, “Requires external research.”

“Where we're going?” The yellow mech asked, raising one eyebrow, “You sure about that?”

“Yup.”

“Dude, am I hearing this right?” He asked, turning to his brother.

“Says he's headed to Metapaarl,” The red mech shrugged to his twin, “Just like the rest of us.”

“Oh, that's what the town's called?” M blinked, tilting his helm.

The yellow bot raised his optic ridge further and looked back at the youngling, “The Pits is someone young like you going there for?” He asked, “It's not even a proper settlement yet.”

His brother elbowed him, “Knock it off Sunny! Little guy's business isn't ours. He'll probably head back soon. Hate to break it to you, spark, but he's right. Not much for you to research there except for ruins and the occasional exotic plant.”

“I'm sure I'll find what I'm looking for,” The purple mechling said, turning in his seat and resting his arm on the window, staring at the landscape rushing by.

The two looked at each other and shrugged in sync, but thankfully didn't press him further on the matter.

M lay his helm on his arms and turned his gaze to the side, letting it rest on the mountains. One servo reached down and rubbed the plating over his spark, feeling the pull give a slight, encouraging tug.

He was coming to whatever was calling him.

And it knew.

Whatever it was.

——————

“Next train leaves in about a joor,” Sideswipe said, showing M the schedule on the pillar as they got out, “And then you have to wait a while for it to return so I'd suggest getting on it. I don't know if we're gonna make it but I'd be more than happy to see you off, little man. And don't hesitate to come find us if you need anything.”

“Ok. Thank you,” He nodded, not really paying much attention to the schedule and instead turning and looking around.

“Sides! Come on!” Sunstreaker called while walking a few meters away, “The guy's not dumb! He can figure these things out for himself!”

“I'm just making sure!” His twin yelled back before quickly turning to the young mech, “Sure you're all good?”

“Yup,” M said, giving a thumbs up, “Now I'd suggest catching up to your brother before he leaves you behind.”

“Right! See you around, little man!” He called, waving while running off after his twin.

M gave a small smile and spun around, heading in whatever direction he felt was right. He turned his gaze up and looked at the building around him.

None were particularly high, but this area around the station seemed to currently be the most developed. He noticed the vines and plant life seemed to gather the further away he walked, the neat architecture also becoming crumbled infrastructure surrounded by construction sites until they were just ruins, looking like they were barely standing.

No one stopped to question the mechling as he kept on a steady path out of the town, all too preoccupied with their own lives to bother with him.

M looked up as the twin suns arched overhead, casting their rays down onto him and heating his plating as he stepped out of the shadow of the buildings. The road dissipated away and the sound of rocks and dirt under his pedes arose. He turned and stared ahead at the mountains subtly folding away in front of him, almost like they were making a path for him to follow.

He tilted his helm but took a step forward, and then another.

Before he knew it, the town was growing further away, and he was steadily making his way towards the growing peaks. Each bent around him until he was swallowed by the range, blocking the horizon on every side and directing him where to go.

“Like the planet is showing you the way,” He mumbled to himself, sliding down a small slope before popping the slot on his arm open and chucking a small energon cube into his intake.

The heat of the day slowly started to fade as the suns dipped further and further down in the sky, soon almost completely disappearing behind the mountains.

It made the mechling look up as he reached the top of one and stopped in his tracks. He stared at the rising peaks in front of him, surrounded by dense jungle and alien vegetation.

M inhaled gently and put one servo over his spark, feeling it tug towards the range.

“Well. Time to put all that excess strength to good use,” He muttered, taking a few steps back before running and jumping down.

——————

The mechling gave a loud groan and flopped down onto the ground as he reached the top, staring up at the rays of light streaming across the sky above him.

“This better be worth it,” He muttered, quickly evening his vents and rolling over, pushing himself up.

M paused and looked in surprise at the large cave in front of him. Spikes protruded from every angle, pointing towards the dark center like sharp teeth in a gaping maw.

The tug seemed to come from inside.

He gave a small frown but walked towards it determinedly, hesitating when the same itching in his mind he'd felt with Soundwave came back.

“Alright. Someone give me some fragging answers,” He muttered, pressing forward into it.

The pull seemed to intensify as he walked, drawing him more into the cave. The organic life seemed to flourish the further he went in, carpeting the walls and floor. Crystals grew in clumps on the rocks and walls, providing him with some light. A liquid dripped somewhere off in the distance, echoing throughout the cavern.

The young mech looked down curiously at the different colours as he stepped over them, enjoying how they felt under his pedes.

He then stopped.

There was dried energon all over the plants.

He hesitantly got down and crawled under a low-hanging rock that was blocking his path, luckily being small enough to fit but when he straightened up, he froze.

M-57 slowly looked around, his optics widening.

Large corpses littered the cave below him, all illuminated by the last rays of golden sunlight streaming in.

He felt his plating flare, but he did not run. Instead he moved inside cautiously, sliding down the slope and choosing to make as little noise as possible, but soon relaxed when it became clear that there was no threat inside.

He blinked and walked in between the bodies sprawled out in various twisted positions, wincing slightly when he saw the gaping wounds in their frames. He lifted one small servo and gently ran it over the spread out wings of a blue and yellow mech as he passed, watching the moss brush off and fall to the ground. He wanted to stop and look at all of them, but the more he looked at each body, the more pain he felt in his spark.

Instead he turned his gaze up to the ceiling, looking at the small holes which allowed light to funnel through majestically.

His optics then dropped down and he paused, looking at the bot in front of him.

He edged closer.

She kind of looked like Elita when he first saw her, but decided she looked slightly more like S the longer he stared. He grunted as he climbed up the pile she was lying on, pulling himself up by her face. A large spike was sticking out the middle of her chassis, and her face was pulled into a mixture of pain and determination.

Before he could process what he was doing, his servo reached out and gently rested on the side of her face, his optics narrowing slightly in concentration. Echoes of laughter seemed to rise in his mind.

“I know you, but I also don't,” He mumbled, “Why can't I remember your name, but I hear your voice and see your face?”

He paused and turned, looking at the bodies, “Why do I know all of you? Who are you, and why did you bring me here?”

He felt his spark pulse again, making him turn and squint into the gloom. The young mech quickly jumped down and slowly made his way around the terraced and plant-choked pillar, leaning forward curiously as the pull seemed to guide him around it.

And then it stopped the second his optics rested on a purple mech, probably the largest in the cave.

He suddenly felt like he was in a daze, his pedes carrying him forward out of their own will while he stared, transfixed on the symbol lying on the floor and looking back at him. It was covered in so much moss that the purple colour beneath was barely visible.

M kneeled in front of it and carefully brushed it off, taking great care as not to damage it. It was only when he was almost done that he realized there was a face underneath.

This was a mask on someone's decapitated helm.

The normal reaction to finding this was probably to jump up, yelling and stumbling back. But he stayed there, kneeling and staring at it like he expected something to happen.

Of course, nothing did, but there was a change as recognition grew inside of him.

For the first time since coming online, his servos shook as he lifted them. They hovered over the plating, hesitant to even touch it now as it seemed to be so much more than what he’d just thought.

But the mask called to him.

It knew his name.

It knew him.

His digits finally made contact with the smooth surface, cold from years of deactivation. He gently traced the grooves along the mouthpiece, following them up to the optics.

“You… you’re Megatronus,” M breathed, looking over it in admiration. He stared for another second before leaning down, feeling himself being drawn into it.

The young mech’s optics fluttered closed just before he made contact, instead feeling as his forehelm just lightly brushed that of the masks.

Images suddenly bombarded his mind. He yelped and shot up, caught off guard as he stared into the sky. Scenes flashed in front of his optics at such speeds that he could barely tell what was happening in them. Different voices called to him, swirling around his helm until they seemed to merge into one, a deep baritone voice that shook the whole cave and to his very spark.

“Rise again…”

“Megatronus Prime.”

M gasped and tore himself out of it, toppling forward but managing to catch himself. He panted, staring at the ground while his cooling fans roared into life, his frame suddenly overheating. But his helm snapped up at the weird sound in front of him.

The body of Megatronus was disintegrating, turning to dust in front of him. His optics widened in shock as the purple particles swirled up in an non-existent wind, doing a few circuits around him and then soaring through to the hole in the top of the cave.

M stared at where it had disappeared for a second before slowly looking down.

The mask was still there.

He grunted and leaned forward, getting up onto one pede as he grabbed it by the edges and lifted it up.

The plating then shifted under his digits, making him look down as the metal folded in and compressed on itself, the mask growing smaller in his servos until it was the right size to fit his face.

M blinked and slowly lifted it up, holding it up to the light in front of him so the holes in it lined up with his optics. Cautiously, he brought it down slightly closer.

He felt the plating on the side of his face shift and latches he didn't know were there click open, matching the ones on the mask.

The purple mechling took a deep breath and put it on, the mask sealing in place as a perfect mold against his face, matching the curves of his cheeks and brows. The latches all clicked into place so he could lower his servos, closing his optics and lifting his helm to the light as a suddenly numbing feeling overcame his whole frame.

He felt his pedes lift from the ground and there was the sound of plating and gears shifting around him. Weight was added and dispersed around his body as his frame was reformatted.

M then gasped and opened his optics again the second his pedes touched the ground again, stumbling back at the unexpected proportions. He’d definitely gotten taller, though he figured he was probably still shorter than Optimis.

He leaned against the closest pillar and looked behind him, surprised to find two sets of wings now on his back. His chassis, shoulder and forearm plating was also slightly bigger, and all of the armor on his limbs and torso was now thicker. The large cannon on his arm was definitely new, as well as the rack mounted onto his back full of missiles.

The purple mech slowly pushed himself off, taking a few weary steps across the room until he got used to the new weight, finding a comfortable way to walk without falling over.

He then turned his gaze down when his pede hit something and it rolled away slightly. M carefully leaned down and picked the large three-pronged spear up, grunting in surprise at the weight as he pulled it up, staggering for a second.

The weapon was more than twice his height, though the head with the long point and the ornament on the end of the shaft seemed to balance out. The pole itself was quite heavy, but he could luckily manage.

The young mech then held it behind his back, finding the plating there shifting around to accommodate the weapon and hold it in place.

It still felt awkward with how much it was sticking out on either side though.

M just inhaled deeply and started walking to the entrance, pausing just before it and turning back to the bots still there.

“I will come back for you,” He declared, putting one servo on his chassis over his spark, “But I have things I need to settle before that.”

He looked at the pink and yellow femme for a second, finding that memories surfaced as he stared at her face.

“I’ll come back for you, Solus,” He said softly before turning away.

He no longer needed to crawl down under the stone to get out. Instead, newfound boldness filled him and M just braced his pedes against the floor, finding it surprisingly easy to push the rock to the side.

It crashed to the floor with a heavy thud, shaking the cavern as he bent over and stared at it, a small smile starting to form on his lips behind the mask.

He came out into the sunlight and looked up, standing tall at the mouth of the cave.

“Megatronus is back,” He whispered, staring into the sky.

Chapter Text

Optimus sighed, leaning forward on his desk while his servo gripped the side of his face in exhaustion. 

Today just seemed to go on forever.

If it wasn't bad enough that the Decepticons and Quintesson combined seemed to be getting bolder and were starting to increase more risky attacks, it had just been reported that M-57 had never returned to academy despite Pharma claiming he'd been dismissed that morning.

The Prime would have been suspicious if not for the current reports he was looking over.

“Hey OP.”

He blinked and looked up as Jazz walked in, carrying another stack of data pads, “Surprised you haven't melded to the desk yet with all this work.”

“It sure feels like it,” He sighed, sitting up and bit straighter but leaning against the back of the chair for support, “How are things holding up your end?”

“Could be better, not gonna lie,” The black and white mech shrugged, pulling the chair out across from him and collapsing back into it, “I still feel worn out from the battle and having a whole bunch of kids constantly swarming ya asking where their friend is really takes it outta ya, ya know? By the way, any news on the kid?”

“Not enough to go off of,” He admitted, sifting through the data pads and looking at the ones displaying information on certain bots.

His optics scanned over the faces of the younglings they were currently keeping a close eye on. Some… things had started being noticed by the teachers since they were introduced, and M's arrival only confirmed his theories further.

Part of him hoped he was wrong.

Yet the other part knew he wasn't.

“But I mean, it hasn't even been a day,” Jazz went on, not noticing his behavior as he spun in his chair, “There's gotta be a lot of people who saw him. As plain looking as he is, the kid can still stand out in a crowd if you're looking for him.”.

Optimus let his expression speak for him, sliding the pad over so he could read it, “The last report we got was from the twins in Metapaarl. Apparently M got on the train with them but never returned to catch the one back.”

Jazz blinked and looked up at him in disbelief, “The kid went all the way out to the sticks? Why in the Pits would he want to go there? Isn't that basically the borders of the war zone?”

“Unfortunately,” OP frowned, “And I don't know how, but apparently none of the conductors saw him getting on when they were loading passengers.”

“And?”

The red mech leaned forward on the desk again, “We've sent some search parties out to look for him. Nothing to arouse suspicion from the Decepticons but enough to cover a good distance of ground.”

“But that means they'll find him, right?” Jazz said, putting on a hopeful smile, “He's a sparkling without a proper alt-mode, so they can catch him easily.”

But Optimus frowned, knotting his digits together and leaning forward on them, “That's what I'm worried about,” He said darkly, “If it's easy for our team to find him, who knows how easily our enemies can as well.

------------

M inhaled sharply and took off running. He pumped his arms in strong, even strokes and as soon as he reached the edge of the cliff, he jumped as high as he could into the air.

“Now!” He yelled to himself, stretching his arms out and trying to activate his cog.

There was the small sound of gears turning before it all turned off and he fell. The mechling yelped, holding his servos out as he hit the ground and tumbled, rolling helm over heels for a few feet. He then sat up, dazed.

He shook his helm and stood, grumbling as he turned and looked back at the ledge barely two meters high where his spear was also resting. 

Almost half a megacycle after getting his upgrade and he still couldn't get his cog to activate.

“Come on!” He groaned, rapping his digits on his chassis, “I need to transform so I can get back to Vos!” 

Of course, he got no reply.

The purple mechling sighed heavily and dragged a servo down his new mask, hefting the spear up and attaching it to his back, “Guess I'm walking home then,” He grumbled, kicking a stone, “However long that's going to take.”

He finally seemed to make his way out of the small forest, clearing the large leaves in front of him and stepping back out into the semi-desert. The sun had long since disappeared below the horizon and a low fog was setting in over the plain. The mountains seemed to be resting as well, settling down with only the occasional low rumble. He did notice they had parted now to form a valley, a clear path probably home.

M frowned but started walking out into the open, keeping on his pedes in case anything happened.

He didn't keep track of the time though as when he turned and looked back, the jungle and the mountain he'd found the Primes in were gone, swallowed up by the night and fog.

“Huh,’ He muttered, “Looks like it's going faster than I thought.”

M turned and was just about to take another step when something exploded off to his right, lighting the fog up orange for a second, followed by yells.

His servo immediately grabbed his spear and brought it around, holding it out in front of him but nothing seemed to be coming his way. Instead, the gun shots, yells and screeching seemed to stay there, if not move away slightly. 

Wasting no time, the young mech took off running towards it, keeping low as a few stray blasts flew over his helm.

Ahead he could only see blasts of light and moving shadows, followed by the yells and weird screeching. There was the sound of someone transforming a limb, followed by loud booms.

“Frag it all these Quint! Die you damn spawn of Unicron!”

He paused. 

Quint? 

As in Quintesson? 

Was someone fighting a Quintesson out here?! He knew there were still skirmishes but this close to Vos?

He didn't have time to think any more as the bot yelled and crashed, a large disfigured shadow looming over them and raising a spear.

“Hey! Scrap heap!” M quickly yelled and ran forward, making the thing stop and look in his direction just in time for the large spear to hit it square in the chest with a wet thunk.

It screeched and went down, writhing for a second before going still. 

The young mech ran up and yanked his weapon out, grimacing down at the grotesque-looking Quintesson corpse before turning in a circle, “Are there more?” He called to the mech behind him, not looking back.

“Three!” A screechy and familiar voice called as he staggered to his pedes, “My seekers should be dealing with them and… hold on! How old are you? You seem familiar!”

M’s helm perked up when he heard more yells, followed by flashes of light, “You can ask questions later!” He called and took off running, “Right now we need to help them!”

He sprung into the fog, looking around and trying to discern who was who. But they seemed to be moving around in circles as the noises kept changing.

He froze, gripping the spear that was lifted above his helm, ready to throw it but hesitant out of fear of hitting one of his own. The lights and fog seemed to distort his vision, confusing him further.

So he did the only thing he could think of.

M inhaled and closed his optics, letting his frame go numb as he turned off certain processing units, “Don’t overthink,” He muttered to himself as he remembered one of Elita's lessons, “Let instinct be your guide.”

He stayed still for a moment before lunging forward and throwing the spear as hard as he could, keeping his optics squeezed shut. He heard the sound of it hitting something but his body was already acting on its own, not wasting a second before running into the fight. His servo reached out and grabbed the spear, throwing off the limb he’d severed.

The air to his right shifted and he quickly jerked to a stop, spinning around and bringing his leg up. He felt his pede connect with something large and send it flying. His wings picked up and he spun around, bringing the spear around and holding it straight in front of him.

The Quintesson screeched as it accidentally impaled itself, its blood seeping down the shaft and creeping over the mechlings servos. M grimaced at the suddenly slippery hold and had no choice but to drop the spear when another one came charging from his left.

He dove to the ground and rolled, quickly pushing himself up and lifting his arm, his cannon activating and glowing orange.

There was chittering and running in front of him, followed by scraping as it jumped. The purple bot bit the inside of his cheek and kept his optics squeezed shut, pointing his arm up and shooting blindly.

The light from the blast seemed so strong that it lit up the area. He gasped and opened his optics as he stumbled back, looking down to see the Quintesson on the ground in front of him, writhing like a bug with a massive hole in its chest while the edges were still glowing.

“Scrap,” He muttered and looked at the cannon as it powered down, shaking his helm, “I didn't realize how strong this thing was.”

The mechling walked over and kicked the corpse, making sure it was actually dead before backtracking to where the other was. He scowled and lifted it up from the bottom, using one pede to push the Quintesson over so he could crouch down and look at the thing.

“No offense, but you’re fragging ugly,” He muttered, looking down and grimacing at the green blood now smeared on his servos and spear.

M sharply yanked the weapon out of its body and attempted to wipe it off, but the gooey substance just seemed to smear on his metal. He pulled a glossa under his mask but passed and looked back when he heard footsteps approaching.

M then turned his helm and stood, resting the spear on his shoulders as he faced the mechs who'd been fighting. At first, he could just make out a few red optics and visors, but they soon stepped out of the fog.

They were Decepticons. 

Not just that but…

“You!” He gasped and brought the spear around, narrowing his optics and pointing the weapon at them, “You're the guys who raided and blew up the energon storage unit! And stole a train!”

“And just who the frag are you?” The mech he'd helped earlier asked.

The four figures moved closer curiously and looked down at him.

They froze.

“What the-?” The blue seeker from that same day asked, looking over and raising his visor as he stared at M.

The mechling looked around as Soundwave walked in front of them, stopping before him and staring down at the smaller mech despite the spear head poking into his stomach.

“Who are you?”

M gave a small scowl, “Surprised you don't remember since you threw me off the train a few days ago, but I guess I'll tell since I did get a new look,” He took the spear away and held it next to him, “My name is M-57. Though… I suppose as of today, it's now Megatronus.”

“Megatronus?” The purple seeker asked in disbelief, leaning over.

“Yeah,” M shrugged, “That's at least what the voice in the cave said.”

“Is that how you got that mask and spear!?” The red seeker demanded, marching up and pushing Soundwave out of the way to poke his chassis, “Did you steal them from the sacred site?! That is the final resting place of the Primes!”

M blinked and held his servo up in defense, “That's what it is? Sorry, I didn't know. And I didn't steal these things! They were mine to begin with!”

“That doesn't make sense!” He growled accusingly, “You're a new spark, not Megatronus Prime!”

M was about to say something when Soundwave put a servo on the seekers shoulder and pulled him back, “Take it easy, Starscream,” He said in a low voice, “There may be more to this than what we think.”

“So what? Were going to let some sparkling desecrate Megatronus’ memory and name?!”

“Hey Sounders!” The blue seeker piped up, “Didn't you send your pet to check that cave out earlier when the sensor you put in there was set off?”

“Laserbeak is not a pet,” Soundwave said, glaring back at him, “He is my scout. And he has yet to return to me.”

“Yeah, e's probably waiting back at New Kaon for ya!” The purple one added.

Soundwave nodded and turned to them, “We can see what information he has and decide our next course of action with the accompaniment of our Lord.”

“What about Mini Megs here?” The purple one asked, pointing at M.

The blue mech turned and looked at the mechling standing, watching them wearily.

“We’ll bring him with us.”

“What?!” M cried and shook his helm, “Sorry but I can't do that, I need to get home! Everyone's probably worried about me by now!”

“Well they can wait,” Soundwave said and titled his helm, “Besides, you will not make it back to Vos. Your energon levels are too low.”

M paused and checked his tanks, spark dropping when he saw that indeed, they were close to empty while he was out of cubes.

“So, you can either walk back and power down before you get even halfway, or you come with us,” Starscream sneered, looking at him, “I'd prefer you chose the first option.”

The small bot hesitated, looking between them and the ground before sighing and turning to Soundwave, “Fine. I'll come along but I'm leaving right after I've refueled.”

“Energon comes at a price,” The blue mech droned, leaning down to his height.

“I don't have any Shanix on me.”

“They are worthless to us,” He said simply and straightened up, “We will find another way for you to repay us.”

“Tch. Fine,” M muttered, clenching his fists but putting his spear away, “Let's just get this over with.”

The Decepticon nodded and snapped his digits, the seekers all transforming and flying into the air.

“Wait!” M suddenly called, making Soundwave stop and turn just before he was about to jump into the air.

“I…I can't transform yet,” He admitted sheepishly, looking at the ground, “I haven't figured out how to activate my cog.”

The blue mech tilted his helm and then transformed, hovering just above the ground, “Hop on.”

The purple bot nodded and quickly ran over, laying down on the top of the flying vehicle and holding onto the ridges that stuck out, “Thank you.”

He wasn't sure if he replied or not, but the Cybertronian jet took off, jolting him slightly as they soared into the air. 

M held on tightly, staying down so he didn't go flying off but still lifting his helm curiously when they got over the fog.

“So, you guys live out here?” He called over the wind, looking down at Soundwave.

“Affirmative,” He replied, “We were banished from Iacon by the false Prime so we made our new home where we saw fit.”

M looked back and noticed they seemed to by flying the opposite way from where he'd come, “Hey Soundwave? How far away is New Kaon exactly?”

“Not very, but far enough,” Was the reply he got as the three seekers leveled out around them.

“Great,” He muttered, looking back and trying to map out where they were going. Seeing as it didn't look like they were landing soon, he turned to the planes.

“So who are you two?” He called, “I didn't get your names earlier.”

“You may call me Thundercracker,” The blue one said, flying closer so they wouldn't constantly be yelling to each other, “And the purple one is Skywarp.”

“Well, apart from the rusty first impression I got, it's nice to meet you,” M nodded.

“Rusty!?” Skywarp laughed, “Can't say it was the same for us, kid! You should have seen how Screamer tried to explain why he didn't get on the train and then got called out when someone said they saw you tackling him!”

M gave a small smile, “Well I wanted to do something. And you guys were stealing. I don't get why you don't just come and ask though. There's more than enough energon for everyone, even if you don't get along.”

He heard Soundwave sigh underneath him, “There is so much more to that,” He said, “Saying we don't get along is an understatement.”

“Understatement of the century,” Thundercracker nodded next to them.

“Oh…” He muttered, looking down at the landscape below. The fog was starting to thin out and he could feel the heat rising as glowing red and orange lines started creeping into the land, the grass being replaced with black rocks.

“What is that?” M asked, looking with wide optics at the new change in the landscape, the heat getting thicker and making his vents choke.

“These are the Badlands,” Soundwave said, weaving in between the large plumes of dark smoke that rose up from vents dotted throughout the glowing cobwebs of orange liquid, “The lava makes it uninhabitable for any organic life and the Autobots prefer not to venture out here except for the few smelting pools they built.”

“So naturally we built our base right in the middle of it!” Skywarp called cheerfully, flying in a circle around them.

M's optics went impossibly wide as they flew over what could only be a volcano, the massive pool of lava almost seeming unreal. He grunted and reeled back as a blast of painful heat hit his face, making his optics sting.

“Are you alright?” Soundwave asked, gently jostling him.

He nodded, rubbing his face and blinking rapidly. Though he opened them again and looked down when he felt the jet starting to descend.

Below them, the volcano sloped down into a large crevice, directing it until it flowed like a river. On the other side of that, a sharp cliff face rose up above the landscape, a ravine cut into it that retreated back into the rock.

The mechling peered forward and squinted when he saw movement, his optics soon adjusting until he could see the structures built into the cliff that had bots moving around inside, though most looked like seekers.

“Welcome brat, to New Kaon,” Starscream said, swooping down ahead of them where what looked like a landing pad extended out of a cave. Soundwave followed him down, pulling in quickly and transforming after.

M jumped off while he did and landed, skidding slightly. He shook his helm and straightened up, looking around while the others walked up from behind him.

“This way,” The blue mech said, turning and looking back at him briefly.

“Where are we going?” The mechling asked, turning and looking around as he hurriedly followed.

Soundwave tilted his helm slightly to look back at him, “You are going to meet our leader, and from there we shall decide what to do with you.”

Chapter Text

M silently followed the older mechs, Skywarp and Thundercracker flanking him the whole way Starscream tried to assert himself in front of them.

They walked out and onto a large walkway that lined the walls of the chasm, nothing but a thin railing stopping them from falling down into the ravine below. The mechling blinked and took a few steps to it, peering forward and looking at the bots working below.

M then looked up, craning his neck back and spotting all the mechs peering over the ledges at them, specifically at him.

“Why's everyone staring?” He asked, looking up to Soundwave.

“Because a mini Megatronus Prime just walked in,” Skywarp said, tapping his helm, “You know, only the former leader of the High Guard and the coolest and strongest Prime. Nothing too big.”

“And then there's the whole thing of our group basically having his face as our symbol,” Thundercracker added, pointing to the Decepticon insignia on their wings.

“I was wondering about that,” The mechling admitted with a nod, looking around at the curious optics that watched them, “So, your leader was a fan?”

“Indeed,” Soundwave nodded, “Like many of us, Megatronus Prime was his idol. His death sparked the flame of vengeance in our Lord and so the Decepticons were created, to end the reign of false Primes.”

M frowned behind his mask and looked down, understanding but at the same time, not quite getting it.

“Soundwave! What is this!?”

He looked up to find a large purple mech with one optic and no other facial features marching down the steps towards him. He stared down at the small bot.

“Is this some kind of joke or do we have another ridiculous fanboy to deal with?”

“That is what we are here to find out, Shockwave,” Soundwave said, the name making the mechlings' wings perk up, “We are taking him to Lord Megatron to decide what to do next.”

“Megatron?” M spoke up, looking at them, “Did he name himself after me- Megatronus as well?”

The blue mech nodded and put one servo on the back of his helm before turning to the other officer, “Go and get a cube for our guest. He's basically running on fumes.”

“Fine, but I'd be careful if I was you,” Shockwave said as he walked off to the side, “All the Quintesson attacks have gotten him in a bad mood.”

“Noted,” Soundwave nodded and put a servo on M's shoulder, steering him towards a set of large metal doors built into the rock. 

They opened as soon as the two mechs approached, leading through to a large hall with flaming torches lining the walls and stone pillars arching high above their helms. They all led down to an empty throne on a few raised platforms, bathed in the light from the lava cascading down on either side of it.

The purple mechlings vents whirled as his frame tried to cool, steam curling off his plating while he inhaled deeply.

“Remain here,” Soundwave instructed and walked forward, disappearing behind the throne and into a door hidden in the darkness behind there.

M sighed and squirmed uncomfortably, the heat seeping into ever inch of his circuits and making him pant. He walked over and pressed himself against the closest wall, trying to find some relief from the heat.

He closed his optics and leaned his helm back, trying to absorb as much of the slight cold as he could, feeling his tanks rumbling.

There were footsteps next to him and he looked over, his movements already feeling sluggish and lazy.

Shockwave stood there, a cube of energon in his servo which he held out.

The mechling gasped and grabbed it, taking his mask off and holding it under one arm while he chugged the cube. Though he grimaced slightly. Even the glowing blue liquid was lukewarm.

He still continued drinking, only pausing and looking to the side when he noticed the purple mech still staring at him, “Can I help you?” He asked in between gulps.

“Who are you, really?” Shockwave demanded, leaning down and catching him in the gaze of his yellow optic, “A sparkling dressed like our former leader who claims to be him?!”

“I never claimed to be anyone,” M muttered, looking down into his drink and swirling it around, “That's just who everyone says I am.”

“Well until that is confirmed, hand over his things. You have no right to possess them,” He said, holding one servo out to him, “The mask and the spear. Chop chop.”

M sighed heavily and took the spear off of his back, “Fine, but don't blame me for what happens next,” He said and held it out, dropping into his palm.

“What do you- AAAUGH!” The one-eyed mech yelled as was pulled to the floor, the weight of the weapon pinning his servo down.

“I would say I warned you, but that seems rude,” M mused, bending down and picking it up with ease, “Being really strong helps with wielding this.”

“So you're strong?”

M's wings flicked up and he quickly put his mask back on before turning and facing the mech walking up behind him, Soundwave at his side.

The large grey bot stopped before the youngling and looked down. The surprise that flashed across his face was clear as day for a second, but it was quickly replaced by his stern expression.

He turned to the blue mech at his side, eyebrow raised with a silent question.

Soundwave just nodded and walked around him to stand by Shockwave, who was massaging his digits but making his way to the door.

M stared up at this new bot before making the wise decision to put his spear away, “You're Megatron?” He asked, keeping his voice even.

“Yes,” The large mech said simply, “And you? You are Megatronus? Reborn?”

M gave a small sigh and stood up straight, “Yes,” He said, trying to make himself believe in, “I believe the term to be used here is reincarnated.”

Megatron tilted his helm and began circling the mechling with his servos behind his back, “And now what makes you think I should believe you?” He asked, “How do I know this isn't just some ploy by the Autobots, trying to trick me into letting my guard down and allowing you to infiltrate our base?”

The mechling just gave him a deadpanned look and rolled his optics, “Because I'm not trying to infiltrate your base,” He said simply, “Your guys only brought me back because I needed energon. Soundwave said you'd then work out some way for me to repay you.”

“And does Soundwave think you are who you say you are?” He asked, looking over at the other mech.

He just nodded silently.

“Is that so?” The warlord mused, his lip curling up as his gaze briefly flickered to the communications officer, “Well who would I be if I could not trust one of my most loyal's judgement?”

The blue mech gave a small bow and looked up as a robotic bird swooped down from the ceiling, circling for a second before landing on his arm.

“Laserbeak has the recorded evidence from the cave,” He conveyed, opening a small hatch on the back of the bird's neck and taking what appeared to be a small flash drive.

He then inserted it into a hatch on the side of his helm and pressed two digits against the same panel. The centre of his cannon lit up and projected a beam which stopped just in front of Megatron and expanded, forming a holographic screen.

Soundwave looked up and activated a command, projecting the video for them to see.

It showed the video playing from Laserbeaks point of view as the bird swooped in through a small hole off to the side. He hopped forward and perched on a ledge that overlooked the whole cave.

There, a smaller M-57 was sliding down from the mound where Solus lay, looking around.

“Hmm, he looks to have a similar frame to me,” Megatron mused as he looked down at the mechling briefly, his servos held behind his back as he watched the small mech in the video make his way around and find Megatronus’ helm.

M tilted his helm as he watched his past self kneel down and brush the moss off, going still for a few seconds and talking to himself. The smaller M leaned forward and pressed his helm against the mask, his body snapping up the second they made contact and he didn't even realize his optics had flashed purple in that moment.

The mechling stayed like that for a moment, collapsing onto his elbows while the frame of Megatronus Prime started to disintegrate.

He looked up, noticing the twitch in Megatrons frame as well as the way his servos gripped each other slightly tighter, yet he did not look away.

The recording continued as the dust swirled around and the mask got smaller, showing him lifting and admiring it before finally putting it on.

The video then started to glitch out, the audio going static until Laserbeak was fully knocked offline, the whole feed cutting out while a deep voice boomed.

“Rise again, Megatronus Prime”

The scout seemed to come back online after that, hopping up while the video came back, just in time to see the newly upgraded mechling stumbling to his pedes. Glowing patterns decorated his frame before they disappeared as well, just before he looked down at himself.

M blinked in confusion and looked down at his arm, but the plating there was bare

Megatron made a noise almost like a small grunt and Soundwave quickly cut the feed. Both bots turned and looked at the small purple one.

“Well, I think this has been most informative,” The leader said with a blank expression and looking down at the young mech, who stared back at him, “So you are Megatronus Prime?”

“I…” M hesitated slightly, “I'm still not sure about the Prime part. It doesn't feel right to call someone as young as myself a Prime.”

The grey mech's lip slowly curled up and he stood tall, looking down with… admiration?

Soundwave's demeanor had also changed, but the mech's body language was so unreadable that M couldn't tell if he was happy or not about this confirmation.

M then jumped back in surprise as Megatron got down on one knee before him, and bowed, “It is truly an honor to finally meet you.”

“Please! You don't need to do that!” He said quickly, holding both of his servos up, “I don't really remember everything yet and you are still technically my superior!”

The grey mech smiled and took one of his smaller servos, holding it tightly, “But you are truly far more superior than I will ever be,” He stood, gesturing around them, “This whole place was built on your legacy. My faction was created in your honor! In order to make Cybertron what it once was before it fell into deception, we Decepticons rose up to restore it to its former glory!”

“I- don't know what to say,” M admitted, feeling his helm spin a little as he took all this information in. His tanks clenched, a little honored, but at the same time slightly concerned.

All of this… was because of him?

He snapped out of the daze as a large servo slapped his back, making him look up at Megatron's grinning face.

“Have you reached a conclusion as to what my payment should be?” M asked, holding his gaze.

“I think I have,” He smiled and pushed his palm against the mechlings back, leaning him towards the door while Soundwave silently followed, Laserbeak transforming into a cassette tape and docking into his chassis.

“And?”

“I have decided that you will spend a night here at New Kaon,” Megatron concluded, “And we shall escort you back to the border when you desire.”

M blinked in amazement, “That's it?” He asked, “Just spend some time here?”

“That is until you find yourself ready to leave,” The grey mech added, opening the doors and making the High Guard outside jump into saluting positions.

“Oh,” The purple mech said softly, weighing out his options and debating the choice in his mind, “...Ok then. I accept your request.”

“Excellent!” He said, clapping his servos together.

But both then froze and turned as someone cleared their throat behind them. Starscream stood there with an annoyed and expectant expression, “Well?”

Megatron narrowed his optics at the seeker but remained by M's side, putting a servo on his shoulder and pushing the young mech forward slightly with a proud smile, “Megatronus Prime has indeed returned!"

------------

To say M was overwhelmed was quite an understatement.

The young mech basically stumbled away from the excited crowd of bots that seemed to swarm him once it had been confirmed and announced who he was. Mechs who had been part of the High Guard displayed a variety of emotions, from excitement to skepticism, at the fact Megatronus Prime was now back.

Soundwave walked behind him, escorting the mechling to his temporary room as Megatron had instructed. At this point, M was glad he was walking behind him though as he was sure he would have taken more than one wrong turn, had the blue mech not steered him back down the right path, away from the wall he was about to walk into.

“Thanks,” He mumbled, grabbing onto the servo on his shoulder for support as he almost tripped over his own pedes.

The blue mech nodded and guided him up a long flight of stairs. M flinched slightly as they passed a corridor at the top, mechs packed into it and gawping at him.

“Not a fan of the attention?” Soundwave asked, looking down at him slightly.

The mechling nodded and looked at the floor, “Not really. Before it's never exactly been ‘good attention.”

He heard the older bot give a small hum of acknowledgment but said nothing more.

Thankfully, they reached his room soon enough. M peered in, surprised to find it was quite a lot bigger than his cubicle at the academy.

“This is mine?” He asked Soundwave in disbelief, to which the communications officer just nodded.

He slowly walked in and looked around. It was pretty simple, having just one window looking outside, a shelf, a plain desk and chair, and a weird berth that seemed to lie horizontal instead of having you stand while you recharge.

“I will come collect you in the morning to refuel,” The bot behind him said before turning to leave.

“Soundwave?” He quickly asked, making the older mech pause in the doorway, “Are you upset with me? You haven't spoken a lot since… you found out, and I get the feeling you're not completely happy.”

M looked down at his servos as they fiddled with the spear, his gaze flickering up every now and then to the blue bot.

He remained silent for a bit before finally speaking, “I am not upset,” He said simply, but his voice was soft, “I am just glad you are alive.”

The mechling felt his spark lift a little and he smiled, “Alright!” He nodded, “Thank you for confirming.”

Soundwave looked at him for a second before moving out and closing the door without another word.

M let out a loud sigh and flopped back onto the berth, taking his mask off and resting it next to him while he stared at the ceiling. Pressure released from his frame, hissing off as steam while his pistons and joints relaxed.

He then jolted as everything that had just happened came crashing down on him. Not just that, but he realized no one at Vos or the academy even knew if he was alive!

He'd disappeared without telling anyone, and no one had probably seen him for days!

The purple mechling quickly rooted around his subspace and vented with relief, finding his data pad inside and still intact despite the fact its screen was now cobwebbed with cracks.

Probably should have taken that out before his frame got reformatted.

At least it still turned on.

M blinked and stared at the screen, seeing the half-written message he’d been writing for S. He’d forgotten all about it after all the events of the last few hours and now it was sitting there, still waiting to be sent.

So seeing no harm, he pressed the send button and watched the message appear in their chat. A small loading sign appeared next to it before an exclamation replaced it.

Unable to deliver.

M groaned and let his helm fall back against the berth. 

Great.

He couldn't even tell anyone where he was.

He wondered if anyone thought he was dead.

The mechling just sighed and pocketed the datapad, rolling onto his side and curling up. Guess there was no point in worrying about that now. It would just make him stressed, which would affect his recharge.

“I'll deal with it when I get back,” He mumbled to himself, plugging the cables into the back of his neck and closing his optics, “For now, let's just get this done and get back.”

Chapter Text

The door closed behind Soundwave, but he did not have the strength to move away from it just yet.

He cast a sideways glance at the barrier of metal now separating him from the young mech in the room behind him. 

Megatronous’ question played through his mind, forcing him to reflect deeper on it. He raised his servos and looked down at them.

Was he upset with the mechling?

That was an easy one. 

He wasn’t, he had no reason to be angry at him.

The more difficult question was the next one that arose…

If he wasn’t angry, what did he feel when he saw the young Prime?

Joy?

Maybe a bit, but that seemed to be buried by others at the moment.

Annoyance?

No, he had no reason to feel that.

Regret and guilt?

That was definitely there. Seeing the face of the mech he’d sworn but ultimately failed to protect brought those to the surface, especially seeing that Megatronus had yet to remember that day and most of his previous life.

But there was something else under all of those emotions that seemed to hide itself while also overpowering them. It was a strange feeling, one he’d never felt before, or at least very seldom.

But only one thing could come to his mind right now, only one word bubbling up and rearing its ugly head for him to see. It was what he least wanted to see, but there it was.

And it was… confusion.

Soundwave had come to the conclusion that he didn’t really know what to make of this whole situation. He’d long since accepted the fact Megatronus was gone, dead, nothing more than a mere legend along with the rest of the Primes. And now, he was back, reincarnated by some miracle…

But he now had to wrap his mind around the logic that the Megatronus Prime he knew long ago was gone, they mech he’d spent almost his whole life around was now just a memory, and he was left…

With a sparkling…

——————

He was being followed. He knew it from the second he stepped out of his room.

M had woken up quite some time before Soundwave was supposed to arrive. He looked around, a rare ray of sunlight poking through a gap in the black clouds, though it quickly faded.

The mechling groaned and stretched, unplugging the cables from the back of his neck and hopping down. He considered waiting for the communications officer like he'd said, but part of him also wanted to explore.

So, that's what he did.

The door opened as soon as he stepped in front of it, revealing the quiet hallway that was only disturbed by the occasional rumble from the volcano, or the sound of far-off machinery.

He walked out and looked around for a second, putting one servo on the red wall as he peered down each corridor.

“Right it is,” He mumbled and walked down the gently sloping hall, staring up at the large archways that were carved into the hallway every few meters, probably for decoration.

It was then he realized he wasn't as alone as he'd thought.

It was subtle, but there was the sound of a footstep behind him, or the hush of a whisper every now and then.

What made it even more obvious was when he turned, he'd catch the glimpse of someone ducking out of sight, though it would only the the edge of a wing or the sliver of a face.

Still, it made him uncomfortable.

The purple mechling frowned as he turned and started walking again, though this time he picked up his pace. 

The bots behind him seemed to easily keep up.

They seemed to realize they'd been spotted as they started becoming more careless, their excited whispers louder and they weren't as quick to duck away.

Soon, M found himself breaking into a full on sprint, wanting nothing more now than to just get away from this new fanclub of his that seemed to have formed overnight. He hated that he’d unintentionally grabbed the attention from bots at the academy, but this was somehow worse. 

Eventually, it was evident he wasn't losing them just by running. M looked up at the arches as he ran under them, noticing the corridor narrowing slightly.

Before it led off into a long hall, he grunted and sharply turned before jumping, launching himself at the wall to his right. Planting one pede on a small crack, he quickly turned again and jumped to the opposite wall, continuing that process until he reached the top.

An open vent was on the ceiling right above him, so he grabbed onto the edge and swung his legs until he was almost horizontal, his soles catching a long pipe that had been pulled loose and hung down away from the rest.

The mechling tilted his helm to the side and looked down, watching as the group of seekers ran under him without even looking up. He waited until their footsteps died down before signing in relief.

“Damn, didn’t know you could do that.”

M’s frame tensed and he whipped his helm around, looking up with wide optics at the small red and grey mech in the vent looking down at him, his optics shielded by a blue visor. There was shuffling and an identical one popped out from the other end, though he was purple and black.

“I didn’t either,” M admitted, looking up at the twins in surprise, “That was my first time trying that.”

“I must say, that’s one way to avoid them,” The purple one said, sticking his helm out and looking down the hall where the flock had just disappeared, “That is why you’re up here, right?”

“Yeah,” He nodded and looked at them, “Why are you two up here?”

The red one’s face split into a grin and he leaned down closer, “Cause the vents are our territory, small fry,” He laughed despite the fact M was bigger than them, “We’re the only ones that can fit inside and get around.”

“Well, Ravage and Laserbeak can come in here as well,” His brother pointed out, “But they tend to stay with the boss more.”

“The boss?” M blinked.

“You’ve already met him,” The red one said, leaning on one elbow, “Soundwave? Well we’re his minibots. I'm Frenzy, and this is Rumble.”

“Megatronus,” The mechling said simply.

“Yeah, everyone knows,” Rumble laughed, “Now can we get down? I wanna get some energon.”

“Oh, ok,” M nodded and unhooked his pede from the pipe, letting his legs swing down before dropping to the ground.

“Catch me!” He heard Frenzy yell the second he stood. M snapped his helm up, stepping back and opening his em just in time to grab the minibot before he hit the ground.

Rumble giggled and landed next to him just as he put the red mech down, looking down at the two of them as they stood in front of him with identical grins.

“Yeah, he ain’t as impressive as the others say,” Frenzy mused, servos on his hips as he cocked them, “Not gonna lie, small fry, but you look scrawny. Not to mention the baby face you hide under that mask. You at least strong?”

“I am,” M nodded, feeling his plating bristle for some reason, “Well, stronger than everyone else back at the academy.”

“Right, you’re one of those sparklings,” Rumble grinned, crossing his arms, “Got to get a private education the second you came online.”

M just blinked again in the same owlish way he always did, “You didn’t?”

Both of them snorted and started walking away, “We grew up in the Wastes,” He laughed, “We ain’t dumb, but we couldn’t solve any form of equation if we even bothered to try. We don’t got time for lessons here.”

Seeing nothing else to do, the purple mechling hurried after them, “So what do you do?” He asked, “Surely you’re not fighting Quintesson every day?”

He watched the twins exchange glances, make a few gestures to each other with their servos and then snigger.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Frenzy grinned, looking back at him, “But don’t worry, small fry. We’ll show you tons of things you can do here to occupy your time.”

“My names Megatronus,” He muttered with a twinge of annoyance, “It’s either that or M.”

“Whatever, small fry.”

They both laughed at the expression he made but made no attempts to run, obviously perceiving the mechling as anything but a threat to them.

Luckily for them, they made a turn into a large dark room filled with rough-looking tables and chairs, some with discarded or empty energon cubes on them. What few mechs were already awake and there turned and stared at the small group as they walked in, making M hunch his shoulders automatically.

Rumble ran over and hopped on a chair, jumping onto a table before he grabbed two small cubes. He tossed one down to his brother, and then to M before swiping one for himself.

They then led him over to the far end of the room, where a large river of glowing blue liquid was flowing in one wall and out the other.

The purple mechling paused before it and stared in confusion as the twins leaned down and simply dipped their cubes in it, scooping up their full.

Frenzy turned and looked over when he noticed M just standing there, “Something wrong?” He asked with a sly grin, “Never seen raw energon before.”

“I… no,” The young mech admitted softly, quickly walking over and leaning down, filling his own cube with the blue liquid. Even after though, he just stared down at the swirling mass now contained in the glass.

“Not processed or flavored enough for ya?” Rumble smirked, leaning over his shoulder, “Well get used to it, city mech. This is all we got here.”

“I never said anything,” M grumbled, shooting him a slight glare before taking a sip.

Yup, this was definitely not the same as the energon they consumed. It tasted earthier and bitter, even containing grains of sand and dirt. He could literally feel it scraping down his pipes to his tanks.

“Too rough for ya?” Frenzy grinned in delight, leaning on his other shoulder, “Need something more delicate for your soft tanks?”

“Again, I never said that,” M scowled at him, “It’s just different from what I’m used to.”

“You mean that pampered life you lead in Vos?” Rumble mused, picking some rocks out of his arm joint, “Man, you Autobots don't know what it's like to live rough and tough out in the stocks like this. We've got some toughening up to do to you if you're gonna stay longer.”

“Now hold it there,” The young mech quickly cut in, standing up and shaking the twins off of them, “Megatron’s only request was that I stay here until this afternoon. I'll probably be back in the city before nightfall.”

The two minibots just exchanged another knowing look with each other, and Rumble tilted his helm, “Will you though?” He asked, “As I recall, that condition is your choice. You go back this afternoon, or whenever you want to after that. That means you can stay a couple more days if you want, maybe even a few more weeks.”

“No, I- I need to get back soon,” M said, looking down, “I need to let my friends know I’m okay. They’ll probably be worried since I never went back to the dorms yesterday night.”

“What if you just send a message telling them?” The purple minibot suggested, holding one sevro out to him, “Then they’d know and you could stay.”

The mechling just looked at him for a second before sighing and turning his gaze to the ground, “I don't have any reason to stay here,” He admitted, “I don't belong here.”

Both tilted their helms at him curiously, “But you do belong here, and have a reason,” Rumble pointed out, “I mean, don't know if it’s occured to you but this whole place, this whole faction was made after you.”

“So I was told…” He started but was cut off.

“And you technically are the first, original Decepticon. If anything, you didn't belong in Vos.”

“Yeah,” Frenzy nodded, adding to his brother's statement, “You're home now, small fry.”

——————

M sighed and pulled his knees up as he stared across the volcanic landscape, sitting at the top of one of the battlements that stuck out from the cliff face over the sea of lava. Smoke and poisonous fumes rose up around him, but he didnt care.

After the twins had gone off, saying Soundwave was calling them, he’d gone his own way, walking in random directions and choosing the least crowded paths until he’d wound up at the base. The stairs were blocked off by collapsed rock, so the young mech had crawled out one of the windows and climbed up the side he reached the top.

Since it seemed the only way to access this place was to fly or climb up, he’d sat down and made himself comfortable, absent-mindedly picking at the scars on his wrist as he stared at nothing in particular. 

As time passed and he watched the dark clouds move sluggishly overhead, he gradually heard New Kaon waking up, distant chatter and machinery echoing up from the caves below.

He wasn’t even sure how much time had gone by. M felt himself almost slip into a trance as he stared at the smoke that curled up, trying to find the pattern in it.

He didn't even hear the bot climbing the tower and waking up next to him until he spoke.

“You really know how to disappear when you want to.”

The mechlings optics widened slightly and he turned, looking up at Megatron as he stood beside him.

“How’d you find me?”

The grey mech chuckled and sat down next to him, swinging one leg over the side of the battlement and gazing down at the bots below, “Soundwave informed me this was the kind of place where you would often go when you wanted to be alone.”

M blinked, “I've been here before?”

“Not here particularly, but he mentioned you like to go high to a spot usually inaccessible by others,” He mused, looking over at him, “He said there was a similar tower back at the High Guard’s base. After all, this fortress was modeled after it in some ways.”

“Ah,” M said softly, turning and looking out across the landscape.

Megatron shifted next to him slightly, gazing in the same direction, “I notice you’re not wearing your mask.”

The purple mechling frowned, his lips drawing into a thin line, “It's not me,” He said softly, “Well, I mean it is but… I don't feel like I know it well enough. If that makes sense?”

He hummed, “I suppose it does, doesn't it? I take it you barely know anything about your past self, am I correct?”

M stared at his servos as his digits knitted together, finally giving a small nod.

“Well why don't you then use the time here to grow into that mask?” Megatron asked, tilting his helm, “After all, you’re now among bots who know you better than anyone else on this planet. The High Guard were under your command and most of them knew you since they came online. They were with you till the end of your previous life.”

M winced and drew his knees up to his chassis, wrapping his arms around them and burying his face in the plating, “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

The grey mech blinked and stared at him, “Hm?”

“Everyone here has been telling me I’m now among my people,” He mumbled, “I don't even know who my people are anymore! I was born an Autobot but it seems that those around me expect me to be a Decepticon! I'm not even a Prime!”

He paused and squeezed his optics shut.

“I’m not sure I know what I am anymore.”

“That's easy,” Megatron said simply, making him look up, “You’re Megatronus.”

The mechling gave a short laugh and looked up slightly, “Maybe, but right now I’m some corner shop discount version.”

The warlord laughed, making him smile ever so slightly, “Maybe, but unlike something in a store, your skills and talents are already there, you just need to hone and find them! I think you could compare yourself more to a sword being forged. Right now, you've just come out of the mold, full of imperfections and bumps.”

“Gee, thanks,” M muttered, shooting him a half-hearted glade.

The older mech gave a deep chuckle, “Am I wrong? But what I mean to say is you’re still in the intermediate phase of your life. You still need to be sharpened and formed into proper shape. I only know your legacy, but the High Guard knows you!”

He stood up, holding his servos up in fists, “You are someone! You’re the bravest Cybertronain on the planet! The strongest Prime! You are small, but you are destined to grow into something great, and lead our people to freedom!”

M stood up, looking at him with wide optics, “But I’m leaving today…”

Megatron grinned and swept his servo across the landscape, “It is your choice when you leave, but if you want to stay and have your questions answered, you may do so. Just for a few more days. I see and know there's so much potential in you! I personally will help train you!”

He smiled and held one servo out, “What do you say to that?”

M stared at the outstretched servo in front of him, “Could I at least tell my friends I'm ok?” He asked, looking up to his face, “I don't want them to be worried.”

The grey mech smiled, “Of course, but I will need to limit your contact and the information you share with them.”

The mechling looked down before slowly raising his servo and resting his in the larger one, “Just a few more days…” He mumbled, “There's no harm in that, right?”

Megatron grinned and gently folded his digits around the smaller servo, “No there isn't. Now come. Here, you shall climb the mountain to greatness.”

Oh yes, he would make him the strong warrior he was meant to be. 

The perfect heir.

Chapter Text

“You need to strike faster!” Megatron barked as he held his arms up, creating a barrier in front of his face, “And stop holding back!”

M grunted as he punched the older mech again and again, gritting his dentas under his mask. 

“I don’t want to risk hurting you!” He called, easily dodging one of the punches aimed at his helm but wasn't able to block the second. It hit him right in the mouth and he heard something crack as he went helm over heels.

M coughed and scrambled up, wiping his chin when he felt energon start to trickle down.

The two circled each other on the sparring mat. Quite the crowd had formed around them, watching the mechs spar. Some cheered for Megatron, some cheered for him. Others just stood, waiting to see the outcome of the match.

He found their audience distracting as they all yelled different things, cheering them on.

“I am more than capable of taking a punch,” Megatron grinned, moving to the side and avoiding the next attack from the younger mech before punching him back.

M was able to block it but he still went sliding back from the force. 

“If you always hold back, how will you fight to the best of your ability?” The grey mech called, slowly walking around him like an animal stalking its prey, “How will you grow stronger?”

He ran and delivered a strong kick to the mechling's side, sending him sprawling.

M drew in a strong breath as he stumbled back to his pedes, holding the dented plating as he panted. They’d been going at this for quite a while now, and he could feel it starting to take a toll on him. Annoyance had also been stewing in him for a while now, and the yells of the crowd only edged him on.

“My men informed me that you beat a group of Quintesson scouts by yourself when they found you,” Megatron continued, standing up straight, “Was that a lie, or do you feel no reason to hold back against them? Are you not as strong as they say you are?”

The purple mechling huffed in annoyance, clenching his fists, “I am strong!” He called, puffing his plating up to show it was something he prided the most in himself.

Megatron grinned and held on servo out, motioning for him to attack, “Then show me, Megatronus,” He challenged, “Show me how strong you are, exceed my expectations of you. Show me you are no weakling unless you wish to prove me wrong there.”

M’s wings flared. These insults had been coming most of their sparring session, and he could feel himself getting more and more riled up by them. He was a cat being teased by someone trying to make him lash out.

And he felt like he had to now.

“You want me to not hold back?” He growled, crouching and bringing both servos by his side, “Fine! But you asked for this!”

The sparkling squeezed his optics shut and turned off his central HUB for articulate movement like before, letting his body go numb and just rely on his senses.

He was just going by instinct now.

“What’s this?” Megatron called tauntingly, “I thought I said no holding back, yet here you are diminishing yourself by abolishing your sight!”

M said nothing, instead just waiting silently for him to move first.

And he did.

Megatron roared and ran forward, lunging at him and throwing a punch. But his fist connected with the floor, denting the metal.

He blinked and looked around, but M was suddenly next to him. The sparkling gave his own yell and delivered two sharp blows to his stomach.

The grey mech coughed at the force with which he was hit, stumbling back and looking up.

M still stood there at the ready, his servos up and waiting.

He couldn’t help but grin as he tried to hit him more, now attempting to use different combos to trip him up. But the sparkling evaded and dodged each one, his optics still closed. The young Prime ducked and weaved around his fists before bending down and kicking him.

His pede made contact with the older mech's jaw, making his helm snap back while he stumbled.

Yet when he regained himself, he was grinning wildly.

“Now this is what I’m talking about!” He laughed, opening his arms wide and looking at the youngster, “This is the Megatronus I wanted to see! You’re finally-”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence as M was suddenly in front of him, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him down. Megatron didn’t even have time to process what he was doing as a purple fist slammed into his cheek, knocking him off balance.

The purple sparkling then grabbed the back of his collar in a hold that dented the plating, yanking him forward and sending him sprawling against the floor.

He quickly rolled over but was immediately pinned by the sparkling as he sat on his chassis, using his knees to pin the older bot's arms. M then brought his fist back and continued to punch him again and again, each blow making his neck and helm snap from side to side. The force of the hits sent tremors through his whole body, cutting the inside of his mouth against his dentas and making energon splatter out.

Then it all ended.

Megatron opened his optics and looked up, surprised when he found Soundwave standing over them, holding M by the wrists.

“That's enough,” He said sharply, “The fight was already over.”

The mechling was still for a second before they heard the sound of his systems booting up, and his optics shot open while he gasped. M stumbled and looked around in disbelief at the scene in front of him.

“Did I do that?” He asked Soundwave, making the others look at him in surprise, “And where did the blue and gold mech go?”

“Pardon?” Megatron asked, propping himself up and looking around.

“The mech with blue armor and gold wings!” M cried, moving his servos as he tried to act it out, “I closed my optics to fight and then did! But when I opened them again, he was then in your place and I don't know why but I wanted to kill him!” 

The grey mech frowned before turning to Soundwave and giving a short nod.

The communications officer returned it and looked to M, scanning the mechling's mind.

“What you saw was not real,” He quickly concluded out loud for the others to hear, “You believed you were conscious, but you were still within your own mind.”

“And this blue mech?” Megatron pressed, already having some guesses.

Soundwave just nodded in confirmation, “It was the tyrant, Sentinel Prime,” He said, sending a wave of displeasure through the watching crowd, “Your killer.”

M stared at Megatron as he stood up. The sparkling lifted one servo and gently touched his neck as a ring of pain shot through it for a second, his other clenching into a fist.

The grey mech looked down and watched him, seeing how what was visible of his features gradually morphed into confusion but also hatred.

“I think that it is finally time you learned of your untimely demise,” He said, holding his servos behind his back, “The High Guard know the most about it, and I was fortunate enough to witness a memory of one survivor before he was killed.”

M blinked at him before looking down and rubbing the scars on his wrist, deep in thought.

“Yeah, I want to know,” He decided, staring at the floor, “Part of me doesn't want to remember, but a greater portion wants revenge.”

He clenched his wrist almost hard enough to leave a dent.

Soundwave stepped in and put one servo on his shoulder, “We can arrange for that to happen later,” He said, “For now, I would suggest you refuel.”

“Ok,” M nodded with a sigh, letting his servos fall as he looked up at the older mech.

“Excellent idea, Soundwave,” Megatron agreed, starting to walk away, “Take our young friend down to Section A as well. He can have his break and get to know our industrial team at the same time.”

“Understood, Lord Megatron,” Soundwave bowed and turned, walking away.

M jumped and hurried after him when he realized he was supposed to be following instead of just awkwardly standing there. His mind was still reeling with the images of the gold and blue mech's smirking face, sending red-hot anger through him.

“Sentinel was a traitor to all of Cybertron,” Soundwave said in front of him, “His crimes were unforgivable, but he paid the just price. Lord Megatron was able to reclaim the T-cog he stole from you and ripped the traitor in half for all to see.”

The mechling nodded but then frowned, running to walk alongside him, “Hang on. Sentinel took my cog?”

The blue mech nodded, “After you died, he stole and used it to make himself stronger than anyone else.”

“And… now Megatron has my cog?” He slowly said, pointing back the way they came.

Soundwave seemed to realize the situation as well as he faltered for a second before recomposing himself, “I could speak with our Lord into giving it back?” He offered.

“Oh, no that's ok,” M said and opened his chassis to show his current t-cog, “I got a new one thanks.”

The older bot stopped before they entered the large room ahead and leaned down, closely examining the device.

“It is not the same,” He concluded, “This one is weaker.”

“Well, it's served me well so far,” M shrugged and closed his chassis, walking in, “I don't need the other one, so would you mind not bringing it up?”

Soundwave stared at him for a second before following, “Of course.”

“Thanks,” He sighed, rolling his neck which was still stiff from the fight.

The two quickly collected their cubes before heading out. Soundwave walked ahead, leading M down deeper into the depths of New Kaon. The air got thicker and even warmer the further down they went.

He was never going to get used to the heat here.

They walked out into a large section that expanded outwards, filled with bots carrying and operating heavy machinery to drill into the walls.

“I thought we no longer needed to mine since the Matrix restored Cybertron,” M blinked, looking around.

“Yes, but we still need resources,” Soundwave said, sitting him down off to the side, “This group mines for metals and fuels to power and create weapons. All are here voluntarily, and can leave whenever they choose.”

“And I get to meet these guys properly now?” He tilted his helm, “And maybe help?”

“You will become acquainted with them as soon as they go on their break shortly but as for working down here, that is not your position to fulfill. You are to focus on training your fighting skills and accumulating knowledge,” The communications officer said, holding out his energon.

“Doesn't mean I can't help here,” M muttered as he took the cube, sighing as he took his mask off and lifted it up.

Only he paused and stared at his reflection, opening his intake and blinking in surprise.

One of his front dentas was broken almost completely off.

He frowned and easily plucked what was left of it out, staring at the shiny white metal while feeling the wound with his glossa.

“Must have happened during our fight,” He mumbled, flicking it away. M wasn't sure he planned on going to Flatline about this. It wasn't that big of an injury.

The gap would take some time to get used to though.

He just hummed and continued drinking his energon though, looking around at everyone who was working and swinging his legs.

Then there was the explosion.

Bright light invaded the world and for a second, time stopped. 

Then his vision filled with blue and something wrapped around him, completely covering the mechling and shielding him as all noise was drowned out in the explosion and the force sent him flying back.

They hit the wall behind them and there was a grunt by his ear. Still, he felt a servo on his helm and he was held against cold glass as they tumbled to the ground.

M gasped and his optics shot open, staring at the clear window by his face that allowed him to see a square cassette.

“Soundwave!?” He coughed, looking up at the blue mech in shock.

He groaned and gently unfolded himself from around the mechling, though managed to stumble up. M quickly hopped to his pedes next to him and looked around to see what had happened.

“What the hell was that?!” A mech off to the side, Breakdown, yelled, looking over as the others coughed and staggered to their feet. Others were screaming and M looked over in shock to see how badly those closest to the blast were damaged.

Limbs were ripped off and the entire front half of bots was burnt to a crisp, the metal melting. Fire spread all around them, the blue flames filling the air with smoke.

“False energon! I think there was a vein there!” Onslaught coughed off to the side, waving his servo to try and see, “It's like the normal thing but more easily combustible! The sparks from our drills must have ignited it and set off a chain reaction!” 

“Quickly!” Soundwave yelled as he ran in, picking one bot up by the arm and slinging him over his shoulder, “Get them out of here! The flames may set off more!”

The sparkling didn't even hesitate before he followed the blue mech in, running over to a small mech trapped in a pile of rubble and digging through it until he could pull him free.

“Thanks, we’ll take it from here,” Breakdown said, taking the mech from him and running out.

“Commander!” Someone yelled, making them turn to see what was happening.

A massive chunk of rock had broken away from the wall and collapsed forward, trapping a few mechs under it, their legs and lower torso’s almost completely crushed.

“Everyone who’s free, assist them!” Soundwave commanded, still helping the others evacuate.

Three green and purple mechs ran over, the one kneeling next to his friends, “Longhaul! Scrapper! Are you guys alright?!”

Longhaul groomed looked back, “Hook’s under there,” He wheezed, almost his whole chassis under the rock.

“Come on you two knuckle helms!” One of the constructicons that was free yelled, leaning down and trying to lift it. The two quickly scrambled to help him, lifting with all their might.

But the rock barely even moved.

“Hey, kid! Come help us! You're supposed to be really strong, right?”

M blinked when he saw Bonecrusher looking at him. “Oh! I am!” He called and ran over, standing next to him and trying to help.

The four pulled with all their might, a few other bots running over to join, but the unrelenting weight was so much that they were basically just easing it off those trapped underneath.

“Looks like we ain't gonna make it, man,” Scrapper coughed, energon leaking out of his intake, “Sorry, it was a good run. Bummed this is how we’re going out though.”

“Shut up you idiot!” Scavenger snapped, kicking his helm, “You ain't dying yet! We’re gonna get you out!”

M looked over at the combiner team, all three of them straining themselves to the point of almost tearing their arms off to get their friends out.

The sparkling puffed up, taking multiple deep breaths before giving another hard tug. His arms hurt like hell, but he ignored the pain and yelled as he gripped the rock as tightly as possible, purple light filling his vision.

There was suddenly yelling around him and he opened his optics, looking around to see the others staring at him. M then turned and looked in front of him in amazement. Glowing patterns curled up his arms and seemed to travel all over his frame.

And the rock had been lifted a considerable amount, exactly the same as the distance from the floor to his servos.

The mechling grunted determinedly and heaved it up, taking less than a second to slip under it and brace his back against the underside of the rock, yelling more as he acted like a support pillar, carrying the weight of the massive boulder on his back. His legs shook under the strain and his wings and back plating cracked.

“Get them out!” He yelled, turning to the others who were still standing there, staring in shock, “I can’t hold it forever!”

Scavenger was the first to move, diving under the rock and grabbing two of them. Mixmaster and Bonecrusher ran as well, grabbing his pedes and dragging all three out. Their actions made the others move, crawling under and getting whoever they could out. 

M gasped, coughing as the smoke-choked up his vents. He panted, his whole body trembling from exertion and his frame burned with pain. His limbs felt weak and like they were about to give out while energon ran down his arms from his servos and back, making his hold slick.

There was scraping next to him, making him look up to see Scavenger dragging the last constructicon out. Hook's whole frame had been squished down, his plating cracked and energon seeped out all over his unconscious frame.

The mechling's optics widened before newfound strength flooded him and he pushed the rock up more so they could escape, screaming in pain and determination.

“That’s everyone!” Someone called off to his side.

M trembled as his knees buckled, trapping his frame in between the rock and the floor. He wheezed and put one knee on the ground, his frame starting to fold over.

“Megatronus!”

He looked weakly to his right, finding Soundwave reaching his servo out to him. There was yelling all around him as all the Decepticons who could still stand rushed over, lining up and helping to support the weight.

M looked at the servo in front of him before ripping his own away from the ceiling and grabbing Soundwave. The blue mech locked his digits around his wrist and yanked the mechling out just as the others' strength gave out and the rock collapsed.

The third in command quickly looked down, cradling the purple mech in his arms.

He was a mess, every inhale sending tremors through his frame as the purple lines faded. His servos and arms were a mess of wires, plating, and energon, one wing was almost completely torn off and he could feel how messed up his back was just by how much energon was coating the older mech’s frame.

Still, M coughed and looked up at him with tired optics, his chassis heaving, “I did it,” He wheezed softly with a smile in his voice, “I actually did it.”

Soundwave sighed in relief and hugged him close, “Yes, you did. Well done, Megatronus.”

Chapter Text

Megatron raised one eyebrow as he stared at the single, empty desk in the large room cleared out that had been an attempt to make a makeshift classroom.

“He hasn't shown up all morning?” He asked, looking at Soundwave.

The blue mech had been the first to volunteer to tutor the young Prime. He'd seem to have grown attached over the past few days ever since the mining incident a few days ago.

Megatron was envious he hadn't been there to witness the great feat Megatronus pulled off in order to rescue the Constructicons.

“Affirmative,” Soundwave said, looking at the empty seat, “Megatronus is reported to have already left his room, yet never completed his route here.”

The grey mech frowned, “Can you find him?”

“I am already working on it,” He nodded, a panel popping open on his arm displaying feed from various cameras around the fortress.

Soundwave was silent for a second before he finally spoke, “It would appear he is outside with Rumble and Frenzy.”

Megatron raised one eyebrow, “Doing what?”

“Playing on hoverboards.”

The warlord's curious expression flickered to frustration for a second, “Did he not give us a clear schedule, designed by him, of when he wanted his lessons to be?”

“Correct,” Soundwave nodded, pulling out the datapad.

“And does he have one now?”

“Yes.”

Megatron sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Soundwave. Go and fetch our young guest and escort him back here. And while you're at it, please find out his intentions behind this sudden rebellion.”

“As you wish, my lord,” The blue mech nodded, turning and swiftly walking out.

—---------

“So you two mapped this route out by yourselves?” M blinked, peering forward over the edge of the cliff. It was an immediate drop straight down, ending in a sharp curve up that pointed towards a maze of ravines and large crevices carved by old energon rivers and then coated in black igneous rock from dried up lava beds.

“Yup!” Frenzy grinned proudly, twirling his hoverboard, “All on our own. Well, with Laserbeaks help, but don't worry! We've done this course tons of times!”

The mechling turned to them blankly, “Isn't this a bit extreme for someone who just started learning?”

“No way! Putting yourself in intense, life-threatening situations like this is the best and quickest way to pick up a new skill,” Rumble urged.

M just stared at both of them, “You literally taught me how to stand on it not even half an hour ago.”

“Right!” The red cassette laughed and pat his back, “And you've already shown you've got skill!”

“All I did was push off and do a couple laps!”

“Which is more than enough!” Rumble grinned, “So go get ‘em tiger!”

M sighed and looked down at the long drop. He gripped his board tighter before turning and walking away.

“Aw what!?” Frenzy yelled, “Where the hell are you going!? You can't be chickening out now!”

The purple mech paused his walk, staring straight ahead.

He then spun in a second and ran towards the edge of the cliff, surprising the twins and making them jump back as he barreled past.

M yelled and jumped off, floating for a moment before immediately plummeting down. He flipped helm over heels gradually before he was parallel to the cliff. He spun in the air and planted his pedes on the board, crouching down so he was more aerodynamic while lining up with the ramp.

The bottom of the hoverboard clipped the rocks as he reached the bottom, but the mechling used it. He jerked his whole frame sharply and stood in one movement, sending him and the board spinning as he ramped off and went flying through the air.

M heard the twins whooping behind him from the too as he landed sharply and took off before he could even regain his senses. The hoverboard carried him at speeds that would probably be deemed unsafe by a normal mech.

He yelled himself as he swerved to the side and managed to gain some height on the wall as it sloped up like a wave. As soon as he came down, he shot into the nearest canyon and crouched again.

The mechling looked up in awe as the massive rocks towered over him, the grey sky only visible through the slight crack. 

But he was still traveling at high speeds.

M quickly looked down and jumped, pushing his pede down so the board arched up and he jumped over to one of the other natural roads slightly higher. This one took him upwards a ridge halfway to the top.

He grabbed the board the second he popped out, tucking and rolling before pushing off and running along the small ridge. He looked down and spotted another ramp ahead.

So the mechling jumped and zipped back down, the orange glow of lava illuminating the walls around him as it bubbled and then burst up like geysers.

He narrowed his optics and yelled out, shooting up the ramp just as twin streams exploded on either side of him. The purple bot flew out of the canyon, spreading his arms and laughing.

“Megatronus!”

He jerked when Soundwaves voice suddenly called out next to him, making him wobble while the board shot out from under his pedes.

M yelped and twisted, quickly transforming and gaining some height, but he still hit the ground and went tumbling in a cloud of orange dust.

He finally rolled to a stop, landing in a sitting position. The mechling blinked and coughed as the dust cloud settled around him, giving his frame an orange tinge.

Soundwave transformed and landed next to him, the top of his visor slightly arched like he was raising one eyebrow.

“I'm ok!” The mechling claimed though coughed up a cloud of dust afterwards.

The blue mech sighed and easily pulled him to his pedes and giving him a cloth,“I thought Flatline specifically told you not to do anything extreme while your frame is recovering. That incident was only four days ago.”

“Well I was feeling better, so I figured it would be fine,” M shrugged, trying to wipe himself clean, “Doesn't hurt anymore.”

“You also skipped your lesson,” Soundwave said, leaning down to his height, “Care to explain?”

The mechling flinched and looked at him slowly, “Well… I'd put some of them quite close together and my pa-” He coughed, “Someone pointed out I didn't plan any breaks in between. Then Rumble and Frenzy wanted to show me how to hoverboard so one thing led to another and well…”

He gestured around sheepishly, “I couldn't resist.”

Soundwaves visor narrowed slightly, “And yesterday? When you missed one of your combat lessons to go exploring with them?”

“I forgot about that one!” He said quickly, “And I told Thundercracker!”

“Thundercracker was out on patrol most of the day.”

“Really?...Dammit.”

The blue mech sighed again and kneeled down, putting one servo in his helm, “I do not mind you going out and having fun, but designated lesson times are not to be messed with.”

“Yeah but I had poor planning skills when I made most of those,” He muttered.

“We can change that, but it is Lord Megatron's request that you train and learn as much as possible while you are here,” The older mech said.

He tilted his helm as M scowled at the ground, “It's no fun,” He huffed under his breath, “All I've been doing is working. And I want to fight someone who's closer to my age. Fighting the older bots is so serious and tiring.”

He looked up with his bright blue optics, pulling his servos up determinedly, “I want to join the other sparklings! I know here are some here! I overheard younglings back at the academy that they defected to you guys! Not to mention Flatline was speaking to Knockout about the small hotspot the seekers found a while back!”

Soundwave looked at him for a second, trying to figure out how to word things. Information like that wouldn't have just been spoken about freely in public places like the medbay, even by Flatline who was known to be a chatterbox.

He wanted to look into the sparkling’s mind to see where he'd gotten that information but when he did, it was like dark stained glass had been put up.

M was building a resistance to his telepathy quicker than he had expected.

He cleared his throat, “I am aware of your desire, but those sparklings are on a much lower level than you. Your training takes priority over theirs and is more intense. You are too far ahead physically.”

“That doesn't matter! That just means I could help them!” M insisted, leaning up to him, “I can show them what I've learnt and assist with training! Please sir! Even if it's just for a little bit!”

Soundwave stayed silent for a second but stood up, “I will discuss it with Lord Megatron,” He finally said, “But you need to come back so I can finish teaching you of the history of the Primes.”

M grimaced for a second but nodded, “Deal!”

“Alright, then let's head back,” He said, jumping into the air and transforming.

The sparkling sighed heavily but picked the hoverboard up and jumped after him.

An hour later—---------

Why in the Pits did he agree to this?

M watched as Soundwave pointed to different points on the projection, highlighting key events that took place during the history of Cybertron.

The mechling stared ahead, listening to what was being said but not actually processing the words. Between training and these small lessons, he only really had time to recharge half of his needed energy. Not to mention his joyride had drained him more than he'd realized.

The mechling let out a sigh and slumped forward more, his palm dragging up the side of his mask as his helm tilted forward slightly. He gave a yawn and closed his optics with his intake, hoping to just rest them for a few seconds.

Soundwave still continued to speak, not noticing the young mech behind him falling asleep.

His mentor's words seemed to fade into background noise as his mind slowly slipped from reality. They blurred in with the other noises of New Kaon until it was all just sound.

And then…

“Megatronus! Pay attention!” A sharp voice came from his side, “I know you are worried but we need to be alert.”

He opened his optics and looked next to him at the white and gold mech walking next to him. He had a crown-like helmet and four thin wings downturned on his back.

“My apologies, Liege,” M found himself saying immediately, internally surprised at his deeper voice, “I just hope this will be worth it.” 

He didn't say it out loud, but Sentinel's behavior had been bothering him for a while now. This sudden news that he had gathered importation intel didn't sit right with him for some reason. His wings twitched with unease.

There was a slap on his shoulder and he turned to see a pink and yellow femme grinning up at him, having to reach up to pat his large pauldrons, “It won't be!” She said confidently, giving a thumbs up while flinging her large hammer over her shoulder, “You just wait and see Megs. This is going to end it all.”

M nodded and turned to look ahead of them, his gaze falling on the dark blue mech leading and the white and gold one following as they walked towards the large cave.

“This is it!” Zeta called, looking back at his fellow Primes for a second, “We head out as soon as we receive the location. Time is of the essence here, so do not be afraid to make haste.”

He nodded along with the rest of them and marched in stoically, standing tall above the other bots.

They had to duck to get through the tight tunnels, the stone and vegetation having grown over so much that it was almost closed up.

Megatronus looked up as they walked out into the large cave, optics squinting at the hole in the ceiling.

His plating flared and he instinctively grabbed his spear, bringing it out and holding it close to him.

“You seem on edge,” Nexus said softly next to him, just so he could hear.

“I am,” He muttered back, casting a glance at the shorter mech, “Sentinel told us to meet him here, but I do not sense any sign of him. Every fiber of my being is telling me something is wrong.”

The blue mech looked like he was about to say something else, but they were interrupted by chittering and screeching above them, followed by the scraping of hundreds of metal claws.

Quintessons poured out of the small opening in the top of the cave, gathering along the whole ceiling.

Megatronus heard Solus yell behind him but they were all already spinning into their positions, quickly forming a circle and lifting their weapons just as green blaster fire rained down on them.

He lifted his arm, the thick metal preventing any real damage from the concentrated blasts. As quickly as they formed, the Primes broke up and ran in different directions.

“For Cybertron!” Someone yelled off to the side, but he didn't have time to turn and see who it had been. 

The large purple mech focused on his own targets, sweeping his spear around in a large circle and easily cutting the attackers in half. He then quickly knelt down and lowered his helm, the missiles on his back firing off and hitting the Quintesson that were starting to swarm him.

Not even hesitating, he jumped up and easily speared one, bringing it around and using its body to take down a few others.

Hope started rising in his chassis as he fought through them despite the numbers, yelling as he ended one after the other.

But then something changed.

The air grew heavy around him and a sense of dread crept over his shoulders.

There was a yell behind him and the purple mech spun around just in time to see the large blade being yanked out of Nexus Primes chassis and he fell.

Sential stood behind him, a frantic expression on his face as he looked around at the rest of the bots like they were new toys to be played with.

The traitor grabbed Nexus’ gun off of the floor and spun around, shooting it at the closest bot to him. She cried out in pain and went flying back, landing heavily on a pile of rocks and getting impaled on a broken blade sticking out.

“NO!”

Time seemed to slow down while someone yelled in pain and shock as Solus was killed. Megatronus was vaguely aware he was the one screaming for her, reaching out as he watched the light die from his lover's optics.

“SOLUS!”

In his moment of disorientation, three Quintesson took advantage of him. 

One jumped on his back, grabbing his helm and pulling him back while its comrades each grabbed his arms, dragging the mech down to the ground. He yelled in pain when they stabbed their long swords into his wrists, pinning his arms like an insect.

He cried out as he struggled against them, just starting to feel tears brimming in his optics as his plating flared purple for a second.

But it quickly faded when he was brought to his knees, being held down tightly. It was like all at once, all hope, strength and determination to fight left him for a second. Grief overwhelmed his mind in a way he'd never experienced. He felt empty, pointless.

He was aware someone was approaching him, and Megatronus turned his gaze slightly to the side to see Sentinel standing over him, wild delight lighting up his face.

The purple mech just looked down tiredly, his frame wearing down as he accepted his fate. There was the sound of the blade slicing through the air and pain sprouted through his neck.

His helm was disconnected from his body, yet they still felt connected as his face rolled over the moss. He could still feel the Quintessons hands on him as they ripped his limbs apart and tore into his chassis and abdomen.

He still felt all the pain.

He still heard all the carnage around him.

Desperation and urgency took over his mind but it was too late. There was nothing he could do except watch the battle reach its end, staring helplessly as the Primes died one by one, and yet his vision was still fading. He couldn't even move his optics anymore.

Help them!

Help them!

His mind screamed over and over, but it was no use. 

He couldn't die now! He still had so much he needed to do! He needed to get back to the High Guard Fortress! He still needed to say goodbye to him!

Megatronus’ optics widened in shock when he caught a glimpse of a small red bird, watching the carnage.

Oh Primus…

He would see this…

He needed to make sure he was alright!

No matter how hard he tried, his body could not move on its own and finally, after what felt like an eternity, his spark was snuffed as a blade ran through it and he was plunged into darkness. Numbers flashing in front of his gaze, burnt into his optics.

01011001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100011 01101111 01110101 01101100 01100100 01101110 11100010 10000000 10011001 01110100 00100000 01101000 01100101 01101100 01110000 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 01101101 11100010 10000000 10100110

01011001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100110 01100001 01101001 01101100 01100101 01100100 00101110 00100000 01011001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100110 01100001 01101001 01101100 01100101 01100100 00101110 00100000 01011001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100110 01100001 01101001 01101100 01100101 01100100 00101110 00100000

And the anguished yells of death and chittering didn't stop, burying into his mind.

01001101 01111001 00100000 01110011 01110000 01100001 01110010 01101011 01101101 01100001 01110100 01100101 00101110 00101110 00101110 00100000 01001101 01111001 00100000 01110011 01101111 01101110 00101110 00101110 00101110

Megatronus screamed when he suddenly found himself falling, grabbing to try and get a hold of anything, something to pull himself up so he could run back over and help them.

His back and helm hit something hard and he went rolling out of the chair, scrambling against the cold surface of the floor while the world spun.

Someone called his name, but he could barely hear them over all the other noise. Someone else was screaming, loud and pained right in his audio receptors, over and over in an unending wail.

Part of him realized it was his own voice.

His optics were open now but he could still see everything. Energon was splattering over his vision and he watched limbs get torn to pieces.

In one last attempt, he yelled and grabbed at his face, tearing what was on it off and throwing it as far as he could before curling into a ball and squeezing his optics shut.

Immediately the noise stopped and the scenes from that day disappeared, but he didn't feel any less distressed. His digits dug into his plating with a horrible screeching noise and he gasped for air with ragged breaths, his other servo clutching his throat as a ring of pain had formed on it while his frame was overheating rapidly.

Something was running down the side of his face but he could care less, instead just trying to wash his mind of everything he'd just seen.

Then a warm servo rested on his shoulder, and the storm calmed.

The young mech gasped and opened his optics, staring ahead before slowly turning his helm.

Soundwave's visor was looking down at him, angled down in concern.

“What happened?”

The words took a second for his mind to register. He didn't need to ask if his student was fine.

He clearly wasn't.

Megatronus just stared before he turned over and lunged forward, grabbing Soundwave around the middle and hugging him tightly, burying his face into the older mechs chassis.

“I couldn’t help them,” He whispered, “They all died because I gave up…”

He felt the surprise in the other bots field but nonetheless, he wrapped his arms securely around the purple youngling and held him gently. M stared for a second before a small sob escaped him, making Soundwave look down when he felt the small bot crying.

M desperately tried to hide it, but he couldn't stop the stream of tears that smeared and painted his cheeks light blue.

“I couldn’t save them, I couldn’t save them, I couldn’t save them,” He repeated, over and over despite his voice breaking and choking up.

The gentle servo rested on the back of his helm, carefully cradling it like one would do with a newborn sparkling.

The comparison he'd come to made M blinked and he tried to push away, desperately attempting to wipe all of the tears from his face.

Soundwave carefully took him by the wrists and stopped him, “There's no need for that,” He said softly, “You're allowed to cry.”

“But I'm the strongest!” M protested, looking up at him while attempting to not look pathetic, yet his voice was barely above a whisper, “I'm the bravest Prime.”

“Even the bravest have their fears,” He softly reassured him while letting go of his wrists, “You just don't have as many as everyone else. If we didn't fear, we wouldn't survive. It's what keeps us alive.”

The mechling sniffled and slowly nodded. His optics flickered wearily to the projection while one servo went up and rubbed his neck.

“Don't worry. I think we're done for today,” Soundwave stood and easily picked him up, hugging him. M jolted in surprise but quickly adjusted, wrapping his arms around the blue mechs neck and his legs around his waist.

The communications officer gently pat his back as he walked out. Megatron was already standing there, but Soundwave didn't quite like the disapproving look he had on, aimed at the young mech.

Luckily, Megatronus didn't seem to notice as he stared behind them.

The sparkling looked curiously at the room they'd just come out of as others went in.

Part of him was starting to believe he was the only one who could see the shadow of a massive mech in the room, its blue optics staring right at him.

Chapter Text

M stared at Megatron's back as he followed the larger mech.

He could feel another's gaze on him, but he also knew that this corridor was deserted.

Well, deserted if you didn't count the massive black shadow that seemed to follow him around. It didn't even try to hide. Every time he turned and looked it was right there, only a few paces behind him.

He'd also fully confirmed no one else could see it as he'd watched a seeker walk right through it yesterday without even blinking.

But as creepy as it was, he was starting to warm up to it oddly enough.

It never tried to harm him or anyone else, more like it was just observing or accepting the fact it couldn't communicate with him.

He knew that it knew he could see it, but that didn't make it do anything.

However, he had noticed that after a few days, it had bright blue eyes that had started to form, like his. He'd also become aware of the fact that the strange whispers he heard at night sometimes had started as soon as he'd noticed this thing was following him.

But again, it never said anything bad. If anything, it would give him advice and once or twice it shared knowledge with him that turned out to be true, like the fact there were other sparklings here.

Speaking of which...

M turned and looked as they walked through the large doors and into the small training room, this one off to the side from the one he used to spar in.

All of the youngsters' helms turned to look at him as he walked in, but he'd gotten used to that by now. He'd had a few lessons with them and had memorized a few names, but they all didn't seem to have any interest in talking to him, or attempting to make friends. The closest relationship any of them had was the two that seemed to stare at him more than usual.

He broke away from Megatron and walked over to the rack full of guns with the others, about to take one when the warlord cleared his throat, making all of them turn.

"There is no need for those today," He said with a smile dripping with honey, "I think we'll focus on sparring today."

"Yes sir!" Everyone except M yelled, saluting and running to the mats. The purple mechling followed, lagging behind intentionally as they all paired up.

He was the odd one out, standing off to the side and watching the others. But he didn't mind. These were their lessons, and he was just an extra here.

Besides, part of him was too nervous to fight any of the other younglings. He'd only had one match and he'd knocked the other mechling out with his first punch.

He was starting to understand what Soundwave had meant.

A large servo rested on his shoulder, and he turned to look up at Megatron as he stood next to him, "You will be facing off against Demo next," He instructed, pointing at the black and navy mechling that threw another named Drops hot over his shoulder, knocking him out.

"He's one of our strongest," The older mech continued, "I don't want you to hold back against him."

M froze and looked up with wide optics, "But I might hurt him," He said, "I've already been holding back and I did enough damage!"

Megatron's lip curled up in a smirk and he leaned down, "Well, you're not going to be knocking them out now. This fight..."

"Will be to the death."

The mechling stared up at him in disbelief, "But... that means I have to kill him."

"Exactly. That is how we determine the strongest," He smiled, "If you are not able to snuff a spark, you will not be able to grow."

M looked at the other mechling as the grip on his shoulder tightened, "But..."

Megatron trapped him in the gaze of his red optics, "How could you plan to fill the role of Megatronus if you plan to be a pacifist? You have and will need to kill many more in order to end all of this fighting. You will even need to eliminate your own comrades should they plan on betraying you."

"...but..."

"No more arguing. Now go."

M stumbled as he was pushed onto the mat, looking up in shock at Demo as the other mechling grinned wildly at him.

"So, I'm now up against the famous Megatronus?" He grinned, already circling him, "Gotta say, it'd give me a lot of street cred if I took ya out. Why don't you be a good little mech and let your elder take you out?"

M looked around frantically as he automatically started pacing as well, trying to find someone to get him out of this.

He needed Soundwave, but he'd barely seen the blue mech over these past few days as he'd been summoned to do surveillance more than usual.

"Focus!" Megatron barked off to the side.

The purple mechling blinked and looked back to the fight just as the navy fist connected with his helm.

But he barely even moved, only his helm snapping to the side.

Demo growled and yelled out, grabbing him by the back of the neck and forcing him down, punching him repeatedly in the stomach.

In one swift motion, he picked the younger mech up and threw him across the mat. M tumbled for a second but managed to stop himself, jumping to his pedes.

At the angle he'd landed, he got a full view of Megatron's face as he watched. He was staring daggers at the purple bot, silently commanding him to get on with it.

M quickly tore his gaze away and stared at his opponent. He looked down to see his servos shaking slightly.

Was he scared?

He didn't have time to answer his own question as Demo charged and grabbed him around the middle, twisting around and slamming him down hard. M cried in surprise as he hit the back of his helm and blacked out.

The mechling gasped and opened his optics, looking up but finding himself in a black abyss. The floor looked like a tinted mirror, and when he looked down he could see his reflection.

It made him pause.

He was in his original frame, the one he'd had when he first woke up.

He stared down at how simple it was, back when no one had any expectations of him, when the only unusual thing was how strong he was.

"You've grown a bit since then, haven't you?"

M froze, his optics wide as another reflection appeared right next to his, showing the grinning face of a mech with a gold and blue helm.

The sparkling whipped around, bringing his fist with him.

But he punched thin air.

A laugh echoed around him, making him spin on his heels.

"Wow, you have gotten weak!"

Sentinel appeared next to him, grabbing the back of his helm and slamming him down. He grabbed the mechlings arm and twisted it behind his back as he pressed him into the floor.

"Megatronus Prime," The blue mech drawled with a grin, "The strongest, the coolest Prime, reduced to this. Honestly I feel quite bad for you, really. All that fame and glory you had now coming back to bite you. And you can't even handle the simplest task."

"Let me go, you traitor!" M growled, struggling against him.

"Hmm, no. Don't think I will," Sentinel mused, twisting his arm further so the wires strained and plating cracked, "You know, I don't think I'll kill you either. Not immediately that is. But I definitely think I'll do it the same way."

He pressed his knee into the mechlings back to hold him down, now using his free servo to run one digit along the circumference of the younger mech's neck.

"No, I think I'll go and find your little sparkmate first," He said softly, leaning right down in his ear, "You remember Solus? I suppose so since you remember me. Why don't we go and get her? You two were always so happy together, so why not one last reunion before I make you wait another 50 cycles to see each other?"

M felt his breathing increase. His plating heating up as anger started coursing through him, his optics getting brighter as he stared at the older mech with enough hatred to kill.

Sentinel just smirked, "There it is. Any threat against her always got you ticking, didn't it? The look on your face when I killed her was priceless the first time. I wonder how you'll scream this time? The mighty Megatronus, falling to his knees over a fem-"

M screamed and used his pede to push off, sending both of them rolling. He crashed into the ground, slamming Sentinel against the floor first and ripping his arms free.

The mechling rolled over and pinned him down, his lips pulled back in a snarl and he glared down with pure rage as he held Sentinel's arms down with his knees.

Then he began punching.

He didn't have anyone to hold him back or stop him now.

Each blow was delivered with as much hatred and anger he could muster, putting all of his strength into every hit.

"Don't touch her!" He screamed, finding delight at how the energon sprayed from the traitor's mouth as his cheeks dented inwards and armor cracked, "I'll fragging kill you myself!"

"Like- y-you'd be to!" Sentinel yelled in between punches.

M's plating flared as he took up the challenge.

"Watch me," He growled softly.

He grabbed the older mech's neck and squeezed, he wires and pipes under his digits crumpling like paper, the thin metal being crushed easily. Energon spurted out, starting at a thin trickle but soon bursting out like a geyser.

M was vaguely aware he was grinning as he watched the blue mech choke on his own energon.

But he didn't stop there. The mechling removed his servos and held it up over the other bots chassis.

He inhaled, "DIE!"

And plunged his fist in, easily breaking through layers of metal as Sentinel screamed.

His servo found something warm, a ball that fit into his fist and felt like soft glass covered in fabric. Electricity sparked on his metal as he enclosed his digits around it and squeezed.

The spark shattered in his servo.

He stayed there for a while, panting as he watched Sentinel die below him. His anger faded slowly, making him blink in surprise and slight confusion.

Then, the world came back into focus. The black one melted away and he was back on the sparring mat.

Demo was below him, lying in the same position Sentinel had been. His face was barely recognizable, his neck a bloody mess of destroyed wires and plating.

M slowly looked down, his optics going wide in shock.

His servo was buried in the other mechling's chassis, and he could feel what was left of his spark crumbling away.

He threw himself off and scrambled back, chassis heaving as he looked around.

The other younglings stared at him in horror, the whole room silent as they had just witnessed their friend's brutal murder.

The purple mechling looked down at his energon-covered servos, his processor still trying to catch up with what had just happened.

He slowly stood and looked around. A whole bunch of mechs were outside, staring through the glass in surprise.

M blinked and looked down again at the energon coating his servos. He then looked up at Megatron.

"I just killed someone," He said softly.

But the grey mech just smiled and walked over, standing in front of him with slight pride, "Indeed you did, and without mercy," He chided, "I told you. You are not what you expect."

M stared at him for a second before he slowly looked down at the corpse by his pedes. He did admit that guilt tugged strongly in his spark, but he was also surprised and horrified at how easily he seemed to be able to push it down.

The mechling gulped and frowned the longer he looked at the mangled corpse, not really feeling as much as he'd expected to.

Why was he so calm about this?

Surely normal bots didn't look at a corpse and feel...

"Like I said, Megatronus was a warrior of steel, mentally and physically," Megatron went on, taking his servo so the energon was smeared onto his as well, "Fighting on the front lines was what he often did, smiting down his enemies cleanly and quickly."

He lifted his arm then and used his thumb to smear a line of energon down the mask over each optic, smiling proudly down at the young mech in a way that made his spark swell, "And you have finally returned, Megatronus Prime."

Megatronus looked up at him, and tried to give a small smile under his mask.

Maybe Megatron was right. Maybe he was just supposed to feel like this...

"No."

M gasped and backed away, slipping out of the grey mech's hold.

He looked around for the source of the other voice, and his optics landed on the ghost standing only a few feet away.

"This isn't right."

He could hear it...

It...

Sounded like him.

M gasped and grabbed his chassis as he felt his breathing picking up.

"I... I have to go!" He declared and then turned, running off without waiting for anyone to reply.

The mechling ran out and pushed through the crowd of mechs waiting outside, the world around him spinning. He stumbled down the hall as fast as possible, walking into a few walls as his stomach churned.

He'd just killed someone.

He'd just killed another sparkling.

He wasn't even halfway to his room when he fell to his servos and knees, ripping his mask off as he threw up.

M coughed as he stumbled to his pedes again, energon now spilled down his chin and chassis as his mask lay forgotten behind him on the floor.

He grabbed his helm as he world tipped on its side, throwing him against the wall.

He didn't want this!

Someone make it stop!

M screamed at himself as he felt like he was going to throw up again, collapsing against the wall.

If this was what it meant to be Megatronus...

"I'd rather stay as M-57!" He yelled with a sob, "Please! I don't want to be like this!"

He looked up through blurry optics and realized he'd collapsed right by his door. But he didn't even have the strength to stand.

Instead, M crawled over and dragged himself inside, collapsing on the floor as the door closed. He huddled in a corner, curling up on himself.

The ghost had followed silently.

It stood over him before sitting down. Its massive servo rested on his shoulder and slowly pat him.

M looked up at the older version of himself, his past life trying to comfort him now.

But he was beyond that.

The sparkling sobbed again and grabbed his helm, trying to bury it in his knees and get swallowed up from the ground.

It was wrong.

Killing was wrong.

He'd taken another life with his own servos.

His friends would call him a monster.

Optimus would be disappointed.

Soundwave as well.

So why...

Why had part of him enjoyed it...?

——————

"You're forgetting yourself."

Megatronus was suddenly jolted awake and turned to his side, looking down at the femme standing next to him.

Solus gave a sympathetic smile and rested one servo on the side of his mask, "You were getting carried away again, getting blinded by your task of eliminating them," She said softly, "I was starting to think you couldn't hear me calling your name."

Her touch retreated, letting the mech get a full view of her palm that was now stained with green liquid.

He slowly lifted his own servo and felt where hers had left, feeling the Quintessons blood that had splattered there. It then occurred to him that almost his entire frame was covered in it.

"I killed them all?" Megatronus slowly asked before he turned and stared at the pile of corpses behind him.

"Yes."

The tone she used was simple, not filled with a single emotion.

That made him worry.

He quickly spun around and looked at his lover, spark sinking when he saw her blank expression, his wings drooping slightly, "I... didn't realize."

Solus gave a soft sigh and put her hammer down, walking over and making a small motion with one digit.

Megatronus was still for a second before he got down onto his knees, almost at optic level with her now. Still, the femme reached up and hugged him, cradling his helm in her arms and leaning her cheek against his.

"I know," She said softly while emotion finally returned to her voice, her breath tickling the plating by his audio receptors "That's why I'm here to bring you back."

——————

M felt himself jolt awake, staring up to find he was now on his berth with someone kneeling next to him, one servo on his arm to try and gently wake him.

He turned and looked at the mech, "Soundwave?" He got up onto one elbow, "What happened?"

The communications officer was quiet for so long that the sparking was almost convinced he'd powered down like that, only to jump when he finally spoke.

"You've forgotten yourself, M."

His voice was softer than M had ever heard before, almost surprising him while the grip on his arm tightened ever so slightly.

And he spoke the same words as her...

"What...?'

The sparkling looked down at his mask, the one he'd left in the hall, sitting next to him.

It was covered in energon, and so was he.

"Oh Primus... I killed someone..."

M grabbed his shoulders, covering his intake as he remembered everything. He looked over at the older mech with wide optics, expecting to see the disappointed expression.

But the communications officer stayed unreadable.

Soundwave stood before and nodding to the berth. The sparkling just stared but slowly moved over so he could sit down next to him.

They sat in silence for a second before Soundwave finally spoke.

"I know you better than anyone here," The blue mech said, leaning forward on his knees and staring at the floor, "Megatron is turning you into the image of Megatronus he imagined, but I know that's all it is. Just in image."

"I do but don't understand," M whispered slowly, curling up tighter on himself, "He's making me kill people. It's wrong. But he said it's the only way. Maybe he's right. I found myself enjoying it. Maybe I am just a killing machine."

Soundwave sighed deeply, his helm dipping down as he reached up and put one servo on the sparklings helm, "Do you know why when you first arrived here, I kept my distance from you?"

The mechling looked up slowly, shaking his helm.

"I was confused. Overjoyed of course but...," Soundwave sighed again, "But seeing you again, like this, as a sparkling, it was too strange to me."

"Because you were part of the High Guard?" The purple mechling hesitantly pressed, "Because you'd known me before?"

The older bot went silent again before rubbing his face and steeling himself, knowing this was inevitable and it was better to rip the bandage off.

"I don't know how much you remember about me, but we were close," He started, "Closer than anyone else."

M nodded slowly, knowing that was true from what little memories he had recovered, "Yeah?"

"Out of the current High Guard here, I was the one who had been around you the longest. I have known you since I was a sparkling. You were basically the one who sired me."

M blinked in surprise.

"What I'm trying to get at is that I know you, more than you know yourself right now," He said gently, "You're not a killing machine. You were just... different. You were kind, and gentle, and one of the nicest mechs I'd ever met, but there would be times when your anger overtook you."

M flinched as he said it, so Soundwave took his servo and held it reassuringly.

"It wasn't your fault, you couldn't help it," He said softly, "Solus was always there to calm you down, but you always looked so guilty and sad when you realized what had happened. That's what made you a better person."

The sparkling curled up against his side, "I still don't want to do that," He whispered, "I don't have Solus to calm me down now. It got out of control and I couldn't stop it."

Soundwave looked down at him sadly, putting his arm around the mechling, "That's why I will be there now, until you get her back."

M looked up at him slowly as the blue mech picked him up and hugged the mechling, "You will?" He sniffed.

He nodded, "I will be your sire, just like you were mine. I'll keep you safe, and I'll help you as much as I can so you never have to feel guilty about any of this. I don't want to see you fall apart, and I know Solus wouldn't either."

The sparkling looked down, holding his servo tightly as he leaned against the blue mechs chassis.

"Thanks," He whispered, "I really need you."

"I know," Soundwave said softly, looking down at him, "That's why I'm staying by your side."

M closed his optics for a second, but sleep had evaded him so he opened them.

He looked up at the ghost. It was still sitting in the corner, but it was now looking at Soundwave.

Its optics were full of sorrow.

The mechling looked up at the blue mech.

"Can you tell me?"

"Hm?" Soundwave asked.

"How did I meet you?" M asked, "I want to know everything, until I can remember it for myself."

"It's quite a long tale," Soundwave mumbled, looking down.

M just settled down, "I can wait," He said, "I don't think I have much energy right now anyways."

The blue mech chuckled and put one servo on his helm, "Alright then. I guess I'll start at the beginning."

Chapter Text

The sparkling growled and thrashed around on the ground, acting like a wild animal while his servos remained bound in cuffs behind his back, and a muzzle covered his intake.

"You little monster," The guard growled, nursing his arm that had been bitten and was currently bleeding.

The little mech paused to smirk at him, flashing his sharp fangs only to get kicked back against the wall.

"You sure this is the one?" Another guard asked the owner of the stall they were next to, leaning on the table.

"Of course I'm sure!" The mech behind the counter yelled, brandishing his servo dramatically, "That little brat has stolen more energon than I can count! Do you know how much I've lost because of him?!"

"Well I'm sure you'll be able to make up for those losses with this successful store of yours," The guard smiled and pat the table twice before getting up and turning to his friend, "Alright, let's get him out of here!"

The mechling gave a growl while the small fins on his helm flattened, backing away while he narrowed his optics at the two.

"Feral little glitch," The first mech sneered, grabbing at him, "No wonder they wanted you removed from here!"

The blue sparkling snarled and launched forward, head butting the older mech in the stomach before scrambling to his pedes and taking off.

He looked back at them, pulling his glossa at the two before suddenly slammed into a wall that suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. The mechling went sprawling back, shaking his helm and quickly looking up at it.

The wall had purple and dark grey plating, and when he looked further up, it also had a face.

He hissed and scooted away.

The large mech in front of him tilted his helm and looked down at the young bot curiously before turning to the two guards who were running up behind him.

"Might I ask what is going on here?" A deep voice rumbled.

The two jumped to attention, shocked and frightened, "Megatronus sir!" One yelled, saluting urgently, "We got reports of a feral sparkling in the area terrorizing the locals and came to remove him!"

The large mech was obviously someone famous as bots filtered out into the street to see him, whispering his name. The sparkling looked at them in confusion, not getting what the big deal was. There were too many thoughts coming from the crowd to figure it out.

He suddenly jumped and rolled back over when the large mech directed his attention back to him.

The mechling looked up and hissed, though it was now more out of fear.

He couldn't read this mech's mind.

It scared him.

The purple mech kneeled down, causing his plating to flare as he tried to make himself look bigger, scrambling away.

Only to be completely pinned down by one massive yet gentle servo. The sparkling shrieked as he was picked up like he weighed nothing, thrashing about. The large bot however, cradled him close to his chassis, studying the sparkling for a second before he sighed and turned to the guards.

The child paused when purple lit up his vision, blinking as he stared at the glowing lines that appeared over the mech's frame.

Megatronus rose up this full height, towering over the two quaking guards, "I understand the actions of rescuing a child from the streets and sending him to a proper educating home, but treating a sparkling like a hardened criminal is unforgivable. Do not think I don't see the wounds on him you clearly inflicted, or that both of you have been given multiple disciplinary hearings for harassment of civilians."

The two looked up in fear while the sparkling smirked, liking this height he was at.

"Now, I expect both of you to head back to your station and report all of this, including your unacceptable behaviour. Do I make myself clear?" He leaned down, bathing both of them in the intense purple light from his optics.

"Y-yes sir!" The lead guard cried and they both scrambled away frantically. The blue mechling cackled, rolling back and kicking his pedes.

Megatronus let out another long sigh, the lines disappearing while he rolled his neck, "I hate having to do that," He turned and quickly addressed the crowd, "Apologies for that everyone, but I needed to reinforce our code of conduct with those two. As you all were!"

"What about the kid?!" The guy from the shop called.

Megatronus raised one servo, "I shall deal with the mechling as I see fit, but do not worry yourself with him. He shall be taken care of."

The mechling looked up with wide optics as his fear returned, the situation he was in dawning on him as the large purple bot started walking away.

He began thrashing again, shrieking like a cat and trying to bite his servos despite the muzzle preventing him from doing so.

He was so busy trying to escape, that he didn't even realize the mech had walked into a side alley and crouched down.

It made the sparkling pause as his cuffs suddenly clicked off, freeing his little servos and the muzzle over his intake fell off.

He immediately lunged forward and sank his sharp dentas into the servo holding him.

But the bot didn't flinch.

Instead, his free servo came up and reassuringly pat his helm, in a way of someone who was aware of their giant size.

The sparkling paused and slowly looked up at him, blinking in confusion.

"Normally I would bring you to an education center, but I have a feeling you're probably going to run away from that," He said, his deep voice soft and gentle, "There's something still here for you, isn't there?"

The little mech turned and looked up into those bright blue optics, staring at him for a second before slowly nodding.

He then turned and looked in surprise as he was put down on the ground.

"My name is Megatronus," The purple mech said, carefully dusting him off, "I will be around these parts for a few more days until I have to return to my outpost. I would suggest moving somewhere else soon if you don't want to be caught again but while I am here, feel free to ask me anything, alright small one?"

The blue sparkling reached up and grabbed the large digits just as they were retreating, his little servos barely able to completely wrap around them.

"What is it?" Megatronus asked gently.

"I... I S-Soundwave," The sparkling said in a small voice, still holding onto his digits.

His little spark lit up when Megatronus' optics crinkled, showing he was smiling, "It is very nice to meet you Soundwave," He said before reaching into his subspace and taking out some cubes of energon, giving them the little mech, "Hopefully that should keep you going for a few days. Just come find me if you want more."

Soundwave looked down and gawped at how many cubes he was now holding, more than he'd ever had in his whole life.

The large mech chuckled and stood up, "See you around kid," He smiled, "I hope to meet you again."

The mechling looked up, nodding quickly before running off with his haul and disappearing into the closest alley.

Megatronus smiled and walked back out into the street. He'd meant those words. He wasn't sure what it was, but that sparkling's optics held something in them that he hadn't seen in a long time.

A few days later——————

Soundwave stuck his helm out of the small crate on the ground, opening his intake and leaning his face up to the sky, letting the raindrops fall onto his glossa.

Rain wasn't a common thing on Cybertron, yet it wasn't unheard of.

And he loved it.

The sounds and smells that came with it were soothing, calming his little mind.

There was shuffling in the crate behind him and the darkness stirred. From within a nest of stolen and old clothes, a shape almost the same size as him emerged and padded over.

There was some snuffling on the back of his helm and neck before a gentle pair of jaws picked him up by the nape and carried him back inside, out of the rain.

Soundwave gave a small, unhappy whine as Ravage set him in the middle of the nest and curled around the sparkling, warming him up while licking his helm clean. While he was upset about being brought in, he didn't mind this. Soundwave let out a small purr and curled up against her side.

Ravage made a small, happy noise as the mechling she'd deemed her kit snuggled against her, his little servos clenching and unclenching happily.

She'd found him a few deca-cycles ago, alone and abandoned, a sparkling with hearing as sensitive as her own and cowering from everyone around him. So, she'd taken him in, and raised him like her own.

She could have never had the spark to leave him there. Surviving on the streets was tough, but having company made it bearable.

Said company was also adorable as he rolled over and yawned, burying himself in blankets.

Ravage purred and wrapped her tail around him, as happy and content as she needed to be.

But before long, both bolted awake as a whole group of bots noisily ran down the alley they resided in. The cyber cat growled as Soundwave looked around drowsily. She slowly crept out and looked around, but they were already running off.

"Come on!" The mech in the lead yelled, "Megatronus will be leaving any minute now!"

There was a curious chirp behind her and Soundwave stuck his helm out, his optics wide and excited.

Was this the mech who'd been giving them energon recently?

Before she could think, the little bot crawled out and stood up, looking in the direction they had gone. Ravage crawled out after him, voicing her concerns with a small growl.

But the look Soundwave gave her almost immediately changed her mind.

This little mech, who never asked for any more than what he was given, looked at her with big, pleading optics to go and see this mech he'd claimed as his hero.

Ravage sighed before walking ahead of him, looping her tail around his servo and trotting off after the other bots. Soundwave squealed happily and ran after her, the smile on his face big and bright.

The cat tried to walk under whatever roofs were available, wanting to keep him dry as long as possible so his heating systems wouldn't have to struggle.

Ravage gradually led him out of the labyrinth of alleyways until they came out into the streets. Both immediately flinched at the crowd that was gathered there, yelling and waving their arms.

Soundwave scooted closer to her nervously, looking up at all the bots surrounding them.

Although she was intimidated by all the mechs and femmes gathered there, Ravage walked around the edge of the crowd until she found an opening close to the end. Soundwave quickly followed, squeezing in between bot's legs and pushing his way to the front.

They finally emerged from the crowd on the other side, both pausing and looking around.

"There!" Soundwave clicked, pointing excitedly at the large purple mech walking along a path that had been made by the crowd. He smiled and waved as he went, a small group of seekers and grounders following him.

While the little mech stared happily, Ravage frowned and looked around. These kinds of crowds were not unfamiliar to her. She recognized a send-off when she saw one. Looks like this Megatronus was leaving the city.

She immediately regretted thinking it as Soundwave froze next to her, turning and looking down at the cat with wide optics.

He hadn't pieced it together before that.

He didn't want the nice mech to leave.

The nice mech had been the only bot besides her who he liked. It was always peaceful around him.

"I..." Soundwave spluttered out, his little servo holding her tail tightly as he looked from Ravage to Megatronus. She could see the turmoil in his face, not knowing what to do.

Ravage just looked at him sympathetically. Part of her knew that he wouldn't be able to stay with her forever. All kits left the nest eventually, and Soundwave would need to go and grow up among his own kind.

He needed a Cybertonian to raise him.

But no one was the right person for the job.

No one except...

She grit her sharp dentas and looked up determinedly, looking around before she ran off to the ship, pulling him along behind her. Soundwave looked at her in confusion but followed.

Ravage kept low as they snuck around the mechs guarding the ship, running around to the back where the large engines opened up.

She nimbly hopped up the support beams and stood in one of the thrusters, looking down and watching Soundwave following her up, climbing a bit slower but eventually pulling himself up.

"Quickly," She spoke to him telepathically, nudging her kit along the inside of the engine and following him.

A single square of light shone down above them as an engineer was finishing up, walking away to get one of his tools.

Ravage pushed Soundwave out into the ship, quickly following and leading the sparkling to a bench where they ducked under.

She stuck her helm out and looked around. The halls were empty enough now as everyone was outside. She quickly looped her tail around his wrist and darted out into the corridor, sniffing around.

They soon enough came to a large storage room, filled with crates.

Ravage unhooked herself from Soundwave and jumped up onto them, humming in approval when she came to some empty ones. Calling the little mech over, she reached down when he was close enough and picked him up by the scruff, lifting him up and lowering him into one.

Soundwave plonked down to the bottom, shaking his helm and looking up at her in confusion. He walked over to the side of the crate and reached up to her. Ravage just gave a small smile and draped her tail down so he could hold it.

Those large red optics stared up in a silent plea as he realized what she was doing. Small tears formed in the corners of them.

Ravage faltered when she looked down at her kit, trying to get him to understand what she was doing.

He needed to be raised by someone other than her.

He needed to learn how to be a Cybertonian.

The little mech just shook his helm and held on tighter, squeezing his optics shut and sniffling.

Not without her.

Ravage let out a small sigh and watched him, finally relenting. She hopped down and gently licked his helm, getting a small smile as she curled around him.

Soundwave purred and hugged her tightly, clearly not letting go anytime soon.

She smiled, rubbing her helm against his as the two settled down for the long flight.

She may not be the one to raise him, but she would stay with him the whole way through it.

Hours later——————

Someone was outside.

Both of them felt it before they saw it.

The shift in the air and the footsteps approaching alerted that someone had just come into the storage closet.

Ravage lifted her helm, her ears pressed back as she curled tighter around her kit and waited for the footsteps to walk away. Soundwave held onto her, looking up as well and tilting his helm.

But the presence in the room didn't seem to get the memo as they continued walking around.

Eventually, they were right next to the crate.

The black cat crouched down, her shoulders hunched and her optics sharp as a shadow fell over them and blue optics looked down at them in surprise from under a purple mask.

Soundwave's fins perked and he smiled, giving a happy click.

"Soundwave?"

Ravage relaxed when she recognized the mech's voice, sitting up and staring back at Megatronus.

The large mech slowly reached up and gathered the two up into his arms, easily cradling them both against his chassis.

"I was wondering where you were," He smiled, looking down at the little mech who was smiling up at him happily, "And I also wondered what I've been hearing in here."

He turned his attention to Ravage, "And who is this?"

Soundwave smiled and hugged the cat, "Ravage," He said, cuddling her.

Megatronus watched as she purred and licked the little mech's helm. She then turned and looked up at him, giving a small meow while staring at him purposefully.

He nodded in understanding, immediately seeing what she wanted.

Glad her message had gotten across, she huffed in satisfaction and nestled down in his arms, loafing around her sparkling as Megatronus walked out, glad she'd finally found the perfect mech.

A few days later—————-

"You're gone for less than three deca-cycles, and you come back with a child."

Megatronus jumped in his chair and turned around, Soundwave sitting on his shoulder looking curiously at who had spoken.

A pink and yellow femme leaned in the doorway, her arms crossed with an amused smile on her face.

"Solus," Megatronus smiled, standing up and walking over, "I thought you were only coming in a few cycles."

"I was, but I managed to move a few things around to come earlier," She grinned, "Why? Were you trying to hide the sparkling?"

He chuckled and picked Soundwave up, holding him under the arms and out for her to see, "No, I was just wondering how you would react to him."

Solus tilted her helm but took the sparkling from him, looking down at the blue mechling while he stared right back up at her.

Those optics looked right at hers, studying her more intently than even an adult bot.

"He's an outlier."

She blinked and looked up at Megatronus in surprise, "What?"

"The little guy's an outlier," He explained, ruffling Soundwave's helm, "He has sensitive hearing and can read neurological impulses."

She looked at him, her optics going wide, "He can read minds? How did you figure that out?"

"She told me," He pointed back at Ravage who was curled up in a plush basket under his desk, watching them closely. The cat gave a small meow.

Solus blinked but smiled, looking down at them mechling and then gently cuddling him. Soundwave smiled and purred, his little arms trying to hug her.

"He's quite special then," She said softly, stroking his helm, "Will you raise him?"

Megatronus walked over and wrapped his arms around both of them, looking down with a smile, "We will, if you're up to it."

Solus' optics widened but sparkled, looking down at the little mechling smiling up at her.

She cooed and snuggled him more.

"We're Primes. I think we can handle it," She laughed, leaning her helm against her sparkmates chassis.

"Indeed," He smiled back, "He'll become one of the strongest mechs in the High Guard. My right hand man."

Soundwave looked up at him curiously, "What's that?"

Megatronus smiled and took him, lifting the sparkling up, "The one who stands by my side, my most trusted throughput everything and the one I can always depend on!"

"Thought that was my job," Solus teased.

He chuckled, "Different scenarios, my love. But yes, you are both that."

The little mechling puffed up happily and saluted "Yes sir!"

Megatronus smiled and brought him down, gently pressing his forehead against his, "And we will love you until the end of time," He said, "No matter what happens. Always remember that."

Soundwave smiled and hugged his face, "Always," He repeated.

Chapter Text

M opened his optics as weak rays from what little sun they had danced across his face. For the first time in a while, he felt like he'd actually slept.

Well, no wonder since after checking his chronometer, this was probably the longest recharge he'd ever had in his short life. He'd slept through a whole day it seemed.

That and…

The mechling gave a small purr and snuggled into the chassis in front of him, trying to wrap his short arms around the torso of his newly appointed sire. He actually felt safe now in Soundwaves arms. They gave him something to hold onto if it got too dark, and they seemed to block out the nightmares.

Something shifted against his spine, and he peered over sleepily at the black mass pressed flush against him.

Ravage lifted her helm and put on on his side, her bright red optics watching him as she gave a soft meow.

He smiled and reached over, rubbing the Cybercats helm. 

From the end of the berth came the light snores of Rumble and Frenzy, the twins tangled in Soundwaves legs and a mass of blankets.

There was even soft fluttering by his helm as Laserbeak perched there and Ratbat, supposedly the youngest cassette, hung down as he slept.

M looked at Soundwave as the blue mech was asleep and curled around them protectively. He could feel the warmth coming from the Cybercat behind him, giving no need for a blanket.

He wondered if this was how the blue mech had felt, a sparkling in a box on a cold rainy day, but feeling like the safest mechling in the world.

He smiled and lay there for a few more seconds, replaying the story Soundwave had told him the night before. He liked to imagine the last part, how his previous life had been so kind to a mechling he barely knew, and how Solus had been so quick to take him in.

He wondered if the rest of the Guard had similar stories to his. How did the seekers and Shockwave meet Megatronus? Was it all by coincidence, or did they seek him out? Were they recommended, or chosen personally by Megatronus for their skills?

Would they tell him if he asked?

Whatever the answer to all those questions was, they were going to have to wait.

M curled up tighter and scrunched up his face, but it was becoming nearly impossible now to ignore the iching in his servos and the tightening feeling on his plating.

He sighed and sat up, rubbing his optics with a yawn.

Ravage still kept her helm on his lap, only moving when he swung his legs over the edge and hopped down. She immediately followed, rubbing against his hip and trying to curl around him. He smiled and hugged her, giving her helm a small kiss before grabbing his mask and going to the door, heading out.

She walked right next to him, acting protective despite barely anyone being awake this early in the morning.

M made his way to the washracks close by. He went into the corner stall, the one he found he'd preferred only because it gave slightly more privacy than the rest. 

But then again, no one else was in there, so he didn't even bother to close the door as he turned the faucet on. Ravage stayed a good distance away from the spray of solvent.

The mechling grabbed the sponge and started scrubbing himself furiously, trying to get all the dried energon off of his servos, arms and frame. It stained the solvent light blue as it flaked off and swirled down the drain.

After what seemed like hours, M finally looked down to find his plating energon-free. He gave a relieved sigh and turned the faucet off, about to step out when Ravage walked over.

She held up his mask in her mouth.

The one that still had two streaks of blue down the cheeks, like it was crying energon.

The mechling felt his tanks flip as he took it, immediately trying to scrub it clean. This was the last thing he needed to clean to get rid of the evidence.

He paused, staring at the solvent trickling down the grooves.

The evidence he was a murderer…

“Stop it!” He snapped and slapped himself, “Don't sink. Don't wallow. You can't bring him back to life.”

He cleaned off the rest of the energon, shoving the guilt down as best as he could, but it seemed to bubble over no matter what.

M stood and dried off, ruffling Ravage's helm as he walked out. He held the mask out in front of him as he did, looking at it the same way he did when he'd first found it.

He'd finally started getting used to wearing it but for some reason, having it on his face felt like a burden. Like all the responsibilities of his past rushed back at once to assault his mind.

M felt his sparkrate pick up as he walked, and the plating on the back of his neck shuddered slightly. 

He stopped and turned, looking behind him. Ravage did so as well, her ears pricking up.

Two pairs of optics disappeared behind a corner.

He sighed, his shoulders sagging. He would usually run when he noticed bots stalking him but now, he didn't have the energy for this.

“Please, just leave me alone,” He called wearily, “I'll talk if you want to, but don't follow me around. It gets irritating.”

The purple mech stared, not moving. 

There was some shuffling, and a mechling poked his yellow helm around the corner, looking with bright blue optics. More shuffling and a taller, white mechling peered above him.

M blinked, “Don't I know you two?”

The white one grimaced and stepped out, “Yes. You've been visiting our class recently. We watched you kill Demo a couple days ago.”

The young Prime stiffened at his last sentence. He took a step back, away from these two. He clutched his mask tightly and looked at them with wide optics, shaking his helm.

“I didn't mean to,” He whispered, “I didn't even know. Megatron told me to fight to the death but I swear I didn't plan on it. I was knocked out and…”

He stared at the ground, his servos shaking, “I thought I was killing Sentinel.”

The cybercat next to him looked up sympathetically, giving a quiet yowl before rubbing her head against his side to try and comfort him.

“What do you mean?” The blue and yellow mechling demanded, walking forward.

M flinched at his tone, “I don't know what it is but every time I'm knocked or forcefully go unconscious I end up in some place I don't know and then Sentinels there. I attack and try to kill him and then when I wake up…”

His voice cut out as he squeezed his optics shut, trying to forget the scene in front of him as well as push down the joy rising.

“I'm sorry if he was your friend,” He wheezed out as his chassis seemed to tighten and the world started to tilt, “I didn't mean it. I didn't want to kill him.”

His servo blindly felt next to him until it found Ravage's helm, frantically petting her. It seemed to helm calm him along with her reassuring warmth against his legs.

Then there was a servo on his shoulder.

The mechling blinked and looked up to see the white mech in front of him. They were about the same height.

“Well, Demo was an aft anyways,” He said, “That guy was a bully with two goons who followed him around like he was Primus. Recon you did us all a favor there.”

M stared up like his helm had just exploded, “What?”

“What I'm saying is, it ain't the first time that's happened,” The blue one said simply, crossing his arms as he walked over, “That fragbucket has also killed his fair share of sparklings.”

The purple mech grabbed onto the wall and leaned against it to stop himself from falling over. All of this information was starting to feel like too much. His legs gave out and he slid down to the floor.

The other two simply sat on either side of him, and Ravage draped herself over his lap.

“So, you're the newest big hot shot around here, huh? Megatronus Prime” The blue one popped his name in his intake, putting his servos behind his helm, “Didn't get to see much of ya before a couple days ago.”

“Yeah,” M nodded, “But I prefer just M.”

“Well I'm N-522,” The blue one said, taking his servo and shaking it before he could react, “But I prefer just N.”

The white one nodded, “L-14.”

“You… you two are part of the group of sparklings that ran away to the Cons?” M asked softly, looking between the two of them.

“Ran away? Where'd you get that idea?” N blinked, “We were born here.”

The purple mechling stared, trying to figure out if he was lying, “That's not possible.”

“You think the only Well is in Iacon?” L grinned, leaning back against the wall.

“...Yes?”

The blue mech on his other side lifted his helm and made a sound like an incorrect buzzed, “Wrong you are!”

L cleared his throat before explaining, “While the Well in Iacon is the main one, there are many branches that span all over Cybertron and breach the surface. Depending on its size, the Well in said area may have a slower spark production rate than others, but new spark can still be harvested nonetheless. They are still incredibly rare though, and it was long since thought that this one had gone cold. That is until I popped out.”

M blinked at his textbook answer, “How'd you know all that?”

The white mech was about to answer when N cut in, “Cause this nerd spends his free time studying in the library! Reading! Can you believe how boring that sounds! I step one pede in that place and I'm out like a light! Ping !”

The motioned his servos to mimic an explosion.

L rolled his optics, “It's called gaining knowledge. I'd rather do that than go off and fool around.”

“Come on, fooling around’s fun,” N teased, sticking his glossa out, “Especially if it annoys someone else.”

“Usually me,” L sighed.

M looked between the two in amazement. They acted like brothers, kind of like the twins. 

“But to answer your question from earlier,” The white mech continued, “Yes, there were mechs that came here from Vos, but we were born here.”

“One right after the other,” N added with a grin, “As soon as I saw this guy, I was like ‘Yeah! He's my friend!’ We just had this connection, you know? And I think I get that with you! You know what actually? I do feel that bond with you as well! It's official! We were made to be friends! You're my new friend now!”

“Really?” M asked with wide optics, “Just like that?”

“Yeah!” He grinned widely before leaning forward with a concerned look, “You do know what friends are, right?”

The purple mechling reeled back and his plating bristled, “Of course I do! I have friends back at Vos! There Z, and O, and A, and… S.”

 “Pause! Hold the phone! Go back!” N yelled with a grin as he leaned forward on his servos, getting right in M's face, “You said that last one differently! Who's this S?” His face turned to a smirk, “The lucky femme or mech?”

M's wings snapped up, “She's my friend!” He cried as he suddenly felt energon rushing to his cheeks for some reason, “I just miss her!”

“Ooooh, sounds like something more!” The blue mech sang as he fell back and giggled.

“I hate to agree with him, but he's right,” L nodded, “No one turns into a lightbulb just at the mention of a friend.”

M spluttered at his answer and buried his face in his servos, “Alright then! What is it?” He muttered furiously, his voice muffled, “Since you seem to know something I don't.”

N put one servo on his shoulder and looked at him seriously, “You ever heard of love, buddy?”

The sparkling glared at him, “Of course I have! I'm not dumb!”

N raised his eyebrows and nodded his helm, like he was trying to indicate something.

M blinked for a second before his optics widened in realization.

“You have a sparkcrush!” N yelled gleefully, rolling onto his back and kicking his legs, “You're in loooooooove!”

“What! No I'm not!” M cried, gesturing around furiously, “I just like her more than average, that's all!”

“That's a crush,” L smiled, leaning forward on one servo. Ravage looked up and showed her dentas while grinning at him.

The purple mechling made a sound like a dying cyber bird as he slumped down against the wall, bright blue now.

“Now enough dilly-dallying!” N laughed, jumping to his pedes and pointing at M, “I wanna see that spear of yours!”

“Um, OK?” He said, trying to rub his face like that would get rid of the blush, “But I don't think you can pick it up.”

“Watch me!” The other youngling cackled, taking off running in the direction of his room.

L shook his helm but smiled as they got up and followed him.

“Aft,” He half-heartedly chuckled.

Later------------

“My Lord? We need to talk,” Soundwave said, knocking on the door and walking in.

Megatron looked up from the datapads he was reading, raising one eyebrow but putting his work down, “Yes, Soundwave?”

The communications officer paused before he quickly turned and closed the door behind him before walking over. He stood at attention in front of his leader's desk, “I think there is something you ought to know. It’s about Megatronus.”

The grey mech frowned at him, “Yes?”

“You’re pushing him too far,” Soundwave said simply.

“…Pardon?”

“I mean that the current path you have him on will end up biting you later,” The blue mech sighed and pulled a chair over, sitting down, “I’ve known him my whole life. Yes, Megatronus is strong and someone who is a bit… simple, if I can say, but he is also someone who knows what he wants in life and can tell when he is being pushed in the opposite direction. He would always follow his instinct more than simple reasoning, and that’s why he became the leader he was.”

Megatron steepled his digits and leaned forward, “Go on.”

“What I’m really trying to say here, is that he is still just a child right now. Fighting and winning a war shouldn’t be his first priority, and I know he is becoming aware of that but is being chained to it by obligation. Being free and developing relationships with bots his age is an important part of his growth in social skill and communication. Being forced to interact with older mechs, fight other sparklings to the death, and following a strict military order can mess up a developing sparklings coding, which he currently is.” Soundwave explained, “He is starting to realize that he is too young for this. That’s why he is rebelling. That's why he has been skipping lessons. His systems are telling him what he needs, and he’s following that rather than your orders. Rumble and Frenzy are the closest bots to his age here who don't fear him, and now he's found two more who he's keen to spend most of his time with. That's why he sticks with them so much. If you keep pushing him to be like one of our soldiers, you will lose the respect he has for you and eventually go back to the Autobots.”

“So what you’re saying is that we need to start treating him like a sparkling?” Megatron asked slowly, his eyebrow ridge arching.

“Yes! That’s exactly what I’m saying because he was only forged over a month ago!” Soundwave cried, standing up and pacing around, “Everyone is treating him like the old Megatronus, but this is a new one we’re dealing with! He can't handle the guilt you've pushed on him, or all the responsibility of being a Prime. He tries to act millenia older than he is, but his processor is crashing from it! We need to start from scratch! And besides, I know what your view of him is and yes, it is mostly correct, but the mechling isn’t just some weapon. He was a strong Prime before, but now he’s a sparkling. Forcing him to grow up quickly isn’t the right way to go about this. If we continue, he won’t want to stay here.”

“Hmm, I see your point,” Megatron muttered, leaning back and putting one digit on his chin, “And yes, it is probably right to assume I jumped helm first into this, but the opportunity presented here cannot be passed up.”

Soundwave slammed his servos down on the desk and leaned forward, “I realize that, but you are grabbing and running with it. At the rate he's going, Megatronus is going to be no more than a weapon of war.”

“He's a sparkling.” He stressed each syllable.

Megatron stood, coming right into the officers face, “You are lucky your status is greater than the others, Soundwave. Otherwise I would have you punished for speaking to me like this.”

“I am aware, but that is why I chose to speak like this,” He said, not backing down, “I have taken that mechling under my care now, just as he did for me, and I will not have his spark be turned by this Primus forsaken war!”

The two glared at each other, neither backing down. Minutes dragged by.

Megatron finally sighed and sat back down. The communications officer watched him for a second before following suit.

“I suppose you are right,” The warlord said before smiling and leaning on his servo, “Then again, this is why I have you as my advisor.”

Soundwave just stared at the scratches on the desk, “I am merely doing what is best for him.”

“Indeed,” Megatron said, closing his optics, “Though I think this brings in another chance for us.”

The blue mech looked at him wearily, “Which is?”

The Decepticon leader sat up and leaned forward on both servos, “We need to ensure that Megatronus Prime favors us over the Autobots. We need to be a group he can depend on, and look to.”

“...and?”

Megatron's face broke into a grin, “I think I have an idea as to how we can do so. Since he was reincarnated, there's nothing saying the same won't happen to the other Primes. Yes, this could be an excellent opportunity.”

The blue mech just looked at him skeptically, raising one eyebrow under his mask as he read the other bots mind.

Iacon------------

“Optimus!”

The Prime looked up as Ratchet ran in, the medic holding a datapad and looking more serious than normal.

“Yes?”

“I need you to come with me, right now!” He commanded, gesturing behind him, “We just got a newspark!”

The Prime stood quickly and walked around his desk, “Already? That's a week early.”

“I know, but it's not just that!” The medic went on as he started walking, “It's…”

He paused and looked around, pulling Optimus to the side.

“I think it finally confirms what we've been suspecting,” He hissed.

The Prime's optics widened as he gripped the white mechs servo, “Are you sure?”

Ratchet's scowl returned, deeper than normal before he quickly took off walking again, “Come see for yourself.”

The two hurried down the halls and across the bridges that connected the buildings together as they circled the large Well of the Allspark.

Ratchet placed his servo on a scanner on the wall, opening the large metal door to reveal a young white and red medic.

“How is he?” Ratchet asked, looking at his apprentice.

“Stable,” First Aid said, looking down at the datapad he had clutched in his servos, “And quite chatty. He says his designation is A-141.”

Optimus frowned and gently pushed past the two, over to the berth half covered by a privacy curtain. He could just see a small pair of legs swinging off the side, and his optics widened when he saw the mechling. He looked up as the Prime came over.

He was dark grey with long spindly limbs, but the most bizarre part of him was his torso. It was small, and his helm was large and geometric with a single, large yellow optic in the middle.

“Hello. I'm A-141!” He said cheerfully, kicking his pedes, “Nice to meet ya!”

“Oh Primus,” Optimus breathed as all his suspicions seemed to be put to rest at once.

Chapter Text

“Hey guys!” N called as he appeared above them

M and L were seated in a small alcove under one of the main walkways, a little area with a few chairs but packed full of books. The white mechling called this his favorite spot, as it was the largest library of knowledge they had access to.

“Yeah?” L asked, not looking up from his datapad.

“Wanna come see what I found?” The blue mech grinned, almost his whole body now hanging off, except for his arms that clung to the edge, and his legs that rested on the walkway.

“Is it another room you hacked into?” The white mech asked wearily, looking up at him.

“Hey! If they didn't want me in there, they should have had better security!” He argued, “And no! I didn't break into a room! This one was already standing open!”

“You aft.”

“You're the aft!”

“What's he on about?” M asked, looking between them.

L sighed and put down his datapad, “N gets bored easily. And when he gets bored, he goes exploring and usually gets himself in trouble.”

“You only get in trouble if you get caught!”

“Which is how it ends most of the time,” The white mech, walking around and up the stairs while M just jumped and pulled himself up onto the walkway.

“So, whose office did you break into this time?” He asked, watching the blue mech wiggle back up.

“Oh, just Soundwave’s control room,” He shrugged with a grin, “And again, he left it unlocked and open.”

M blinked at him, “Why are you taking us there?” 

Even he wasn't allowed in that room.

“You'll see!” N sang and hurried off. Having no other choice, the two quickly followed after him. M grabbed his spear that was resting against the chair and clicked it into place on his back.

They ran down the halls until they went to one that veered off deeper into the rock, going up though to be closer to the surface and satellites.

N grinned as he waved to the door where bright blue light was coming out, “Tah dah!” He laughed and ran in, L following skeptically with M curious.

M tilted his helm as he blue mechling turned Soundwaves computer on, surprised to find the communications officer hadn't even bothered to properly lock it as no password was required.

He probably thought no one was stupid enough to try prying. Then again, Soundwave also wasn't the type to just leave things like this for anyone's optics.

“Welp, he did,” N concluded before either of them and hopped up, sitting himself down on the spinning chair.

“N!” L cried and hurried after him. M didn't want to admit out loud he'd been close to doing the same thing as the ue mech, if he hadn't jumped in first.

He couldn't help it, because curiosity had taken over him for two reasons. One, it seemed that despite a few bots, the fortress was almost completely deserted and two, Soundwave never let him into this room.

What was so important that the communications officer had to hide it from him.

N pressed a few random buttons and looked up as the display screens flashed, now showing what looked like a movie. All three tilted their helms curiously, watching what looked like some epic battle scene before N turned and scanned the desktop, trying to find what was playing.

“Didn't know we still had films,” L mused, watching it closely.

M hummed in agreement as he watched the bots fight.

Then all too familiar yells caught his attention.

The mechling looked up, squinting as he tried to make out the characters busy fighting each other with all kinds of weapons.

And then the energon in his veins froze when he saw some information in the corner of the screen, as well as who it was in the battle.

M stumbled backwards, “It's not a movie,” He whispered, optics wide with horror.”

The other two blinked for a second before the realization dawned on them as well.

L ran forward and pushed him to the door, “Go!” He yelled, “You're faster than both of us! We'll be right behind you!”

M nodded and basically fell down in his rush to turn, scrambling to his pedes and sprinting out the door. N quickly jumped down after him and followed, quickly joined by L.

But the white mech paused, skidding a few feet before running back in.

One of his digits transformed into a plug and he quickly hooked it up to a port on the side of the computer, his optics darting to the monitor again.

What he thought was a movie, was actually live camera footage being recorded but who he could only guess was Laserbeak.

Downloading the coordinates of the battle, L quickly ran out again, immediately turning and sprinting down the halls to the launch pad to catch up with his friends, sending the location ahead to the other two.

“Hey! Where're you going kid?!” A large grey and red mech asked, pausing as he came out one of the doorways the sparklings ran past.

“They're fighting, Flatline!” M yelled back to him, casting a brief glance at the medic, “My friends and mentors are trying to kill each other!”

“Hold on now!” Flatline called and transformed, the cyber truck driving after the two, “That battle is not one you are ready for!”

They picked up the pace as he heard the engine, knowing they'd be kept from going if he was caught, “Bots are going to die!” M yelled, pumping his arms harder, “We need to stop them!”

There was the sound of metal on metal as N was grabbing whatever he could as they ran and throwing it at the medic in hopes of slowing him down.

They sharply turned and sprinted up a flight of stairs, taking them two at a time.

The medic yelped as he went flying past, going too fast to properly stop.

M contemplated going back to help him, but quickly kept running when he heard Flatline muttering angrily to himself. 

The mechlings quickly reached the top and ran as fast as they could down the last hall, the door to the landing pad open and displaying the rocky landscape in front of them.

“Megatronus! N-522” Flatline's voice called up the stairs, but it was useless now.

The young bots yelled as they quickly crossed the room, not even stopping when they got to the edge but instead jumping right off.

M fell for a few feet before his t-cog activated and he transformed, soaring up into the air and doing a few circles while his systems calibrated which way to go. N was right behind him, turning into some kind of hovercraft that looked closer to Soundwave’s design than a seeker.

He could see the medic just coming out below him, but he was already too high up to hear his cries for him to come back. 

There was a yell and L used the older mech as a springboard, jumping over him but not transforming. N spun in the air and rocketed down, catching his friend on his hood and quickly rising up again.

“Go on!” L yelled to the purple mechling, “We're right behind you!”

“Be quick!” M called back and turned in the direction he needed to go, speeding off towards the shifting mountains where light shone down at the edge of the clouds.

He could feel his engines quickly heating up with how hard he was pushing them, the coolant rushing throughout his frame to cool them, making him hear it pumping in his helm. But he didn't dare slow down.

For all he knew, one second too late would mean more lives lost than he could count.

The fauna below looked up as the small jet shot overhead, jet streams and a sonic boom quickly following that made the plant life sway. It dodged the mountains as they rose up and stabbed at the sky but at the same time, they seemed to leave a pathway big enough for him to fly through, granting him access without having to fly over.

“Come on, come on, come on,” He muttered furiously to himself, scanning the ground below as he got closer.

And then…

He saw it.

What could only be described as the Pits.

A whole battlefield of bots fighting each other, Decepticon and Autobot. M didn't recognize most of them, but he could make out a few he knew.

Just as he crossed the mountain bordering it, his left engine finally overheated and blew up with a small bang.

The mechling yelped as he left a trail of black smoke and plummeted for the ground, desperately trying to keep himself straight.

The rocks all shifted before exploding out under him, the spikes twisting together and growing close to for some kind of ramp.

M smiled internally and aimed for it, transforming at the last second and sliding down. His pedes transformed into wheels, letting him skate down and shoot off of the small ramp, propelling him right into the battle.

Swords clanged, mechs yelled, gunshots fired, and expulsions went off all around him as he ran. The mechling ducked under much larger bots as they collided with each other heavily.

He looked around frantically for the center of the battle, knowing that would be where the two leaders were.

The ground exploded next to him as a grenade detonated by his pedes.

M yelled as he was thrown back, but grabbed by someone. They both flew but whoever it was managed to land without falling over.

The mechling shook his helm and looked up, blinking in surprise when he saw who'd caught him.

“Elita-1?”

The pink femme turned her helm down and stared at him in confusion as she let him drop to the ground, “Do I know you? And how old are you, kid?”

“There's no time! Where's Optimus and Megatron!?”

She stared at him for a second while her optics slowly widened when she got a proper look at him.

“Where are they!?” M cried.

She snapped out of it and pointed, unable to form any proper words.

The mechling took off immediately in that direction, scrambling frantically to reach the two before anything happened. 

Someone flew overhead, only to backtrack when they spotted the purple mechling, “Megatronus?” Starscream's voice pierced the air.

Immediately, he heard others repeating his name, looking around in confusion as he sprinted past.

But he didn't stop.

He'd just spotted Megatron and Optimus.

The two were engaged in a fierce battle, both fighting tooth and nail and neither looking ready to give up.

But Optimus was bleeding badly from one leg, and Megatron was taking advantage of that. He kicked the wound every chance he got, trying to shoot him at vital points.

He somehow forced the Prime down, grabbing his wrist that had an axe attached to the end and forcing it away.

The warlord grinned as he raised his cannon and brought it up in line with the Primes face, the barrel growing purple.

“NO!”

M screamed and grabbed his spear, spinning it around and throwing it. Megatron looked up just as the heel of the weapon hit him right in the cheek, the weight of it enough to send him stumbling away.

Optimus blinked and jumped to his pedes just as the small sparkling skidded to a stop in front of him, his own cannon transforming out as he brought his arm up, standing in between the two.

His wings flickered as he watched Megatron get up, looking at him in shock. But it only lasted a second, before his lip curled up.

“Of course you found out,” He chuckled, “It was only a matter of time. Stand down, Megatronus. This is not your fight.”

But the mechling didn't move. He stayed where he was, narrowing his optics.

“It's not my fight, but this mech is still my teacher,” He said firmly, “I will not let you kill him.”

His instincts told him not to stand down, so he didn't. He felt Optimus slowly stand up straight behind him and helms turned in their direction.

“Megatronus!”

The purple mechling flinched but forced himself to keep staring down Megatron, not wanting to see what Soundwave’s expression was as he called his name.

“I will fight you,” He challenged, “Right here, right now, but I think we both know who will win.”

Megatron stared at him in amusement before chuckling, “So you would call yourself a traitor to the Decepticons?”

“I am neither Autobot or Decepticon,” The sparkling growled, “My allegiance lies with Cybertron and its citizens, and I will not allow you to tear each other apart. This battle ends now.”

The warlord let out a loud, booming laugh that echoed across the field, “Already filling the role of defender of Cybertron, are we?” He grinned, “And you think you can just leave?”

“No, I'm saying our barging is fulfilled, and I am ready to go home,” M said, internally wincing to himself.

The whole field seemed to hold its breath as silence fell over them.

“Well, I am a mech of my word, and I did say you could leave when you are ready to,” Megatron said, his cannon shrinking back and powering down. He turned to the other Decepticons, “Fall back to New Kaon!” He called.

A few spluttered, but Megatron fired three shots into the air that exploded and silenced them, “Now!” He yelled, “And the next one who objects will be on Shockwaves' directing table!”

They all jumped at his command and fell back, abandoning their fights and transforming.

Someone walked over to him, and M looked up guiltily at Soundwave.

But the blue mech just kneeled and put one servo on his shoulder, “Stay safe,” He said softly.

M felt his breath hitch before he lunged and hugged his sire tightly, “You could come with us,” he whispered, “You could come back to Vos with me.”

Soundwave sighed but gently hugged him back, “No. I cannot. My place is with the Decepticons, and yours is now with the Autobots.”

The sparkling pulled back slightly, looking at him with wide optics.

But Soundwave just smiled under his visor and pressed something into his servo. A long cylinder with various grooves and panels.

“Just press it if you want to come back, and I will find you,” He said so only M could hear, “I will never reject your request.”

The purple mechling felt tears brimming his optics as he hugged the older bot tightly one last time before they broke away.

Soundwave squeezed his servo and looked up, “Just take care of them as well, alright?”

M followed his gaze just as the small plane flew over. L yelled and dropped down, arms cartwheelings so he didn't fall over, though N transformed and slammed into him, sending both of them rolling.

M laughed as he pocketed the device and ran over to help his friends up. By the time he turned, Soundwave was already flying away.

“Wait, what just happened?” N blinked, staring at the retreating Decepticons, “We just got here Primus dammit!”

L elbowed him and the three sparklings turned when the Autobots approached. M grabbed his spear and sheathed it, walking up to the Prime.

“Sir,” He said in a small voice, looking up at him, “Sorry I've been gone for so long.”

“Who are you?” Optimus asked slowly, but there was something in his voice that betrayed the fact he had probably guessed that.

Even so, M took his mask and pulled it off, holding his servo up in the air and letting the Autobots see his face, “It's me sir,” He said before giving a small smile as all of their optics went wide in shock, “M-57.”

New Kaon—---------

“Lord Megatron?” Shockwave asked, looking over to him as they sat around the large table, “May I ask why we let Megatronus go back with the Autobots? I thought the plan was to train him as a Decepticon!”

“Yes, it was initially, but Soundwave then brought something to my attention,” The grey mech said, leaning his intake against his servos, “The sudden appearance of a Prime caused me to react like a sparkling with a new toy. I was so eager to shape and use him to fight for us that I lost sight of the fact that he was not Megatronus yet.”

“So?” Starscream sneered, leaning back in his chair with his pedes up on the table, “What does that have to do with this?” 

“Because, who’s to say that our enemies won’t do the same?” Megatron grinned and lifted his helm, “I was only able to cease my actions because I had Soundwave, someone who knew him better than anyone here, to quickly come and point out my mistake. The Autobots do not have that advantage and so may push him further than we did.”

“Resulting in him losing his trust and relationship with them,” Shockwave finished, his optic going wide, “You know the Autobot council will do whatever they can to make him into a soldier as quickly as possible, making the young mech despise them.”

“And in doing so, he’ll want to run away,” The warlord continued and swept his servo around the room, “To a better place he knows and trusts that shall welcome him with open arms.”

“Alright then, but Optimus Prime and his team were the first to find him  and probably would have realized this as well,” Thundercracker said, “They’re probably going to try and shield him from all of this until he actually is ready.”

“Yes, I have taken that into account as well,” Megatron nodded, looking over at Soundwave with a smirk, “That is why there is going to be some big news presented to Iacon and Vos tomorrow that no one will be able to ignore.”

The blue mech nodded and passed a datapad over. The warlord took it, looking at the screen and grinning before projecting the article so they could all see it, “Be prepared these next few weeks. I feel like quite a bit of interesting things are about to play out.”

Chapter Text

M looked down and fiddled with his mask, running his digit over the small grooves around the eyes. Outside, the sky was now black and splattered with color.

L looked at him wearily, the white mechlings' optics flickering from his friend to the older bots watching them.

N didn't even look bothered, humming and kicking his pedes happily as he slurped on some energon.

Optimus Prime and Elita-1 sat across from them, both watching the three closely.

The Prime then sighed and sat up slightly straighter, “You do realize the kind of situation we are in?”

M nodded, but it was L who spoke up, “We are aware, Mr Prime,” He said in his calm, even voice, “But besides being born into the Decepticons, you have no reason not to accept us into the Autobots. We've committed no crimes or atrocities that go against your morals.”

N blinked and looked up, then at M, looking like he was going to say something as he swallowed a large mouthful of energon, but he never got to as- 

“Yeow!” The blue mechling jumped.

The two adults looked at him with raised eyebrows. N shot a glare at L, trying not to rub his now throbbing pede.

“Sorry, bite my cheek,” He grumbled.

“Alright,” Optimus said slowly, looking at him for a second before turning back to the white mechling, “And you two are positive you would like to join the Academy? We will not force you to be Autobots, but you will be expected not to cause trouble or upsets. Unfortunately, if bots figure out you are former Decepticons, they will be suspicious of you. The teachers will be informed and those who were at the battle have sworn to secrecy for the sake of your privacy, but I would suggest keeping that information to yourselves.”

“That will be fine,” L smiled, “I have been teaching myself most of the time, and I'm sure N would benefit from having a teacher as well.”

The other sparkling spluttered furiously while he just smiled.

Optimus nodded and turned to M, raising his eyebrows in question.

“I want to go back to the academy,” He admitted, “I miss the others.”

He paused before adding quietly, “And my classes.”

The Prime smiled as he straightened up, looking at them, “Good. I will have some of the older students come and follow you to help you two around, but I do not doubt M-57 and the others will do just that.”

“Sure will!” The purple mechling smiled happily, “Is there space in House Nexus for them?”

“Yes,” Elita nodded, “Once those two come in, it will officially be full.”

“Lucky us,” L grinned, leaning back in his chair, “So when do we start?”

Hours later——————

S-15 yawned as she stepped out of the recharging station, rubbing her optics sleepily. Another restless night for her, being plagued by dreams she didn’t even remember.

The femme sighed and looked at her desk, the usually neat station now covered in loose papers, junk, and half-finished homework assignments.

Losing M was taking more of a toll on her than she realized. It had been weeks, and there had been no sign of him. She found herself becoming drained quicker than usual, and simple chores seemed like strenuous labor now.

She could almost feel herself getting more depressed by the second for some reason.

Suddenly, the young femme jumped at the frantic knocking on her door.

S quickly crossed the small space and opened it, O-142 stood there, his optics wide and wings twitching.

“O?” She frowned, looking at her friend, “What wron- GAH!”

He suddenly yanked her out of the room onto the small walkway, pulling her a few feet before spinning her around so she was staring at M’s door.

The femme immediately saw what had gotten him so frazzled.

The door was now closed for the first time in over three weeks, the red light above his name tag showing that someone was recharging in there.

“I don’t know what’s going on!” O whispered, looking at her worriedly, “I just woke up and saw this!”

S frowned and looked from him to the door, “You don’t think they replaced him already, do you?”

“No! I don’t!” He hissed, pointing at it frantically, “But I don’t know if that’s M in there! I can’t see through the glass!”

The pink femme pulled her lips into a thin line, staring at the door, “Well,” She said softly and raised one servo, “There’s only one way to find out.”

And knocked.

O flinched as the sound seemed to echo around louder than usual. Both younglings stared expectantly, staying close to each other but leaning forward curiously when there was movement from inside. The door then slid open, making them jump.

A mechling who was taller than both of them stood in the doorway, looking at the two in surprise as the first of the sun's rays reflected off his purple armor.

S felt her jaw drop and optics widen as she stared up at him.

“M?” O gasped next to her, in just as much disbelief.

The younger, now bigger, mechling gave a small, sheepish smile and slowly lifted on servo in greeting, “Hey guys,” He said, his voice as soft as ever, “I got back quite late, so I didn’t want to wake you.”

S lunged forward and made him yelp as she crushed him in a tight bear hug, leaning back so his pedes left the floor. She then plonked him back down and dragged him out so they could get a better look at him.

“Dude! When did you get an alt mode?!” She gasped, lifting his arms and turning him so she could feel his wings, “And where in the Pits have you been?! It’s been weeks since anyone heard anything from you!”

“Yeah I…” He started but trailed off, “It’s a long story.”

“Well then it’s a good thing I’m patient, because it looks like we now have a long day ahead of us!” She huffed, standing in front of him and crossing her arms, “You have a lot of explaining to do!”

“Quite a lot,” O muttered behind them. They both looked to see the lanky mech staring into M’s cubicle, making them turn to see as well.

S felt her optics going impossibly wide when she saw the mask resting on the desk, “Is that..!?”

M winced and walked in, picking it up and showing them, “Yeah,” He said softly, “Like I said, a lot happened.”

“Yo! What’s all the racket up there?”

They turned and peered down to see Z standing at the bottom. A was next to him, but the smaller mech looked half asleep still as he had his helm on the green mech's shoulder.

“Well, we’ve got some news,” S said before grabbing M and basically pushing him off the walkway.

The mechling yelled in surprise but easily stuck the landing, ending up right in front of the two while S and O dropped down next to him.

Z blinked a couple times in shock, his intake dropping open before he grabbed his friend, “M?!”

“Hey, Z,” He said, giving a small wave, “Nice to see you again.”

Z blinked again and laughed, hugging him as well though it wasn't as tight as S had.

“You’ve gotten so tall,” A gasped, suddenly wide awake next to him, “You almost look like Megatronus Prime now!”

That made them all pause and stare at him.

M’s cheek went slightly blue and he looked down, fiddling with the horns on his mask, “Um… well… surprise?” He offered.

“No, fragging, way!” Z cried, gripping his shoulders tighter, “There is no way!”

“Turns out there is a way,” M muttered, looking at him, “Because apparently Primes are somewhat immortal, and can be reincarnated after they die.”

“I knew there was something strange about you when we met!” S cried but was grinning widely as she said it, “How you’re abnormally strong and good at fighting! It all makes sense now! You’re fragging Megatronus Prime!”

“Please, I prefer to still be called M,” He said, trying to offer a small smile while pushing memories of the past few weeks down in his mind, “This is all still relatively new. I'm still a bit tired though because we got back quite late last night and there was a fight so-”

“Hold on,” O interrupted him, “We?”

“Oh, right,” M blinked, “There are two new mechs now in our house but I don't think either of them are awake ye-”

“SURPRISE ATTACK!”

“ACK!”

The small group yelped and jumped back as a blue and yellow mechling landed on M, sending them both to the ground. The new bot cackled as there were footsteps above them, and another white mechling hurried down the ladder.

“N! What have I told you about jumping on people!?” He scolded, grabbing him by the scruff and easily lifting him off, though N just looked incredibly proud of himself.

M groaned as S helped him up worriedly, rubbing his helm and waving one servo at the two, “Everyone, this is L-14 and N-522,” He introduced.

L put N down but forced the back of his helm down in an apology, “It's nice to meet you, and I'm very sorry about him. He's a gremlin.”

“I am not!” N yelled, arms scrabbling around as he tried to stand back up.

“Yeah, he is,” M said with a smile as he watched the two.

Z tilted his helm and then grinned, “You guys are like brothers,” He laughed, “Kinda like A and O.”

“Well it's the feeling!” N claimed, finally managing to free himself, “I feel who I'm going to be good friends with, like L and M here. In fact…” He paused and looked at all of them, going silent for a second before his mouth spread into a wide grin, “I feel it with all of you as well!”

“Wait, you mean the feeling feeling?” A gasped, leaning forward.

“Yeah! The tingles you get in your spark when you're near someone you're gonna be good friends with!” The blue mechling nodded rapidly, “And then it's just like, boom! Friends!”

He spun and looked at them, “Guess what?! We're all friends now!”

M burst out laughing at the others faces of confusion and amusement while L facepalmed. 

“You can't just assert yourself into a friend group!” The white mech sighed.

All he got was a cackle in reply from N as he and A ran out, yelling, “Watch me!”

——————

N's enthusiasm didn't seem to last long though. Even after his and L's introduction which left all the others laughing, the blue mechlings energy seemed to drain the second he sat down.

“Not a fan of learning?” Z mused, leaning on his servo as he watched N face plant onto the desk. A blinked at him before mimicking the blue bot. 

He grumbled something into the metal while L just shook his helm, turning back to the textbook. His optics were basically a blur as he read the datapad at incredible speeds.

“How do you do that?” S asked in awe, watching him while pausing her writing.

“It's a skill I've always had,” He grinned without even looking up, “That and the fact I seem to have what Sho-” He coughed, “A scientist I knew concluded I also have an advanced memory.”

The white mechling puffed up proudly, “I can remember every detail and book I've ever read, word for word.”

The small group all stared at him, their intakes open in shock. It just made him smile wider.

“Gimme!” S laughed, jokingly trying to grab his helm.

“No way!” L grinned, fending her off easily, “This knowledge is mine!”

N snickered behind them as A flopped onto the white mechling as well. They all watched with wide grins before O snapped back into a stiff sitting position and coughed, getting their attention.

The whole class was staring at them. Arcee lifted one eyebrow as she'd paused her lesson.

The sparklings quickly went quiet and sat back down in their seats, resuming their note making while their teacher went back to her lecture.

N started snickering as soon as she turned, though S elbowed him with a grin.

Z smiled and shook his helm, trying to focus on his work again.

Hours later——————

“I swear, you're good at everything!” N whined as they walked down the halls.

L raised an eyebrow with a smile, “I'm just good with a sword. It's like how M's a natural with a spear and A surprisingly with a hammer. You're quite the marksman with a gun.”

“Yeah, but all the ones I've tried suck!” He scowled, kicking the floor, “They're all wrong!”

“I know how you feel,” Z nodded, “I like training with an axe but none of the ones here feel right. The balance is off to me.”

“That happened with me as well,” M nodded, “All the spears I used here felt wrong and then I found mine in the cave. It felt perfect.”

He looked over at the blue and yellow mech only to realize he was no longer with them. They all stopped and looked around to find he was behind them, looking out the large windows.

“The frag is going on down there?” N asked, squinting.

They hurried over and tried to see what he was looking at. They were on the fourth floor right by the front of the academy, so the window they were at had a clear view of the grounds and beyond that, the large gates.

Which were now closed as an enormous crowd of bots gathered outside. The guards were yelling and running around, trying to keep them out while most of the teachers stood on the other side. Even Optimus was down there, looking like he was trying to address the crowd that almost filled the whole square.

“Primus,” L blinked, turning to them, “Is it always like this?”

“Never seen this many bots outside before,” Z said, shaking his helm as he grabbed his datapad out of his subspace and started scrolling.

“Looks like they've got signs down there,” N said, cupping his servos to try and see better.

“Yeah, but I can't see what any of them say,” M muttered, trying to look as well. 

Oh, where was O when they needed him.

There was a strangled sound behind them, making the three whip around. Z was cringing as he stared at his datapad, his lips pulled tight, “I think I know why they're here,” He said in a strained voice and turned it for them to see. 

The screen displayed a news article and in bright black letters were the words, Prime back from the dead?. 

M inhaled sharply as he read more, his spark freezing when he saw a picture of himself at the battle from yesterday, standing in front of and protecting the fallen Optimus.

“So much for keeping this discreet,” L grimaced, scrolling before he could stare at it longer, “Looks like whoever wrote the article knows all about you, man. There's no author though, and it looks like this was published not even an hour after the battle.”

“You think anyone here's seen it?” The purple mechling asked slowly, looking around nervously. Even without his mask on it was obvious who he was. He'd barely survived the attention the Decepticons had given him, and that was only because Soundwave scared most of them off or made sure not too many swarmed him at a time.

“Hard to tell,” Z admitted, putting the datapad away, “But… I'd probably say yes. This article is on almost every site, and even those who don't read the news have most likely seen it because everyone's reposting and commenting on it.”

M's wings dropped and he started looking around like he was trying to find the closest exit.

N stared at his friend for a second before walking over and putting one arm around the taller mechling, pulling him down and grinning.

“Don't worry, oh mighty Megatronus,” He smiled, though it was now a reassuring one instead of his usual mischievous grin, “We've got your back. I may not be a Prime or the Elite Guard, but I sure as hell can protect my friends.”

M smiled and nodded, inhaling, “Right,” He nodded, putting on a brave face, “Thanks N.”

He laughed and ruffled his helm, “That's what we're for. Now come on! I'm starving!”

He took off marching ahead of them happily, M and L following with Z bringing up the back. The halls were empty as everyone was now down in the cafeteria, but M could still feel nerves rising in his tanks the closer they got.

As the small group made their way down to the lower floors, they noticed students starting to gather along the windows, looking out at the spectacle happening outside. Luckily none of them turned, but it seemed like the crowd wasn't relenting.

Z picked up his pace and herded the three away before they could see any of the signs being held up, basically pushing them into the cafeteria.

But M froze as they entered, shocked by the silence that instantly hit as every helm turned to look at him.

The mechling suddenly felt more self conscious than he had in his entire life under the sheer amount of stares. His wings twitched nervously, and he was starting to contemplate just skipping refueling.

“Yeah, I think they know,” Z said wearily while N immediately stepped in front of him protectively, trying to scowl at everyone at once as if daring them to say anything.

“Hey? You alright?” L asked softly, looking at him with a worried expression.

The purple mechling was about to take a step back when…

“M!”

The voice of his savior called out, breaking through the cold hard silence and making his frame feel light. M quickly looked around, spotting S as she stood and waved at him.

He couldn't have been more relieved to see her. It was like her voice flipped a switch, and everyone started talking again, but looks were still cast their way.

Casting a quick glance around, the purple mech grabbed the other two and hurried over to find his friends had already gotten trays full of energon cubes for them. N stayed in front, still shooting looks at anyone and everyone.

“Looks like you're getting popular,” O muttered, scooting over so they could sit down, the Primeling hunching over and trying to hide in between them.

“Even without that mask they stare,” M muttered, popping a dark blue cube in his mouth and trying to relax. 

Next to him, N started stuffing his face with energon and grinning through it, “Ifs lie ga ons al oer ahain!”

L glared, but didn't have to silence him this time as his mouth was so full they could barely understand him.

“The news spread quickly,” O sighed, leaning his elbow on the table, “And did you see that no one knows who wrote that article about you?”

“Yeah,” Z said grimly as he sipped some oil, “But whoever it is, bots seemed to believe them immediately. For all they know, you're just some wannabe fanboy.”

A blinked next to him and looked at M, “You're not, are you?”

The purple mechling groaned and let his helm thunk down on the table, “I'm starting to wish I was,” He sighed, “But sadly I've been given more than enough proof over these past few weeks to confirm that I am indeed who everyone says I am.”

“Don't worry man,” Z said with a small smile, patting his back reassuringly, “Just because you're famous now, doesn't mean scrap about our group. We're gonna be there for you the whole way through this.”

M turned his helm and looked at the grey mechling, who flashed his signature grin.

It made him smile in return.

“What did I do to deserve you guys?”

S giggled next to him, leaning forward and hugging the younger mech tightly, “You became friends with us,” She beamed, “And that was enough.”

He chuckled and opened his mouth as she let go, about to say something when there was suddenly a servo on his shoulder.

M blinked and turned, looking up at a mech he'd never spoken to before, along with some others with him he didn't even know.

“Come sit with us, Megatronus!” He demanded with a grin, his grip tight on his plating and making the wires under it convulse, “We want to be friends!”

“I-” M started before it seemed another group pushed their way in front, trading the other mechs servo for a new one. 

This mech was older, leaning down and shoving his face into M's with a wide grin that made him uncomfortable, “No way! Come sit with us! You don't want to be with losers like them!”

“I'm quite happy where I am right now!” He said, but was almost surprised when his voice came out in a whisper.

“Yeah but it'll be way better with us!” Someone else called, making them notice how many bots were gathering around.

S scooted closer, glaring at them all while she wrapped her arms around his, “He's fine right here!”

“And who are you to decide that?!” Some femme in too-bright armor demanded, “Maybe he doesn't even want to sit with you.”

“Oh frag yeah he does!” N yelled, starting to get up with his fist swinging while A and L tried to get him to sit back down.

“I do!” M cried but again, his voice felt so weak against theirs.

“No he doesn't!” Another voice called and his other arm was being grabbed.

The mechling yelped as he was yanked out of his seat and stumbled. Z yelled and tried to follow but was quickly blocked by the crowd, tripping and hitting his chin heavily on the floor.

M's optics widened as he tried to run but was surrounded by a wall of bots on every side, all yelling his name and grabbing at him in hopes of bringing him with them.

It seemed that after all he'd been through with the Decepticons, through the training, the work, the killing, and all the things enough to make a normal mech lose their wits…

This was what was tipping him over the edge.

He didn't know what to do, feeling his vents getting shallow and labored, his spark beat starting to pound in his audio receptors as it increased and the world seemed to narrow down to a dark hallway. He opened his intake, trying to cry out for someone to help him but only a hoarse sound came out, no more than a pathetic wheeze.

Too much was happening! Too many people were touching him! Too many servos grabbing his frame. 

There was too much noise!

It was all too much!

The yelling was blurring together and underneath it, chittering rose up.

Oh Primus

That forsaken chattering of hundreds of Quintesson soldiers becoming clearer by the second and blocking out everything else, making everything worse.

The room was starting to spin as his helm felt lighter and his frame started to heat up, creating condensation on his armor. He stumbled against the wall of bodies around him, not sure what was happening. Warnings flashed all over his vision, making the world go red as everything overwhelmed him. The mechling grabbed his helm, digits screeching against the metal as tears formed in his optics and his mind screamed. 

EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP!

There was then pressure around his arm and he managed to look down, seeing a flash of pink plating and a servo wrapped around the crook of his elbow, contrasting against the purple.

S…

She'd managed to elbow her way through the mob to him with N and Z’s help as they forcibly pushed the others away. M looked up shakily, just able to catch glimpses of her face through the bombardment of colours around it.

He saw how her optics widened slightly as her gaze met his, flashing between disbelief, shock, and worry. She looked up behind her, yelling words that didn't reach him through all the noise.

M gasped her name, managing to regain his wits enough to try and hold her servo back.

There was suddenly yelling and some of the grips on his frame were being torn off, followed by screeching and familiar shouting. More noises joined the chaos, other deeper voices coming in, and their footsteps shook the floor.

The bodies around him seemed to disperse slowly, making way for someone else and leaving him standing there, though swaying and still in a daze.

His vision was suddenly filled with pink and blue, his other servo being held. He could hear S calling his name, but his whole body felt like it had decided to rebel against him.

He wanted to hug her, to tell her he was alright and that she didn't need to worry anymore. That they could go back to their meal and return to normal.

But he couldn't.

He couldn't even speak. His optics just darted around while his mind tried to stop him from falling into the memory.

Large, warm servos gently wrapped around his back and under his legs, lifting him up. M held onto the arm it was attached to while his other servo refused to let go of S, watching as she ran along and was quickly joined by his other friends.

Bots were still talking, and the hallways went by in a blurr. He barely even remembered the trip, but was suddenly aware he was sitting down somewhere else that was much quieter. 

There was a mech in front of him, kneeling down and gently speaking to him. A blue servo rested on his shoulder, helping ground him a bit but not enough.

M just gasped and squeezed his optics shut, feeling his breathing picking up again when he realized he'd been forgetting to vent.

There was more talking and suddenly a sharp prick in his neck, making him jump and struggle against the pain.

But many pairs of warm arms wrapped around him and combined with whatever had just been injected into him, it was like a fuzzy blanket had just been thrown over him, deafening the noise.

His mind numbed, forcing him to calm down as the world slowly came back into view and his systems evened out again, the red in his vision dying down. M looked around him, staring at his friends as they trapped him in the group hug, all looking up with worried blue, yellow and pink optics.

Optimus Prime was kneeling in front of him, Ratchet and Jazz standing behind him.

“Hey,” The blue and red mech said gently, “Do you need anything?”

M opened his intake but the answer came out as a croak, so he just shook his helm, managing to hug some of his friends back.

The Prime looked at him in worry. Maybe bringing him back here was a mistake. He should have realized what kind of uproar the sudden appearance of Megatronus Prime would have created, even if they'd tried to keep it quiet. 

The reaction from the purple mechling was completely different from what he'd been expecting, though he wasn't entirely sure what his expectations had been.

Still, it was enough to break anyone's spark when they saw his state as they'd arrived.

There was a gentle tap on his shoulder, making him turn.

Ratchet looked up at him and nodded away. So he followed the medic, walking out of earshot from the sparklings as they comforted their friend, “I thought Prowl was right at first, but I would now suggest moving them,” He spoke quietly, “Once the others start appearing as well, more chaos will come up and we won't always be there to protect them.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Optimus nodded slowly, “They're not ready for this kind of attention yet. We'll move them as soon as possible, but alert the others ahead of time.”

“I already notified Jetfire,” The medic answered quickly, “He's agreed to meet us up here to escort them.”

“Good,” The Prime said, “And tell Jazz to bring the others. Let's get these sparklings away from all the chaos.”

Chapter Text

It wasn't even an hour after his panic attack when M found himself being herded along the corridors of the Academy with the other sparklings. Optimus had made them wait until classes started again before he'd decided to move them, and even then they were also being escorted by Ratchet, Perceptor, and two twins he recognized as Sunstreaker and Sideswipe.

“Sup little man?” Sides grinned and ruffled his helm, “Why didn't you say anything when we met you? Sunny might have actually been nicer to you if he knew he was in the company of Megatronus Prime.”

The yellow mech glared at his brother but didn't say anything, crossing his arms and looking away.

“I didn't know myself,” M admitted with a small shrug, “Only that I had to go somewhere.”

The red mech just grinned and pat his helm, moving along to introduce himself to the other sparklings. It was clear he was trying to be cheerful, but M could see his shoulders were slightly tensed. All of the teachers were.

Something was up. All of the young bots seemed to know it. He could see the way O's wings flickered, how L and Z both kept glancing around and at each other, exchanging silent words.

This continued until they were led outside. They were by the front now, and they could get a clear view of the gates. Bots outside looked like they were trying to force it open, yelling and rattling it.

All the young bots froze when they saw, and S and N immediately moved in front of M to try and block him. But it was difficult considering he was now a helm taller than both of them.

Someone caught sight and yelled and suddenly, cameras were on them, flashes going off and catching their shocked and annoyed expressions.

“Alright, that's enough!” Optimus called, stepping in front of all of them and successfully blocking their view. He nodded to Ratchet and the others.

They then surrounded the young bots and led them off to the left, around the side of the building and to a secluded landing bay, luckily blocked off from public view by the high wall.

“Hey, check it out,” Z said, pointing ahead of them.

A few other mechs were already waiting next to the landing pad, milling around while Jazz and Prowl talked together off to the side, both looking at a datapad.

“Is that…?” S asked, squinting at the one.

P blinked and looked over when he noticed them all staring. He broke out his award-winning grin and waved, making Q turn as well. 

M recognized the smallest bot to be someone who'd shared his designation, also named M. He was friends with Cliffjumper and Moonracer. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking around nervously.

“What in the name of Primus is going on here?” N muttered, looking around before pointing at the other mechs in the room, “Who dem?”

“Well, P-189 and Q-21 are our upperclassmen,” O explained, nodding his helm to them, “M-93 is older but he's in House Nexus with us . And A-141 over there is the newest arrival from the Well.”

M blinked at the one eyed mechling as he waved cheerfully to all the newcomers.

“And who's that?”

A pointed as two older mechs walked over, one blue and white and the other red and white. They were being followed by two mechlings, one purple with oddly shaped faceplates, and the other white and gold, holding his shoulders up and stiff while his face stayed in a somewhat permanent glare as he looked around.

“I don't know,” Z frowned, “Never seen those two before.”

L looked over at N, raising one eyebrow, “And?”

“Getting the friendship feels!” The blue mechling proclaimed with a large grin.

The white bot nodded, slowly looking back, “Huh.”

L then squinted and pointed to each youngling in the square while muttering to himself.

“Hold on,” He mumbled, optics narrowing before he turned to Optimus and raised an eyebrow.

But the Prime wasn't looking at them.

“Figure something out that you'd care to share?” A whispered, leaning over.

The white mechling just frowned deeper, “Nothing that's not just speculation,” He sighed, “I'll only say something when I'm sure of it.”

Z was about to say something but was cut off by loud footsteps. They all turned, and their optics went wide in surprise.

The biggest mech they'd ever seen was walking up. He was more than twice the size of Optimus, maybe even as big as the original Primes. He was definitely a flier from the large wings on his back, and his white plating gleamed in the sunlight.

“Jetfire!” Optimus called with a smile, shaking servos with the large bot, “I'm glad you could come on such short notice.”

“I'm glad I could help,” Jetfire replied in a deep, soft voice, “Luckily for you, it just happened to be the one day I was free.”

“Good to see you are taking breaks,” The Prime smiled and turned to the younglings “Everyone, this is Jetfire. He will be the one escorting you.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you all,” He smiled, waving to the bots so much smaller than him.

They all nodded and said their own greetings.

“Alright well then, I think it's best we be off before the guards get overwhelmed,” Perceptor piped up, jerking his thumb back behind them.

“Agreed,” The red and white mech nodded, “They're getting quite impatient.”

Optimus looked over as Jetfire transformed into a large shuttle, “Mirage, Red Alert, you two go with the younglings,” He instructed, “We'll follow behind on the ground.”

“Got it Prime,” The blue mech nodded and gave a whistle as the back door of the shuttle opened, “Alright! Everybody in!”

The young bots all hurried up the ramp and inside, going over and sitting down on simple benches that lined the walls.

“Nice to meet you two,” Z said as he sat next to the two new mechs, “Z-52.”

“V-53,” The white one huffed.

But the purple mechling shook his servo with a small smile, “A-121,” He said, “It's nice to meet you too.”

“Why've we never seen you guys around?” A asked, swinging his pedes and tilting his helm.

“Yeah, I figured everyone came to the Academy,” P said, leaning back next to him.

“Oh, we only arrived in Vos today,” The purple mechling explained, “Both of us came from the branched Well in Tarn.”

“Oh, that's that thing you were talking about,” N said, pointing at L as the shuttle door closed, “About the smaller Wells supposedly around.”

“I'm surprised you actually listened,” L grinned, his helm falling slightly to the side, “Thought you found it borning.”

“Yeah well, I still was there when you spoke about it,” He huffed, crossing his arms and slouching down in his seat.

M smiled, shaking his helm as he watched them. The plane shuddered and started to take off, taxying a few meters before rising and flying into the air. As it did, S grabbed his arm, optics wide as she looked around.

“Not the biggest fan of flying?” He asked, looking down at her.

She nodded, “This is also my first time. The trains were so different. My tanks feel weird.”

“Don't worry, that's just part of it,” O smiled next to her, “It passes quickly.”

“Just hold my servo if it'll help,” M offered. She immediately grabbed and squeezed it tightly, also shutting her optics as they finally reached the right height.

They looked around then. Most of the younglings had crowded by the windows, looking out excitedly at the city as they flew over, or were talking to the two older mechs and new mechlings.

“I wanna go talk to Jetfire!” N suddenly decided next to them, jumping down from his seat and hurrying to the door opposite the landing one. He opened it, immediately chattering enthusiastically.

“We should probably go with incase he does something dumb,” S blinked as she watched.

“Probably,” M smiled and hopped down as well. S followed but continued to hold his servo.

They walked to the front of the shuttle, looking around inside at the empty chairs in front of a panel with buttons and screens he couldn't make sense of.

“So, you're the reincarnation of Megatronus Prime?”

He didn't even jump, instead just watching the line on one of the screens jump as the voice spoke.

“Yes sir,” He nodded softly while S peered around him, N leaning over the controls and trying to see out the front window.

The chairs swiveled, inviting them to sit, so the two smaller bots hopped in while M leaned back against the wall.

“And you two?” He asked them.

“I'm S-15, and this is N-522,” The little femme smiled, kicking her pedes happily.

“I see. And you are all friends?”

“Hell yeah we are!” N grinned, leaning forward in his seat, “We all got the feels!”

Jetfire chuckled at the young mech's enthusiasm. It had probably been a while since he'd spoken to sparklings.

M's wings twitched as he suddenly felt the unseen gaze of the large white mech on him. 

“I knew them, you know? Megatronus and the other Primes,” Jetfire mused as he flew into the planet, “I was the lead scientist that worked with the High Guard. Tested weapons and enhanced energon for them.”

“Really?” M blinked in surprise, “I thought the High Guard were all Decepticons now.”

“Most of them are, but I was in Iacon when they fell,” Jetfire said, “Luckily I wasn't that well known and managed to slip under Sentinels radar. I kept a low profile life after that to avoid drawing attention to myself.”

He went quiet for a second before finally asking.

“I heard you spent some time among them, M,” He said quietly, “Did you meet a seeker named Starscream?”

“Yeah,” The mechling nodded, “He taught me how to fly along with Skywarp and Thundercracker. Soundwave wanted to but their alt-modes were closer to mine so it was easier.”

“Hmm,” Jetfire hummed, and he could hear the slight smile in his voice, “Well I'm glad to see those three are still sticking together. They always did balance each other out nicely.”

“Were you and Starscream friends?” N asked, tilting his helm.

The shuttle went silent for a few seconds again. M could basically hear him trying to word his next sentence.

“We were… partners,” Jetfire said softly.

S immediately saw right through his diversion, “Like Conjunx Endura?” She blurted out.

The jet shuddered a bit below them, “No, but we were getting close to that,” He mumbled, “I think we're still together, but I honestly don't know anymore. It's been over 50 cycles since we last saw each other.”

“Well, I can check if I ever go back. I still need to get my one denta back from New Kaon,” M said, trying to joke while showing the gap.

“I was wondering about that,” S grinned as she leaned on the edge of the chair. Second later, the shuttle tilted as they started to circle a massive golden building. The femmeling cartwheeled her arms to stop herself from falling.

M giggled and held his servo to her. She grabbed it and clung on as they descended.

“Hold on! Thats- thats the Prime's Tower!” Z cried inside, looking out the window, “We're going there?!”

“Wait really?” A gasped, pushing in from under him. 

The younglings crowded around the windows, looking out as they circled the top of the gold tower.

Jetfire angled himself down and to an opening close to the top, flying straight towards it and slowing down as he did. Landing gear popped out and the shuttle rocked as it touched down.

“We're here!” The white mech called, opening the back door.

N, the smaller M and both As basically ran out in front of Mirage and Red Alert, looking around with wide optics as they turned in circles while they walked. Z laughed as he followed, O and L following him.

“Magnificent,” P sighed with a smile as he helped lead A and V out with Q, looking up at the intricate architecture.

S ran and jumped onto M's back as he was walking down, laughing and lifting her servos into the air, “It's huge!” She cried while Jetfire transformed behind them.

“Well it was made to accommodate bots my size,” The shuttle smiled, looking around, “My, it has been quite a while since I was last here.”

“This way you lot!” Mirage called with a grin, taking A-121's servo and leading them to a door. 

It opened to a large staircase that spiraled down. N yelled happily and led his small group down it, skipping steps to try and get to the bottom as quickly as possible.

“Don't run!” Red Alert yelled, “You could trip and hurt yourself!”

“Yeah, that's not gonna stop them,” Z laughed as he walked next to him, helping O as he struggled down them with his crutch-like pedes, “If anything, that'll just encourage them.”

“How do you keep them in line?” The red mech asked, exasperated.

“Eh, we kinda don't,” L shrugged, “Like how younger siblings will listen to their older brothers.”

“Which can not be a lot,” P grinned behind them.

The others nodded before they all burst out laughing and reached the bottom. 

The staircase came out into a massive entrance hall, with four other staircases branching off from each other in different directions, going up and down.

Optimus, Ratchet, the twins, and Perceptor were all already there waiting for them. The Prime smiled when the younglings came running in, all looking around in awe at the massive room.

“Welcome to your new home,” Optimus called, waving his arms around the place, “This is where you will be living and learning from now on.”

“No fragging way!” A gasped, looking at him with wide optics.

“Really? We're living here from now on?” P asked, furrowing his eyebrows, “Isn't that a bit disrespectful, sir?”

But Optimus just smiled again, “Trust me when I say, it is not,” He said casually and then turned, pointing to the two main staircases, “Those lead to the berthrooms. We can give you the grand tour soon, but I'm sure right now you'd like to go see which one you want.”

“Yes!” N, both A's, and the smaller M yelled, already running off down them.

“Hey! Wait for us!” S called, running after them with the others.

“First come first serve!” The blue mechling cackled as he raced along the halls.

L continued to frown while he jogged down the halls, more to just keep up with the others than rush to claim a room. Z dropped back to keep pace with him, looking at the white mech with a knowing glance.

“You also putting things together?” He asked softly.

L looked up and just nodded, “Seems like it,” He sighed, “But I don't know if we should be announcing it to the others just yet.”

“I see your reasoning,” The blue mechling laughed, “Maybe we should wait until some of the others also catch on.”

“Agreed.”

“Hey! L!” A called, waving him over cheerfully, “This one's got a whole library in it!”

The white mechlings small wings perked up and he hurried to him, optics going wide as he stared into the room, “Holy scrap.”

It was basically a library with desks by every wall and berth in the middle, pressed up against a large window stretching up to the high ceiling in the middle of the wall.

“I think he just found his room,” M grinned as he walked past, peering in over his shoulder.

S came running up and grabbed the purple mechlings arm, dragging him after her.

“There's one with a whole separate room inside, and its a forge!” She explained excitedly, “And the walls all transform to form different display cases and storage space!”

“Are you taking that one?” He asked, tilting his helm.

She grinned back at him, “I already did! It seems like everyone already has an assigned room! N found one full of weapons and training equipment, P got one with these massive white and gold pillars, O's has a hanging bed and one wall isn't even there! It's just a balcony opening into the sky!”

He smiled as she rambled on about all the other rooms, continuing to drag him behind her.

“This one's mine,” She pointed at the door as they passed, “And I think you'd like this one!”

She immediately stopped at the room next to hers, the door clearly made for a very large mech to be able to fit through. Still, M pushed it open with ease.

Inside it was large. Most of the furniture was as well but someone had fitted everything with small steps and ladders so he could reach.

Two large windows were on the walls opposite the door, each framed by purple curtains that gently draped over thin sheer curtains. Some weapons covered the walls, and a large pinboard sat over the desk, filled with various drawings that looked like they'd been done by someone very young. 

It was dark inside, but not gloomy. The lights gave a nice homely feel.

M immediately felt himself relax when he walked in, his wings drooping down contently and his eyelids fluttered. All he wanted to do right now was run and faceplant onto that massive berth, fall asleep for a couple hours and only then go and explore the rest of the building.

“Yup! This is definitely yours,” S nodded with a smile as she looked around, “It's even arranged like your old cubicle.”

“Huh. Seems like it,” He mused, looking around.

“Hey guys,” O said, knocking on the door as he peered in, “Prime says your belongings will be delivered soon if you want to go fetch them now. After that he's gonna show us where we're eating.”

“Ok! Be right there!” S called happily and ran out, dragging M behind her before he could say anything.

Hours later------------

The purple mechling sighed and he finally fell backwards onto the berth, arms spread out as his backstruts clicked back into place.

He stared up at the dark blue ceiling covered with constellations. They glowed gently in the dark. It made him smile a bit before turning his helm and looking at the figure standing next to him, “So this was your room?”

The large form of Megatronus sat down next to him, looking around, “Our room,” He corrected in a whispy voice, “It is yours now, but has always been.”

The mechling nodded, glancing around, Despite not having many possessions, the room was filled with things he found he already had a liking to. Small, intricate and delicate-looking trinkets made of various materials. A few weapons hung on the wall, and there was a large desk pushed against one wall. There was what looked to be a big plush and comfy basket.

M sat up as he realized it was the same one Soundwave had recounted in his story, the very one Ravage used to lie in.

“I remember the first night I brought those two back,” The ghost smiled, knowing what he was thinking about, “Soundwave curled up right against my stomach as soon as I lay down, and Ravage wrapped around his back.”

“Like how he'd lie with me,” M smiled, remembering how his sire protectively curled around him.

“Indeed,” Megatronus chuckled, leaning forward, “I must say that it was nice to come into being while you were still with him. I was missing my boy. Those are all of his drawings I hung up.”

The sparkling looked up, “You've been in the Allspark these past cycles?” He asked.

The ghost nodded, “Yes.”

M tilted his helm and propped himself up onto one elbow, “What's it like in there?”

The shadow of his past self hummed thoughtfully, “Peaceful,” He replied simply, “But there was always a nagging that I wouldn't be there forever. I remember being quite surprised when I realized I was being reincarnated.”

“You felt that?”

“Oh yes, but I wasn't able to properly see you until much later,” He nodded, “It's strange I will say. I'm my own person yet at the same time, I see through your optics. I hear what you do, and I experience the same things.”

“This is strange,” M mused, flopping back down.

“It is quite,” Megatronus chuckled, laying down next to him, “Though I look forward to seeing the outcome of everything now.”

Chapter Text

When he woke up, at first he didn't know where he was. M blinked as he stared at the stars above him, laying flat on his back on a large surface. A cool breeze swept over his frame.

Was he outside?

There was the soft swishing noise of fabric on fabric near him, and he lifted his helm to see thin curtains gently billowing out.

He blinked.

Right. He remembered now. This was Megatronus’s room.

His room.

The mechling sat up and crossed his legs, looking around for a second and taking it in. It still felt very strange. His optics paused and hovered over the computer monitor attached to the wall over the desk.

He wondered if he could talk to Soundwave on it…

But his tanks rumbled, pulling him from his thoughts. That would have to wait, because he was hungry.

M scooted to the edge and hopped down to the floor, not even using the steps provided for him. He quickly went over and opened the thicker set of curtains, letting light pour into the room before hurrying to the door and walking out.

The halls were pretty quiet now as he made his way down them, but that was to be expected. Despite how much he liked sleep, his body seemed to naturally wake up before everyone else.

Well, almost everyone.

“Morning M!” L waved happily from the table as he walked into the room. Q was also awake and there, but he just looked up and nodded before going back to the datapad he was reading.

“Morning,” M smiled, pulling the large chair out next to his friend and jumping onto it. They'd been raised slightly so the younglings could also reach the table.

The white mech passed him a cube of energon while drinking his own, “Sleep well?”

“Like the dead,” M laughed, taking a big gulp, “I don't think I've slept that well since I came online. What about you?”

“I did as well. That was when I actually got around to recharging,” He grinned.

The purple mechling laughed, “Already taking advantage of that library?”

“Oh yeah. It's got basically every kind of book and genre. I'm going to be busy for a while now!”

“And you plan on finishing every one?”

“You know it!”

They both laughed before L leaned back and looked to Q, “What about you? What's your room like?”

The green mech looked up, surprised for a second that they were talking to him. Still, he put down his data pad and leaned on one fist in thought, “Quite nice.”

They waited but he still stared off.

“And?”

Q blinked and sat up straighter, “It's quite light inside. There are quite a few desks, and there's a large globe in the middle. Lots of artifacts, maps and painting supplies as well.”

“Do you like painting?” M blinked.

“I didn't know I did until I tried earlier,” He smiled, gazing off, “I woke just as the first rays of light were coming down on the city from the surface and decided to try and capture that moment.”

L nodded and leaned back, “And do you know who's room you got?”

Q's optics flickered to him before he said simply, “My own.”

“So, you've figured it out as well?” The white mechling asked, steepling his digits and leaning against them.

“Indeed I have.”

“What?” M blinked owlishly, looking between them.

L smiled and turned to his friend, “Guess what, oh mighty Megatronus?” He said, “You're not the only Prime anymore.”

His optics widened.

“That's right,” Q nodded, “P and I were discussing it last night. We're all starting to catch on now, but I don't think any of us have as many memories as you. Most are fractured dreams of our past lives.”

“So, you two are Primes as well?” M said, hope swelling in his spark.

“I suspect all the sparklings that were brought here are.”

“And… you two are-,”

L laughed and pointed at himself, “Just a theory, but I'm pretty sure I'm Liege Maximo.”

“And I am Quintus Prime.”

“Wow,” Megatronus breathed, slumping down slightly in his chair and staring up at the ceiling.

Solus Prime had been the only Prime who'd been a femme and among them, S was the only one. Could it be-?

He was snapped from his thoughts when L pat his arm and stood up, “Come on. I want to get to the washracks and freshen up before P and V hog them for another Vorn.”

“Ok. I'll be right behind you,” He nodded, getting down after him and leaving Q to return to his datapad.

Hours later-- ---------

“What on Cybertron is going on?” 

O and M looked back as S and L walked into the training room, watching as the other sparklings ran around, looking through various boxes.

“Half the weapons went missing,” A explained, his single red optic looking over, “They're trying to figure out where they went.”

L blinked and then slowly turned his helm, looking to the dark blue mechling standing next to Z. N blinked and looked over, but quickly snapped back into place when he noticed his friend looking at him, his lips drawn tight and optics stared ahead.

“N.”

“Yeeeeeah?”

L marched over and stood in front of him, leaning down with an accusing look, “You know exactly what I’m about to say.”

“I swear I didn’t take them!” The blue mechling yelled, lifting his servos in the air.

“Really now?” L asked and his arm shot forward, bumping against the smaller sparkling’s stomach. The other blinked in surprise when the hidden subspace popped open and a bunch of guns and knives fell out.

“Drop ‘em, now.”

“Jeez, fine you killjoy,” N stuck his glossa out at him and started opening various hatches all over his frame which no one except L had known he’d had.

Various weapons of all shapes and sizes fell out, clattering to the floor and piling up.

“Holy Primus,” P blinked, watching as more and more fell out, the pile almost bigger than the mechling as he shook them out.

“And the ones on your shoulders,” L went on, arms crossed and tapping his pede, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about those.”

“Yeah yeah,” N scowled, popping them open so two handguns fell out.

The white mechling looked down, his optics scanning over the pile before he looked back up, “That’s 32. There’s 34 missing.”

“Ok! Fine!” He cried and turned around, his backplates opening to release two guns the same size as his torso.

“There we go,” L grinned, turning to the others, “Weapons found.”

They were just gawping at the two.

“How in the name of Cybertron did he hide all of those?” A gasped, readjusting his glasses as he looked at them.

“This one’s 90% hidden subspaces,” The white mechling explained, patting N’s helm as he got scowled at, “I noticed he’d grown slightly bigger. That happens when he fills them because his frame is capable of expanding out.”

“Tattletail,” N muttered, kicking a loose pebble away.

“Well I don't know about you guys, but I think we should now be ready to spar!” Z exclaimed cheerfully, grabbing an axe off the pile and marching forward happily.

The next day------------

M looked up at the large white mech in front of him, holding a spear and staring right back down.

“Megatronus,” Optimus said, “I'm sure you've already met Prowl, am I correct?”

“You taught me a while back,” M nodded, “Once when you came to give us a briefing on how the laws of Iacon work and what most of them are.”

“That is correct,” Prowl nodded, standing straight, “But what you heard was merely the basics. Starting now, I will be the one training you in combat, field tactics, communications and strategies. Any questions?”

“Um, just one,” The mechling asked, “Will these be one on one lessons, or will my friends be joining? And will I have any classes with them? Wait, I think that's actually two questions.”

Optimus chuckled and kneeled down, “Don't worry, you will still be receiving your basic and primary education with the others,” He said, putting one servo on his shoulder, “But these are only things you can learn right now on this level. The experience you have puts you at a higher advantage than them so until they regain their memories as well, I'm sorry but you will be the only one Prowl teaches.’

M's wings drooped slightly, “But they will be joining me some day, right?”

“Indeed. You will not be alone forever,” The Prime smiled as he stood, “They will all catch up to you eventually.”

This seemed to cheer him up a bit as he nodded, “Ok. I'm ready to train now!”

“Good,” Prowl said with a slight smile as he twirled his spear, “Then show me what you are capable of.”

A few days later------------

“Come on slow pokes!” M-93 called with a grin, the grey sparkling looking back as he sped ahead of the others.

“You're only ahead ‘cause you got a head start!” A yelled, racing down on the hoverboard after him.

“Yeah! False head start!” N joined in, right behind his friend.

“Actually you two are just slow!” V called as he shot past, twisting in midair to flash a cheeky grin.

“I think it depends on the boards guys,” Z laughed, cruising past with ease, “S hasn't gotten a chance to fix all of them properly. You saw the state they were in when we found them.”

“He's right. Not all of these are back to their original standard,” A-131 said, also going past but for some reason spinning in circles. Probably due to off gyroscopes.

“I'm working as fast as I can!” S yelled, catching up with them and crossing her arms, “Hoverboards are complex things to fix! I'd like to see you repair one basically from scratch.”

“I'm good!” He called as M-57 came up behind him, holding the smaller mech by the stomach to help stop the spinning a bit.

“And Q decided to skip this to read?” P snorted, slowing down to talk with them.

“Yeah, L too,” N said, rolling his optics, “Both said they wanted to read. Boring with a capital B!”

The 11 younglings shot over the streets, landing on roofs and flying across the tops of buildings. 

“Oh let them have their fun!” Z grinned, throwing a small pebble at his helm and intentionally missing, “Hoverboarding high above the streets of Iacon isn't for everyone!”

“But even A's doing it,” V pointed out, jerking his thumb back, “All three of them!”

“That doesn't mean I like this!” A-121 cried as he went past, wobbling uncontrollably while O went after him in case he fell.

A-131 was still spinning, now starting to bring M with him.

P just laughed and sped ahead, skidding along the side edge of one of the buildings and looking down.

Bots were starting to take notice of them zipping overhead.

“Alright guys!” He called back, knowing that any second they'd be swarmed by the media if anyone realized who they were, “Time to head back!”

“Aw come on!” N whined, “We basically just got out!”

“Well our break is over,” A-123 grinned, getting closer to nudge him, “It's learning time again!”

The blue bot along with a few others let out a groan, and M-93 even attempted to sneak away.

“I'll get him!” V yelled and immediately took off, getting the smaller bot to shriek in shock when he was suddenly being pursued, and the others to burst out laughing.

A few days later —————

There was a knock on M’s door just as he was about to drift off. The mechling lifted his helm and blinked, looking at it before throwing his legs over the side and going over.

It opened to reveal a small pink femme standing there, looking at her pedes and hugging a pillow to her chassis.

“S?” He blinked in surprise, his wings going up defensively when he saw her scared expression, “What happened?”

“Can I stay with you tonight?” She asked, her voice small and shaking as she stepped forward so he could hug her trembling form, “I had a nightmare. I can’t go back to sleep.”

M’s expression softened and he held her protectively, “Of course,” He said, guiding her back into his room, “You don’t need to ask.”

He helped her up onto his berth before hurrying over to the closet, grabbing the smallest blanket he could find. It was still massive compared to him, but it would do. The mechling bundled it up in his arms and walked back over, tossing the mass of red fabric up and climbing after it.

He took it and kneeled in front of S, draping it over her shoulders and wrapping her up snugly before scooting back and leaning against his headboard. She shuffled over next to him.

“Do you think you can sleep right now?” He asked gently, holding her servo as it emerged from the blankets and waited open for him to take.

She squeezed his tightly and leaned against him, shaking her helm, “I don’t think so,” S whispered, “Can we just… just talk for a bit?”

“Of course. Anything to help,” M said, getting comfortable.

His optics flickered over to the corner of his room. His last self was sitting in the chair, facing away but he could see Megatronus peeking over at them. He swore he could see another, smaller shape starting to flicker next to his ghost, but it was too blurry so he ignored it and focused on S.

Megatronus however, looked over his shoulder and smiled under his mask, “It’s been a while, love.”

The faint form of Solus smiled back and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and turning to look at their younger reincarnations talking together, “Indeed it has, but it seems some things haven’t changed.”

He chuckled and rested one servo on the side of her face, “It would seem not, but was I wrong when I said I would always love you, no matter what happened?”

She gave a soft laugh and leaned her helm against hers, “No. No you were not.”

Hours later ——————

As the large clock in the middle of the city struck midnight, a spindly figure could be seen climbing the Prime’s tower, creeping up the side with ease.

They stopped every few feet and looked around, scanning the area and moving up in an irregular pattern as they traveled, staying in the shadows and keeping in the blind spots of all the various cameras.

They then reached their destination.

The figure crawled forward and looked in through one of the sky lights, watching as he made his way to his berth. They held their servo up as a hatch on their side opened and popped a button sized disk off. It then sprouted legs and hopped off, scuttling into the room.

The white mechling didn’t even notice, the young Prima sound asleep and buried in a mound of blankets and pillows on his berth. They watched the small device scuttle over and squeezed in between the layers.

Soon after, the pile moved and he sat up, blinking and looking around sleepily but finding nothing. So the mechling shrugged and fell back, rubbing his now sore shoulder plating.

The figure then turned and leaned backwards against the building, looking as a panel on their arm popped open to reveal a screen.

There was now a red dot on it close to them.

Success.

They looked around, spotting their next target.

They moved around from window to window, looking in each room and sending one device into each, each time a new dot appearing on their screen.

They came to one with soft yellow lights inside, squinting when they picked up no sign of this Prime inside. But then understood when they moved to the next window and spotted the young Solus asleep with her helm on Megatronus' shoulder.

Two more dots were added as the younglings winced in their sleep before the stranger moved on.

The shape then quickly stopped as they reached an open section, melting into the shadows as there was the sound of wings flapping.

Multiple optics watched the young Onyx Prime as he flew down and landed on the balcony, stumbling a bit on his stubs for pedes before walking in. They’d noticed this was his usual routine, flying around for a bit before going to bed.

This would be trickier.

The small device scuttled into the room but immediately stopped just a few feet away when Onyx froze. The beastformer turned and looked back towards the open window, his optics narrowing slightly as they scanned the room.

The bug-like device slowly crept forward, its steps cautious and light to avoid detection.

The young Prime slowly walked back to his berth, hopping up but still casting a weary glance around the room. He scanned one last time before setting down to sleep.

The bug slowly made its way up the berth, creeping along the headboard so the second it registered he had fallen into recharge, it pounced.

Onyx immediately shot up, falling off of the berth and hitting his side table in the process, sending most of the things on top clattering to the ground.

He failed on the floor, twisting and turning and trying to grab at his back.

There was running outside before a green mechling, presumably Alchemist, ran in with wide optics.

“O?!” He cried, hurrying to his friend's side, “What happened?!”

The blue mechling had finally stopped, sitting up and feeling his back. By now, the pain was already numbed thanks to a special venom, and he wouldn't be able to tell if it had been real or not.

Onyx sighed and rubbed his optics, “Nightmare,” He mumbled as the smaller bot helped him stand, “They're starting to feel too real.”

“I know what you mean. Come on. I'll get you some nice warm energon,” Alchemist said, leading him out, “That always helps me after a bad dream.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

The figure watched as the two walked out before looking down at the screen.

13 dots showed up.

Their work here was done.

For now.

The shadow looked up and leapt off the side, transforming mid-air and quickly flying off to the surface before anyone got a chance to see them.

Chapter Text

S looked up as she walked behind Elita, coming out to the landing pad at the top of the building.

She tilted her helm when she saw Optimus Prime standing there with a new dark blue mech, speaking with P, Z, and O. The blue mechling spotted her and smiled, waving as she came over.

“What’s going on?” She asked, looking between them, “Miss Elita just told me I was needed.”

“We have some visitors who have just arrived,” Optimus explained, leading them to Jetfire as he transformed, “They are from off-world colonies that departed from Cybertron centuries ago, made from the Titans Caminus and Chela, the latter who settled on the planet Eukaris. We’ve been trying to contact them for a while, and they have agreed to send some delegates to meet with us.”

“And why do you need us?” O asked, putting his servos behind his back.

Optimus looked over, “I’m sure by now you’ve all figured it out?”

They went silent before nodding.

“So you guys know which Primes you guys are?” The blue mech asked with a strange accent as they sat down, “Sorry. Should probably introduce myself. Name’s Skids.”

“Nice to meet you. I am P-189,” P nodded with a smile and then it faltered a bit, “But I am more than sure I am Prima.”

“I already figured out I’m Zeta,” Z said, pointing at himself and then Optimus, “His Matrix recognized me as its previous user.”

O and S looked at each other, and then at the others, “I don’t think it’s much of a secret who we are,” The blue mechling said, “The only beastformer and femme here. Obviously Onyx and Solus, otherwise you would have brought A instead of me since he turns into a lion.”

“Exactly, and we need both of you for that,” Elita nodded.

“Why?”

Optimus waved his servo to Skids who grinned and cleared his throat, “Because both colonies were started by Solus and Onyx Prime. They see and worship both of you.”

S froze and looked at him with wide optics, though somehow I didn’t seem as rattled. He just pointed at P, “Then why are these two here?”

“As more proof and moral support in case they don't believe it's really you,” The white mech said, crossing his arms and leaning back, “And like Z said before, there are still faint traces of the Matrix on him. We’re just here to show them the Primes are back.”

“And these colonies have been separated from us exactly?”

“Oh, only over 50 cycles,” Skids said cheerfully, “Most took off as soon as the Quintesson started attacking, so we're not really 100% sure they're still on good terms with us.”

S sighed and leaned her helm back, "Wonderful."

An hour later-- ---------

“Woah, they’re beastformers,” S whispered, looking out from behind O as they stared at the two small crowds of bots waiting for them. 

The one on the left were clearly O's bunch, an orange and brown femme with feathers smiling at them, and green and white mech with fur stripes, and one who seemed to have some kind of leathery skin, scowling at them despite the interest peeking through.

O stood straighter when he saw them, his wings twitching with excitement while his optics widened. All of their optics were on him.

Z nudged S and pointed to the other group, “Check it,” He whispered, “He’s not the only one with anxious onlookers.”

She peeked around him to look at the three looking at her. Her optics widened further.

“They’re all femmes,” P said, saying what all of them were thinking.

“Yeah,” S nodded, staring back at them curiously.

The lead one was a red flier with a white face that had red markings on it. On her left was a blue femme with a serious expression and wheels on her knees and shoulders. The one on her right was purple and looking around excitedly. She also had wings, but they looked more like propellers.

“So, those are your people,” O said with a small smile, standing next to her.

“Seems so,” She mumbled, feeling her tanks twist with nerves, “What do you think they’ll say? What do we even say?”

Z put a reassuring servo on her shoulder, “Don’t worry about it,” He said with a smile, “You’ll know what to do when you speak with them.”

S nodded, twisting her servos together and fiddling with them. She was beginning to wish she’d asked if M could come with.

Still, they walked forward nonetheless. And for some reason, she felt something swelling up in her spark the closer they got. It seemed O felt it as well because his steps quickened impatiently, his wings now fluttering like he wanted to take off. She found she had to stop herself from running to them.

The Cybertronians stopped before the new arrivals. Optimus smiled and extended his servo, “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I am Optimus Prime, and this is my second in command, Elita-1, and our bodyguard, Skids.”

Elita gave a court nod, but Skids didn’t say anything. S looked over and giggled, the other Primelings grinning when they saw how he was staring at the purple femme with an awed expression.

The winged femme stepped forward first and shook his servo, “The pleasure is ours, Optimus Prime,” She smiled with a slight accent, “I am Airazor. This is my bonded, Tigatron, and our guard, Dinobot. I will admit, we were quite surprised when we received your message.”

As she said it, her optics flickered to the young mech standing next to him.

“It was a surprise to all of us,” Optimus admitted with a small smile, “I don’t think anyone, even the Primes, realized reincarnation was possible with them.”

“We didn’t,” P muttered behind him.

“Enough talking,” The leathery mech hissed, pushing his way to the front, “How do we know this isn’t a trick?”

“Because I stand here,” O said, taking a step forward and puffing himself up. The femme looked at him and smiled, leaning down slightly.

He watched as she extended her wings and fluttered them, alternating between flaps and twitches.

O watched her, his optics curious and wide before his own flapped back in their own sequence.

“What’s happening?” Z whispered, looking between them.

“They’re communicating,” Elita said, watching closely, “Fliers have their own language, and it would appear beastformers do as well.”

They then looked as O cautiously lifted one clawed servo and put it against the femme's chassis, “I… I feel myself,” He mumbled slowly in surprise.

She put her servo over his and held it gently, “Because you are who you say,” Airazor smiled and then bowed, the two behind her following quickly, “It is an honor to meet you, Onyx Prime.” 

O gave a shaky smile and nodded, “Thanks. I can barely believe it myself if I’m honest.”

Optimus turned to the three femmes and chuckled when he saw their restlessness, “You’re all probably eager to meet your own Prime, aren’t you?” He walked over and held his servo out.

The red femme smiled and eagerly shook it, “Indeed we are,” She said, “The Mistress of Flame was overjoyed when she read your report. She even cracked a smile.”

“I’m not surprised,” He said and then stood aside to reveal S. The femmeling jumped and quickly stood as straight as she could, no doubt looking nervous as she fiddled with her servos.

Still, the red femme walked over kneeled down in front of her, the other two on either side behind her. The flier gently took S’s servo and held it between her two, her smile getting wider as she looked at her.

“Solus Prime, I am the Cityspeaker Windblade,” She said in a soft voice, “My spark swells at the thought that I can meet you. It is a great privilege.”

S smiled at the warmth of her servos that reminded her of M, “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” She said, “Did I really start your colony?”

“Indeed you did,” Windblade nodded and lifted her servo, tracing the faint markings under the sparklings optics. They'd gotten darker when she’d chosen her altmode. She hadn't even noticed they somewhat resembled the fliers.

“Our religion and cultures are based on you,” She explained, “Cityspeakers wear these to show we are connected to you.”

“What's a Cityspeaker?”

“They're the ones who can speak with the Titans,” The purple femme grinned, leaning in and taking her free servo to shake it, “I'm Nautica by the way. And the blue one here is Chromia.”

“Nice to meet you,” S smiled while her servo was shaken quite enthusiastically.

She turned and looked at Windblade before waving her servo. The older femme blinked curiously and moved forward.

S whispered something into her audio receptors and then looked down shyly.

But the Cityspeaker smiled and opened her arms, “You don't have to be so nervous,” She said, “Or even have to ask.”

The femmelings face lit up and she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around the fliers neck and hugging her happily.

Windblade embraced her back, laughing at how much the little fins on her helm waved back and fourth from joy. 

“Looks like we didn't need to come along after all,” P grinned behind her, nudging his friend.

Airazor looked up as Dinobot circled O, determined to see every part of him like he was about to disappear in an instant. She walked over and looked at them, “And you two?”

Z took a step forward and gave a small bow, “Zeta Prime, miss,” He introduced himself, “It is an honor to meet a descendant of my friend.”

P also bowed, “And I am Prima Prime,” He blinked and looked up, “That's a mouthful to say.”

Airazor giggled as she watched them, “Well I could say the same upon meeting the first Prime and Matrix bearer,” She said, “I don't think many will ever get this chance.”

“Then let us not waste it,” Optimus said, waving his servo in the direction of Vos, “We have much to discuss now, and I think it would be best to make haste.”

Windblade smiled and stood, “I agree,” She nodded, looking down as Solus held her servo and held her other one to Nautica, who happily accepted it. She noticed how the blue Autobot moved to walk somewhat next to her, his optics only focused on the purple femme.

“As do I,” Tigatron said as he and Dinobot stood at attention like bodyguards on either side of Onyx. The young beastformer flashed a nervous grin to S, who just laughed happily.

“Then let us begin things,” The Prime smiled, leading them back to the shuttle.

The Prime's Tower-----------

“You are distracted!” Prowl called, lunging at the mechling.

M grunted and quickly blocked it, taking a few steps back, “Sorry sir. Just thinking.”

The white mech ceased his assault and stood up, “During a battle, there is no time to get lost in thought, but I will allow it this one time,” He said.

“Thanks,” The youngling mumbled, rolling his sore shoulders. They'd already been stinging when he woke up and according to S and the others, they'd also had it in similar spots.

Yet despite the pain, none of them could find anything that caused it when they looked.

There was also the fact he was starting to feel worn down already from the amount of work piling up on him. He had more than any of the other younglings due to his extra lessons, and that usually meant staying up later than everyone.

And on top of all of that, S, Z, O and P had all gone to the surface with Optimus almost right after they'd woken up and had been told they wouldn't be back for a few solar cycles.

It made him agitated for some reason.

“Would you like to talk about it?” Prowl asked, making him jolt as he'd forgotten the other mech in the room.

But M just sighed, “It's nothing you don't already know,” He said, taking his mask off and rubbing some dirt from the cheek.

“So a combination of things?” He asked, tilting his helm, “Not just separation anxiety?”

The purple mechling blinked and looked at him in confusion, “Huh?”

Prowl raised his eyebrows with a ‘really?’ expression, “Your romantic feelings towards S-20 are quite obvious,” He stated.

M felt his cheeks heat up immediately while his wings jerked involuntarily, “It's… it's that noticeable?”

It made the older mech laugh, “You look at her the same way Jazz looks at me most days. It's as clear as day to anyone who cares to notice.”

The sparkling quickly turned and furiously rubbed his face, “Scrap.”

Prowl laughed behind him, reaching over and ruffling his helm, “Do not worry. Your secret is safe with me,” He said with an amused smile, “Though it's not much of a secret to anyone with optics.”

“No it's not!”

M looked up to see a few of his friends clustered around the door to the training room, A-121 grinning at him.

He let out a small yell and took off running in the opposite direction.

“Hey! Get back here!” Prowl called, going after him, “We're nowhere near done!”

Later-----------

M groaned as he trudged back to his room. He was smeared in dirt and grime from his training, and his limbs felt heavy from the day of nothing but fighting.

He basically stumbled into his room and over to the berth, falling down face first with a sigh and letting the pressure hiss out of his frame, clouding as steam around him.

He closed his optics, letting the wonderful sensation of sleep creep over him.

“You still have work to finish for tomorrow.”

The mechling opened one optics and glared at the ghost sitting at his desk, looking through the notes and books strewn about.

He turned and buried his face in blankets, “Don't wanna.”

He felt the unimpressed gaze piercing his back without even looking up, “That is not the attitude one should approach these thing with.”

“You have your way, I have mine.”

“Your way involves work piling up and elevating the levels of stress already weighing on your shoulders.”

The sparkling lifted his helm and scowled at the shadowy figure now standing next to the berth, “It's like you're trying to make my life miserable.”

“Quite the contrary. I'm trying to make it easier.”

M just groaned loudly as he slid off the berth, continuing the noise as he dragged himself and slumped down in his chair.

“I would also recommend having an oil bath,” Megatronus said, looking over his shoulder, “Your plating has gone from a nice violet to a shade of matte purple.”

The sparkling let his helm clunk forward onto the desk, “I don't even know what that means!”

“You're filthy.”

He sighed heavily and rubbed his face, “Can't that wait until tomorrow? I think I'd fall asleep if I took a bath right now.”

The ghost turned and looked at the clock, “It's only just past 9pm now,” He said simply, “You should be able to have a quick scrub down before the guards start their shifts.”

M held back another groan, too tired to argue.

“Fine. Fine,” He grumbled and trudged back to the door.

“That's the spirit!” Megatronus called, sitting back down at the desk and going back to looking over the work.

The mechling just rolled his optics and put his mask back on, looking around the dark halls as he  made his way down them. Thankfully the washracks weren't too far away, and he all but collapsed into the hot oil upon arrival.

M sighed happily at the feeling and sank deeper, submerging himself up to his neck and resting his mask on the bench next to him.

He lifted one arm and looked at it, his plating covered in scratches and marks where he'd taken the most hits. Paint was also flaking off near the edges. He blinked and picked at it, watching a large chunk detach itself and fall off.

“Should probably get that polished up,” He mumbled and let his arm fall back down with a splash. He'd just wait until P got back.

Whenever that was.

M stared at the ceiling, remembering Prowl's words. He did miss S despite how little time had actually passed between now and her leaving.

It didn't seem like much at first but as the day had worn on, he found himself looking for her more and more. Just talking with her had been nice last night, and something in his spark felt warm and fuzzy when he woke up and found her asleep with her helm on his shoulder.

Primus, he missed her so much.

The purple mechling sunk down into the oil until just the top of his helm and optics were peeking out, staring at the steam gently wafting off and reflections on the dark surface while begrudgingly scrubbing himself down.

A couple minutes passed in utter silence. The warmth of the oil was starting to make him feel sleepy. He lifted his helm so he could yawn and leaned back, closing his optics.

-----------

Megatronus lifted his helm and turned in the chair, looking back at the door where his reincarnation had left, his wings twitching. He felt it in his spark.

It was time for him to discover the secret that lay beneath their very pedes.

------------

Light passed over M's closed optics, like someone had just waved a torch in front of him. The mechling grumbled and squinted before opening them, sitting up and looking around.

The room was darker now, and the oil felt colder. He looked at his chronometer and blinked.

He'd fallen asleep for an hour.

“Scrap,” M groaned and let his helm fall back. It was now later in the night and Megatronus was still probably waiting for him with all of his work.

He dragged himself out and dried off, putting his mask back on and rubbing his tired optics when he saw light through his digits.

The mechling blinked and looked up.

A ball of yellow light floated in front of his face.

He blinked again. 

Was he dreaming right now?

The light flew around him airily, making swooping motions as it circled the sparking’s helm. It then came up closer and rubbed against his nose.

It was warm.

M smiled and reached one servo out to it.

The little ball dodged and made circles in the air teasingly.

It made him laugh and reach for it again. And it just dodged once more, moving further away.

He grinned and ran out of the washracks after it. It flew in front of him teasingly like O would when the two of them played together in the air.

M laughed and jumped, trying to cup the light in his servos as he followed it deeper and deeper into the building.

He looked up, grinning when he saw it ahead of him, reaching out and trying to end this game of tag it seemed to be playing with him. It stopped before a corner and waited, doing teasing circles in the air while it waited for him to catch up.

“Come back here!” He laughed, finally reaching the end only for the glowing orb to fly down the right corridor.

The mechling quickly took off after it, not even paying attention to his surroundings as they got darker and darker.

Finally, he rounded one last corner to see the light floating in mid air, no longer moving.

M tilted his helm and trotted forward, going right up to it and reaching out with one servo. But as soon as he touched it, it exploded into a shower of blue sparks.

The purple mech frowned, confused. He finally looked around, realizing he had no idea where he was.

Something moved behind him.

M jumped and his cannon instinctively popped out of his arm, lighting up as he spun around and held it up. He blinked in surprise.

He was facing bars that separated him from a small cell, whatever or whoever was inside, stirring on the narrow berth.

He squinted, trying to see who was there in the low light cast by the torches outside the prison.

The figure shook itself off and got up, facing away from him. They had stubs on their back, like there had once been wings there bt were now torn off.

M took a step forward, the sound of his pede hitting the metal making the stubs of the wings perk up slightly, and they slowly turned to face him. They stood up to their full height and gradually took a couple steps forward so the bots' whole frame was now caught in the soft glow from the little light down here.

Megatronus gasped, his optics going wide as he stumbled back, arms falling to the side with his cannon now forgotten. Shock had taken over him as he stared at the mech standing before him.

They looked down at the mechling before a smirk slowly curled up on their derma.

“Well, I never expected to see you as one of my visitors.”

The taller mech's voice sent shivers down his back struts, the smooth and silky tone activating different emotions and gave rise to many memories. M felt his vents start to increase as he gawped in disbelief.

Before him stood a smaller, but very much alive…

“Megatronus,” Sentinel Prime mused as he leaned forward, “My, you look horrible.”

Chapter Text

“So, everything I heard from the guards is true,” The blue mech mused, snapping the mechling out of his daze, “Megatronus Prime is reborn, in the very metal. Gotta say, I'm glad it took you so long to come back. You would have put a real spanner in my works if you'd appeared years earlier.”

M opened and closed his intake multiple times, words completely deserting him as he tried to make sense of what the frag was happening right now.

His armor also seemed to have been put through a tumbler as it was covered in scratches, burns and dirt without any sign of even attempt to be clean.

Then there was his middle, the plating there welded together and still, and also the large hole in his chassis where his t-cog should have been.

Still, it was clear as day that this was the same mech.

“What's wrong? Cybercat got your glossa?” Sentinel grinned.

“How…?” M breathed.

“Hmm?”

“How are you still alive?” Megatronus demanded while pointing at him accusingly, narrowing his optics as he glared at the mech in the cell, “I saw the footage from that day! You should be dead!”

“Yes well, that's the thing about us Cybertonians, isn't it? We're hard to kill,” Sentinel asked casually like it was a mere inconvenience, leaning on the bars and studying him, “Only for sure way to kill one is to make sure the spark is snuffed.”

“What are you talking about?”

A smirk played on the false Primes lips while amusement basically radiated off of him, “Come on, everyone knows this stuff,” He chided, “Limb torn off? Just get a replacement. Powered down? Pop a cube into their intake. Jump off a high building? Repaired within a deca-cycle. Get ripped in half? You have about an orn until death.”

His tone darkened and he looked at the smaller mech with a more sinister grin, dragging his thumb across his neck, “Helm chopped off? You stay aware of everything happening for a few breems, including all the pain you feel.”

Megatronus’ plating flared slightly at the last statement, remembering the nightmares that plagued him.

“Honestly it was such a wonder as to why our race was dying,” Sential continued to speak, his tone lessening up to the casual one from before, like he was speaking with a friend, “We were basically indestructible, yet so fragile at the same time.”

“It was because you started a war,” M growled, clenching his fists.

“Who? Me?” He laughed, “We all know Megatron started that.”

The sparkling lunged forward and grabbed him by the collar, slamming the false Prime down against the bars and holding him there. Sentinel grunted, pushing against him but to no avail.

“We all know that D-16 wouldn't have become Megatron if you didn't pull all the scrap you did!” The mechling snarled, “If you hadn't killed us and then let the Quintesson continue to reign, the Matrix wouldn't have disappeared and Cybertron wouldn't have dried up! There would have been no need for miners, and there wouldn't have been an entire fragging class system created because everyone would have had cogs!”

He yelled and pushed him back, sending the older mech sprawling back. Rage came over M, red hot as it invaded his systems. It was like all the other times but now, the real Sentinel was in front of him, and there was no one around to stop what he was about to do.

In one swift punch, he broke the lock on the cell, dropping the bars so he could stalk in, his face dark.

M stood over him, his optics going purple while lines appeared over his frame and his cannon started to glow, “So yes, I'd say the war is your fault,” He said darkly and brought his arm up, aiming the barrel with the mech's helm.

“Someone! Help!” Sentinel screamed.

“I'd ask you to give me a reason to spare your pathetic life, but I honestly think at this point that nothing you say will help you,” The mechling continued, his voice unwavering, “You shouldn't have killed me, slagbucket, ‘cause now I feel obliged to return the favor.”

“ANYONE?!”

The cannon sparked into life and glowing particles were being drawn towards the center, “Why don't we see how merciful Primus truly is?” He jeered, looking down at the mech trying to scramble away, “Think you'll get reborn, traitor?”

M spat the last word. Sentinel was looking around, acting like a caged animal as he tried to find a way out. His earlier bravado was gone, replaced with the fear of death currently pointed inches away from his helm.

“HELP ME!”

Megatronus sneered, “Pathetic.”

He clenched his fist, feeling his arm shudder as the weapon powered up to full height and Sentinel screamed.

There was running and before M knew it, someone was behind to him. A large servo grabbed his arm and yanked it up, sending the shot into the ceiling.

The roof cracked and a massive chunk broke off, falling right at him.

The same servo tugged him sharply backwards, out of the way while strong arms grabbed the mechling, holding him close against their chassis as they fell to the side.

The rumbling continued for a few more seconds, followed by crackling as the dust and ceiling settled. 

M coughed and looked up, turning to look around staring up as the mech behind him moved. The younglings' plating flared when he saw who it was.

“Why did you stop me!?” He demanded, glaring at Jetfire with a fierce intensity. He pushed away and broke out of his grip, standing up and pointing at Sentinel who was still on the floor but had his legs trapped under the rubble, “And why the frag is he still alive!? He doesn't deserve to live after what he did!”

The white mech looked up as guards came running down, stopping and looking confused at the situation.

“Optimus Prime had him sent down here after Ratchet fixed him,” He said softly, standing up but having to crouch slightly with the lower ceiling, “He sensed the false Prime was still alive, and said Sentinel didn't deserve death, and that executing him would change nothing.”

“That's still no excuse!” M yelled, clenching his shaking fists, “HE SHOULD BE DEAD!”

His shouts made the larger mech flinch but he still walked towards him, holding his servos out, “He is down here serving his proper punishment,” Jetfire tried to explain gently, “They had his t-cog removed and spends most of his time is a cell. Still, Optimus refuses to kill him.”

“Then let me do it,” M growled, aiming his cannon at the blue mechs helm. It made Sentinel yelp and try to scrambled. The guards jumped and ran to stop the young Prime, but Jetfire was quicker.

He grabbed M's wrists and forced them to the ground, “This is why Optimus didn't want to tell you!” He cried, “He knew you would react this way so he tried to keep it a secret! There's no other place besides the Primes Tower that he can escape and he's under 24 hour surveillance!”

“That changes nothing!” The mechling howled and ripped his arms away, “Why are all of you protecting that traitor!? He betrayed our people! He killed my friends! He murdered me! Do you think I'm supposed to just forgive him!?”

Jetfire's optics softened and his voice went quiet, “No.”

“Then don't expect me to,” M growled and spun around, stomping away, “Get him out of my sight before I come back down here and finish the job myself! I won't hesitate next time, and I'm not afraid to move anyone trying to stop me.”

“Megatronus!” Jetfire called, getting him to pause and look back. The white mechs expression went serious, “Don’t tell the others,” He said, “There will be too much panting if they all find out.”

The sparklings' optics flared and his wings raised dangerously. He turned around sharply and took off running down the halls, fury basically radiating off of him.

All Jetfire could do was watch him go before he had to turn back and help the drones get Sentinel free from the rubble before they had to move him.

It unsettled him that the blue mech was grinning.

Hours later——————

The second they stepped out of the shuttle and into the tower, they knew something was wrong.

The sparklings all tensed at the same time, causing the bots behind them to be weary. They were already aware that something had happened overnight. Jetfire had left for Iacon in the evening and hadn’t come back. Optimus arranged a normal shuttle for them in the morning, but it was clear they were all on edge.

The Prime had been talking quietly with Elita the whole ride there. Skids probably would have been included if he wasn’t absorbed in his conversation with Nautica.

“It’s like the whole tower is tense,” Z muttered, looking up at the sky and then at P, “You hear news of anything?”

But the white mechling shook his helm, “They wouldn’t tell me what I asked,” He admitted, “But I know whatever it is, it’s important. And possibly dangerous.”

S looked over at them and frowned. She held Windblades servo tighter and looked around the tower as they descended to the lower floors. Both Chromia and Dinobot moved in front of the group, ready to protect their delegates and Primes.

As they got to the main floor, the group stopped and guards ran past. Some broke off and stood in front of them, waiting to address Optimus.

“You are to stay away from the lower levels,” One said, making the sparklings jump when they realized he was speaking to them, “They are off limits until further notice.”

Z looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, but she just shrugged.

“Well, looks like everyone’s in one place at least,” O said, getting their attention. His wings twitched as he stared down the hall at something unseen to them.

“All of the Primes are back?” Tigatron asked, looking back at Optimus, “Your message said only a few have returned.”

The Prime just smiled, “A lot happened since I sent that.”

P started walking before any of them, quickly followed by O and Z, and then S and Windblade and everyone else. Chromia continued to walk in front of her and Nautica on her other side, Skids next to her.

It was easy to spot where the rest of the Primelings were due to the fact they were all crowded around one of the training room doors. They were quiet, staring in with frightened and shocked expressions. Then they noticed a certain purple mechling wasn’t with them.

Z frowned and ran to them.

S hurried over, tearing away from the Camiens and hurrying to her friends, “What’s going on?!” She hissed, looking around.

“It’s M,” A said, looking at her with worry, “We don’t know what happened but something went down last night. We’ve been prevented from going down to the lower floors, guards are rushing around all over the tower and…”

He trailed off, looking into the training room.

S felt her optics go wide.

To say M was on a rampage seemed to be putting it lightly. His optics were a fierce purple, and glowing lines and patterns adorned his frame. He had the training simulator on its highest setting and was absolutely annihilating all of the fake enemies. 

His servos tore them apart.

His spear ripped them to shreds.

His cannon reduced them to dust.

The mechling yelled each time he took one down, his shoulders heaving enough that it was visible when he briefly stopped, even though they were far away.

“We’re pretty sure he’s been down here the whole night,” L said with a grimace, “So we’re adding stress and sleep deprivation onto whatever happened to get him like this.”

“Well whatever it was ticked him off real bad,” N winced, “Never seen him like this. Even when… we were with the cons.”

V turned to her, “None of us can do anything,” He explained, “We’ve tried getting close but he pushes us away. We were hoping he’d listen to you at least. Before he burns himself out that is.”

S looked back at her friend as he took down three enemies in a single blow. She had to admit, it terrified her to see him like this. She was scared of him.

But… how much was he suffering right now? What was so terrible that it threw him into such a fit of rage.

“Ok,” She nodded and stepped in front of them, “I’m going in.”

“My lady!” Windblade cried, trying to go after her but was held back by Optimus. Chromia however, dodged all of them and followed the young femme in.

O looked up and over at them, his wings lowering and optics narrowing slightly when he saw Jetfire pulling the Prime aside, his expression grim.

Back in the training room, S forced herself to walk calmly the closer she got. M was turned away from her, screaming his voice box raw as he destroyed everything that moved.

“Be careful,” The older femme said behind her, bringing her shield out, “He’s fighting through pure rage.”

“Got it,” S nodded, swallowing thickly before pulling away from the bodyguard.

“M?” She called gently when she was close enough.

He spun around and glared at her so fiercely that she visibly flinched.

“WHAT?!”

The way he yelled at her shocked him, and it seemed he’d also surprised himself. He froze, his optics going wide under his mask when he’d realized who had been talking to him. Chromia had tensed behind her, but she signalled for her not to move.

“S? I…” He started but stopped himself, clenching his fists and turning away, throwing his spear so hard it went straight through three dummies without even slowing down, “Sorry. But please leave. I want to be alone right now.”

He never wanted her to leave. The M she knew always jumped at a chance to spend time with her, even if he didn’t say it out loud. She saw the way his wings perked up, how his optics crinkled with a smile.

This was not her friend.

“Oh M,” She said sympathetically, walking forward, “What happened to you?”

It was a surprise when he stepped away, one servo clenching his arm, “He… he said I mustn’t tell anyone,” He muttered, but she could see he was glaring at the ground with a fierce rage.

S increased her pace until she was right in front of him, grabbing his servo and squeezing it. She looked into his tired blue optics determinedly, “You can tell me. I’m always here for you, like you’re always there for me.”

M stared at her for a second. He looked like he wanted to pull away again, like he was now unsure what to do.

So she decided for him.

She tugged the mechling forward and trapped him in a hug, “We get through these things together,” She said softly, burying her face into her chassis, “Just like we always have.”

His anger crumbled under her servos and she felt him slump forward before hesitantly hugging her back. His knees gave out and she helped gently lower him to the ground so they sat on their calves. His frame hissed as tension released from it and his helm fell forward onto her shoulder. The lines on his frame disappeared as well. She turned and looked at his face, seeing the dark circles under his now blue optics and the way his eyelids drooped.

S put one servo on his helm, supporting his weight, “Now tell me,” She said gently, “Tell me what happened.”

M closed his optics and shuddered, “I just went to take a bath,” He said softly, “But then there was a ball of light in front of me. It led me out and down to the lower levels.”

She blinked in surprise but listened as he paused, taking a shaky breath.

“There are holding cells down there,” His voice went lower than a whisper and he opened his optics, looking at her with pure terror while his grip on her back tightened, “He’s alive down there. He’s still alive somehow.”

S looked at him with concern. Her mind raced through possibilities of who he was talking about, but she was coming up with blanks.

“Who?” She asked hesitantly, looking right into his optics as he opened them, “Who’s alive?”

M’s body gave another shudder and she could see this was his final decision to tell her. His gaze flickered to Chromia for a second before dropping his voice so only she could hear.

“Sentinel,” He said quietly, like the name alone would kill him, “Sentinel Prime.”

Every nerve in the pink femmes body seemed to short circuit. The energon in her veins froze and her whole body seized up. Her optics went wide and she stared at him in disbelief.

“No…”

“I wished that was true as well, but he’s there,” M said quietly, squeezing his optics shut again, “I saw him with my own optics. I spoke to him. I… I tried to kill him. Jetfire stopped me.”

Ah. So that was why he’d been tearing up the training room. 

“But… why?” She asked softly.

“Optimus found he was still alive after Megatron tore him in half. He said it was wrong to kill him,” She could hear the anger rising in his voice and the patterns started to appear again, “But he deserves to die.”

S quickly began running her servo over his wings out of instinct. That seemed to calm him as he sighed and slumped back down.

“I watched him kill you.”

She paused and looked at him with impossibly wide optics, seeing the tears starting to form in his.

“He made me watch. He intentionally didn’t kill me right away,” M turned his helm so it was buried in her shoulder, “I remember everything S. I want to make him pay. I want to kill him for what he did. I hate him!”

He started sobbing into her plating as she rubbed his back and wings, “Don’t think that, M,” The femmeling said gently, “You’re not a killer.”

“You’re wrong. I am.” He mumbled.

S frowned and looked down, “What do you mean?”

But exhaustion had finally overtaken him and his mind had succumbed to sleep. The purple mechling had passed out in seconds, tears still running down the cheeks of his worn mask and he kept her in a firm hug.

There were steps behind her and S let out a small noise of surprise and Chromia picked both of them up in one swift movement.

“Should I take him to his room?” She asked.

The femmeling looked at her friend and nodded sadly, hugging him close. As soon as she walked out, the other sparklings swarmed her.

“What did he say?” A asked, climbing onto N’s back to be close to eye level with her.

S looked at them for a second before her optics flickered to Optimus. The second he met her gaze, he knew that she knew. He looked at her seriously, his brow furrowing slightly.

She knew what that gaze meant.

“S?” Q asked.

The femme blinked and looked at them before looking down, “Sorry. He didn’t say.”

They knew she was lying. She was more than sure of that. She didn’t even need to look at their faces to know they didn’t believe her.

But they couldn’t do anything right now because Chromia was walking away with her, Windblade and Nautica following while Skids was held back by Elita.

“My lady?” Windblade asked softly, “Are you alright?”

S just looked at the city speaker, not really sure how to respond.

“I don’t think so,” She mumbled, trying to ignore the sick feeling that had been building in her stomach since she found out her killer was alive, “I think we need some time.”

Chapter Text

“Well, this is certainly a surprise,” Z commented as they looked around, “And maybe a tad overkill.”

The other nodded, walking around the empty market. Guards were stationed every few meters, watching with their guns out and ready.

“So Optimus had the whole market cleared out so we could visit without being swarmed?” A mused, his single optic looking around, “Nice.”

“Its definitely a nice change," S smiled, hanging off of M’s back as he held her legs, “Then again, we’ve made the mistake of going out enough times to know by now. You’d think bots would’ve calmed down by now.”

They’d all clearly remembered going out more than once and immediately being swarmed by media, fans, and anyone who was in the area. It wasn't a fun experience.

“I like it!” A grinned, stomping along happily ahead of them while adjusting his glasses, “More stuff for us.”

The vendors were definitely excited behind their stalls, some leaning over the tables to see the Primelings as they walked past. Bots also crowded by the barriers that had been put up by the streets, trying to catch a glimpse of them.

“Looks like Optimus made the right call though,” P sighed, “It's nice not being swamped by paparazzi. As much as I love it, it's too much for me right now.”

The others nodded in agreement, slowly breaking away from each other to go and explore the various different stalls.

M walked between them, S occasionally steering him certain ways when she wanted to look at something. He didn’t mind her doing that.

She led him to a small shop selling an abundance of raw minerals and some ingots. The owner looked delighted to see the two of them and leaned over eagerly.

“See anything you like?” He asked.

“Hmm, yeah,” S said slowly, leaning on M’s helm and peering over at the variety of metals laid out on the counter, “What would you say goes with these colours?”

The purple mechling looked up but couldn’t see what she was pointing at. However, the shop owner's optics sparkled in delight and he gestured to a range of golds and rosy colored metals to silver and . S looked through them, eventually choosing a bright yellow one with slight pink hints.

“I don’t need a lot,” She said, getting no more than a handful and holding out the required amount of Shanix, “Will this do, sir?”

But the vendor closed her digits around the money and pushed it to her, “Please, this one is on the house.”

Her optics went wide, “Really?”

He grinned and winked at her, “It is for your cause.”

M looked up to see her smile growing wide, and they both waved to the older mech as they walked away. The femmeling was kicking her legs happily as she looked at the metals.

“What’re those gonna be?” He asked.

“It’s a surprise,” She giggled, “I wanna take a break from weapons for a bit and try something else. Should be done with these fairly quickly.”

“Then can I know what it is?”

“Then you may know what it is,” She grinned, patting his helm, “Right now, I want something sweet.”

“You say something sweet?” O said, flying down next to them, Tigatron and Windblade hurrying over.

It always seemed to be those two who were around their Prime’s the most.

“Yeah,” S mused, leaning her chin on M’s helm, “Any idea what’s around here?”

“Yeah! I saw one earlier,” He grinned, pointing behind him, “N and A have already scouted most of those stalls out.”

The femme cackled happily and pointed forward, “Lead the way then!”

A few days later ——————

“Pass!” V yelled, throwing the cube across the field. M ran backwards, opening his arms wide and preparing to catch it, only for L to launch Micronus in front of him. The small grey mech laughed as he grabbed the cube and spun in the air, throwing it to N.

“Dammit! Cut him off!” P called, running after him.

“I got it!” O yelled, running ahead of him and tackling the smaller mech, sending the cube bouncing out of his servos.

V intercepted and scooped it up, sprinting across the field and jumping over A as the green mech went sliding under him.

“Over here!” M yelled, waving while managing to stay ahead of Z who was trying to block him.

On the small benches on the side, the other four sparklings who weren’t playing watched. S sat on Windblades lap, fiddling with a flower she’d found earlier.

“I don’t understand this game,” A-121 frowned, leaning forward while A-141 fiddled with his newly adorned cape. Q didn’t even look up from next to them, reading his datapad while Dinobot looked over his shoulder.

“I understand some,” Tigatron said, leaning back as he sat on the bench below them, “But only because we have a similar one back on our home world.”

“It seems rough,” S said, watching as L tackled M, sending both of them sprawling across the dirt.

“Well, they’re definitely going to need a bath after this,” A giggled, looking up from fiddling with the cape.

“Oh yeah,” Q nodded, sparing a glance up, “P, V, and L seem to have turned brown.”

“Did you have Cube back on Caminus?” S asked, turning her helm up to look at Windblade.

Her guardian smiled but shook her helm, "Unfortunately not,” She admitted, “We did not have much in the way of… sports. Our culture is widely based around religion and academics.”

“Really? Not even 4D chess?” A asked with a wide optic.

Her raised eyebrow gave him his answer.

“I don’t even know what that is,” Alpha said, looking up at him in confusion.

“Good, because I was stuck with L explaining it to me for an hour. I still don’t understand the rules.”

S giggled, watching as P grabbed the smaller white mech and threw him over his shoulder, taking off running the opposite way to prevent him from getting the cube.

Hours later ——————

M paused when he heard yelling down the hall. He turned his helm up and stared at one door partially open, light spilling through the crack. He didn’t recognize the voice, so he crept closer and peered in.

“I don't know why this is so difficult for you all to see!” A large blue and green mech he'd never seen before cried, pacing in frustrated circles with a pillowing cape sweeping behind him, “We have the Megatronus Prime! Why should we not use that to our advantage!?”

Megatronus paused as his name was used, blinking in surprise. He could now see the other bots gathered around this one, most being the off world delegates and among them, Optimus Prime.

“Because he's still a sparkling, Tyrest!” The Prime said sternly, “It doesn't matter if he's a Prime or not. Megatronus is still too young for any of this to affect him! He hasn’t even been online for a full stellar cycle!”

“He's too young!? That's your reasoning?!” The mech named Tyrest growled, bearing down on him, “Him being young gives us all the more reason to start training him now! We can't wait until he's an adult to start this! Who knows how much power the Decepticons and Quintessons will have by then!”

“It’s not like we’re not already doing that,” Elita frowned, crossing her arms while glaring at him, “We've already had him on a more advanced schedule than any of the other students and have Prowl training him on a daily basis. He's doing just fine here.”

“No he's not!” Tyrest seethed, “Did you not see what’s been happening these past few days!? He went and bunked five whole days worth of lessons and training exercises so he could go partying with his friends!”

“First of all, they were exploring the markets and playing Cube, not partying,” Optimus interjected, “And second of all, I would say they all have more than needed that break with the amount of work that has been forced on them! Megatronus already almost broken down once from recharge deprivation! That mechling needs time to build his social life as well.”

“We don't have time for that! Megatron continues to build his army and what is ours doing? Taking breaks and shopping! There are too many distractions here!”

“His friends are not distractions,” Prowl said stiffly in a calm voice, looking like a protective older brother as he narrowed his optics and crossed his arms, “They help him grow and learn social skills. Do you really want a Prime who doesn't know how to talk to people?”

“He has plenty of bots to speak to here, including the newest arrivals,” Tyrest said firmly, “There will be many older bots to assist him.”

Optimus narrowed his optics slightly, “And what about other younglings? Surely you don't plan on isolating him from Primes just to make him the bot he was in his previous life. You do know he’s not the same mech now, even if he is still Megatronus?”

“I do in fact, because he needs to grow up!” He snapped, taking some data pads off the table and waving them in the Prime's face, “Pranks, rebellion, childish obsessions! These are not things a Prime should be indulging!”

“And who are you to decide that?!” Elita asked sharply, forcing her way in between the two of them, “Last I checked, you had barely interacted with the Primes before they fell. Now you're going on and trying to control one?”

“I'm only doing what is best for Cybertron!” The larger mech yelled, bearing his denta, “Rebuilding Megatronus to his former glory is the only way we will be able to defeat the Quintesson and Decepticons. Even if he doesn't fight them all, his image will be enough to inspire more troops to join the army and fight by his side.”

“And what? You're willing to force him into a mold he probably doesn't want to fit just to win?” Windblade challenged, standing tall despite not coming close to his height, “You're willing to sacrifice his freedom in order to turn him into a war machine? He's a sparkling! Not some weapon for you to polish!”

“You’re only concerned about him because his health affects Solus,” Tyrest sneered.

“That is not true,” Airazor interjected, “We have all grown close to the young Primes besides our founders. Megatronus is just as important to us as they all are. Breaking him will affect them all.”

“They’re right,” Optimus said, ushering both femmes aside, “The development of all of them is crucial right now. Even if they don’t fight right now, the news they are alive boosts the morality of our troops. They fight knowing the time they buy goes into building our future leaders. Nothing will change, and that’s final.”

Tyrest sighed and drew to his full height, towering over him, “You see Optimus, that's not really up for you to decide,” He said sternly, “You may be a Prime, but I am still the senator in charge of defense. If I make a decision that I think will help protect our society, you have no authority or say in that.”

He loomed down, getting close to his face, “Megatronus begins training under my watch now ,” He sneered, “If you try to stop that, it will be seen as treason for defying an official decision and you will be thrown into holding. That mechling will go and spend the rest of his days under intensive training and be watched until he is who we need him to be.”

Optimus drew his lips thin, trying to find some argument but staying quiet.

A smile played on Tyrest's lips and he stood back up, “Good,” He said and turned to the guards standing in the doorway, “Alert the others! Megatronus’s schedule is to be change immediately and implemented first thing tomorrow morning. Have a guard posted outside his door to inform him of these changes.”

They nodded and turned, hurrying out while the large mech followed. He turned briefly in the doorway, looking back for any signs of defiance before sweeping his long cape around and marching out. He pushed the doors open with one servo and walked down the opposite corridor, not even noticing the mechling standing behind the doors.

Megatronus stared at the opposite wall, clutching his chassis while his optics bulged and his vents heaved.

An even more intense routine? His current one already had him exhausted and sore by the end. He was already stressed for meal times and bathing, so what in the Pits would this new one mean? Would he even have time to see his friends?

The door creaked again and the bots walking out froze. The mechling turned his helm and looked at them.

Optimus was staring at him with wide optics, obviously not expecting him to be there. The other came out behind him and froze with similar reactions.

M took a deep breath, staring at them for another second before he turned and took off sprinting back to his room.

He heard the bots in the meeting room calling him, but he just kept running. The mechling squeezed his optics shut, pumping his arms as hard as he could.

He grabbed his door and swung it open, slamming it shut and then pressing back against the metal, panting and trying to calm himself down. The mechling opened his optics and stared at the ground.

His pedes gave out as there was a small knock in the door and he slumped to the floor.

“Megatronus?” 

He jumped and curled up into a ball against the door, squeezing his optics shut and holding his servos over his ears. He didn’t want to hear it right now. He didn’t want to speak with anyone.

He just wanted to be alone.

He could still hear their muffled voices through his servos and feel the vibrations of them knocking on the door against his backplates.

It took a while, but they finally left.

And then he got his wish.

M slowly unlocked his limbs and relaxed, slumping down against the door and staring into the darkness. He felt overwhelmed and despite the past few nights of proper sleep, he was still exhausted.

The mechling quickly rubbed away the few tears threatening to leak out, willing himself not to cry. That wouldn’t fix anything right now.

He inhaled deeply and looked up at the starry ceiling. Then M blinked and looked down as something flashed, catching his optic.

A single light on his computer, indicating there was a message waiting for him. He frowned but got up and went over, turning the screen on and looking into his inbox.

Unknown sender.

His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the profile, but there was not any information that could hint at who it was from.

He stared at the words, “ Speak with Unknown? ”

He pushed Accept.

It opened an empty chat with this stranger. M stared at the blank screen before finally typing.

ThePurpleMarshmallow: Hello?

His username made him smile. S had been the one to choose it for him.

Almost immediately he got a reply. A jumble of numbers and strange symbols. He blinked before he realized he recognized it.

The sparkling quickly grabbed a data pad and started drawing up the grid that had basically been drilled into his processor. His stylus flew across the screen until a sentence was written out.

Unknown: Are you Megatronus?

He blinked and then looked back at the computer. The stranger hadn't sent anything.

So the mechling looked at it skeptically before typing back. He paused before hitting send. M thought for a second before quickly changing what he'd written, following the same form of encryption they'd used.

ThePurpleMarshmallow: Yes. Who is this?

He stared intensely as the screen before a reply popped up.

Unknown: You already know, don't you?

M was taken a bit aback but he could feel that at the back of his mind, he already did know who this is.

ThePurpleMarshmallow: I have a guess

Unknown: Good

The mechling stared at the reply, his frown getting slightly deeper. His digits hovered over the keyboard, hesitant to send another message. But the other bot beat him to it.

He blinked in surprise as another encrypted message popped up.

He paused for a second before decoding it. Then M froze. He stared at the message, then up at the screen with wide optics.

Do you want to come home?

Chapter Text

The silence over the table made the air feel like glass. The Primelings looked at each other nervously, their optics darting from each other to the purple mechling slumped in his seat.

Even the few adults, Cybertonian, Camiens and Chelaens, all didn’t seem to know what to do. 

The whole tower had heard last night's ruckus, and they’d seen the new intense regime M had been put under by Chief Justice Tyrest. He’d only been able to join them now because Optimus was busy arguing with the law enforcer, allowing for Prowl and Chromia to sneak him out.

Still, it looked as though he’d already been broken.

“I’m not hungry,” M finally said, his voice softer than normal as he pushed himself off his chair and silently pattered around the table to the door.

The others watched him, and S looked over as Z looked over. He nodded his helm in the direction of the door.

She didn’t even say anything as she hopped down as well, holding one servo up as the Camiens all looked like they were about to get up to follow her.

The little femme hurried down the halls, her footsteps echoing around the quiet corridors as most of the guards were with the other Primes. The city lights all shone in the darkness out the windows.

She skipped the steps up to their rooms, stopping in front of the large doors. She knocked against them, the small noise sounding like gunshots.

“M?” S called softly, “Can I come in?”

No answer.

“M?”

Silence.

She huffed, her plating puffing up, “That’s it! I’m coming in!” She called and shoved her shoulder against the door. It creaked open to reveal a dark and empty room.

She suddenly felt silly for yelling at someone who wasn’t even there, but quickly turned her mind to now finding him. There were many places M liked to go when he was sad, but it would take a while to check all of them.

The femmeling frowned and continued to walk down the halls, holding her chin as she cast her memory banks back to try and narrow it down.

He usually liked to be alone at times like these, meaning he’d try and go somewhere not many could access. It wasn’t uncommon to find him perched on a particularly high shelf or ledge, but not many rooms had those. No doubt the other sparklings would go and wait in their rooms or the lounge so he’d steer clear of those, meaning…

S paused and then quickly spun on her heels. She took a few sharp turns before coming to a steep set of stairs that spiraled up along the edges of the towers. She basically ran up them to the top, stumbling up and out onto the roof.

Her spark lifted a bit when she saw the purple figure sitting by the edge, his spear across his knees as he hugged it to his chassis. The femme slowly walked over and sat down next to him.

They sat in silence for a bit, staring out at the city and bustling bots in the streets below. No one looked up or acknowledged they were there.

Here, they were alone.

“You know Optimus is never gonna let this stick, right?” She said gently.

“Uh huh.”

He just continued to stare, his optics glazed over under his mask.

“Just give it a few days,” S went on, gently nudging his shoulder with hers, “Then things can go back to normal. You’ll see.”

“Yeah, sure.”

She looked at him sadly, watching how his wings drooped and twitched, and his digits picked at the dirt on his spear. Ok, so she was starting to see he didn’t feel like talking.

“Give me your servo.”

That made him blink and his optics flickered to her, “Huh?”

“Your servo,” She repeated and held her out, "Give it to me and don’t look.”

M watched her for a second before doing so, letting his digits rest in her palm before turning his helm away. Her felt her small servos feeling over his, feeling the base of his digits and using her other servo to do something else. It was then cold metal slid over his thumb.

“Ok! Look now,” She said.

The mechling turned and looked down, lifting his servo up. A small band of rose gold encircled the base of his thumb.

“Sorry, I overestimated the diameter of your digits,” She said sheepishly, “It only fits on your thumb but look! We match now!”

She lifted her own servo, showing him the matching gold ring now on her index digit. M stared at it before looking past her servo to her face, her smile wide and genuine. She was holding his servo the whole way through this, staying by his side just as she had promised. The ring now on his digit was a reminder, connecting them together.

He could even swear she looked at him more than a friend, viewing him as someone closer to her than anyone else. 

He could even believe that she loved him.

His spark clenched up and his optics went wide in horror.

“I messed up.”

S blinked and looked at him in confusion as he stood and backed away from her, “M? What are you on about?”

“I’m sorry,” He whispered, turning away as tears brimmed his optics.

The femme got up, looking at him in worry, “M please, there’s nothing to apologize for,” She said gently, holding her servos out to him, “You haven’t done anything we can’t fix.”

But she froze when he took a long cylinder out of his subspace and ripped the cap off. Purple smoke spewed from the end, billowing up brightly. She could hear a large airship approaching.

“You can’t fix this,” He said, stepping away from her and shaking his helm, “I don’t want you to get hurt by my actions.”

“M?!” She cried, her optics going wide.

He looked at her sadly, “I love you, but I don’t think I can be friends with you anymore.”

The femme gasped when a shuttle suddenly rose up. Its large door opened to reveal a blue mech standing there, looking out at them. He held one servo out as M turned, taking it and stepping into the ship. It immediately started taking off.

S stared with wide optics, her whole body frozen in disbelief as she looked at his back. His wings gave an unusual twitch.

She could immediately tell.

He was scared and ashamed of it.

“NO!”

M turned in shock when the pink femme suddenly ran and jumped for the ship. She slammed heavily into the ramp and slid back, her digits scrambling to find a purchase on the smooth metal. Her pedes swung in mid-air, now hanging hundreds of feet above the ground below.

The mechling lunged, hooking his pede on a small ridge and grabbing her servo. He felt Soundwave grab him by the ankle and pull him back, bringing both of them up.

M grabbed S and held her up by the shoulders, his optics frantically searching over her frame for any form of damage. But thankfully besides a few scratches, she was unharmed.

But her face said many things that made him shrink back.

“M! S!”

Both spun to see the other mechlings running across the roof to them. The sound of the shuttle must have alerted them and they’d come to check it out.

Z jumped off the tower and just managed to grab the edge. He pulled one of the training axes out of his subspace and clawed his way up, S taking his servo when he was close enough and pulling him to safety.

“You’re not leaving me behind,” He panted with a grin.

O yelled and sprinted across, A-123 on his back. The lanky bot yelled and launched himself off the end, his wings flapping frantically to hold them both up. M quickly stood and grabbed them as he stumbled in.

“Wait for us!” He turned just as the blue and yellow plane slammed into him, N transforming and going rolling across the floor, dropping L and P who Soundwave caught before they fell.

The small group stumbled up, looking back at the rest of the Primelings and bots who were unable to follow. They all stared with wide, confused optics, and M felt his spark clench as he met Optimus’s gaze just before the door closed.

But that was nothing compared to those of his friends as they turned and looked at him expectantly.

“Alright, I’m just gonna say what everyone here is thinking,” N said, holding his servos up, “What the frag?”

S turned her helm slightly and looked at M, her optics trying to understand but full of hurt.

It made the purple mechling stare at the floor, fiddling with his servos. His digits found the ring around his thumb, causing him to grasp and twist it.

P looked between them before marching over and looking at the younger mech, “Explain M,” He said in a stern tone, “What in the Pits is happening? What were you thinking?!”

The young Prime felt his spark rate picking up and roaring in his ears. He couldn’t lift his helm to meet his friend's optics and his intake hung open.

“I wasn’t.”

“Well that’s clear!” He said, gesturing to the shuttle, “We’re on a Decepticon ship being taken to their base!”

M squeezed his optics shut and flinched back, “I couldn’t do it anymore,” He said in a small voice, trying to sound as apologetic as possible, “I just wanted to keep my freedom.”

“And what about ours?” He asked, “We’re now in enemy territory!"

“That’s enough P!” Z said, holding his arm and pulling him back. He gave him a pointed look, “He had his reasons, and I’m sure any of us would have done the same in his position. Hell! I’m more than positive that’ll happen when we get our memories back as well! We’re just kids, and they’re forcing us to act like adults. It’s not his fault.”

“It is not.”

The younglings turned and looked as Soundwave stepped forward behind M, putting his servo on the purple bots shoulder. They all tensed up, except for N and L, watching the two wearily. It was a bit of a surprise when M leaned back slightly.

L stepped forward and pointed a digit at him, “This was all planned, wasn’t it?” He asked, narrowing his optics, “Megatron did the same when M first arrived but he corrected that mistake by letting him go back. I’d bet anything he was counting on the Autobots to do the same, forcing him to want to go back to you guys.”

The communications officer looked at him, remembering L clearly, “That is correct.”

“You sneaky fraggers,” A growled, stepping forward while O held him back.

“So what?” The young beastformer asked, standing in front of the green mech, “We just come back with you now? Then what happens?”

Soundwave guided them over to the benches lining the walls, watching the sparklings hesitantly sit down. M sat next to him, and he noted most still went by his side. He could feel their turmoil of emotions at the events that had taken place in mere minutes.

Megatronus was basically radiating shame and nervousness, so the older bot let Ravage out. The panther immediately purred and rubbed her face against his purple mask, letting the young mech hug her.

“You will not be treated as prisoners,” Soundwave finally said, patting the cat's helm, “You are all Primes, correct?”

“You already know the answer to that, telepath,” P said, crossing his arms and narrowing his optics.

“I do,” The blue mech said simply, “Which means that many preparations will need to be taken for your arrival. You will be treated the same as Megatronus, and will receive the same education as our sparklings.”

“Well, that’s not a terrible thing,” A blinked, leaning forward in his chair.

“Are you kidding?!” P cried, “It is! Sorry Soundwave, but we’re Autobots! We need to be taken back home!”

“Yeah!” N piped in, “I already left that place once!”

“You are going home,” Soundwave said, putting one arm around M.

S narrowed her optics and looked to the purple mechling, searching his optics for an explanation.

But the second he saw she was looking at him, he turned his helm and buried his face in Ravage’s side, wishing he could go back in time and undo everything.

——————

The ride to New Kaon was quiet and tense. Even with Soundwave’s comfort next to him, M flinched every time he felt someone’s gaze on him. Most of the younglings had fallen asleep by now, but he didn’t need to look up to know S wasn’t.

She hadn’t spoken to him the whole time, a concern for a femme who wore her heart on her sleeve and spoke her mind without hesitation.

He’d hurt her badly, and they both knew it.

It made his tanks twist and his limbs numb, even once or twice leaving him feeling like he was about to purge.

His only saving grace from their betrayed looks was when the shuttle landed. As they walked out, the mechling was immediately swarmed with Decepticons, most of whom were old High Guard.

Skywarp laughed and picked him up, holding him under the arms and lifting him in the air for the others to see, “Our Prime has come home!” He yelled gleefully while the other gathered around.

Soundwave was quick to dismiss them though.

“Welcome back, small fry,” Frenzy grinned and slapped his back, “We knew you couldn’t stay away forever.”

“Yeah,” M mumbled, trying to offer some sort of a smile.

He made the mistake of looking behind him. L and N were casually walking behind him and greeting the Decepticons, but S, A, P, and even Z and O looked slightly taken aback by his greeting.

M quickly turned his helm and stared at the floor.

He only stopped when his gaze fell on grey pedes standing in front of him. He didn’t need to look up to know who it was, but he did it somewhat out of respect.

“Megatron.”

The leader of the Decepticons grinned and took his servo, bowing to him, “My Prime.”

“Please, sir. I don’t need such formalities,” He said, though exhaustion seemed to leak through his voice.

Megatron stood, “Right,” He said, eyeing the mechling before turning and looking at the other sparklings, his eyebrows raising, “And these are…?”

“They are Primes, my Lord,” Soundwave said, walking over and bowing to him, “I was able to confirm now that indeed all of them have been reborn.”

L immediately slapped his servo over N’s intake as the smaller mech was about to yell something, immediately followed by O picking him up in one motion and walking to the back of the group.

“Hmm, interesting,” Megatron nodded with a smirk and quickly turned to the few seekers that were still there, “Escort them to their rooms!”

“Yes Lord Megatron,” One of the drones bowed, holding his gun and nodding to the young Primes, “Follow me.”

Soundwave kept one servo on M’s shoulder as he watched them go, his optics narrowing slightly behind his visor.

Z and O both turned back, looking at their friend as they were separated. But even as he looked up at them, he couldn’t do anything.

His shoulders slumped in defeat.

“I’m sure you must be tired as well,” Megatron said, leaning down to him, “So why don’t you go have a rest? We can discuss things in the morning.”

M nodded, looking down at his pedes, “Yes sir.”

“Excellent! Would you like an escort to your room?”

He was silent for a second before he shook his helm, “I remember where it is.”

M quickly turned and started walking off, not even waiting to see if Soundwave was following or not. Only Ravage seemed to stay with him though, the cybercat pattering softly alongside him.

The young mech made his way to his old room, not even stopping when the door opened for him.

He paused as he went inside, looking around at the small space. Despite how long it had been, not a single speck of dust seemed to be on the furniture.

They’d definitely been expecting him to return.

Still, M stayed there, planted in the same spot as the door closed behind him.

A bubble seemed to burst in his chassis and before he knew it, he felt liquid running down his cheeks and chin, splattering onto his pedes. He didn’t even try to stop them, curling up and falling aback against the door, holding his stomach and sobbing his optics out.

Shame coursed through him, guilt eating at his processor and making him feel numb. He felt horrible for what he’d done, but at the same time, he didn’t know what else to do. He’d just wanted to get away. He hadn’t even thought about them.

The guilt was then pushed away as anger bubbled up. M clenched his fists and tore the mask off his face.

Why did he have to be a Prime?! None of this would have happened if he’d just stayed ignorant. Why did he go and find his old body? Why’d he have to put on the damn mask?

“This is all your fault!” He screamed and threw it as hard as he could. It flew right into the wall before bouncing off, sliding across the berth before clattering to the floor.

His shoulders heaved, his vents coming out heavy and thick. Yet the tears still flowed down his face.

The mechling sniffed as his rage disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving him feeling weak. He slumped down to the door, his arms falling to his sides.

Except it wasn’t the mask's fault.

There was no one to blame for this except him.

It had just been easier to pass the blame on.

M curled up, pulling his knees to his chassis while Ravage rubbed her helm against his arm.

This was all his fault.

——————

“This is slag!” N yelled and the sparklings were led to their room. He grunted and kicked a stone, sending it clattering off.

“Well you may be right about that, but there’s not much we can do about it,” O said simply, trying to stay calm despite the fact his wings were twitching nervously.

“He’s right,” A said, running to catch up, “There’s a whole mountain range and about two biomes between us and Iacon.”

Z sighed and picked his pace up, walking besides S as she glared at the floor.

“Hey? You feeling ok?”

“What do you think?” She muttered angrily.

“Ok, that was a dumb question,” He said, holding his servos up in defense, “What I meant was, do you need to talk about this?”

“Yes!” She cried, holding her helm, “I mean, what was that idiot thinking?! I get he sees Soundwave as a sire and whatever, but completely leaving us?! After we promised we’d all stay together?! It just… AUGH!”

The femmeling yelled and made furious motions in the air with her servos.

“I get it,” Z sighed, dropping his helm, “It does suck. I will admit, I’m a bit ticked off with what M did but like I said, he doesn’t always think things through. He wanted a way out and it was given to him. He’s probably beating himself up for it now.”

S realised he was right and her shoulders slumped, “He probably is…”

“Let’s just do this slowly,” The mechling said, patting her back, “We can go and talk about this tomorrow with him. Let’s just take a few hours to all cool down and process everything that’s happening. I’m sure it’ll all turn out alright.”

“If we get out of this place,” P muttered behind him.

Z turned and shot him a look but they were quickly stopped.

The guard escorting them had stopped in a hall lined with doors, presumably theirs. He gave a small cough, making the sparklings turn and look at him. 

“Before you guys all head into your rooms, there’s something you should know,” He said in a heavily synthesized voice, looking around before leaning down.

“What?” Z asked.

They felt a familiar playfulness in the mechs field before he retracted his visor and face mask, showing a grin they all knew. L and P both stood up straighter.

“It's me, Drift,” The grey mech whispered with a grin, “I’ve been undercover for the past few days, but I go by Dreadlock here. OP told me to keep an eye on you guys.” 

“I thought I recognized you!” The white mechling grinned, “But it seemed like just a coincidence!”

“Oh, and Mirage is also here,” He said, jerking his thumb next to him. A glowing rectangle suddenly formed in the air and the blue mech faded into view, “He was able to jump on the shuttle with you guys.”

“We’ll be keeping a close optic, so just holler if you need anything,” Mirage said before disappearing again, “I’ll try and stay close but I need to figure out what distance I have to keep from Soundwave. Last thing we need is him spotting us.”

“Right,” Drift said, putting his mask back on, “I probably can’t spend too much time by you lot either or they’ll start to get suspicious. I’ll try passing on as many messages as I can though.”

“Thank you sir,” P nodded with a small smile, “Don’t get caught for our and your sake.”

The older mech just laughed and tipped his helm to him, “I won’t. Now go get some rest. You’ll all need it.”

They nodded, each picking a room. O quickly went over and pat S on the shoulder before she went into hers.

“Don’t let this keep you up,” He said softly, “And don’t be scared to knock if you need to talk.”

She sighed and nodded, “Yeah. Thanks.”

He nodded, bidding her goodnight before going off to his own room.

S just rubbed her face, squeezing her optics shut as she went in.

Iacon——————

The Prime tower was quiet. The absence of half the Primelings had certainly had an effect on all the inhabitants. The adults stayed on the higher floors with the sparklings that were left, leaving the lower ones only filled with guards.

That was a mistake.

One of the yellow mechs turned his helm and looked down the dark hall. The sound of scuttling had been clear as day, but he didn't see anything.

“Remain here,” He said to the other one standing in front of the cell, raising his gun and creeping forward. The light on the scope turned on and he shone it around. 

It was empty.

Or so he thought. 

The mech stopped, looking down as he came across a blue puddle on the floor. The guard crouched and reached out, gently collecting some on the tips of his digits and bringing it up to his face. It reflected in the light.

Energon.

“Hey!” He called back to his friend, “Was this here yesterday?”

The other guard looked over curiously and started walking towards him, the mech in the cell behind them watching closely.

The first guard then froze when something dripped on his arm. He turned and looked down as blue droplets landed on his gun.

More energon.

He gripped the weapon tighter and then quickly stood, swinging the barrel up and aiming it at the ceiling. But his digit didn't even make it to the trigger before the long thin appendage shot down and speared right through his visor, killing him instantly.

The other guard jumped and shot, running forward as the limb retreated, leaving his friend to slump forward onto the ground and immediately form a puddle of energon under him.

He swung his own light up and aimed it at the ceiling. It illuminated a lump that was hanging there, making him freeze in shock as he stared up at the dead guard swinging slightly. Some kind of white rope was wrapped around his ankles, leaving his helmless body and arms hanging towards the ground.

“We have a breach!” He yelled into his commlink, “I repeat! Multiple casualties! Suspect- AUUGHH.”

One of the same limbs was suddenly stuck in his neck, giving a quick twist and popping his helm clean off. The corpse slumped to the floor just as red lights lit up the dark underground but the figure shot a blast at the keypad next to the door, frying it and sealing the hall.

It then ran to the cell where the prisoner was waiting, servos behind his back with a smirk on his face.

“Airachnid,” Sentinel smiled as she easily let the bars down, “Took you long enough.”

“Apologies sir,” The spider femme said, immediately stepping into place behind him, “Security had increased since last I was here.”

He nodded and walked over to one of the guards bodies, kneeling down by it, “And the arrangements? Did you manage to secure those?”

“Indeed,” She nodded, “They have agreed to comply with your orders so long as you keep up your end of the deal.”

Sentinel just smirked and ripped the guard’s t-cog out, "Don't worry. I'm sure you already fulfilled my orders regarding that.”

Airachnid nodded and pulled up the 3D map, showing the red dots on it now scattered between two locations, “The trackers are still working. We’ve been watching their every move.”

“Good,” He nodded and put the t-cog in his chassis. There was the sound of shifting gears as the plating snapped shut over it, but the mech grimaced at the feeling. This one was definitely weaker than his last.

“Remind me to add another condition when we meet up,” He said, standing and transforming his servo into a gun, aiming it at the closest wall.

“What would that be?”

Sentinel shot off a few blasts, breaking through the metal and going over. He stood by the edge, looking up at the hanging building and smirking.

“They can do whatever they want with the mechling, but I get his cog.”

Chapter Text

“Ugh, he's back.”

O blinked and turned his helm, looking at the group of Decepticon sparklings clustered together a few feet away from them. 

A followed his gaze, “What're they on about?”

The blue mechling frowned and looked around before spotting who they were eyeing.

M was walking in, his optics fixed on the ground while Ravage kept close to his pedes.

“I thought he was gonna stay with the Autobots,” One of the others whispered, “That idiot just had to come back here and steal everything.”

This made S and Z turn now, glaring at the group.

“Ignore them,” L hissed, trying to block both of them, “They're just jealous.”

But the femme wasn't having it.

“You got a problem with him?” She snarled, stomping over.

The tallest mechling turned and glared down at her, “Oh look. It's the other Primes ,” He said in a sarcastic voice, “Whatcha gonna do? Bring the divine judgement of Primus down on me?”

“I should!” She yelled, bringing her fist up. Z quickly jumped over to hold her back.

“Why the frag do you defend that loser?” The purple and green mech went on, rolling his optics, “I'd honestly be so ashamed to have a murderer as my friend.”

That made them all paused. 

“What?” P asked.

Behind them, M froze, his optics going wide in panic.

N quickly stepped in, balling his fists and getting up in the Cons face, “Shut your trap, Fangry!” He snapped, “There's enough slag spewing out there to top a landfill!”

“Oh, so defending him now are we?” Fangry growled, leaning down into his face, “Well knock yourself out. That won't bring Demo back!”

“Yeah, and it's not like you didn't see it!” The brown mech next to him jeered, “We all watched Megatronus crush his spark!”

The Primelings stared in shock, L and N looking between them.

N suddenly yelled and jumped on him, punching the green and purple mech. L ran to try and get him off, but the others remained oblivious to their fight.

Instead, they turned and looked behind them.

M stood there, frozen like a statue.

He met their gazes, his own filled with terror and he started shaking his helm.

“M?” S asked quietly, “Is he… telling the truth?”

“I- I didn't mean it!” The purple mechling cried, backing away.

“You killed someone?” P blinked.

“It was an accident! I swear!”

“How do you accidentally kill someone?!” Fangry called with a cackle before N punched him in the jaw.

The others looked to him for an explanation.

But his vents were closing up, his spark pounding in his ears as he looked at their horrified faces.

M grabbed his helm and ran, squeezing his optics shut. 

If he ran into a wall, he just stepped back before running another way. If he bumped into someone, he just ran faster.

He could barely feel it due to the shame-fueled thoughts running through his mind.

What if he ran away? Caught one of the space shuttles and hitched a ride to a distant planet?

Maybe one with no Cybertronians? Or a colony that had been isolated for so long that no one even knew who Megatronus Prime was. He could start a new life without having to worry about anything happening on Cybertron. He wouldn't be pressured or have to stress about every decision! He could be happy!

But…

The guilt and shame he felt now would always be there.

It would be weighing down on the edge of his consciousness, just present, like a thundercloud after a hot, sunny day. He would never be able to escape the thought of his cowardice, running away from people who needed him just so he could have an easy life.

Tears started pouring down his face under his mask as he ran up the stairs, ignoring the yelling around him. He didn't even register the sudden change in temperature as he burst outside, running across the flat surface.

Why was this happening to him!? Why couldn't he just have stayed as M-57?! Why did he always have to do things alone now?!

He gave a small sob, curling in on himself tighter. His legs still motored.

Right… 

That was just the life of the only truly reincarnated Prime… 

He was alone…

No one understood what he was going through and even if they did, did they have any chance of helping him? Every decision he made seemed to dig his own grave deeper and further away from everyone. He was losing his friends, he couldn't go home, everyone here expected him to become their leader in the future.

He felt as helpless as the day he'd died.

…

He couldn't take it anymore!

M blinked in shock when there was suddenly no more ground beneath him. His optics flew open automatically and stared down at the ground hundreds of meters away. He didn't even realize he'd run straight off the edge of a cliff.

Time moved in slow motion as he stared at the lava below, the same he was told was used in smelting Pits.

His limbs went numb.

The purple mechling closed his optics and let his body fall.

“NO!”

Someone was suddenly running up behind him. A large servo roughly grabbed the edge of his back plates and yanked him back. His wings and back slammed into the rock, making him wince as he was roughly pulled back up. Whoever it was threw their weight away from the cliff, holding Megatronus in a tight hug while they fell back, hitting the dirt and stopping him from falling.

M blinked, staring down at the blue plating and glass his mask was pushed against. He slowly looked up and found himself staring at a yellow visor.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Soundwave cried, the hug he was trapped in getting tighter.

“I…”

Megatronus stared at him before a fresh wave of grief washed over him, more tears running down his cheeks before letting his helm fall back down onto the older mechs chassis, his limbs going limp.

“I want everything to end,” He said softly, his voice not even a whisper, “I'm so tired. I don't know what to do.”

“And running around blindly in a place that could get you killed was the only option!?”

He winced in shame, turning his face down away from his mentor's harsh gaze. Soundwave’s grip relaxed slightly and a large servo rested on the back of his helm.

There was more running behind them and some of the Elite Guard appeared, all having witnessed his episode.

“Soundwave? What the frag just happened?!” Shockwave demanded, looking between him and the mechling he currently had a death grip on.

The blue mech looked weary, gaze darting to the younglings that ran up behind him. He turned and looked down at Megatronus, “Idiot almost got himself killed,” He muttered.

There was a small gasp as S covered her mouth with her servos, tears forming in her optics while the other six mechlings stared at their friend in shock.

M stared at Soundwave’s chassis, wishing he could vanish on the stop as humility seemed to wash over him in a tidal wave.

“I'm sorry,” He said in a small voice, trying to make himself smaller.

There was running and Soundwaves grip lessened, only for it to return though this time, from someone else.

Or many bots.

M was completely smothered in hugs, his vision invaded with different colours and his ears filled with the sound of crying as his friends hugged him.

“Aft,” P said half-heartedly in between tears, gently knocking his helm.

“I didn't mean it,” The purple mechling sniffed, though he was unsure if he was apologizing for recent or past events, “I didn't mean any of it.”

“We know dummy,” O said, his wings brushing against his back, “And you're an idiot for assuming that'd make us hate you.”

“You all looked scared of me,” M sobbed, burying his face in L's shoulder, “I didn't know what to do.”

“We understand,” The white mechling said gently, “It was a shock to them, but they know it wasn't your fault.”

“I… I don't want to be alone. I thought you'd all leave me.”

“We’d never do that,” A smiled, patting his helm, “Primes stick together, regardless of what you've done.”

“Though we are still… surprised,” P admitted but gave a weak smile, “Then again, none of us are really innocent, are we? Can't even remember what happened in our old lives.”

“I guess…”

“You don't have to explain what happened right now,” O went on, “But let's maybe just take a break from everything? Until we figure out how to get our memories back, let's just be kids.”

M looked up at him in confusion.

“No Prime stuff,” Z explained for him, “No Megatronus or any of that responsibility scrap.”

“Agreed,” N smiled, holding his servo, “Let's just be free.”

“But first, I think you need to go sleep,” P said, ruffling his helm, “That's step one in your recovery.”

M nodded and looked down, “Ok.”

“And there will be lots of energon treats in order!” A declared, hopping up.

S smiled and hugged the purple mechling tighter, “Feel as bad as you want, but we're not letting you go,” She whispered, “No running this time, ok? We do this together, one step at a time. As long as it takes.”

“Ok,” He sighed, leaning his helm against hers, “If you're willing.”

“We all are,” Z reassured him with a soft smile, “More than ever.”

—---------

Soundwave carried them mechling straight to his room, leaving the sparklings for a second so L and N could tell them what happened.

M buried into his chassis and arms as he walked, holding his sires servo tightly the whole way to his room.

The blue mech walked in, Rumble and Frenzy following with their arms full of blankets. He gently set the young mech down, taking them and bundling him up like a burrito.

“Go get more,” He instructed the twins, “And some matresses.” They both nodded and ran out.

He had a feeling the other Primes would want to keep an optic on him as well tonight.

The blue mech then went back to making sure he was cozy.

“Soundwave?”

He looked up as the small voice softly called his name.

“Yes?”

M looked up at him with sad optics, “Do you think I'm too broken?” He asked, his voice cracking, “Do you think they can fix me?”

Soundwave studied him for a second before crouching down, reaching up and pulling the blankets onto his helm, “Cracks can be patched,” He said gently, putting one servo on his cheek, “Even broken glass can be fixed.”

M leaned into his palm but looked up at him, “Are you sure?”

The blue mech stood and hugged him, “With the right people, yes, I'm sure,” He reassured the mechling, “It may just take some time.”

The young bot snuggled into his shoulder, sighing heavily as he lay there for a second. But it did eventually have to end.

“Now, I need to go ask a request of Lord Megatron,” Soundwave said, kneeling to his height, “So I'm going to leave for a few minutes. Will you be alright?”

“Yeah.”

“Just… just stay here and don't do anything stupid,” The telepath sighed, gently ruffling his helm, “I'll be back in a second.”

“Ok…”

He waited for the door to close behind the blue mech before turning and staring at the wall, pulling his knees up.

Silence pressed down on him.

The purple mechling flinched when minutes later, someone knocked on the door. But he didn't turn, instead pulling the blankets around him tighter and curling up more, squeezing his optics shut.

Whoever was there didn't move for a second before soft footsteps came over.

He waited in silence before there was some shuffling behind him and a smaller servo rested on his shoulder.

M blinked before slowly turning, ever so slightly, just so he could see who it was.

S kneeled next to him on the berth, her face full of concern and sympathy.

The mechling turned away again, “Hi,” He mumbled, his voice softer than usual.

She was silent as she watched him for a second.

“I'm sorry.”

Her words caught him off guard, and he blinked in surprise and confusion, “What?”

He could feel the way she shifted uneasily behind him, “I'm sorry for not doing anything to help you before,” She said slowly, as if trying to find the right words, “I should have done something to help you sooner. I was… I was just a bit surprised, and maybe a bit shocked.”

M curled up tighter, “It's ok,” He whispered, “I understand. I'd feel the same way if I found out my friend was a murderer.”

“Oh M,” She said, scooting over and gently hugging him, “It wasn't your fault. L explained everything to us. You didn't know what you were doing.”

The mechling grit his dentas and pressed the balls of his palms into his optics, “I should have known!” He stressed, “I should have been able to stop myself! I'm just a fragging weak-sparked mech who pretends like he's the strongest! I'm just a slagging fake!”

S watched him for a second, waiting for his vents to calm slightly before leaning forward and gently resting her helm against his.

“I've been having dreams recently,” She said quietly, “Though I think they're my old memories.”

He pulled his servos away from his face to look at her.

“I remember what Megatronus was like,” She went on, her lips coming into a small smile, “A strong yet gentle mech, one who didn't overthink and simply knew what was right and what was wrong. A fair mech who didn't judge based on one's background, but by the person's character.”

Her smile dropped slightly, “And… I also remember his fits. On the rare occasions he'd get angry, sometimes he would lose control. He couldn't stop himself even if he tried, and that look he'd give when he regained consciousness always broke my spark.”

M quickly turned away, having vivid memories of those as well.

But S didn't seem to be detoured by that. She just hugged him tighter.

“Such a kind spark with such a devastating flaw,” She said softly, “But he always seemed to hear my voice in those times, no matter how far gone he was. None of us are perfect M. We could probably all be considered murderers, but it's hard to tell how many lives we took in our past ones.”

Her spark lightened a bit when she felt his helm lean against hers slightly. M shifted around so he was facing her more.

“Will you be with me in case it happens again?” He asked, his voice barely even audible.

S smiled and found his servo, holding it in hers, “Don't worry. I'm going to be by your side for as long as I can now.”

He stared at her before he slowly lifted his free servo and pulled his mask off, letting her see him smiling widely despite the tears prickling in the corners of his optics, “Thank you. For everything S. You mean the world to me.”

Her chassis puffed up and the smile on her face grew even wider, the little fins on her helm fluttering back and forth so fast they were a blur.

“Oh! By the way!” S said and quickly got something out of her subspace. M tilted his head as she pushed the small box into his servos, “I found some of these and Soundwave said I could take them. I remember you said you loved them.”

The purple mechling slowly lifted the lid. His optics widened as he stared down at the energon jellies neatly arranged inside, light, clear blue cubes with smaller, more colorful cubes inside.

He took one and bit it, the middle bursting and flooding his intake with the sweet liquid inside. 

M silently offered one to S, who happily took and started munching on it. He then shuffled around so he was sitting next to her, leaning over and resting his helm on her shoulder. The tears running down his face surprised him, but he didn't care when she rested her helm on his.

“Thank you,” He whispered again, holding her servo, “I don't know what I'd do without you.”

Chapter Text

“I sense angst!” N cried and proceeded to hit M over the helm with a pillow.

It barely hurt, but it caught him off guard as he was lost in his thoughts. He spun around and glared at the smaller mech, “Could you not?!”

“No can do!” The blue mechling cackled and sat next to him, throwing the pillow back to P, “Z's orders.”

M turned his glare on the green mech who just chuckled and looked up at the sky.

A bunch of kites gently fluttered in the wind against a blue sky. They swooped and flew around each other, some more than others as A and N tried knocking each other out of the sky.

S laughed next to him, tugging hers by the string so it flew higher.

“Hey, we said no Prime stuff, remember?” P asked with a grin, opening one optic as he lay with his arms behind his helm, the string of his white kite tied around his pede.

“Yeah, I know,” M sighed, rubbing his maskless face, “It's not as easy as you make it sound.”

“That's why we've been doing this,” Z smiled, ruffling his helm, “You were passed out for two days, so it gave us plenty of time to get things ready.”

“I do appreciate it,” He admitted, giving a few experimental tugs on his string as his kite began to drop, bringing it back up.

They all looked back up, watching them in blissful silence.

“I don't get this.”

M tried not to snort when he heard Starscream behind him. The second in command had begrudgingly come along with his trine to keep an eye on them, so they'd made the three seekers kites as well.

However, unlike him, Skywarp and Thundercracker seemed to be enjoying themselves.

“It's just a relaxing thing to do,” O grinned, looking back at him, “There doesn't have to be a point to it.”

“There should be a point to everything,” He muttered as Skywarp tried to bash him out of the sky.

“Oh, by the way!” S said and turned, looking at the red seeker, “Do you know a mech named Jetfire, sir?”

Starscream looked at her and raised one eyebrow, “Not quite, but I knew one named Skyfire.”

All the sparklings looked at him blankly while Skywarp giggled and Thundercracker rolled his optics.

“Tallest mech you've ever seen? White and red plating, turns into a shuttle and yet is a scientist?” N asked, raising his eyebrows.

They watched the older mechs wings perk up, “That's Skyfire,” He said in a soft voice before they drooped, “But I haven't seen him in over 50 cycles. He was presumed dead.”

“Then how come we were able to just describe him?” The blue mechling countered.

Starscream was still for a second before realization dawned on his face. He scrambled forward frantically, looking between them, “He's alive!? And doing well right!? Has he said anything about me?!”

M snorted again while S giggled, “He took us from Vos to Iacon,” She grinned, “And has been staying at the Prime's tower with us. He did also ask M how his boyfriend was.”

The two older seekers burst into another wave of giggles when Starscream's face went bright blue as he collapsed back down.

“He still calls me his boyfriend,” He muttered, but his tone suggested he wasn't upset about that.

“Yup!” She popped, turning back to the kites, “And he was quite worried about you.”

The older mech still stared off before he shot to his pedes and transformed, flying off and yelling, “I HAVE SOME IMPORTANT BUSINESS TO ATTEND TO!”

Thundercracker raised one eyebrow but just sighed and turned back as all the Primelings giggled.

“Real subtle brother.”

“And he tells us to never fraternise with the enemy,” Skywarp laughed.

—---------

“Come on!” N yelled with a laugh, looking down as he was tossed up in the air, “Higher!”

Brawl quickly caught him and tilted his helm, “Higher?”

“As high as you can throw me!” He laughed, holding his arms wide.

“Alright, if you say so,” The Combaticon shrugged and tossed him in the air again.

Soundwave looked at the others throwing the sparklings into the air, standing next to L and P as they also watched while Z and O were tossed up by Astrotrain, S gently being thrown in the air by Thundercracker, and A was sitting off to the side with Shockwave, doing some kind of experiment.

He was surprised the one eyed mech got on so well with the little green bot.

The telepath crossed his arms, gaze following the cackling blue sparkling as he reached the pinnacle of the throw.

He could feel the gaze burning into his helm.

Soundwave sighed and looked down. M stood next to him, staring up at his sire expectantly.

“Are you not going to join them?” 

The mechling nodded.

“Would you like me to ask Onslaught to throw you as well?”

M shook his helm and pointed at him.

“You do realize I may have multiple spark attacks if I do that?” He asked.

“But it'll be fun!” The mechling protested, holding onto his arm, “Pleeaaaase?”

Soundwave was reluctant, but the second he looked down into those blue optics, he was defeated.

The blue mech sighed and swiftly picked Megatronus up in one swift motion, seating him on his shoulder while the mechling grinned victoriously.

He could see S also grinning as he walked past to a safe distance away from the others.

“Alright, now don't blame me if I can't catch you,” He said, taking the mechling and holding him in his arms.

“Don't worry. I've survived worse falls,” M grinned.

He wasn't sure if that worried or reassured him.

“Well then, here we go!” He called and threw the mechling up on the last word. He watched as M flew up into the air, and could hear him laughing even at that height.

Soundwave took a step back and opened his arms just as the Primeling fell back down, into them.

He grinned, looking up at his sire, “See? You caught me.”

The blue mech rolled his optics but laughed, “Let's see if I can do it again.”

And so M was quickly back up in the air, yelling happily as he waved to his friends. Soundwave wasn't able to toss him to the same height Brawl and Astrotrain could, but that didn't seem to bother the purple mechling in the slightest.

“I do not understand what's so fun about this,” Onslaught muttered as he watched his gesalt member catch N.

“I get to feel tall!” The mechling yelled with a laugh before he was thrown back up.

The leader sighed and shook his helm, Soundwave chuckling next to him as he threw M up again.

Days later—---------

“Are you all sure about this?” Soundwave asked, looking back at the Primelings as he stood on the edge of the cliff, watching them climb up.

“100%,” P said, lifting himself up and turning so he could pull the others onto the ledge, “Now's a better time than ever.”

“Yeah! And we all agreed it's time to remember everything,” Z said, easily tugging A up, “Who knows when we're going to need it now.”

“Think you'll still have the Matrix?” N asked excitedly, scrambling up despite their offered servos.

The green mechling just raised an eyebrow, “How? Optimus has it right now. I just have traces of its presence on my frame.”

“Awww! That sucks!” He groaned and slumped onto L just as he got up, making him yelp and stumble.

M rolled his optics behind them as P helped him up, S piggybacking on the purple mechlings back.

He'd insisted she did.

The pink femme gently got down while P went over to the mouth of the cave, the others right behind him.

“So this is it?” Z muttered, “This is where we died?”

“Yes,” Soundwave said, his visor dimming for a second, “This is where you were betrayed and killed.”

They stared at it again in silence for a few minutes before A cut in.

“Not to be disrespectful of anything, but how did none of us figure that out?” He asked, servos on his hips, “This is literally the scariest looking cave I've ever seen.”

N and M snorted next to him, the others giving amused smiles.

“Eh, who knows?” Z shrugged with a grin and walked forward, “Maybe we'd seen enough before to think nothing of it.”

“Well let's go find out,” P smiled and turned to M and Soundwave, “You two know this place better than us, right?”

They both nodded.

“Then lead the way please?”

The older mech chuckled and went ahead, turning on the lights on his chassis as he led them into the dark cave.

“This place is amazing,” O said, turning in a circle as they walked in, “It's so colourful.”

“Really?” A asked, squinting and adjusting his glasses as he looked at a rock, “I mean there's a lot of ore, but it's hard to make out.”

“He sees a different colour spectrum to us,” L grinned as he walked past, “We can only make out a fraction of what he perceives.”

“Wait, really?” P asked, looking back and raising his eyebrow, “I thought he could just pick up slight heat signatures.”

“Nope,” Z laughed, hopping up on a rock and shuffling over it, “We tested it the other day. He sees more colours than we even know exits.”

“Primus. Don't let Q know or he'll get jealous.”

The others laughed at his comment, taking some time to admire the cave.

M walked ahead of the group, looking around. He stopped at the boulder pushed to the sideto the entrance, the same one he’d moved right after he’d been here. He put one servo on it, running his digits over the mossy and rough surface as he walked past.

The mechling then stopped as he stepped up onto the small ridge, inhaling slightly as he stared out at the bodies of the former Primes. The others walked up next to him, all giving small gasps.

He felt S move closer as they stood, overlooking the aftermath of the massacre. The femme's servo brushed against his, and her digits gently tapped his.

M didn't even need words to know what she wanted, looping his pinky around hers and looking down, giving her a reassuring smile.

“I'm right here,” He whispered, “Don't be scared.”

“I'm not scared!” She huffed but didn't let go of him.

He just chuckled and led her down, sliding the small hill.

“So, they’re us?” N asked softly, looking down at his crumpled form on the floor with a hole in its chassis.

“Who else?” O muttered, his digits lightly brushing over the larger wings of Onyx Prime, his own fluttering in response.

“So, what do we do?” Z asked, still looking around.

M hummed, “Well, last time I touched the body and it disintegrated, leaving the mask behind. I then put it on and boom! Megatronus.”

“Oh! Like this!” O called and they watched as the frame for Onyx Prime turned to dust and blew away, forming a tornado around the beastformer. They watched him swat at it frantically before it finally dispersed, leaving him confused in the middle.

P and A burst out laughing at the confused look on his face, nothing remaining of the body besides what looked like the top half of a golden mask with long horns and a double ended spear.

O blinked down, picking it up and staring at it as it got smaller in his servos. The others watched as he slowly traced the optic holes, looking down at it in awe.

“Put it on!” A cheered, startling him.

The blue mechling spun and shot a brief glare at him before turning back. They all looked closely as he put it on, the mask clipping into place on his forehelm. 

Immediately his frame glowed with gold lines, his pedes lifting off the ground as he levitated in the air.

M’s optics widened as he watched. It was strange seeing someone else changing, his plating folding over on itself and expanding. His limbs got longer and his wings grew in size. His face plates also grew darker until all they could see were his purple optics flashing brightly under the mask.

They all stumbled, looking around as a deep voice echoed around the cave, shaking the walls.

“Rise again, Onyx Prime.”

O then gasped and dropped down, stumbling and falling to his knees as his plating all clicked into place. Z hurried over and helped him up, supporting the other mech as he stood with shaky legs, his pedes basically stilts.

“You look so cool!” N yelled, running over and in circles around them.

“Yet not exactly the same as the first Onyx,” Soundwave mused, scanning over him, “There are definitely changes in your frame.”

They heard Onyx chuckle and look around, “So, who’s next?”

“OH! ME!” A yelled, running to Alchemist’s fallen form. He gently put both servos on the helm, looking up in awe as it disintegrated and swirled around him, making the green mechling laugh.

He grinned and stood, holding a pair of glasses connected to a mouth guard that shifted to fit his face.

N ran over next to him, the same process repeating until he was left holding a similar mask, though his had a visor.

Both put them on at the same time, rising up just like Onyx while their plating shifted.

“Rise again, Alchemist Prime.”

“Rise again, Nexus Prime.”

L lunged forward and caught both of them as they fell, helping the laughing Primelings up as they admired each other’s new frames, N’s double pair of wings fluttering happily.

S took M’s servo and pulled him over to the mound where her old frame was lying. He carefully lifted her up, watching as her servo brushed over Solus’s pauldron. The pink and gold dust swirled around her, making her look up in awe as it spiraled to the ceiling.

With shaking digits, she took the spiked helm ornament and slowly put it on. The second she did, she rose up off his shoulders, her optics flashing bright pink.

“Rise again, Solus Prime.”

M caught her as she fell right into his arms, looking down at her now slightly larger frame as the rest of the plating clicked into place. She gasped and looked around, her face showing confusion for a second before she looked up at him.

If it wasn’t for the mask, she would’ve seen his intake drop.

She was somehow even prettier, her face looking slightly older and framed by a delicate pink and yellow. Some of the pink plating had gold patters that curled around, like vines on a tree. The markings around her optics had become almost identical to Windblades, and her optics were a dazzling blue.

His spark fluttered when her face broke into a grin and she laughed, lunging up and throwing her arms around his neck.

It made the mechling laugh as well and grab her around the middle, spinning the femme around a couple times before setting her down.

She was still shorter, but the height difference between them now felt more familiar. She turned and grabbed the large hammer lying on the ground next to the rock, feeling it in her servos before slinging it over her shoulder. Solus looked up at him, grinning so widely he couldn’t help but return it.

“Rise again, Zeta Prime.”

“Rise again, Prima Prime.”

“Rise again, Liege Maximo.”

They both turned to spot the last three as they landed.

“You know, Liege Maximo doesn’t quite have the same ring as the others,” L mused as he held his new sword up, leveling it with his face and new golden cap and yellow visor.

“Still sounds cool as pits though,” Zeta nudged him with a grin, like M having gotten quite a bit taller than the others, that including the height he gained from the crown on his helm.

Prima ran over and ruffled S’s helm, “Look at you fledgling!” He laughed, looking like a white and golden knight with wings on each side of his helm, “Like a warrior princess.”

S giggled as he picked her up, grabbing M’s servo and pulling them over to the others.

The purple mechling looked up and felt his spark clench as he watched Prima spinning her around on his shoulders, his optics twitching under the mask for some reason.

Luckily, Alchemist ran over, jumping up and down excitedly and babbling on about knowing various chemical recipes and to no one's surprise, cocktails.

Prima laughed and put Solus down, Megatronus trying to casually hold her servo but his jealousy was definitely seen, Onyx looking over. His optics tilted in a way that suggested he was smirking.

“Shush,” He said, pointing a digit at the lanky mech who just laughed.

The others continued on, showing each other their new frames and weapons. Prima and Liege immediately started fighting, both wearing wide grins as their swords clashed.

Soundwave smiled and looked around, walking between the remaining bodies while making sure here weren't any bugs placed. He kneeled down, looking at some pieces of scrap metal.

“Wait,” Zeta said and put one servo on Soundwaves arm, surprising the mech for a second since he hadn't even heard him walk up, “We need to bring the other Primes here as well.”

The blue mech looked down at him, “Not yet.”

“Why?”

“It… it is not their time. Not just yet.”

The green mechling frowned, “And who are you to decide that?”

Soundwave looked down, “It was not my decision, but that would mean allowing the Autobots to come into our territory to access it.”

“So?”

He sighed and looked at the sparkling, “That could easily lead to conflict. Myself and other former High Guard members would rather see this place untouched by the war.”

Zeta just stared at him before frowning, “How can you say that? Here's basically where the war began.”

“Yes, but it does not bare the same scars other places do,” He said softly.

Z opened his intake to protest, but they both jumped when someone yelped from behind them.

The sparklings were gathered in a circle, their optics wide in shock and Nexus wasn't among them.

Soundwave immediately jumped up and ran over, Zeta right behind him.

“What happened?” He demanded, looking around.

“We don't know!” Alchemist cried, “I was just playing with Nexus and then…”

He trailed off, looking at what they were all standing around.

The older mech followed his gaze, took one look, and then burst out laughing.

Where the blue and yellow mechling had been, there was now six tiny mechlings, two blue and silver, two silver and yellow, one dark blue and red one, and one yellow, silver and red. They all beeped, looking around in confusion.

“What happened to him?” Zeta asked, his optics now just as wide as the others.

“Nexus Prime is the first combiner,” Soundwave grinned, going over and kneeling down, “And these are the little guys that combine into him,” He turned to Liege, “He's never done this before?”

The white mech shook his helm, leaning down as the little bots stood, stumbling around.

Soundwave picked the yellow one up, “This is the main Nexus Prime,” He said, “They'd usually be the size of normal bots, but seeing as you're all technically sparklings, they're now smaller than minicons.”

“And do all these little guys have names?” Prima asked, picking the primarily blue one that made Nexus's chassis up.

“Yup, and different abilities,” The telepath nodded as the tiny yellow Nexus looked down, beeping excitedly, “That made him one of the most mysterious Primes. And most difficult to fight. Not to mention he was a hoarder of Solus’ weapons.”

“Yeah, we already know that,” The femme giggled off to the side, rubbing one of the minibots helms. They'd started losing track of all the times stuff had ‘mysteriously gone missing from the training room and her forge.

Soundwave chuckled and pointed to the blue and red one Prima was holding, “This one is called Heatwave. He can quite literally speak with machinery and nonsentient devices, also having command over them.”

He turned to the one Solus was petting, “That's Skyfall, who has the ability to create forcefields usually caused by stress. He's the left leg. And the right leg is that one,” He pointed at the minibot sitting happily at Alchemist’s pedes, “Is Topspin. He has power over sparks.”

The Primelings paused and looked at him, “Please tell me that doesn't mean what I think it does,” Liege said wearily.

“Oh, it does,” Soundwave laughed, “He can transfer, split, destroy them, and so on. Fortunately for us, that ability can quickly drain him, and it took the first Topspin a while to master. Luckily he also didn't like using it to kill.”

“Ok, so that's one less sparkattack for us,” Prima laughed and pointed at the last two, presumably the arms, “And these guys?”

“Right one is Landquake and left is Breakaway,” The blue mech said as Liege lifted them up,  “Right can create any energon weapon he desires. He's also the most untrusting and mischievous. Breakaway is the most grounded and sensible of the whole lot. He has extordinary healing abilities, using energon manipulation to repair wounds.”

“And this one,” He pointed at Nexus in his servos, “Is the most powerful because he has control over all of them.”

That got a small, mischievous giggle from the little yellow mech.

“Ok, spark attack’s back!” Prima cried, spinning around and walking away.

“Hey! Get your aft back here!” Alchemist called with a laugh, “We're not dealing with him by ourselves. You're in on this as well!”

Onyx chuckled next to him, picking Topspin up and laughing at how he immediately started purring, “Well, I think we'll be able to handle this,” He mused and turned to Solus, “But to be on the safe side, we may need you to make bells for these lot. I have a feeling they're going to be a lot of trouble.”

“Oh, I agree,” She nodded with a grin, Skyfall climbing up onto her shoulder, “I want to know where my stuff goes when it disappears.”

Nexus just giggled a second time, rubbing his little servos together happily, making them all burst out laughing again.

Chapter Text

“Primus, this is getting intense,” Zeta muttered with a smile, watching the fight happening a few meters away.

The sound of swords clashing filled the air as both Prima and Liege attacked Dreadlock, the older mech laughing and easily defending himself against the two.

Though despite that, the other Primelings still found it difficult to keep track of their movements, all three white mechs just blurred to them.

Onyx felt his wings twitch and he looked to his left. No one appeared to be standing there to the naked optic, but his could clearly pick up the outline of a mech. That and he could feel the worry emanating off of him.

“Everything alright?” He asked in a low voice, his gaze flickering off to the side to keep an eye on the other Cons in the room.

Luckily, the advantage of having a mouth no one could see moving was coming in handy.

“Not really,” He heard Mirage mumble back, “I've lost communications with Iacon. Last I heard from Prime, they were bringing in reinforcements from Caminus and Eukaris, but all lines have gone dead.”

Onyx frowned while still watching the fight, “Interference? Could be Soundwave unintentionally doing it. I heard he'd been planning on upgrading the security and firewalls.”

“No,” The invisible mech muttered, “It's not that. Blaster taught me how to recognize when a signal's being blocked, and it's not that. The problems coming from their end. I swear if Wheeljack blew something up again…”

Alchemist giggled, “He still does that?”

“He's been doing that since long before he was a scientist,” They heard him chuckle, “He was always the one causing the explosions in the mines.”

“How?”

“Don't know. It's a mystery how he does it sometimes.”

Megatronus nodded with a small smile next to them, keeping his optics on the fight with the others. Trying to track these three was good training for them as well, seeing the extent of their vision and tracking.

Mirage went quiet and they felt him move away as Megatron walked in, flanked by Soundwave and Starscream.

All it took was one clear of his throat and all three stopped, Dreadlock bowing and quickly moving away while P and L just stood there, panting slightly.

S raised an eyebrow and looked at the others who just shrugged.

“We will require all of you to head to your rooms,” Megatron informed, looking at all the sparklings in the room, “And you will be called if needed.”

“Did something happen?” Zeta asked, frowning.

The grey mech looked over at him. Despite their size comparison, the green bot held his helm high against the older mech.

M suspected he'd regained a few memories these past couple days.

“It is nothing that immediately concerns you,” Megatron finally said, eyeing him, “It will be decided later on if you are to be informed. I will assign guards to each of you. Now be off.”

Zeta and Prima frowned in sync, but M held up on servo. He had a suspicion he could do something.

Tapping Solus's servo, telling her to wait, he broke away and walked over. Megatron looked at the young Prime standing in front of him.

“Is there anything I can do to help sir?” Megatronus asked, allowing his helm to tilt slightly, “This isn't an attack, is it?”

The grey mech merely smiled and put one servo on the younger bots helm.

“It is nothing you need to concern yourself with now, my Prime,” He said gently, “Though your skills would be of great value to us, I do not want you to exert yourself if you do not have to.”

“Alright,” M nodded, “I'll be in my room then.”

He walked back, laughing softly as Nexus stuck his glossa out at him, “Favoritism.”

“Hey, I use it to my advantage,” The purple mechling shrugged with a hidden grin as they started making their way to their rooms.

“Not a bad idea,” Mirage's voice said next to him, “You could get a lot of information that way.”

M just chuckled and nodded.

“Oh shoot!”

They looked back as Prima spun in a circle, patting his frame, “I left my sword back there!”

Zeta laughed and walked over, taking him his servo and pulling, "Alright then, let's go. You guys keep walking. We'll catch up.”

“Wait! I'm coming too!” Solus said, breaking away and hurrying after them, “I wanted to speak to ask Soundwave something!”

“Sure! Just don't be long!” Onyx called with a grin, “You're not gonna want to miss our 4D chess rematch!”

“I thought we were going to our rooms?” Alchemist blinked, looking between him and Liege.

“Well, we technically are, only its going to be my room,” The white mechling grinned, “It's got enough chairs and space to hold all of us. And also the only chess set.”

“You still need to teach me how to play that game,” Nexus mused before throwing his arms up into the air, “I wish to destroy you all in it!”

“Yeah, very Primely of you,” Megatronus smirked, gently nudging him.

“Hey! I can be a Prime and a menace at the same time!” He giggled mischievously as Liege opened the door to his room for them.

“Yeah, we know,” Onyx snorted, “It's been what? Only about three days and you've already split apart more times than any of us can count to cause mischief.”

The blue mechlings visor tilted to show he was smirking, “Oh, but wasn't it funny to watch?”

Liege paused and looked back at him, “Really?”

“You're not denying it!”

“Ok, hearing some of the older mechs scream when a tiny bot suddenly pops up in the most unexpected places is amusing, I will admit,” He sighed, “But that doesn't mean I condone it.”

N just giggled and took his mask off to stick his glossa out at them.

Onyx just rolled his optics but smiled and hurried in to get the chess set up. M followed, instead making his way over to the berth and hopping up. 

He yawned and sat back against the wall, Alchemist pulling himself up as well while the other three got to their game.

The purple mechlings' optics drifted closed as he watched, slumping forward slightly as he started to fall asleep…

Instinct took over seconds later and he snapped awake. A low whistling was building outside.

Onyx was already turned to the window and the others were just starting to hear it, following his gaze.

Not thinking, Megatronus launched up and threw himself in front of Alchemist, shielding the smaller mech and turning his back to the wall.

But they were still thrown back as it exploded, fire licking their frames and shrapnel buried itself into their plating.

A sharp ringing sounded in his ears as M looked up, the walls shaking and cracks were forming on the ceiling. Bots were yelling and running outside as in the distance, more explosions sounded all over the fortress.

“Megtaronus!” 

The mechling coughed and looked up, blinking through the smoke and dust. Mirage was next to him, helping him and A up.

“What's going on?!” The green mechling cried, looking around in confusion. The lenses of one of his glasses had cracked, making him squint.

M ran over to the wall that now had a huge hole in it, overlooking the valley below. His optics went wide with shock.

“We're under siege,” He muttered. 

The other three ran over and looked with them, A gasped and put his servos over his intake.

“No way,” O muttered, in shock as he stared down.

“Those fraggers!” N yelled.

Massive Quintesson ships hovered in front of them, sending missiles at the fortress while guns blazed on the side, chipping away at the rock and any bot that ran out in the open. The soldiers dropped in their hundreds from them, raining down on the battlefield.