Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

ARC I: SENTINEL

Sentinel Prime makes the truth. The truth is what he makes.

He was never wrong. He never failed. And he was always smart. Always been smart. Since The Primes took him as their… family?

“You’re one of us now, kiddo. A family,” said the wise Solus Prime.

Sentinel hates all of them. The Primes. He hated them, and he will always hate them.

“That wing suits you, brother,” Zeta Prime praised you. “Did Sol make something again? By the name of Primus, she needs to stop or else she could—”

An explosion from her lab caused Zeta Prime's facial expression to change into a panic-dramatic kind of expression. He ran around the room, telling all of them that Primus was going to take them to the Allspark while Megatronus just stared with a funny-serious kind of glare.

Among the thirteen, Sentinel hates Megatronus and Zeta Prime the most.

“Zeta… brother… I found something… no… some bot… a weak one.”

“Primus, brother, what happened to him?”

“Must be trapped after the experiment. What did The Matrix tell you?”

“The Matrix didn’t tell me anything, Megatronus. What do you think?”

“We take this blue bot, and discuss it with others.”

“Thank Primus! I thought you would abandon this poor bot.”

And with no preparation, Sentinel gasped so loud that his voice causes his him a painful headache. Sentinel growled in pain—especially in his chest—while he tries to study the environment around him.

He felt, weird. What the hell was that? Is that what happened before you died? Do you see a flash of your miserable life? None of that matters anyway. Sentinel will join the Allspark if, Primus even allows him. Probably Primus would humiliate him in front of every cog-less bot that died during mining or was killed because of his order.

Maybe he would be sent to become Unicron forever slave, if what Alchemist told him was true, about a dark evil spark. Primus, Sentinel never believed every story that odd bot told to him before and after sleep. Zeta would believe it, and Alpha Trion would be there just listening and quoting. Making new poetry, again, again, and again. Every single day of his life.

None of that matters anyway. Sentinel still remember, the last moment of his bright spark beating.

He was lifted by the full rage new spark. Sentinel couldn’t move and escape except for accepting his destiny. In his last moment, Sentinel gasped and said the last thing he probably never said after he became the fake Prime.

“Help me… Zeta…”

Sentinel couldn’t feel a thing when his body was torn apart into two. He felt a jolt of pain for a split second before everything went so dark.

Maybe it’s what Alchemist always told him about the scariest darkness every bot would ever feel.

“And that’s why, Primus will be there and guide us to the Allspark,” said the odd old bot with pride. Another flashing life again.

None of that matters.

It doesn’t matter anymore.

Sentinel has died. And no one waiting for him in the vast emptiness of the dead life.

Not even his family. He killed them.

They hate him. They must be.

Sentinel crouch down on the ground, and curl his body in the dark empty vast abyss.

All alone, waiting for Primus to take him, or never.

***

A flick of blue bright spark came into the void. Sentinel groaned in annoyance; he felt his spark lighten back to life. But it seems the environment will always be this dark. The blue-gold bot grasps his chest. Empty. He can’t feel his servo, nor his chest plate.

Right. He was torn into two pieces.

Sentinel glared at the dark vast void, seeking for his other part of his body. It was so dark to the point where Sentinel feel so anger about how The Primes spreading stories about what lies after some bot died and join the Allspark.

even if Sentinel does not get a warm welcome in the Allspark, at least Primus would make it a bit less boring than just doing nothing in the dark for… forever! Frag it! He needs to do something about it.

Back in his tower Sentinel could do literally anything. He got everything he wanted. Wealth, popularity, and power. He’s the king of Iacon city. He was their savior, their leader, their only hope. The city relying on him, and Sentinel couldn’t be so proud that he managed to get all of this by himself.

“Does you feel empty about it?”

Sentinel was alarmed, he tried to move his half body, moving his torso to the voice.

“Who’s there?” He asked using his commanding tone. “Show yourself!”

“To whom, shall I reveal myself?” said the voice. The voice was charming, calm, and nostalgic.

“Enough with this nonsense,” Sentinel scoffed in annoyance. “I’m dead. Are you Primus? The one Zeta always told me? Or are you that ugly Unicron? What do you want? Make it quick and release me from this situation.”

No respond from the darkness, it pissed Sentinel so much.

“Show yourself! I’m Sentinel Prime, the king of all king! Show yourself to me!”

There’s no response again, But Sentinel could literally hear a sigh of disappointment. A white-gold with heavy-wide golden shoulder show up from the dark. He has two golden antennas on his helm. He looks as wise as Zeta Prime, but not as unserious as Zeta.

“Oh, just great. Super great.” Sentinel growled in fully defeated. “Primus sent you, to torture me?!”

“I didn’t come here to torture you, brother.” Prima Prime said with no suspicious expression on his face.

“Brother? I am not, your bro- gah!” Sentinel groaned. He was surprised for a split of second. His spark is dead. He looks down to his split body and for a split second, he realizes he can still feel his body. His lower parts, his pedes, and his chest. He can still feel them. Again. Is he still alive? If he is, where the frag is he right now?!

“You might think so, but I’ve been looking up and guard you, the day Zeta and Megatronus took you from those who used you,” Prima said solemnly.

Sentinel didn’t reply a word.

“We want you to join us in the Allspark, Sentinel.” Prima said calmly. “Me, especially. I care about you, deeply. I see you, Megatronus, and other Primes as more than just a family. But you need to pay the debt you cause for our planet, our home, our Cybertron.”

 “I live well,” Sentinel scoffed. “I’m a king…”

“Did you?” Prima asked calmly with his annoying smile. “You were one of the greatest we could ask, Sentinel. I was jealous when it was Megatronus who found you, but also grateful that they found someone as special and smart as you.”

Sentinel scoffed, with what little strength he had, he forced half of his torn-up body to turn away from his ex-mentor’s gaze.

“I lived like a king…” Sentinel spoke, he paused to think about every moment he had before he was ripped. “I was… a king, I have everything I wanted. People praise me, people love me, people look up to me. I was their hero… I was their future.”

“No, Sentinel,” Prima said, a hint of sadness flickering in his optics. “You choke them—our people—with lies. They’ve been love you, in lies. You torture them with false hope.”

“isn’t that what you all always did?” Sentinel scoffed mockingly. “Always spreading poetries. You old bots do nothing to the war but making stories or poetries. After I choose new path and destroy you all, I found the live I always wanted. I am the king of Iacon. People love me deeply. They love me and respect me, until that scum filthy miner bots came to my race and decided to race away to the surface.”

Sentinel greatest failure was to let them live. Orion Pax and D-16. From the time he saw two miners racing in the Iacon 5000, he knew those two idiotic bots have potential. He could easily dispose them, or brainwash them like his most favorite bot.

He knew everything about D-16, and Orion Pax. Both of them had a very difference track record in the energon mining.

Orion Pax was the least favorite. He caused a mess, but it amused him every time he heard a one or two stories about him. For that, he let the foolish bot do what he likes. There’s another foolish bot like him too. There’s a lot like him. Sentinel let them be unless they dare do something so foolish to destroy his plan.

D-16 was something else. He was one of the best of the best Sentinel ever had. Sentinel knows every bot who work like it’s their lifestyle. D-16 was one of them. The young bot admired him and admired Megatronus. Of course. Of all The Thirteen Primes he would choose the strongest, the coolest, the most amazing bot Sentinel ever met. It wasn’t a jealous feeling at first. Sentinel admires the bigger bot. He even volunteering himself to be Megatronus closest assistant. He was close to Megatronus than any Primes.

Megatronus was the coolest, the biggest, the strongest bot he ever met. That’s why… after the deal he made with their enemies… he took his cog. For his own pride, after his anger filled his spark when The Matrix of Leadership was vanished.

 He hates to admit it, but D-16 was right. Megatronus was greater than he will ever be. Even after he took his cog, he can’t bear any of its power.

But the guilt… the guilt was still there in his spark. As if Megatronus always watched him from afar. Sentinel rarely transforms, the power was too big for him to bear, but for any other reason, sentinel know something bad that makes him refuse to use the transformation.

No one know why. Only Primus, him, and Megatronus himself who know the answer. And even that scum D-16 probably too late to realize about the consequences.

“Their appearance has changed our planet. Our future… change significantly,” Prima said. A vast and thin fog came out of his back. It was like that time when Alpha Trion use his power to reveal things, Sentinel could see what happened at Iacon right after his death.

His optics narrowed, and he felt something heavy once he saw the destruction.

“The age of primes, has ended.” The silver bot stood before his cold death body, in front of the high guard and Iacon people. Sentinel’s body was laying coldly on the ground—he can see it, but he can’t touch it. He watched the bot speech, about how he would change the future, about how he would lead Iacon without more liars and false leaders. Sentinel’s T-cog was in his hand. He used it, and declared a new name.

“I am Megatron!”

Sentinel stared at the mess that just happen. It was war. A new war. And then suddenly, appear out of the core of Cybertron, a new leader has born. A new carrier of The Matrix of Leadership has reborn. The new prime… has come to the surface.

“No… no… no...!” Sentinel gasped and tried to stop them right before the fog disappear.

 He came back to dark abyss. It was silent at first, before his mind actively thinking billions of everything he built.

“Sentinel… why did you destroy us?” Prima asked calmly.

That question oddly angers him. He builds the city. He protects the city. For what!? To be destroyed by some filthy miners?!

“Me?! ME?!” Sentinel growled, he tried to move his chest, using it and drag it closer to the former Warrior of Light. “I didn’t destroy it. Primus himself start the war. And then he made you! All of you! To spread lies and poetries just for what? Just to always losing the war.”

Prima watched him with no expression. He let his former student talk as much as he wants, while the blue-gold bot panting in hurt and grief.

“Where were you when they destroy every city? I was there when Quintessons took everything for me. I was destined to die, but then Megatronus has to come and save my helm. PRIMUS WAS NEVER THERE FROM THE DAY I LOST MY FAMILY!”

He stopped after he felt another jolt of painful feeling from his lost lower body. sentinel was in rage; he was in the state where he hates everyone on this planet. And yet, even then, something flickered behind that harsh glare he gave to Prima, and Sentinel doesn’t know what it was. Was it grief? Hate? Or something he hates more than both of it?  

“Ironically, you were the one who took his helm,” Prima commented. “Why did you destroy us, Sentinel?”

Sentinel growled. He had enough of this.

“You want to know why? I hate the Primes, I hate your poetries, I hate your war, and I hate your dignity. I hate all your hospitality, and yet I want power. I want what you guys have. I want what you guys cannot do. I can stop the war, if I have all the power on Cybertron. I want to lead; I want to be the king that could—”

It was a sudden feeling. Sentinel panted and collapsed, his optics blurry, it was all red and blue, his vision feels weird. He feels a sudden pain, a really, really, really painful feelings. He feels all the pain… from everyone. Sentinel hear and feel, the pain from everyone. The cries, the hatred, the death, become one.

“What did you do to me?” Sentinel growled. “Why I can’t...” Sentinel stop talking. Confused. “What the frag? What is going on? Why can’t I…”

Sentinel can’t talk, he literally can’t talk at all. It’s like there’s some force that forcing him to stop whatever he wants to talk, and he forgot, He forgot about which sentence or words that makes him cannot talk. It was a painful and tingling feeling when he was force to silent, before a jolt of very painful feeling attacks his spark.

Sentinel lifted his helm after a golden bright hurting his optics while he cursed gently. Not that sword again…

Prima lifted a bright strong sword from his back. The legendary Star Saber. It was once almost destroying the enemy ship and win the war.

Sentinel doesn’t know its true power. In Prima’s hand, the sword could be so powerful. Prima swings his sword, making a small fog vortex. Sentinel’s spark lifted to the air, so with his two-split body. Sentinel felt as if he was reborn, and die, and reborn again. The air was warm and filled with all the pain he gave to the miners and people of Iacon.

His body reattached, one by one, circuit by circuit. His spark twisted between his two body. his chassis reattached again with his lower part. The vortex heals him, the legendary Star Saber was aimed to where his spark was place. Sentinel floating in the air while he feels and sees everything. He never knows this kind of power; this power could make The Primes survive his plan back in the cave when he chose to destroy them. But… why didn’t they?

“Sentinel… the day Megatronus and Zeta Prime brought you from your desperation, he means nothing but to make your life better. He feels and aware of the great potential in your young spark, so we took you in. You mean everything to him, to us…” Prima softened his expression there’s the guilt, fear, and sadness surrounding his blue optics. “…to me. But you choose to destroy it all. You’ve been giving the better life, the knowledge of the prime—the power you never had, but you choose difference path. You have betrayed Cybertron, and Primus himself.” Prima sighed. “And you betrayed your family.”

Sentinel gave Prima a confusion looks. It was a déjà vu speech. It feels like he heard that somewhere. But that confusion quickly replaced by the emotions he once left cycles ago.

“We really want you to join us, but Primus have different plan, now that new Prime has reborn.” Prima lowered his sword. The glowing sword disappear once Sentinel reach the ground. “It’s your punishment. You will live and facing your consequences. My Star Saber has given you the curse, you will feel our dead people anger and pain when you tried to betrayed your own feelings. You won’t be able to transforms at dewfall, until dawn. You will live your life, as a tyranny, or as Sentinel. The choice is in your spark, not me, not even Primus.”

Sentinel optics widened. He can’t believe what he just heard.

“I’ll take what’s mine from the first.” Sentinel growled, with all what power he got left, his push himself to the edge and stood up with trembling legs. “Iacon, my throne, my power. And I swear I would go to your graveyard and destroy you once again. I’ll destroy what’s in my past. The past that I hated so much that I—”

Sentinel groaned and fall to the ground. He feels it. All the pain cause by his own spark.

“AH! IT HURTS! MAKE IT STOP!” he groaned, holding his chest. Prima did nothing but just watch Sentinel’s pain and desperation. Sentinel rolling and circling on the ground, punching the dark ground and threw all curses his circuit could memorize.

“Sentinel, you are hurting yourself…” Prima said sadly. “Let it go.”

Sentinel growled, he was pissed and embarrassed with this treatment, he won’t let go. NEVER. The pain disappears after several klik, after Sentinel finally stop thinking.­­

“Will you comply and tell me why did you choose the wrong path?”

After struggling to stand up again and stare with optics that clearly saying “as if” to the former warrior and mentor, Prima hummed calmly.

“I thought so…”

The fog came again. Sentinel saw his cold split body. after the destruction, the new prime brings back all T-cog Sentinel took and make the energon flew again. Iacon was rebuild, but his body was… floating with others dead body. Floating through the toxic energon river, down to some unknown place he never knows would exist.

“Where is that?” Sentinel asked. He was calmer than his last anger.

“You have to find that by yourself…” Prima said. His sword glowing bright with gold glitters, he did something with the frog, Sentinel knows it. Because he feels like the fog getting bigger and thicker.

“Prima! Wait… Prima!” Sentinel shouted in anger.

“Live well… my dear Sentinel. Until then… live well.” Prima spoke, his voice echoed. 

And so, Sentinel fell from nowhere and woke up in an unknown territory.

He groaned, struggling, his spark twitching a very dim blue light. His body still split it two. It was a painful experience.

Sentinel panted. All of his work… all of his plan… gone. He’s cogless now, split in two in an unknown place.

He could feel like he could die again. Well… it doesn’t matter anyway. If he dies… he’d rather be trap in the abyss again than to live with the curse Prima told him before.

His optics doesn’t work completely, it was twitching. Sentinel grew tired, where is he? It feels horrible. It’s like… he was in a mountain of a junkyard.

“What a glitch…” he cursed slowly before his optics closed once again. He could hear a movement. A high-pitch voice with a disgusting smell and very odd accent could be heard.

It doesn’t matter anyway. Sentinel choose a new path. He wants to die and go back to the dark abyss.

Chapter Text

“Hello? Hello?!”

It feels like centuries, although it’s been a few days since Sentinel died. The war didn’t stop—another one has arisen from the mining. Sentinel frame drop far away, deep near reach Cybertron core. But Primus have another plan for him. His frame skips the road to the sublevel 50, but instead, his frame falls into a crack hole, and fall deep, again, into a very new territory.

“Oh Primus… what happened to you?! Buddy, wake up! Oh slag of course you can’t just wake up when you’re literally dying!”

Sentinel doesn’t quite remember, on how and what happened to his frame. His spark should have been stop. But for some reason, he remembers exactly when his frame falls down and hit the mountain of metal. Hitting his helm, hitting his separated grayish frame, and stop in a puddle of waste energon. It tastes so bad, Sentinel could feel it in his derma, corrupting his spark that should have been stop beating and keep him alive.

Sentinel optics were twitching, he was all alone, suddenly dying doesn’t sound too bad, he thought, trying to humor himself.

He’s all alone.

“I’m doing everything I can… wake up.”

Sentinel is alone, all by himself.

“Hello? Hello?!”

Sentinel groaned out, his optics twitching in annoyed and opening it slowly, it was all blurry. “Go away, fool.” He tried to swayed his servos. “Don’t you see? I’m trying to join the Allspark here.”

“I don’t want to disturb your beauty sleep, but you need to wake up,” said the bot gently and kindly, it pisses Sentinel off. “You can’t die here, buddy.”

Sentinel didn’t reply it, he kept stay silent and laid down, wishing that this bot would eventually bored enough to take every part of his frame for spare part or just kill him.

“Man, open your optics. I don’t bite. I’m not scraplet.”

“Will you just shut up?” Sentinel glared angrily, he had enough. “Arachnid! Take this ugly bot…”

He stopped midway, somehow he feels empty. His greatest assistant is not here helping him around.

“Eh, who? You talking about me? I’m not… who again?”

Sentinel ignored the bot, he senses and smells something awful. “What the frag is this smell?!” he gagged, trying his best to glare to his surrounding, with his optics slowly came back.

Oh no. Just great. He remembered that he's on a mountain of junkyard. No wonder this place smells like death cybertronian. This mountain filled with it! Lots of junk and trash metal, leaking energon and toxic waste. Clearly, it's not sublevel 50 anymore. The environment here is completely different and unnatural. This place it's not Cybertron core, it got lots of mountain filled with scrap thing and rusty metal. The road looking a bit odd, as the metal on it seems leaking some energon waste or some toxic liquid, and the scenery look so awful. He feels like far away from this he notices some light came from something that looks like a very tall and thick wall. To think about it again, the light from the sky look so unnatural here. Sentinel know the light doesn't illuminate from Cybertron closest star, maybe it's because something else.

Sentinel then carefully sat up just to face an ugly mech that is slightly a bit taller and bigger than him. The mech has orange-brown and some yellow paint on his body. his helm was… unique. He had some kind of square helm, with some small wire-moustache between his derma and nose ridge, that looks really odd to Sentinel. He has seen Quintessons army, of course, they are weird too. But this? What the frag is this… thing? Is this thing even a cybertronian?!

“Who the frag are you?” Sentinel asked with some authority voice—old habits never dies even though he had died once.

“The name’s Wreck-Gar.” The mech grabbed Sentinel’s servo without a warning, shaking it quickly and fast. He was fast and slimy. Sentinel growled after he pulled his servo back. Great. Now there’s some suspicious green liquid on his servo.

But then he realizes it.

“Wait… I can move?” Sentinel mumbled, he was very confused. He can sit properly, which mean is body is attached again. “But… how?” Sentinel sounds more upset and furious instead of grateful, which make Wreck-Gar make a very confusing and stupid expression.

“Why are you mad?” He asked, sounding like each syllable means ‘I am sorry for bring you back from the death’. “I can’t just let you die, especially here. This isn’t a really good place for burial.”

How is that even possible? Sentinel thought while his shaking servo holding onto his fainted gold fragment on his chest. He was torn in two, and yet he survived the worst. Sentinel looked down and observe his frame.

Some of his best paints were fainted, obviously. His plates look so dull, and he feels so weak and felt like everything is so big… or is it just because he’s getting smaller? Either way, he almost look like his younger self, with the blue were not as shine and confident as a prime, and he doesn’t receive the special golden fragment on his chest from Megatronus Prime, or the beautiful wings from Prima. Sentinel notices some red paint scattered on his left shoulder, right servo, and on the line where his frame was torn into two.

“How can I survive the worst?” Sentinel asked without looking, his optics lock at his golden wings that are dropping down to the ground. “What did you do to me?”

“Honestly I don’t really know,” Wreck-Gar replied. He sat right next close enough to Sentinel. Is he offering a free therapy or something? Maybe a comfort? Sentinel snorted at those thoughts.

“You were in critical conditions, I can tell that you came down here few days ago. I did what I could, but miraculously, you survived! Yay!”

Sentinel snorted. “You fool, you should have stayed away and let me die naturally.”

“I can’t do that—”

“And why is that? Huh? Is there some moral code you have? Or you just another weakling that should have been dead cycles ago?!”

Wreck-Gar went silent, his face dropped a bit, and his optics looks a bit different. Somehow Sentinel feel weird about the way Wreck-Gar looking at him. Did he regret snapping at this bot? Or he just feeling weird due to his condition?

“There’s nothing personal, I think. Well, maybe there is one, I don’t really know.” He stopped and smirked widely. And with a very genuine chuckle, he said, “I just thought helping someone would make me happy!”

Helping everyone will stop the war and bring happiness to me and you. Sentinel flinched and look around while also hitting his helm. Who… was that? He swears he felt someone whispering deep into his spark. He held his chest, and then frowned.

“I DON’T HAVE A COG?!” Sentinel roared in anger after he opened his t-cog compartment. No wonder why he can’t transform or why he looks smaller. “THOSE MINERS! I SWEAR WHEN I GO BACK TO IACON I’M GONNA RIP THEIR SPARK AND MAKE THEM BEG—”

Sentinel broke down after some curses he said; another pain, he needs to calm down. He was furious and angry his cog was taken.

Well of course it’s not actually his cog, it’s Megatronus’ cog. But still, he earned it.

“Goldy are you okay?” Wreck-Gar asked, completely ignoring all the anger Sentinel showed to him, and showing how concern he is. “I didn't brings some energon to me, nor some medicine.”

“I’m fine.” Sentinel coughed out and then glared angrily. “Wait… what did you just call me?!”

“Goldy! As in gold buddy!” Wreck-Gar smirked, he leaned closer and didn’t look so bothered that his frame pressed with Sentinel. “Your plate is so beautiful! Your wings are beautiful too—oh! And this… this is so gorgeous… the paint and the color…” Wreck-Gar started touching Sentinel’s faded gold fragment paint on his chest.

“Stop touching my plate!” Sentinel growled. “You are a weird one. The name’s Sentinel Prime.”

Sentinel paused, he sure feels that the curse Prima planted in his spark was just teasing him with some annoying and itching sensation when he calls himself a Prime. Guess the curse mock me like Primus did, Sentinel thought to himself.

“I am the Wreck-Gar after all, Goldy.” Wreck-Gar gave Sentinel that weird smirk again, and the blue-gold bot just groaned in pain as this bot call him by that ugly nickname again. “What on Cybertron a mech as glorious as you were here anyway? I’m pretty sure up there you’re not some random mech. And why don’t you have a t-cog? You won’t be able to transform, buddy.”

“That’s none of your business...” Sentinel mumbled, rubbing his chest slowly and looking up slightly. “Someone stole it from me, and I’m planning to take it back and destroy them.”

“Wow! Cool!” Wreck-Gar nodded. “Oh… you were being serious or sarcastic?”

“You’re an idiot bot, I wish I never met you,” Sentinel scoffed. “Why didn’t I change? My frame supposedly changed, and yet nothing much happen. I can still feel my wings attach to me, although I can’t still transform.”

Sentinel tried his best. At first, he was doubt that he should do it or he wants to do it—he rarely transform into his alt mode. The moment he tries, the only thing he could do his making those transforming sounds with some of his plates cracking, he can’t transform. For now.

“It’s pretty normal actually.” Wreck-Gar nodded. “When a bot lost their t-cog, they don’t suddenly transform into cogless form because it would ruin their mechanism and hurt their spark.”

“What do you mean it can’t?!” Sentinel growled angrily. “When I—” he coughed out, he almost slip out saying how he took all those t-cog from every miners. “What I’m about to say is… what about new bot who just forged or born? Aren't they could possibly turn into cogless form?”

“Ah, that’s totally different then.” Wreck-Gar smirked and stood up, walking around the disgusting waste energon, while taking out some scrapyard. “If they just forged or born, they don’t need much time to turn into cogless form because they just not used to bigger frame.”

Sentinel hummed, he doesn’t know if this a worth information or not, either way he’s just gonna try to stab this idiot mech from behind after he manage to manipulate him and use him for his own benefit.

“Ah, ah, ah, careful, Goldy.” Wreck-Gar quickly helped Sentinel who’s trying to stand up. “You’re not healed yet.”

Sentinel scoffed. “Why do you care? Where exactly am I? what is this place? This is not Cybertron core I suppose?”

They both walk together out of the place. Sentinel is still having a problem with his frame. Wreck-Gar is right, he’s not fully healed yet. Sentinel can still feel every painful in his joint. The painful was too much, but he feels worst before.

“Kinda. I mean this place is closer to the core than anything.”

“Sublevel 50?”

“What’s that?”

“Nothing, so what is this place?”

“You’re in the Junkion!” the cheerful bot exclaimed.

“Junkion? Ha! As in the lost planet Junkion? We’re on Cybertron, is your circuit glitching or are you just broken like this?”

“Oh, I know we’re on Cybertron.” Wreck-Gar smirked widely, and Sentinel seems doesn't really enjoy those kind of smile since he hates any smiles. “And nope, I always like this, since I got here and decided to name this place after my planet.”

Sentinel glared weirdly. “You’re from that planet? I don’t believe you. That planet was…” he paused, realizing the mech tilting his helm curiously. “A myth.”

“No, no, no!” Wreck-Gar shook his helm proudly. “My planet, is real, Goldy. Oh, how I wish I could bring you to my planet. We can build a base together! What do you think? We can share berth together, or maybe I could sleep on the floor, or maybe—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don’t care. How did you fine me?” Sentinel tried his best to change the topic. He… doesn’t really like to talk about this.

Wreck-Gar squeaked, seem too happy to explain it.

“I was scavenging around, trying to find something new when I heard a weak whimpering voice. You were trap between dead frame. Your frame was gray, you barely alive! you were in critical conditions hours ago and you were so lucky I found you. Your spark is beating so soft and weak, you lost too much energon, so I give you my last cube. you were lucky again I brought some of my tools so I could fix you quickly. It was like miracle you could survive that kind of damage. You were lucky that I…”

Sentinel glared at the chatter machine annoyingly. This mech would be a pain in the aft. But maybe... just maybe… Sentinel could take advantage from it, using this idiot bot like he’s using someone else in the past.

“So, Wreckgar—”

“Ah-ah, ah! No, It’s Wreck-Gar. Got it? Gave it some pause. Wreck…Gar. Wreck-Gar. Not wreckgar. You try.” Wreck-Gar nodded excitedly.

“I don’t need—”

“Come on, just try. Wreck-Gar. Go on. You can do it. I believe in you!”

I believe in you? What a mistake. Poor bot. he’s going to regret saying it, and Sentinel would be so delightful to see him suffer because his own words.

“Wreck-Gar,” Sentinel grumbled annoyingly. He needs to comply, in order to survive and take all his hard work back from D-16. “So, will you show me a way to get out of here? I need to go to the surface—Iacon. You know about Iacon?”

“Yup, I know about that glamour city.” Wreck-gar smirked while he walks back and forth. “But unfortunately, nope. We can’t go up there, at least all I can say is I can't bring you there.” Wreck-Gar winked for the last time before he turned away from the road, taking another side, collecting some scrap metal, and walk away. Leaving Sentinel behind.

“Wh-what? How dare you disobey me—” Sentinel paused. No, he’s helpless. He doesn’t have a cog, he can’t transform, and he was out of nowhere. He never knew this place exist, so he desperately needs this bot help. This is the kind of place that would be another story came from Alchemist Prime.

Sentinel zoned out, not even noticing that Wreck-Gar had wandered far off, carrying a stack of scrap metal in the storage compartment on his back.

“Where are you going?” Sentinel tried to chase him. He can’t run or even walk a bit fast. He can still feel the jolt of pain on his tank and chest every time he moves. It feels like his spark was so overwhelmed, he could just die and then come back to life so many times. But Sentinel was used to this kind of feelings. He was a soldier, under the thirteen training. This kind of pain was his breakfast and dinner on a daily basis.

“To my base. I collect this stuff and sorted it again. You can leave if you want, Goldy. I’m glad you didn’t die, oh and please don’t try to kill yourself, okay? I would be so sad. Just be careful of The Wrecker.”

“The what?” Sentinel yelled, he still too far away from Wreck-Gar.

“They are the worst. Believe me, you don’t want to mess with them. You better come with me. Why are you there? I’m here.”

This bot is so stupid! “You are walking too fast!”

Wreck-Gar stop his frame and turned around. “Well then hop on.” He transformed into a two-wheeled vehicle, and approach Sentinel with his alt mode. And the way his engine hum, it indicates that he was bragging at the moment.

“What do you think of my alt mode? Sexy, eh?” Wreck-Gar lifted the front wheel, his engine roaring loudly.

Sentinel sighed. He can’t walk too far anymore. He’s still helpless and weak. His pedes couldn’t bare walking much longer. Wreck-Gar alt mode is big enough for him. Even though there’s two stack of scrap metal between the wheel. Sentinel doesn’t think much. At least the mech was big enough for him to ride on.

Sentinel frowned. That sounds weird in his processor.

Wreck-Gar nudge Sentinel frame with his wheel.  “Hop on. It’s okay, I’m not going to bring you to The Wrecker. Believe me.”

Believe huh? There’s no believe and trust in Sentinel’s dictionary.

***

Wreck-Gar’s base was even worse than the junkyard itself. Sentinel had a slightly disgusted look. He used to have a comfortable life back on Iacon, he’s not used to this kind of place. He just can’t. Not again. Sentinel just shrugged and leaned on a wall.

“How do you even get energon?” Sentinel asked while observing the shabby and rusty place.

Wreck-Gar grinned wide. “I just search it.”

Sentinel raised his optics ridge. “Just… search it? You don’t need to mine it?”

“Why would I mined some energon?” Wreck-Gar laugh as if Sentinel is an idiot. Sentinel circuit working fast and heating up his face with some anger filling his processor.

“Look at that…” Wreck-Gar pointed at a blue thin light far away from the junkyard. “Last week that light wasn’t even there. The energon river has finally flown again. But mostly before the river thing happen, all we did here were just scavenging around, trying our luck to find some energon in the junkyard mountain.”

“Hm… yeah, I can see that.” Sentinel watch the blue light solemnly. He knew about the new Prime, return of The Matrix, and the new era. He also knew about energon that finally flew again. And Sentinel cannot wait to go back to the surface and take back everything he had built for cycles.

The two young bots have made a new era. Sentinel does not give a single circuit about the damn era. He wants the power of Cybertron, back in the palm of his servo. He just needs to meet with his loyal servants and soldiers. The two bots know nothing about their new power. Sentinel could take them down easily, as he has a plan now.

Sentinel glanced at Wreck-Gar. He has this sudden idea that could actually endangered him. The mech keep yapping like he would meet Primus anytime. Maybe Sentinel could just…

“So why are you here anyway?” Wreck-Gar suddenly asked, pulling Sentinel out of another evil plan. “I might lose some screw in my helm, but I don’t think I’m that crazy to see that you were two pieces on the ground, cables everywhere, in critical condition. I mean what happened? I know you said this isn’t my business, but I’m pretty sure you’re from The Up?”

“The Up?” Sentinel narrowed his optics.

Wreck-Gar nodded excitedly. Pointing his digits up. “Iacon. The surface. I wonder how’s living in Iacon—”

“I was living the best live back in Iacon,” Sentinel snapped. Which he doesn’t know why he did that. He was filled with rage, again. His T-cog was robbed, his dignity was thrown away, and he was dumped away to this junk filthy place. “I was here, because some stupid bot can’t accept the fact that I took their—”

Sentinel dropped to the ground. the curse gnawing his spark again. But this time, it's more painful than everything. So painful that he reach a condition where he can't even scream or groan. It wasn't just about the pain, it was about all the pain and suffer from all of the victim of his tyranny. Sentinel coughed out and punched the ground. His right servo leaking with some energon.

“Oy… oy, Goldy, are you alright? Frag, of course you’re not, dummy!” Wreck-Gar groaned with panic voice. He held Sentinel’s body. Doing everything he can to help the poor gold-blue mech.

It was like the very first time after dozens of cycles he felt so vulnerable. Sentinel doesn’t even resist Wreck-Gar help, instead his frame naturally just moves closer into Wreck-Gar grasp and hold. It was like this curse and pain force him to find a way to his pure spark.

His spark always pure. He was always like this. He was always Sentinel. Sentinel always be like this, from the very beginning, until his last day.

Frag. Sentinel just want some power for himself. That’s all…

Chapter Text

“How are you feeling?” Wreck-Gar asked the blue-gold bot once he makes sure that Sentinel doesn’t look like he had that discomfort expression again. And when Sentinel just being himself again and give Wreck-Gar the silent treatment, the messy orange-brown bot went to pick something from a very big trunk, probably a good place to hide some junks.

Sentinel grumbled and muttered something gibberish, sitting on a nearby wall, groaning and whimpering for the most annoying pain he felt. This pain felt like an annoying itch rather than something that was purposely for torturing him.

Sentinel lifted his helm a bit, looking at Wreck-Gar who were so busy looking for something with his clumsy face and odd movement. Sentinel filled with too much embarrassment on how he quickly let out his vulnerable side to Wreck-Gar earlier.

“Why would I do such humiliating thing?” he whispered to himself. He promised to himself not to ever look weak again, so he destroys The Primes and took their throne.

“And how does it make you feel, Sentinel?”

Sentinel doesn’t even flinch. His helm hanging hopelessly, looking at the ground that were shaking due to a heavy movement cause by his fellow mentor.

“Was I slicing your helm isn’t enough, Alpha Trion?” Sentinel chuckled. Standing before him, Alpha Trion looking down at him solemnly. his cape waved calmly, although there's no wind, and his frame looking a bit transparent with faint purple radiant covering his frame.

“You had a choice, Sentinel,” Alpha Trion said calmly. “But you choose to be a disgrace. You were supposed to be one of the best, of the best—Zeta had a plan for you, Megatronus had an idea for you, Prima had decided to help you out, and despite all that, you choose to lower your wings and stab us together.”

“blablabla, yeah I get it.” Sentinel raised his servos. “Come on, take my spark. If you want to torture me, torture me in the Allspark.”

Sentinel look up at his mentor, that same sad face again, it pissed him off.

“What is with you guys, and those faces?! Megatronus should have just let me died that day.”

“But he didn’t.”

“And that was a mistake!” Sentinel growled. “That was his big mistake, the mistake I would not comply to make. I should have killed those two miners instantly!”

Sentinel groaned out, holding his chest. The curse gnawing his spark, but it didn’t feel too painful like before.

“You can keep living in the past, Sentinel.” Alpha Trion said, kneeling down to Sentinel’s level. “You were like a younger bravest warrior, to every Primes that you killed. They all deeply care for you, and instead you paid them back with your blades covered in their energon.”

Sentinel kept silent, he doesn’t like talking about his past. Alpha Trion knowing too much about it, and decided to push it so far.

“It’s not your fault.”

“Yes, it is.” Sentinel cut off Alpha Trion.

“No, Sentinel. It was Quintessons fault—you didn’t mean to make it happen.”

“Oh, why are we talking about this? My family is dead, there’s no point in talking about them anymore.”

Alpha Trion stared silently. “We were also family, once, Sentinel. We were friends, comrades, a family. I do want you to join the Allspark, but not as a disgrace. I want you to join us when you found your purpose in this story. We didn’t mean to hit you with lots of pressure or responsibility, all the great thing we said about you, were true, Sentinel. You were the best, and we never regret taking you out to our side. And as much as I despise you right now, for killing me that easily that day, I do wish that one day you could broke down to the ground to at least grief as, just like you grief your family. Because once—and I'm not gonna be bored saying this—we were family, and we always be like that.”

Once Sentinel doesn't give a sign that he would snap or reply to any of his words, Alpha Trion shifted and sat right next to the younger mech than him. His Servo reach his wings. One of it was dropping down to the ground, hopeless and sad, and the other wing was trying its best to keep up and lifted up from reaching the ground. Even though Sentinel practically a cogless bot now, his desire to keep up in his lowest amazed Alpha Trion so much. The older bot chuckled with deep voice, seeing Sentinel as a youngling once again.

"Your wings is still as beautiful as the day it was gifted to you, Sentinel. You should know that..."

“Here, have a cube.” Wreck-Gar came back and sat next to Sentinel, shoving him a very weird looking energon cube.

Sentinel looked up, glared at his surrounding, Alpha Trion is nowhere to be seen. He looked back at Wreck-Gar, who smirking like crazy.

“What is this?” he asked, he refuse to take the cube from Wreck-Gar dirty servo.

“It’s… a cube? Energon?” Wreck-Gar chuckled, flicking Sentinel forehead. “Did you hit your helm or something?”

“Don’t you have some good quality of this thing?” Sentinel asked a bit calmly since he doesn’t want to trigger the curse again—he had enough of it. “This energon look so… jellish.”

“It’s the best I could get.” Wreck-Gar smirked, shifting his pose so he can sit a little bit too closer to Sentinel. Sentinel gave the messy bot a dead stare before he shifted a bit, making a wide space between them.

“The river might flow again,” Wreck-Gar continued, “but they are too far from my base. I could get lost. I don’t want to go there yet without my friends—and they were so busy with doing experiment about this so-called new era." he chuckled, Sentinel swear to his spark that this bot must be high on engex or something, he always looks extremely happy and positive.

"So Then I just took some of it from nearby energon I could see," Wreck-Gar continued, "and it’s okay, they are safe. I make sure that this energon, although look weird and taste unnatural, it’s still energon.”

“You have friends?” Sentinel asked while Wreck-Gar just finished the second cube. “Here? Who would want to stay in this garbage?”

“You were the only want who call it garbage. For some bots here, we call it survival.” Wreck-Gar took another cube after he licks his wet digits. “I have two more friends—they stay here, and that’s their berth, on the corner. We have three, but you can recharge with me, I don’t mind.”

Sentinel hummed, still holding the cube and looking at it.

“About the Wreckers,” he spoke, “who are they? Are they dangerous? A savage? Or just more stupid bot like you?”

“Aww thank you.” Wreck-Gar giggled, was happy that Sentinel compared him to the Wreckers. “They are not dangerous, well… at least not all of them. Whirl is kind of… weird, you know? I suggest you keep your optics on him if you ever met with him. But everyone else is nice. They were very nice to me. They could be dangerous if you mess with them. Let just say they are the guardian of this place. Keeping this place from evil bots.”

Sentinel nodded, the way he looked at his cube making Wreck-Gar groaned out in annoyance.  

“ugh, Either way,” Wreck-Gar continued, leaning closer, “you need to refuel, your energon level is low.”

“You have an energon detector?”

“No, but back on my planet I used to be the best medic they could have.”

“Hm… fair enough. No wonder Primus choose you as the path of my way back to live again.” Sentinel commented while shake the half smelly cube. He sighed and whispered to himself, “Primus please, just let me die…”

Sentinel took a sip before Wreck-Gar intentionally push the bottom of the cube, making Sentinel gagged and spilled some of the energon.

Wreck-Gar doesn’t realize who’s he dealing with. All he does is just smirking wide with two servos raised up close to each other while he walks back slowly from the furious ex-prime.

“What. Do. You. Think. YOU WERE DOING?” Sentinel roared and spat at the messy bot as he storms toward him, closing the distance so quickly that his not so tall frame could towering Wreck-Gar shrinking frame, cornering him to nearby weak pole as Sentinel showed his angry face throughout his gritted dentas.

“Well… w-well… ugh…” Wreck-Gar cleared his throat and spat out a nervous chuckle. “You were still in pain—and you are. And… um… you were once, your upper frame, separated from your lower frame, and… your spark is still weak, so… I need to give you medicine—what are you doing, Goldy?”

“One day I’m going to do something bad to you I swear…” Sentinel whispered coldly to Wreck-Gar face.

“That’s not nice, Goldy—”

“MY NAME IS SENTINEL PRIME! THE SENTINEL PRIME!” Sentinel roared angrily as his anger and desperate scream make Wreck-Gar shrink his frame even lower. And not because he was afraid of Sentinel, no. Wreck-Gar, for some reason doesn’t show the sign of someone who’s scared by the big authority and powerful bot.

That look disgust Sentinel while the ex-prime glared away and walked around the base, leaving Wreck-Gar leaning his back on the pole, staring right at Sentinel. Sentinel doesn’t need that look, Wreck-Gar pitying Sentinel. And that face, that exact face makes Sentinel even more upset which he doesn’t even want to bother himself to deal with it. Sentinel hated it so much when someone show deep emotions at him. If it wasn’t because of that face, a long time ago, he should have stay dead.

Sentinel should be dead by now if it wasn’t for that face.

“Goldy are you—”

“Stop calling me that,” Sentinel snapped, he sounds so tired. “Please. Just… stop pitying me.”

He sighed, sitting on a nearby wall. The curse start playing a game with him again. It wasn’t a painful feeling, it feels like a mock. Sentinel feels a jolt of tingling pain. He didn’t say something bad, nor saying something that it’s not proven my Primus.

“…You will feel our dead people anger and pain when you tried to betrayed your own feelings.”

Sentinel tried to recall everything Prima said about the curse. Betrayed your feelings… what the frag is that supposed to mean?!

“…You won’t be able to transforms at dewfall, until dawn.”

Sentinel hold his chest, opening his empty t-cog compartment. Obviously for now he can’t transform. He’s practically as useless as a miner bot.

Sentinel came back to reality when Wreck-Gar sit in front of him, holding his shoulder with another smile. But this one, it was another smile.

What’s with that smile? What’s wrong with that look? Wreck-Gar isn’t trying to pity Sentinel right now. He looks completely different.

“Goldy, you don’t have to bear it alone—you’re in pain right now. It’s okay to lean on to a wall, or me, if you don’t feel uncomfortable. It’s okay to ask for help you know? That doesn’t make you weak or less strong.”

“Do you actually know me?” Sentinel asked calmly. “You’re not that idiot. If you were trap down here, then there’s probably a day where you used to be stay everywhere but here. Maybe up there or…” he paused, “somewhere.”

“I don’t know you.” Wreck-Gar shook his helm. “I mean, you sound too familiar for me. My friends told me once, about a tyranny up there that taking everyone t-cogs.”

“I take it you believe with your friend’s words?”

“I believe in everyone. If you are that tyranny, that my friend used to tell it to me, then I also believe that you change now.”

Sentinel scoffed. “Yeah right. I join the good bots and doing happy festival, throwing poetries and speech and die in Quintessons’ grasp, sounds about right.”

“You seem nice for me.” Wreck-Gar shrugged and chuckled. “You said mean things, but you actually one of the nicest.”

You look angry, but you actually very nice! Sentinel growled. Another ghost whispering in his spark. “Curse you Prima for giving me this virus.” He muttered.

“What was that?”

“I said, how did you get here?” Sentinel changed the topic.

“Oh, right. I came here because of an accident. I never know what The Up looks like, or what is it like to live in Iacon, or any other city. Back on my planet, we have tales and stories about Cybertron. The Junkions is just a group of bots that used to live on Cybertron too, until well… the Quintessons arrive. I never know what happened, but the story that came down from my ancestor is that we were saved by the Primes. There’s a lot of clans that were saved by the Primes. Some of them evacuated to another planet, or still hiding in Cybertron mountains, deep down in a cave where Quintessons could never find them.”

Sentinel listened solemnly. Wreck-Gar is being serious here, regardless his giggling and nervous chuckle. This story, he heard it somewhere from Alchemist. Sentinel remembers that Alchemist used to tell him a story where all the Primes were fighting together to safe some clans and bots.

“So... what happened to you?” Sentinel quickly frowned and cursed himself when he suddenly asks such unnecessary question.

“Ah, I don’t really know what happened, but my planet was destroyed. Not destroyed completely, more like almost every single of my clans were killed… Quintessons.”

Wreck-Gar sighed. And for the very first time he looks really sad and miserable. Sentinel for some reason feel so guilty. He knows exactly what happened to Wreck-Gar’s clan. He glared at the miserable bot, his servo was ready to give him comfort.

But then he stops midway. What was I thinking?! He thought to himself. He can’t know show any of this. He’s Sentinel Prime. THE Sentinel Prime.

“But it doesn’t matter now, I have two best friends, and now it’s getting better than you join us!” Wreck-Gar smirked.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Sentinel glared.

“Well… since you here, I thought you will be staying with us. We can scavenge around, finding some scrap and energon. Or oh! We can travel far away and make a new base near the river of energon! I could introduce you to Ultra—”

Wreck-Gar grunted as he showed a panic and nervous face when Sentinel angry frame was pinning him to the wall.

“I don’t want to do anything, especially with you. All I want to do is to go up there, take my place back, and rip those two idiot bots spark until they scream in agony!”

“H-hey, Goldy. Take it easy!” Wreck-Gar chuckled nervously, having a difficult to move when Sentinel’s hold was very strong. He was so surprised on how strong Sentinel is, even in his weak state. “Goldy, don’t push yourself too hard! Or you will have another spark pain!”

“I don’t care if it happens again!”

“For the love of Primus!” a shiny and colorful bot exclaimed with such a happiness from his face. He drops all the garbage that he’d probably collected, and then clap like something big just happen.

Sentinel flinched, great, another idiot bot, he thought. But this one seems calm enough.

Sentinel have a feeling he knows this bot somewhere. It’s not because his unique wings symbol on his chest plate, or because it’s his yellow face and how light the blue paint on his arm, it’s because something else that Sentinel couldn’t remember.

“Hi Thunderclash!” Wreck-Gar tried to wave effortlessly even though he was half-pinned to the wall on his back by Sentinel. “Don’t mind us!”

“Who’s the boyfriend?” Thunderclash smirked, picking up his things from the ground. Sentinel quickly stood up in annoyance. That expression somehow awakens some memories from Thunderclash circuit. "By Primus! Aren’t you THE Sentinel Prime? I didn’t realize you with your smaller frame and your new red plate in your mid frame. Also, where’s your cog, huh? Did someone take it from you?”

Sentinel narrowed his optics, he doesn’t like the way this mech use his tone at him. if he was a miner bot who speak to him in his prime era, Sentinel would not just banish him, he’ll make this mech feel something he never felt before he disappears. But right now, all he need was to comply and simply just nodded while he said, “Do I know you?”

“Probably.” Thunderclash shrugged. “I was one of your best archivists. I was the top in my sector, until I was going to search for the lost files, in the restricted area… but yeah, I think one of your workers beat me until I almost lost my spark. I was so lucky that The Wreckers was scavenging around up there. Ahh… what a memory.”

Although Sentinel memory finally come back, that’s not what makes him got so curious about the story. Sentinel indeed remember Darkwing's story about some unknown bot scavenging around Iacon, but all he thought was probably the high guard trying to steal some energon from him.

He knew someone, a mech, from the past. Someone he would consider… close one, like a brother. A brother who almost took his place and destroyed all of his plan.

Sentinel had to banish him. And although he thought he win the fight, this mech from the past seems still exist and alive, according from what Thunderclash told him a while ago. Sentinel sighed, he really admits it he’s so bad with cleaning his servos from all dirty work.

“Here, some rust stick I found earlier.” Thunderclash throw a good quality of cybertronian snacks. Wreck-Gar yelped happily. “And please don’t get too close with Sentinel, he’s an evil mech—no offense here!”

Sentinel spatted with such arrogancy. “So, he told you, huh?”

Thunderclash raised his optics ridges and stopped his movement. He was smirking, leaning on a pole, eating a rust stick with such curious face.

“You know him? huh… interesting.” Thunderclash step forwards and closer, there’s no cheerful or kindness in his face now. It was pure anger and disgust. “Did you push him just like you push all the Primes, despite their kindness, despite after what they did to you?”

Sentinel scoffed, he’s not scared of this mech even though he lost all his power. “You know nothing about me. So, what if I’m evil, hm? You don’t like it when my army beat you up back then!?”

“Oh yeah? And where’s your army now, hm?” Thunderclash showed a mocking smirk. “I don’t know what happened up there—The Wreckers would probably know about it, and it doesn’t matter to me anymore. I never want to go back to that place ever again where you could rule and be king, to enslave those innocent bots and to kill some of them that was trying to get justice and freedom. Sentinel I already forget everything you did, no offense, but I still hate you. I hope you die horribly so Primus won’t accept you in the Allspark.”

The tension was too hard that make Wreck-Gar looks a bit nervous, while Sentinel only let out a small chuckle of ignorance. So this is the one who’s been telling Wreck-Gar about Sentinel. Sentinel chuckled proudly. Oh, how he wish he has his blades and slice both of them.

“Thunderclash… I think the story you always told me about him, it could change every time you know?” Wreck-Gar said, he was trying to pull the most naïve and optimistic string out of the tension. “I found out today that he was injured, torn into two… maybe he—”

“Don’t you ever realize or someone that would care deeply enough to tell you that you are an absolute idiot, Wreckgar.” Sentinel said coldly. Wreck-Gar flinched and murmured something, looking a bit surprise and sad. “You heard him, I’m the evil Sentinel Prime, and you just some idiot bot who believe in kindness. How poetic.”

“Goldy, that was mean,” Wreck-Gar spoke so slow.

“I WAS ALWAYS LIKE THIS!” Sentinel roared angrily, stepping closer to grab Wreck-Gar collarbone. Thunderclash hissed angrily, but Wreck-Gar stop him with a reassurance glare and nod.

“Wreck-Gar he’s a dangerous bot!” Thunderclash growled, pointing one of his ugly-looking blaster gun right onto Sentinel helm.

“Yeah, wreckgar. I’m a dangerous bot.” Sentinel laughed hysterically, moving his servos to Wreck-Gar’s neck. “You should let him shoot me and let me die horribly! YEAH! LET ME DIE YOU FRAGGER!”

“You’re not thinking straight, Goldy!” Wreck-Gar gasped, his vocal box was hurt. “Please, just… I know you’re not like this—”

“Oh you sick fragger! You just like Thundercracker when he wrote those disgusting stories in his datapad!” Sentinel coughed out, trying to cover his uncomfortable face. not good, he thought, the curse hit him again. “You know nothing about me, and you should keep it that way. You have no idea about what I have been build. I’d do anything to kill those Quintessons and take what they took away from me. I should have been in the Allspark long time ago, but with some bots like you and your cursing faces! I had to live again under those stupid Thirteen Primes!

“You have no idea about me, I don’t care about those people I hurt in the past. I only care about myself, and only myself. I don’t care about Cybertron, I don’t care about The Primes, and I don’t care about those miners I hurt… there’s only one single glorious purpose I care about and right now… and that purpose is me… I… am… Sentinel, I always be the Prime…!”

The speech Sentinel gave to the two mech that he just met was so unnecessary, but it’s a must. Sentinel panted, his frame was shaking, his servos were shaking and getting weak, he falls on his knee as he let go his grasp on Wreck-Gar. The orange-brown bot quickly notices it and hold Sentinel’s frame before he could fall.

“It’s happening again, isn’t it?” Wreck-Gar kneel right next to Sentinel as the blue-gold mech just nodded weakly, he groans and tried to push Wreck-Gar away.

"No, you need my help..."

"Frag off!"

"Let me help you, please!"

Sentinel said nothing but a weak grumble. He hates how weak he is now, despise those pity face coming from a two mech who ironically, the reason they are down here is because of him.

Sentinel doesn’t want to feel guilty. But deep down he feels more than just an ordinary guilt.

“What happened to him?” Thunderclash asked unwillingly, lowering his gun.

“He’s injured, didn’t I tell you?” Wreck-Gar hissed angrily. “After getting his frame torn into two it’s obvious that some of his plates are missing. Which is probably doesn’t match with his spark—help me, Thunderclash.”

Thunderclash said nothing but laying down Sentinel on his berth. “What did you do then?”

“I did what best I could. He was trapped in one of the junkyard mountains. Leaking too much energon, while some energon waste was trying to go inside his spark. So I give my energon to him and find some armor plates from the junk. I replace some of his broken frame, change some of his cables and piston.”

Wreck-Gar was too busy, giving Sentinel some weird fluid to his fuel lines on his right servo, trying desperately to make Sentinel stop grunting because of the pain from his spark.

Thunderclash grimaced. “You… did a surgery to him? on a junkyard mountain?! Wow. You really are a good medic, Wreck-Gar. I’m impressed—really.”

“Thank you, but right now, I need you to hold his helm a few degrees high, he feels dizzy now.”

"How did you know what he feels?"

"I just... know.: Wreck-Gar vented out. "Must be a curse because I was born as a Junkion Bot. Come on, he needs our help."

Thunderclash scoffed. “Just let him die, Wreck-Gar. Sooner or later he’ll stab you from the back of your spark. He just snapped at you after you save his circuit and he didn’t even give a single thank you to you, Wreck-Gar! Stop being a glitch and think about yourself for once…”

“Thunderclash I always thinking about myself back on my planet, but that single attitude brings me to a destruction of my entire clan!” Wreck-Gar said calmly while he helps Sentinel laying down on a half uncomfortable berth. Although Sentinel notice the pain, the guilt, and the sadness from the side of this mech optics.

“My clan went missing and died, because I’ve been thinking about my damn research. I could have been there, help them, or even die with them, but instead I’m trap here on Cybertron.” Wreck-Gar paused his speech for a second before he went to grab a cube of energon for Sentinel. “I don’t want to make the same mistake, my family won’t like the way I live if I keep blaming myself.”

“Wreck-Gar, it’s not your fault! It’s his fault! He’s probably the one who killed your entire clan! You have to stop and try to living the present!”

“I can’t accept the present when the present itself filled with the corpse of my dead clan!” Wreck-Gar growled, he is really mad right now, and it was so impressive that he could calm again so quickly. “And I believe it wasn’t Goldy fault.”

“G-Goldy?! What's with the nickname? Grh! Sentinel, is working with the Quintessons and destroy this planet.”

“Maybe he had his reasons, Thunderclash, we never know. Despite every evil thing he did, I believe that he didn’t have something to do with my clan! Bear with me, we have to help him, he’s injured! Even if he intends to do something bad, he can’t do so much right now. Goldy needs our help.”

Sentinel watch Wreck-Gar solemnly with a hint of another emotion flickering in his optics. The way Wreck-Gar spoke is remind him of himself back when he still young and live in Harmonex City. And the way he spoke about his planet make Sentinel realize that he probably indeed has hurt a lot of people.

Sentinel wanted to deny those feelings and pain; he is, after all, THE Sentinel Prime. He has no regret, he has no emotions, he has no guilt. All he had was power and kingdom. Iacon was a perfect city for his kingdom. The Primes had found a perfect spot where even all the Quintessons cannot attack the city that was close to the center of Primus spark. The city was built, because of his brilliant design. The Primes praise him and admire his entire work.

He had a good time, but Sentinel despise that time. He was weak and whiny. He needs power. And at cost of destroying his own kind and others life, like Wreck-Gar’s life.

Sentinel doesn’t feel bad. But for some reason, he was calmer than he was ever be. The pain from the curse slightly gone when he thinks calmly about all his past.

A young spark, having a big dream to be one of the best racers in his city, and then coming back home meeting with all of his family just to draw them something nice. Harmonex is the best entertainment city on Cybertron. Music and art were born right in the center of this city. Harmonex is the last city that still protect its glamorous, until the Quintessons destroy the city.

Sentinel shook his helm, despite all of his dark past, he never wants those memories to be gone forever from his processor. He opened his optics weakly, getting another kind stare from Wreck-Gar.

“Thank you,” Sentinel spoke weakly to Wreck-Gar. And to his surprise, Thunderclash was staring at him with another more surprise face.

“Don’t mention it, Goldy!” Wreck-Gar smiled and leaned a bit closer to support half of Sentinel’s weight. “I’m glad you are okay—I’m worried sick.”

Sentinel huffed and then look up at Thunderclash who staring at him with a face full with discomfort.

“Do you know what is going on up there?” Sentinel asked calmly.

“No, I don’t. Even if I did, I refuse to tell you anything, Sentinel.” Thunderclash crossed his arm and shrugged.  “I don’t want to go up there and help you take back your throne just for you to stab me again.”

For the moment that is the exact thing of what he desired the most. Sentinel desired his throne and kingdom to be in the palm of his servos again. He desired the praise, he desired that people would look up and admire him. He desired those powers again, the powers where no one could ever stop him.

Although he desired to fulfill his revenge, nothing beat his greatest desire to take Quintessons judges’ helm and burn them down to the sublevel 50.

"Thunderclash... at least tell him something, just little thing." Wreck-Gar said with a smile. Thunderclash grimace, refuse to looking at that smile before he groaned out.

“Ugh, fine, fine! The Wreckers have been so busy lately,” said Thunderclash with a nod. “That’s all I can say.”

“Thank you.” Sentinel nodded. “I need to go up there. The Quintessons have so many plans once they knew I wasn’t there to look after Iacon. There will be no one will send them energon and I can guarantee you, they won’t like it.”

“If you didn’t take the Thirteen Primes spark, this probably would never happen!” Thunderclash snapped in frustration.

“I did what I thought it was the best!” Sentinel snapped back. “You don’t know what the Primes do in their Hall of Primes. They were throwing lies, poetries, speeches, brainwashing every bots with literacy and false hope.”

“Isn’t that what you did to Iacon’s people? You gave them false hope, about the matrix that you’ve been trying to find. You gave them a life where it’s filled with lies.”

Sentinel didn’t respond, his face change into a complicated expression.

“Yes… yes I did.” He spoke out, no emotions. Deep in his spark, he was furious and humiliated. He tried to stop, but it’s probably the curse job that makes him telling all of this nonsense.

“I did make people of Iacon suffer. I wish I never took their t-cogs, or… sometimes I do wish the Primes were still there, one of them, at least. I can’t control the power, and...”

Sentinel growled, holding his chest plates in annoyance. He stood up with only one knee to the ground.

“This is humiliating,” he said. “But I do really need to go up there. I feel like a storm is coming, and those ugly Quintessons is planning something. We need to take down their main ship, I, need to kill Quintessons, once and for all.”

Thunderclash huffed, he doesn’t believe a single words from it. Unlike Wreck-Gar, his optics widened as he looks extremely excited.

“Great! I’m coming with you!” he said with a lot of nods.

Thunderclash glared in surprise. “You… what? Wreck-Gar, you can’t just.”

“Come on, Thunderclash.” Wreck-Gar nudged his friend. “You can finally go back to Iacon, isn’t that what you always told to me? That one day you want to go to The Up and have your own adventure so you can keep writing your journal?

Thunderclash groaned out, the vents between his shoulder on the back roaring uncontrollably. Some bots have different reaction when they extremely shy or embarrassed, Sentinel just scoff at it.

“We can make a deal.” Sentinel said. “Once they died, I’ll let you kill me in front of the new Prime and people of Iacon.”

Thunderclash and Wreck-Gar exchanged glared.

“Goldy you can’t—”

“I don’t care.” Sentinel cut off. “If I can’t take back what’s mine, then what’s the point of the name Sentinel Prime?”

Thunderclash staring solemnly, which gain him another cold stare from Sentinel. He’s likely being serious right now.

“Fine,” Thunderclash sighed and offered his servo. “I can’t wait to slice your body into two again.”