Work Text:
Everyone gathered around his body, paying their respects.
Men, women, the elderly, children. People from every walk of life, of every ethnicity. All kinds of people.
Humans and Cybertronians.
Some were crying. Others were already too exhausted to keep crying. Some carried flowers, while others sought comfort in the arms of friends and family.
No one could believe he was gone.
He had always been strong enough.
He had always been kind.
A true hero.
Ratchet had done everything he could. He had done the impossible, but... he couldn't save him.
Knowing that Megatron was still alive while his best friend was no longer among us was killing him from the inside. It was plain to see.
Everyone was waiting for the moment I would arrive. Everyone was waiting to hear my final words.
They all knew Optimus Prime wasn't just a leader to me.
He was my father figure, as humans would say.
I stumbled forward, my optics blurred with tears. I rubbed them with the back of my hand, but nothing could stop the tears from flowing.
I couldn't imagine a world where Optimus Prime no longer existed.
My spark felt shattered, pulsing Energon until it hurt. And every time I saw a human crying, I wondered what would become of that world without its greatest hero.
I knew what Optimus Prime meant.
Honor.
Faith.
Kindness.
Truth.
But above all...
Love.
Everything a hero should be.
I knew he wasn't important only to me. He had meant so much to an entire generation of people who had grown up following his heroic deeds. People who had learned from him. People who had found in him someone to believe in.
He died for love.
For his love of Earth.
For his love of Cybertron.
He died without bitterness, without hatred toward his enemies. He died with a pure spark.
It was difficult to give a speech at his funeral.
It was difficult to look at all those humans and Cybertronians crying. Some looked at me with pity. Others, with longing.
And I knew what they saw when they looked at me.
A little piece of him.
His qualities.
His teachings.
His legacy.
I was never as good as he was at giving speeches. I never knew how to find the right words the way Optimus did.
But I wanted to make one thing clear.
I would follow in his footsteps.
I would keep fighting for our family, both human and Autobot.
And even if it hurt...
Even if I didn't know how to move forward without him...
I would be strong enough to be gentle.