//------------------------------// // Forward, pt 2 // Story: Transformers: Ancient Legacy // by Goldymarg //------------------------------// - Coast of Horseshoe Bay, Dusk One Week Later The walk to the plateau was uneventful, yet still tiring. The train station was about twenty miles from where they needed to be, and despite Spike's protests, she declined taking a ride with an Autobot. The last thing she wanted was to spend any amount of time alone with one, no matter who it may have been. Looking forward, she saw the rest of her friends standing closely together. Applejack looked the same as always, albeit with a look concern on her face as she approached. Rarity wore a traditional black funeral dress, complete with black lace trim around the hips and hems, a black corsage, and a misty, black veil. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash stood shoulder to shoulder with Fluttershy, with one of Rainbow's wings draped over her. The yellow pegasus wasn't sobbing her eyes out anymore, but it was clear she was still depressed. “Looks like everypony's here already. You doing okay Twilight?” She simply nodded as she walked, lowering her head to watch the blades of grass go by at her hooves. Spike rode on her back, frowning once again as he saw the ever-present look of emptiness on her face. A week had already passed, and yet the days flew by like mere seconds on a clock. Before they knew it, the day the Autobots had scheduled for the funeral had come. “Heya Twilight. Glad ta finally see ya outta a' that dusty, ol' library.” She raised her head to greet her friends, but had a hard time trying to find something to say. Her mouth hung open slightly and her eyes were half-lidded. “You doin' okay, sugarcube? You don't look so good.” Her eyes darted between each of them before she closed her mouth and jerked her head away. “I'm...I'm fine. I've just been feeling tired lately, that's all.” Everypony watched her saunter away as Spike looked back at them with a worried look. He wanted to talk with them all about how she's been doing, but couldn't bring himself to leave her side, especially since this was the first time in a week that's she had left the library. Rarity slowly cringed, the pain in her friend's eyes rattling her. “My goodness...she's taking this much harder than any of us, it seems...” Applejack glanced at her for a moment before looking back at Twilight, sighing. “Well...ah think we can all say that Trixie wasn't exactly a ray a' sunshine, what with her trussin' meh up like a turkey. All the mare seemed to care about was bein' top dog in Ponyville, so...it's kinda hard to believe she saved Fluttershy and them Autobots by doin' what she did. Guess we didn't really know her at all, huh...?” Rarity nodded to herself, replying with a soft voice, “I heard they were going to have a duel when they returned. Something friendly and innocent to help bury the hatchet. Perhaps the reason why Twilight is so out of sorts is because she was looking forward to seeing Trixie's good side for once...” A gloomy and uncomfortable silence fell between them. Yes, they were here to honor their lost comrade, but at the same time they didn't want to be reminded of the details. Feeling like it went on long enough, Rainbow eventually said, “W-well...c'mon guys. We can't leave Twilight alone like this. Let's get going.” ---- “Alright...ah ain't good with words, so ah'm gonna keep this short...” Ironhide was the first to give a eulogy, standing in front a battalion Autobots. Twilight stood a good distance to their left of the group, flabbergasted at the sheer amount of soldiers standing at attention. If she had to guess, every single Autobot that was aboard the Ark was now here. “(sigh)...me an' Optimus go way back. Even before the war started, we'd always try and find some time now an' then just ta talk. He always had mah back, and ah always had his. So, well...ta think that he didn't even make it ta this planet just tears meh up. Ah always thought that his ideals and integrity would be all that he needed to keep movin'. Ta keep us movin'. Now it looks like we'll hafta do it ourselves...” Ironhide took a moment for himself, his optics downcast. The rest of the battalion remained at attention, with their legs apart and their arms behind their backs. Twilight thought she saw one of them flinch when he stopped, but didn't pay any mind to it. “Well, ah ain't givin' up. Our leader might be gone, but that doesn't mean we can't keep on livin'. So...ah'm gonna keep movin' forward no matter what.” He then stepped away from the front, joining a white Autobot on the left. Twilight assumed this was Jazz, considering his position in the group. As the next Autobot stepped forward, she began to wonder why they needed to continue acting like a military unit. Since they no longer needed to fight, what was the point? Couldn't they just carry on like they normally would? Or, was this how they normally were? Before she could ponder it any further, Twilight glared at the next Autobot stepping forward, reinforcing the thought of them being nothing but heartless soldiers. It was Prowl. “Today...we mourn the loss of a hero. An individual who gave us back our future, by paying the ultimate price. To allow our generation to continue living on...to continue to learn and create, to love and hate. Though our time together was brief and strained, the Autobots will not forget your noble sacrifice.” Twilight scoffed, visibly sputtering at the sound of his voice. (“I can't believe him...why don't just erect a statue in his honor while you're at it?”) “...Trixie Lulumoon, the Autobots will remember.” As he finished, the Autobots said in unison, “We will remember.” (“...what?”) Twilight raised her head, looking at Prowl with wide eyes. (“He's talking about Trixie?”) “I will be honest...at first, I thought her to be nothing more than a nuisance. And as we entered the megalodon's belly, a dangerous liability. Logically speaking, perhaps I was correct. But even I cannot ignore the kind of bravery and valor she displayed. The ability to put yourself above others for the sake of their survival, even at the greatest of costs...it is the same quality that all of us had displayed over the course of this long, brutal war. Had I known she was capable of such selflessness, I would not have demeaned her as such...for that, I am sorry. Truly, truly sorry...” Twilight rubbed the back of her foreleg with her hoof and looked away. She was beginning to feel guilty for the things she said. “...so for Optimus Prime, and for Trixie Lulumoon, we salute you. Till' all are one.” Once again, they say in unison, “Till' all are one.” Raising a hand, Jazz announced, “Receive arms!” Off to the right, two rows of Autobots produce a small firearm, all of which were attached to their right hands. They raised and pointed them out to sea, acting at once like a well-oiled machine. “Order arms!” At his command, they fire their guns off into the distance, leaving a blazing, white trail through the marmalade sky. A gentle breeze blew the smoke from their weapons away before Jazz repeated his order. Again and again they continued to fire at nothing while standing perfectly still, the recoil from their guns the only movement they showed. Twilight stood there transfixed, unable to look away. The thought of them having such a practice surprised her more than it should have. “...it seems they are not as different from us than we first realized after all, Twilight Sparkle.” She jumped, hearing a familiar voice behind her. Spinning around, she was greeted by Princess Celestia's warm smile. “Wha – Princess? When did you get get here?” Closing her eyes and smirking, she said, “Twilight, I've been here the whole time. I wanted to know how you've been doing after your ordeal, but I did not want to upset you any further. Your friends seemed to share my sentiments as well.” Her eyes met with her friends', every single one of them looking at her with worried concern. Even Fluttershy's attention was completely focused on her, despite everything that had happened. Lowering her head, she said, “I'm...sorry for worrying you all, it's just...I don't know what to think right now.” Walking next to her, Celestia continued, “Twilight, do you understand the meaning behind what they're doing?” She turned back around to watch once again, clearing her throat a bit to focus herself. “Of course. Here in Equestria it's called a twenty-one gun salute. They're normally done for military processions and funerals.” “Of course. But do you remember the origination of this ceremony?” Twilight could feel her eyes on her, but continued to look forward. She knew the answer, but didn't want to say it. “In olden days, it was to show the enemy that their munitions were empty, so that neither side was capable of firing back. If I'm not mistaken, this is the Autobot's way of saying that their war is truly over. That they no longer have to risk their lives in the line of duty.” She bit her lip and lowered her gaze, knowing that it was time to answer for what she did. “Twilight, I've known you for several years now. I know you understand how much they've lost. Can you truly justify hating them because of Trixie's sacrifice?” Her eyes scrunched shut, a single tear cascading down her cheek. Princess Celestia had never been more right to say this, and her head agreed with her one hundred percent. But the pain in her heart was too much to bear. It was filled with nothing but anger and sadness. All she could think about was how unfair it was to have somepony taken from her so suddenly. She had never needed to deal with such a tragic loss before in her life, and she wasn't acting like herself because of it. “No...I shouldn't hate them...b-but...” Twilight felt somepony nuzzling up against her. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see Fluttershy standing next to her. Looking at her straight in the eye, she said, “Twilight, please don't hate them. I know how much it hurts to lose someone you care about so dearly, but it wasn't their fault.” Behind her, Rainbow chimed in, “Yeah! It was the creep, Megatron's fault! Him and his dark energon are the reason why...uh...” She stopped herself by biting her tongue, realizing there wasn't any tactful way of finishing that statement. “Twilight, what we mean to say is that...” Rarity stepped forward, swallowing to fix her dry throat. “...we're afraid that you'll lose yourself. That we'll lose you. I don't want Trixie's death to be the reason we stop being friends...especially after what she did for us...” Twilight sighed softly, her breath feeling like a hundred suns. “I know...I know that. And I'm so sorry for causing you all so much trouble.” Spike jumped down from her back, suddenly getting all bright-eyed. “C'mon, cheer up Twilight! Because of what Trixie did, none of those guys will have to fight anymore! Megatron's gone for good, and the rest of the Decepticons are behind bars! If anything, we should be happy for them!” “Yeah! And you know what THAT calls for!” Pinkie bounced into the air with a burst of confetti and the biggest smile, “Aaaaa VICTORY party!” Everypony around smiled with her, though Twilight only managed half of one. “Thanks Pinkie, but...I just need some more time to sort things out, okay? I promise I'll be fine.” The pink pony stopped in mid-air and dropped like a rock as Twilight trotted off. Spike gave everypony else a quick look before running after her and hopping up onto her back again. Flopping onto her belly with her legs splayed outward, Pinkie made a grumpy face. “Ohh, darn it! I thought we had her!” A soft, discontented sigh could be heard behind them all as Celestia said, “As much as I'm worried about her myself, all we can do now is give her time...and hope for the best.” ---- - The Ark's Bridge, Noon The next day (“This isn't right. We're missing something. I have to know what.”) Teletraan-1 had been debugged megacycles ago, but something compelled Perceptor to stay. There were unanswered questions that had been plaguing his logic center, preventing him from focusing on anything else. What was Soundwave doing so far up north? According to Jazz and Cliffjumper's report, he was seen attempting to establish a communications link. At first he thought he was trying to discern whether or not there were other Decepticons within the vicinity, but the coordinates he chose didn't add up. The atmospheric conditions of the area as well as the natural layout of the terrain would make it difficult to establish any sort of communication, much less maintain it. Was he simply acting out of desperation, or was there something else at work here? “Hey professor, you want me to weld your behind to that chair while I'm at it? Wouldn't want ya to slip off.” Jumping a bit, Perceptor turned in his seat to see Jazz standing there with a hot welder in his hand. Apparently he was fixing up a console on the other end of the bridge. “Oh dear, I must have been a little too absorbed in my work again...did you need something?” Jazz made a wry smirk and set down his tool. “'Absorbed' ain't the same as not bein' able to notice the other Autobot stompin' around you for the past cycle. And man, I can hear you clacking away at that computer from deck five, what gives? You still worried about Soundwave?” Perceptor groaned softly before turning back to the screen, typing faster than any normal eye could perceive. “There are too many contradictions and variables. I can't rest until I've uncovered exactly what he was up to.” “Not sure how combin' over a bunch of data is gonna help.” “(sigh), I'm assessing any and all geological abnormalities in the northern hemisphere, though all I've manged to find is a low-level electromagnetic disturbance, most likely due to a number of metal ores I've detected within his last known coordinates. That and...ugh.” He paused to groan at the screen before hammering in a specific series of keys. Judging from his speed and efficiency of hitting them, he'd been doing this same act for quite some time. “...this planet's latent...'magic'...seems to be interfering with my instruments. I've had to debug the same lines of code again and again.” “...you sure Teletraan-1 isn't the only thing that needs debuggin' right now? I'm pretty sure I saw smoke coming from your fingers.” “Jazz, forgive my discourtesy, but I am not in a jovial mood at the moment.” “Look, all I'm sayin' is that maybe you're lookin' too hard into this. I'll admit this situation with Soundwave ain't sittin' well with me either, but right now all I'm tryin' to focus on is fixin' up this hunk a' junk so we can get offa this planet. Can't exactly argue that we've overstayed our welcome.” Perceptor stopped typing and slowly looked off to the side, giving his words some consideration. “Perhaps you're right...redoubling our efforts to amass energon should be our top priority. In any case...Jazz, were you able to successfully interrogate Soundwave?” He placed a fist on his hip and shook his head, “Think he left his voice chip under that avalanche. Scumbag hasn't said a word since we dug him out, and his pets aren't any help either. Really hope Sunstreaker doesn't get stuck with guard duty, way those two are talkin'...” *kzzt* [“Hey Jazz, you there?”] The voice coming through the comm-link belonged to Brawn. Tapping the side of his head, he responded, “Yeah, what's up muscles?” [“We've got company. One of those Princesses showed up again, the blue one. I tried to tell her this wasn't a good time, but she just ignored me and flew off into the Ark. You mind telling her to get outta here for me? I've got my hands full moving these rocks around.”] “Uhh, sure thing...” Taking his finger away from his temple, he said, “Gotta go for now. Aaand...since it doesn't look like you're ready to move from that spot any time soon, make sure you keep me in the loop, alright? Hope you don't find any bad news, professor.” Perceptor watched the door close behind him before going back to his work, typing away furiously and analyzing the endless stream of diagnostic data. He knew there were other pressing matters to attend to, but until every single variable and possibility had been analyzed and exhausted, he wouldn't be able to rest. ---- - The Ark, Aerialbot Deployment Hanger Though he had logged the concept of 'friendship' as an objective, Omega Supreme hadn't made any progress in the past week. It was made even more difficult due to Pinkie Pie's erratic behavior. He had requested guidance in the matter, but recently her actions were even harder to comprehend, most notably right now. For the past few cycles she was forcing herself into awkward poses for no apparent reason. As she made yet another failed attempt to flip herself upside down, he finally decided to question her. “ACTIONS: INCOMPREHENSIBLE. REQUEST: EXPLANATION.” She dusted her mane off before planting her forelegs on the floor, determined to stand on her head. “Oof – don'cha know?! EVERYpony knows you think twice as better when you're upside down! Maybe even two and a HALF times better! Because right now I really, reaaally need to – wuh, WAH!” Although she was being as persistent as ever, her anatomy didn't agree with her. Pinkie wobbled around like a falling redwood and fell onto her back for the umpteenth time. She grimaced as she lay there, but more out of worry than physical pain. “...figure out how to help Twilight. Ohh, I was doing so good helping everypony else out the past week, but Twilight won't even come out of her house! What if she never comes out?! What if – (GASP!)” She rolled onto her belly, “What if she stays in there for so long that she forgets that she ever had friends?!” She rolled onto her back again, “What if she starts dreaming up new friends, like imaginary friends but not real?! And then when we finally bust down the door to try and talk with her we can't because she's too busy having a tea party on the ceiling and - omf!” Pinkie continued rolling away and coming up with ridiculous ideas before eventually running into something, coming to a stop on her back. Looking up, she discovered Princess Luna standing there with a bewildered expression. “Oh, hi there Princess! Didja come here to think about something important too? Maybe we could help each other stand on our heads!” The night blue alicorn heard her, but couldn't respond. Her mouth hung open, her wings were unfolded, and her eyes couldn't leave the colossal Cybertronian sitting against the wall. As he stared back with his deep, crimson eyes, she felt something from him. (“What is this sensation...? I have no reason to mistrust the Autobots, and yet I feel something...dreadful from him. Something suffocating, bleak...something familiar. It is just like that time with Beachcomber.”) Luna flapped her wings and took off, leaving a somewhat confused Pinkie Pie on the floor. She flew up to eye level with him, steeling her nerves for what may come. “I am Princess Luna, of Equestria. Please, tell me who you are.” Looking her square in the eye, he responded, “IDENTITY: OMEGA SUPREME. DESIGNATION: GUARDIAN.” That was enough to clear any doubts she had of him. “...Omega. I came to the Ark for knowledge. I wish to know the reason why there are memories I cannot recall, and now I am certain this place has the answers I seek. When I laid eyes upon you, I had sensed something...sinister from you, despite your allegiance. It is something I had most assuredly felt countless moons before, but only now am I remembering it. Please, can you tell me why?” His expression remained as neutral as ever. “DATA: INSUFFICIENT. QUERY: INCOMPREHENSIBLE.” Luna grit her teeth for a moment before shouting, “Please, you must know!” The pink pony below rolled over and sprung up into a sitting position, looking back and forth between the two of them with scrunched eyebrows. (“Something sinister? What's she talking about?”) Galloping under where Luna was floating, Pinkie called out, “Uhmm, Princess Lun~aaa! I know he's bigger than three of my houses, but Omega isn't a bad guy at aa~all! So you shouldn't have to worry about anythiiing! Unless you count the dark energon in his che~est!” “Dark energon?” She flew back a bit to get a better look, instantly seeing the black crystals sticking out of his chestplate. A chill ran down her spine, and her skin felt prickly all over at the mere sight of them. This was most assuredly the source of the negative feelings she had sensed. (“This pain in my heart...it is not something I know. But this...dark energon...”) Her head began to throb and her stomach lurched. For every second longer she gazed at these crystals, the worse she felt. But she couldn't bring herself to look away. Beneath all the pain these horrid things were causing, there was a faint feeling of familiarity. She had seen them before, someplace deep within her memories. Floating down, Luna approached the dark energon fragments, inching closer to them at a snail's pace. Her breath became shallow as she extended one of her forelegs out. “AH – hey! Princess Luna, don't! Those things are super dangerous!” Pinkie Pie's panic was rightfully justified, but she couldn't stop herself. The moment her hoof made contact with one of the crystals, she jerked it away like she had touched an open flame. She flew backwards at least five meters and cradled her foreleg with the other, looking at it with frantic eyes. (“Of course! It was in that place that I...!”) Pinkie drew a breath to ask what was going on, only watch Luna fly out of the doorway again at top speed. She stared at the empty space above her for a second before closing her mouth and plopping down onto her haunches again. (“Whu...what was that all about?”) She frowned and raised an eyebrow while looking at the floor. The look in the Princess's eyes didn't sit well with her. Something grave was upsetting her, and it definitely wasn't about Twilight or Trixie. “LUNA'S DESIGNATION: POLITCAL FIGURE. REQUEST: EXPLANATION.” Pinkie snapped her head up and looked up at Omega, raising her eyebrow even higher. “Huh? Whaddya mean 'explanation'? Are you asking why she's Princess? Well, Luna's responsible for raising and lowering the moon at night! That's a BIIIG responsibility for such a little pony! Well, little compared to the moon, anyway! That and - ” Omega cut her off, saying, “POWER OUTPUT: MARGINAL. OFFENSIVE CAPABILITIES: NEGLIGIBLE. DEFENSIVE CAPABILITIES: NEGLIGIBLE. CURRENT RANK: ILLOGICAL.” For the first time in a long time, Pinkie stopped talking to balk at his reasoning. She creased her brow and scrunched her lips, making a huffy face. “Heeey! Wait just one pony-picking second! Just because Princess Luna doesn't have giant laser cannons and homing rockets and attack drones and a tractor beam DOESN'T means she doesn't deserve to be Princess! Well...she WAS banished inside the moon for a thousand years for being Nightmare Moon, b-but that's not important! She's sorry for being a big meanie, and we all forgave her!” “LOGIC: INCOMPREHENSIBLE. DATA: EVIDENT. REQUEST: EXPLANATION.” “Omega...” Pinkie's expression softened, realizing that he was acting this way because of his lack of social interaction. “Princess Luna isn't Princess because she's strong. She's Princess because we all look up to her. Yeah, she isn't perfect, but that just means she's like everypony else. She does her best for us, and that's what's important! It doesn't matter if you're strong or not, cause' ya don't need a reason to be there for your friends!” Omega simply stared back at her without saying a word, while Pinkie frowned again. She'd eventually learned that this was his way of telling her that it wasn't possible for him to understand what she was saying, no matter how much she explained. He normally did this when she went off tangent, talking about random things like cake and ice cream, but it stung to know how little he knew about just having a heart. Sighing a bit, Pinkie said, “It's okay. I guess you don't get it now, but I'm sure you will someday!” ---- “Hey! Watch it ya blue sparkball!” Brawn nearly dropped the boulder he was carrying on his shoulder as Luna cut him off, flying out of the cavern like her life depended on it. Throwing it into a pile of rocks on the left side of the gate, he stepped outside just to glare at her as she flew southward. “The scrap's her problem?! Tch, these ponies shouldn't just be coming and going like they own the – what the?” He tapped his temple, bringing up a simple diagnostic scan. It wasn't as sophisticated as some of the other Autobots, but it told him enough. “What's that pony doin' giving off a dark energon signature?!” A little distance behind him, another red Autobot chimed in, “Hey, what's the matter musclehead? That shot to the shoulder too much for ya? Need Ratchet to look at it again, huh?” Brawn scoffed, turning around and retorting, “Ah, can it Sideswipe, I...actually, yeah! Think my shoulder's on the fritz! Matter of fact, I'm gonna take a quick ride to get the kinks out, you handle clearin' the rest of these rocks out, alright?” “Wai - what?! Get back here ya scrawny...!” Brawn had already transformed and sped away before he could finish complaining. He wasn't exactly sorry for leaving him to clean up the rest of the fallen gate, considering something else was troubling him. He needed to know why Princess Luna was reading just like a faint piece of dark energon. ---- - Badlands, Site of the Nemesis Midday “(sigh)...perhaps there was no reason to come here after all.” It was just as she left it. The scorched, red earth. The looming, barren mesas. The faint stench of sulfur. The dark skies filled with clouds that never lifted. The decaying wasteland devoid of life. And the one thing preventing the resurgence of war and death - the gate sealing away the Nemesis, still in pristine condition. Princess Luna stepped over to it, brushing off some of the age old dust that had accumulated on its runes. “I know now why my memories were lost so easily. The resolve in my heart was weak...looking back, it is as if it were another life of mine. And now it is too late. Even with all of my power, there is nothing I can do...” Unlike the Ark, the Nemesis had crashed directly onto the land, making it difficult to properly construct the gate. Luna remembered that in order to seal this behemoth away, she and her royal guard were forced to sink it into the earth itself with their magic. Construction on the gate lasted for weeks, pushing them all to their limits. She could still feel the weight of the stone and metal pulling at her back as she helped air-lift the raw materials needed to their destination. She remembered how disoriented she felt crafting each and every sealing rune one after another, never resting for one moment. “In the end, I marveled at how I had a hoof in creating this. A supreme gate laid flat onto the earth, sealing away Equestria's most dangerous threat. All of ponykind's strength and ingenuity, brought together for one common purpose. But when the time came to close it, you...” Luna closed her eyes as a silent tear fell from her face. Her memories had returned, but all it had brought her was more grief. She hadn't shown it, but she was indeed hurt by the loss of Trixie and Twilight Sparkle's subsequent withdrawal into her library. Even with this new found knowledge, it wouldn't change anything. ---- Brawn kicked his nitro into gear, feeling his axles glowing red from heat. The ground underneath his tires was getting soft, forcing him to accelerate even more to compensate. “Guh, how'd I lose her so fast?! Scrap...if Jazz ever found out I couldn't keep up with a pony, I'd never hear the end of it!” [“Kzzt – Brawn, do you copy?! This is Perceptor, respond! Are you still outside the Ark?!”] He winced internally at the sound of his voice. “Uh, hey Perceptor! Look, I didn't mean to ditch Sideswipe like that, but I can explain - ” [“What?! Ugh...never mind that! You need to get back to your post immediately! Soundwave has deceived us, he's – FSSSHH.”] “Wait, what was that about Soundwave?! Perceptor, you there?!” Brawn transformed back to robot mode and skidded to a stop, slamming his fingers against his temple. He waited a few minutes, but the only thing coming back through the comm-link was static. “Not good...guy said something about Soundwave, so it can't be good. I gotta...wha?” Coincidentally, Brawn had managed to catch up with Luna at the site of the Nemesis' gate, but that wasn't where his attention was focused. There was a Cybertronian standing a little ways away from her. Someone he thought he'd never see again. “By Primus, it can't be!!!” ---- There was nothing left she could do here. Feeling like she'd felt sorry for herself long enough, Luna unfolded her wings to depart. “Princess, LOOK OUT!!!” Her eyes snapped open at the sound of a voice screaming at her. Looking to her right, she saw the one called Brawn charging at her at full speed. Before she had any time to react, he scooped her up in his arms at the same time the sound of a cannon fired off closely behind her. He only manged to get a few meters away before a purple sphere of energy collided with the space where she was standing, the resulting blast sending the both of them flying. Brawn spun around the best he could and fell on his shoulder, skidding on the ground for at least ten yards and kicking up a cloud of dirt. Luna coughed a little from the smoke filling her lungs and quickly pried herself free of his grasp, intent on retaliating against whoever shot at them. Though when she got a good look at her attacker, she froze. “Tch. Pathetic Autobot.” She had only seen his visage as a hologram. She had no idea how terrifying he was in real life. The Cybertronian lowered his right arm, revealing the glowing Decepticon insignia on his chest. Looking at him now, it was the same as viewing the dark energon in Omega's chestplate, only magnified ten fold. Luna saw Brawn stand up in the corner of her eye, clenching his fists so hard that they started to shake. “How's this possible...HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE!?!” The dust had cleared. A small trail of smoke blew away from his fusion cannon, and an evil smile crept across his lips. Ignoring Brawn and looking straight at Luna, he announced to her in an demeaning voice, “Forgive me, your highness. We had not been properly introduced. I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons! And I have come to claim what is rightfully mine!” ---- - Sea of Rust, Cybertron Five Megacycles Ago [Shockwave's Case Files, Entry #: 181] Final entry. The plan has reached its final phase. Space bridge functionality has been restored, and retrieval of the artifact is mirocycles away. Soon, the glory of the Decepticons will finally be restored. “Sir, the target is beyond this door.” “Indeed it is.” Shockwave raised his left arm and blasted a hole in the door, sending decayed shrapnel everywhere and leaving the edges hot and melted. Stepping inside, he saw his objective sitting in a chair in the middle of the room. The Autobot had a large blue crest on his forehead, arching upward like a beetle's pincers. Interestingly enough, he had a white beard, with two pointed parts extending down from his mustache, and a third from his chin. Even in the darkness, his blue eyes shone with calm wisdom. “Alpha Trion. You must know why I am here.” The Autobot across from him sighed, as if he were releasing a lifetime's worth of grief. “...I had such high hopes for you. I had only watched you from afar, but that brilliant mind shone brighter than any star I had seen in this long life of mine. If only you had not rejected your heart...” “Spare me. Emotions are petty, meaningless. They only acts as an encumbrance to scientific progress. But that is beside the point. You have something in your possession that I had been seeking for quite some time.” Alpha Trion raised his head, “Where is Elita-1?” “Do not stall for time, relic. Give me the key to Vector Sigma.” He simply sat there, staring Shockwave down with pained optics. After a moment's silence, the Decepticon pointed his left arm at the old Autobot. “I am not beneath disassembling your exostructure to find it.” Sighing once again, he tapped a few keys in his left forearm as a flat, rectangular piece of metal extended from it. It was yellow in color, and had very complex and intricate circuitry adorned on its face. Pulling it out of his arm, he held it in front of Shockwave. “It is as you say...I am but a relic of the past. Therefore, I have no means of resisting you. But at the very least, please tell me what you've done with her...” The Decepticon snatched the device from his hand, saying, “I haven't the slightest idea. It is entirely possible that she is still being held within one of my research facilities after I had extracted all relevant data from her. Keeping track of something so inconsequential is inefficient. On that subject...” Shockwave pointed his arm at him once again as a purple glow emanated from within. “You are no longer relevant.”