BACK TO LIFE

by CROSSOVER KING


What's a sunset if you ain't riding into it?

1st Memory Sequence

At the center of a giant coliseum packed with robots of all shapes, sizes, and color schemes stood a bot closely resembling Megatron on top of a humongous metal creature covered in razor-sharp spikes. Unlike Megatron, however, his optics were colored blue, his hands had normal fingers instead of claws, and the Decepticon emblem was missing from his chest. With that said, he still had his iconic fusion cannon with a hidden blade attached to his right arm and he had triumphantly raised it towards the sky. Even though nearly his entire body was covered in scars and dents from his recent battle with the beast, a wide smile appeared on his face upon hearing the crowd cheer for his victory by repeatedly chanting, "MEGATRONUS!"

As the gladiator basked in the praises given to him by the audience, he decided to address the bots shouting his name and began, "Though this victory may mark the end of my days as the champion of this arena, I am proud to announce the beginning of a new and much more significant carreer of mine."

"As of today, I have begun a political campaign that will directly challenge the authority of our oppressive government and, with your help, will bring about a brand new age for Cybertron. No longer will we be divided into castes and fight each other to death for Energon. Instead, each and every one of us will be treated as an equal!"

"So says Megatron, the champion of both Kaon and... THE PEOPLE!"

Immediately after hearing those words, the entire crowd stood up and erupted into even louder cheers and began chanting the new name the former gladiator has chosen for himself. The only one who was not saying anything, however, was a bot who looked very similar to Optimus Prime, with the only differences being his smaller size and the absence of any truck parts on his body.

Unlike the rest of the audience, he simply stayed in his seat and stared at Megatron with a curious expression on his face, which soon transformed into a small smile.


2nd Memory Sequence

The said bot was later walking inside what appeared to be a high-tech pub also populated by other bots of all sizes, shapes, and color schemes. From his facial expression and the way he moved, it was clear that he had become immensely tired and frustrated since the time he visited the arena. As he was making his way towards the bar, he spotted Megatron sitting at one of the corner booths on his own with two flasks of liquid Energon in front of him.

Upon noticing him, the bot initially became a little surprised, but soon composed himself and took a deep breath before walking towards the corner booth. Then, when he was right next to Megatron, he proceeded to say, "Um, excuse me, sir. Sorry to interrupt your evening, but- "

"If you are here for an autograph, you are wasting both my time and yours," Megatron interrupted without looking at the bot. "Have you not heard that I am now a retired gladiator?"

As he took a long sip from one of the flasks, the bot replied, "Well, yes, I have, actually. In fact, I listened to your entire speech after your last fight in Kaon and it's those claims you made in that speech that I wish to discuss with you."

Hearing this did cause Megatron to look the bot in the optics and ask, "Oh? And why is that? The only ones I can think of who would have questions for me regarding this matter would be the authorities, but I have never seen them visit Maccadam's before and you look much too short to be a member of the guard. So, who exactly are you?"

"My name is Orion Pax," the bot answered. "I work as a file clerk in the Iacon Hall of Records. For some time, I've been studying Cybertron's history and I've become deeply concerned about the corruption that has taken place among the higher social class. This is most certainly a direct result of the inequality among the masses that has been omnipresent ever since the end of the Golden Age."

"The higher classes continue to squander more and more Energon for themselves while leaving other bots with very little to share between themselves. This naturally results in conflicts between our people for every scrap of Energon they can find and, given how violent those conflicts can become somtimes, I want to see them end as much as you do."

As he said all this, an intrigued expression began to form around Megatron's face and soon after Orion finished his explanation, he stated, "Hmmm... On second thought, this conversation may not be a waste of time for us after all. Come and take a seat so that we can discuss these topics further. Oh, and please feel free to drink that flask of Energon I have not yet touched. It is my treat."

In response, Orion promptly sat opposite to Megatron and took a small sip of the said flask. Immediately afterwards, he declared, "Thank you so much for your generosity, sir. I guess 'the champion of the people' is a title that does suit you."

"Please, there is really no need for formalities," Megatron replied. "I shall allow you to call me Megatron if you allow me to call you Orion in return."

"Of course, um, Megatron," Orion said. "Anyway, what I really want to ask you is how are you planning on getting your message of equality accross everyone on the planet."

"That is an excellent question," declared Megatron. "The truth is I am not exactly sure as to how my campaign is going to accomplish this task. So far, I have gathered many supporters from the lower classes, including a few of my fellow gladiators. However, the rest of the population seem content with how the current system works and insist that the changes I wish to bring are unnecessary. We need hard evidence to convince them otherwise and I have been unable to acquire that thus far. That is, until I met you."

An incredibly confused expression apperared on Orion's face as he inquired, "I'm sorry, I don't follow. How would I be helpful in acquiring the hard evidence you need?"

"Well, think about it," Megatron began. "You organize the files at the archives, which is closed to the public. This means you have access to historical records that other bots, including the higher classes, have no knowledge of. You can integrate what you have learned into speeches and I can deliver them in the upcoming public rallies, thus enlightening our people on just how corrupt the caste system has become. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this proposal, Orion took a few moments to think about it before taking a deep breath and answering, "Very well, Megatron. I accept your offer, but I do have a condition."

"I must be beside you to present the information I've gathered to avoid suspicion and doubts from the public. I sincerely believe it would be easier to persuade the people if they know that the proof is provided by a bot who actually worked at the hall of records."

"If you accept this, I promise to support your campaign in any way that I can and I'll stand by your side as long as you fight for the betterment of all Cybertronians."

Even though it was visible from his face that Megatron was a bit irritated by this condition, he nevertheless happily exclaimed, "Splendid! I knew this discussion would not be a waste of time at all. In fact, I have a feeling that this is the beginning of a beautiful parnership."

He then raised his flask and declared, "To a new Golden Age."

In turn, Orion raised his flask and said, "Where every bot can live as an equal."

Immediately afterwards, they clinked their flasks.


3rd Memory Sequence

Directly in front of what looked like a gigantic plaza filled with skyscrapers and a large number of robots was a podium where Megatron was standing with Soundwave and Shockwave on his left, and Orion on his right. Around them were several banners with the Decepticon insignia on them.

"HEAR ME, CYBERTRON!" Megatron began his latest speech. "For eons, I have fought for your entertainment in the gladitorial arena. Now, I wish to fight for your rights in the political arena!"

"The time has come for us to start dictating our own destinies. I see a future where all of our people can thrive without any social classes whatsoever! Let us all stand together and help usher in this new era!"

"TIL ALL ARE ONE!"

The entire crowd loudly cheered upon hearing those words and began chanting his name. In response, he proudly smiled upon the audience and even raised his right fist in a triumphant manner, which only caused the crowd to cheer even louder. He then looked towards Orion, who was smiling proudly back at him.

"Looks like the strategy has worked better than either of us expected" he stated. "It won't be too long before the High Council take notice of this and invite you to their chambers so that you could explain your cause to them."

Megatron slightly chuckled at this and placed his left hand on Orion's right shoulder before declaring, "I think you mean our cause, my friend. I could not have gathered so much support without you. This makes your contribution, by far, the most important one and for that, I am eternally grateful. When the council finally requests my presence in their chambers, I want you to be there by my side."

Orion responded by placing his right hand on Megatron's left shoulder and said, "Like always, my friend."

The two bots then softly smiled at each other.

4th Memory Sequence

The said council chamber was a large circular room with a platform containing seven council members situated several dozen feet above the circle both Megatron and Orion were standing on. While it was nearly impossible to make out their actual shapes and color schemes due to the light emanating from the huge window behind them, the glowing red lights on their bodies and their blue optics were fairly visible. Also, all of them appeared to be about the same as Megatron's height and the one in the middle was holding a long staff shaped like a spear, indicating that he was the leader of the council.

"There seems to be a contradiction between your words and your actions, Megatron" the leader stated with a rather deep voice. "You profess your desire to bring about a new age of prosperity for all Cybertronians, yet the things your followers have done recently do not indicate that at all. There are reports of several riots and bombings carried out by your supporters coming from all over the planet. In addition, Sentinel Zeta Prime is reported to have been kidnapped by his own Seeker bodyguards. If the rumors are to be believed, their commander Starscream has proclaimed allegiance to your cause. How do you respond to these allegations?"

"I had no prior knowledge of these crimes until you brought them up just now," Megatron revealed. "I can assure you that these are merely the actions of a handful of the more radical members of my party and that the said radicals will soon be dealt with for their reckless behavior. What they have done is certainly not the way I wish to reform Cybertron."

"So you say", declared the council leader. "May we ask what is the actual way you are planning to reform Cybertron?"

In response, Megatron let out a slight menacing chuckle before replying, "By becoming the next Prime, of course."

Hearing these words caused the entire council to break out into arguments with one another. Even Orion had a look of shock and confusion on his face. However, a few moments later, the council leader banged his staff on the floor half a dozen times, which helped him silence his fellow members.

Then, everyone turned their attention back towards Megatron and the leader asked, "And what qualities do you have that would count as proof that you are worthy of being the leader of Cybertron? Adopting the name of a former Prime and gathering a large number of followers to start a revolution hardly qualify you as a worthy candidate, Megatron."

"The answer is actually quite obvious", Megatron stated. "Only I possess the strength and willpower necessary to maintain order throughout the entire planet. Once you bestow my rightful title upon me, I will be able to keep all the promises I have made to my people during my campaign. Every single Cybetronian will become an equal under my leadership and everyone besides me will receive the same amount of Energon."

"On top of all that, I shall decimate the whollly corrupt old guard and establish a new elite security force led by the former gladiators I knew from Kaon. Anyone who would dare to disrupt the peace and prosperity I am about to bring to Cybertron will be severely punished. Especially the members of the soon to be formerly high class, who made everyone else suffer with their greed for centuries!"

While the council members were visibly disturbed from what they had heard, Orion had a look of utter disgust on his face. As the said members deliberated among themselves more quietly than last time, he interrupted them by firmly declaring, "No, Megatron. Everything you just said is morally wrong. What you seek is not equality, but power."

"I've spent many nights in the archives studying Cybertron's history and according to what I've read, true Primes never saw themselves superior to their subjects nor enforced their will in such brutal fashion. Instead, they all respected the ability of their people to choose their own destinies and become autonomous bots; or 'Autobots' as the term is pronounced."

"I respect that notion with all my spark, but it seems you have no respect for it at all. I now see that you have no desire to fight for the betterment of our people after all and thus, I no longer wish to follow you."

Upon hearing all that, a furious expression appeared on Megatron's face and he looked Orion square in the optics as he stated, "Thread carefully, my friend. I am willing to do this with or without your assistance. If you will not stand with me, then you stand against me."

"I will never stand with you on this", Orion replied.

"THEN, YOU ARE AN IMBECILE WITH A DEATH WISH!", shouted Megatron as he prepared to punch Orion in the face.

However, he stopped when the council leader proclaimed, "On the contrary, Megatron, he has spoken very wisely. In fact, he seems to be more wise than you could ever hope to be. We all share this opinion and we have made our decision. For the first time since the Golden Age, here stands someone worthy of being a Prime."

"Orion Pax, you are hereby chosen as the next leader of the autonomous people of Cybertron. Henceworth, you shall be known as 'Optimus Prime' and your first assignment is to obtain the long lost Matrix of Leadership, so that your new title could be officialized."

While the entire council started clapping for this announcement, both Orion and Megatron had completely shocked expressions on their faces. Unfortunately, the rage on Megatron's face soon returned and as soon as his eyes turned red, he grabbed Orion by the neck and started crushing his throat.

"This has always been your endgame!", he yelled. "You took advantage of our friendship and stole what is rightfully mine!"

As Orion started shaking his head in denial, the council leader exclaimed, "Stand down, Megatron! Let him go and we promise not to press any charges!"

"YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A PACK OF FOOLS! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU IS PART OF THE PROBLEM!", replied Megatron before blasting every single one of them with his fusion cannon and throwing Orion right towards a nearby wall.

As his former friend struggled to stand back up, he turned towards the exit at the other end of the room and said without looking at Orion, "Tomorrow is the beginning of the end for you and your ilk, 'Optimus Prime'. The next time we see each other, it shall be in a battle over the fate of our entire planet. I hope you will be ready for that fight, because I am not planning on being as merciful as I am today. Farewell for now, old friend."

As he casually began to walk away from Orion and towards the exit, he pressed on left side of his head and ordered, "Do it."

Immediately afterwards, the sound of several explosions started coming from outside. By the time Megatron had reached the exit, Orion had just managed to regain enough of his strength to get back up and walk again. When his former friend was out of sight, he hastily limped towards the exit and became horrified upon looking at the state of the city they were in.

All he could do was to whimper a regretful "No" at the sight of complete devastation with several crumbling buildings and entire streets covered in flames, as well as the agonized cries of hundreds of innocent Cybertronians.


As soon as Sunset was finished with viewing these memories, she collapsed on the ground and tears began to form around her eyes. As she continued sobbing, she looked at the truck in front of her and managed to say, "Prime... I... I'm so sorry!"

Upon hearing that, the truck transformed back into Optimus Prime, who proceeded to kneel before her and ask with a tone of voice that was both stern and full of concern at the same time, "What exactly did you see?"

"I... I saw your home before the war," Sunset began to explain. "I saw you and Megatron being friends. I saw how you became enemies. How the war started! It was so awful!"

A sad expression appeared on Optimus' face when he heard this and he looked away from Sunset before stating, "Then, you know I am to blame for the war as much as Megatron is."

Sunset immediately became confused by these words and replied, "What? No... No, that's not true! I saw into your memories. You did nothing wrong. It was all Megatron's fault. He was the one wh- "

"Do you not understand, young one?", Optimus interrupted. "If I had not opposed Megatron and become a Prime, the war may not have begun in the first place. Cybertron may not have become barren wasteland it is today. We would have probably still had a world to live in, even though it would have been a far from ideal one."

"Instead, I fueled my old friend's anger and drove him mad enough to slaughter countless innocent lives and start a conflict that not only decimated our planet, but also threatens the existence of this one. Or perhaps the darkness in his spark was always there and I was too late to realize it. In any case, he and I share the blame in bringing ruin to our entire civilization, and he will not rest until I pay for everything I have done to him with my life."

"Quite frankly, I no longer believe this is a bad idea at this point. Considering all the Autobot lives that were lost under my leadership and Primus knows how many human lives that will be lost in the upcoming battles, my spark could be a necessary sacrifice to restore peace to this planet."

By the time he had finished speaking, Sunset's eyes had widened exponentially and a completely shocked expression had formed on her face. She continued to stare at the Autobot leader for a handful of additional seconds before she looked at the ground for bit in sorrow.

Then, she let out a deep sigh and said, "Yeah, I get what you mean. Screwing up so royally that you feel the entire world would be better off without you living in it."

Hearing this caused Optimus to turn towards Sunset in curiousity as she continued, "Like I said earlier, I did things I'm not proud of at all in the past. I betrayed the trust of my mentor, stole a magical artifact I hadn't earned, ruined several friendships, and even enslaved my entire school so that I could conquer the world I originally come from. In some ways, I was no better than you nor Megatron."

"When I was finally defeated and realized just how terrible my crimes were, I was given a chance to redeem myself through making friends. Sadly, most of the students were too angry at me for what I did to even try to befriend me, and I honestly don't blame them. But then, my current friends came to my aid when I needed them the most and saw that I genuinely wanted to change for the better. They've stuck by my side ever since that fateful day and though we sometimes argue over the silliest things, we've always had each other's backs in tough situations."

"So, if you ever feel like you've screwed up or made a tiny mistake, remember that it's always okay to depend on your friends for help. You may feel like nobody would be willing to be your friend, but who knows? Sometimes, friendships could be found in the unlikeliest of sources."

After she finished her speech, Optimus took a few moments to contemplate what she had said before stating, "Hmmm... Your words do have some merit, Sunset Shimmer. Unfortunately, those I would normally consider friends may have already lost their trust in me for how poorly I have served as their leader on both Cybertron and Earth."

Sunset turned towards him in confusion as he elaborated, "I have lost dozens of battles I took part in, sacrificed the lives of so many brave comrades, and failed to save our home from annihilation. Although we have taken refuge in this planet, our situation grows more dire each day as the Decepticons relentlessly continue to hunt us down and our Energon reserves dry up at an exponential rate."

"As the commander of what remains of the Autobot faction, I should be held accountable for these circumstances and I can feel that most of the team is very much dissatisfied with the way I have been leading them since the beginning of the war. How can I possibly hope to regain their trust at this point?"

Soon after she finished explaining, a warm smile formed around Sunset's face and she walked directly towards the Autobot leader before placing a hand on his right leg and saying, "Well, I can speak from experience that it's gonna be really tough. Probably the toughest fight of your life. But before you get started, you should accept a simple fact: that who you were in the past is not who you are today."

"The past may be unchangable, but you sure as Tartarus ain't. If you have a genuine desire to change for the better, then you have to show it to your team. Only then can they start to forgive you. If there's one thing I've learned since coming to this world, it's that someone can only be redeemed if they want to be redeemed. That may or may not be the case for Megatron, but I think it's definitely the case for you, Prime. What do you think?"

Optimus once again took some time to ponder on Sunset's words and a handful of seconds later, he gave the girl a warm look. Even though his mouth was covered by a face plate, his optics did give the impression that he was smiling. Soon afterwards, he replied, "I think you are wise enough to be considered a candidate for becoming a Prime, my friend. Also, you may call me Optimus if you wish."

Sunset responded by letting out a dry chuckle and revealing, "Well, I wouldn't really go that far, Optimus. I can't exactly live for millions of years like you Cybertronians and besides, becoming a Prime sounds a lot like becoming a princess in my world and I kinda missed my shot in earning that title a long time ago."

Upon hearing that, the Autobot leader gently stroked her hair with one of his fingers for a bit before stating, "Age has never been used to measure one's worthiness for that title. In addition, the future still remains a mystery and, unlike the past, it is always changable."

Those words actually caused Sunset to shed a few more tears and she even hugged the finger Optimus was stroking her hair with. He slightly chuckled at this, but the girl soon let go of the finger when she heard the sound of a text message arriving to her phone. As she looked at it, her eyes widened with shock and her cheeks turned red from blushing.

After finally reading the message, she turned to Optimus with a nervous expression on her face and explained, "Sooo... There's this boy from school that I like. Not as a boyfriend or anything, but as a refgular friend. Anyway, he's asked me out on a date tonight in a drive-in movie theater and I really wanna go. Of course, I can't really ditch our patrol and- "

"I believe both of us could use a little rest at this point", Optimus interjected. "If you enjoy the company of your friend, then it would be wrong of me to prevent you from spending time with him. Besides, this would be a good opportunity for me to learn more about the culture of this planet."

"We shall go straight to your residence so that you could have enough time to prepare for the evening. I know that it takes a long while for females such as yourself to get everything ready for these kinds of events."

Hearing this caused Sunset to stare at Optimus with dumbfounded facial expression as she asked, "H-hold on... You actually have some experience in dating?"

Optimus once again slightly chuckled before admitting, "To put it bluntly, those memories you saw earlier showed only a fraction of my former life as Orion Pax. I promise to give you more details on the road. In return, I expect you to elaborate on your former life in the world you originally hail from the next day."

After Sunset gave him a thumbs up and said, "Deal," the Autobot leader tranformed into his truck mode. Then, as soon as Sunset entered the said truck, it drove out of the junkyard and sped off towards their next destination.


Later that night, in the bridge of The Nemesis, Megatron was silently looking at the Earth below the ship from the window in front of his throne and contemplating the same memories that Sunset had viewed, becoming visibly more enraged with each flashback. Shockwave and Starscream then entered the bridge and upon both of them kneeling before their master, Shockwave announced, "Lord Megatron, all tests are complete. The space bridge is now fully operational."

This revelation caused Megatron to turn to his servants and say, "At long last."

He then proceeded to walk directly towards the said servants before stopping a couple feet in front of them and declaring, "Gather your forces, Starscream. The time has come to put an end to this senseless war."

Right after that, he clenched his fist extremely hard, held it close to his chest, and as his crimson red optics started glowing brighter than ever, he added, "Once and for all."