Optronix continued his fight with Primacron. Primacron kept out of the way of the Requiem Blaster’s shots. “Look at you!” taunted the renegade Vok. “You have four eyes, yet you can’t shoot straight!”
“Straighter than you!” replied Optronix.
“It doesn’t matter! You’ll still be destroyed!”
“As long as I’m online, I’ll never stop fighting! Let me tell you right now, the Transformers are not fighting merely to give you the results of your twisted experiment!”
“Why DO you fight then?”
“For peace!” Primacron laughed at that.
“Your insolence is amusing, but I grow tired of it now! …But I AM magnanimous, so I’ll make you an offer. You split into your individual components and each of them fights for one aspect. Optimus of Light and Megatron of Darkness. Once one of them is dead, I’ll determine the results of the experiment…and let the Transformers live while I preach that the victorious aspect will be supreme.”
“Not gonna happen!” snarled Optronix. “You’ll just kill the universe more slowly and us along with it!”
“I see you figured out that not even you are immune to my wrath. You can resist my gracious offer, but it will be at your peril if you do! Now, why don’t you accept and fight for my experiment? Then you will witness the universe finally settle things permanently! It IS your destiny.”
“My destiny is to stop you and spread peace throughout the-!”
“Oh, SPARE ME!” Primacron’s statement made Optronix pause. “…Over the eons, the Transformers’ proclamations of peace have proved pointless. You must admit, you love the smell of battle. Even as I speak, I’m still feeding off the rage of that fleet, making me stronger by the second!”
“…What?” Primacron smirked.
“Did you know that the body that once housed the dark half of my soul is equipped with energy syphons? They’re primed to feed off the energy of all emotions centered around anger. Once Primus and Unicron became me again, the syphons in the Unicron body automatically reprogrammed themselves to transfer the energy to me! Go ahead, one free shot!” Primacron then dropped his guard. Optronix took the opportunity and fired the Requiem Blaster at him. The shot only pushed Primacron back before dissipating. Primacron then grinned.
“No!” whispered Optronix.
“That tickled! You see? As long as hatred exists, I shall remain impervious to attack! It’s time Optimus showed me his true colors! Time for him to admit to himself and the universe that, like his brother, he craves war like a Mobian craves oxygen! You hear me in there, Optimus?! It’s useless to deny it any longer!” Just then, Cosmic Sonic appeared. “Ah, and the head of Optimus’ Fanclub arrives!”
“Are you connected to the lab in any way?” asked Cosmic Sonic.
“…Yes, why do you-?”
“You’ve ignored it at your peril.” Primacron’s eyes widened in a panic, and he turned around to see it begin to collapse in on itself!
“NO! STOP IT, YOU STUPID-!”
“Who are you calling stupid? Me or Starscream for killing his brothers and activating the self-destruct while the Fratricide protocols were engaged?” Primacron whirled on Cosmic Sonic.
“YOU IDIOT! YOU RUINED MY LAB!”
“I’d say that’s the smartest thing anyone can do! Optronix! The Hydra Cannon!”
“Right!” replied Optronix. He combined the Three Powers into the Hydra Cannon, then opened his chest and placed the Matrix into it. The crystal inside it looked different, flashing between blue-white and dark-purple! “They blended the Matrix and Badge too?” muttered Optronix.
“HE’S GETTING AWAY!” called Cosmic Sonic. The two then intercepted Primacron and decked him so that he spun towards the black hole. Cosmic Sonic then fired all his energies into the Hydra Cannon. Optronix aimed the Cannon and put a finger on the trigger.
“Cosmic Hydra Cannon…FIRE!” he called. He pulled the trigger and a teal stream of light erupted from the barrel. It hit Primacron and propelled him towards the black hole.
“SOMEONE! ANYONE! HEEEEEEEELLLLLLPPP!” cried Primacron. No help came. Primacron was caught in the black hole’s gravity and pulled in. Meanwhile the stream of light from the Hydra Cannon enveloped the black hole, making it shrink, and shrink, and shrink until…nothing remained. Optronix and Cosmic Sonic panted, then they fell unconscious.
A set of eyes opened slowly, taking in the scene of an open sky and greenery surrounding them. They also noticed artificial constructs of some kind. Just then, a voice was heard by the eyes’ owner. “Ratchet!” called the voice. “He’s waking up!”
“Thank the Matrix!” sighed another voice in relief. The vision focused and the eyes, or rather, optics, saw Knock-out and Ratchet.
“R…Ratchet?” asked the bot. “Wh…where am I?”
“You’re on Voksphere,” explained Ratchet. “You and Megatron did it!”
“Me and…wait, we’re two people again?!” The bot then sat up and examined his hands and body, confirming that he was just Optimus Prime! “Where’s M-?!”
“Megatron and Sonic are already awake,” replied Knock-out. “They’re waiting for you.” Once he was given a clean bill of health, Optimus was led out of the medical area and they headed towards a pavilion where Megatron, Nightbird, Sonic, Amy, and Blackarachnia were talking with the Three Goddesses. Blackarachnia then caught sight of Optimus.
“PRIME!” she squealed happily. She then pounced on him and tackled him to the ground.
“Easy!” called Ratchet. “He’s just been released!”
“It looks like we did it, brother,” remarked Megatron. “We actually committed deicide.”
“And our children,” continued Umbra, “are starting to break Unicron’s old body down to its individual components!”
“…What about Primus?”
“Vector Sigma is replacing Primus’ Spark with something far more efficient,” replied Lux. “Once it’s installed, I’ll be transforming Primus back into Cybertron, then I’m stripping it of any transformation-related gear.”
“I would rather you didn’t, my Lady. Vector Sigma might need that form if the situation calls for it.”
“…You WANT Cybertron to assume robot mode?”
“With Vector Sigma’s head, if that’s all right.”
“…All right.” Lux looked to her wife and child who just shrugged at the young Prime’s peculiarity. Optimus then noticed Sonic’s dour expression.
“…Sonic? You okay?” he asked.
“I just left Starscream to die,” mumbled Sonic. Optimus then realized what was going on.
“It’s callous, yes, but it was either him or…or everything.”
“Maybe, but I don’t wanna be him again. He’s too…cold.”
“If you really want restrictions on Cosmic Sonic,” offered Gaia, “we’d be happy to discuss them with you.”
“To be frank,” mused Umbra, “I rather like the normal version of you. Much more pleasant to be around. Besides, I always wanted to try and smoke you in a race.” Sonic’s ears twitched as a grin crossed his face.
“A race, is it?” he asked, sounding like his old self. As they talked, Optimus noticed something. He opened his chest and pulled out the Matrix…an empty one. Ratchet and Megatron looked at it and Ratchet gasped. Megatron simply arched an eyebrow.
“I supposed that shot from the Hydra Cannon,” he remarked, “drained the Matrix.”
“The Wisdom of the Ages! It’s lost!” whispered Ratchet.
“No, not lost,” replied Optimus. “We’re all a little wiser now.”
“But the Matrix is empty!” Optimus then turned to everyone.
“It’s up to all of us to fill it again, with the wisdom we accumulate from this moment on!”
It took a few days, but Cybertron was back in its usual planet mode and was transported to its old position in the galaxy. The alliance urged Optimus and Megatron to go there first and there was a Space Bridge on Voksphere constructed from parts of Unicron to do so. The alliance would take the long way to their respective homes while Optimus and Megatron reported on the conditions of Cybertron once they explored what they could. Everyone had gathered to see the two leaders off. “Goodbye, guys!” called Sonic. “See you later!”
“You too, Sonic!” replied Optimus. The Space Bridge then opened and Optimus and Megatron transformed before going through.
They arrived through the Space Bridge near Kolkular. They transformed and examined their surroundings. “…Is…is Kolkular supposed to be…golden?” asked Optimus.
“No,” answered Megatron. Optimus then pulled out a tricorder and opened it, taking some scans. “You’re such a nerd,” scoffed Megatron.
“I never had a chance to nerd out during the war. Gimme a break.” Optimus then got his readings and his optics widened. “Axarite!” he yelped.
“What?”
“The city! Pit, the whole planet! Cybertron’s surface is now made of Axarite!”
“Pretty rare metal.”
“And able to withstand any damage! Sweet Pri…Sweet Lux, this is amazing! Megatron, we gotta-!” Optimus’ happy rambling was interrupted by the familiar whine of a fusion cannon being primed. He turned to see Megatron pointing one of his cannons at him! “…Wh-what’s going on here?” asked Optimus.
“The Autobots and Decepticons, as a collective,” explained Megatron, “have put aside their differences, but you and I can’t afford to until we’ve settled our affairs! Draw your gun, Optimus Prime! Our personal war ends today! It’s time to battle!”