Death, Megumi, Arsha, Amy, Blackarachnia, Megatron, Galvatron, Firestorm, Sky Runner, Glyph, Arcee, and Goldbug were outside the OR they gave Emily and Ratchet. Megumi was pacing worriedly. \u201cI\u2019m scared for him too, Megumi,\u201d said Arsha, \u201cbut pacing won\u2019t help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the only chance I got of burning off the nervous energy I have,\u201d replied Megumi. \u201cHow long have they been in there?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTwo hours,\u201d said Goldbug. \u201cBut these things take time.\u201d The door to the OR opened\u2026and Emily and Ratchet\u2019s faces were downcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026No!\u201d whispered Megumi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2026there was nothing more we could do,\u201d replied Emily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOptimus Prime is\u2026beyond recovery,\u201d sighed Ratchet. \u201cHe\u2019s only got a couple of minutes to live.\u201d Amy was the first to rush into the room. Everyone surrounded Optimus as the machines he was hooked up to beeped slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOptimus, please!\u201d begged Amy as tears rolled down her pink cheeks. \u201cYou can\u2019t die!\u201d Optimus slowly switched his optics on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Do not\u2026grieve,\u201d he whispered. \u201c\u2026Soon\u2026I shall be one\u2026with the Matrix.\u201d He then slowly turned his head to his left. \u201c\u2026M\u2026Megatron\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m here, brother,\u201d said Megatron as he knelt by Optimus and held his hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is\u2026to you\u2026I give\u2026stewardship\u2026of the Matrix.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOptimus, after what I\u2019ve done? I\u2019m not worthy of stewardship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026And I\u2026was not worthy\u2026of Primehood\u2026once. \u2026But\u2026one day\u2026a Transformer\u2026will rise from our ranks\u2026and use the power of the Matrix\u2026to once again\u2026light our darkest hour.\u201d Optimus released Megatron\u2019s hand and his chest opened. The Matrix filled the room with calm, soothing light as Optimus slowly took the Matrix out of his chest. He then slowly held it out to Megatron. \u201cUntil\u2026that day\u2026\u2019til all\u2026are one\u2026\u201d His fingers unfurled and the Matrix tumbled to the floor. Megatron and Glyph both reached out to grab it. Glyph caught it, then gave it to Megatron. A chain formed around the handles so Megatron could just wear it around his neck, a symbol of Megatron being a steward, not a full Prime. The instant the Matrix was draped over Megatron\u2019s neck, Optimus\u2019 optics faded, his labored breathing stopped, the life-support machines flatlined, and Optimus\u2019 body faded to gunmetal gray. Optimus Prime\u2026was dead and there wasn\u2019t a dry eye in the room, not even Death as she performed her duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was a first for Megumi. To say she wasn\u2019t handling it well\u2026that would be an understatement. She spent a lot of time staring at her hands. Arsha approached her. \u201c\u2026Megumi?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026He died,\u201d mumbled Megumi. \u201c\u2026He died\u2026and I can\u2019t. \u2026That\u2019s just\u2026\u201d Megumi wept again. Arsha sat next to Megumi and hugged her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Perhaps it isn\u2019t fair,\u201d she said, \u201c\u2026but I\u2019d say you more than earned your immortality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd how, pray tell, did you arrive at THAT conclusion?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause you still have humanity. Metaltron and her ilk, they don\u2019t. Someone was not careful in giving them immortality. But you, Megumi Hishikawa, one of my greatest friends, you never sacrificed your humanity. \u2026I can\u2019t say it gets easier, seeing a friend die. Take it from someone who had to fight in a war, it doesn\u2019t. \u2026But it\u2019s how we remember them that matters. \u2026Failing that, there\u2019s always a chance he could end up here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026That\u2019s no guarantee,\u201d said Megumi. \u201cFor one thing, you\u2019d have to really impress the Horsemen. For another, you\u2019d have to choose to live here knowing that your old universe is no longer your home universe, but one you can only visit for moments at a time. The best you can do is hope those you left behind honor your wishes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Well, you know what he always said,\u201d remarked Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo we continue to fight for freedom and live in his name.\u201d By then, a fire was lit in Megumi\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Metaltron MUST fail!\u201d she declared. \u201c\u2026Arsha, you\u2019re right. Optimus wouldn\u2019t want us to wallow in despair. He\u2019d want us to grieve, then fight!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cExactly. Galvatron\u2019s rallying his Decepticons right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat about the Autobots?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Optimus\u2019 body was taken back to Cybertron for the funeral. His Rigor Morphis had him assume his robot mode. Thankfully, as his parents had already passed on, there was no one to grieve the loss of their child. \u2026It still stung that two brothers were burying their baby brother. Ultra Magnus arrived in time for the funeral and led the whole thing. Optimus\u2019 body was placed in between the prongs of the usual vaporization tech. When he was alive, Optimus had granted permission for his vital components to be donated, so the scars were there. \u201c\u2026Optimus and I\u2026we butted heads often,\u201d Ultra Magnus addressed the mourners. \u201cBut we always figured out how to help one another. And we both admitted that we needed a kick in the pants; Optimus for letting power go to his head and myself for my raging Decepti-phobia. He made friends that he helped keep on the straight and narrow and those friends did the same for him as he fought to prove that freedom is the right of all sentient beings, whether they be code, flesh and blood, or robots. \u2026The universe is a little darker without him, but we\u2019re all obligated to carry out his mission in his memory and name.\u201d The Transformers attending each held out a phial of innermost Energon and laid it at the memorial that would be switched on. \u201cWhen a Spark goes online, there is great joy. When one is extinguished, the universe weeps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou flare. You flicker. You fade,\u201d said the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou won\u2019t be forgotten, Optimus Prime,\u201d promised Ultra Magnus. \u201cLet your Spark join the Matrix, the greatest treasure of Cybertron.\u201d He pressed a button on the controls and Optimus\u2019 body was vaporized respectfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the funeral, Galvatron stepped up onto a stage in Kaon, the Decepticon capital of Cybertron. He had his particle cannon affixed to his right forearm like his father with his old fusion cannon. He turned to address the crowd. \u201c\u2026Decepticons, I must open this with a personal question,\u201d he began. \u201cHow many of you are Empties?\u201d A few raised their hands. \u201c\u2026Quite a few. Then my uncle\u2019s programs didn\u2019t reach you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe just applied for them,\u201d said a mech called Needlenose. \u201cI just got my new hands.\u201d He showed off his hands, looking more pristine than the rest of his body. \u201cThanks to that, I was able to find a job and, already, I have more Shanix to help me fix up my lifestyle. \u2026And now there\u2019s someone wearing Optimus\u2019 face that has wicked thoughts, thoughts that would put me back to square one!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah!\u201d called a femme, Shadow Striker. \u201cI just got out of poverty and someone wants to put me back in it because I look freakish!\u201d The sentiment was taken up by the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, there\u2019s an opportunity for you all to voice your complaints to him!\u201d called Galvatron. \u201cThe Cybertronian High Council has asked for naval help from our allies and colonies. Even the Galactic Council is giving us help! Tomorrow night, the Nemesis<\/em> and Ark<\/em> will join that fleet as we merge with a combined fleet from outside our universe to take down Nemesis Prime and his allies! And I want all of you with me! We will not rest until the pelt of that evil version of Tails is mounted on a wall! DECEPTICONS, COMMENCE HUNTING SEASON!\u201d Galvatron fired his particle cannon into the sky! The crowd followed suit and fired their weapons into the air.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Death, Megumi, Arsha, Amy, Blackarachnia, Megatron, Galvatron, Firestorm, Sky Runner, Glyph, Arcee, and Goldbug were outside the OR they gave Emily and Ratchet. Megumi was pacing worriedly. \u201cI\u2019m scared for him too, Megumi,\u201d said Arsha, \u201cbut pacing won\u2019t help.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s the only chance I got of burning off the nervous energy I have,\u201d replied Megumi. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[754,880],"tags":[482,9,146,337],"class_list":["post-6756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-journey-through-wonder","category-story-journey-through-wonder","tag-fantasy","tag-kamen-rider","tag-sonic","tag-transformers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6756"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6757,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6756\/revisions\/6757"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}