Work Text:
Instinct
Kaon was nothing like what Orion Pax had seen in the Iacon archives. The city he had seen had been a melting pool of culture and trade from all sides of Cybertron. It was as big as Iacon despite being a fortress city. The Quintesson’s had raised its surface city, leaving nothing but only the strongest foundations standing, the only indication that civilization had ever existed there. But beneath the surface…
Kaon was alive and thriving. Its enormous under-city put Iacon’s to shame and could easily house at least a million more bots. The ancient seat of Megatronus Prime, where the Polyhex Gauntlet was held for over 5,000 cycles. Where warriors came to prove their strength to join the High Guard or receive blessings from the Prime of Strength. Where artisans came to sell their crafts and where in the deepest and darkest caverns, sordid and dangerous criminal rings did business.
Despite Sentinel’s rule, Kaon had remained unchanged for the most part. Even the Quintesson’s could not penetrate the undercity; it was so well fortified. It had been one of the few free places during Sentinel’s dictatorship. It was probably the reason why he had made such harsh propaganda against the place, labelling Kaonite’s as savages and ferals and that they were a danger to Cybertron at large.
The roar of the crowd around him distracted Optimus Prime from his thoughts. He turned his gaze away from the towering Kolkular Volcano where Darkmount Citadel stood like a silent watchtower and to the pit of the amphitheatre where the grizzly remains of some losing bot were being cleaned off of the ground.
He had never liked Gladiator matches. Even when D16 relished and excitedly fought in the ones at Iacon, Orion Pax had found himself repulsed. He thought of it as being violent for the sake of being violent but D16 had always said otherwise. It had made him feel alive, D16 had explained to him. The way he could finally be recognised for his strength, his power. The way he could actually feel something… D16 loved it and Orion Pax could see how happy it made his friend and so he said nothing.
“Why won’t you watch me anymore?” D16 had asked one fateful day after he found Pax standing near the entrance to the fighting pit.
Optimus had never found a good answer to his question. Truth be told, he never really understood why he just couldn’t tell Dee that he didn't want to see him get hurt.
A collective shriek of joy and feverish enthusiasm erupts in the air as the Western Gate of the pit opens and a silver mech, armed with a mace and a great sword steps out onto the field, his spotless armour shining in the floodlights like a burning sun.
“D16…” Optimus mutters under his breath as the crowd around him roars and shouts in delight at the Champion’s appearance.
No, not D16 anymore, Megatron, Optimus corrects himself. Of course it would be him. Who would it have been other than him? His attitude in Kalis had made it very clear in what direction Megatron was going. The powerful revolutionary leader that was rising from the pits of Kaon… it could have been no one else.
Megatron does not even acknowledge the crowd, his optics set upon the Eastern Gate with great concentration. The floodlights dimmed and the feverish crowd grew still and silent in anticipation.
After a few painstaking moments, a bloodcurdling roar is heard from behind the Eastern gate before being completely destroyed along with part of the wall as a huge beast lurches out of the cells and into the pits.
The crowd shrieks and screams in horror, the once jubilant atmosphere being replaced with terror as the people watch horrified at the thing that has been unleashed on the field.
“Predacon! That’s a predacon!” Someone yells in fear nearby.
“Is he fragging insane!?” Another person screams.
A Predacon? Megatron was stupid enough to fight the most dangerous creature on the surface of Cybertron?! How had he even gotten a hold of one? They had all gone extinct, the Quintessons had wiped them out!
Fear and terror gripped his spark as he saw the massive beast lunge at Megatron, enormous jaws snapping at him but the silver gladiator suddenly moved, faster than a shutter could blink and suddenly the Predacon had a huge gash across its chest, energon exploding from the terrible wound.
What–?
The Predacon bucked and roared, rearing away from where the sword that had slashed it, only to throw its neck into Megatron’s blade again as the Gladiator suddenly rolled under the beast and threw his entire weight behind the strike.
The Predacon screeched and flinched away, pulling the blade from Megatron’s grip but the gladiator instead moved with the beast, using its momentum to launch himself on to the beast’s back, his mace failing and swinging as its chain wrapped itself around the beast's horns.
It was… impressive, Optimus Prime found himself admitting. At no point during this fight had Megatron lost control of the situation. It was calculated and it was efficient. Something he rarely saw in Megatron before now. He was learning. He was becoming more cunning.
It was very sad, Predacon’s were once a sacred beings to the now extinct tribes of the Rust Sea. To see one be slaughtered for entertainment was highly disturbing.
Megatron yanked on the chain wrapped around the poor creature’s neck, forcing it to bow as energon gushed from its wounds. Around him, the crowd had gotten over the initial shock and was now cheering and hollering, calling Megatron’s name with fanatical enthusiasm. Just as they had when D16 had challenged Starscream in the High Guard’s hideout, just a cycle ago.
With a final furious roar, Megatron grasped his blade, still embedded in the hapless creature's neck and wrenched it through its flesh, carving it with disturbing ease. With a horrid, wet and weighty thud the predacon’s head hit the ground and rolled across the arena floor, the body slumping to the ground, lifeless.
The entire stadium erupted into cheers and roars, spectators pounding and jumping on seats in complete and utter chaos as Megatron straightened himself up, standing tall and proud on the remains of the once dangerous beast, his right fist punching the air, the new fusion cannon belching purple devastating fire into the air.
“KAON! HEAR ME!” Megatron suddenly roared into the crowd which fell silent at his words.
Optimus inched closer to the barrier, frightened and curious at what his once closest friend was going to say. The floodlights dimmed, shining a spotlight on only Megatron himself, a beacon in the darkness. He raised his arms up, gesturing to the massive crowd before him.
“We have a special guest in the audience today,” Megatron spoke, his voice clear and charismatic in a way that Optimus had rarely heard before. He was passionate, something that D16 rarely showed about himself save for those moments where Orion brought him stuff concerning Megatronus Prime. “Someone from on high has decided to descend from his golden tower and grace us with his ‘divine’ presence.”
The crowd booed and hissed, turning foul and angry as they heard Megatron’s words.
Optimus Prime immediately regretted coming here. He knew that he should have listened to Prowl and Elita. But he had followed his instinct, the one that had led him to learn the truth about Sentinel. The one that had gotten him shot through the chassis by his best friend.
He was suddenly aware of the thriving and enormous crowd around him, pressing in on him from all angles as he watched his former best friend address it.
“Optimus Prime!” Megatron called to him through the crowd, though he didn’t look directly at him which gave the Prime some relief. “Did you like the show I put on for you today? Did you like the taste of what my Decepticons and I are going to do to your so called, ‘Autobots?’”
Fear began to pool in Optimus’s spark chamber. This was… horrifying. This wasn’t Dee, this wasn’t his friend. What had banishment done to him? How could he have stopped this, this insanity?!
“The people of Kaon were abandoned, lost and betrayed by the Primes, by the leaders of the other cities. They stood by and watched this magnificent city, responsible for their wealth crumble and wither while its people fought for scraps in the dark,” Megatron spoke again, a rumble of discontent rumbling through the people.
There was a pause as the crowd rumbled in agreement, spectators turning to each other, nodding and mumbling their grievances.
“I offer you a chance, people of Kaon,” Megatron bowed to the crowd slightly, a fist over his spark. “To join my Decepticons and show those that look down on you, those that dared to forget you and your great city, those that force you to build their wealth while giving you nothing in return that you are more than what they think. That Kaon is more than some place to be used and left to rot! That Kaon is the true seat of power that it has always been!”
A feverish, giddying roar began to rise in the crowd. A roiling wave of revolution slowly rising in the ranks.
“Optimus Prime intends to restore the Primacy, the very thing that condemned Kaon and its sister cities to rubble! But I will not allow it! WE will not allow it!” Megatron continued. “We will take the resources that are rightfully ours and we will use them against those that dare exploit us! We will march across Cybertron! We will march to Iacon and we will tear this shining beacon of hypocrisy to the ground!”
A tremendous roar erupted throughout the stadium, people began cheering and screaming in support of Megatron and the Decepticons while others were cursing Optimus Prime and the Autobot’s.
He should not have come here.
He should have listened to Elita for once in his life.
“Hey!” A voice shouted nearby him and Optimmus looked over to see a very angry looking convey class like himself staring at him. “That’s a shiny coat you got there buddy.”
Ah.
“Let them fear us! Let us show them where the true power lies! It lies with the people! We will show them our wrath!” Megatron’s voice echoed throughout the stadium as Optimus felt himself cornered by nearby patrons who were now turning away from the pits and towards him.
“It’s him! It’s the Prime!” An insecticon screeched, pointing at him.
“Megatron’s probably going to give a handsome reward to whoever brings him his helm!” A Constructicon rubbed his servos together, a wild and hungry grin on his face as he stared at Optimus.
“I saw him first!” The C-Class snarled, shoving the Constructicon away.
“Get your hands off me, you filthy rig!” The Constructicon snarled, only to find a fist in his face.
The Constructicon roared and almost immediately, the stands around them erupted into chaos as the two bots began to squabble and yell.
Optimus immediately took the opportunity to run, his Spark vibrating in its chamber in pure fear as he fled.
“Idiots! He’s getting away!” A voice shrieked hysterically from somewhere behind him but Optimus didn’t look back.
He just ran.
“Predacons? Are you serious Wheeljack?” Arcee asked as she glanced up at the mechanic’s screen.
Said mechanic just shrugged and looked up at the picture hungrily, his optics filled with ambition.
“I’d love to be able to study one!” Wheeljack exclaimed and Optimus shook his helm despairingly.
“That would be a stupid idea, even for you,” the Prime chastised. “There is no way you’d be able to control such a beast.”
Wheeljack sighed and looked back at the photographs of long dead ancient beasts.
“You don’t have to worry about me getting one, they’re extinct. The Quintessons wiped them out,”Wheeljack muttered as he grumbled to himself.
The doors to the garage slid open and Megatron strode through, a couple of large crates in hand. He dumped them on the floor before looking over at the console they were all standing around.
“Predacons?” He raised an optic ridge at Wheeljack amused. “They would tear you to pieces before you could even blink, little wrecker.”
“Oh? And how would you know?” Wheeljack demanded turning to face the former Decepticon leader as he approached them.
“I’ve gotten my fair share of scars from them,” Megatron waved a dismissive servo.
“Wait, you’ve fought one?!” Arcee asked in shock.
Megatron gave a snort of mirth before shrugging.
“I’ve fought many, the Rust Sea near Kaon was full of them if you knew where to look,” Megatron murmured. “They’re smarter than they look. Managed to evade the Quintesson’s for 50 cycles using the tunnels of Kaon’s outer city after all.”
“I don’t believe you!” Arcee shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Megatron who just grinned down at her in return.
“Optimus can vouch for me, he’s seen me fight one,” Megatron gestured to Optimus Prime who felt a sudden stab of fear to his spark as he remembered that horrible display. For a brief moment, the Prime swore he saw a flicker of that malicious warlord that stood in the ring of Kaon, all those vorns ago.
Arcee was oblivious to his distress and turned to him, arms folded across her chassis.
“Well?!” She demanded and Optimus looked down at her.
“It’s– it’s true, I saw him fight a predacon,” Optimus reluctantly admitted and Megatron grinned.
“See, I was telling the truth,” Megatron goaded Arcee who just huffed at him before turning her attention back to Optimus.
“And how terrifying was this predacon?” She asked Optimus but the Prime didn’t even glance down at her as he answered. He stared at Megatron who evenly held his gaze, that grin still on his face.
“The Predacon wasn’t the most terrifying thing I saw that day,” Optimus admitted quietly before finally breaking optic contact with Megatron and stalking away without a glance back at them.
Megatron’s grin fell and his smug demeanour immediately disappeared as he watched Optimus leave, the Prime’s EM field protecting a sense of fear and despair as he left, leaving Megatron feeling guilty and ashamed.
“Hey.”
Optimus stiffened as he heard the door to his habsuite open and Megatron loomed in the doorway, a look of concern on his face.
He’d been dreading this, but he knew it would have to happen eventually.
“Hey…” He answered stiffly, placing the datapad he was currently reading down to turn to Megatron who was awkwardly looking like he was between fleeing and staying.
“We should talk,” Megatron says in a voice that reveals that he does not want to talk to him in the slightest.
Optimus feels himself agreeing but knows that this was inevitable. Wheeljack’s little research project had uncovered some nasty unspoken past between them and moving forward would be impossible without confronting said past. He nods and stands, Megatron taking it as his cue to enter.
“Yes, we should,” Optimus finally admits. May as well get this over with. “You baited me into coming to the arena, didn’t you?”
Megatron nods his helm, his mouth drawing into a simple thin line.
“It was Starscream’s idea,” he admitted coolly. “A little risky, to openly goad the leader of our enemy into our fortress, but it worked nonetheless. You came.”
A small smirk appeared on Megatron’s lips.
“What were you even thinking, coming into a dangerous working class city with spotless paint and a glossy coat? We saw you coming from miles away, Prime,” Megatron chastised and Optimus felt stupid.
“Yet you knew I would come,” Optimus pointed out and Megatron’s smirk faded and a deep sadness filled Megatron’s gaze.
“Part of me wished that you hadn’t,” Megatron murmured quietly.
“Why?”
“Because it all but confirmed to me that you, Optimus Prime, were still the Orion Pax I once knew,” Megatron admitted. “It made the war harder, knowing that you were Orion Pax. It would have been so much easier if you weren’t. If you were just some, some thing that looked like him. But– no matter how hard I tried to deny it– I knew it was still you.”
Optimus Prime shook his head sadly, emitted something which sounded like a sob and a laugh.
“Funny, because when I looked down at you, on top of the remains of that Predacon, I didn’t see D16 anymore,” he choked out bitterly. “All I saw was a tyrant declaring his intent to subjugate Cybertron.”
Megatron is silent for a long moment, his face stoic and unreadable as is his optics. Optimus fears that he may have pushed a bit too far this time but eventually Megatron finally gives a long and even sigh, his expression morphing into one of hurt.
“What did you expect from me?” Megatron asked quietly, his gaze turned down to the ground. “I had just found out everything I knew was a lie, someone who I idolised tortured and humiliated me in front of people I respected, I accidentally killed my best friend who then comes back a Prime before proceeding to banish me from everything I ever knew, my friends, my family… I had nothing but hatred. I had nothing but an emptiness in my spark and I was lost and alone with people who were expecting me to lead them. If I failed to succeed, they would have abandoned me in the wilds and left me for dead.”
Optimus felt pain in his spark at the former warlord’s words. He’d always regretted banishing Megatron. Of all the regrets in his life he had considered that one of the biggest. Perhaps if he had imprisoned him, brought him to justice… but how could he have done that with the High Guard respecting Megatron? He’d been newly appointed and he had had no control over the people. The Miners were still cogless and could not fight the High Guard. It was– a mess. It had been just a mess.
“I wanted to hurt you,” Megatron growled, a coldness to his voice that Optimus hadn’t heard since the war and immediately he was on edge. “I wanted you to feel the pain I felt, being abandoned and alone among people who didn’t care about me and were waiting to see me fail. I wanted to crush you beneath my pedes. I wanted you to feel pain…”
Megatron is shaking now, his servos balled up into fists as he glares at the ground, his optics a darker shade of red, his sharp fangs bared as his breaths come in short and notable pants. Optimus stares at him, worried and pulling up Elita’s contact in case Megatron lapses into his old ways. It’s been ten Earth years, yes, but that was nothing when considering a Cybertronian’s concept of time.
Finally, Megatron blinks and the brief, ominous return of ‘Lord Megatron’ dissipates, his gaze breaking from staring at the floor intensely and looking away from the Prime.
“It does not make what I have done right or justified, I know that,” Megatron snapped quietly as he trembled. “But you hurt me, Optimus. You hurt me so badly that for the last 4 million years I was so consumed by anger and rage that it took Soundwave stabbing me in the back to finally let it go.”
Megatron’s voice grew higher as he spoke, becoming more strained and distressed.
Optimus was taken aback. It was the first time Megatron had mentioned ‘the incident’ with Soundwave. Something which caused Megatron great pain, even now, so many years later.
It was the first time Megatron had even spoken of his feelings, his true feelings about the banishment without anger, without denying it.
“Megatron, I–” Optimus began but found that no words could suffice. Nothing would suffice to patch the wounds between them.
Instead he did something impulsive and possibly really stupid but his emotions did not care. He lurched forward and before Megatron could react his arms had wrapped around his friend's chassis tightly.
Megatron stood rigid for a moment, uncertain and unsure of how to react before relaxing ever so slightly into his embrace.
They stood there, Primus only knew for how long, no words spoken but their emotional fields intermingling for a long moment. Intertwinned and gentle caressing each other with every subtle flash of pain, loneliness and complicated feeling that was too heavy for mere words.
It was the closest they could feasibly be without baring their sparks at each other. They were tangled in a web of emotions that danced around them and had been for millions of years.
This is what it had always been. The war. The fate of Cybertron.
It had just been the both of them, locked in this eternal, complex dance. Forever.
Abruptly, Megatron drew away, snapping the strange dancing of EM fields between them and stepping away back towards the door.
“It is late,” Megatron murmured, his voice calm and reflective. “I want to train with Elita before dawn. I should recharge.”
‘No, don’t go.’
“Yes of course,” Optimus nodded to him with a smile ignoring the little voice at the back of his processor. “Thank you… for being open with me. That can’t be easy for you.”
“I needed to relive some of the guilt of unleashing a furious mob on you,” Megatron muttered embarrassed. A small smirk stretched across his lips again. “I killed a predacon for you though. How about that? Were you impressed?”
‘I’d do the same for you if I had to,’ the little voice whispers again but Optimus shoves it away.
“And people said Orion Pax was reckless and stupid,” Optimus muttered, shaking his helm. “That was utterly insane! I was afraid you were going to die!”
“So you still did care for me!” Megatron teased and Optimus felt his cheeks flush red hot with energon in response. “How sweet of you Prime!”
‘I never stopped caring about you, you fool.’
“I never stopped caring about you,” Optimus admits and his subconscious whoops in joy and finally being able to say what he feels. “Megatron, I–”
‘I love you.”
He stops himself before he can confess and his subconscious starts yelling at him again.
“I hope you have a good recharge, I know Elita can be intense,” Optimus lamely finishes.
Megatron is oblivious to his inner turmoil and instead just gives him a tired but cheeky smile.
“Too intense for you perhaps,” he scoffs and Optimus gives him a quiet chuckle. “Always liked her hustle. You just couldn’t keep up with either of us.”
“Yeah, learnt that the hard way,” he admitted and Megatron laughed.
“So you did date her, Soundwave’s intel was correct!” He smirked before a devious look appeared on his face. “I wonder if she has any embarrassing stories about you.”
Optimus might as well have experienced an error code at Megatron’s words, as he spluttered and stammered foolishly, unable to even come up with an intelligent response to counter him.
“Ah, so there are some tales to tell,” Megatron grinned, victorious. “Good night Optimus. And… thanks. I appreciate you listening to me. I know it couldn’t have been easy to hear those things I said.”
Optimus managed to stop floundering like a fool and looked back at his friend. For a brief moment, he could see his golden opticed best friend from eons past.
“It… needed to be put out there,” Optimus nodded to him. “I’m glad that you’re here with us, old friend.”
“Thank you. I missed you, Orion Pax,” Megatron solemnly muttered before turning heel and leaving without another word.
Optimus Prime stood staring after his friend, his spark just a little bit lighter and free.
“I missed you too, D16.”