CHAPTER SIX
"Luna Two to Luna One. Beginning first phase of Ascension."
"Excellent!" Quintus Prime cackled, operating the controls of Luna 1 to orient it to face Cybertron. "Everything is proceeding beautifully, my friend."
As Cybertron slowly entered view, the ancient Prime prepared for the next phase. Once Thunderwing had succeeded in merging with Cybertron's core, his spark energy would be joined by that of Optimus Prime's as well as the Dark Energon that had once powered Megatron, awakening Primus from his eternal slumber and bringing every Transformer to heel so that the Quintessons could swoop in and dominate them.
It made her giddy to even think that she was so close. She had had so many missed opportunities: Unicron had failed her twice, and getting the Transformers to tear each other apart had yielded hardly any results. Now, for the first time in nine thousand years, she was on the precipice of finally winning.
She had never imagined victory could taste so sweet.
Lost as she was in her thoughts, Quintus Prime utterly failed to notice the screw that had rolled into the chamber of its own accord....
* * *
"Gorgeous, isn't it?"
Rodimus Unicronus watched as Thunderwing stepped up to the glowing blue core of Cybertron. Cogs whirred eternally as its parts constantly shifted, never settling for one form; sometimes it was a sphere, others a cube. Cybertron was, like those who dwelt upon it, always transforming.
"I had prepared a speech for this momentous occasion," Thunderwing murmured. "But honestly, are there any words that could do this justice? Years from now, historians will be debating endlessly on how to refer to this exact moment. 'Ascension' is simply mincing words."
Rodimus felt his head twitch as images flashed in his mind. Ultra Magnus. Ultra Magnus dead. Drift. Drift dying....
Standing next to him, Nemesis Primal glanced at his fellow herald, optics narrowed. "Are you all right?" he whispered.
Rodimus twitched again. What was he even doing here? Why was he following this... this monster?
Thunderwing paid neither of them any heed as he opened his chestplate, revealing the Matrix of Leadership within. "Now," he breathed. "For the moment of truth."
Reaching in, he removed the Matrix from its chamber and held it up to Cybertron's core....
* * *
"Listen," Infinitus said, staring at the silent Fortress Maximus. "All of you Titans... your ultimate loyalty is to Cybertron, correct?"
"Correct." Fortress Maximus' voice was booming as ever, but something about it sounded different.
"Well, Cybertron is in danger. I don't care how you see it; the Quintessons taking over is nothing to smile about. Sure, we'd be at peace, but if we're all mindless drones... what difference does it make?"
The Titan's eyes dimmed. Infinitus was no longer sure if he was even still listening.
"You know, I was almost a Prime," he murmured, more to himself than anything. "I was supposed to be one, until Galvatron came in and ruined everything. Since then, all I've wanted to do... is to make up for my absence. Do something to help a greater cause. And you know what?"
Beneath him, the floor began to rumble.
"If that means sacrificing myself to fulfill said cause..."
The Titan continued to shake as it moved itself away from its brothers and pointed its bow at Luna 1.
"Better later than never, I say."
* * *
The beam of energy came out of nowhere, zipping past Rodimus' head. The herald was snapped back to reality as Thunderwing's own cranium was obliterated, leaving behind nothing but smoke emitting from the self-made Prime's neck. As Thunderwing fell, so too did the Matrix from his hands as it slid across the floor before hitting a pair of black feet.
Rodimus and Nemesis both turned around in time to see the Fallen as he bent down to retrieve the Matrix. Nemesis Primal let out a roar as he charged towards the ancient Prime, only to receive the same fate as his master.
"Honestly," the Fallen growled, lowering his Requiem Blaster. "To think that some upstart believed he could play God."
Matrix in hand, he strode towards the core, paying Rodimus no heed. Red optics fixated on Cybertron's glowing center, the Fallen held up the mantle piece of the Primes.
"I, on the other hand -- a first-named Prime -- am far more deserving of such power. I have not waited nine thousand years just to be upstaged by some mad scientist. This is my hour... and mine only!"
He gripped either side of the Matrix, fingers curled around each handle.
"Now... let there be darkness!"
With that, he pulled on either side of the Matrix... which refused to budge.
The Fallen blinked, optics dilating as he looked down at the relic. "What...?" He yanked again, only to encounter more resistance.
"No!" he roared. "I am a Prime! You will not deny me this!"
"See, here's the thing...."
The Fallen whirled around only to receive a fist to the face. The ancient Prime staggered back, scowling as he lifted his gaze to Rodimus. The "Dark Matrix" clattered uselessly to the floor as the Autobot's black armor slowly turned red again.
"There can only be one Prime." Rodimus flashed a smug grin. "And it sure as hell ain't you."
* * *
Something wasn't right.
Quintus Prime stared at her screen, Cybertron now fully in view. Everything was up and ready to go. All she needed now was the call from Thunderwing.
So why had she not received it yet? Surely it couldn't be taking Thunderwing this long. And why was a Titan breaking off from the rest of the fleet and turning towards....
Realization hitting her like a brick, Quintus lunged for the controls only for a metal chain to come out of nowhere and coil around her waist. Craning her head, she was greeted with the sight of an amalgamation of Junkion body parts. Dangling from a bent light pole was the mustached face of Wreck-Gar, grinning wickedly.
"Goodnight song..."
Quintus screamed as she tore at the chain wrapped around her, only for another to tie her arms together.
"Played so wrong..."
From behind the junk monster, Quintus spotted what appeared to be a tank drone, colored in yellow and green. As it stepped towards Quintus, it sang along with the abomination.
"Blame the crowd..."
Behind Quintus, Fortress Maximus advanced at full speed towards Luna 1. Tankor then brought both hands to the Prime's face and began to pull on it.
"They scream so loud, so--"
* * *
As Luna 1's destruction lit Cybertron's sky, below the surface the Fallen lunged at Rodimus, tackling him to the ground.
"Matrix or not," the dark warrior snarled as he wrapped his hands around the Autobot's neck, "I don't need some bauble to assert my authority over you weaklings!"
"You're right," Rodimus grunted. "It wouldn't do you much good in that case."
He then thrust out his legs and kicked the Fallen off of him, sending the ancient Prime flying into Cybertron's core. The shifting shape caught the Fallen in its magnetic field and held him in place while Rodimus retrieved the Matrix.
"No!" the Fallen roared. "What makes you think it'll possibly work for you?!"
"Actually, I wasn't going to use it," Rodimus said. "But since you brought it up...."
The Fallen's eyes went wide in terror. "You'll destroy us both!"
"Correction," Rodimus said as he pulled on either side of the Matrix's container. "Just you."
With ease, Rodimus opened the Matrix and the entire chamber was bathed in light....
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