Forever Alone: Transformers Prime

Chapter XIII

Walking through a rocky valley, looking for any sign of this evil Unicron, Julie sat on Optimus's shoulder as he walked. They stopped at a dead end of the valley, but Julie felt there was something wrong. Occasionally looking around the area, which did not evade Optimus's notice. "Ratchet, this epicenter is consistent with the findings of the others." He said. "Its terrain is rich in ore."
"So, what does that tell us?" Agent Fowler asked.
"It would follow that the natural metals in your Earth would be extensions of Unicron." Ratchet answered. "His limbs, if you will."
"So, he did have his morning stretch," June confirmed. "Which is why these quakes happened."
Julie stood up with her wings twitched here and there as she listened to the surroundings around them. "We aren't alone."
"Optimus, I'm detecting a swell in Unicron's spark activity."
"Julie, get out of here." Optimus cried.
"I am not leaving you, this is my fight just as much as it is yours."
"Rest assured, Ratchet, we will proceed with vigilance." Optimus replied in the com.
The rocks behind them started to fall apart, as Optimus spun around Julie saw a face with dark purple eyes staring back at them. "Do you know me, Followers of Primus?"
"Unicron, the Chaos Bringer." Optimus said.
"You are Ares, the blood devourer. You destroyed my people." Julie replied, thankful for remembering all of the history lessons that her parents had given her all those years ago.
"Good." Unicron said, before the rocks around him fell, revealing a figure that stood over them. Unicron stood in front of them. His armor is covered in horns all along his head. "Now, know me as Unicron, your destroyer."
Unicron ran at Optimus at full speed while Julie took off in flight above them. Optimus transformed his servos into blades and crossed them in front of him to block off Unicron's attack. Julie didn't know what to do, she never really had many powers that were used to fight, but she had to do something. She watched as Optimus continued to block every attack from Unicron.
Unicron jumped up in the air and tried to slam his spike arm onto Optimus, but only slammed into the ground as Optimus had jumped out of the way. Julie tried to muster up whatever strength she could, but her powers would not listen. Unicron was about to strike down on top of Optimus as he surrendered, but stopped when Optimus spoke, his helm slightly lowered as though to listen. "I humble request your ear, Lord Unicron."
"And what would a Prime, be so compelled to say to me?" Unicron asked as he stood at his full height.
"I make the appeal not for myself," Optimus replied, "But for this planet which you constitute and the beings who inhabit it. Humankind relies upon you for life, sustenance. Your resurrection will only result in the destruction of a species which evolved from the seeds of your very greatness."
"So, this humankind of whom you speak, you consider them my progeny?"
"Indeed."
Unicron's face lit with anger. "Parasites! They, too, shall know my wrathful hand... once I am finished with you and the deity, the last of her kind!" Unicron cried as he shot a bolt of electricity and hit Optimus. Optimus flew and hit the ground as Unicron walked up to him, who was on the ground, groaning as he tried to stand up. "The line of Primes has grown weak in my absence. And thus you shall fall."
"That outcome is inevitable," Optimus said. "But not on this day!" He stood to his knees, transformed his serves into guns, and fired. It took a few shots, but Unicron fell back. Optimus walked over and saw Unicron's body crumble away.
She flew up out of the valley trying to call on her powers, but they never came. "My powers, he's taken them away from me. I'm useless." Unicron replicas formed all around the both of them and were coming at both her and Optimus. She had to fight, but how? "Yes, disciples of Primus," All of them said together. "On this very day, for Unicron may be one, but we all are Unicron!"
She looked at all of the figures and freaked out. She felt some strength return to her, but not all of it. "Optimus, do you trust me?"
Optimus looked at her and nodded, "I do."
Julie flew directly above the head of Optimus Prime as she roared, pulling free her power from Unicron, which he had stolen from her. "Ares, tonight with the power of the ancients which I have relinquished back from your hold, I, Ethera, Vallonia, and the many other names I hold, will be your downfall." She cried out as a bolt of energy from the sky formed and struck her instantly, swallowing her up in a bright beam of light. Revealing a giant femme, about the same size as Optimus himself. She had the blends of the colors gold, silver, and a midnight blue formed swirls and glowing light shining off her form.
"This is not possible. You cannot be! Not unless...." Unicron cried as he saw her standing there over them.
"Unless I am a descendent of a god." Ethera cried.
"Optimus, have you uncovered any further sign of Unicron's emergence?" Ratchet cried through the comm-link.
"Unicron is power incarnate, and you, the last of the Primes, shall perish." All of the replicas said at once. "You, daughter of the almighty prime, shall fall to your destruction, along with all other life on this planet."
"I'll take that as a yes," Ratchet said, "We are on our way."
"Negative," Optimus responded. Ethera looked down at Optimus as he spoke. Still a little in shock, but the shock quickly erased from his figure. "Unicron cannot be defeated by sheer force. He wants me, and her Ratchet." His servos turned into blasters as he spoke. "This will be our fight alone."
The replicas of Unicron made their first move as they launched onto them from jumping into the sky. Opitmus shot at them before they could land while Ethera used the power of the wind and sun to tear the replicas apart through her force. As she went to wipe out a group of them a blast was fired toward her, but she quickly maneuvered out of the way, sending Unicron's blast onto themselves. She made vines from the dirt that pulled limbs off of the replicas of Unicron along with the earth opening beneath them swallowing the replicas whole. She then turned around to see Optimus was surrounded behind her, from all ends.
"Optimus!" She cried as her cry echoed, it caused all of the replicas around him to shatter like glass and fall to the ground. She flew towards him, but a replica showed up with a blade and stabbed her wing as she flew. Causing her to fall to the ground and crush him as she fell. "You little pests."
"We will be your downfall Vallonia." As replicas surrounded her from all directions, she slowly stood up to hear the roars of engines echoing around her. Looking up she saw the figure of Arcee saving Optimus. She turned around to see a form of Unicron about to stab her with his jagged arm, but the figure was destroyed by none other than Bulkhead. "Bulkhead? You..."
"Shut up and fight." Bulkhead replied as he continued to fight off the other figures around them. She stood up and summoned her energy to pull water up from the ground, the water rose to their ankles. As the water formed it healed her injured wing and she flew out of the valley, using her power, she lifted Bulkhead, Arcee, Bumblebee and Optimus out of the valley and flew towards a much more open field. Where they could move and maneuver a lot easier.
"Julie, what are you doing?" Optimus cried.
"I am not Julie, I am Ethera. And I am saving your hides from being cornered." Ethera replied. She released them as they all landed on the ground on their feet. Waves of water swirled behind her figure as she stood next to Optimus, but they weren't alone. A giant figure of Unicron formed in front of them. "Is that him?" Bumblebee asked. "By the Allspark..."
"No, not Unicron himself, but another of his manifestations." Optimus answered him.
"If we can't beat Unicron and we can't outrun him, what exactly are we supposed to do?" Bulkhead asked.
"All we can do. Neutralize his vessels as they appear, until we find a way to destroy him..." Optimus transformed his servos into blasters. "Without destroying the very Earth upon which we walk."
"I would ask if we can put Ares back into his slumber, but if we did that his spirit may arise and come back to haunt the surface." Ethera said.
"What do you mean by his spirit?" Bulkhead asked.
"It was never truly his body we fought all those centuries ago, but it was a spirit of darkness, it roamed the Earth for centuries as we fought it off until it was weak and disappeared. There was no sign of it since, but I believe if he has awoken now, then the spirit may be alive also." As she took off on her wings and flew towards the head of Unicron's giant replica. She cut off a horn with the power of electricity, but the giant replica raised its hand and struck her out of the sky, sending her crashing onto the ground behind Optimus who was firing at him. "Ethera!" He cried as he saw her crash, but was sent flying into a rocky mound. The rocks fell on top of him, pinning him down in place.
"I am this world's past and its future." Unicron cried as he towered over the both of them, his sword in his hand raised high above, it swung down toward them both, "And as of this moment...all Primes are simply past."
Right before the sword landed on top of Optimus a blast of purple shot the head of the replica's face. Sending the head and everything else flying and crumbling apart into pieces. Ethera slowly stood up onto her feet to look for where the blast came from. As she looked at the others, they all shook their heads. "Wasn't me." Arcee said.
"Me neither." Bulkhead replied.
"Ratchet." Arcee commed.
"What is it? What happened?" His voice asked, filled with panic.
"I happened." A voice echoed around.
The bots and Ethera turned around seeing a figure coming towards them, where Ethera stood beside Optimus who was still buried by the rubble.
"Optimus?" Ethera asked as she went to lend him a hand. Just to be shoved to the side by the robot. He shoved her with a push from his shoulder, making her take a few steps back. They saw him aiming his cannon at Optimus, but before she could fire at the evil figure he transformed his cannon into his servo and helped pull Optimus out of the rubble. Optimus stared at him for a moment before taking his servo and Megatron helped him stand. She stood there with a blazing ball of energy in her hand ready to fire at him if she needed to.
"It is rather ironic," Megatron said as he took a few steps away from them and looked back at them. "Considering our last encounter. If memory serves, you were desperately attempting to extinguish my spark."
Optimus walked back over towards him with a very clear glare on his face. "That option still remains very much in play."
"I would expect nothing less." Megatron replied. He then walked back to where he originally stood with his servos crossed behind his back. "However, I have a proposal. Join me in defeating our shared enemy - Unicron, the Chaos-Bringer."
"Ha! Absurd!" Ratchet's voice rang out from Arcee's comm. "Unicron is evil incarnate. If Megatron was to take any side, why would it be ours?"
"Because Megatron's pride would never allow anyone other than himself to rule this planet." Optimus replied.
"You know me all too well, Optimus." Megatron said with a grin.
"If there is anyone this planet belongs to, it is my ancestors. Neither of you would have the right to rule." Ethera replied.
Megatron glared at her, but before he could say anything Bulkhead spoke. "You lead an army of cons. Why come to us?"
"Because this particular endeavor requires something beyond the realm of my command - the power of a Prime." He gestures to Optimus who stood nearby, "And maybe even this goddess that deems before me. I saw your power in the fight, it would be useful. Summoning the very energy of the planet itself? That is a true feat."
Optimus took a step in front of her in defense. As though he was threatened by the remark.
"Then I guess we don't need you." Bulkhead said.
"On the contrary," Megatron responded. "Optimus may be the only one who can defeat Unicron, but I remain the only one who can guide you to him. Unicron's lifeblood runs through me. Only I can hear his thoughts, anticipate his movements. Optimus, our past alliances - Autobot, Decepticon - no longer matter, not while Unicron lives."
Something echoed off the comm as Ratchet's voice came through. "The past always matters!"
"That may be true Ratchet, but the lives of many are at stake. We cannot take the risk." Ethera said.
"A truce between Autobot and Decepticon." Optimus said. "How long do you expect us to believe that will last?"
"Only as long as it's mutually beneficial." Megatron replied.
"And when our proposed shared mission is completed?"
"I will conquer this Earth...my way."
"In your dreams, you will have to get past me first." Ethera said. "The Earth alone choses its mother, and that by nature itself has been my people."
"Brutal honesty from a Decepticon?" Arcee muttered out loud.
"Aligning with the lesser of two evils is still siding with evil." Ratchet cried through the comms.
"Do you think you've witnessed the full power of Unicron?" Megatron asked them. "Those foot soldiers were nothing more than a taste. Unicron has yet to fully awaken. With each passing moment, the Bringer of Chaos evolves, mutating Earth from the inside out. What we have witnessed until now is but a prelude of the utter devastation his rising will wreck upon your world."
"Like how your quest for power destroyed Cybertron?" Arcee asked.
"Make no mistake." Megatron said. "This time, there will be a planet left for me to rule."
"Even if we agree," Bulkhead said. "Unicron's all the way down at the center of the Earth. How are we supposed to get there - drive?"
"There is only one way." Optimus answered.
"Absolutely not!" Ratchet exclaimed through the comms. "Groundbridging into space or onto moving trains is difficult enough. But plotting a blind jump inside of a sentient being? Besides, direct exposure to that much dark energon will debilitate you. You haven't built up an immunity like Megatron has."
"Yet another strong argument for soliciting my guidance." Megatron said, clearly losing his patience.
"You can provide Unicron's exact coordinates?" Optimus asked.
"If you transport us to this planet's core, I can lead you directly into Unicron's spark... the very heart of his darkness." Megatron said, as he clutched his servo, as though squeezing something in the process.