Transformers: Animated: Shadows of Redemption

Prologue

Since the dawn of existence, two divine beings stood as opposing forces: Primus and Unicron. Their eternal conflict has raged since time immemorial. Primus embodied the essence of life, while Unicron personified destruction and chaos. To aid in his struggle against Unicron, Primus forged the Thirteen Original Primes, who united with him in battle. However, Megatronus Prime, one of the Thirteen, succumbed to darkness, betraying Primus and his brethren to align with Unicron, earning the infamous title of The Fallen. In his descent into darkness, Megatronus slew his beloved, Solus Prime, betraying both the Primes and Primus himself. To fill the void left by this treachery, Primus appointed Thetas Prime among the ranks of the Primes.

Alongside her partner, Solarguard, Thetas aided in the defeat of Megatronus Prime, banishing him to a distant dimension after Primus successfully cast Unicron into the depths of space. With Unicron vanquished and The Fallen imprisoned, Primus transformed into the world of Cybertron, giving rise to millions of Cybertronians. In the aftermath, Thetas Prime and Solarguard welcomed the birth of their firstborn son, two million stellar cycles later. Amidst the ongoing peace on Cybertron, a new threat emerged with the invasion of the Quintessons. In a valiant act of selflessness, Thetas Prime and Solarguard made the ultimate sacrifice, utilizing the legendary Matrix of Leadership to repel the Quintesson invaders and safeguard their planet and people.

Witnessing this heroic act, Ultra Magnus, Supreme Commander of the Autobot Elite Guard, resolved to honor the legacy of the fallen Primes by adopting Thetas Prime's son as his ward. As the years passed, Ultra Magnus nurtured the young boy, shaping him into a formidable Autobot. Orion Pax, as he was named by the late Thetas Prime, grew in stature and strength, unaware of his true lineage, shielded by Ultra Magnus and his fellow Autobots until the time was right for revelation. Ultra Magnus safeguarded the Matrix of Leadership in the depths near Cybertron's core, where Primus rests, to bestow it upon Thetas Prime's son once he reaches maturity and demonstrates his worthiness.

Cybertron enjoyed a semblance of peace until a new menace emerged. Megatron, once a gladiator from Kaon and bearing the name of Megatronus Prime, emerged as the leader of a faction of disenfranchised Cybertronians dubbed the Decepticons. Driven by a desire to overthrow what he perceived as Autobot oppression, Megatron ignited a war for control of Cybertron. Ultra Magnus and the Autobots found themselves locked in a bitter conflict against Megatron and his Decepticon army. The struggle for dominance over Cybertron ensued, with both sides fiercely vying for supremacy. Ultimately, Megatron and his Decepticons faced banishment from Cybertron due to their insurrection. Swearing vengeance, Megatron vowed to return and seize control of Cybertron by harnessing the power of the Allspark, wherever it may reside, to bolster his strength.

Optimistic and possessing a unique spirit, Orion Pax flourished under Ultra Magnus's guidance, progressing from a humble data clerk to a promising Autobot recruit at the renowned Autobot boot camp. As Orion Pax underwent his rigorous Autobot boot camp training under the guidance of Kup Minor, he earned the affectionate nickname "Optimus" due to his bright and hopeful demeanor. Alongside him in the training platoon were Elita-One and Sentinel, forging bonds that would shape their futures as Autobots. During his later training days at the Autobot Academy, Orion Pax, now renamed, Optimus, impressed Ultra Magnus with his performance in a computer-simulated battle against Megatron. Although Optimus "died" in the battle, causing his boisterous pal Sentinel to make a crack at his expense, Magnus pointed out that Optimus had just scored higher on the test than anyone in Academy history, and let Optimus know he had great hopes for him.

Within the halls of the Autobot Academy, Optimus formed close friendships with Sentinel and Elita-One. As their camaraderie blossomed, so did Optimus's affection for Elita-One, eventually blossoming into a romantic relationship between the two. Optimus and Elita-One's love for each other blossomed, leading them to open their hearts to a young yellow sparkling who had lost his parents. Embracing him as their own, they lovingly named him "Bumblebee" and raised him as their cherished adopted son. Over time, Optimus and Elita-One chose to bring a new life into the world, welcoming their daughter whom they named Altair Comet. Meanwhile, Megatron orchestrated the abduction of a fembot named Firestar, coercing her into marriage and birthing his son, whom he named Orion Eclipse.

Optimus's first encounter with Megatron occurred during the invasion of Cybertron by Megatron and his Decepticons. Despite Optimus's valiant efforts, he found himself outmatched by Megatron's strength and cunning. It was only thanks to the timely intervention of Ultra Magnus, who shielded his ward from Megatron's wrath, that Optimus escaped unscathed. When Optimus rallied the Autobots to confront Megatron and repel the Decepticon invasion, the tide of battle turned in favor of our heroes. As the Autobots emerged victorious, Megatron and Optimus solidified their enmity, marking the beginning of a long and bitter feud between them.

Megatron harbored ambitions of grooming his son, Orion Eclipse, as the heir to the Decepticon throne, envisioning a future where his descendants would rule over his empire. Conversely, Optimus and Elita-One were determined to nurture their daughter, Altair Comet, into an Autobot. The paths of Orion Eclipse and Altair Comet remained separate until fate intervened, bringing their fathers into an unexpected encounter. Despite their animosity, Optimus and Megatron chose to engage in a peaceful conversation. In a rare moment of accord, they allowed Orion and Altair to forge a friendship before parting ways once again. As Bumblebee transitioned into young adulthood, he ventured forth to undergo training at the Autobot boot camp. Meanwhile, his foster parents, Optimus and Elita-One, remained steadfast in their care for their daughter, Altair Comet, who was still in the stages of adolescence as a sparkling.

Orion Eclipse and Altair Comet both endured tragic losses in their youth. Orion lost his mother, Firestar, while Altair's mother, Elita-One, tragically fell to her death, leaving them to grapple with the cruelty of fate. Altair grew into her teenage years under the sole guidance of her father, Optimus, until she decided to live with her late mother's close female companions. In contrast, as Orion grew into a teenager, his father Megatron aimed to mold him into a ruthless Decepticon warrior. However, Orion demonstrated qualities of compassion, mercy, and love—traits Megatron viewed as weaknesses. Disappointed by his son's divergence from his expectations, Megatron treated Orion harshly, often chastising him for his perceived shortcomings and acts of defiance. Meanwhile, Altair remained determined to follow in her father's footsteps as an Autobot, vowing to uphold her mother's memory and never forget her.

The Quintessons devised a device aimed at erasing the memories of Cybertron's populace, rendering them vulnerable. However, upon activation, only half of the population succumbed to the memory wipe, resulting in a fractured recollection of their past connections with family, friends, and adversaries. Optimus found himself among those who had completely forgotten that Bumblebee was his adopted son, while both Optimus and Megatron were deprived of their memory of their past rivalry and their first encounter. Their paths would not intersect for the first time once again until a crucial moment when Optimus, alongside Bulkhead, Prowl, Ratchet, and Bumblebee, found the Allspark. Before the Quintessons activated the memory-altering device, Orion Eclipse vanished into the depths of space, leading the Decepticons to assume him dead following a fierce battle with Ultra Magnus and the Autobots. Megatron, however, showed no signs of mourning for his son. To him, Orion Eclipse was a disappointment, failing to meet the expectations set for him as Megatron's heir.

Unbeknownst to all, Orion Eclipse survived the ordeal and found himself stranded on a distant planet known as Earth. Awakening from stasis, he grappled with amnesia, losing all memory of his past and purpose. Adrift and alone, Orion Eclipse wandered as a lost and forgotten Decepticon amnesiac, marooned on Earth for many years. Despite losing his memories, Orion somehow still manages to remember his name, but he had no memory of who he was and where he came from. As for Altair Comet, she stayed on Cybertron while living with her mother's female friends while working hard to become an Autobot while waiting for her father, Optimus Prime, to return home. Little did Altair Comet knew that her father went to Earth with his Autobot friends and after going on many adventures, Optimus and his team had finally defeated Megatron and his Decepticons before arresting them and bringing them to Cybertron where they will face justice for their crimes.

But how and when will Altair Comet reunite with her father and learn that her mother is still alive? How and when will Orion Eclipse regain his lost memories and find his purpose? How or when will Optimus Prime fulfill his true destiny and how and when will Sari Sumdac's true origin be revealed? Well, that is where and when our story begins...