Transformers Prime: I am Allspark

Ultra Magnus's heavy footsteps echoed through the steel corridors of Autobot High Command. His pace was urgent, his expression grave, he could feel it; Cybertron's balance was teetering on the edge of collapse.

"Prepare immediately," he commanded, voice steeled with unwavering authority. "The One Chosen by Primus must be protected at all costs. Summon our most trusted Autobots. Be ready for confrontation."

A hesitant soldier spoke up, "Sir… he is a Prime. A Prime shouldn't need a guard."

Ultra Magnus halted on a dime, spinning around with military precision. His glare landed like a seasoned professor chastising a pupil for voicing sheer nonsense.

"Don't be a fool," he snapped, his tone like a vibroblade through glass. "Orion Pax is not yet Prime. He has not claimed the Matrix of Leadership. Without it, he is as vulnerable as any of us."

Stepping forward, he lowered his voice, but his eyes burned brighter.

"And we cannot allow any harm to come to him. Not while Megatron and his Decepticons are surrounding the temple."

The weight of responsibility pressed down on Ultra Magnus like molten steel. Conflict was no longer a matter of if, only when. And Orion Pax's fate now rested in his hands.

Without another word, he marched toward the command center, posture rigid with purpose. As he entered, the room snapped to attention.

"Open the portal. Now," he ordered. "Orion Pax must be moved beyond danger, before it's too late."

No one questioned him. They wouldn't dare. Every Autobot in that room had been handpicked by Ultra Magnus himself. Each one knew exactly why they were there. They understood the weight of their task, that the one chosen by Primus had to be kept safe, no matter the cost.

***

Back at the High Council Temple:

Orion Pax stood in silence, his optics unfocused. Guilt weighed heavy on his spark. Deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had stolen something, stolen the moment that should have belonged to his brother.

Megatron had always dreamed of becoming Prime. And now, everything he had built… everything he believed in… felt like it had turned against him.

A sudden crackle lit the air behind Orion, bright cerulean light tore open the space, and with a low hum of power, a portal shimmered into being. From within stepped Ultra Magnus, flanked by a unit of escort Autobots, his presence radiating command and urgency.

"Orion Pax," he said, voice clear and steady. "It is an honor to stand before Primus's chosen. But there's no time for ceremony, this place may descend into war at any moment."

"My brother... he wouldn't act so recklessly," Orion argued, his voice laced with doubt as memories of Megatron's fury flared in his mind.

Ultra Magnus met his gaze without flinching. "Are you certain of that?"

The question hung in the air like a thundercloud.

Silence answered louder than any words.

The commander nodded, voice softening, but still firm. "Then you know what must be done. We must withdraw. For now, your safety is not a privilege, it's a necessity. You are the keystone of Cybertron's future. And we cannot risk that."

Orion closed his optics, breathing in the weight of destiny pressing against his chest. Then, without another word, he stepped into the portal.

Megatron stormed out of the temple like a rising storm. His crimson optics burned with raw fury, and every step he took was thunderous with rage.

Before him, the crowd that once hailed him stood divided. Some remained loyal, unmoved in their devotion. Others, doubting, hesitant, poisoned by what they had just seen, wavered.

Megatron's fury boiled over. He raised his fusion cannon, the barrel glowing hot with coalesced Energon, and fired into the sky. A deafening blast cracked across the heavens, a signal, a declaration.

"You saw it with your own optics!" he roared, his voice shaking the foundations of the city. "The High Council has betrayed me! They conspired to deny my destiny! And worst of all, Orion Pax, the brother I trusted, has BETRAYED the Decepticon cause!"

A silence fell over the masses like a heavy shroud. Megatron stepped forward, fists clenched.

"Who unified Cybertron? I DID!" His words cut the air like shrapnel. "Who fought against oppression for eons? I DID! And now... now you expect me to kneel before an archivist? NO!"

The Decepticons who still believed in him, even after everything, growled in agreement, their sparks ignited by their leader's burning fury.

"No more lies! No more weakness!" he cried, raising a clenched fist to the darkened sky. "Cybertron belongs to the strong! To the worthy! To those who kneel to no relic, no myth! Who stands with me? MARCH FORWARD! RISE UP!"

"RISE UP!"

"RISE UP!"

"RISE UP!"

The chant rose like a tidal wave, and in that moment, war returned to Cybertron.

Chaos exploded in a heartbeat.

Energy weapons lit the skyline. Screams echoed through metallic alleys. Decepticons loyal to Megatron struck without mercy, against buildings, against dissenters, against their own kind.

There was no room for hesitation.

Any Cybertronian who faltered… who turned away… was gunned down without second thought. The streets, once sacred, now ran slick with sparks and shattered wreckage. A world on the verge of rebirth had been cast headlong into bloodshed.

Some Decepticons, unable to stomach the slaughter, fled. They had not joined for this. Not for massacre. But fleeing was betrayal and betrayal, in Megatron's world, meant death.

Knock Out stood amidst the chaos, optics wide, expression tight with horror. He had known war was coming, but not like this.

"Okay, okay…" he muttered to himself, servos trembling. "I knew it could come to this… I just didn't think it'd be today."

Beside him, Dreadwing stood in absolute silence, a statue cast in steel and loyalty. His optics remained fixed on the burning skyline, where smoke coiled like dying prayers into the heavens. He had sworn his allegiance to Megatron long ago, an oath forged not out of fear, but conviction. That vow had never wavered. In his optics, Megatron wasn't just a warlord; he was the rightful ruler of Cybertron, the only one with the strength to shape a future from the ruins of their broken world.

And yet… something stirred. Faint, but undeniable. A whisper deep within his spark, a hesitation he dared not name. Doubt. It flickered like a dying ember, fragile but insistent. Dreadwing clenched his fists, trying to silence it. "No," he muttered under his breath, as if speaking it aloud might banish the thought. "Megatron is right. He's always been right." But even as he spoke, the words felt heavier than before.

And from a distance, as flames devoured what little order remained, Megatron stood watching, not with grief, nor regret, but with unwavering resolve. To him, this was not chaos. This was cleansing. The weak, the misguided, the relics of a corrupt age, they would all be swept away. If forging a new Cybertron meant reducing the old one to ash, so be it. There could be no paradise without fire. No future without destruction. And he would be its architect.

***

Autobot Base — Iacon:

The moment Orion Pax and Ultra Magnus stepped through the portal, they emerged into the heart of the Autobot command center. Red warning lights pulsed in relentless rhythm. Alarms screamed across the chamber. Autobots darted between consoles, their servos clattering in frantic urgency.

Tension sparked in the air like static.

An operator turned to Ultra Magnus, voice tight with panic. "Sir, we have confirmation, Megatron has launched a full-scale assault!"

Ultra Magnus's expression stayed composed, but Orion caught it, a flicker in his optics, the weight of that revelation settling in.

"Where exactly?" Magnus demanded, his voice edged with dread.

The Autobot hesitated, just for a breath. "Everywhere, sir."

A cold silence swallowed the room.

"It's not just Iacon. All across Cybertron... cities are under simultaneous attack."

Orion's optics widened, the truth hitting like a missile. This… this was not what he had wanted. Not what he had ever imagined.

Guilt twisted in his spark.

Ultra Magnus turned to him, his gaze heavy with purpose. "There's no time for doubt. If Primus truly chose you, then you must claim the Matrix of Leadership, before Cybertron is reduced to ash."

Orion hesitated, shoulders sinking under the weight of destiny. He wasn't like Magnus. He wasn't forged for war. He wasn't Megatron, forged in fire and conquest. He was... a historian. A thinker. And yet...

Now, all of Cybertron depends on him.

"I…" His voice cracked, briefly. But he caught himself. Drawing in a slow breath, he wrestled his thoughts back into order and lifted his head again, steadier this time. "I don't know where the Matrix lies... but I know who can guide me to it."

Magnus frowned. "Who?"

Orion turned toward the fading shimmer of the portal."I need to go back," he said quietly. "I need to return to the Iacon Library."

The only response was the shrill wail of alarms echoing through the command center.

"Orion…" Magnus's voice was low, rough with warning. "Iacon is a war zone. The Decepticons are killing anything that moves. You'll be walking straight into their crosshairs."

But Orion remained firm, unable to waver in that situation.

"I know what I'm doing."

Magnus held his gaze for a long, heavy moment... then finally gave a slow, grim nod.

"Then may Primus guide us." He turned sharply. "Open the portal! And Orion, link your communicator to mine. If you need support, call. Immediately."

***

Iacon Library:

In the vaulted halls of the Iacon Library, the distant echoes of chaos reverberated through ancient walls. Explosions rumbled far off. Muffled screams pierced even the reinforced glass. And yet, inside, time itself seemed to hold its breath.

Elita paced like a caged flame, fists clenched, her frame rigid with frustration."We can't just stand here waiting," she burst out, her voice tight with urgency. "The Decepticons are tearing the city apart. We have to fight. We have to do something."

Alpha Trion sat calmly, hands folded over his knee. His gaze seemed distant, yet unshaken. It wasn't indifference, but intention. He knew Orion would come."I know what's happening," he said, his voice as still as a glassy pond. "But not yet."

Elita turned to him, her eyes blazing with outrage."How can you sit there while Cybertron burns?"

Before he could answer, a sharp hum sliced through the air. A portal shimmered to life in a wave of blue light, casting luminous ripples across the metallic floor. Both turned instinctively, their bodies moving as one, guided not by thought, but by sheer instinct

The portal expanded, brimming with raw, radiant energy. Its light surged through the library walls like the pulse of a living star. Orion Pax emerged, slightly dazed, but quickly steadying himself. He landed with a swift, sure motion, rising slowly… as though gravity itself bore down heavier upon his spark than ever before.

For a breathless moment, Elita froze, her optics wide with disbelief. Then she ran to him.Her arms wrapped around him in a fierce, desperate embrace, as if her very spark feared losing him again."I thought you..." Her voice broke, unable to finish.

Orion stiffened at first, surprised. But slowly, he returned the embrace, letting the tension in his frame dissolve into hers."I'm here," he whispered, low and steady.

Alpha Trion stood silently in the doorway, his expression filled with the quiet understanding of a lifetime.Orion gently pulled away. Their eyes met, a brief glance carrying all the words they had no time to speak.

Then he turned to the one who could guide him."You must take me to Primus."

The old sage studied him for a long moment, as if this question had been waiting in the stars since the dawn of time. Then he gave a slight nod and rose to his feet."Come."

Orion and Elita followed without hesitation. Their footsteps echoed through the vast metal corridors, each distant explosion outside a grim reminder that time was running out.

At last, they reached Alpha Trion's private study. The old mentor approached his worn desk and pressed a hidden switch. A low mechanical hum filled the room, and part of the wall slid open, revealing a narrow, shadowed passage.

Elita folded her arms and exhaled a dry sigh."Another secret passage? Seriously?"

Orion glanced at her briefly, and despite everything, he couldn't help the faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Alpha Trion, eyes fixed ahead, stepped forward as his voice echoed down the darkened hall."Knowledge must be protected, young Elita. There is always more than meets the eye."

Without another word, he vanished into the shadows. Orion and Elita followed, their steps steady, their sparks braced, knowing they were being led into yet another mystery the old Prime had long kept hidden.