#hence why idw Megs absolutely would rock starverse Megs' shit

[shenaniganeryfromtheabyss]

[authorized biometric recognized]

[access granted]

memory loading . . .

note from memory archivist : Starborn

Megs,, when you find this, i want you to know that i didn't hate you. i hated that i could become you. i realized- some time ago- that was something neither of us wanted.

Starborn trudged through the tall grass field that stretched on behind the Malto farm. he had left the barn in haste after Megatron began reminiscing on his "sorted past". his sorted past was the terran's beloved present, or at least it had been until he was forced to live with the Maltos.

he didn't want to lose his temper in front of the kids, so he left. the anger and pain and grief he'd been keeping bottled up was starting to bubble to the surface, and he feared how ugly it'd be once it spilled out. he missed his mom and the cassettes, he wanted to listen to Soundwave play old rock again or Shockwave talk about his experiments. Megatron threw them away and acts like it was something he had to do, for his sake.

lost in his thoughts, Starborn hadn't realized he had actually walked far enough to be out of sight of the farm. all that was beside him were the tracks leading back on one side and the dense treeline on the other. the sky was clear as it could be, full moon bright enough to light up the grassy strip he had been walking down.

"why,, just why,," Starborn said in a whisper, looking to the moon. he was speaking to himself, but a small part hoped the moon would answer. it never did.

"Starborn !!" a voice called out from the woods. it was Megatron, looking for him. "Star, please, let us talk this out !! the kids are worried about you !!"

how dare he,,

"Megatron." Starborn spoke up enough for the mech to hear, considering he couldn't be too far. the terran was right, it didn't take long for him to approach and step out of the treeline not far behind.

the large bot paused before slowly approaching, "Starborn,," Megatron said in a tentative tone.

"i don't wanna hear it." he retorted, "i'll come back when i've cooled off, don't wanna drag our bullshit in front of everyone,," Starborn was mostly concerned for the kids. he knew what it was like to grow up with people you considered family constantly at each other's throats. he didn't want to do that to them.

"the kids aren't here. i told the others to stay at the barn while i came to get you,, we can talk this out now." Megatron said, trying to be stern. "why are you angry with me?"

"i don't have to explain shit to you. the fact you can't figure it out for yourself should say enough." Starborn turned to start walking away from the large bot before he took a step forward.

"i'm not letting you walk away from this. i can't make amends for something if i don't even know what i've done. if this is about Starscream-"

"you keep her name out of your mouth !!" the terran yelled, enraged, cutting him off.

"don't you ever talk about any of them again, do you understand me? they're all that's left and look at what you've done to them."

"they're doing this to themselves, i've tried time and time again to get them to change-"

"after everything they sacrificed the first time? like hell they should listen to you again."

"they'll be safe this time. the war is over, yet they want to drag it out and for what? it's pointless."

"oh, so you finally get it? that your whole "war" was pointless, the universe's longest temper tantrum? you got the change you wanted and immediately became what you said you hated,,"

"i was corrupted-"

"by what? your own ego? then, after a millennium of burning your own world to the ground, with the power of friendship, you ditch what's left of your most loyal fuckin soldiers."

"oh, please,,"

Starborn froze for a moment. he had been angry at Megatron before, but this? the feeling eating him alive right now? it was completely different. it was hate he hadn't felt in a long time.

a storm had rolled in above them while they were fighting, the clouds darkening to a green. thunder rumbled in the distance as the terran slowly clenched his fists to try and hide the worsening tremor. the hate gnawing at his insides began to make him feel sick and sting his eyes with tears.

"how,, dare you !!" Starborn yelled out, "what more do they have to lose to prove themselves to you- to the cause you created !?"

Megatron was quick to take notice of how dark it suddenly was, the wind picking up around them. a flash of plasma off in the distance with another rumble of thunder only a few seconds after sent a wave of concern through the bot's processor. this storm was going to get ugly.

"Starborn-"

"don't you fuckin dare say anything to me !! i don't want to hear your spineless bullshit anymore !! i've stood by and watched the aftermath of you abandoning your people long enough !!" he cut him off, taking a shaky breath before continuing, "you let the power you took by force consume you and then destroyed everything you could, for what !? how many people have died- how many have to !?"

"Starry, please, listen-"

"don't you dare call me that, you have no right !!" everything suddenly died down, turning the usually ambient woodland to an eerie quiet. all that could be heard were the terran's labored breathing and distant planes flying over Wittwicky.

Megatron stood there in the silence, looking down to Starborn. he could see the hate in his eyes now, but he could also see it was underlined with pain. it was a look he was all too familiar with.

"you're spineless, a traitor !! i earned the mark on my back for this cause, risking my life for it !! the least you could've done was had the diginity to die for what you started !!" Starborn huffed, out of breath from yelling as his voice began to crack. he looked up at Megatron with his now lack of reaction only fanning the flames of his anger.

a bolt of lightning struck between them, causing Starborn to fall back. when he managed to push himself up, his ears rang from the thunder clap that followed. he hadn't realized Thundercracker and Skywarp had landed by him until one of the seekers scooped him up. they had used the sudden storm as a cover to finally rescue him.

as his senses came back, he could hear the muffled voices of the two seekers yelling at each other. he turned to look at the blurry silhouette that slowly became Megatron again before Thundercracker put the terran in his chasis and took off. Megatron didn't stop them.

Starborn sank onto the seat of Thundercracker's alt-mode as they flew off. he took deep breaths as his body began to wind down from the stress he was just in. the hate he now felt didn't go away, though.

i won't kill you, Megs,, but i sure Hell will find a way to haunt you until you do it yourself.

-----

[archived memory completed]

[would you like to continue to the next memory?] {YES} {NO}

---

Megatron sat there- on the archive library floor- for a moment. his processor whirred softly as he took in everything he just watched. Starborn's pain was palpable, the look of pity his counterpart gave her,, the promise at the end.

was this why she couldn't look at him? what had she done? what happened to lead to this?

all those questions and more raced around the bot's processor as he began to put the pieces together. the pieces of what his counterpart in this universe was like, how Starborn was related to him, and who she really was. as well as the how of her seemingly taking his place.

Megatron looked back to the memory archive book and braced himself as he clicked {YES}.