#prima said fuck megatronus im gonna yeet him into space

[primus-why]

AU: An Alternate Original Primes Narrative

Here's a very star-crossed lovers kind of AU mythos for the original Primes, with a MegOp/reincarnation endgame 👀

To summarize, Prima was the first Prime. They were forged by Primus to help Cybertronians topple their Quintesson oppressors.

From there, as other threats or problems arose, Primus forged a Prime to address the issue. One by one, twelve Primes in total were made, each serving a purpose that led Cybertron into it's first golden age. (For example, Solus could forge great weapons to keep the planet safe, Amalgamous could unlock secrets of transformation, etc.) Together they could face any challenge, and by the time the Quintessons attempted to recolonize Cybertron, the Quints were squashed easily.

Eventually, Alpha Trion began to forsee an even greater enemy on the horizon. After bringing this news to Primus, the twelve Primes learned that they would soon face Unicron-- a being as powerful as Primus themself. Armed with that information, each Prime went about preparing for the impending confrontation in their own way.

Prima-- the first Prime, and leader of the twelve-- met with Primus regularly, meditating and seeking guidance. Megatronus-- a warrior as strong as Prima, though significantly more cunning and ruthless-- decided to enlist the help of Alpha Trion's foresight to prepare for the battles ahead. He reasoned that the more he could predict the fight, the better he could ensure a winning outcome.

But one day, Alpha Trion had a shocking revelation: soon they would meet one more Prime! Initially, Megatronus was only interested in what the new Prime would be able to contribute in battle. He went with Alpha Trion to visit Primus and inquired just that, as well as when they might be forged.

But Primus explained that this new Prime already walked among them! In due time, they would become enlightened and answer their higher calling to fulfill their role as the next Prime. However, until then, they lived as any other ordinary Cybertronian citizen. This thirteenth Prime's experience, Primus reasoned, would provide invaluable insight into how the Primes may better serve their subjects.

Peeved that the ever-cryptic Primus did not directly explain when this new Prime might arrive, Megatronus went back to his battle inquiries with Alpha Trion. (He even tried to needle some info out of Prima, who told him just as cryptically "Be patient, Primus has a plan". So forget it.) What use would an average citizen serve in such a grand conflict, anyway?

However, over time, Alpha Trion had less and less to say on the battles, and Megatronus began to suspect the other Prime had exhausted his scope on the conflict. Fair enough-- it would be impossible to know everything, as 'Trion had explained to him when his inquiries first began. Just in case, he would still ask about the future (though not nearly as frequently), and usually he got the same or similar results.

That is, until one day, Alpha Trion mentioned something very unexpected: that the new Prime would bear a spark that resonated with Megatronus' own.

Now, Megatronus had nearly forgotten about the up-and-coming mystery Prime, but he knew what resonance meant. It was synonymous with finding a soulmate, someone meant to be a companion with whom you'd form a close bond. It was... intriguing, to say the least.

Megatronus-- who possessed the same strengths as Prima, but without the direct connection to Primus-- often felt as though he had to prove himself. Each of the other Primes served a unique purpose, meanwhile he felt like an outcast for merely possessing the same abilities as their leader. This made him more ambitious than the rest of the Primes, fighting to prove his worthiness and to find a place by their sides.

But now... according to Alpha Trion's prophecy, this new Prime was to be someone who would stand by his side for a change. Someone who would find him worthy, regardless of his abilities.

Suddenly Megatronus became obsessed with Alpha Trion's foresight again, only this time he wanted to know more about the new Prime. What would they be like? What are their interests? Where are they now? When will they finally meet?

But that last question was troubling to Alpha Trion. See, he had told Megatronus only a portion of the prophecy-- that the new Prime would rise up during the arrival of Unicron-- but he hadn't shared the rest of it...

... Megatronus would not be there to meet this new Prime.

Alpha Trion interpreted this to mean that Megatronus' death would kick off the conflict. Despite knowing he cannot change the futures he predicts, he set about trying to find loopholes. Perhaps it simply meant Megatronus would be off-world, or even in stasis? Perhaps it meant he should try to delay the enlightenment of the new Prime, so that Unicron may never come...

Meanwhile, Megatronus continued to ask questions about the future. He could tell Alpha Trion was getting more and more exhausted, but he was growing impatient. He wanted everything to be perfect for when the new Prime made themselves known; he wanted to know how to navigate conflicts with them, how to cheer them up when it was warranted, how to be the perfect partner to them-- because shouldn't someone who so wonderfully accepted him as he was deserve the perfect partner? It got to the point that he was practically looking forward to the arrival of Unicron, which disturbed the other Primes.

Prima and Solus eventually confronted him, citing Alpha Trion's perpetual exhaustion from using his gift so frequently (though none of them knew Alpha Trion had also been researching ways to prevent Megatronus' demise.) Megatronus contended that they couldn't possibly understand being in his position, and argued that they ought to be thankful for his idea to collaborate with 'Trion so that they might know what to expect in the upcoming battles.

But Prima and Solus clarified that they took issue with Alpha Trion's gift being used for personal gain, for they knew Megatronus had also been looking into the new Prime, and why. That enraged Megatronus, who doubled down on pointing out their privileges-- Prima and Solus had been a blissfully bonded pair for many vorns now, how dare they try to shame him away from his own happiness?!?

Alpha Trion arrived on the scene after learning of the argument taking place at the Citadel. He tried to intervene just as things were heating up, and admitted to also using his power selfishly to try to find a way to preserve Megatronus' life.

A cold rage filled Megatronus once he learned the truth. After all that preparation, he wouldn't be the one charging into battle with a grand plan. He would never write his own legend, or make his own distinct mark among the Primes, aside from dying before their most important fight. He would never meet his match in life, never have his own conjux.

Alpha Trion's voice, babbling about loopholes and waiting, was drowned out. Quick as a klik, Megatronus took aim with his Requiem Blaster and fired without another thought.

His aim was true, hitting Solus Prime squarely in the chest plates. He barely registered the others' horrified reactions, focusing mainly on Prima. His oh-so-perfect counterpart. The leader who had everything-- high status, strength, deep and meaningful relationships, respect-- all from the moment he was forged...

... so why not even the playing field, for once?

From there, Prima launched a vicious attack upon him, while Alpha Trion and others tried to either stop them or provide first aid to Solus. Despite Prima no doubt feeling the pain of their conjux's spark fading, they put up a hell of a fight. Though, if he's being honest, Megatronus wasn't fighting for his life at that point-- he knew now that he was destined to die soon anyway-- rather, he was taking out years of his own pent-up frustrations, grief, and jealousy on his fellow Prime. However this made him callous and uncoordinated, and Prima eventually got the upper hand. Swift as they could, Prima snuffed out Megatronus' spark, and rushed back to Solus' side just in time to witness her last vents.

A funeral was held in the memory of Solus; all of Cybertron mourned her loss, and cursed the name of Megatronus. Megatronus' body was not laid to rest, instead it was launched into space by Prima themself, because they did not want to pay any sort of tribute to the one who had betrayed them so personally.

Eventually Unicron came across the body, resurrecting Megatronus' powerful frame with a fractured mind-- only retaining the hatred, sorrow, and frustration he had felt in his final moments. The shell of Megatronus was instrumental in leading Unicron's legions, wreaking havoc on the universe until they were on a direct course for Cybertron at last.

Not long after Unicron was spotted heading their way, the final Prime ascended to his rightful place-- he was called Optimus Prime. The Primes, now only eleven strong, scrambled to make use of all their preparations, while Optimus tried to find his own footing in all this. He ended up meeting with Alpha Trion often, as he was the studious type, and found a great deal of insight within the notes the other Prime had been taking with Megatronus all those years ago. Wistfully, Alpha Trion remarked that Megatronus would have appreciated being acknowledged for their efforts, as it had been his idea. Optimus asked to have all the notes, and Alpha Trion let him. ("I'm not of much use otherwise," he said, "Unlike most of the others I'm not a warrior, and my gift refuses to see beyond a certain point. It would seem all of our futures hinge on the outcome of this conflict. Good luck, Optimus Prime. 'Till all are one.")

Optimus pored through the notes, coming to understand Megatronus' battle tactics along the way. He also uncovered the tragic prophecy, which foretold their sparks would have resonated. It made his own spark ache-- torn between the facts of Megatronus' brutal betrayal towards his fellow Primes, yet Optimus longed to have known his spark, to see who he was for himself and to have known what that connection might have felt like.

Even armed with their knowledge and skills, the Primes were still fewer in numbers than they had initially hoped when they had first learned of Unicron. Prima realized they would not be able to defeat Unicron permanently-- in fact, they understood most of them would not survive this conflict-- and resolved to subdue Unicron instead. In one final stand, the warrior Primes banded together, channeling all their sparks' energy into Prima and their Matrix of Leadership-- save for the faintest flicker, which would return to the Allspark-- putting an end to Unicron's rampage and freeing Megatronus' bound spark.

In light of their sacrifices, Primus greeted each of the Primes' sparks warmly once they reached the Allspark, apologizing that things did not go as planned, and offered to grant them each a wish for whenever they are able to reincarnated. Some like Prima and Nexus wished that they would be able to someday know the others as friends in another life, to be able to laugh together, while some like Onyx or Amalgamous wished to retain elements of their gifts as they couldn't imagine a life without them.

Optimus' spark wondered where Megatronus' spark was... was he not welcome? And Primus revealed that they would have welcomed him despite his betrayal, however his spark was tainted when it was called back by Unicron, and thus would be doomed to wander, never allowed to rejoin the Allspark. Optimus' spark resolved that his wish would be to bring Megatronus back into the fold, to allow his spark to be purified and be given the chance to be reborn in a new life.

And Primus asked him, "Would you still wish this, even if it meant your sparks may never encounter each other? Even if I couldn't guarantee he would be happy in the next life?"

"Yes." Optimus' spark replied, full of conviction, "I believe he should be given the chance to find that happiness for himself."

And Primus obliged.

============================

Fast forward many years. Alchemist Prime and Alpha Trion are the only ones who survive the fight with Unicron, but the legends say they perished alongside their fellow Primes that day. They've since gone into hiding, adopting civilian personas, and watching over society with the rise and fall of Prime-pretenders who aren't even close to being shadows of the Thirteen. None can harness the Matrix the way a true Prime could.

Myths about the original Primes arise-- ones that stretch the truth about their respective roles and personalities, tall tales that blend fiction and reality... but mostly fiction. Some claim Prima was Primus themselves, walking among them for a time. Some say Onyx Prime is living on one of the moons exclusively in his beast form. Most will claim Megatronus was evil and in cahoots with Unicron all along, or was once good but seduced into wickedness. One tale even saw Megatronus being possessed by Unicron to kill Prima, but said Solus stepped in to take the blow instead. Alpha Trion is particularly saddened to see Megatronus remembered as The Fallen Prime, a complicated individual eroded into a simplistic abstraction to scare sparklings as they're being tucked into berth. It's what inspires him to work in the Iacon Archives, as he would much rather preserve true histories than to predict what will come to pass (besides, he's still wracked by guilt for what he perceives as his part in Megatronus' downfall). Alchemist opens up Maccadam's, offering a safe place for folks to let loose and be themselves-- because after they faced Unicron, he's come to especially appreciate these precious fleeting moments in the present.

Obviously they don't know about Optimus' wish, so they are independently put-off by the eerie similarities they spot in a certain gladiator rising to fame... because there's no way Megatronus' spark was able to re-enter the Allspark after being wielded by Unicron, right? It would have been corrupted... but what a peculiar coincidence... especially the name he's going by... hmmmm...

Alpha Trion even notices one of his archivists taking a particular interest in the gladiator's speeches... and as you know, the rest is history. 👀