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melishade · 1 year

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Attack on Prime: Peaceful Time Pilot

Main Story

So as the poll dictated, the Peaceful Timeline will get it's own pilot episode. And it's going to be so much fun for me to write.

Summary: After Optimus becomes one with the Allspark after defeating Unicron and restoring Cybertron, he is sent to another world, finding someone with a great and terrifying power. But instead of killing a creature with this power, he ends up saving a human woman, granting her a life of peace and healing, instead of one of suffering and heartache.

This gonna be fun! Roll it!

"I only ask of this of you fellow Autobots: keep fighting the noblest of fights." Optimus requested.

"You can count on us to keep the peace." Bumblebee reassured.

Optimus gave a small yet bitter smile for his team. He stared a little longer than he thought, doing his best to memorize their faces, knowing that this would be the last time he saw them. The Prime then turned back to the mouth of the well, feeling a strange sensation at how long the drop was. Optimus then activated the jet wings on his back, and he flew high into the sky. The Autobots watched in sadness as Optimus turned around and dove headfirst towards the core of their planet: to Primus himself.

The closer that Optimus got to the center of their planet, the brighter the light of the core had become. It had been eons since he had come to this place to receive the Matrix of Leadership, and now, it was time for him to give it back. He opened his chest, revealing the Matrix of Leadership in all of its glory. As he was almost to the core, he began to think to himself. He was happy. He was happy that the fighting was finally over. He can die happy knowing that he brought back peace and saved the planet that gave him life. He knew his comrades, his family, would keep the peace. He had complete faith in them.

He closed his optics and a small smile formed on his face as he let warm light consume him.

He heard someone crying. Someone was crying in fear and in pain, and that caused his optics to snap open. He shot up to a sitting position, looking around frantically wondering where that cry came from. It's only when his vision began to focus that he realized that...he was somewhere else. He was...back on Earth? It...it looked like Earth. The sky was slightly cloudy, but the sun stilled peered through the amorphous shapes, bringing light and warmth into the world. He was surrounded by tall pine trees, some of the needles were brown and had already fallen to the green grass below. The blades of grass prickled the metal of his dark servos.

Wait...dark? Optimus raised his servo to his faceplate and was stunned to see the older model. The upgrade that he acquired from the forge of Solus Prime had changed the color and the structure of his servos. Optimus looked down at his legs and found that they weren't robust but slender. Even his back felt lighter. Optimus heard the sounds of rushing water and stood up. He followed the sounds to a clear river, traveling down his right side through the forest ahead. The Prime kneeled down to see his reflection, and nearly gasped at the sight of him. He was back in his old form. Optimus couldn't help but touch his audio receptors and his antennae to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. But sure enough, it was there. It was real. He was alive.

But...why? He shouldn't be alive. He should be one with Primus or reincarnated. Did merging with Primus not work? Were the souls of the Allspark still with him? No...no they couldn't be. When he merged them all with his own spark and the Matrix, he could feel their presence, practically hear them all shouting. But now...it was quiet. However, if that was the case...who was the person he had just heard crying?

Optimus quickly shot up when he heard the powerful sounds of thunder. The ground shook beneath him and something bright caught his optic. He turned to his left to see lightning coming down from the sky and striking the ground, sending shockwaves throughout the area. Optimus watched in shock, as from the lightning and smoke, a giant creature had manifested itself from practically nothing. The creature reminded him of the titan cities like Metroplex with how massive it was. It was clearly organic, but unlike the humans it wore no clothes to speak of. The bones from its ribs protruded out of its skin and wrapped around its abdomen and chest. Blonde, unruly, unkempt hair grew from its scalp, and the Prime couldn't help but be mortified by the sight of a skull for a face. The creature unhinged its jaw and let out an unholy, raspy, cry before curling its hand into a fist, and slamming it into the ground. Optimus could hear the sounds of terrified screams as the creature continued to slam its fists into the ground.

Someone was in danger. Someone was dying. He had to help! Out of pure instinct, he transformed into his old alt mode: a red and blue semi-truck. He slammed the pedal and drove as fast as he could towards the giant titan.

====

Everything fell apart as quickly as it began.

The death of the previous general to the Marleyan army had shook everyone to their core and lowered the morale of the soldiers who had witnessed his death and escaped the onslaught of the Eldian Empire's army, and the devil that hailed from the earth below. The monstrous beast had crushed majority of their armies with its fists. And Helos, second in command to the Marleyan army, had bore witness to the sight of his general, his mentor, being slain by the human monster: King Fritz. He had stabbed the man in the chest before cutting off his head and mounting it on a spear. Helos had ordered everyone to retreat that day. They knew they had lost the fight and needed to live another day. But as they fled, they could all hear the Eldians laughing at their cowardice.

Helos was appointed as the next general by default. He hated the Eldians. He despised them all. They had destroyed his home. They had killed his friends and family. Day by day, he thought there was a chance to defeat them, but that hope had grown weaker and weaker. He did his best to strategize a better plan to withstand the might of the Eldians, but he and everyone else had doubted that it would work. Not as long as that devil was there. They could do nothing in the face of that.

Even so, the night before they had left for battle, Helos had prayed to the gods. He went inside the stone altar lit by torches hanging from the wall. He kneeled down in front of the statues and prayed. He knew that he probably would not survive, but he prayed that somehow, someway, the Eldian Empire would fall. If he was granted that prayer, he would do everything in his power to create peace. He would not seek out revenge. He would let go of the vengeance in his heart, but only if the Eldian King fell. It was wishful thinking, a hopeless wish, but even so, he prayed it anyway on the slim chance that someone would listen.

He had dawned the red, feathered, helmet of the general the next morning, covering his short dark hair. He wore his bronze armor. He tied his red cloak around his back. He did his best to boost the morale of his men, but they couldn't help but notice the fear in Helos' dark, brown eyes. The Eldians and the Marleyans had met on the battlefield. The Marleyans were tense, yet organized. Their shields were blocking their front, and their spears were pointed forward. The Eldians were disorganized, scattered amongst themselves, banging their swords against their round shields as a taunt. They were taunting the Marleyans. They had grown more arrogant and haughtier. It infuriated Helos. Then, he spotted him: King Fritz. Wrapped in a blue cloak, adorned in bronze armor, and atop his head, a horned helmet. Almost as if he's embraced the idea of becoming a devil. It made him sick to his stomach.

Helos was thrown off-guard; however, when Fritz had shoved a woman out towards the battlefield. He had given her a clear command Helos couldn't hear, and she slowly dragged her feet forward to create more room. The woman looked at the army, made direct eye contact with Helos, and he could see...remorse in those sad, grey, eyes. She then raised her hand, bit down on it hard, and summoned lightning down from the sky and transformed into that devil that towered as tall as the sky.

His army was forced to scatter as she had slammed her fist into the ground. Helos watched in despair as the blood of his comrades stained the ground and her fists. Their corpses were mangled beyond recognition. They had thrown their spears at her, but it did nothing. They had drawn their swords, but that also did nothing as she healed from those wounds. The formation was completely destroyed, and many of the men had been scattered. The Eldian army did start their own assault, and his soldiers did kill some of their men, but they were still all outnumbered.

Helos yelled as the devil slammed her fist near him. It barely missed him, but the force had knocked him back and onto the ground. His helmet flew off his head and was crushed by the devil's other hand. He could only watch in paralyzed fear as the titan raised her hand high into the air and curled it into a fist once more. The blood of his comrades that still stained her fist did not disappear.

Helos knew that his prayer was not going to be answered. That this was going to be his last moment, looking up at this beast as she turned him to paste. He...he never got to say a proper goodbye. He never got to have a family of his own. He did not say farewell to his brothers-in-arms. There were so many things that he wished that he could've done differently, but...it was too late. This was his fate now.

As Helos was prepared to accept his death, a strange noise snapped him out of his daze. It grew louder and closer, and it came from atop the mountain. Even the devil was distracted by the sound. Helos gasped when he saw a being jump from atop the mountain. It was some sort of horse? Whatever it was, it rode on the wind like a mighty bird. But then, the being's body began to change. The armor surrounding its body transformed into another titan, much smaller than that of the devil before him. However, its appearance blocked out the sun. The being then pointed its hand at the devil and drew weapon directly from its arm. It looked like some sort of sling shot. Helos covered his head when the being fired blue light from that slingshot, hitting the devil in the shoulder, hand, and head. Helos was stunned when he heard the cries of pain come out of the devil's skull. He looked up to see that the creature was damaged. This being had dealt more damage than all of their forces combined, but the devil was still healing from her wounds.

Helos heard a deep, battle cry come out of the being from the sky as it drew its other fist back. Helos gasped in shock when that fist made direct contact with the devil's face. The cheekbone of the skull shattered on contact and knocked the devil to the ground. The devil crashed with a heavy thud, shattering the ground beneath her. Meanwhile, the being landed on the ground and skidded to a stop on all fours directly in front of Helos. Helos couldn't help but marvel at the sight of this being as it stood up completely. Its body was adorned with armor, covered in it from head to toe. Its skin was marked in the colors of both blue...and red. The being turned its attention to the Marleyans behind it, and Helos couldn't help but feel tears prick his eyes as the being looked down upon him. It had no mouth to speak of, but those eyes were as blue as the sky, yet it was somehow...different. It felt like it was otherworldly, godly, holy.

By the gods, his prayer had been answered.

Optimus took notice of the humans in red staring at him in shock, but hope. Meanwhile, some of the humans dressed in blue were staring at him in fury and disbelief, like he had done something that was supposed to be impossible. There was also fear in those eyes, genuine fear. Optimus was mortified at the sight of crippled bodies, the smell of blood, and the death and war that surrounded him. Optimus turned his attention to the massive titan he had just attacked and found himself taking a step back as those wounds...began to regenerate. Steam rose from the energon he had just shot at it, and that steam seemed to repair the wounds it had acquired. The large cracks and the gaping wound in the cheekbone of the skull began to slowly disappear and heal. The titan...turned its attention to him, and its body language screamed confusion. But then Optimus heard-

"Don't just stand there! Attack and destroy the enemy!"

Optimus couldn't tell who shouted that command, but the creature reacted and charged at Optimus, crawling all fours to get to him. Optimus quickly looked back at the humans in red and swatted at them to leave the area. "Leave now! Hurry up! Go! Run!"

Optimus saw the humans scrambling to get up and run. The one near his pedes crawled back and managed to get up. His helmet was knocked off, but he wouldn't stop staring at him with jubilation. Tears almost started to stream down his face. Optimus didn't have time to question it; however, as an enormous hand appeared out of the side of his optic. He turned to his right and saw that hand curl into a fist. Optimus raised his arms to block his chest, bracing for impact. The creature had smacked him, hard, sending him flying across the battlefield and rolling in the grass. Optimus cried out in pain as his back slammed into the side of the mountain he had launched himself off of. Optimus had collapsed forward, landing on all fours on the ground. Optimus could hear ringing in his audio receptors from the impact of the hit. His helm was spinning. He quickly regained focus when he felt the rocks beneath his servos begin to shake. He snapped his head to see the creature charging at him on all fours.

The Prime thought fast and rolled out of the way, just as the creature slammed its hand into the mountainside. Optimus pulled out both of his blasters and started rapidly firing at the titan in front of him. It cried out and raised its hands up, protecting its face from the long-ranged attack. The creature swiped at his helm, but Optimus quickly ducked before flipping back and continuing to fire. However, it still wasn't enough, as the creature continued healing from its wounds. He didn't understand. Energon is supposed to be harmful to anything organic! How was this creature able to resist it and regenerate from it?!

Optimus gasped as the creature lunged towards him, but Optimus dove under the creature and slid under the abdomen of it. He transformed into his alt mode and drove as fast as he could from the back of it. He transformed and jumped into the air and fired a clean shot at the back of the head. He thought that would do the trick, as the creature clearly felt the impact of the attack. Optimus even managed to see inside the skull, but the creature quickly regenerated its skull and turned to try and grab him from the air. Optimus transformed his right servo into a blade and sliced the creature's wrist before hitting the ground. The creature yelled before using its other hand to try and grab Optimus.

"Sir, are you alright?!" One of his men asked as he helped Helos to his feet.

"I live," Helos reassured, touching his head to feel the blood dripping from the open wound. They all heard the devil roar and snapped their heads back to the battle before them. This titan from the heavens was battling the devil from the earth, and he was succeeding in causing it actual harm and physical pain.

"Sir, we should take this time to run!" his second advised, "We need to find a way to regroup and retreat! Sir!"

Helos' gaze drifted towards the Eldian army, who were still in disarray and disbelief at the sight. They were distracted. They couldn't take their eyes off the sight before them. This...Helos grit his teeth in determination. Marley would never get another chance like this again.

"Gather all weapons and prepare for battle!" Helos ordered.

"Sir, do you not see what's happening?!" his second gestured to the fighting, "The gods are battling each other! We can't stop that!"

"Of course we can't!" Helos agreed, "We are mortals! We cannot fight the gods!"

Helos turned to his men. "But the Eldian army is distracted and in disarray! And without the devil to assist them we have an opportunity to cut their forces down!"

Helos grabbed his sword and pointed it at the Eldian army, specifically the King. "This battle is the turning point of both empires! It will decide which empire lives and which empire falls! And I refuse to let the Eldian Empire stand after the ruin they have brought to our land! Together we fight as one! For the fallen and for the living! That is what it means to be a soldier!"

"Yes sir!" his men were inspired by his speech and gathered the weapons that were still available on them and across the battlefield. Helos took a deep breath, mustered up his courage, and screamed.

"ONWARD!" His soldiers cried out in unison and ran past the battle between the titans. The Eldians were shocked as a few of them were quickly stabbed to death by spears, but they also roared in fury and began to attack the Marleyans with what weapons they had. Blood was spilt on both sides, but the Marleyans continued to press on.

Optimus was mortified to see the battle between the humans pressing on, but he had another threat to deal with. Optimus slid under the titan once more before pulling out his blades and cutting off one of the bones protruding from its body. He took the bone and rammed it into the creature's chest before transforming and driving out of the way of an attack. Optimus watched as the creature pulled the bone out from its chest and threw it at Optimus, causing him to jump out of the way once more as the bone pierced the ground.

There had to be something he could do! There had to be some weakness against this creature! But he's never seen something like this before, and he's already attacked it in vital areas! He didn't understand! Was he brought to this world to just die?! Was this a punishment of some kind for all the crimes he committed in the war?! NO! No he had to figure this out! He was not going to let this creature continue killing humans!

Optimus was confused when he felt multiple items hit and poke his legs. He looked down to see some of the humans in blue attacking him! Trying to harm him! He had a moral code! He couldn't harm and kill humans! And he had a creature to defeat! Optimus then saw the humans in red coming to his aid and killing the humans in blue! As much as he wanted to object, this was war! He didn't have time for it right now! He needed to fight! Optimus tried climbing up the creature to try and paralyze it, but the creature had grabbed him and threw him off of it. He crashed into the ground hard and felt his helm spinning. He forced himself to get up and stared down the creature. He had to keep going. He started charging towards the creature. He had to keep going!

However, Optimus picked up on...shouting. It was that voice again. And it sounded furious. He tuned out the noise of the battle and focused on where it was coming from. He turned his gaze down to the ground, and saw a human with a horned helmet, standing atop of one of the soldiers in red. It was a middle-aged man with brown hair and a beard. He shouted a stream of slews and insults...directed at the creature.

"What the hell are you doing, you worthless pest?!" He screamed, veins bulging from his neck, "I told you to destroy the enemy! Do your job and kill that monster! You are of no use to me if you can't do your job! Obey you useless whore! Obey me slave!"

Optimus was horrified at the words coming out of the human's mouth. This being was fighting for you, and you insult it and call it a slave?! The man continued shouting at the being, and it responded negatively. It thrashed its hands around violently, slamming its fists into the ground with a lack of precision and franticness. It was trying so hard to kill him in such a panicked state. Like someone....like someone who was trying to fix a mistake. The being roared, not as a form of intimidation. It was a form of...fear. This being was afraid of a small human? Because it was somehow a slave to this one?!

Optimus was distracted enough to be smacked into the ground hard. He heard cheers from the humans in blue as he rolled out of the way and managed to stand up. However, the being's fist was coming down on him and fast. The Prime had no choice and raised his servos in the air. He grunted as the fist slammed against him hard, but he used his strength to push against the might of this being to prevent it from squashing him and killing him. Optimus' groan turned into a battle cry as he felt the ground beneath him began to shatter from the force. He wasn't sure how long he could keep this up at all! But he had to try!

Helos watched the Eldians cheering the titan on in horror. She tried her best to crush him, but the other being pushed against her with all of his might. The ground broke, and the being's feet sunk deeper, but he still pressed on. Helos saw the King smiling with unhinged glee at the sight before him, but Helos couldn't help but be terrified. There had to be something that he could do. Something that could help the other being. It couldn't end like this! They finally had hope! They had a chance to live! It couldn't end like this!

Optimus felt his arms beginning to bend as the creature continued to push him downward. C'mon! He had to fight! C'mon! Optimus felt like his audio receptors were going to shatter when the being let out a loud, deafening scream that shook the area. All the Marleyans and Eldians covered their ears at the noise, while Helos only covered one of them. King Fritz didn't cover any of his ears, but his gleeful expression quickly turned into one of spite.

Optimus was beginning to lose focus as the creature continued to scream, but he couldn't help but notice how...terrified it sounded. He focused on the scream, and he managed to catch the sound...of a human crying...a human sobbing. Optimus' gaze turned to the eye sockets of the skull, and his spark shattered when he saw tears pooling out of those sockets.

This being was crying out for help. It was suffering. It was in agony and pain. And he knew that he had to do something. Violence was not the answer. Mercy was. Optimus tried to focus and find the words to appeal to the being. What should he say to it? He quickly remembered what the man was shouting earlier and found his voice.

"You are not a slave!" Optimus shouted at the being, surprising it and everyone else that was still alive, "You do not have to be! You have the power to choose your own fate! You do not have to serve anyone if you do not wish to! You are allowed to be whoever you wish!"

Helos was stunned at the sight. The being from the heavens...was appealing to the devil? He was showing mercy to a devil?! King Fritz stepped on the corpse that he had recently killed. What did that thing think he was doing?! He had no right! She was his property! And his alone! Such silly words were not going to change that! "Do you forget your place?! You are mine to command! You obey my will! You would be nothing without me but a pathetic monster with nowhere to go! Kill that beast, slave! Or I will cast you out forever to the depths that you crawled out of!"

"Kill the monster!" Both Eldians and Marleyans had shouted.

Optimus finally managed to gather a little more strength to push back against the being's fist. "You are not a monster either! All I see is a broken soul acting out of fear! That human! He's not making you feel safe! Is he?! He's hurt you! Hasn't he?! He's taken advantage of your strength! And only cares about you went you succeed in doing his will!"

King Fritz saw the titan's grip beginning to loosen just a little. No! NO! What was she doing?! What was that slave doing?! Those were...those were just words! He had control over her! A slave like that didn't deserve compassion just because! It had to be earned!

"But I won't do that!" Optimus swore to it, "I will not harm you for making a mistake! I will not give you a love that is conditional! But I need you to let me help you! Let me help you, and I swear on my spark that I will always protect you!"

Optimus finally felt that grip on him loosen, but it still wasn't enough. It was still resisting him! But it was working! He had to keep going!

"I know what it is like! To be alone in the world! To be taken advantage of by others! To be lied to and manipulated by others I had cared about! To be forced into a role that I had never truly wanted to bare!" Optimus confessed.

Helos couldn't help but pause at those words. What...what did he mean by that?

"It was torture!" Optimus confessed, "To be someone else's weapon! And to be forced to sacrifice my own wants and needs for a grander purpose!"

He didn't know why he was pouring his spark out! He would have never done this on Cybertron! He never would have done this when leading the Autobots! But...he needed the being to listen! He needed the being to understand that it wasn't alone! That he had an understanding of what it was going through! It was in pain! He had to help! He wasn't going to let anyone else suffer!

"That is why I would never wish this burden or power onto anyone else!" Optimus declared, "I swear as of this moment, I will not caste you out! I swear that you will never be alone! Whatever act you make from now on will be your own! But I need you to accept! I need you to let me help you! I need it to be your choice! So please!"

Optimus felt energy gather into his chest and throat, and he released it. "Please! LET ME SAVE YOU!"

Optimus could hear his words echo throughout the forest. Whatever birds that still remained had fled due to the sound of his voice. But the being didn't stop its assault. Optimus feared the worst. That his words didn't reach it and it was going to kill him. But the Prime grunted as the weight on top of him disappeared. He couldn't help but lose his balance and stumble forward. He vented from exhaustion and turned his optics to look at the being. The tears escaped its eye sockets and dropped down to the ground in abundance. Its hands trembled, but Optimus couldn't tell out of what. Was it fear? Joy? Confusion? Before Optimus even had a chance to decipher what that meant, the being cried out in pain, falling forward a little on the ground. Optimus looked behind it, and saw the humans in blue crawling on its back. The man who was shouting those horrible words was leading that charge.

Optimus quickly climbed up the being's arm and stood directly on top of its back, just below the nape of the neck. He pulled out his blaster and aimed at the humans, but...he still couldn't bring it in his spark to fire at them, even if they were the enemy. But they were coming up fast, and he didn't know what to do! How was he supposed to get the humans off and take this being to safety?!

Optimus gasped when he felt hot steam rise and crawl up his entire backside. He snapped his helm to the source, and watched in horror as another body rose up out of the nape of the neck. It...her limbs were still buried in the bright red muscle tissue of the form they were both on top of. Optimus watched the woman turn her had, and...she was so young. She looked to be around the same age as Jack Darby. She was wearing a beige, tattered dress, and a large headband to match it. Her blond hair went past her neck, and her bang had covered a good portion of her eyes.

How...how was this possible? How did a woman...a child! How did a child get this kind of power?! She raised her head slightly, and Optimus saw tears falling down her cheek and dripping down her chin. Those gray, stormy eyes were filled with nothing but sadness. Her face was marred with marks from the strands of muscles that were previously attached to her face. Her lips trembled, but she managed to move them to convey a message to him. No words came out, but he read what her lips, and her heart had said.

Please...

King Fritz stabbed the middle of the spinal cord, just below the ribcage. He was almost there. He wasn't going to let her get away with this insubordination! He wasn't going to let this thing take his property!

Save...me...

Optimus quickly yanked the woman out of the nape of the neck. He was relieved to see that all of her limbs were still intact and cradled her with one servo to his chest, right where the Matrix had resided. Optimus turned his attention back to the humans in blue, and lowered his blaster to the back of the body, directly in front of King Fritz. The King could see the woman cradled close to the titan, but couldn't muster a thought as Optimus fired at the body beneath him multiple times. The force knocked King Fritz off of the titan and to the ground, his helmet flying off in the process. Smoke rose up as the remaining Eldians could no longer see, and the titan body collapsed completely onto the ground. Optimus used the smoke as the perfect cover to run. He jumped off the titan, holding the woman close to his chest, and bolted. He transformed into his alt mode and placed the woman in the passenger seat.

"Maximum overdrive!" Optimus shouted. He revved his engines, and his tires dug into the ground, before he drove as fast as he could into the forest and away from the battle and bloodshed. Optimus didn't plan on stopping now. He wasn't going to stop driving! He adjusted his side view mirror to see the woman had passed out, but he didn't have the time to stop and check her condition. He needed to take her to a safe place!

Helos had managed to see it. Through the smoke and the chaos, he had managed to see the Savior from Heaven jump off the corpse of the devil, carrying the young woman in his hand. His body had changed once more into that animal. It spoke words he did not understand. Maybe it was a spell, or a command. But once it was said, he ran as fast as the wind and disappeared into the forest. Helos turned to the Eldians that were still in disarray and snatched a spear from one of the corpses of his fallen comrades. He raised it high in the air and screamed. "ATTACK!"

King Fritz had managed to sit up and watched in horror as the body of the titan slowly turned to smoke and rose up to the clouds! But there was no sight of the other titan, nor of his property, Ymir. She...she was gone! That monster took her! He ruined everything! King Fritz never felt this must hatred and fear all at once, and then...he realized his situation. Without the might of Ymir's power, the Eldians were defenseless.

The King watched in horror as his men were getting slaughtered left and right. No! NO! NO! He tried to get up and run away but found that his leg was injured. Something was broken! He could barely stand!

"FRITZ!" he turned to the sound of someone calling his name and saw the Marleyan general charging at him. He...remembered his face. He had served the previous Marleyan general. The general Fritz himself had killed. He did not chase after him when the Marleyans retreated that day. He decided to show mercy, a show of might and mocking the failing power of Marley. But now he had returned! And he was going to-!

Helos let out a battle cry as he spun his spear in his hand and threw it at King Fritz. The spear made a direct hit into Fritz's exposed shoulder. The force knocked him to the ground, and the king cried out in pain. Helos walked over to him and yanked the spear out of Fritz's shoulder, causing him to cry out even louder. Helos let his rage overtake him. He allowed himself to give into the moment. He raised his spear over his head. He saw Fritz begging for his life with only pissed him off more. After all the killing and suffering he caused, he wanted mercy? No. This ends now! No more!

"NO MORE!" Helos screamed as he slammed the spear directly into Fritz's mouth, piercing through the back of it, tearing the skin, and sticking into the ground. Helos watched Fritz choke on his own blood and the metal of the spear. The dying man raised his hands to Helos' arms weakly, trying to claw at his cloak and even remove the spear that was in his mouth. Helos yelled as he twisted the spear in King Fritz's mouth, causing him to let go and his arms to spasm. Those spasms turned into small twitches, and his arms fell to the ground in a heap. Helos watched closely as the life slowly drained from King Fritz's eyes as his blood stained the grass under him. Helos' eyes widened when he felt Fritz exhale his last breath, gargled by his own blood.

And the king...was no more.

Helos...couldn't believe it. He was still trying to process it. The king...was actually dead. Helos looked up to the now clear blue skies. It was such a cloudy day today, filled with mourning and preparations for death. But now...it was one of hope and new beginnings. Helos felt tears streaming down his face and he couldn't help but laugh. The gods...they had heard him. They had listened. It was finally over.

Helos removed his spear from the corpse mouth and turned to the remaining Eldians and Marleyans fighting. He could see the numbers of the Eldians dwindling, but...this needed to stop. The gods had answered his prayer, and now he needed to fulfill his end of the bargain.

"PEOPLE OF ELDIA!" Helos voice boomed through the area, "YOUR KING IS DEAD! SURRENDER NOW OR YOU WILL MEET THE SAME FATE!"

The Eldians at first didn't believe him, but then they saw the blood on his spear, and the fallen body of the dead king. Then they knew...that they had lost. Their greatest weapon was gone, and their king had fallen. One by one, they wordlessly dropped their weapons and fell to their knees in surrender. But the Marleyans were still in shock.

"We...we won?" one of his men had asked.

Helos smiled, raising his spear in the air. "WE WON!"

The Marleyans cheered at the confirmation from their general, pumping their fists in the air in celebration or hugging their comrades with tears in their eyes. Meanwhile the Eldians looked fearful at their prospects of survival. Helos had to wipe the tears from his eyes. The losses they had endured over the past six years meant something. Their deaths were not in vain. There was a future for Marley.

"What about them?" another soldier demanded as he pointed to the kneeling Eldians, "We should kill them after everything they put us through!"

Helos heard his men beginning to cheer and walked over to them. "No!"

"What?!" another shouted in disbelief, while the Eldians stared at him in shock.

"I will not spit in the face of what the gods have provided me!" Helos declared, "Last night, I prayed to the gods for a chance at survival! I prayed that the Eldian Empire would fall and the king would be slain! If my prayer was answered, I would let go of the vengeance in my heart and strive towards peace! My prayers have been answered in the form of that titan! The Savior from Heaven adorned in the red of Marley defeated the Devil of the Earth! Not by violence but by mercy! To spit in the face of that would be dishonor of the highest order!"

Helos turned to the Eldians. "We will make peace with your nation if you are willing to cooperate with us. But for now, you will be our prisoners until this is settled."

Helos watched as the Marleyans tied the Eldians in rope and used their own resources to carry their fallen comrades home. Helos watched as two of his men carried the corpse of the dead king. They needed proof that they had succeeded in ending this conflict between Eldia and Marley.

"Sir." His second in command approached him. Helos couldn't help but show visible relief at the sight of his friend being alive.

"May I make a comment?" he requested.

"Yes," Helos answered.

"This...peace might not work out the way that you believe for both of our nations," he explained.

"Perhaps not," Helos agreed, "But we were given a gift today, and I intend to honor that."

His second's eyes darted to make sure that no one else was close by to listen and whispered. "I saw it too. I saw the titan disappear into the forest. We should go after it and use its power."

"Are you mad?" Helos demanded, "The Eldians were given their own titan, and look how they abused that power."

Helos pointed to the blood on the battlefield. "Look at what it has done to all of us." The general placed a hand on his second. "The powers of gods can't be trusted in the hands of humans. We need to leave it be."

"...I apologize for my insolence," his second spoke.

Helos just smiled and wrapped his arm around his shoulder. "You wanted to give Marley might, but I think it's better for the both of us to enjoy a life of peace."

"It's not a life that I've thought about in years," his second confessed.

"Let's enjoy it!" Helos exclaimed with excitement, "Tonight, we celebrate our victory, and we drink too much that we pass out!"

His second couldn't help but laugh at that. "That does sound like a great way to celebrate!"

Helos and his second walked towards the rest of the Marleyans. The general looked back to the forest, hoping to see if the savior was still there. But he knew for a fact that he was gone, and he had taken that woman with him. Never to be seen again. It was for the best.

But...he wished he got to say a proper thank you.

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

It...it was so warm.

It was cold today. Today had started off cold. Her bed was cold. The king had only visited her for the night to reward her, and he left as quickly as he came. It was so lonely in that morning. The air had made her shiver, and she saw the leaves turning brown and falling off the trees. She was then ordered by him to follow, fully adorned in armor. He had said they had another battle to fight. She had another army to kill. She would follow his every command, because she was ordered to.

But now it was so warm. And her bed has never been this soft before. She had no blanket. No covering, but in this moment it didn't matter. It was the most content she's ever been in years.

Ymir's gray eyes slowly opened, before she blinked, doing her best to adjust her vision in the dark. She reached out her hand to get out of the bed...but she was blocked off by a wall of some kind. She gasped as she sat up. She took in her surroundings and saw that she was in some kind of strange box. There were a few areas that were see-through, but there was no way for her to get out! How would she get out?! Ymir raised her hand on instinct and fear. Bite! BITE!

Ymir yelled and jumped back as the door swung wide open to reveal a man who looked so concerned. She quickly shielded her face and tried to scramble away, but the man quickly grabbed her arm and...it wasn't harsh. She stopped moving but didn't look the man in the eye. But the hand, it was a firm grip but...it didn't squeeze her until her arm hurt or until there was bruising. But just as quickly as the hand was there, it was snatched away.

"I apologize," the man spoke, and it sounded so familiar, "I did not mean to frighten you. I did not have a blanket for you, so I let you rest in my alt mode. It has a heating system to keep you warm."

Ymir didn't know what some of those words meant, but she did notice how cold the air had become once the door had opened.

"Are you hurt?" the man had asked, "Do you have any bruising or injuries?"

Ymir was confused at that question. Why...why was this man asking her for her well-being? She...she was never asked that question before.

"May I take a look at your face?" he asked her.

Ymir froze at that. He...asked for her permission? Why was he doing that? She was afraid that it was a trick. She was certain that if she said no, she would be punished. She slowly nodded her head and braced for the pain to come. She braced for the harsh hand that would come and grab her face and force her forward, but...it never came. Gentle fingers grazed her cheek and chin, and it guided her face to look the man dead in the eye. She was taken aback by what he was wearing: a black shirt, a red...cape? But it was too short to be a cape. He wore a strange, blue robe that wrapped around both legs and had sandals that covered both feet. His skin was light and fair. His hair was black, and his beard was small yet neatly combed. It wasn't long and unkempt like many of the Eldians. Ymir's eyes then slowly widened in recognition at the sight at this man's eyes. It was so bright and blue. And so familiar. It was the same as...

I swear as of this moment, I will not caste you out! I swear that you will never be alone! Whatever act you make from now on will be your own!

The titan adorned in armor, painted red and blue, battling her earlier today. It...he...had promised to protect her. The man...was him. Ymir was in a state of shock as the man examined her face. He sighed with relief before giving a small smile.

"You are alright," he said. Ymir felt those hands let go of her face, and she lamented the loss of that warm touch. But she couldn't stop staring at him. She wanted to ask so many questions, but...she knew that she wouldn't be allowed to do so. And...

The man quickly realized that she wasn't talking and backed away to give you some room. "I apologize. I have not even explained who I was to you."

Ymir was stunned when the man placed a hand on his chest and bowed to her slightly. "My name is Optimus Prime, young one. I am...a titan from beyond the stars. The form you see before you is a human form meant to blend in with the humans."

The man gestured to her, or rather behind her, and Ymir finally looked around to see that she was in the same...thing?...creature? that drove around the battlefield. She looked at her surroundings further and saw that she was in a cave. A fire was burning right behind Optimus Prime, and on that fire, a fish was hanging on top of it, pierced through it mouth to fin by a stick. She saw hollowed out rocks on the ground, filled to the brim with water. She looked out to her left and saw the mouth of the cave. Outside the cave it was dark, meaning that it was nighttime. How...how long was she out? Where were they?

"I drove for majority of the day, away from the conflict," Optimus explained to her, "The man who has been hurting you will never be able to reach you again. You have my word."

Wouldn't find her?...The king...wouldn't find her again?

"You must be hungry, right?" Optimus got up and walked over to the fish hanging over the fire. He touched it, and wait for a few moments, but he did not remove the fish from the fire.

"The fish is not ready," Optimus informed her. "But" He picked up one of the rocks filled with water and walked over to her before kneeling down and handing it over to her. "You must be thirsty."

Ymir...oh so hesitantly...reached out and took the rock from him. She stared at the cup in her hands and was even able to see her reflection.

"I acquired it from a stream nearby," Optimus explained to her, "The water was clear, but I made sure to do my best to disinfect it so that you will not get sick."

Ymir...couldn't help but lick her lips a little. She was so thirsty. She wasn't given much to even eat earlier today, and Optimus sounded like he was giving her permission. Water...she raised the rock to her lips...water sounded so wonderful right now. A mere drop of water slipped past her lips and down her throat...and she froze. She dropped the hollowed-out rock in her hands. The water stained her dress, and the rock hit the floor.

"Young o-!" Optimus froze when he saw tears spilling out of her eyes in abundance. Her breathing became heavy and labored. Her lips trembled before she began outright venting and sobbing. She began to develop hiccups as she covered her eyes with the palms of her hands and bent over.

It...it was so wonderful! And she...was so overwhelmed! Her heart couldn't take it! This being called to her! He showed her mercy! He didn't call her a monster! He gave her food and water! And he was treating her with such care and love! She didn't understand! It was just a simple act of kindness! A small drink of water! Food! Warmth! So much of it happened in an instant compared to all the years she served under the king!

"I apologize," she heard Optimus speak. "You must be overwhelmed. I did not mean to frighten you. I swear. Do you desire some time? I would be more than fine to give you some space to process-!"

NO! Ymir rushed and tackled him in the chest. She griped the robe adorned in red and continued to sob furiously in his chest. She shook her head so violently it almost made her dizzy. She had no idea what compelled her to do this. She shouldn't have. This type of behavior was unacceptable, but she couldn't let him leave. She didn't want him to leave her alone! She wanted him to stay! Please stay!

Optimus winced as he felt the woman's grip get tighter, but he wasn't going to make her let go. The fact that she broke down over a simple drink of water, made him mortified over the general implications of her suffering. Optimus slowly raised his hands and rested them on the small of her back as she continued crying. He rubbed her back to try and ease her sorrows before drawing her closer to a better embrace.

"I do not know what you have endured," Optimus began, "But I swear to you, young one. As long as I still function, I will not let anyone harm you. You are safe now. I promise."

Optimus continued to let the woman sob in his chest. He had no right to stop her. She had clearly been through too much for someone so young. Still, thoughts and questions swarmed his head. How did this woman get her powers? Why was she a slave in the first place? What...what was even her name? He had no idea what her name even was. That human had only called her 'slave'. It was so dehumanizing.

The Prime felt the woman's crying ease, turning into soft sniffles and hiccups. He felt her trying to pull away from his chest, and loosened his grip to let her go. She looked up at him, and the cheeks that were stained by red marks were now stained by tears. Her eyes were so red and puffy, but Optimus had finally managed to see another emotion from her: relief. However, that quickly went away when she hung her head and pulled her arms to her chest.

"It is alright, young one," Optimus reassured her, "I am sure you needed to do that more than anything."

Ymir raised her head slightly, and the Prime raised his hands to her cheek once more to wipe away her tears. Ymir couldn't help herself and leaned into that touch. She wasn't going to force it away from her.

"It is good that I managed to acquire more water for you," Optimus declared as he leaned over and quickly grabbed another hollowed rock filled with water. He handed it to Ymir, and this time, she drank the entire thing with urgency, like it would be her last drop of water ever. Optimus then stood up to check on the fish and saw that it was thoroughly cooked. He picked it up using the stick and kneeled down towards Ymir before handing it to her.

"Careful, it is hot," Optimus warned her. Ymir stared down at the fish and...didn't feel right for being offered food first. She handed it to Optimus, but he raised his hand to her to gesture for her to stop.

"You need to regain your strength," Optimus insisted, "I will be fine for the time being."

Ymir pulled the fish back and stared intently at it before opening her mouth and taking a small bite. Once she did, her hunger kicked in, and she started to devour the fish with urgency. She was able to ignore how hot it was. Her wounds would heal from it anyway. She just needed to eat it. Ymir continued to eat until there was nothing else left but the skeleton. She wiped her mouth but froze when she noticed Optimus staring at her and felt embarrassed. She wanted to say she was sorry, but she knew that was wrong. Even if she could speak, she wasn't allowed to.

"It is alright." Ymir turned her gaze to Optimus, and the Prime only smiled in reassurance, "Do you require anything else?"

Ymir...didn't want to overstep, despite the fact that she did want something more. She didn't want this to be a dream or a figment of her imagination. So, she shook her head in response.

"Alright then," Optimus said, "But you must be quite exhausted from today. You slept for so long."

Ymir wasn't going to lie about that and nodded her head. She was. Her body just felt so weak. Ymir nearly gasped when Optimus placed an arm under the back of her knees and another on the small of her back. She was picked up and placed right on the bed of the being's form.

"This is the handle to open the door." Optimus pointed to the handle of the door and even pulled on it to show how it worked. "If you need to step out for any reason, just pull that."

Ymir nodded her head as her eyes began to droop. She still had questions. She wanted to know more about him, but she had no energy to try. She reached out towards him and was surprised when Optimus took her hand and gently held it.

"Rest now, and when you wake, I will explain everything that I can in a way you can understand," Optimus proclaimed, "I promise."

Ymir nodded as her eyes closed completely and she fell asleep. But she didn't fall back into the depths of the cold. She fell back into the warmth and safety of someone who saved her life.

This was the true first day of her life...where she was finally free.

(Killing King Fritz was so fucking cathartic. I loved it. I'll post this on Ao3 too. But I absolutely enjoyed writing this.)

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melishade · 1 year

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I'm not a viewer of AoT, but is there any way that Helos might meet Optimus again? Like, say he was visiting the village for some expedition, the same day the family went to visit the herbalist (and the baker), and they bumped into each other by mistake. What would he do in that situation? I mean, he'd probably recognize Optimus' voice.

Previous Episode of the Peaceful Timeline

I've thought about that actually, and it would happen about a decade later. A little longer than that...let's say 15 years.

So Helos is praised as a hero for his works in ending the conflict between Marley and Eldia, specifically his role in killing King Fritz personally. He's given honors, showered with respect, all that stuff. But he made sure to keep his promise to the gods and keep the peace between Marley and Eldia. The remainder of his military career is diplomatic missions between the two nations while also aiding in providing relief for the people affected by the Empire. Especially those that were forced to become slaves. He couldn't give them the ability to speak, but he did recommend programs that would provide some assistance in rebuilding their lives.

However, where Optimus and Ymir have gone, is a secret between him and his second in command. They haven't told anyone where they might have gone, despite his second's initial protest. Helos still hoped that one day he would be able to thank Optimus for his works.

But now, Helos is no longer fit for active duty. He's older now and has contributed what he could to his home. So he decides to take a horse and supplies, appoints his second to general, and he rides off to explore. He'll try his best to refrain from using his name to get special treatment, but sometimes he gets recognized by some of the people he might have helped. He doesn't want to cheat them and use his name to get what he wants. But besides that, he's enjoying a life of peace.

One day, he does come across the town that Oshern used to work at and gets his supplies from. He's surprised to see it so bustling with life. It wasn't even near the capital. He wants to get something to eat, goes to the bread shop...and spots her.

She's older. Definitely older than before. The miserable face that he once saw on her was now full of life and joy. She had come into town with three other people. A red-haired man, A teenage girl who looked exactly like the woman, and a man...dressed in the red and blue pattern of the Savior from beyond the stars. That...that wasn't possible.

Helos immediately runs to them as their unloading and getting some supplies. Without thinking, he grabs Ymir by her arm and tells her to wait. Which causes a negative reaction out of Ymir. She looks behind her to see Helos, and her confusion is immediately replaced with dread. Oshern quickly notices and forces Helos' hand off of her, demanding what the hell he's doing while also blocking his view of Ymir. Helos tries to explain himself, completely overwhelmed, but Optimus and a 14-year-old Maria come up to ask what's going on. And Helos recognizes Optimus' voice, and he just breaks down crying before bowing down before all of them, confusing all of them. Optimus the one to act first, kneeling down and asking what is wrong, and Helos ends up repeating the words 'thank you' to Optimus, calling him the Savior of Heaven.

Optimus gets concerned when people start staring at them and asks Helos if they could talk somewhere private. Oshern then has to talk to his former boss to ask if them could borrow one of the rooms. They all go there, and Maria has to beg to come in wanting to know what was happening. They all sit down at a table as Helos wipes his tears. He explains that he's the former general of Marley, which takes Oshern by surprise. Because that meant that he was the one who had slain Fritz and brought an end to the Eldian Empires tyranny over 15 years ago, which is taking Ymir by surprise. Helos explains that the night before that battle, he had prayed to the gods for an answer against the Empire and all of its wrong doings. If he was granted that, then he would let go of the vengeance in his heart. Helos turns his attention to Optimus and directly tells him that prayer came in the form of him. He remembers how he came down from the sky, practically riding on the wind. And how he had saved him from death directly. But he was stunned at the fact that he defeated Ymir not through violence, but through mercy. He had asked to save Ymir and showed her mercy, when no one else would.

Maria and Oshern are just watching this, taken aback by all this new information from an outsider's perspective. This man thought of Optimus as a god. But there is a certain weight shared by Optimus, Ymir, and Helos. All three of them were sharing a burden from that day. Helos explains that he did see Optimus fleeing with Ymir that day, but never told anyone because he wanted to keep the peace and did not want to defy the will of the gods. He kept that secret for years, and he fully intends on taking it with him to the grave. Optimus does want to know why he confronted them at all, and Helos simply replies that he wanted to offer his thanks to the deity that made this peace possible.

However, Ymir is not convinced. She had personally slaughtered his men. He must feel some resentment towards her. Ymir writes something down and shows it to him, demanding why he hasn't tried to kill her or hurt her. She had killed his comrades directly. She almost killed him! Helos explains that any remaining hatred of the Empire died with Fritz. He remembered the way she was treated by him, and how Optimus was the one that showed her mercy. She was a victim in this. He knew that. And even if he wanted to do it, he doubt that he'd get very far. He wasn't going to kill someone that was under the Savior's protection. Optimus kind of hates the way that Helos is elevating him like this. It's been years since he's been placed on a pedestal.

Ymir still has one more question that she speaks aloud: "Is he really dead?" There's a pregnant pause in the room. Even Optimus wants to know the answer to that question. Helos tells her 'yes'. He had personally killed Fritz with his own spear after the two of them had fled. He died the minute they left. And Ymir feels this huge weight lifted from her shoulders. She's trying not to cry, but she can't help it. To actually know that he was dead and had been dead for so long brought her immeasurable relief. Oshern goes to hug and comfort Ymir, while Optimus offers his hand to Helos. Helos takes it and they shake. Optimus tells him thank you for everything that he has done in order to keep them safe. There's so much more he wanted to ask, but he had already made himself feel unwelcome as it was.

Helos does offer to help them with loading their supplies as another form of repayment, and Oshern decides to accept the help while Optimus comforts Ymir. Once Helos is finished, he bows before them and thanks them for everything and wishes them all a peaceful life before leaving. Helos feels this itch in the back of his head finally scratched. He finally got the chance to say 'thank you' to the Savior from Heaven. It was uplifting, and such an honor.

However for Maria, there is a new weight that has fallen on her shoulders, and this dreadful feeling in her gut.

(Meanwhile, Megatron is babysitting an approximately 4 to 5 year old Rose and the two of them are learning how to play and ancient version of 'checkers' together.)

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