Transformers: Prime: Web of Shadows

Chapter 1: A Shocking Revelation

Melione's optics flickered with understanding. "I see. Was she mad?"

"Very much." Optimus's voice softened. "Elita-One and I were separated from each other for millennia during the Great War and... I became one with the AllSpark. The Matrix of Leadership was still inside me, and I eventually came back online to help my friends and family fight against the forces of evil."

Melione nodded slowly, her tone gentle. "I know. All of us were separated from our home planet Cybertron for so many eons that we had to find new planets to call home."

"And the Earth was my adopted home world for a time," Optimus continued, his optics reflecting distant memories. "when Jack, Miko, and Rafael were children. I still remember the adventures I had with my Autobot teammates when I didn't look so... so—"

"Taller? Bulkier? Robust?" Melione interjected, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Optimus allowed a faint chuckle to escape. "You could say that."

For a moment, the two stood in quiet reflection beneath the glimmering lights of Iacon. Though the city pulsed with life and the weight of history, for a brief instant, Optimus could almost feel the simplicity of his earlier days—the spark of Orion Pax, the thrill of youthful discovery, and the hope that had once been enough to carry him through the universe.

Yet even as he remembered, he knew that peace, however fleeting, was never guaranteed.

Melione shifted slightly, her optics reflecting a mixture of concern and curiosity. "Optimus... with everything that's happened over the cycles, are there still threats we should be wary of?" she asked, her tone carefully measured.

Optimus's expression softened, though the weight of memory lingered in his features. He looked down the quiet streets of Iacon, as if seeing events unfold before him in the stillness. "There are always threats in the universe, Melione, but some of the greatest we once faced are no longer dangers to Cybertron or Earth."

He gestured subtly with his hand, and the memories of battles long past seemed to flicker behind his optics. "Doomsayer and his Destructicons, for example... they were once a formidable force, bent on destruction and chaos. Their attempts to annihilate both Cybertron and Earth while serving Unicron were beyond forgiveness." His voice deepened with the weight of history. "Yet they have reformed. They've moved to another dimension, removed from our reality, to reflect on what they once were. They are no longer a threat, at least not to those of us who dwell here."

Melione's optics widened slightly, relief softening the edge of her expression. "So the Destructicons aren't plotting revenge?"

"No," Optimus replied, a faint smile tugging at his faceplate. "Their path of redemption is their own. And we must respect that—even if we remain vigilant."

He paused, then continued, his gaze distant yet steady. "Starscream and his New Decepticon armada are also no longer a threat." His voice held a hint of bitter irony. "They, too, have been reformed. Ambition and vengeance are no longer their driving forces. Some have even chosen paths of service, striving to correct what they once destroyed."

Melione nodded, her optics narrowing in thought. "It's strange, isn't it? How beings once consumed by chaos and war can find... peace. Or at least, a different purpose."

Optimus's shoulders relaxed slightly, though the weight of his many cycles of leadership remained. "Peace is always fragile, Melione. Reformation is never absolute. But we must acknowledge when it is achieved, even if only partially."

For a moment, they walked together along the quiet streets, the lights of Iacon reflecting off the sleek metallic buildings. Optimus allowed himself a rare moment of calm, letting the memories of the past mingle with the present, recognizing that even amidst uncertainty, hope endured.