EPILOGUE.
"Ratchet, come and have some fun with us!" Miko giggled, packing her snowball tightly in her palms before tossing it to the grumpy medic.
"HOW MANY TIMES-"
The cold substances smacked right into his faceplate, cutting his words off. Miko and Bulkhead laughed their asses off, immensely humoured by that simple act. Ultra Magnus rolled his optics, shaking his helm at the two partners in crime.
"That was very insensitive of you two. Ratchet, are you-"
SMACK!
"HAH! TAKE THAT!" Wheeljack boasted and skid away, running off to escape from the angry commander chasing after him.
"GET BACK HERE!"
"IN YOUR WILDEST DREAMS, MAGNUS!"
"IT'S 'ULTRA MAGNUS SIR' TO YOU!"
"Wow, they seem...lively." Ioa commented, leaning against her sparkmate's shoulders as they watched the whole scenario with an optic ridge raised.
"It's a wonderful time of the year! Of course we are happy!" Smokescreen yelled, sneaking up on them and smacked two snowballs at the couple's face. "GOT YA!" He cheered and ran off, leaving Optimus and Ioa dumbfounded.
.
.
.
"Uh..."
"Ow...?"
Wiping their faces, the two sparkmates gave each other a glance before bursting into a tiny chuckle, amused.
"Well, that was unexpected." Optimus humoured, cleaning the last bit of snow off from Ioa's helm.
"Yeah, no scrap." She replied, smiling up at the Prime.
Taking his servo, the femme leaded him all the way to the top of the base. The elevator opened with a hiss and the two felt the sudden change of temperature. Optimus slowly exhaled, letting out soft steams into the air.
It was late evening and the sun was setting, casting a warm orange throughout Jasper town.
"It's already December..." Ioa noted, taking a seat by the edge of the cliff. Patting her servos, she invited her husband to sit by her side, which he gladly obliged.
"Time seems to pass by in a flash when we enjoy it." Optimus said, rubbing her helm lovingly as they gazed the town below them.
It was two years after the final war.
Cybertron was restored and everything was turning for the better. Bumblebee got his voice back, courtesy of both Autobot scientist. Despite all the trouble of reviving their planet, the Bots didn't...WASN'T ready to leave Earth yet.
Thus, they decided to stay on.
...Well, most of the time anyways. Optimus was heavily involved in the new generation and he's frequently travelling between two worlds, with Ioa tagging along too. The Bots had made a deal with the Pentagon and vowed to make certain that no harm shall come to Earth.
In another words, they made a pact between Cybertron and Earth, with Agent Fowler being the main ambassador for humans.
The Decepticons were given a few choices; to go on a self-exile, to join the Autobots, or to be prisoned for life. Shockwave was on trial for his vile experimentation while Soundwave and Dreadwing chose to go off on their own with the promise that they are not to return to both worlds ANYMORE.
Knockout decided to switch sides and became an Autobots. Initially, the team was wary of him but they slowly warmed up and became closer with one another.
Ioa had managed to find Starscream and relayed the whole thing to him, making sure Optimus was having a close optic on her as she fought the urge to strangle the seeker.
Although shocked, Starscream submitted to his fate and asked to be left alone ON EARTH, not wanting to be involved in any parties nor does he wish to return to Cybertron.
He became a neutral after eons of serving a cruel warmonger, the slender mech decided to no longer be a part of anything.
FLASHBACK
"I...ask to be left alone in this...Harbinger."
"Pfft! You've got no say in this, Screamer!" Smokescreen sarcastically remarked, aiming his blaster at the frightened seeker.
"Smokes, stand down!" Ioa shouted, startling the young rookie. Turning towards the ex-Decepticon, Ioa gave him a long hard stare, unnerving him to no end.
"I-If you don't b-believe me, w-we can make a-a truce?" Starscream sputtered, trying his best to calm the tensed situation down. "P-Please?"
"Ioa..." Optimus trailed off, setting a servo on her shoulder. The femme took a deep intake before walking closer to the high-heeled seeker.
"...Leave us." She muttered.
"Huh?"
"Ioa?"
"What?"
"Let's give them some time alone." Optimus said, though he was unsure of his sparkmate's idea, he knew it was the best thing to do; to support her. Ushering the rest of the team out, they patiently waited for the femme to complete her unfinished business with the seeker alone.
"I-Is there-"
"Thank you."
"...Huh?"
Sighing, Ioa looked down for a brief second before gazing back up at the mech whom once used to command her bitterly, forcing her to do unspeakable chores or face the consequences.
"I never got the chance to say...thank you. If it wasn't because of you, I wouldn't have been able to go to the mines; I wouldn't be able to meet my family." Ioa said, optics once again brimming with tears. "Y-You were...mean a-and horrible to me during my s-service with the Cons, but it's a-all over...and I'm trying to move on..." Ioa choked back a sob.
Starscream stared at the femme before him, face contorted into confusion before morphing into remorse and guilt.
"I...I don't deserve your gratitude...and I'm well aware of my past with you...I am...sorry." He said, giving the crying femme a slight bow. "I know you w-would find it hard to believe, but after this...long period of solitary, I realised that I am...at peace here, right at this place. No longer do I want to be a part of the Decepticon and neither do I want to align myself with your team. I humbly request to live here, by myself."
"I'll allow it, on one condition." Ioa said firmly. "I ask that you do not harm the inhabitants of this world; the humans. Remain incognito and don't reveal your true self to them. Perhaps, you could scan a ground form to avoid suspicion."
"I...accept." Starscream relented, sighing out too. "I am unfazed with fleshlings, but I will abide by this decision."
"Here." Ioa handed him a datapad. "I'll take a signature."
Rolling his optics, Starscream signed the contract developed by the femme herself and handed the device back.
"There. Happy?"
"Yes...I think." She replied, clutching the pad to her chassis. "Just...stay safe, Starscream."
The seeker blinked up, unused of this treatment. "Y-You too...Ioa."
Nodding, she gave him a tiny wave and walked out of the base, reuniting with her waiting team.
"He's staying here. I've got his word that he won't disturb the humans."
"AND YOU TRUST HIM?!" The team bar Optimus hollered in disbelief.
"Yes. I saw sincerity in his optics...and I read his mind too."
Clicking their glossa in frustration, the crew groaned out loud but relented, retreating back to base. Optimus raised an optic ridge as he tagged along closely with Ioa, curiosity piqued.
"I see you've given your trust to him."
"Yes, and I believe you will understand the reasons behind it."
"I do." Optimus mused, placing a soft kiss on her helm before stepping into the groundbridge.
FLASHBACK END.
...
"Yeah...Shadow would've loved snow too." Ioa softly muttered, bringing her knees up and hugged them. Optimus's optics dimmed in sadness and he scooted closer, wrapping his large arms over the petite white and gold femme.
"She would, my dear. She too would be happy for you, young one." Optimus comforted.
"I know, I know..." Ioa replied, looking up to the sky. "She's at peace now. She doesn't have to babysit me anymore...right?"
"She still...looks after us; from above." Optimus stated, choosing his words with care. "Shadowglyde may not be with us physically, but she will forever have a place in our sparks."
"Forever." Ioa agreed, hugging the Prime.
Optimus smiled a little and picked the femme up, placing her in his lap as they enjoyed the quiet moment together, watching the fading orange hue transitioning into dark blue, covering the boundless sky with a calming mixture of colours.
'Thank you, Shadow...' Lightblade whispered inwardly, clutching her chest as she embraced the warm but somewhat empty feeling within her, continuing her life on without that small voice lingering in her mind anymore.
.
.
.
.
'Goodbye...Light.' Behind them, two figure stood quietly before vanishing, ebbing away into nothingness as a certain alter ego finally found her peace.
THE END.
A/N: The Ioa series has come to an end.
I am in great amount of gratitude to every single one of my fellow readers for joining me in this epic Mary-Sue like fanfic and I hope you all enjoyed this long series. What started off as a simple, wacky dream of mine blossomed into this and I cannot express enough of gratitude to all of you.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much for the support.
I humbly ask that you join me for more in the oneshots or my other book, Lost and Found.
Maybe in the years to come, I shall have another fic up, but that's for another time.
Thank you for voting, commenting and reading to the very end. I pray for everyone's health and safety, forever.
Enigma signing out. <3