One year ago...
[Optimus]
"Welcome, old friend." Optimus Prime turned to see a silver light approaching him, cutting through the darkness and leaving a trail of silver dust behind. Cleona stopped in front of him, a small smile on her face.
"My lady," Optimus lowered his head, bowing slightly.
"Please, I thought we expelled your formalities around me years ago." The goddess waved her hand and the Prime straightened. "Though I suppose it has been quite some time."
"What happened, my lady?" The Prime asked, glancing around the darkness. "Where are we?"
Cleona's pleasant smile remained. "Why, the Allspark of course. You did illuminate the Well of Allsparks after all. Congratulations, Optimus. You have successfully brought life back to Cybertron, a feat compared to that of no Prime before you. My gratitude for bringing my dear Primus back."
Optimus only nodded.
"You are not happy though," Cleona mused, tilting her head slightly to regard the Prime. "You assumed that you would give your life for this cause ever since you became a Prime. Yet now that your prophecy has come to be, you are not content. It is understandable, Optimus. You have left much behind."
Amanda. The Autobots. Cybertron. Earth.
Gone.
"They all grieve you," The goddess continued. "But it is time for you to rest now, Optimus. The fates have been written long before your life, and alas, all must end."
He nodded again, then his gaze traveled across the empty space. "Just as the fates demand it."
"Yes," Cleona spread a hand, spreading silver dust to illuminate glimpses of the darkness. "This is your resting place, my friend. You may design it as you wish. You have earned the highest honors as a warrior of Primus, and you are rewarded as such. As a token of the god's gratitude, we will grant you any request, so long as it adheres to the laws of the universe."
Optimus knew exactly what he wanted. "I wish to watch over my family."
Cleona's expression saddened. "You have grown incredibly close with my champion, Optimus. I am glad to see that you were such formidable allies. I only wish you had the ability to battle alongside her for longer." She put a hand on his shoulder. "You will be able to watch over her and your Autobots. But you also must rest. There will be a day that the matrix will be called upon again, and you must be ready, just as all the Primes of the past were ready when you obtained the matrix."
"I understand, my lady. I will be ready."
She smiled again, warmth present even though her silver touch was cold. "I will see you soon, Optimus."
Cleona waved her arm, silver dust spreading across her reach, illuminating the darkness entirely. The dust became a hurricane, and the Prime had to cover his eyes to block the blinding light of it all. As soon as it began, the dust faded and Optimus opened his eyes to see that he was standing in the old base on Earth, the one that the Decepticons had destroyed. Everything was familiar, but cold at the same time. On the base's main computers, the maps and scans that had been constantly working were displayed on the screens. The computers over Ratchet's lab had information scrawled across the screens, as though the medic had been in the middle of an experiment. Notebooks and backpacks were sprawled across the living area, and on the tv screen was Raf's favourite racing game. Amanda's car- a Mustang, he remembered it was called- was parked just next to the entrance tunnel. It was like everyone had recently left, but Optimus knew they would not be returning.
Home.
He walked over to the Mustang and picked it up, even now being careful not to scratch or damage the car that he knew Amanda adored. Peering carefully at it, he spotted a cup of dark liquid in the cup holder, but the liquid was frozen still. Even when he shifted the car, the liquid never moved. With a slight frown, he set the car down and gazed around again, remembering something that Amanda had told him what felt like long ago.
"Home really isn't just a place. At least, on Earth it isn't. It's also the people, the feelings, the warmth. My house hasn't felt like home for a long time, not after I lost Mom, but the base... the base is home. Even though I don't sleep here or spend 24/7 here, it's home."
No. This wasn't Optimus' home. It was his team's base. Without his team... without his family... without his daughter...
"To the Primes who have given their lives to protect Primus and those who needed protecting."
He whirled around, eyes landing on the largest computer screens, where he saw Amanda standing in front of the Well of Allsparks, hands outstretched as she formed figures that rose to surround the well's opening. The past Primes, he realized, which she had crafted remarkably.
"And to Optimus Prime, who gave his spark so that those of the future can have theirs' lit. May all of your sparks live among the stars."
The final statue to form was his own, in his pre-beast hunter state, just as he was now. He watched as his daughter lowered her arms and gave his statue a long look.
"Goodbye, Optimus."
"Goodbye, Amanda."
~~~
But he didn't say goodbye, not really. As time passed, Optimus watched his screens. He watched as his Autobots rebuilt Cybertron and as life thrived on his home planet thanks to their efforts. He watched as the humans of the team rose to meet the threats posed by the arrival of Tempest on Earth. He watched as Amanda became leader of the team, becoming the leader Optimus knew she would become.
He also watched as his daughter navigated her last year of school. He saw her dismay when she realized that he would not be there to drive her to and from, not because she couldn't drive herself but because she wanted someone to talk to. He stood there as she struggled to decide what to do after graduating and longed to give her any advice he could. He listened when she came to Cybertron to speak to his statue, and it was times like those when he regret all his previous actions to save the Allspark, but then his daughter would stand and keep fighting, which made his regret diminish entirely.
Optimus didn't know how long he had been there, watching the screens. He became accustomed to resting during the Earth nights, and resuming his observations in their mornings, while also checking in on the progress on Cybertron. But one day, he woke to see that his screens were black.
Eyes wild, he scanned the base to see it bare. Amanda's Mustang, the humans' belongings in the living area, Ratchet's tools and information, all gone. If the place wasn't cold before, it was freezing now.
What is going on?
The Prime didn't have much time to dwell on the thought though, as his vision flashed blue and silver. Suddenly, he was standing before the silver goddess, whose expression was comforting.
"My lady," Optimus said, but he wasn't feeling as calm as Cleona looked. "What is going on?"
"I told you that the time would come when the matrix would need to rise again, old friend," The goddess said. "And my prophecies are never wrong."
The Prime didn't know what the goddess was talking about, which she saw.
"A new threat has risen," she explained, clasping her hands behind her back. "One that can only be stopped by the Matrix of Leadership. My champion has recognized this, and is summoning the matrix, which is currently in your possession."
He nodded, now understanding that it was his time to give up the matrix, but Cleona shook her head.
"You think that you are to relinquish it," She said, and the Prime nodded again, this time confused. "No, that is not why you are here. My champion is strong with my powers, and her will is stronger. She does not want to see a Prime that is not you, old friend, and has unintentionally demanded from Primus that you will be the one to bear the matrix again. Alas, though she may be powerful, she cannot defy the laws of the universe." There was a gleam in the goddess' eyes as she peered at the Prime. "Not alone."
"What are you suggesting, my lady?" Optimus asked.
Cleona shrugged slightly. "If you were to use the matrix to aid my champion in her mission, she will have enough power to accomplish it. That is, if it is what you wish to happen. Should you choose to stay, I will take the matrix and offer it to the Cybertronian who I see fit, just as I did with you so long ago."
Optimus paused for a moment, replaying the goddess' words in his head. Was it possible? Could he rejoin his team, his family?
"There is a cost," Optimus remembered, gaze snapping into focus. "Amanda cannot use so much power without it costing her. What will she have to pay?"
The goddess shifted. "It is not my place to say, for that is decided by Primus himself, as my champion bargains with him, not I. All I can see is that she will survive and continue to build her powers. You need not fear repercussions."
"There are always consequences, my lady."
"There are. But we owe you a great debt, Optimus. We are willing to make an exception for you, and for my champion."
He thought for a long moment, before nodding.
Cleona smiled slightly. "Then I believe you know what to do."