Transformers Prime: The Swift and Proud (Sequel to Echoes of the Past)

Chapter 10: Cybertron Reborn

It turned out that Orion had done an amazing job healing me. Amazingly, my severed wing had been restored, and aside from a slightly different pattern it seemed to be exactly the same as my original.  Once Ratchet and Knockout had checked my body over for anything unusual, I was cleared to leave the hospital so long as I had someone with me.  Predaking filled the position of companion nicely, given he never left my side, and it was only two days after I woke up that I stepped ped outside the hospital doors.  And boy was it a shock to see where we were.

My family had filled me in on what had happened while I had been in stasis, but it still amazed me that Cybertron was now capable of sustaining life, and that the Allspark had been restored to its rightful home within our planet's core.  However, that was nothing compared to Unicron taking over Megatron's body and raising an undead army of Predacons to destroy Primus.  On top of that, Megatron had disbanded the Decepticons once freed from Unicron's control, and my dear sparkmate had taken care of Starscream personally.

But even compared to all of that, the biggest shock was that we were no longer the only Predacons in existence.  Aside from Darksteel and Skylynx, Shockwave had created a host of about twenty Predacon clones in the time that I had been gone.  The Decepticon scientist had disappeared after Megatron disbanded the Decepticon cause, though his work left plenty for us to worry about.  For the most part the ratio of mechs and femmes was about equal within our new expanded ranks, though at the moment the femmes outnumbered the mechs by three or four.  Predaking was overjoyed to know he wasn't alone in the universe, aside from me that is, and he quickly became the ruler of the new Predacon populous after Skylynx and Darksteel expressed their interactions with him to the others.

For the most part, the other Predacons excepted me, given I was the mate of their King, but only a few chose to interact with me other than to show their respect.  Apparently they knew I wasn't a Predacon by birth, and I had a feeling that would prove to be bothersome if I didn't earn their trust in the future.  However, with Predaking at my side, and my close group of friends, I quickly learned to fit in with my new family.

There was only one problem with that.  I had to leave my old one behind.

It was a shared belief between the Cybertronians and Predacons that the two species would need to separate until a peaceful unity could be forged.  However, it broke my spark knowing that I would have to leave my family behind when I moved away to be with the Predacons.

My mother pulled me aside before it was time to go, and I embraced her as tears ran down my faceplate, knowing that this was goodbye.  However, she surprised me when she pulled a small, ornate dagger from her personal subspace and held it out to me.  I shared a questioning glance with her, but her optics gave away nothing as she held the dagger out toward me.  I hesitantly held my servo under her own, and she held my gaze for a moment before dropping the dagger into my grip.

As soon as the dagger left her servo and fell into mine, I felt a surge of power course through my Energon lines, and I heard my armor creak slightly as my plating rearranged itself into a new, more powerful design.  A battle mask closed over my faceplate, and I reached up to touch in questioningly before it slid out of the way once more.

I looked down at my mother uncertainly as she smiled, "What did you just do?"