Ch 1: The 12th Prime

(Inspired by MLP: Luna Eclipsed, and partially based on a previous fic)

Summary: MTMTE, AU. Landing on an uncharted planet, the crew of the Lost Light find themselves facing a deadly foe: The Fallen (and his horde of spark-eaters). Tailgate finds himself stuck in a cavern with the ancient Prime, and accidentally frees him from the control of Unicron.

(I've always loved the idea of "The Fallen" being the original seeker/vosian-frame. There didn't seem to be a lot of information about him until recently, but I already has this fic in the works)

Note: This story is based on the legend of the 13 Primes, not the 5 Primes in the creation story that Cyclonus told Rewind in MTMTE vol. 3) The Fallen, in this story, reverts to his true form which is a seeker-like mech with four wings, dark armor, and red optics. Very AU!

"We thank you, citizen, for freeing us from Unicron's dark influence! We are The Fallen no longer! Gaze upon the second youngest of the 13 Primes! We are Megatronus Prime, guardian of death and rebirth! Behold our true power and glory!"

The mini-bot felt the booming voice echo through his core, freezing him in place. His blue visor remained fixed on the towering figure poised on delicate heels. Crimson optics seemed to pierce through his spark, rendering him silent before the mech more ancient than himself.

The seeker-like being cocked his helm to the side, before stepping a few paces forward. Tailgate attempted to scuttle back, but the ancient Cybertronian stomped a pede on the ground to keep his attention.

"Why do you flee, tiny citizen! Are you not pleased to look upon your Prime once more!"

Tailgate let out a whimper, wishing desperately for someone, anyone (but preferably Cyclonus) to rescue him.

Red optics rebooted as the four-winged seeker let out a sigh at the minibot's distress. "Why do you continue to fear your Prime?! You will be greatly rewarded for assisting us in our time of need! Before you take us to our brothers, you may ask any boon that is within our power to grant!"

"... What?" the bomb-disposal unit squeaked, unable to even consider getting to his feet, much less asking the giant seeker for a favor.

"Speak up! We grow impatient, little one!"

"Can you... stop shouting?" Tailgate chirped, cringing at the look the ancient Prime directed at him.

"This is the proper volume for addressing the citizens of Cybertron! But, as you are so very small, we shall lower our voice for the time being."

Tailgate sighed as the booming voice faded to a pleasant conversational tone. Nervously getting to his pedes, the minibot still found himself nearly bent over backward just to look up at the incredibly tall being.

"You seem to have difficulty with our size, tiny one. Very well. We shall make our regal selves smaller until we have arrived to greet our honoured brothers," Megatronus announced.

Tailgate felt his optics widen behind his visor as the four-winged seeker seemed to shrink before him, coming to a stop when they could gaze into each others' optics without either having to look up.

"Is this better, little one?" the Prime's voice seemed far too large for the minibot-sized body he currently inhabited.

"Yes," Tailgate squeaked.

Tailgate approached the Lost Light with the miniature Prime following regally behind him. The other crew members were repairing the last of the damages to the ship, readying themselves for take-off.

Spotting a familiar red and gold mech talking animatedly with Ultra Magnus, Tailgate quickened his steps. "Rodimus, I really need to talk to you."

"Not now, Taildrive."

"Tailgate."

"Whatever. Why don't you go help Swerve do... minibot stuff," Rodimus waved the little mech off with barely a glance.

"But Rodimus Prime, you really need to..." Tailgate jumped as another voice rose above all the others.

"Prime?! Has our honored father graced us with another sibling?! We are Megatronus Prime and we have been released from Unicron's control!"

Every mech in the area had turned to stare at the winged minibot who appeared to have a voice as loud as a mech three times his size.

"Who's your new friend, Taildancer? He's a little small for a Decepticon, isn't he?" Rodimus asked, noting the bright crimson optics on the dark-plated minibot.

"Did you not hear us?! We are Megatronus Prime! You have known us previously as The Fallen! We are grateful to this tiny... we are grateful to Tailgate for freeing us from the dark influence of Unicron! Tell us the location of our brothers so that we might be reunited once more!" the little seeker insisted, all four wings twitching.

Tailgate buried his head in his servos as the laughter rose around them. This was not going to end well. Glancing up, he caught sight of the confused red optics peering at the amused mechs surrounding them.

"I... We do not understand..." Megatronus seemed, for the first time, uncertain of how to proceed.

"They don't believe you," Tailgate admitted aloud. The idea was rather preposterous. Only a day before, they'd been battling the towering, very much on-fire, form of The Fallen, and his horde of spark-eaters. The minibot could only imagine what the others were thinking. How could the tiny flier possibly be the terrifying mech they'd been taught to fear since their sparkling days?

A strange commotion started up, turning laughter into shouts of alarm. "Guns at the ready! We got a pair of spark-eaters coming our way!" an unidentified voice shouted.

"Move back," Ultra Magnus instructed, pushing Tailgate back a step. Megatronus was in the air, flying toward the creatures without a second thought.

"Hold your fire!" Rodimus shouted, racing after the clearly insane minibot. Gun at the ready, he only hoped he could hit them both before they tore the little mech to shreds.

"STOP!" the flier's voice boomed across the rocky tundra, startling the dangerous spark-eaters into freezing in their tracks. Hideous faces gazed at the winged minibot who proceeded to land directly before them.

Rodimus crept closer, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

The smaller mech knelt, one servo held out to the spark-thirsty beasts. "Hush, my pets. You no longer serve The Fallen. Return to the forms I created for you so many cycles ago. Remember your true purpose."

The young Prime stopped short, his optics widening as the spark-eaters seemed to shift into beast-mode before him. Two silver, cat-like creatures took their place, no longer the grotesque spark-eaters they'd fought in the past.

"That's right. Hush now, my spark collectors. My precious helpers," the seeker crooned, allowing the pair to come closer and nuzzle his neck fondly, despite the fact that they towered over his diminutive body.

Rodimus slipped closer, watching the mini-bot interact with the strange pair. At one point, the seeker let out a mournful sound and seemed to sway on his feet. "You are the last. Your siblings have all been destroyed. No, I will not blame the citizens for defending themselves... but I will protect you, my precious pets."

"Who are you?" Rodimus found himself asking.

"We have already informed you of our name and title. We are Megatronus Prime, second youngest of the thirteen Primes," the minibot answered, turning to face the red and gold mech.

"That's impossible. Megatronus wasn't a minibot seeker. At least, the stories never mentioned he was," Roddy scratched his chin and eyed the smaller being standing before him.

"We are capable of reducing our size, brother. We are clearly not the first minibot. That honor goes to our brother, Micronus," Megatronus stated.

"Are you using the royal we, or are you actually saying that I can change my size too?" the crimson Prime gestured for the minibot to follow him back toward the ship.

"This is how we were taught to address our mortal brethren," the seeker stated, frowning up at his new brother.

"If you really are who you say you are, then I should probably get Ultra Magnus to fill you in on the last several billion years," Rodimus sighed.

"We would be most interested in meeting this Ultra Magnus you speak of, brother," Megatronus insisted, easily keeping up with the taller mech.

"I'm not actually your brother, you know. There have been a lot of Primes since the time of the Original 13. Ultra Magnus can explain it better than I can," Roddy held up a servo to stop the smaller bot from asking the numerous questions that were clearly on his processor.

"Very well. We shall get our answers from your trusted companion instead."

Tailgate hadn't seen the new seeker for several days. Ultra Magnus had been strangely absent as well. And now he found himself being dragged down to Swerve's bar by the minibot seeker, who was much stronger than he looked.

"I have been told that this is the place where bots "hang out," Megatronus commented as they waited for their drinks.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Tailgate agreed, glancing around quickly to see if his roommate was there. Sadly, there was no sign of him. Not that he minded spending time with his new friend (even if he was a little scary).

"Hang out... what a strange way to speak of spending time with one's companions," the seeker mused. He made sure to thank the cute minibot who was running the bar. Really, those petite mechs reminded him of his adorable older brother. He'd always had a soft spot for Micronus.

Note: And that's that. Hope you enjoyed the mini-story!