My Kingdom For A Boulder

[heliopauseentertainments]

Prompt: Day 3 - Revolution/Instinct

Continuity: Beast Wars

Rating: General

Relationships: Megatron & Optimus Primal

Characters: Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Megatron

Warnings: Silly, Not Beta Read

Summary: In which Optimus quietly assists Megatron with a personal struggle.

Crossposting: AO3 | Tumblr

Fic under cut. See AO3 for complete notes.

Having had minimal control in the choosing of one’s form, one always had to expect unintended side effects. This was particularly true with beast forms where non-obvious code derived from the original creatures could sneak in and activate unexpectedly, creating artificial drives that made no sense for Cybertron’s children.

Optimus watched, quietly behind the trees as Megatron, in his reptilian form, stomped around in the clearing beyond. He was alone, roaring as he turned over rocks in the earth with his tail. Not a single intelligible word.

Back on Cybertron, unknown instincts suddenly taking hold was far less of an issue as the majority of beast forms there, especially Maximal forms, had been well studied over the centuries. Few surprises remained.

For Predacons, unfortunately, there had been less… interest and funding aside from what the Tripredacus Council could scrape up. And no Predacon had had a form quite like Megatron’s current one before.

:: Thoughts on next moves, boss bot? : :

While on patrol, Cheetor had asked Optimus to assist with the investigation after having spotted Megatron acting strangely. He was waiting on the other side of the clearing, hidden amongst the foliage.

:: Not yet; let’s keep watching. ::

A moment lapsed while Megatron’s roaring continued.

:: If he’s alone, should we try to capture him? ::

As though the flailing about of a clever, dangerous enemy were something to just ignore. They were hardly equipped, just the two of them to subdue Megatron right now.

One of the larger rocks landed in the sunlight in the middle of the clearing. Megatron threw himself upon it.

Optimus blinked in confusion, certain that he hadn’t seen Megatron trip.

:: I said ‘not yet,’ Cheetor. ::

With a roar, Megatron rolled off of it, dissatisfied before stomping over to another boulder to flop on. This rock seemingly also didn’t satisfy him, earning a kick into the trees after Megatron was on his feet once more. What was he even trying to do?

Wait.

He had seen something like this before. Lizards sunning themselves on smooth rocks that had been out in the light all day, to keep warm. None of the rocks here would have been warm, shaded by the trees, but… he had an idea.

There was a valley nearby that had been carved once upon a time by a glacier, leaving boulders all over as a meadow had grown up in the glacier’s wake.

:: Cheetor, I want you to draw Megatron’s attention. ::

He could imagine Cheetor’s hesitant face from here.

:: Okay, but… why? ::

:: I need you to lead him away. ::

Cheetor tended to hate being used as bait but he was, unfortunately, the best equipped for the job. If Optimus could be certain that anyone would get out of harm’s way, it would be their youngest recruit.

:: On it, boss bot. ::

A flash of yellow darted out into the clearing, circling the purple Predacon. He dashed off into the woods, Megatron charging behind him with yet another bestial roar. As they both went the wrong way.

Optimus hadn’t actually gotten to that part of the instructions yet. That was on him.

:: To the glacial valley, Cheetor. ::

:: Right! ::

The parade of two stampeding fools reappeared briefly, finally heading off to the right destination.

:: Once you get him there, lose him and regroup with me on the ridge. ::

 

---

 

Optimus sat down on a fallen log on the ridge overlooking the valley. From here, he could see the purple mass of his enemy moving amongst the grasses and boulders, even if some details were lacking.

“What’s up with leading him here?” Cheetor asked.

The log jostled as his company joined him.

“I figured out what his problem is,” Optimus said.

“And?”

“I solved it.” Easy.

Still, he didn’t have to look at Cheetor to know he was being judged.

“Why?”

Megatron stopped moving, stretched out along the top of one of the hot rocks that had been baking in the sunlight all day.

“Remember that time you saw an impala while low on fuel and lost your mind chasing it?”

The silence of realization was all the answer Optimus needed.