Orion barely had enough time to duck. He felt the air rushing over his scales as Megatron's massive body flew over him. The warlord's claws had been mere centimeters from striking flesh, but thanks to Orion's smaller build, he was able to maneuver a lot faster than Megatron could.

Megatron's paws slammed against the ground as he landed, a guttural snarl rising in his throat. His claws tore through the earth as he spun himself around. "Allow me to show you what true fear is." Megatron clamped his jaws on Orion's tail and flung him using all of his might.

Possessing no wings, Orion dropped like a stone after hurtling through the air for a few seconds. His limbs flailed uselessly and provided no support when he crashed to the ground. Clouds of dust exploded outward upon impact. The archivist coughed hoarsely, his legs wobbling as he struggled to push himself up.

He threw himself sideways almost immediately after regaining his footing, narrowly avoiding Megatron's second lunge. Before the warlord could turn again, Orion's paw flashed out and gouged a nasty wound into his hindquarters. Having not been anticipating the sudden attack, Megatron recoiled with a howl of pain and staggered sideways.

Orion scrambled backwards out of pure fear. Did he just do that? His eyes widened in horror upon seeing the blood that stained his right paw. That wasn't his blood... it was Megatron's! Adrenaline pumped through his veins, numbing him to the throbbing pain in his tail.

Meanwhile, dragons in nearby dens had poked their heads out to investigate, having heard Megatron's howl of pain. Up until this point, no one had dared to stand against Megatron. But here was this tiny archivist, who definitely had no idea how to fight properly, facing off against the monstrosity that was nearly twice his size instead of running away. His courage instilled feelings of courage in their hearts as well. If he could stand up to Megatron, they all could!

"You'll pay for that, pest!" Megatron seethed, flaring his wings out as an intimidation tactic. But before he could even lay a claw on Orion, he was blindsided by another dragon and sent sprawling across the ground.

All of a sudden, these random citizens who had witnessed Orion's courage were coming to his aid. While some handled Megatron, the others went after his followers that were still lingering nearby. The chaotic battle didn't last long and ended with Megatron's surprising call for retreat. As the Decepticons fled the area, Megatron paused to take one last look at Orion. The expression of betrayal and pure hatred on his face would come to haunt Orion for years afterwards.

"This isn't over, Orion! I will slaughter your kind one by one until there's none of you left! Iacon will burn!" Megatron snarled, baring his fangs. And with that, he turned and retreated with the rest of his forces, the blood on his hindquarter standing out like a sore thumb against his grey scales.

Orion watched them leave, overwhelmed by a multitude of emotions. He was brought out of his thoughts when those surrounding him started cheering about the victory. He couldn't help but smile. The hostages had been saved and for the first time in Iaconian history, a group of random citizens had joined together to defeat a dangerous threat.

And to think that Orion had started it all.

•
•
•

"I'm surprised your tail wasn't snapped clean off." Ratchet grumbled through the herbs he was chewing, his eyes focused on the lacerations in Orion's tail.

Orion forced a bit of a chuckle, then winced when Ratchet began applying the poultice to his wound. "I thought it was. I couldn't really feel it at the time." He admitted.

"Adrenaline is one hell of a drug." Ratchet carefully wrapped cobwebs around Orion's tail. Satisfied with his work, he sat back on his haunches and sighed. "I still can't believe you took on Megatron alone. He could've easily killed you!"

"Except he wasn't alone." A familiar voice said.

Orion perked up immediately, knowing exactly who that voice belonged to. A big smile appeared on his face as Alpha Trion entered the room. "Alpha Trion!"

Ratchet blinked, then quickly dipped his head out of respect. "Councilman." He addressed the elderly dragon.

"Relax, Ratchet. No titles are needed." Alpha Trion purred as he approached Orion, an inquisitive gleam in his eyes. "I heard quite a lot about your heroics today, young Orion. You did well."

Orion's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Thank you!" He beamed happily, though his joyful expression soon fell. He sighed softly and lowered his head. "Megatron attacked me without even giving it a second thought. It was like he didn't even recognize that we used to be friends!"

Ratchet's gaze softened with concern for his friend. He knew this must be painful for him. "From his viewpoint, the friendship you once shared was ended when you provided a counter argument to his at the Council hearing regarding how Iacon should be governed. I know you didn't mean it that way, but he took it personally." He spoke from the heart, truly trying to help Orion figure things out. If the bad blood between Orion and Megatron continued to spiral out of control, there was no coming back. The medic was afraid they were already past that point, though.

Orion curled in on himself, shame washing over him. Had he inadvertently brought this death and destruction upon Iacon? Maybe if you had just stuck to the plan, things wouldn't be so bad. His spiteful inner voice echoed in his mind. However, he knew things would've turned out this way no matter what he did. If he had gone with Megatron's plan, he would've been cast aside the moment he was no longer useful. Megatron did not want peace and freedom like he had advertised during his time as a gladiator.

He wanted to rule with an iron fist, where no one would dare challenge his authority.

After a period of silence, Orion gathered the strength to speak again. "What now?" He asked, his voice meek and full of uncertainty. Along with the stress of dealing with Megatron, he still hadn't come to terms with being chosen as the next Prime. It was all happening so fast that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep up.

For once, Ratchet was speechless. He could only provide comfort through actions, and even that was a struggle for him.

Alpha Trion, having been silent up until that point, hummed thoughtfully and flicked his tail. "I believe it is time to give you the instructions you shall need to complete your journey."

Orion lifted his head to eye his mentor curiously. "My journey?"

"Yes." The elderly councilman nodded. "In order to become a Prime, you must seek out the Matrix of Leadership."

The Matrix of Leadership. Orion had heard stories of it before, but never once did he imagine he would eventually make the journey to find it. "But how do we know where it is? There's no written location, or even directions to reach it!"

A bit of air puffed from Alpha Trion's nostrils. "You must trust your natural instincts to lead you there. Primus shall only provide guidance if there is a dire need. Other than that, you are on your own. Many challenges lie ahead. Are you ready to face them with the same fearlessness you faced Megatron with?"

Orion pursed his lip, already feeling the pressure building up on his shoulders. He felt obligated to accept. There was no other choice. So, he sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Yes." He said with confidence, though he was still unsure.

"Good." Alpha Trion rumbled as he rose to his paws. "Come. We must inform the people. They need hope in these trying times."

Orion slowly stood as well. Before he left, he cast a worried glance at Ratchet. He could tell the medic feared for his safety, but supported him nonetheless.

"I'll be right here when you return." Ratchet said, a light chuckle escaping him. He smiled sadly as he nudged Orion's shoulder. "Be careful, alright? I don't want to lose my closest friend."

Orion offered a half-hearted smile in return and brushed against Ratchet's side. "I will. Don't worry, I'll be back to give everyone the freedom they deserve." And with that, he hastily padded after Alpha Trion.

Now alone in the den, Ratchet let his shoulders sag. His mind was clouded with worry. Orion was very important to him. If he didn't come back, what would they do? "Primus, please keep him safe." He murmured under his breath. While he wasn't one to pray a lot, this felt like the right time to do so. Especially with the challenges ahead.