Have you ever heard the saying, "when two men rule, everybody dies?" This didn't seem to ring true on the Transformers home world of Cybertron in the long-ago past, when the current Autobot leader Optimus Prime, ruled side-by-side with his brother, the current Decepticon leader (well, not current as of Dark of the Moon, where Optimus finally kills his oldest enemy), Megatron.
They were opposite sides of the same coin on Cybertron, with the just Optimus complementing the unyielding Megatron.
After the fall, they would become different coins altogether, with Megatron surrendering fully to the dark side of greed.
It all began, and ended, with the All Spark.
The All Spark is to the Transformers what God is to humans; it is an all-encompassing energy source that creates them and then powers them.
As the co-rulers of Cybertron, Optimus Prime and Megatron understood that the mysterious metallic cube was the end-all-be-all of Cybertronian power, and conspired to keep it safe and well-regarded.
But while Optimus held up his end of it, Megatron's dark side surfaced at the thought of sole-control of so wonderful an object and he sought to possess it.
The noble and just Optimus knew that this would spell disaster for all if the conquest-minded Megatron could obtain it, and so instituted a series of actions to put the All-Spark out of his reach: he jettisoned it into deep space while Megatron was distracted by battle.
This had the unfortunate and inevitable consequence of dooming their world Cybertron, which would die as a result of losing the only source of energy capable of sustaining an entirely mechanical planet.
The residents of the planet would have to leave the surface and travel through space for various homes.
The ultimate figure of self-sacrifice - well; not if you're Christian, I suppose - Optimus Prime has repeatedly shown a willingness to protect the All-Spark from falling into the hands of evil, with his own life (and the willing lives of his Autobots).
His single-minded protective instincts even places the lives of humans above his own, as he assumes responsibility for any harm that befalls them at the hands of any Transformer.
This extreme nobleness is not without cost, as the deaths he couldn't stop, as well as those he might have caused, dim his vibrant life force.
He is, however, always the picture of resolution before his troops, never doubting himself on the battlefield.
He never forgets the sacrifice his decision to jettison the All Spark cost his people, and carries that burden with him always, even though he understands there was no alternative; Megatron would have sought to rule the galaxy with its relentless power as an aid to his own.
They were opposite sides of the same coin on Cybertron, with the just Optimus complementing the unyielding Megatron.
After the fall, they would become different coins altogether, with Megatron surrendering fully to the dark side of greed.
It all began, and ended, with the All Spark.
The All Spark is to the Transformers what God is to humans; it is an all-encompassing energy source that creates them and then powers them.
As the co-rulers of Cybertron, Optimus Prime and Megatron understood that the mysterious metallic cube was the end-all-be-all of Cybertronian power, and conspired to keep it safe and well-regarded.
But while Optimus held up his end of it, Megatron's dark side surfaced at the thought of sole-control of so wonderful an object and he sought to possess it.
The noble and just Optimus knew that this would spell disaster for all if the conquest-minded Megatron could obtain it, and so instituted a series of actions to put the All-Spark out of his reach: he jettisoned it into deep space while Megatron was distracted by battle.
This had the unfortunate and inevitable consequence of dooming their world Cybertron, which would die as a result of losing the only source of energy capable of sustaining an entirely mechanical planet.
The residents of the planet would have to leave the surface and travel through space for various homes.
The ultimate figure of self-sacrifice - well; not if you're Christian, I suppose - Optimus Prime has repeatedly shown a willingness to protect the All-Spark from falling into the hands of evil, with his own life (and the willing lives of his Autobots).
His single-minded protective instincts even places the lives of humans above his own, as he assumes responsibility for any harm that befalls them at the hands of any Transformer.
This extreme nobleness is not without cost, as the deaths he couldn't stop, as well as those he might have caused, dim his vibrant life force.
He is, however, always the picture of resolution before his troops, never doubting himself on the battlefield.
He never forgets the sacrifice his decision to jettison the All Spark cost his people, and carries that burden with him always, even though he understands there was no alternative; Megatron would have sought to rule the galaxy with its relentless power as an aid to his own.
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