It's been a long time since I've had inspiration for this work! Of course, I haven't forgotten Dana (nor Kyra),  it's just been hard to find inspiration these days. With that said, this kind of struck me while I was watching Atlantis: The Lost Empire, specifically the scene where Kida becomes one with the Crystal of Atlantis. Originally I thought about making an entirely new work based on this concept, but the large project was daunting and I didn't really have any further inspiration/plot for it. But then, I remembered in Burned that Dana does have an opportunity to interact with the Allspark, and thus this work was born! It was fun giving Dana what was basically OP superpowers and seeing what she would do with them.

This takes place directly after she Groundbridged to Cybertron in an attempt to shake Megatron out of Unicron's control, and nearly ended up squished. It's been a long time since I've re-read Burned, and probably even longer since I've seen Predacons Rising. So, I apologize if dialogue/characters seem clunky, and I'm definitely not using as many characters as I should. But, ah well, here we are! Hope you guys enjoy!!

>><<

Dana allowed Ratchet to drop her off near the Nemesis, Optimus Prime not too far off with the Allspark. Her suit hissed in a steady rhythm as it cycled oxygen through her helmet, preventing Cybertron's toxic air from reaching her lungs. Unicron was recovering from his momentary loss of control, Ratchet transforming once again as his old friend consulted him. He ensured his charge was okay, kneeling beside her and allowing their eyes to meet for a brief second, her look assuring him she was okay. Relieved she was unharmed, he stood to his full height to give his full attention to Optimus Prime.

"We need to keep Unicron away from the Allspark for as long as possible," Optimus said grimly. "However, no matter where we take it, he will pursue it until he reaches his goal. Unicron is a god, and thus has limitless amounts of energy."

Ratchet huffed. "It's a shame Primus could not manifest as well. We could use a deity on our side right now. What is the plan?"

Optimus settled his gaze on the container. "One I am not sure will work."

Dana also looked at the Allspark, feeling something akin to a gentle tug in the back of her head, like a ribbon of lace wrapping around her consciousness. Her eyes remained focused on it as Optimus set the container down, telling Ratchet he would distract Unicron until they could decide on their next course of action. The sensation intensified, though was far from unpleasant, the ribbon becoming more like a thin sheet of an other laying against her.

The young woman allowed for the sensation to wash over her, feeling it warm her fingertips and ease the anxiousness building up in her chest. It beckoned her, its question silent yet she knew what it wanted. Blinking slowly, Dana pondered the question and its underlying motives, the energy freely sharing what it desired. It was strange, the human unable to put a name to it for the longest time before it finally registered.

Calling. That's what it was. A calling.

She stepped forward with mild hesitation, towards the container, faintly hearing Ratchet say her name in inquiry. Reaching out, her gloved hand touched the surprisingly warm containment unit, feeling it vibrate against her. Her senses felt smothered by velvet, focused only on the bright blue light which beckoned her closer. The question posited itself again, its assurance returned with her confidence, fears soothed by the Allsparks natural calm.

The containment unit shifted and fell away, exposing the Allspark and allowing its radiance to wash across her. Now Ratchet was screaming, shouting words she could not understand, the ancient relic hesitating for merely a fraction of a second before overwhelming her. White flashed across her vision and warmth flooded her veins, power causing every cell in her body to resonate. There was burning around her, the fire painless against her skin as it eagerly ate away at something.

She had no idea how she managed to keep her footing, the stars fading into her view and making her realize she was staring up at them. Her feet remained grounded, yet there was so much around her, The human became acutely aware she was missing something, though it took her a long time to realize what it was. The Allspark washed explanations across her mind, its information right at her fingertips, everything it knew and what she knew becoming one. Its power, she realized, was hers for the using; just as her body was now its vessel for the controlling.

"Dana . . .?"

Turning to her guardian, she appraised him with newfound abilities. His white and orange armor contrasted starkly to the dark environment around him, bright cerulean optics furrowed with worry. A faint glow surrounded him like a halo, which she considered fitting given his chosen path in life. His EM field, the Allspark informed her, his emotions now as visual as they were palpable. His unique signature, one she could identify across the planet if she so desired.

Ratchet stared back, trying to swallow his panic as his CPU processed what he had witnessed. His partner had somehow opened the Allspark containment unit, and as soon as it had touched her she was obscured by a searing light. The creature which now stood before him was humanoid, was her, yet he knew deep in his spark this was no longer Dana.

Her glowing eyes, blue and no longer that earthen green he had come to appreciate, shifted away from him, her hair floating around her face as if she was suspended in water. The Allspark energy had burned away her space suit, yet once the illumination had died the young woman had manifested clothes - spring-wear, he noted, a tank top tucked into a flowing skirt. She stood there, gazing towards the battling Unicron and Optimus Prime, stance very unlike her - calm, unbothered, muscles untwined with her shoulders back in newfound confidence. Then with slow, unnervingly graceful steps, she began walking to them.

"Dana," he called her name again, this time with more insistence, scrambling to catch her attention before the new energy which possessed her placed her in danger. "Allspark, listen to me!"

Halting, the ethereal presence appeared to consider his words. He stuttered, trying to find something else to say, when she turned back to him in a single, slow movement.

"Fear not, Ratchet of Vaporex," glowing eyes settled on him, wisps of soft brown hair caressing her cheeks, "all will be well."

Shock rippled across his energon cables, processor stalling. For one, he had never told Dana where he truly spawned from, having always spoken about when he lived in Iacon, or worked in Rodion. There was no way she should have ever known where his spark was forged, as very few knew he was not a true native of Iacon.

And for another, she had spoken Cybertronian. A language no human could ever enunciate.

By the time he realized both of these things she had already turned away from him again, bare feet silent against the metallic ground. Feeling helpless he watched his charge as she advanced towards the fighting, wanting to reach out. Yet he was simultaneously scared of her and scared for her, unsure which to act upon. Dana would never hurt him, that he was confident in; it was the Allspark within her, a semi-sentient entity, which concerned him.

Dana continued, able to see the bright purple glow of the Chaos-Bringer and the energy which crackled around him. Within this was a much softer red tinge, one which pulsed and struggled against its captor. Optimus Prime's golden halo occasionally intertwined, her sudden presence distracting him from the battle.

"Da-?" He cried out, Unicron's knee slamming into his abdominal plating and tossing him aside. Though finishing the Prime was one of his many priorities, a different opportunity presented itself when Unicron realized what had caused the Prime to falter.

Whispers of knowledge from eons past brushed against Dana's consciousness, calm settling in her bones as the Allspark assured her she could do this. She met Unicron's purple optics, swirls of chaos licking from his shoulders to caress his helm, his toxic energy rebuffed by her own anakiwa glow. Two sides of the same coin, now facing one another in challenge.

"How convenient," he sneered, "placing yourself in the body of an insect."

"I have done what was deemed necessary," Dana - the Allspark, it was hard to tell - replied, "to protect my creations and those they swore to protect from harm."

"You protect nothing now," his energy focused into one of his servos, forming dangerous Dark Energon crystals in a deadly mace, surrounding his enclosed fist. He raised it above his helm.

"And this time," he promised, "I will not miss."

He thrust his servo down, bringing it onto Dana's head. She raised her hand in tandem with his swing, blue ray blasting forth with a burst of energy. Unicron flew backwards, back slamming into the Cybertronian ground. He slid with a teeth-grinding shriek of metal against metal, claws digging in for traction. Forcing himself up as fast as he could manage, the demonic deity snarled in rage at her. It was infuriating to watch her so casually walk towards him, as if there was no care in the world.

No matter, he decided. The longer he distracted this thing the closer his army would reach the core of Cybertron - then Primus would die, and his precious Allspark along with it.

He charged his canon, ignoring Megatron's pleas to spare her, silencing his traitorous disciple with electric pain. Firing once, twice, he advanced forward to finish this short-lived battle.

Dana threw her hand up in retaliation, energy coalescing in front of her and absorbing the blasts of energy. Power charged in her chest, flowing down her arms to collect in her hands, feeling nearly limitless yet the Allspark warning her of the consequences ahead - too much, and it would overtake the regeneration of her cells, burning her organic body to ash. Keeping it in mind she maintained her shield, waiting for Unicron to hesitate for a fraction of a second.

The moment came when he realized his power did nothing against her, roaring angrily to charge forward and make this battle more physical. Keeping her one hand up to retain the shielding her other reached out, feeling his energy with her own and seizing it.

Unicron felt the frame of his vessel seize up, muscle cables twitching with strain in attempts to break free. His angry grunts eventually silenced as the paralysis took effect throughout his entire body, becoming increasingly aware it was not necessarily his chassis she was holding - it was him. His spark.

Her shielding fizzled away as her energies focused entirely on him, other hand closing into a firm fist. With a savage yanking motion she pried the parasitic Chaos-Bringer from his host, the resistance more than she initially expected. The direct contact with both sparks made her privy to the confusion of the separating entities, one latching onto her in a desperate attempt to help, trying to escape the purple tendrils which refused to let him go.

Ensuring Megatron would remain in his own original frame she dug her energy into Unicron, one final tug releasing him from the Decepticon. Megatron screamed, purple smoke wisping from his frame as Unicron's add-ons burned away, leaving him as he was before. Collapsing to the ground he became still, Optimus Prime's optics wide with shock as Unicron's spark pulsed and fought against its new captor.

Ratchet flinched as he watched Dana reach back the Allspark's container flying past him to answer its mistress' call.

"No, no!!" Unicron screamed, writhing as his exposed spark was naturally drawn to the ancient containment unit. Dana watched as it siphoned inside, the container closing around him before settling back down, as if nothing had ever happened. She remained, watching Unicron struggle inside, appearing for all the world as if she was a statue - one whose clothes and hair moved on their own accord, yet a statue all the same. Though in truth she was deep in thought, her and the Allspark acknowledging the next step of this path they had chosen together.

The Core of Cybertron was safe, however it remained incomplete.

"Dana," she turned her head, hearing the soft, sad voice of her guardian from behind her. "Are . . . are you there?"

She blinked, facing him with a small smile. "Of course, Ratchet. I never left."

He hesitated, realizing she was speaking to him again in English, except the inflection was wrong. The . . . creature he stared at was not the human he had left on Earth, the one who came charging into Cybertron to confront Unicron. The moment she had touched the Allspark, or it had touched her, something fundamentally changed - and he lost something in the process.

Megatron groaned, opening his optics to gaze at the stars. Blue and red filled his vision, gritting his denta as Optimus Prime looked down at him. The Prime blinked slowly, mask remaining across his face and making it nearly impossible to read his emotions. Yet his optics did not like, and Megatron could see it clearly. He was troubled.

Dana.

He sat up, realizing with a start that explanations needed to be had. Something happened to her; he could sense Unicron's confusion, then giddiness, then anger, seeing through his optics how she glowed with Cybertronian energy. Allspark energy.

Ratchet felt his voicebox falter, attempting to makes sense of the questions swirling through his CPU. Finally, he managed to force the words from his intake. "What happened? Where is the Allspark?"

She tilted her head. "We are one and the same," she answered, extending a hand to him. Energy coalesced between her fingertips, blue and beautiful yet not her color. "No longer the other."

"How is this possible?" Megatron's demand drew her attention to them. He rose to his pedes, ignoring Optimus' attempts to help him. Red optics zeroed in on the energy, attempting to puzzle out what it was he saw before him.

Dana continued speaking, voice interlaced with a new presence which sent chills down her guardian's spinal strut. "Unicron sought to thoroughly destroy Cybertron by terminating its core and eliminating the Allspark. I could not allow his plan to come to fruition, not just for my own preservation, but that of the universe in itself. To stop him a vessel was required, one which could channel the Allspark energy in a productive manner - for we cannot destroy, but create. Of those in my presence, Dana proved she was most worthy - as she has always desired to help, to heal, and would never choose the chance to destroy. It is why I chose her, and why I agreed to merge with the Allspark."

She was beginning to talk in riddles, Ratchet attempting to discern who spoke to him as the explanation drew to a close. In any other situation, he would have felt honored to know his charge, a human, was considered worthy of an entity as ancient and powerful as the Allspark; and yet all he felt was dread.

Because if the Allspark was a part of her . . .

"You understand that without the Allspark, Cybertron cannot prosper," Optimus Prime spoke, addressing what was becoming the most obvious problem before them, "no new life will emerge from the well, and our race will die."

"We are aware," Dana met his gaze, watching as even the last of the Primes appeared uncomfortable, though perhaps he was more so due to the Matrix which rested in his chest. "Her knowledge is mine, and mine is hers. We know what must be done in order for our planet to prosper."

Cold creeped into Ratchet's systems. "But you will separate first, right? You have to."

Something crossed Dana's face, her gaze dropping to look towards the ground. Further dread filled Ratchet's energon lines, lacing around his spark in a web of terror.

"No, no-"

"How can you not?" Megatron demanded, "if you are capable of merging-"

To separate from her now would kill her," Dana reminded them, hair caressing her cheeks. "As she will not survive Cybertron's toxic air. And if the Allspark leaves . . . it will escape to the stars again, unrestrained and untamed, and your search will take many more millenia - if you are lucky to ever find it again."

"I'm not losing you," Ratchet said firmly, his digits curling into fists. "Not again."

Her sad expression gazed up at him, "Ratchet . . . I will not condemn Cybertronians to extinction just for my own life." She gently reached out, and he knelt down, extending his digit to her. Taking it, her familiar touch was a comfort to him, soothing part of his anxiety. It still wrenched at his spark, his pain increasing tenfold as he realized this would be, perhaps, the last time they would ever be like this. "I love you too much for that."

He shuttered his optics, bowing his helm. How could he fight her? How could he convince her, this entity who was neither Dana nor Allspark, to stay? As much as he wished to be selfish, he knew it was of no use. Once Dana made up her mind . . .

"I will always be here," her voice prompted him to look at her again. Her hand touched her own chest, over her heart, conveying her meaning to him clearly. "And I will never leave. That I promise you."

It was goodbye, yet Ratchet could not bear to part. Now, more than ever, he wished he could have protected her.

Her hand fell away from him, eyes drifting towards Optimus, then Megatron. Both mechs were quiet, unsure of what to say, or do, the former appearing immensely somber as he accepted what was to be done. Megatron met her with his red optics, the color more fitting than any shade of purple.

He gave a single nod. This was her destiny, he acknowledged. The human had always impressed him, proving to be more than just a simple organic lifeform. To him, she was exactly what she was meant to be - this power was hers to control, as it always had been.

Dana took a few steps back, then drifted towards the Well of Allsparks. Each step was quiet, the silence stretching for what felt like eons. Ratchet wished he would go to her, beg her to stay, come up with something, however deep in his sparks he knew there was no other way. His charge stopped at the edge of the well, looking across its expanse.

When she turned to look at them he thought, for just a brief moment, she had changed her mind. Yet she gave them all a soft smile, one of quiet acceptance.

"'Til all are one," she promised.

And then she fell, Ratchet jerking forward on instinct to catch her. A firm servo grasped his shoulder pad, Optimus Prime knowing his friend well enough to anticipate the medic would attempt to save her. Even Megatron's armor flexed and flared with brief agitation, however he was faster to relax and accept the young woman's fate.

Ratchet fell to his knees in silent mourning, burying his face in his servos. His friend - one of his closest - was gone.

As Dana fell she closed her eyes, trusting the Allspark would guide her. A new warmth touched her back, drifting across her skin as she neared the core of Cybertron. A new presence washed through her mind, this one far more powerful than even the Allspark, its knowledge of all things palpable yet not overwhelming for her organic mind. She tilted her head back, opening her eyes once more as a bright light bathed across her.

Megatron waited, searching for a sign or indication the Allspark was now one with Primus. He was not expecting anything extravagant, yet surely something would tell them Dana had successfully delivered the ancient relic to its rightful creator. Silence continued, Ratchet struggling to accept Optimus comfort as he mourned the loss of his charge.

Then, a burst of light, then another, and another. Like a firework, newsparks surged forth from the well with dizzying extravagance. Sparks of all different shapes and sizes flowed across the sky, Megatron watching in amazement as they set off towards their various destinations. Everyone could see what was happening, Autobots and Decepticons alike enthralled as they realized what this meant.

Cybertron would prosper once more.

Ratchet gazed at the well with bittersweet relief, aware his planet would heal from the war and yet at the cost of a personal tragedy. It would take time for him to accept the death of his charge, his partner, yet it did his spark good knowing this would have been what she wanted - Allspark or no, Dana would have done anything in her power to make this happen.

"Ratchet."

He looked up at Optimus Prime, however his old friend was not returning his gaze. Instead, the Matrix bearer was staring off into the distance, towards the Well, Ratchet shooting to his pedes when he realized why.

There she was. Just as she had been before.

Dana smiled at him, her green eyes framed by the gentle curls of her hair. She was wearing her red scrubs again, the strand in her hair nearly an identical match to his own optics, another resting next to it the same red as the optics of the one she rescued minutes before. It was nearly impossible to believe, Ratchet wondering how it was so - and a part of him terrified to think it was not her again.

"Dana?" He asked softly.

"I'm here," she assured him, though her expression was bittersweet, "Though only as a projection of my own consciousness, that which has merged with the core."

"So you are no longer just with the Allspark," Megatron realized, his optics widening a fraction, "but Primus."

Her smile became more amused, eyes twinkling as the three Cybertronians reached the same exact conclusion.

"Yes. I am all three, in a way," she explained as best as she could, in terms she knew they would understand, "I am Dana, I will answer to Dana, I will always be Dana. But the Allspark, and Primus, are both within me. I . . . I am them."

"How is that possible?" Ratchet struggled to comprehend, though Dana did not think she confused him; rather, the medic was attempting to puzzle out how three could become one. "You . . . if you are Primus . . . an omniscient god, a creator . . ."

"I wish to only continue to be your friend, Ratchet," she stepped towards him, resting a hand against the armor of his shin. He looked down at her, disbelieving how her touch felt so real. "As Dana. Yes, the Allspark and Primus are also a part of me, and that can never change. But I am here, and I can be here, for as long as you want. I will never be able to leave Cybertron, and I cannot - will not - interfere with the unfolding events of its future. Yet I can be Dana, your friend. Your partner."

She smiled, and much to his shock she produced what looked like a crystal out of thin air, the medic realizing with a start it was a small, perfectly human-sized spark shard.

His spark shard.

"You . . . knew?" He asked.

"Only now, yes," she gently touched its edges, "after I merged with the Allspark. Thank you, Ratchet, for doing something I could never ask you to do."

His expression softened. "You didn't need to ask," he replied quietly, "I would have done it regardless."

She smiled, allowing the spark to once again blink out of existence. It was now he realized he could feel a trickle of a presence within his own spark, Dana's consciousness a gentle brush against his senses. It was likely she did not want to overwhelm him, given now he shared a half-bond with something much more powerful than a human.

There was still hesitation with Ratchet as he tried to accept what was being said, who this was before him. She was more Dana than she had been with the Allspark, though now he wondered how much of her was also Primus. Perhaps he was reading too far into it, however it was hard to think of just Dana, as she was no longer such a thing.

"I suppose when I told Primus he had wasted your spark on an organic body, I did not expect him to give you his," Megatron took the opportunity to step into the conversation, earning a sly smile from Dana. The same one she gave him every time he threatened to squish her, or establish his dominance over the situation.

How foolish he was, to try and compete with a spirit meant to awaken Primus.

"I would hardly call my human shell a waste," she rebuffed, hands resting on her hips, "after all, you would not have given me the time of day had I been any other Cybertronian."

His helm tilted. "No," he admitted, "I would not have."

Optimus watched the trio exchange words, the Matrix in his spark seeming to pulse with every syllable spoken from the new entity before them. Fate worked in mysterious ways, he concluded. Though in truth, as he reflected on the human and the time she spent with the Autobots, he agreed with the choice of the Allspark and Primus. Though certainly not a perfect match, of the few humans he would entrust with a power such as the Allspark, she made the list easily.

"-the newsparks are many, yet it will take some time for Cybertron to become what it once was," Ratchet sighed softly, bringing Optimus back to the present conversation.

Dana blinked slowly. "Would you like us to expedite the process?" she offered, a smile still curling the corner of her lips.

Us, the word was obviously disconcerting to her guardian, his hesitancy telling her all she needed to know.

"And how would you do that?" Megatron inquired with a raised optic ridge.

"It's a bit difficult to explain," she admitted, gazing up at them both, "and it takes a lot of energy. I would need to rest for some time after the fact."

"How much time?" Ratchet asked worriedly.

She thought for a moment. "I don't know. At least a few weeks, if not months or a year." Her expression softened, lightly touching Ratchet's armor again. "Not too long, Ratch. That I promise you."

"I thought you would not interfere with Cybertron?" Optimus reminded her, though he was hardly surprised as the mischievous woman shrugged with a smile.

"Consider it healing the planet," she replied, "and as a way for me to give our- Primus' new creations a place to live. To offer a fresh start as this war comes to an end."

"But has it?" Ratchet turned his gaze towards Megatron, glare evident on his face.

Megatron's optics held his own for a long time, appearing to debate something in his twisted helm. Optimus began to fear the tyrant was not yet done with his rampage, and if Dana - Primus - healed Cybertron again, he would merely destroy it again in his quest for power.

"I swore to myself I would never hurt her again," Megatron finally spoke slowly, looking towards Dana with an unreadable expression, "and I intend to keep that promise. To wage war upon Cybertron, to poison its core once again . . . would only bring unimaginable pain to her. I am too proud to surrender, Prime, and yet I refuse to harm someone who was willing to sacrifice their life so I may once again live."

Dana laughed softly.

"Perhaps these are negotiations for another time," she offered, "at a proper table, in a proper establishment where such things can take place. Let me make Cybertron whole once more, and when I return from my rest . . . I hope by then I come to a prospering Cybertron."

There was a moment of tense silence, then her proposition was met with nods of agreement. Ratchet hesitated, gently bending down and offering his servo to her.

Never had the medic ever offered to carry Dana, and even her requests for a drive were met with reluctance. So to see him silently ask for her presence was a pleasant surprise, and she granted it willingly. He stood upright, and she hugged the thumb of his other servo as he brought it up to gently touch her. Her weight, her actions, it was all as it should have been, reassuring him once more the one who exited the Well was indeed his partner.

"Please . . . come back soon," he said softly.

"As soon as I am able," was all she could promise, yet he understood. Nothing was set in stone for her now, the whims of the universe the only thing which could control the fate of the deity resting in the palm of his servo.

With notable reluctance she let him go, and with a soft jump she was suddenly hovering in the air, allowing Ratchet to drop his servo to his side. She gave him one last look, then floated towards the sky, only pausing to brush her hand against Megatron's cheek, the warlord surprised by the gesture of affection yet accepting it without question.

Dana shot upwards, hovering well above the planet surface as she considered her next move. Energy gathered in her hands, eyes glowing a bright blue as the power of the Allspark and Primus combined around her. One arm extended towards Iacon, hand spread with her palm facing the decrepit city-state. In the same motion her other hand extended towards Kaon, a moment of pause ensuing before two powerful beams of energy exploded from within. Racing across the sky they eagerly reached their destinations, the forces of creation mending everything in its path with extraordinary speed. Magnificent buildings and architectural marvels sprung back to life in the blink of an optic, the blue light of Cybertron returning with every passing second. Those on the ground swiftly saw their beloved cities returning to their former glory, though now with a flare of humanity which blended well with the modernistic Cybertronian landscape.

It was only minutes which passed as Dana mended the world around them, the Well of Allsparks last to be touched. The blue light raced towards the trio, Ratchet quickly realizing what it was once it approached.

Flowers, blue and delicate sprung up around the Well in a huge radius, the formerly plain metal now replaced by what was, at first glance, a field of organic life. Yet as he recovered from his shock he realized they were flowers composed of Cybertronian materials, mimicking the Earth-like plants with stunning accuracy. A touch of home, something which would remind Dana of her roots for all of time.

As the final flowers blossomed around the Well the glow above them died, Ratchet looking up just in time to catch his charge gazing down at him, her smile soft even as she faded away, returning to the Core of Cybertron from whence she had come.

A whisper of a voice caressed his audial, spark pulsing with gentle affection, his optics shuttering as he cherished the moment.

"Until we see each other again," he whispered, "I will be waiting. I promise."