#dprime

Hello hello and welcome to another one of my AUs that i throw out into the world because I don't have the time to turn it into a full fanfic. This fanfic is based on the Sumerian Myth 'Enlil, Ishkur and the cunning Fox', that had been discovered this year (2025) back in February on a clay tablet in the city of Nippur. You can find the original myth with translation [here] if you are curious. But for now: Onto the AU.

Roles:

Optimus Prime as Ishkur

D-16 as the Fox

Megatronus Prime as Enlil

Sentinel Prime as Nergal

The remaining 13 Primes as the other Sumerian Gods

The Story begins in the beautiful city of Iacon where a young miner named D-16 lives a normal but rather unexciting life. He goes to work each day, he pays his bills on time enjoys watching races whenever he can afford a ticket to do so.

But there is one aspect that brings colour and excitement to his otherwise his otherwise monotenous life. That aspect being his best friend Orion Pax. After his shift each day he meets the colourful mech by the glistening energon rivers of Iacon. D-16 does not know where Orion comes from or what he even does for a living but like clockwork, each day after his shift in the mines, Orion will be waiting for him by the river banks where the two of them will spend their free time talking, exchanging stories or occassionally causing mischief around Iacon.

It's the one part of his day that D-16 always looks foward to, counting the minutes until he can finally leave the mines to be with Orion.

But one day, Orion was a no show. And the day after that as well. And the day after that. And the days went on by with D-16 seing neither hide nor hair of his best friend. And as more time passed with Orion missing, strange things began to happen around Iacon. The stars, that once illuminated the nightsky like tiny diamonds began to fade from the firmament and most devastating of all, the once plentyful energon rivers began to dry up and a dire drought fell over Cybertron. D-16 and his fellow miners were forced to work twice as hard to dig up enough energon to feed an entire city. But no matter how much they dug up, uncountable numbers of mechs and femmes began to offline from hunger and lack of energon. And yet the only question remaining on D-16's mind throughout all this was: "Where was Orion?"

One day as D-16 dragged his exhausted body out of the mines and limped over to his usual hangout place with Orion by the now fully dried up river bank, hoping that maybe today Orion would be there again. The nights had begun to grow ever darker and colder as more and more stars began to fade away and yet to D-16 none of that hurt as much as the void Orion had left in his spark.

When D-16 reached the river bank at last he found someone already there. But it wasn't his Orion. No, it was a group of 13 bots who were all clearly engrossed in a heated debate. The dark night englufed the bots completely in shadows and apart from their vague outlines under the remaining few stars, D-16 could not recognise them or even make out their faces. So D-16 hid behind some rocks and began listening in on their conversation.

"If we don't rescue Optimus soon Cybertron will turn into a wasteland!" the largest amongst the figures cried out "The stars are going out one by one, the energon is disappearing! This planet will become inhospitable!"

"I had told you from the very start letting him come down here to the mortal realm each and every day was dangerous!" Another voice reproved and D-16 could vaguely make out the person wiggling their digit in the first speaker's face "But noooooo, you incisted on letting him experience the mortal realm first hand will help him learn to become a better Prime. And look where this made us end up in: The god of Stars and Life KIDNAPPED and TRAPPED in the underworld!"

"Oh spare me Maximo!" The first voice boomed throughout the once blooming meadow, as the wind swept through the arid blades of grass

Optimus Prime... Maximo.... Like Liege Maximo? No way... Did I just stumble upon a meeting of the Primes?! Of actual in the metal gods? D-16 gulped as he recognised the names.

"Instead of pointing fingers at each other, we need to find a way to rescue my son! OUR son, Megatronus." a third voice chimed in "So, if you are all quite done arguing like sparklings, who is willing to go down to the underworld and rescue Optimus?"

A deadly silence fell over the group. D-16 was honestly waiting for a cricket hiding in the dead grass to underscore the silence with its chirping.

The miner did not know what came over him but as if a spirit had taken hold of his legs he sprang up from behind the rock and yelled: "I will! I will rescue Optimus Prime!"

"And who might you be?" the third voice from earlier called out.

"I am D-16. A miner from Iacon." D-16 spoke before he had even registered that he had opened his intake.

"And what makes you think you could save my son from the underworld?" The first voice - Megatronus Prime - bellowed out and D-16 swore he could see the giant's grip tighten ever so slightly around his spear.

"Well..." D-16 fumbled over his own words "Someone has to do it, right?"

Unintelligable mumbling was the only response D-16 received as the gods whispered amongst themselves.

"Very well." A female voice -Solus Prime no doubt- spoke up from amongst the group, still cloaked in the shadows of the night "You have our blessing to travel to the underworld and rescue our starlight Optimus Prime. But beware, once you enter the realm below you are outside of our juristiction and we will not be able to come to your aid if things should turn sour. Do you still wish to take on this quest?"

"For the sake of Cybertron? I will." D-16 tightened his fists into a ball with determination.

"Then so it shall be" the Primes responded in choir-like unison.

Well after that the Primes essentially show D-16 the way to the entrance to the underworld and explain that Optimus, had always been incredibly fond of mortal kind and loved spending time in the mortal realm. But during one of his trips in the mortal world, Sentinel had seized the opportunity to kidnap the young Prime and keep him prisoner in the underworld. Sentinel, they explain, used to be one of them long ago. But he had grown greedy, he did not wish to rule Cybertron alongside anyone, he wished to rule over it as its sole god. Sentinel had attempted to overthrow the thirteen Primes unsuccessfully and for his treason he had been kicked out of the heavens and the thirteen Primes trapped him in the underworld, making him rule over the dead in darkness instead. Optimus had been born to Megatronus and Prima Prime sometime after Sentinel's banishment as the god of the stars and life. As such all energon on Cybertron as well as the stars above were directly linked to Optimus. Sentinel must have no doubt snatched Optimus, knowing full well his absence would turn Cybertron into a barren wasteland. Or maybe he just wished to hurt the thirteen by taking away their 'starlight', their son and "nephew".

And so D-16's descend into the underworld begins.

Now the actual Sumerian myth is lost past this part but it is safe to say that the fox used his cunning nature to get into the underworld and safe Ishkur and thus bring life back to the mortal realm. And obviously the same goes for D-16 in this fic and of course as you may assume he ends up finding out that his missing best friend Orion Pax had been the god Optimus Prime all along but he'd disguise himself as a normal mortal for when he and D-16 would meet up.

Now IDK what Sentinel may or may not have done with/to Orion while keeping him captive in the underworld. Did he try to go full on Hades and make Optimus his consort (Which i admit would be kinda weird given the other Primes apart from Noblespark view Optimus as their nephew, but then again that also did not stop Hades from marrying Persephone)? Or did Sentinel simply lock Optimus up in a dingy prison cell? I'll let you guys be the judges of that.

But the result is the same, D-16 rescues Optimus and is happy to have his best friend back, they kiss and D-16 is given the option to become a god just like Optimus by the thirteen Primes. But IDK yet if he takes them up on that offer and becomes Megatron or if he prefers to remain mortal and just spend time with Optimus just like before each day by the river bank.