Warning: Angst, character death. Have a box of tissues handy. Partially inspired by ryagelle's Ratchet X Twins stories.
Thank you Phoenix13 for permission to use the energy flare concept and Lament of Meow for beta reading.
Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. They are the property of Hasbro. I'm only borrowing them.
A Reason to Continue On
Ratchet screamed at the utter agony that came ripping down the bond before it was abruptly cut off. "Sunstreaker….Sideswipe," he managed to gasp out to the assembled Autobots around him in the rec room. Immediately several bots tried to establish communication with one or both of the twins to find out where they were and what had happened. Prowl and Wheeljack came to stand at Ratchet's side, questions in their optics. Ratchet shook his head. "I don't know. They've blocked me out, but it's bad." Ratchet's voice was unsteady as he recovered from the wave of agony that had enveloped him. Desperately he tried to establish some kind of link though the bond. Finally, after several long minutes, Sideswipe answered him, :Riverfront: was the single word answer before the bond was closed off again. Ratchet relayed the information to Prowl and a convoy of Autobots raced out into the rain streaked night.
The abrupt reopening of the bond made him fishtail on the wet road as Ratchet was surrounded by the complete love the twins had for him, but he could feel that Sunstreaker was weak and fading fast. :Sunstreaker, tell me what's wrong? Where are you hit?: Ratchet asked over the bond.
Sunstreaker told him. All he could feel at first was numb disbelief, then despair started to creep into his processor. Again he felt the love of the twins envelope him, trying to shield him from the inevitable pain. Sunstreaker was dying, both twins knew it, and there was nothing that could be done to prevent it.
Ratchet skidded off the rain slick road and transformed, falling to his knees as the knowledge that both of his bonded were going to be taken from him hit him like a guardian robot. Sunstreaker would die soon, and Sideswipe, his other half would follow. It was the nature of Cybertronian twins.
He felt the twins confer without him somehow and then a blinding flash of pure bliss flowed into Ratchet down the bond and he was engulfed in all that the twins were. Waves of blue energy crackled over his frame and love like he had never felt before overwhelmed him, then slowly subsided. A mental caress from Sunstreaker and a final farewell from both twins followed.
A terrible scream left Ratchet's vocal processor as he felt both halves of the bond fall silent. He barely registered Wheeljack's arms enfolding him in an embrace. Silently, his longtime friends and fellow Autobots surrounded him as he sobbed the names of his lovers, hopeful that he too would not follow them into the Matrix, for that is often what happened when one part of a bonded pair died. But that would not happen this time. The twin's parting gift had given Ratchet a reason to continue on as had been their final wish.
Ratchet drew his attention toward his own spark and the small miracle that resided in his chest. He didn't know how Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had done it, didn't know how it was even possible, but the warm presence of the sparkling next to his own spark was a comfort and would continue to be so in the vorns to come.