The Graduation Pt. 2
Oh, come on! Nina wants me to use the microphone again. Where is she now?
.................
School? Oh yeah, guess she hasn't graduated yet. Well, Uncle Megatron could just take her to the library and homeschool her!
Does she need more friends? She has enough friends!
Wait...microphone is on again, isn't it?
Hey guys! Rodimus here! How long has it been since we've all spoken to one another? Lemme go check...
Oh, Primus...
Whelp, before Uncle Jackie gets me, let's continue my graduation day story!
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"Today is the day. I couldn't be prouder of him."
Optimus Prime was usually a fairly calm individual. He was the former leader of a faction of good bots, now part of a council full of former enemies and allies alike, and a husband and sire. Today he felt an unusual amount of pride and happiness fill his frame as he got himself ready for an important moment of his life.
His sparkling's graduation.
When HotRod was born, he felt joy that he had sired such a creation. It was an overwhelming amount of emotions as he saw Elita-1's exhausted face plate and his son's protoform. Being surrounded by all his family and friends made his spark soar with pure joy. When his son's digits wrapped around his own, he knew he wanted to protect him from any harm.
Raising HotRod had its amount of ups and downs. For one thing, he was always racing around the house and slamming into furniture. Elita would scold him for scuffing the floor with his tire treads. He was also very stubborn and sparkling, constantly challenging his authority and questioning everything. Optimus often felt himself staring into the ceiling at night wondering how his carrier had dealt with all of them.
His carrier...
Optimus gave an intake when a memory crossed his processor. How long had it been since Penelope had seen them off? It felt like eons ago, but for him, it was only moments. Those days of heading to school with the bookworms, hanging out at the library, wrapped up in a blanket while on her couch. He could almost smell the cinnamon cookies in the kitchen, feel the blades of grass in the backyard, and hear the laughter of the house on a game night.
He missed how Megara would allow them to sample her baked goods, the ones she made as testers. The way Galthea lent him legal books to learn about being a lawyer. The rush of adrenaline he got whenever Regina allowed him to sit in the sidecar on her motorbike. Izzy's teasing tones whenever she encouraged him to play with her instead of reading.
Those memories of his Earth family never left his mind.
His optics stared into the mirror, reflecting the melancholic smile he gave himself. Those youthful days were over. He had a family unit now and it was his turn to save those memories. While it hurt to leave her side, he knew Penny was probably going to be fine. He was sure that she had a new lease on life.
"Are you ready Optimus?" The voice of his Elita called out beyond the door.
"Yes. Let's go see HotRod."
He was sure of it now. Nothing would ever make him worry about Penelope. He left the room with a smile on his faceplate.
Unbeknownst to him, a wisp of blue energy flickered as he left.
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"Congratulations to us!"
The sound of clinking glasses was heard as HotRod and Joyride shared some energon. They were inside the academy's cafeteria, away from prying optics. Drift rolled him as he leaned against the wall and watched the two enjoying one last drop before adulthood.
"Say, Roddy, are ya going to change your name when you get your full frame? I'm thinking of keeping mine." Joyride giggled, taking another sip.
"Probably not. Who knows, maybe my new frame will make me more dashing?"
"Oh please." Drift scoffed, shaking his helm. "The only thing you'll do is test it out on the racetracks of Velocitron!"
"Those tracks are cool!" Hot Rod pointed out. "My Uncle Knockout took me there for a trip and I have never felt so alive!"
"Well, if you crash, we'll put that on your tombstone."
Joyride stuck out her glossa. "You're just jealous because you can't go that fast, Mister Mysterious. I mean, you don't have to hide that you used to be a-"
HotRod placed a servo on her shoulder blade, making her pause in her words. Drift looked away, a shadow crossing his optics. Only the two of them and close professors knew about Drift's past. It was one of the reasons that speaking of the former factions was a taboo subject. There were still some Decepticons around who wanted to cause trouble and were shocked when Megatron made peace with Optimus. Certain factions had yet to return to the newly made Cybertron.
"Drift....I..."
"It's fine." He replied with a soft tone. "I know who I used to be and I am not proud of it. That being said, I have proven myself capable of change and that's what truly matters."
"Yeah!" HotRod patted his buddy on the back. "Besides, had you not committed to the change, we would've never met or been friends. I'm glad to have someone like you on my side."
Joyride smiled, hugging them both. "Aww! I'm so glad that we're all close friends! We share everything. Drinks, data tablets, certain secrets..."
HotRod frowned, breaking out of the hug and turning to face his friends. "Guys...there's something important I need to tell you. Something that can change my-!"
The sound of the doors of the cafeteria opened to reveal the familiar face of Bumblebee, one of the teachers at the academy. He looked around the room before his optics landed on the trio.
"Hey you guys, why are you all in here? The ceremony is starting!" He buzzed out, gesturing them to follow him. "Everyone had been waiting for you!"
"Scrap! It's already that time! C'mon, let's get our new frames." Joyride leaped to her peds and jumped with glee. "Last moments as academy bots! Tomorrow we hit the big leagues!"
Drift smiled. "Agreed. We shall take on Cybertron and no one will be able to stop us. Right, HotRod?"
The red and yellow bot raised his fist. "You betcha! Now...onto our next adventure!"
Bumblebee shook his helm as he watched the three run to the ceremony. He couldn't believe at one point he was acting just like them.
Who am I kidding? I still act like that.
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"HotRod....please wake up...."
His optics powered on as he found himself in his mind space. Oh yeah...Ratchet had put him under to perform the procedure. Thank goodness for his steady servos.
There she was! His grandmother is in her dress and overlooking the galaxy of stars. Why were there so many stars in this dream realm of his? It was quite strange. He went over to her, being cautious not to step on her. The orange-haired woman said nothing, just looking up at the stars.
"Look, Granny...." HotRod started, waving his servos. "Why do you keep appearing in my dreams? What is your purpose here? Are you just going to keep doing this and making me question my sanity?"
"The All-Spark has gone missing."
"And then you just- wait..." He paused in his rant. "Did you just say the All-Spark has gone missing?"
"Yes."
"Now I know this must be a dream. The All-Spark is hidden in the Cybertronian Archives. It's the most well-guarded artifact we have and it provides us with life. No way is that thing missing."
"Yet...here I am and warning you."
He was about to say something when she floated up to his face, arms crossed.
"I will not deny that Primus has chosen you for greater things. You and my daughter unfortunately are linked to something bigger than you both know."
"But why me? Why not my sire or his generation?"
Penny smiled gently at him. "Rodimus, you are going to be something that many people dream they could become in their lifetime; a natural-born leader. Lead your crew, head to Earth, and find my daughter Nina. When you find her, your questions will be answered."
"Rodimus?"
"The All-Spark has deemed you worthy to inherit its powers. Use them wisely and congratulations on your adulthood."
"Wait!" He reached out for her before the world around them started to fade away. A blue light glowed in front of his body as it went inside him. His entire being started to glow quite fiercely before he vanished completely.
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Penelope gazed at the place where he was before crystal tears went down her face. The dimension she was in glitched a bit to reveal that she was inside a silver cage. Wearing a beautiful white dress, veil, and gloves on her hands, her bridal appearance made her look quite ethereal to anyone who saw her. The cage had a velvet floor, a bed in the corner, and a singular mirror. She opened her eyes to see a large pair of red eyes staring down at her. The cage was rattled, making her fall to the ground.
"I see you've been sleeping more lately. No matter, once we get you to the destination, you'll be sleeping permanently." A deep voice said before the figure left her alone.
Penny looked at the mirror where her orange hair was turning blue at the tips. She could feel herself growing weaker by the day and didn't know how many times she could reach out to Rodimus after this point. Ever since she realized that she could communicate with the young mech at an early age, she wanted to keep her grandchild close to her heart due to being unable to speak with her child. It was getting harder for her to use the All-Spark to do so.
"Please...get to my daughter Rodimus."
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Next Time:
Luna: What the heck is Cybertron?
Nina: A glowing blue stone? What is this?
Megara: I think I may have found a lead on where Penny is!
?: Four clues, four locations, where will they lead you on your journey?
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