The first Sunset scene I posted was actually an alternate ending I wrote and decided I liked better. This here's the original (the beginning is the same)

  I clung to the face of the rock I was climbing. Although the experience helped, tree-climbing was a whole lot different from rock-climbing. There were no convenient branches to wrap your hand around, no broad limb to support your weight as you reached for the next branch. Just the pitted rock face with tiny ledges that I gripped with enough force to hurt. I tried my best not to look down, for fear vertigo would make me lose my grip.

  Why did I ever agree to this? I asked myself, recalling how I had insisted that I wanted to try and make it on my own. Optimus insisted that he stay a few yards away during the climb, ready to intervene if I needed help. I frequently caught sight of his massive form looking up at me, making sure I wasn't going to fall. Inhaling sharply, I reached up and grasped the tip of a tiny ledge, wiggling my hand to get a firmer grip. My right foot followed, seeking and finding a good-sized foothold.   As I started to haul myself up, my foot slipped off the edge, sending a jolt of adrenalin to my brain.

"Ah!" The sound slipped out as I frantically tried to regain my grip.

"Sapphire!" Optimus' cry rang out. He started climbing towards me, the clunk of his feet on the stone getting steadily closer. My foot finally found a firm grip. I hung there for several moments, trembling uncontrollably. Calm down, calm down, calm down. I focused on the rock in front of my face, struggling to control my panicked breathing. The clunks continued until Optimus' huge frame filled my peripheral.

"Can you keep going?" Concern rolled from him in waves, making me feel even worse. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head.

"I want to get down. Please, take me down." My voice was small and plaintive, like a child's. I hated the fact that I couldn't even control the way it sounded, let alone my overwhelming phobia. A shadow fell over me as Optimus let go of the cliff face and carefully wrapped a massive hand around me. I held on instinctively, then realized what I was doing and forced myself to let go. I hung suspended in the air for a few terrifying seconds before he deposited me gently on his broad shoulder next to his helm. I had a brief flash of a mother cat carrying her kitten.

"Hold tight now." I complied, wrapping my arms around his neck in a death-grip. Were he made of metal, I surely would have choked him. He began to descend, being careful not to jostle me too much. For nearly half an hour, I was only aware of the steady sound of his feet and the faint whirr of machinery underneath his metal skin. I began to calm down, reassured by the fact that we were headed toward solid ground. Underneath it all, I felt ashamed. I had so confidently told Optimus that I wanted to try scaling the cliff on my own. Please, I want to try. I can do it. I had severely underestimated my capabilities, and it nearly cost me my life. I clung to his neck miserably, burying my face in a crevice between the metal plates.

   After what seemed like eons, Optimus placed first one foot, then the other on the ground at the base of the cliff. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. The dying sun outlined his face as he turned his head to gaze at me with one glowing optic.

"Are you alright?"

"No," I mumbled. Some of the trembling had returned. I loosened my hold on him and sat back, eyes downcast. "I'm sorry, I couldn't do it. I thought I could but..."

"There is no shame in being afraid, Sapphire. Having courage does not mean you have no fear, but rather- "

"That you achieve something in spite of it," I finished. It was his usual pep-talk to me. And it always seemed to work. Optimus was one of the few I let see the weaker side of me. The side I often despised. He helped me see that it wasn't a curse, it was a natural part of me. It kept me from pushing myself too hard, too far. I smiled at him, letting him know I was okay.

"Thank you, Optimus. I couldn't have done it without you."

He smiled back, his optics full of warm affection. "I will always be here for you, my spark." He turned to survey the cliff. "And, we can always try again another day, when you are ready." Turning back, he journeyed west towards the setting sun; back towards our home.

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Kinda cheesy, I know. Looking back on it, it's not terrible. I just like the other ending better.

Anyways, until we next meet.

~Lethasa