Heart of Steel

Soundwave examined a shard of the new energon found at the crash sight. Using his tentacles, he broke it in half, an ark of energy darting from one side to the other. He scanned the material as a model of its chemical composition appeared on his face plate. He crushed one of the two shards, turning it into liquid. The energon seemed almost alive, slithering into small gaps in his armor, forcing its way into him, and assimilating with his own supply of regular energon. The door behind him opened as Megatron entered the lab, followed by two Vehicon guards. “Soundwave, status report” he barked. Soundwave outstretched his arm, focusing on a saw on the other side of the lab. The saw glowed light purple, along with his hand, as the device levitated off the table, and floated to his hand. He wrapped his fingers around the tool’s handle, the magi arua disappearing entirely. Megatron chuckled, grinning so his sharp teeth shone in the light.

“Excellent. Then we are prepared to begin our endgame?” he asked. Soundwave flicked on one of the screens, revealing a large, purple blob in the canyons to the south. “Good. I will dispatch Starscream at once. Prepare an excavation team, and wait for my return. Once the field test has concluded, we’ll retrieve the rest of the energon, understood?” Soundwave nodded his head, placing the rest of the magic energon on the table. Megatron dismissed his guards, then walked towards the flight deck. Once they were out of Megatron’s eyesight, one guard tapped the other on the shoulder.

“Hey Crankshaft, what’s silver, red, and dented?” the one guard asked.

“What do you-” A giant, red, spring loaded boxing glove smashed into Crankshaft’s face, slamming him into the wall, and knocking him out.

“Your face!” the first Vehicon said. His body glowed white, the metal and circuits giving way to mismatched flesh. He turned his face towards me, giving me a disgruntled look.

“Really? You forgot about me?” he said.

“Sorry, I just wanted to make the story better after my laptop broke, and I kind of forgot about you. Sorry” I told him.

“Hmp. I’m half tempted to not even do what you want” he said, pouting.

“Aw, come on! Please” I pleaded. Nothing. “Come on! Please. Look, if people ever want a Heart of Steel 2, I'll give you a bigger role, okay?" I offered, though I wasn't sure if there there'd be a sequel

“Fine, I’m going” he said, disappearing.

Celestia slumped down on her throne, sighing loudly. It had been a long, long day at day court. There was no way to stop the flow of ponies begging her to tell them about her trip through the forest. “Celestia, are you alright?” asked a voice. She sat up, turning to see Prime behind her.

“Yes, it’s just been a long day” she told him. Optimus lifted his hand to his chin, cracking a very slight smile.

“Perhaps I could help you unwind?” he said.

“What did you have in mind?” she asked.

“You'll see. Come on” he said.

He took her to the edge of Canterlot, mere inches from the edge of the mountain, the encroaching night chilling them. Celestia was right next to him, staring off into the distance, as her sun’s warmth battled the chill of fall. “Climb on my back” he told her. She did as he said, holding onto him the same way she did in Cloudsdale.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? Last time we did this, we wound up lost in the woods” she said. Optimus chuckled, sliding on his face mask, then jumping off Canterlot.

Celestia tried to scream as they fell, but the sound got stuck in her throat. The wind rushed through her mane and tears flew out of her eyes, as adrenaline pumped into her blood. Instinctively, she spread her wings, though they did little to slow their descent. Optimus turned mid air, latching onto the side of Canterlot’s mountain. His hands and feet caved paths into the mountain, sending dirt and rock falling. Eventually, he skidded to a halt, stepping down onto a grassy forest. Celestia slowly climbed off his back, her legs wobbly from the experience. “Mind warning me next time you do that?” she asked.

“I thought you ponies enjoyed thrill from time to time” he said with a subtle wink. She smiled, folding in her wings, and standing up strait.

Around them, the trees had turned beautiful autumn colors. The light of the setting sun shined through the leaves, illuminating the forest in a brilliant orange-yellow. Celestia took in the beauty around her, slowly walking through the forest as she let the sights and sensations of fall envelope her. “Oh, Optimus, this is beautiful. Thank you, thank you so much” she said. He stood next to her, stroking her back as he also enjoyed the beauty of nature.

“Think nothing of it. I simply noticed the trees color, and thought we could enjoy the planet’s beauty together” he said. Celestia’s grin widened, as a thought entered her mind.

“Hey Optimus, want to have some fun?” she said mischievously.

“What did you have in mind?” he asked. She spread her massive wings, flapping them, and causing leaves to fall off the trees. She kept flapping, forcing them into a large pile. Optimus followed her leaves, lightly punching the trees to loosen their leaves. After a few minutes, they pulled together a pile of orange and yellow leaves nearly as tall as Optimus.

“Now what?” Prime asked. Celestia smiled. Stepping back, she took a running start, and jumped into the pile. Optimus raised an eyebrow as he watched her play in the leaves, turning on her back and rubbing them. She grinned at him, laughing as she used her wing to send some leaves his way.

“What are you waiting for? Come on in” she said. Optimus shrugged, joining her in the leaf pile. At first, he didn’t see the appeal, but then Celestia threw more leaves his way. He felt a strange sensation over take him, then threw more leaves back her way. He smiled and laughed as they continued their firefight. After a few minutes, the battle ended in a draw. They both both laid down in the heap, shuffling some of the leaves as they looked up at the firey sky.

“That was...interesting. I can’t say I’ve ever done anything like it before” he said. Celestia looked up at him curiously.

“Why not?” she asked.

“Life on Cybertron was very...regimented. We had leisurely activities, but what you could do, and when was determined by your caste, which, in turn was determined by the council. I was of the middle cast, so I was allowed to visit gladiatorial arenas, though I found them horrid places. There wasn’t much to do aside from that, so I poured myself into studying the Hall of Records” he explained.

“You sounded a lot like my student, Twilight” she said.

“Perhaps I was. Regardless, Cybertron was a very hard planet. Even though it had life, everything was metal” he told her, reaching out and touching her mane. “Nothing was soft, or gentle.” Suddenly, he turned towards her, stroking her mane. Celestia blushed, unable to look him in the eyes.

“Regardless, I’m sure you’ll be happy to return there” she said. Prime’s hand froze. His eyes widened in fear, and he clenched his teeth. “Optimus? Optimus, what’s wrong?” she asked.

“Celestia...I have something to confess to you…” he told her.

“What is it?” she asked again.

“Before, I mentioned the relics that could have saved our planet?” She nodded in confirmation. “They were called the Omega Keys, and I...I destroyed them” he confessed.

“Wh-what!? Why would you do that?” Celestia asked, shocked.

“When the Omega Keys surfaced on Earth, I looked into the Matrix for answers. There, I learned that they could not only be used to revive Cybertron, but turn other worlds into a Cybertronian like state; cold, hard, and metal” he explained. “There was no way we could have defended the Keys from Megatron, even if we recovered them. If he revived Cybertron, Earth, and many other planets would have fallen...he may have one day reached to Equestria. I couldn’t bear the thought of that happening, and I destroyed the one hope our home had.” Celestia blinked in shock.

“I...I don’t know what to say.” She touched his face with her hoof, cradling his chin. “Choosing another race over your own...I can’t even imagine the courage that must have taken” she told him.

Optimus leg go of her mane, staring up at the evening sky. “Courage had nothing to do with it. If I was truly brave, I would have found a way to save our planet without letting Megatron take it. What I did was out of fear and desperation. I don’t even have the courage to tell my own men.” The sun had almost set, and the stars were quickly becoming visible. “Do you see that star? The small one in the distance?” he asked, pointing to the light in question.

“Is that Cybertron?” Optimus nodded, laying both his hands across his chest. As they laid there in silence, Celestia lowered the sun, revealing the night sky in all its glory. "Optimus, I know this is hard. After I banished Luna, I had to ask myself if there was something I should have done differently. I thought of a lot of things, like how I could have given her the eclipse before her banishment, or made a festive in her honor. For the longest time, I tortured myself with these "What ifs," but in the end I realized here was nothing I could do" she told him. He chuckled holding one of her hooves.

"You know, it pains me to say this, but part of me is glad I destroyed the Omega Keys” he told her.

“Why is that?” she questioned.

“Because if I hadn’t, we would have never arrived on this beautiful, beautiful planet, and I would have never met you” Celestia blushed again, this time the tips of her ears turning pink.

“We should probably head back. Somepony might get worried I’ve been kidnapped by evil plants again” she said. Prime couldn’t help but laugh.

“‘Evil Plants?’ You’ll have to tell me that story one day” he said.

“Maybe tomorrow. Right now-yawn-I’m tired” she told him.

“Would you like to ride back?” he asked, standing up.

“No, I think I’ll handle the transportation this time” she said.

Her horn began to glow, and they were both instantly transported back to Canterlot. Optimus doubled over, crouching as he lost his footing. “I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to that sensation” he said.

“If you teleport enough, you’ll get used to it” she assured him. They went their separate ways, Optimus wandering the city, and Celestia returning to the palace. She chose to take a back way in through the gardens. Using her massive wings, she vaulted the hedges, giggling as she sneaked into the palace.

"Good-evening, sister."

Celestia jumped wings and horn flaring as a mysterious voice cut through the night. "Relax, sister, it is only me" Luna told her.

"Whew, Luna, you scared me" Celestia said, relaxing her wings. Luna circled her sister, grinning smugly, much to Celestia's confusion. "Is something wrong, sister?" she asked.

"You care for him, don't you?" Luna questioned.

"Who?" Celestia asked again.

"You should know who, you just spent a pleasant evening with him, after all" Luna said.

Celestia sighed, lowering her head. "Am I really that obvious?" she asked. "To most ponies, no, but to those who see how you look at him...I'd be surprised if they missed it" Luna told her, patting her sister on the back. "Why are you so sad? This is a happy day! My sister has found a love!" she shouted.

Despite Luna's efforts, Celestia still seemed sad, even on the verge of tears. "Luna, I'm afraid..." she confessed.

Luna sighed, shaking her head. "Sister, I know your last romance...didn't end well, and I know it may be frightening that he is a alien, but you need to tell him, and soon."

Celestia raised an eyebrow at her little sister. "What do you mean Luna?"

"Like it or not, Optimus lives by the sword. He is a warrior, he fights battles, and he may die. If you do not tell him tonight, there may be no guarantee you will ever get to tell him" Luna explained.

"I know, but...what about our little project?" Celestia asked.

"If he loves you the same way you love him, he'll forgive you." She lifted Celestia's chin with her hoof, smiling warmly at her sister. "And judging by what I've seen, he will forgive you."

Celestia whipped her almost-tears from her eyes, grinning slightly, though she was still in pain. "You're right Luna, I'm going to tell him right now" she told her, dashing off.

Just as she left, a letter appeared in front of Luna with the royal seal on it. She opened the letter, skimming through the contents. As she read, her eyes widened. She dropped the letter, allowing it to hit the ground, then trampling it as she ran to the armory.