Author's Note

Fluffy!

Friendly Bonding

Back in Canterlot, the happy Crystal Prep girls were spending some time with their guardians. A few of them already had plans to go to the movie, but others had other important things to do. Sugarcoat wasn’t one of them, but she had to run repairs on Highbrow before the two of them could join up with Lemon and Indigo at the drive-in.

Highbrow was laid back on the ground while Sugarcoat was wearing blue overalls and protective clothing to run repairs. Her legs were coated in oil and gloves were slipped onto her hands.

“Are you sure you’re qualified to fix me up, Sugarcoat?” Highbrow asked, but then winced in pain as more sparks shot out of his leg.

“Positively.” Sugarcoat flipped her mask down. “I had to take auto-mechanics back at Crystal Prep, I’m sure I can repair my friend.”

“I’m not sure auto mechanics and patching up an alien from another world qualifies under the same thing.”

“Don’t worry, Highbrow. You’ll be fine soon.” Sugarcoat took up a welding torch and flipped the switch, turning the flame on. “Now hold still. This shouldn’t take long…”

Highbrow stood still as Sugarcoat began to run repairs on his leg.

“You know, Sugarcoat, I was worried when I heard about Wheeljack’s experiment on you. But now that I’m seeing the new you… I like it.” Highbrow gave a weak smile.

“Aw, that’s so sweet of you, Highbrow.” Sugarcoat smiled too, even though it was obscured by a metal mask. “Maybe we should let you have a quick run when we get back to Autobot HQ.”

Highbrow sighed. “I suppose so.”

He watched as she continued on her handiwork.

“Sugarcoat? This might sound weird of me to say but… you are honestly the first person I met that doesn’t argue with me, or despise me for my knowledge. Or really, just not hate me in general.”

“You and I are very similar, Highbrow,” said Sugarcoat. “We’re both super-intelligent, but no-one respects us or appreciates our knowledge on the subject matters…”

Highbrow frowned. “Sugarcoat. I know for a fact that’s not true. You don’t know how much your friends appreciate your intelligence, or your skills. But back on Cybertron in the war where I was… everything is action first and intelligence last.”

Sugarcoat stopped for a moment and looked back up to his face. “That’s terrible… Why would they throw that away and just charge in headlong? It doesn’t make any sense…”

Highbrow rested his head back. “It’s how I was led. You see… the Bots I had with me, they were almost the closest thing I had to family. Chromedome, Brainstorm, Hardhead… they were all I had to family. We were led to believe action takes more priority over simple planning. And then when we finally got surgery done to become the Headmasters, we never talked like friends or family after that. We just bickered and fought each other and I don’t even remember why. Soon after, all we did was just rush into the war and we barely even talked. I don’t think I ever seen any of them smile or say hi to me once. It was that day… I left them and tried to find work for myself.”

Sugarcoat flipped her mask up. “But, if that’s the case, how did you come down here to Earth then?”

“I found myself a job running an Autobot fortress to do science experiments, but sadly my skills were being put on a leash by Sentinel Prime who absolutely despised me entirely. But, I believe you have your former classmate Twilight Sparkle to thank for me coming here. She needed help to get back to Earth to save her friends, and that’s when I found an opportunity to leave Cybertron… in hopes that maybe just one day, I can finally have some real friends.”

Sugarcoat drank the whole story in and could only stare at him with sorrow in her eyes. She hung her head, drooping her three pigtails down to the ground. “In some cases, being logical isn’t valued anymore. The whole of CPA can vouch for that…”

Highbrow looked at her with a sad face. “Why is that?”

“Back when Principal Cinch was leading us, I was always the best in class until Twilight came along.” Sugarcoat turned her back. “When she came in, I was demoted to second-best; a shadow of my former self. Knowing that I was never going to outdo her, I instead focused my time on brutal honesty, practicality, and my studies. I didn’t make much friends, get out a lot, or do anything other than follow that mean lady’s drumbeats.”

“But… winning isn’t everything, is it? If I recall, the Friendship Games were a means of getting Canterlot High and Crystal Prep to join in through peaceful means and friendly competition. I thought they were supposed to be about having fun.” Highbrow said.

“When you’re fifty-nine years of age and with many accolades and awards under your belt, you develop an ego. And that ego poisons the minds of the students,” said Sugarcoat. “Cinch was a cancer, and we were the victims of her little virus. But Twilight and her new friends were the cure to all of that and now we’re free from the chains…”

Sugarcoat felt her eyes watering up with tears. Highbrow’s blue finger just carefully moved up and wiped away one of the tears trickling down her cheek.

“Sugarcoat, if that’s the case then… why still hold the blunt shield? You don’t need to listen or do anything with Principal Cinch now that you’re free. You are free to be who you are. You are not bind by her rules or regulations, you can be who you want.”

“Because people keep making crucial mistakes that could make or break themselves…” Sugarcoat picked up the torch again. “If someone thinks that they’re good at something they’re not, it hurts even more once the truth sets in. The only friendly thing to do is put them down before they embarrass themselves and make themselves unhappy. At least… that’s what I believe in.” She leaned down to the damage once again and continued. “And now that Cadence runs the show, I feel like my help isn’t appreciated anymore. No-one listens to me, or takes my word on the subject, or even gives me a chance. Not even the other Shadowbolts were friendly to me most of the time until now… What’s wrong with me? What’s so wrong with the truth?” More tears dripped from her eyes.

Highbrow couldn’t stand the sight of her tears. Carefully, he picked her up and pulled her close and held her in a hug, patting her back while she sobbed her eyes out.

“Sugarcoat… shh… it’s okay…” Highbrow said with a warm voice, patting her back.

“Honesty is the best policy, but no-one wants to hear it anymore.” she whimpered.

“No, Sugarcoat… shhh…” Highbrow pulled her back and wiped some more tears away. “Listen to me. The others appreciate your help more than you realize. Do you not know how much I appreciate your help right here?”

Sugarcoat sadly shook her head.

“Don’t put yourself down just because of the past. Just try to focus on the now and you’ll be fine.” Highbrow sat back up. “The past does not define you. You define yourself. No-one else, nothing else, and not even your own inner demons. Only you shape who you are. Never forget it.”

Sugarcoat couldn’t help it, but she gave a weak smile to her friend and wiped some more tears off her face.

“Highbrow?”

“Yes?”

Sugarcoat sniffled. “I hope you never die.”

Highbrow gave a smile back and he gave her another hug.

Meanwhile, at the bio-dome, Sour Sweet and Smallfoot were taking in all of the sights, rare creatures, and water features that ran through the simulated forests and jungles. Both of them held hands and gazed in awe at the intricate patterns and bedazzling lights.

“Whoa…” Smallfoot said in awe. “Sour, this is amazing…”

“I knew you’d love it, Smallfoot.” Sour smiled. “And anything that makes my big rig happy makes me happy too.”

Smallfoot blushed a bit, making her giggle. Turning around a corner, Smallfoot saw a little butterfly flap its’ wings, and land on her nose.

“Ooh…” Smallfoot said, staring down at it. Sour just giggled, seeing the butterfly on her face.

“Did you know that you can identify a species of butterfly based on its’ wing pattern?” Sour Sweet leaned in closer to the butterfly. “This one is a Vanessa Atlanta and it’s usually found in hot places. So, I imagine this bio-dome would be a wonderful little home for it.”

Smallfoot tried her best to look back at her girlfriend, but the butterfly flapping its wings up and down made it a little hard.

“I hope so too, Sour.” Smallfoot smiled.

Sour was about to walk forward, but a question lingered on her mind. “Hey, uh, Smallfoot?”

Smallfoot stood for a moment as the butterfly flew off her face, and then looked her girl in the eyes.

“Yeah, baby? Is something wrong?”

“Do you… like me better now that I don’t have bad stuff in me anymore?” Sour nervously tapped the ground with the tips of her shoes.

Smallfoot let out a small frown and looked to the side. “Uh… Sour. Is it alright if I can be honest?”

“You hate it, don’t you?” Sour frowned.

“No, sweetness! I don’t hate it, I just..” Smallfoot sighed. “Baby, I love your sweet side, I really do. But, I really like your sour side as well.”

Sour blinked. “But… why? I’m just an angry person who rants at everything.”

Smallfoot gave a small smile. “That’s not what I see. When I see that sour side, I see a girl who’s trying to express herself in the best way that she can. And I see a girl who can stand up for herself, and she’s not going to let any man try to stand in the way of her choices. Tough, strong, independent.”

“And all of that’s gone away. Wheeljack made sure that my sour side was totally gone…” Sour frowned and hung her head.

“Sour. It doesn’t make me love you any less. I still love you.” Smallfoot pulled her in for a hug. “Plus, I’ll admit, I am actually having a good time with you. I still love your sweet and caring side.”

“R-Really?” Sour’s eyes bulged out, like a puppy dog’s.

“I mean it.” Smallfoot caressed her cheek, and she gave her a kiss, making her own heat up.

Sour hugged Smallfoot tightly, rubbing her head against her steel body. Small tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked back up into her eyes.

Smallfoot wiped her red finger across her cheek, removing the tears off her face.

“You okay?”

“Y-Yeah.” Sour Sweet smiled. “Thank you, big rig. Thank you for understanding. I really appreciate it.”

Smallfoot smiled back and cradled her in her arms.

“Sour, you’re my girl. I’m always here for you no matter what.”

“Thanks, Smallfoot.” Sour held her hand and walked further through the dome.

At the movies, Indigo, Lemon, and Sunny were all gathered with their guardians. All of them had all gathered under a sinking sun as the first stars of the night began to emerge. But all their attention was focused on the movie instead of the scenery.

“You know, this is just me, but I have to say, I’m surprised this drive-in theater is still standing. Wouldn’t the Decepticons have trashed this place by now?” Indigo asked, eating some candy.

“The Decepticons ain’t some battle-hungry zombies y’know,” said Outback. “Them cobbers are crafty little buggers. They only take, conquer, and fight for stuff that’s important to ‘em.”

“True.” Indigo nodded. She looked into the rearview mirror for a moment and she gave a small smile. Behind them in another row was a blue and black looking muscle car with large spikes sticking out the back, and a tiny Decepticon logo in the grill. “Hey, check it out. Apparently Weirdwolf’s seeing the same movie we are.”

“Weirdwolf?!” Outback, Hound, and Blaster all jumped and transformed in shock.

“Guys! Calm down, it’s okay!” Lemon said. “Didn’t you get the memo? He’s not a fugitive anymore. He’s been sentenced to live freely here on Earth.”

Blaster shook his head. “I appreciate the idea, but the symbol doesn’t lie.” He pointed at Weirdwolf’s insignia. “And, to be honest, I’ve NEVER heard of a friendly Decepticon before.”

“That’s because there isn’t any, Blaster.” Hound shook his head.

“Guys! He’s not going to hurt anyone, we know it! He’s a friend, can you just leave him alone?” Sunny pleaded.

“Let me fix this up.” Weirdwolf transformed and knelt before the Bots. “I knew that not all of the Autobots would be so trusting as Sunset Shimmer is. But she knows that I can be trusted enough not to hurt anyone. And much like you Autobots and my new friend Overload, I want Megatron’s head on a silver platter.”

Hound rolled his eyes. “Well, as much as that may be, we…” Hound stared at his shoulders for a moment, noticing the clawed out Decepticon logos. “Okay, I’m sorry, what is up with your shoulders?”

“It’s common knowledge that if your symbol is destroyed, then you are taken off the matrix for that group of Transformers.” Weirdwolf pointed to his logos. “The entire Decepticon race thinks I’m dead and so they won’t come looking for me. Nor would they even pick up my location or comms. I’m a ghost now, living happily with no-one leading me like a hunting dog.”

Indigo smiled. “That’s great to hear buddy. Although, just out of curiosity… we know Overload hates the Autobots too. You’re not gonna kill any of our friends… are you?”

Weirdwolf smiled and shook his head. “Never. I wouldn’t dream of attacking the Autobots, besides, I’ve made friends with some of your team. What Cybertronian would I be if I attacked my own friends?”

“Probably a Cybertronian Phalanx like Overload said,” Lemon chimed. “I still don’t know what those are or what they did, to be honest…”

Weirdwolf chuckled. “Well I promise you, I am not. I’m merely a former foot soldier. But, if any of you don’t mind… I would like to just simply relax and watch the movie?” Weirdwolf’s body flipped back into vehicular form, and he just sat in his row, reconnecting with the speakers.

The three Bots just sighed and took a moment to breathe in and out.

“... Sorry about that.” Hound quietly spoke.

“Still, I can’t believe there are friendly Decepticons…” Sunny turned back to the screen.

“Don’t get used to it, baby. I’m sure he’s the only one.” Outback transformed back into a car.

“Who knows? Maybe there’s a lot more friendly Cons on that ship that we don’t know about.” Lemon said.

“Oh, maybe like blue birds who have an obsession with shiny things and likes to sing about said shiny things?” Blaster asked.

“I’m pretty sure that Magpie-Con isn’t a friendly one.” Indigo munched some popcorn.

“We didn’t even meet her yet!” Sunny said.

Lemon accidentally spit up her drink all over Hound’s dashboard. “That bird is a GIRL!?”

“Ahem.”

Lemon looked at the dashboard and blushed. “Hehe, s-sorry, Hound.”

“Next time, you’re cleaning that up.” Hound spoke. “Come on, let's just watch the movie, guys. Aw, scrap, I don’t even know what’s going on!”

“I’m sure someone’ll say something to fill you in again.” Sunny nodded. “Movies have a tendency of doing that these days…”