Highlight

A yellow highlighter colored sports car zoomed down a dark street followed by a construction vehicle.

"Crusher you're going really slow!" The yellow car yelled back at the other vehicle. Crusher continued slowly on his way letting his younger friend zoom far in front of him he wasn't afraid for the young mech because he knew his way.

"Highlight!" Crusher called out "You have to slow down at this next corner or you'll…" But it was a bit late the bright yellow car had already skidded off the road and into a long demolished building with a painful crashing noise.

"Ugh…" He said transforming the little black antenna on the side of his helm twitched a bit as he slowly got to his feet.

"Highlight" Crusher laughed transforming and using his good hand to help the young mech to his feet.

"You should be more careful!" He said dusting Highlight off. Highlight grumbled and pushed Crusher away.

"I can do it myself," He mumbled removing what remained of the dust. This only resulted in making the other mech laugh even more.

"Highlight I remember when you were a sparkling you wouldn't leave my side now look at you wanting to go and do everything yourself" The younger mech rolled his optics and then suddenly his antenna perked up he had heard gunfire off in the distance.

"Don't even think about it Highlight" Crusher said using a strong tone "You know your not allowed to fight unless its self-defense" Crusher put his other hand which was the scoop of his alternate mode on Highlights shoulder causing him to cringe.

"I know" He slowly stepped away from the claw that was upon his cone like shaped shoulder. Crusher knew this was his weakness his claw hand had always creeped this mech out and he wasn't about to loose that power over him.

Highlight transformed as soon as there was a good amount of distance between the. Highlight wanted to fight but for a reason he wanted to protect his friends instead of cowering along with them or being a victim to the next experiment that was planned.

He waited for Crusher to of transformed then zoomed away as he headed to their destination the gunfire got louder and louder. Soon it was unbearable he used his speed boost to get as far away from his partner as possible then on the next corner he turned he started following the noises.

--

Highlight got closer to the sounds ad soon he could see gunfire in the distance as he drove a large jet flew over him the Decepticon symbol clearly marked on his wings. The purple jet ignored Highlight completely like all Decepticons did and continued over to where the crossfire was happening. Highlight transformed and hid behind an old building and peeked around it to see what was going on.

Was that a femme? He thought as he saw a greenish-blue robot passed by shooting up at the incoming jets. He watched as this one femme took on all four of the jets he had been training to do something like this at the underground academy but his targets were never in the air always on the ground. Though Crusher was teaching him about shooting airborne targets in secret.

He watched from behind the building pulling his crossbow from subspace just incase. This is when he saw it a jet was heading to the femmes back and she wasn't going to have enough time to turn around and shoot. Highlight quickly aimed his crossbow at the jet and shot hitting his mark. The Decepticon teetered for a moment in the air just enough to see who shot him before crashing to the ground.

"Fragging neutral!" Highlight heard him yell. He flinched and ducked behind the building again. The femme looked around after successfully knocking the other two jets out of the air.

"Hello?" She called out.

"Please don't be afraid. My name is Moonracer I would like to thank you for what you did." Highlight stayed where he was and suddenly felt himself being grabbed and dragged away by a giant claw.

"Crusher!" He said happily as soon as they were out of earshot but Crusher didn't look too happy he pushed Highlight up against a nearly destroyed building and started yelling.

"What did I just say about only fighting in self-defense!" He yelled in Highlights face.

"The Decepticons aren't are enemies! The Autobots are now remember that!" He said smacking Highlight across the helm. Highlight winced as he was smacked over and over again it hurt but he had gotten used to it over time.

"Crusher…." He said as another painful blow was afflicted upon him.

"She was in trouble I had to" He tried to get Crusher to see things his way but the harder he tried to convince him the more smacks he got. Crusher paused in his punishment.

"That's enough. It doesn't matter if she was in trouble or not kid! She was an Autobot and our allies don't like them END OF STORY!" Crusher turned away from the now beaten up mech and transformed.

"Lets go home and you better stay behind me," He grumbled. Highlight did as he was told his entire body aching. Normally he would've protested but he didn't want to get any more punishment.

--

Highlight got back to base and was sent directly to the brig. He still didn't understand what was wrong if another neutral was in that situation and he helped he would get rewarded but helping an Autobot was forbidden no matter what. Highlight kicked the wall angrily he just wanted there to be peace was that too much to slagging ask?

Highlight then heard some footsteps coming down the hall he peeked through the bars to see Moonracer being dragged down the hall by the two guards that had locked him up. They practically threw her into the cell next to him.

"You'll be staying in there until the Decepticons decide what to do with you!" He heard the normally calm voice of the guard growl. Highlight reached through the bars and swiped the keys as the guard walked by. He had done this many times and just given them back later. He moved back in the stall and waited until the guards had long past.

"Hey kid?" Highlight jumped a bit as he heard a female voice coming from the other stall.

"Yes?" He asked uneasily.

"Thanks for before. You weren't an Autobot and still saved my aft" Highlight flinched a bit the femme had seen him before and now recognized him.

"Your welcome" He mumbled unlocking his stall. He then walked over to Moonracer.

"Please don't tell anyone," He said slipping the keycard through the bars of her stall then running off down the hall.

--

Many years later

Highlight was running through many small allies pausing at every corner and looking around a gun in his hand. He absolutely hated the gun but he had to use it.

"You down there your not holding the gun right!" The simulation paused and the room became white again. The mechs and femmes looked at each other trying to figure out whom their instructor was yelling at. Just as Highlight thought the instructor flew right down to him.

"If you're ever going to be a proper Decepticon you have to learn to hold the gun!" The black jet yelled at him. Highlight grumbled.

"If you let me use my crossbow…" He got cut off.

"CROSSBOW! Crossbows are for the weak they run out of ammo quickly! Now go home and practice! CLASS DISMISSED!" He said flying up to his desk and rubbing his helm.

Highlight rolled his optics he didn't want to be a fragging Decepticon! He preferred to protect people then to be the one to cause all the trouble. He put the gun in his bag that was waiting for him outside of the training room. He slung it on his back and walked down the hall a femme waved to him as he passed.

"Hey Shine," He said waving back to her. She quickly said farewell to the femmes that were talking to her and caught up to Highlight.

"What got you down in the dumps?" The white femme said clinging on to his arm. Highlight shook her off.

"I got bugged about how I hold a gun again," He grumbled pulling his bag up tighter against his back.

"You'll get it right someday. Then we can fight the Autobots together" The femme said her red optics gleaming.

"I don't want to fight the Autobots!" He grumbled his own optics a yellow neutral color.

"But, Light you have to" She said using his not so loved nickname. He just shook his head and turned down a hall leading to the exit of the school. He grabbed onto the ladder and started to climb up it.

"Highlight your not skipping history again are you?" She said gabbing onto him before he could get to the top.

"I'll be back later," He said pushing the opening up and out of the way allowing him to climb out of it. He then turned and shut it in the white jet-like femmes face. He transformed and drove down the road he had lied to the femme he wasn't planning on coming back. He was going straight to headquarters and getting his crossbow he needed some time alone.

He used his keycard and walked straight to his room and dropped his bag off grabbing said crossbow from this berth. As he walked out he crashed into Crusher.

"Crusher I uh didn't know you were home" He stuttered at the larger mech.

"Your not skipping history again are you?" Crusher said his claw coming threateningly close to his shoulder. Highlight pushed it away no longer afraid of it.

"So what if I am? I don't want to hear the history of those destructive Decepticons I don't even want to slagging be one!" He grumbled his optics remaining a very solid yellow. Crusher put his hand up to his helm and rubbed it.

"Where did I go wrong with you?" Highlight pushed past Crusher and walked outside transforming and driving off.

As he drove down the street he thought about everything that had happened he couldn't believe that Crusher of all people to be forcing him to be a Decepticon. He pulled into his favorite training ground and to his surprise a battle was going on right in the middle. He transformed and ducked behind a partly destroyed building his crossbow already pulled from subspace.

Memories from his past flashed across his optics this situation had become extremely familiar. He peeked around the rubble and just like his past there was Moonracer fighting the jets. This time he wasn't going to allow himself to be afraid. As the jets went into her blind spot Highlight ran out and shot his crossbow hitting as many of the jets as possible. Moonracer recognized him the minute he came out.

"So you've finally decided to come out of hiding huh?" She said shooting at the jets.

"Yes, and I would like to speak with you leader" He said shooting some more. Moonracer gave him a strange look then commed her leader allowing Highlight to hear it.

"Elita-1 I have a neutral here that would like to speak with Prime" Moonracer dodged the jets fire and ducked out of the way. Highlight did the same whipping arrows out of subspace and shooting them.

"Moonracer bring him back to base and well talk there" Elita responded causing Moonracer to smile.

"Hey kid! Guess what once we finish up here you get to come back to base with me!" She said shooting at a jet knocking it out of the sky.

"My names Highlight by the way" He said knocking the other two out of the sky. "And I believe were done here" He stored his crossbow in subspace and turned to face the femme. Moonracer nodded and stored her gun away.

"Okay come with me," She said transforming and driving off. Highlight did as he was told following the greenish femme. They drove for a while until Moonracer came to a stop in an area that didn't seem any different from the others.

"Permission to enter" Moonracer asked transforming.

"Permission granted but first I need to scan the neutral" Highlight nodded as he heard Elita-1's words.

"Go ahead" He said as two small robots came out of nowhere and scanned him over.

"CLEAR" It said in an extremely robotic voice. Then an elevator like thing came up from the ground Moonracer stepped inside and Highlight followed.

"So why did you want to see Prime?" Moonracer asked.

"I don't want to be a Decepticon…" Highlight said looking at the wall for no real reason.

"No one is forcing you." The femme responded as the doors opened allowing the two passengers to exit. Highlight rolled his optics.

"You don't know the half of it" He wished no one was forcing him but he knew I wasn't true. As they turned the corner a pink femme appeared and Moonracer came to attention. Highlight copied her thinking this to be the Elita-1 from before. Elita looked Highlight over.

"Why do you wish to speak to our leader neutral?" She asked him. Highlight stood his ground.

"I wish to become an Autobot," He said loud and clear. Elta-1's optics widened and a smile crossed her face.

"I'll tell Prime the good news and well have you on the next ship to Earth" Highlight nodded and relaxed as Elita-1 moved away from them and down the hall.

--

Highlight had driven back to his quarters and picked all his stuff up while Crusher was out on a mission. He noticed a note on the table when he entered.

Highlight

I'll be coming home late today it your reading this then I am extremely happy you've come home. I was worried sick about you last night and I've had the entire school out looking for you including this femme called Darkshine. Please stay where you are until I come home.

Crusher

Highlight left the note where it was and grabbed everything he could carry. He turned and faced the place he had called home for so many years and closed the door locking it. He sighed slipping the card key under the door he transformed and drove back to the femme's base.

When he got there Sky Lynx was waiting for him.

"You sure you want to do this right?" The dragon like transformer asked him.

"I'm ready" He responded then Sky Lynx transformed and Highlight entered.