Just a short song fic that came to mind while listening to the man in black (Johnny Cash) after watching the 2nd and 3rd episode of Transformers Prime.
Hurt
.
. .
. . .
It was a regular day at the Autobots base. Con activity was minimal, MECH was laying low for the time being and both, bots and humans, were enjoying the day by doing their own usual activity, except Optimus, as he just stared at the screen in search of any clues of what Megatron's next move could be, but the sound of strings interrupted his focus as he turned back and watched one the human children mess with some sort of instrument.
Curious by the design of the instrument, he slowly approached the teen;
"Jack, what is that instrument in your hand?" asked the Prime
Jack looked up to the autobot leader and just presented the guitar towards him;
"This? This is just a guitar that I found in the attic when I was cleaning a couple of days ago," responded Jack, not noticing the asian girl jumping on him as she wrapped her arms around his neck;
"Dude! I didn't know you could play guitar," said Miko
"You should listen to him play at night, he's gotten real good in just a couple of days of just messing with it," commented Jack's guardian as she approached her partner, who in return sent an embarrassed glare at her way. This only made the girl grin like a Cheshire cat;
"Come on Jack! Play a song."
"I don't know, I'm still in the learning process and all I can play is just a simple tune I heard of the radio," responded the teen with uncertainty as he looked to the side, "Besides, the song isn't a joyful one."
A loud sequence of beeps came from behind, a yellow robot with a human child no older than 12 riding in his hand;
"Bee is right Jack, you should still go for it," encouraged Raf, wanting to hear Jack play the song as well
Sighing, Jack plucked the instrument a few more times for tuning;
"Alright, here goes nothing," muttered Jack before he stroked the chords and a soft melody began to echo across the base, but what everyone noticed was the melody wasn't a happy one, but a sad but slow one.
No one dared to say a word as Jack began to sing;
I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything
The bots somehow were hit with more emotion by the simple words of this song as they heard their young ally sing the words, but when Jack began to sing the chorus, it awoken an emotion within them, mostly on Optimus Prime.
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
As Jack finished singing the chorus, Optimus couldn't help but think of the meaning of the lyrics. Made him think of his home, Cybertron, inhabitable due to the countless years of war raging throughout the planet. What was once a beautiful paradise for him and his comrades was now a rotting husk with the corpses of thousands of Cybertronians who fought in this bloodshed war, among them his close friends and comrades.
I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I am still right here
Then Optimus thoughts had drifted from his homeplanet to the one responsible for its state; Megatron.
For countless years, the Autobot Leader had hoped that Megatron would have stopped this foolish conquest, but he didn't and that caused the destruction of his home planet.
"If only I had finished him when I had the chance back in Kaon," thought the Prime with regret while Jack continued to sing;
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
Memories of her fallen partners resurfaced as she listened to her partner. An all familiar ache resonating in her spark as she brought her hand on top of her chamber and with her eyes closed, she reminisced of the good times she had with Tailgate and Cliffjumper.
Then opening her eyes, a new resolve shone in her optics as she stared at her new partner;
"I promise you Jack, I'll let nothing harm you," vowed Arcee in her mind
If I could start again
A million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way . . . .
After the song was finished, no one had anything to say, including Miko herself, as she was always the spontaneous one.
"What a sad song," mumbled the asian girl as she hugged Jack's neck from behind him with a few tears rolling down her cheek.
"Told you it wasn't a happy one," muttered Jack with his head low
"Indeed," rumbled Optimus as he turned and walked out of the room, leaving his comrades in their own thoughts of their destroyed home and loved ones losts.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Hope you guys liked this short story and yes, I'm a fan of Johnny Cash.