Chapter 4: Missing Me, Missing You

Back in Ponyville, Twilight and her friends were showing Whirl around town (the CMC's had since gone back home, in case you were wondering), and Whirl was taking pictures with her phone as they walked along.

"This place is so cool!" Whirl said to herself. "If only Hot Shot and the others were here!"

Just then, Whirl noticed that her phone was running low on battery.

"Hey, do you guys know where I can charge my phone?" she asked. "The battery's running out."

"You're a robot." replied Rainbow. "Why don't you charge it yourself?"

"Cybertronians don't have USB ports." said Whirl. "And I don't have a charger cable with me right now."

"Don't worry, Whirl." said Pinkie Pie. "We're nearing my home at Sugarcube Corner. I've got a charger there you can use."

"Thanks, Pinkie." smiled Whirl.

Just then, they heard somepony yell "Stop! Thieves!", and they saw two stallions wearing black toques with matching eye masks (look up "bandit eye masks" for visual reference) and brown trench coats running from the local bank with sacks of money.

"Bank robbers!" gasped Whirl.

Whirl then gave her phone to Twilight.

"Hold this for me, would you?" she asked.

Twilight nodded, and Whirl transformed into her police car mode and took off after the robbers, sirens blaring. She eventually chased them into and cornered them in an alley, where she transformed back into robot mode. She then grabbed the sacks from the frightened crooks.

"I'll take these if you don't mind." she said.

Soon, an officer with the Ponyville Police Department arrived to take the robbers off to the slammer.

"Thanks a lot, whoever you are." the officer said to Whirl. "We've been looking for these two crooks for three months."

"No problem, officer." said Whirl as she handed the officer the robbers' loot. "Give the bank the compliments of the Rescue Bots."

"Will do." winked the officer.

And with that, the officer left. Twilight and her friends came over to Whirl.

"Wow!" gasped Spike. "You were awesome, Whirl!"

"Yeah!" agreed Rainbow. "You sure busted those robbers good!"

"Thanks." said Whirl.

Just then, Spike's stomach grumbled.

"Getting hungry?" Twilight asked.

Spike nodded, and the group made their way to Sugarcube Corner. They soon arrived, and when they stepped inside, Whirl's optics caught site of the wide variety of cakes, cookies, and other confections the shop had to offer.

"Gee, too bad we Cybertronians can't consume regular food like you Ponies can, because those cakes look delicious!" she said.

"Don't worry, Whirl." said Pinkie. "I'm sure I've got something safe for Cybertronians to consume."

Soon, they found a table, and Whirl's phone was being charged thanks to Pinkie's phone charger.

"Thanks again for letting me borrow your charger." Whirl said to Pinkie.

"No problem." winked Pinkie. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some treats to make."

After fixing some milkshakes for herself, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Starlight and fixing a bowl of vanilla ice cream topped with crushed gems for Spike, Pinkie left and returned with a tankard and a small bottle of motor oil, which she poured into the tankard and gave to Whirl.

"Thanks, Pinkie." said Whirl as she sipped her oil. "But how did you know?"

"I can answe that." said Twilight. "Ever since the time your kind visited Equestria, I've been researching about Cybertronians and their culture, and I learned that Cybertronians often consume oil as a beverage."

"Makes sense." shrugged Whirl as she had another sip.

"Hey, Whirl, can you tell us more about yourself?" asked Starlight as she sipped her shake.

"Sure." said Whirl.

Whirl then told the Mane 7 and Spike all about Hot Shot and the other bots at the Academy and all the hijinks that gotten up to prior to when Whirl, Hoist, Medix, and Wedge were all kidnapped by the Decepticon Soundwave. She had also told them about Hot Shot's past as a war orphan.

"Aw, that was so sweet of Heatwave to do that for Hot Shot!" Fluttershy grinned when Whirl had told them about how Heatwave adopted Hot Shot as his son.

"Yeah." said Twilight.

"But it was also very disgraceful of him to scold Hot Shot so harshly." added Rarity.

"Ya got that right." said Applejack. "But I speak for all of us when I say that I'm glad they made up in the end."

"For sure." agreed Whirl.

Whirl then picked up her phone and showed the Ponies and Spike some pictures of her with Chase and the other bots back at the Academy as well as some photos of her and her father, Whirl Sr. The Ponies were quick to realize that while there were more than a fair share of pictures of the two Whirls, the majority of the pictures were of Whirl and Hot Shot.

"Boy, you sure like Hot Shot, don't you?" asked Rainbow.

"Yeah." said Whirl. "Sure, he may be a little brash and competitive at times, but he is a nice bot to talk to. And he's very brave, too. And he's also a really good Cube player."

"Cube?" asked Twilight. "Is that that game in your culture where players have to catch a flying cube powered by artificial intelligence?"

"Yup." nodded Whirl. "That's the one."

Whirl then sighed.

"What's the matter, Whirl?" asked Rarity.

"I'm starting to miss the others." said Whirl. "Especially Hot Shot."

"I know how you feel, Whirl." said Twilight as she wrapped her wing around Whirl. "Sometimes I miss my family in Canterlot. But I do visit them often."

"That's nice." smiled Whirl.

"And don't worry, Whirl, we'll help you find a way to get you home." said Spike. "One way or another, we will get you home."

"Thanks guys." said Whirl.

A short time later, after everyone finished their treats, and once Whirl's phone was recharged to full power, they left to go back to Twilight's castle to hang out for a while. As they were walking towards the castle, Whirl looked up in the sky and noticed a cloud that seemed to look like Hot Shot.

"Is it just me, or does that cloud look like Hot Shot?" she asked.

Fluttershy noticed Whirl staring at the cloud.

"Whirl?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

Whirl heard Fluttershy and quickly snapped out of it.

"Yeah, I'm fine." said Whirl. "I'm fine, Fluttershy. Thanks for asking."

Fluttershy could tell something was wrong with Whirl.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Fluttershy prodded. "If you have a problem, don't afraid to talk to me."

"Everything's fine, Fluttershy." said Whirl.

"You sure?" asked Fluttershy.

"Positive." nodded Whirl.

"Okay, if you say so." said Fluttershy.

With that, they continued on, but Whirl continued to see more visions of Hot Shot in different places; as steam in somepony's cup of coffee, as a paving stone, and as a floral arrangement. Each time, Whirl shook her head, thinking she was just seeing things.

"I guess that oil I had at Sugarcube Corner must be starting to get to me." she thought.

Fluttershy had witnessed Whirl's strange behavior.

"Something is not right." she pondered.

Fluttershy then tapped on Whirl's shoulder with her wing.

"Whirl, are you absolutely sure you're okay?" she asked.

"I'm certain." Whirl nodded.

"Well, if you're sure you're sure you're alright." said Fluttershy.

Soon, they arrived at the Castle of Friendship, and as Whirl was just about to go through the doorway, Fluttersy stopped her.

"Sorry, Whirl, but the others and I need to have a little talk, and we don't want you involved." she said.

"I understand." Whirl nodded.

With that, Whirl turned away and left, and Fluttershy joined the others.

"What's going on, Fluttershy?" asked Starlight.

"I think something's wrong with Whirl." said Fluttershy.

"What do you mean?" asked Rarity.

Fluttershy told the others how Whirl was behaving very strangely as they were leaving Sugarcube Corner.

"And every time I asked if she's okay, she told me she was." Fluttershy explained. "But I don't think she's being honest."

"Yeah, I see what you mean." said Applejack.

"But why would she have such strange behavior?" asked Rarity.

It didn't take long for Twilight to figure it out.

"I think I know what's going on." she said. "Remember when Whirl said she misses Hot Shot?"

It wasn't hard for Spike and the others to figure out what Twilight was getting at.

"You think Whirl was acting the way she was because she misses Hot Shot?" asked Starlight.

"Yes." nodded Twilight. "Come on, Spike. We need to speak to Whirl."

"Can I come with you?" asked Fluttershy.

"Of course." smiled Twilight.

Meanwhile, Whirl was taking a walk through the streets of Ponyville. This time, she wasn't taking any pictures.

"I wonder what Fluttershy needed to talk with the others about." she wondered.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she caught something out of the corner of her eye. It was what looked like a market stall with several small round objects in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Curious, she went over to the stall and looked them over.

"What are these things?" she asked.

Her answer came soon enough, because she looked up and saw a sign that said "Hacky Sacks".

"Hacky Sacks." Whirl recited. "Neat. Let's see what they have."

Whirl looked through the hacky sacks, and found a yellow one with a red flame pattern on it.

"Wow." she gasped. "This one looks really cool! If Hot Shot was here, he'd love this!"

But then, she remembered.

"Oh, Hot Shot, how I wish you were here." she sighed.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" asked a voice.

Whirl looked up and saw a mare wearing a shopkeeper's apron, therefore making her a salespony.

"Do you want to buy that?" the salespony asked. "They're only two silver bits a piece."

"Um...no thank you, miss." said Whirl. "I was just looking at them."

Whirl put down the hacky sack and quickly walked away.

"What is going on?" she thought to herself. "I keep being reminded of Hot Shot."

She eventually found her way to the local park, and found a tree to sit under. Once she was seated on the grass, she took out her phone and started looking through the pictures of her and Hot Shot. She eventually came to one where she and Hot Shot were posing in front of a nano-tech sculpture of hers and Hot Shot's heads with a heart in between them. Seeing this picture caused a few small droplets of oil to come out of her eyes and land on the screen of her phone, and she quickly wiped them away.

"What's getting into me?" she asked. "I feel like crying for some reason, but I don't think I should embarass myself like this in public."

Meanwhile, Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy were looking for Whirl when Spike spotted the hacky sack stall.

"Maybe that salespony has seen her." said Spike.

"Yeah, maybe." said Twilight. "Let's go ask her."

With that, the trio made their way to the stall, where the salespony was looking at the hacky sack Whirl had found.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but have you seen a blue robot with helicopter blades on her back named Whirl?" Fluttershy asked.

"Why, yes, I have." said the salespony. "As a matter of fact, she was just here at my stall. She was looking at this particular hacky sack right here. I'm not sure why, but she seemed transfixed by it for some reason."

Twilight and Fluttershy looked at each other, then back at the salespony.

"How much?" asked Twilight.

"Two silver bits." replied the salespony.

Twilight placed four gold bits on the stall, and the salespony gave her the hacky sack.

"Did you see which way Whirl went?" asked Spike.

"Yes." nodded the salespony. "She went that way."

The salespony pointed her hoof in the direction of the park.

"Thank you." said Twilight as she, Spike, and Fluttershy turned to leave the stall. "And keep the change!"

The Alicorn/Pegasus/dragon trio soon arrived at the park, and Spike soon spotted Whirl.

"There she is." he said.

Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy went over to Whirl, who was still trying to keep back her oily tears.

"Hey, Whirl." said Fluttershy as she, Twilight, and Spike sat down beside Whirl. "You feeling okay?"

"Do I look okay?" Whirl replied in a broken-sounding voice.

Twilight and her companions could tell Whirl was on the verge of crying.

"Okay, Whirl, it's time to come clean." said Fluttershy. "Something is bothering you, and we think we know what."

Twilight stepped forward and gave Whirl the hacky sack. When Whirl saw the hacky sack, her fight to keep herself from breaking down became even stronger.

"You still miss Hot Shot, don't you?" asked Twilight.

Whirl simply nodded, and that's when she finally lost her battle and started to cry. Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy immediately hugged her.

"There, there." said Fluttershy. "Just let it all out, Whirl."

"Yeah, it's okay, Whirl." added Spike. "We're right here, and we won't let go until you feel better."

"That's right." said Twilight.

Eventually, Whirl's tears ceased.

"Feel better?" asked Spike.

"Much." Whirl nodded. "I'm sorry I was acting so strangely."

"Hey, it's okay." said Twilight.

"Yeah, everything's cool." added Spike.

Fluttershy then noticed the sunset.

"It's getting late." she said. "And it's almost time for me to make dinner for my animals."

Spike then noticed that Fluttershy had oil dripping down her back, same with himself and Twilight.

"We should probably get ourselves cleaned up." he said.

"Right." nodded Twilight.

"Sorry about that." said Whirl.

"It's alright, Whirl." said Fluttershy.

"Yeah, don't worry." added Spike. "As long as you're feeling better, that's all that matters."

"I couldn't have put that better myself." agreed Twilight. "Come on, Spike, let's go home."

Spike nodded, and then he, Twilight, and Whirl parted ways with Fluttershy and went back home to the castle. There, while Spike and Twilight had their dinner, Whirl spent some time by herself in Twilight's study. She sat on the floor near some bookshelves and looked at the picture of her and Hot Shot she was looking at earlier.

"Oh, Hot Shot, if only you knew how much I miss you." she sighed.

But back at the Academy, Hot Shot was in his quarters looking at the exact same picture in a frame while sitting on his stasis pod.

"Oh, Whirl, how my spark yearns for your return." he lamented.

Just then, music from a piano started, and before Hot Shot knew it, he and Whirl, who was then shown in a split screen with him, were singing "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" by Bonnie Tyler, with Hot Shot singing one verse and Whirl singing another, and during the instrumental for the song, the scene showed Hot Shot and Whirl happily running towards each other with their arms opened wide in a field of wildflowers, then embracing each other and rolling around playfully, but as it ended, Hot Shot faded away from Whirl's arms and vice versa, and the scene turned back to their respective locations, then the lyrics resumed, and ended with the two bots putting their hands on the wall as each shed a single oily tear. Once the song ended, Whirl went outside the castle and laid down on the ground while staring up at the night sky. She noticed two stars that were close to each other.

"Look, Hot Shot." she said. "Those two stars look just like us when we're together, which I really wish we were."

Back at the Academy, Hot Shot was doing the exact same thing in the garden.

"It's just not the same here without you, Whirl." said Hot Shot. "I miss you so much."

Just then, Hot Shot heard Heatwave calling him inside, so he got up and went back inside the Academy, all the while thinking about Whirl.

"I really hope the Dimension Bridge can be fixed soon." he pondered.

End of Chapter 4